eMusic

The eMusic Story

eMusic is the world’s largest retailer of independent music and the world’s second-largest digital music retailer overall, offering more than 2 million tracks from more than 13,000 independent labels spanning every genre of music. A subscription-based service that allows consumers to own, not rent their music, eMusic is the largest service to sell tracks in the popular MP3 format—the only digital music format that is compatible with all digital music devices, including the iPod®. eMusic targets and successfully direct-markets to consumers who are interested in music outside the commercial mainstream, dramatically expanding the sale of catalogue typically known as "the long tail." Since Dimensional Associates acquired eMusic in 2003, the company has more than tripled its subscriber base.

The eMusic Experience

eMusic caters to music lovers of all types in the underserved 25-54 demographic. It does so by cultivating a vast catalogue from the world’s top independent labels that spans every conceivable musical genre, by offering unrivaled music discovery tools and by providing tracks in a high bit rate (192K VBR) MP3 format with no DRM. It all adds up to a pro-consumer experience that gives subscribers the ultimate in flexibility, and just as importantly, ample opportunities to discover new, exciting music.

eMusic sells music in the universally compatible MP3 format — the most widely utilized digital music format, used by hundreds of millions of consumers, and the only one that offers all the functions of physical music products such as the CD. The MP3 format allows consumers to play tracks on any device, burn CDs and make as many copies as they like for personal use.

eMusic focuses on selling music beyond the commercial mainstream in every genre, including rock, jazz, comedy, hip-hop, blues, classical, country, folk, children's music, electronic, world, reggae and more. Unlike so much of today's commercial Top 40, independent music is simply about great music. Top independent artists include familiar names such as Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Bob Marley and Creedence Clearwater Revival, established rule-breakers such as the Pixies, Lucinda Williams and Black Flag, and breaking new artists like Neko Case, the New Pornographers and Ying Yang Twins.

eMusic has deep relationships with the world's most innovative independent record labels, enabling it to offer cutting-edge music to its subscribers on or before its release date. eMusic's label roster includes top sellers like Concord Music Group, Koch, Naxos and Beggars Group, and other well-known independents such as Touch and Go, Merge, Sun Records, Cooking Vinyl, Fantasy, Bloodshot, Blood and Fire, TVT, Nettwerk, Vice, Thrill Jockey, Fat Possum, Razor & Tie, Six Degrees, SST, Smithsonian Folkways, Stones Throw and more.

To help consumers navigate this wide-ranging catalogue, eMusic provides award-winning editorial created by a staff of more than 120 of the best music journalists and experts in the country, led by eMusic editor-in-chief Michael Azerrad, the acclaimed music journalist and best-selling author. The web site includes the Review of the Day, regular columns in every genre and the popular eMusic Dozen, which is a brief overview of a genre, era, place or artist, followed by concise, insightful reviews of the 12 best eMusic albums fitting the topic.

Other discovery tools include the eMusic Toolbar, which offers members a free MP3 download every day, and puts Internet search and quick search of eMusic's vast music catalogue at members' fingertips. "Neighbors," "Friends" and "Playlists" features allow members to share their discoveries with each other, and eMusic provides powerful technology that analyzes members’ download histories and ratings to suggest playlists and personalized recommendations of new arrivals. Members can further customize their eMusic experience by developing their own PowerCharts™ and subscribing to genre-specific newsletters.

eMusic is a subscription-based service, allowing members to download tracks for substantially less than they would pay with other download services. Various pricing plans allow customers to pay as little as 27¢ per track, encouraging them to sample new artists and as a result, purchase more music — eMusic customers typically buy more than 20 tracks per month, while iTunes users average only 1 – 2 tracks per month.

I am a subscriber to eMusic and I have downloaded a lot of music from them. If you are interested in eMusic let me know and I can get you 50 free downloads. I will need your name and your e-mail and that is it. You can e-mail me your information at tsrk30@sbcglobal.net

My next post will be on the last CD I downloaded from eMusic.

Here is the link to eMusic: Music