It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about eMusic. I was a customer for a few years when it was a monthly-subscription fee for all-you-can-download MP3s from independent and minor labels. I quit in 2003 when eMusic changed hands and went to a limited download model. But this year I decided to resubscribe after noticing that the lineup of bands and labels–from John Zorn’s Tzadik label to classic albums from Black Flag–had greatly expanded.
Now, USA Today reports that eMusic has become the #2 downloading service on the ‘net, largely built upon two factors. First, the company sells MP3s that are utterly free of DRM, so they can be played on any MP3 player, and freely burned to CDs. Second, eMusic has actively recruited independent artists and labels, making it a terrific site for music lovers with a taste for the interesting, challenging and unusual.
Of course, being #2 behind iTunes means only having 11% of the market. But I think that’s pretty substantial for a site that doesn’t have most of what’s on the Billboard Hot 100.
Beyond having a constantly expanding selection of good tunes, I resubscribed to eMusic because it’s a good deal, and I don’t mind giving my money to smaller labels willing to trust their customers and treat them with respect. Rather than 99 cents to rent a song from iTunes, I‘m currently paying 23 cents per song that I can keep and burn, and that no change to terms of service can take back from me.
My one small complaint about eMusic is that their selection of underground metal is actually worse than it was three years ago. At least two big labels (Relapse and Metal Blade) are no longer on eMusic, although recently things have improved somewhat with the addition of the German Steamhammer label.
That said, eMusic is hard to beat when it comes to indie rock and jazz. I especially like being able to download just a track or two to check out an artist or album without having to go in for a full album.
It’s not revolutionary, but eMusic’s relative success gives me some hope that business model based upon trust and respect can actually prosper.
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