Long a haven for independent music lovers, eMusic has made it easier for subscribers to discover music in its large catalog of independent label music. The newly revamped version of eMusic's MP3 downloading service provides album reviews, artist biographies, and articles written by leading music journalists which discuss music that is available in the eMusic catalog.
Also provided are new community features, which let music fans share their collective knowledge about the music that they love. Subscribers can now contribute album ratings and reviews, post lists of favorite music, and discuss music on genre-specific message boards. They can also browse the music preferences and contributed content of "neighbors" who share similar downloading patterns.
These tools are aimed at helping subscribers sort through the large number of artists (over 24,000), many of whom are little known to the public, but whose work is considered first-rate by critics and fans alike. In this way, eMusic is helping to pull the curtain back on a large group of unsung performers--performers who lack major label marketing budgets, but whose music deserves to be heard and supported.
This process of discovery is made easier by eMusic's pricing, which comes in at 25 cents a track or less, a quarter of the price being charged by major label download stores like the iTunes Music Store. What's more, the files are delivered in MP3 format, free of the digital rights management hassles that encumber major label downloads. Once you buy these files you can move them anywhere you like and burn them to CD as many times as you like.
The catch: eMusic is a subscription service. The basic subscription costs ten dollars per month—roughly the cost of a premium cable channel—and gives you 40 downloads that you must use or lose prior to the next billing cycle. This probably won't work for people who are happy buying two or three CDs a year. But for for the avid music lover and musical explorer, it's a bargain. It ensures that you receive a steady stream of new music, and that you stay connected with the vital world of independent music.
A 14 day free trial is offered during which 50 tracks can be downloaded for free.
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