eMusic: Digital Music As It Should Be

Let me introduce you to the most innovative music service available on the Internet. It’s called eMusic. This company has a revolutionary idea—allow people to use their music on any device.

In an idea that has not been heard of since the ancient “CD” technology—which according to historians, could be played on any CD player—eMusic allows the downloaded MP3s to be played on any computer or music player capable of playing MP3s. These days that means practically anything that runs on electricity.

While other companies think this privilege is worth a premium, eMusic charges about $0.33 per song, if used correctly, and as low as $0.027 a song, if used excessively. The only downside to the low rates is that it is a monthly subscription service—the basic subscription gives you 30 songs for $9.99 per month.

eMusic has a very eclectic, but humongous, collection of music. It is great for discovering lesser known artists, or if your tastes run closer to indie, foreign, jazz, or classical music. Personally, I love sampling from all kinds of genres and still use actual CDs for the mainstream artists I like. I use eMusic to try out old stuff, jazz, and classical...and mainly to satisfy my unquenchable thirst for old and new Indian music.

While eMusic does not have most “top 40” artists, it does have many mainstream artists, such as Paul McCartney, They Might Be Giants, and Spoon. They also have a pretty extensive collection of live albums. The real leg up that this service has is in staff recommendations and features—it allows you to discover music and because of the fixed number of songs you have to download each month, there is a good chance you will be willing to spare a few downloads to try something new.

Another great feature is the ability to “re-download” a song. If you have ever downloaded a song, you can download it again without penalty. This means that if you left your music at home and you’re on the road, you can download a few albums that you’ve already “purchased” again. It also means that you don’t have to back up your songs as long as you are a member (though it is a good idea to do so).

eMusic works entirely through a web interface, though there is a (optional) download manager to keep track of your downloads. The advantage is that it works on all platforms—there is no specialized software or platform-specific DRM that locks you in to Windows (or even Mac OS). If you have a browser and your machine plays MP3s, you’re in luck.

The monthly subscription, however, may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I understand that many people may buy that much music on average but may not want to be forced to buy it every month. Also, with the limited selection in mainstream music, it may not be ten dollars that you want to spend in the first place. But if you have eclectic tastes—or want to develop them—the free eMusic trial could be worth it. If you want to support companies that stick their neck out in a DRM controlled world, then it’s definitely worth it.