eMusic has recently undergone a bit of a shake-up (November 18, 2010) and now includes more mainstream music than before. To accomodate this change they have also revamped their pricing structure.
The main drawback with eMusic is despite the recent addition of over 250,000 tracks from Universal Music Group, they still have less mainstream music than other services.
eMusic is a great service but due to their reduced mainstream selection it’s not for everyone. The best way to see if they have the kind of music you like is to take the free 7 day trial and dig around to see if you like it. You will get $5 worth of free downloads to keep forever (even if you decide it’s not for you and don’t subscribe). Visit eMusic to see if this offer is still available by clicking here.
eMusic Downloads
The eMusic subscription model is different to that of the other subscription sites (Superpass, Napster etc) and is a fixed fee which you can then use to purchase songs as you would with a pay-per-song website such as iTunes or Amazon. The difference is in the price, eMusic tracks generally cost only $0.49 (considerably cheaper than iTunes which charges $0.99 / $1.29 per song).
The real benefit of a subscription to eMusic is the fact that every track you download is yours to keep forever, even after you leave. Every track in their extensive library is DRM-free, meaning you are completely free to burn your songs to CD or install them on multiple mp3 devices, computers etc.
eMusic Review Conclusion
With the recent deal between eMusic and Universal Music Group, eMusic has now become a more attractive offering catering to mainstream pop aswell as independent labels. For anyone looking to download mainly mainstream pop, they are still not as attractive as Superpass and Napster, but they are a great option for anyone into Indie music.
The lack of DRM restrictions is a huge boost, giving end-users total control over the music they download. Couple that with the fact that individual tracks are less than half the price of sites such as iTunes and Amazon, eMusic really becomes an attractive proposition.
We strongly suggest that anyone thinking of subscribing to eMusic take advantage of the current FREE TRIAL. This will give you 7 days to have a good look around the site to make sure they have the kind of content you are looking for. Everyone who takes advantage of the free trial will also be given a $5 credit to use, so that’s 10 free downloads to keep forever just for trying them out!
To check availability of this offer, visit eMusic by clicking here.