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The market researcher found that AllofMP3 has a 14 per cent market share, ahead of Napster's eight per cent and Wippit MSN, both with six per cent. Only Apple's iTunes Music Store, way out in front with 44 per cent, can eclipse the Russians.

AllofMP3 has been condemned by the music industry for selling extremely cheap downloads without the permission of copyright holders, who receive no payment from the service.

The website says that it has signed an agreement with the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society and the Rightholders Federation for Collective Copyright Management of Works Used Interactively which entitles them to sell any song in any format. It also claims protection under Russia's (lack of) copyright laws and has resisted attempts by the authorities to close it down.

More recently an alliance of US copyright holders called for economic sanctions to be imposed on Russia to attempt to force the government to tackle software, music and movie copying and counterfeiting. AllofMP3 was cited as a prime example of the scale of copyright infringement in the country.