Anyone using mp3va.com ?

[MilesAhead]

I'm looking to purchase a few mp3 tunes.  Is anyone using mp3va.com?  The prices are cheap and they claim the mp3 can be burned to CD.  But they require a minimum installment of $15 in your fund to pay for downloads.

I am bit leery of just tossing them $15 to find out I can't get it back.  On the other hand it has pretty good ratings on a couple of sites like WOT.

[tomos]

I know very little about downloading music - but IIUC this type of site doesnt pay anything to the musicians - so why not just download the music illegally?
Disclaimer: I'm not promoting illegal downloading - just wondering about the advantages of using a site like this.

Edit// of course if you cannot access certain sites...

[MilesAhead]

It was easier buying CDs.  Pay and play.  But with DRM I could be the one getting ripped off.  I read the comments on WOT.  Some sounded like shills for RIAA.  Some critics sounded reasonable.  Hard to say.  But a lot of the comments were of the "used them for years, no problem" variety.

I felt much better about buying online from CDNOW in the old days.  

Edit: speaking of ripoffs, I've been pricing some Cassandra Wilson albums.  The prices are higher now for some of them than when I bought them over 20 years ago.  $24 for a 24 year old CD?  Give me a break!  And I didn't check the shipping charges.