Some of you might have heard about eMusic's recent deal with Sony Music and the price increase that went along with it. I'm a bit torn about this deal myself. On the one hand, even though eMusic's prices have jumped 66%, eMusic subscribers will still pay less per MP3 than they would buying music from iTunes or Amazon, and there's still a great selection of indie music there. On the other hand, that price jump is an obvious concession to an RIAA label — especially one that once thought releasing CDs filled with malicious rootkit software was "no big deal" — and it makes eMusic less valuable to existing customers. Plus, eMusic has not handled its critics well.
If you're an eMusic customer, I'd like to know your reaction to all this. Do you plan to remain with eMusic in spite of this deal, or are you canceling your subscription? Please answer this poll, and feel free to leave a comment here, too, and let me know if you think Dave's Lounge should continue its marketing relationship with eMusic.
Playlist for Dave's Lounge #161:
- Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy, "Maybe Soon" Buy from: iTunes
- Under, "Beam of Light" Buy from: iTunes | eMusic
- Deborah Anderson, "Breathe" Buy from: iTunes | eMusic
- Mouchette, "Dusk" Buy from: iTunes
- Norine Braun, "Be Brave (Blaxcot Remix)" Buy from: iTunes | eMusic
- Blind Divine, "Disillusioned" Buy from: iTunes | eMusic
- Mooli, "Awaken" Buy from: iTunes
If you'd like to listen to this episode or any other on your iPhone, check out the Dave's Lounge direct download page.
Enjoy the show!
