Why eMusic Friggin' Rules
When I was a young player trying to build a record collection out of my hard-earned lawnmowing money there was nothing better than Columbia House Record Club's trial offer. You'd actually tape a penny to a postcard and mail it in with your eight or so selections and the records would show up at your door. Of course, over the next few years you were obliged to pay for a certain number of full-price selections but then you'd cancel and start all over again. Besides, paying full-price later became easier the older and more employed I got. So Columbia House was kinda like an Adjustable Rate Mortgage for desperate music consumers.
Today, eMusic is my new Columbia House, only better. Better than Columbia House, because even beyond their initial freebie offer (50 free MP3s, no obligation) you end up paying between 20-40 cents a song depending on your subscription level. Better than MP3 subscription services like Napster and Yahoo, because you can keep the MP3s forever whether or not you continue to subscribe. Better than iTunes, because you can move, copy, and burn the MP3s however often you want.
eMusic has been aggressively expanding their catalog of independent music — spanning from the classic to the brand spankin' new. Just peep the albums I downloaded in the past month:
- Blackalicious - The Craft
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm Remixed
Copperpot - Chapter Seven
Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask
Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
Howard Hello - Howard Hello EP
Iron & Wine/Calexico - In the Reins
Mekons - Fear and Whiskey
Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken
Stereo Total - Do the Bambi
If you haven't done so yet, sign up for eMusic's 50 free MP3s
Posted by sam on 10.11.05
Here here and huzzah! I fully concur with Sir Sam on the emusic friggalicious music bonanza. That new Blackalicious lp is dope and emusic is a great way to update your collection and dig into things you missed the first time around. They've also got lots of classic soul, world, folk, jazz which is a personal fave, this week I donwloaded a bunch of non-'nuts Vince Guaraldi with bossa guitarist Bola Sete - tasty. They've also got the Merge and Matador catalogs available - YoLaTengo and Arcade Fire as well as loads of other bands.
Posted by: Gary Kolenbrander at October 12, 2005 08:15 PM
I haven't been to eMusic lately, but I had a membership for a couple of years back when it was $20 a month for unlimited downloads. I got semi-disgusted and left when they restricted the number of downloads available (inevitable, understandable, still disappointing), but I've been back once since for the free 50 deal. Well worth it.
Posted by: Paul Z at October 15, 2005 01:33 PM