Posts
UPDATED: AVclub
-------------------------
D, i'm wondering what you think of the big changes at emusic that are going on. As far as I can tell, and they are being a little cryptic, the changes are thus:
- the long battle to get a major label on the site has apparently been won: Sony's back catalog (though new releases seem unlikely to my cynical mind) is about to be available, meaning things like Springsteen, MJ, Miles Davis, the Clash, Tribe, Wu-Tang, Beyonce and a ton more will be on tap.
- prices have gone UP. my downloads are going from 50 to 37.
- "album pricing" - albums with more than 12 tracks can be downloaded for 12 credits
- did i mention prices are going up?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
That's interesting -- though, if other major labels join in, even with slightly increased prices, that would make it nearly equal to (but still vastly cheaper than) itunes. Either way, because of my irrational attachment to CDs I'm probably canceling my emusic subscription. I forgot to download one month, which really irked me, and it's just not worth it to me, because anything I find that I like, I'm going to want on hard copy. At that point, I may as well download for free and buy it later (everyone wins, Sheriff!). "Album Pricing" is smart though-- I was resistant to downloading stuff like the Minutement because it's just not worth it on a per-song basis.
I think I'm okay with this pricing plan if it brings in more labels. I have all I need from Sony's back catalog, but there are indie labels that are still eMusic hold-outs and I'm waiting for them to jump on board.
Namely I'm thinking about Drag City and Sub Pop (which is 49% owned by either Warner Bros. or Interscope, I forget which). Also, some random indie hold-outs like Robert Pollard's Guided By Voices label.
Speaking of GBV, they're a good example of how the new pricing plan can be beneficial.
Note to self: Spend this month downloading 1 and 2 song albums and then stock up on the 20 song GBV/Minutemen-esque albums of the world come July.
I currently get 40 downloads for 12 bucks a month. I'm getting switched to 30. That still breaks down to 40 cents per song-- 60% cheaper than iTunes and still probably worth it if the new additions expand beyond just Sony titles. (Also worth it if you can properly exploit the "album pricing" deal-- 3 bucks an album under my plan.)
I screwed up. It's $4.80 per album under my new plan. Not as good but still worth it for the right album-- and still cheaper than iTunes, Amazon, etc.
the thing that is really making me forgive this price change is the insane amount of great hip hop that is about to be available....
Post a Comment