Emusic Self-Immolates
I gave Emusic a glowing recommendation shortly after I subscribed a few months ago mostly because it was a cheap, easy, and legal way for me to discover new music. This morning, I received an email:
First, we are pleased to inform you that EMusic.com Inc. is being acquired by Dimensional Associates LLC ("Dimensional"), a private equity group focused on providing innovative online music distribution services.
Hm, I don't really like the sound of that...
Dimensional shares EMusic's consumer focused philosophy of providing low cost, convenient access to great music. Dimensional plans to continue enhancing the EMusic service with new features and content and you can look forward to hearing more once the acquisition has been completed.
OK, maybe this won't be so bad after all.
As a provider of music downloads, EMusic is subject to a complex system of intellectual property rights and technological challenges that impose high costs and often uncertain risks on the company.
In order to respond to these ongoing challenges and maintain a compelling service for our valued customers, EMusic will be making a number of significant changes in the coming weeks and months. As part of these changes, we will be discontinuing the unlimited service plan and replacing it with a new service offering.
Motherfucker, motherfucker, motherfucker.
Under EMusic Plus, you will be billed $14.99 per month for access to the service with no minimum monthly commitment, but you will be limited to no more than 65 downloads during your monthly billing cycle.
Ah, Plus must mean less in marketspeak.
In addition, EMusic is pleased to present a special, limited time offer available exclusively to current subscribers - EMusic Premium. Designed for our most active subscribers, this plan allows you to download up to 300 tracks per month (approximately 25 albums) for a monthly charge of $50.00.
For $50 a month, I should get a different band coming to my house every month and singing a few songs to see if I like them.
The news couldn't be any more blowful. What was once a great idea and a significant step in the right direction for online music distribution has been irrevocably broken by those who it threatened most. I'm thankful that I subscribed while I did, because I'll always have Interpol, Dropkick Murphys, and Alkaline Trio because of them. Unfortunately, the exposure for these three bands (and countless others) now drops because of the greediness of clueless dinosaurs struggling to survive.
All that's left now is to go on a mad downloading binge and cancel my account before the deadline. Goodbye, Emusic; it was great while it lasted.
October 09, 2003 - 07:31 PM
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try musicmatch
An annual subscription to MX Platinum costs $4.95 per month. If you don’t cancel your Platinum Service within the first 7 days, you’ll be billed $59.40 for 12 months.
Musicmatch looks vaguely interesting, but I have two problems with it:
1. It looks like signing up for the service does not entitle one to any actual downloads; every song is a buck, or something like that.
2. DRM? All the website says is “hi fidelity sound”, and “CD quality sound.” Some people consider 128kpbs MP3 “CD quality”, and I’m making a concerted effort NOT to allow DRM on my computer.
I download music from it all the time with out a problem…you could try their free trial and see what it entails it might surprise you :)
I may yet, but it looks like most of the artists are big-label artists; I liked emusic because I found artists that don’t get radio play.
And who are you?
i’ll give you two chances to guess my name…lol
Hi Tami.
I knew you would figure it out lol
What a tragedy!
Hello,
We have received your request and will be sending you an email confirmation of your cancellation shortly. We expect our response time to be slightly delayed I hope its slightly delayed since I hope everyone is giving you the ASS and we appreciate your patience during this time. Kiss my —-, I would have been happy if you had decreased downloads to a more reasonable level, I was wondering why the message boards were canned…I wonder how many ppl you will lose :-P
Regards,
EMusic.com Support Absolute TURDS