Denied access to AMG - All Music Guide!

Subject: Denied access to AMG - All Music Guide!
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 02:56 PM

While accessing AMG - the All Music Guide, I suddenly saw this message:

"Through traffic monitoring of our websites we have identified your IP address accessing our website(s) at a rate and speed inconsistent with the noncommercial and personal use permitted by our site's Terms of Use. As a result, access to allmusic.com, allmovie.com and allgame.com has been denied.

"If you feel you have been denied access in error, please contact All Media Guide at [e-mail]. Please include your name, company, IP address, and technical contact, if applicable, in your response. Thank you."

As I harvest songs for DigiTrad, I have been using AMG to verify song titles, composers, performers, album titles, publication dates, etc. for the notes that appear at the ends of songs. I find it VERY useful for this purpose. I was doing this when the message appeared.

Curiously, the message appeared only once, and I have continued to use AMG without further obstruction afterwards. I haven't replied to their message - yet - but I may. I'm wondering what other Mudcatters think of this, and what I should reply.

Subject: RE: Denied access to AMG - All Music Guide!
From: MMario
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 03:06 PM

speed and frequency of posting has nothing to do with commercial versus non-commercial usage! yeesh!

Subject: RE: Denied access to AMG - All Music Guide!
From: hesperis
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 09:27 PM

Right, and it does have to do with is bandwidth usage. Sites that use other site's offerings in that big a way, make the cost of running the site rather large. I'm sure they'd prefer people who use their resources to that extent to pay for it.

Fortunately, the DigiTrad is not-for-profit. It looks like they haven't taken non-profits into their plans though. :shrug:

Subject: RE: Denied access to AMG - All Music Guide!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 10:16 PM

I probably use it as often as you do, Jim. I'm sure we're not the ones they're bothered about. I've heard that some sites get hit thousands of times a day by bulk harvesters, and this can really be a problem.

The parent site, http://www.allmediaguide.com/ has great information on music and movies. It's one of the best music information sites I know.

-Joe Offer-