Emusic

Last week I cancelled my subscription to the eMusic digital music service, a subscription I paid for faithfully for over ten years. I spent a few years of my blogging life writing about eMusic as a subscriber, so it’s appropriate to mark the end of my subscription with one final post. eMusic has gone through many business models over the years, but at the time I joined it was a would-be solution for people who wanted to listen to lots of music, especially music out of the mainstream, but had only a limited budget to pay for it. Operating in the post-Napster era, eMusic focused on people who wanted to download tracks and albums as MP3 files, and would commit to pay at least $10 a month for the privilege. Initially the service allowed “unlimited” downloads for one fixed price. This was after the major music labels had sued Napster into submission for offering a similar service at no charge (and without authorization by copyright holders, of course), so even with the promise of payment no major labels were willing to sign up. The offering was thus limited to independent music labels, and even then much of the music available was only marginally appealing (to put it politely). ...

In reading the recent New York Post article “EMusic mulls sale as digital market shifts” (pointed to by eMusic subscriber okierambler in a recent message board thread), the most interesting part to me was actually at the very end of the article: Sources said eMusic’s backers . . . are also seriously considering adding a streaming component in a bid to build upon its recent growth. . . . According to sources, the streaming component would be a value-added feature for premium subscribers. ...

A while back my copy of iTunes saw fit to present me (for the first time?) with a “party playlist.” I honestly can’t imagine any party that would have this as a playlist, but the bizarre randomness of it all intrigued me and prompted me to present the unexpurgated list to the world (with comments where appropriate and links to eMusic downloads where available): Eve Beglarian, “Far Off Country (Four),” performed by Maya Beiser, from Almost Human. I like this album but have a bit of aversion to spoken-word accompaniments to classical tracks, like those here. Neutral Milk Hotel, “Two-Headed Boy Part 2,” from In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. This album is legendary among people who know it, but I have to confess I feel more admiration for it than love. Mogwai, “I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead,” from The Hawk Is Howling. I’m a major Mogwai fan, but on first listen I thought this was relatively minor Mogwai. I’ll have to give it another try. Arvo Pärt, “Nunc dimittis,” performed by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, from Da pacem. I’ve been a big Pärt fan ever since picking up Litany (based on a recommendation in Wired, oddly enough). Tristania, “Angellore,” from Widow’s Weeds. An experiment on my part in venturing into the “melodic metal” arena; not bad, but I’m still not that interested in metal. M.I.A., “Fire, Fire,” from Arular. I was dining at Fatburger, which features a free jukebox with a net connection, when someone played “Paper Planes” from Kala. I decided to reciprocate by playing “Galang Galang” from this album. Eve Beglarian, “Far Off Country (One-Two),” performed by Maya Beiser, from Almost Human. iTunes put two tracks from this album onto the list; I have no idea why. Dumptruck, “Better Of You,” from For the Country (not on eMusic). In my opinion this is one of the best non-country country albums ever recorded, right up there with Meat Puppets II. The Fall. “An Older Lover etc,” from Palace of Swords Reversed (not on eMusic). I have lots of Fall albums; this is one of the better ones. Johann Johannsson, “Englabörn,” from Englabörn. I like Johannsson but don’t recall liking this album as much as IBM 1401: A User’s Manual. Amiina, “Saga,” from Kurr. Another Icelandic production, not in the league of Bjork or Sigur Rós, but well worth listening to. Team Dresch, “Hate the Christian Right!” from Personal Best (not on eMusic). The Butchies have their charms but are no substitute for this band. Supposedly Team Dresch have reformed and are (maybe?) recording a new album; I always worry about this sort of thing but am definitely looking forward to it if it ever happens. The Wedding Present, “I’m Not Always So Stupid,” from George Best Plus. I listened to this album only once; it was a bit too much of its time for me. Super Furry Animals, “Patience,” from Rings Around The World. Another album I listened to only once, and need to try again. “Bocuma,” Boards Of Canada, Music Has The Right To Children (not on eMusic). CollabNet didn’t really take off as a company, but I have to say that my co-workers there (who recommended this to me) had great taste in music.

In two previous posts about my current use of eMusic I discussed my musical jobs to be done and how I might now supplement eMusic with other services in order to optimize the use of my more limited number of eMusic downloads. One of the things I noted is my need to “audition” music prior to downloading it, which naturally leads to the question: Should eMusic create a streaming service to complement its current download offering? As I discuss below, I think it should, but only in a way that is consistent with eMusic’s current value proposition and business model. ...

It was over six years ago that I first subscribed to the eMusic digital music service, and over three years since I started my blog Swindleeeee!!!!! to provide an outlet for my eMusic-related musings. My posting frequency (never that high) has in recent months fallen off drastically. I either don’t have anything I want to write about eMusic, or I don’t have time to write anything. Rather than have Swindleeeee!!!!! join the millions of other blogs that have dribbled off into nothingness, I’ve decided to give it a dignified exit. More specifically: ...

As all long-time eMusic watchers are aware, eMusic’s business model has always been based on the “health club” model, i.e., the assumption that a certain percentage of customers will pay for but not use the service. In eMusic’s case that corresponds to subscribers who download fewer tracks per month than they’re paying for. The result of these unused tracks or digital “breakage” (as Digital Audio Insider refers to the phenomenon) is that the per-track payout from eMusic to labels was somewhat higher than it would be otherwise. That in turn made distribution through eMusic somewhat more attractive to labels than the nominal per-track pricing might otherwise indicate. ...

Given the extent to which Michael Jackson the person was crushed beneath the weight of Michael Jackson the commercial phenomenon, it’s sadly appropriate that his death should allow Sony Music Entertainment and eMusic to conduct a natural experiment in maximizing profits through price discrimination. Jackson’s death has rekindled interest in his music, to the point where Michael Jackson albums now dominate the charts at the iTunes Store and Amazon. As far as I can tell all the Michael Jackson digital releases on the iTunes Store are being sold at full-price; the same is true for Michael Jackson releases in MP3 format at Amazon. Individual Michael Jackson tracks range from $0.99 to $1.29 on both services. ...

In my previous post I lamented the demise of eMusic as I’ve known it, and in preparation for the future discussed my “jobs to be done” related to discovering and listening to music: Casual listening to familiar music at my computer. Casual listening to familiar music when I’m offline. More focused listening to a) familiar and b) less familiar music while driving. Auditioning music for inclusion in my core collection. Here’s how my jobs to be done match up with various digital music products and services being offered today: ...

In less than a month my grandfathered eMusic Basic 2-year plan (40 tracks per month at a cost of $7.49 per month or $0.19 per track) will end, and I’ll face a choice of what to do next. eMusic’s suggestion is that I go for a eMusic Plus Annual plan: 35 tracks per month at a cost of about $14.33 per month or $0.41 per track. However rather than simply going along with an almost doubling in cost of my music buying habit, I’ve decided to rethink how I actually discover and listen to music, and look at additional possibilities beyond eMusic (or to supplement eMusic) that might serve me better at a comparable cost to what I’ve been paying. This also leads to some thoughts on how eMusic could become a better service from my point of view or, alternatively, how a new service could replace eMusic in my affections. ...

Most of the press coverage of the eMusic/Sony agreement has been either regurgitated press releases and echoes of the original New York Times story, or stories about the backlash from eMusic subscribers. I have a standing Google search for “eMusic” and see tons of this stuff. However there is actual smart analysis being done out there, and here are two examples. As seems to be typical nowadays, these are not from traditional media or business journalists but from a blogger turned pro and a musician who blogs. ...