Not “fresh” information: I do not know about ‘today’ but last time I was in
Moscow, last year, I went to the marketplace at Leningradski train station,
as always. Computer games and software, and video (MP4 & DivX) and music
(MP3 & CD) were abundant, although prices had jumped up from 50p to 200p
(<$2 to <$7) for what would still cost much more, if legal/licensed. Personally, I never buy them.
Too often have I seen or heard of viruses and other problems, but mostly - for me - I am not into bypassing intellectual property rights. Russian artists usually do not get royalties, so they lose nothing, but “Western” artists do. Just my bent.
I had one DVD movie nearly confiscated by Customs, because it was a US film,
but then returned to me when I showed them that it was a licensed Russian
translated version and with a receipt. The totally Russian DVDs were barely
glanced over and not questioned. The MP3 CDs which were in an album case were similarly ignored.
For those who are considering such products, I would suggest testing them at
the shop or kiosk, when possible. I have also bought discs which were labeled but not recorded (or perhaps defective). There are risks.
The items for which I shop are those of Russian artists, which are either unavailable or difficult to find in USA.
