Review by: Museekster
eMusic is based in New York, USA and has been around since
1998.
This online music service is one of the true MP3 pioneers on the web. Unlike most
US based download
stores all music is offered in MP3 format.
Because of the limited catalogue eMusic did not attract many customers at first. The number of files has grown rapidly over the past few years. eMusic's popularity has gained steam and is now the world’s second largest digital music retailer after iTunes.
Catalogue
All files are delivered as MP3 without any form of copy
protection. Users may do whatever they want with the songs. Unlimited CD burning
along with the ability to transfer music to any desktop, portable music player
and digital device including the iPod.
Because of this unrestricted usage, eMusic has not been able to close deals with
the major labels. It's the place for Indie music and the number of labels
joining eMusic is growing steadily.
This download store is not likely to satisfy fans devoted to top-40 bands, but for those who like independent-label music, blues, or jazz, eMusic is the place to go. The company has signed up over a thousand music labels and offers more than 1,000,000 songs.
The eMusic Live section contains a collection of live music performances. The
latest live shows from emerging and established independent artists are added
each week.
Most songs are encoded with Lame -alt preset standard. An encoding method that
is very popular among audiophiles because it produces MP3s that sound so crisp,
so clear, even an audiophile can't recognize the difference from the original
CD.
Price
EMusic offers three service plans:
EMusic Basic: $12.99 per month/maximum 30 downloads
EMusic Plus: $16.99 per month/maximum 50 downloads
EMusic Premium: $20.99 per month/maximum 75 downloads
This means you pay about 35 cent per mp3. One of the best deals on the internet
as far as paid downloads are concerned.
Free trial
You can try eMusic for free, 25 downloads max. All downloaded songs are yours to keep and will function forever.
Paid subscribers well even get 50 songs for free!
Download manager
eMusic has a great download manager. Downloads are picked up automatically and downloading is fast. You can donwload an album with just one click.
Community features
Make friends, write reviews, get recommendations.
Pros
- Low pricing;
- Collector's items;
- Greet look and feel of the website;
- Very user-friendly;
- Good download manager
- High quality audio;
- Free trial;
- All downloaded files can be used even after you have cancelled your subscription.
Cons
- Only MP3
- The catalogue does not contain top albums of major artists
- Subscriptions only, no pay per download
Conclusion
You can tell that eMusic is quite experienced with on line distribution of
music. The website is well organized and user-friendly. If you have any question
about the service the answer is easy to find.
The eMusic Download Manager does the job without a flaw. The sound quality of
the mp3's is unsurpassed.
With eMusic you can get downloads for 35 cents - that's far lower than any other
legal US based music download site.
Since all files are unprotected and are delivered in internet most popular
format (MP3) you have total control over your downloads. You can do whatever you
want, no restrictions at all.
Emusic's catalogue is far from mainstream, but is a paradise for people with
collector's mentality.