British Gang Jailed for iTunes Scam

Gang members in England used stolen credit cards to purchase their own music on iTunes and Amazon as a scam to earn royalties, the BBC reports. Five gang members from Kent, Derby, Birmingham and Wolverhampton, England have been jailed, with one other sent to a youth offenders institution for the elaborate scheme.

The ringleaders of the scam, Craig Anderson and Edwin Road, purchased 24 identical laptops, obtained thousands of stolen or compromised credit card details and recruited helpers to purchase songs uploaded to the sites to drum up royalties. This exploited a system in which musicians receive royalties directly from the online retailers by paying a flat fee to a distributor. The scam ran between January of 2008 and June of 2009, leading to approximately $1.2 to $1.6 million in losses for Amazon and iTunes. The gang members used music by friends and acquaintances in their plot, resulting in a two-year jail term for a former teacher who pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges.

Photos: Random Notes

The crew was busted when iTunes investigated a spike in royalty payments to unknown artists from Wolverhampton, England at a rate more commonly associated with superstar acts like Madonna.

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British Gang Jailed for iTunes Scam

Gang members in England used stolen credit cards to purchase their own music on iTunes and Amazon as a scam to earn royalties, the BBC reports. Five gang members from Kent, Derby, Birmingham and Wolverhampton, England have been jailed, with one other sent to a youth offenders institution for the elaborate scheme.

The ringleaders of the scam, Craig Anderson and Edwin Road, purchased 24 identical laptops, obtained thousands of stolen or compromised credit card details and recruited helpers to purchase songs uploaded to the sites to drum up royalties. This exploited a system in which musicians receive royalties directly from the online retailers by paying a flat fee to a distributor. The scam ran between January of 2008 and June of 2009, leading to approximately $1.2 to $1.6 million in losses for Amazon and iTunes. The gang members used music by friends and acquaintances in their plot, resulting in a two-year jail term for a former teacher who pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges.

Photos: Random Notes

The crew was busted when iTunes investigated a spike in royalty payments to unknown artists from Wolverhampton, England at a rate more commonly associated with superstar acts like Madonna.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

'Mad Men' Version of 'Zou Bisou Bisou' in iTunes Store

Jessica Paré from the season premiere of 'Mad Men'

A recording of the Sixties French pop "Zou Bisou Bisou" sung by actress Jessica Paré from last night's season premiere of Mad Men has been released as a download in the iTunes store. A limited edition seven-inch single of the recording is being sold through the Mad Men website, and the song will also be available as a download through Amazon later this week, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Paré's performance of the song as Megan Draper, Don Draper's young new wife, was a highlight of the two-hour episode. In the scene, Megan sings the song with a band of Sixties hipsters at a surprise birthday party for her husband, who can barely suppress his embarrassment and discomfort. The song was a hit for French singer Gillian Hills and was sung by Sophia Loren in the 1960 film The Millionairess.

You can watch a clip of Paré's rendition of the song on the show below, though keep in mind that this video was made by a fan filming their television, so everything is just a bit off.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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