EMusic
 |
|
| Opened | January 8, 1998 (as GoodNoise Records) |
|---|---|
| Pricing model | 30-day subscription |
| Platforms | MP3s downloadable in any platform; open-source clients available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux |
| Format | MP3 (.mp3) |
| Restrictions | None |
| Catalogue | 23,000,000+ tracks, 19,000+ audiobooks |
| Preview | 30 seconds |
| Streaming | m3u |
| Trial | 7 days music, 14 days audiobooks, [1] |
| Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http://) | |
| Availability | United States, Canada, European Union, Norway, Switzerland |
| Features | Booster packs |
| Website | www.emusic.com |
| Alexa rank |
 12,698 (April 2014[update]) |
eMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. In exchange for a monthly subscription eMusic users can download a fixed number of tracks to their MP3 players per month. eMusic was established in 1998, is headquartered in New York City with an office in London, and is owned by Dimensional Associates.
eMusic is a digital music store, founded in 1998 as one of the first sites to sell DRM-free MP3s. The site also features original editorial content and was expanded in March 2014 to include Wondering Sound, an online music publication which includes eMusic's archived music features, interviews, news, photography, and new long-form articles and interviews.
eMusic's music store, as of March 2011, had more than 12 million tracks, up from 9 million tracks in September 2010. New subscribers can take out a seven-day trial before taking a full subscription; the trial account becomes a billable subscription account after seven days. Refunds are possible, under certain circumstances, by contacting eMusic customer support. Subscriptions allow users to download a number of tracks per 30-day period.
eMusic currently offers a number of Membership plans, including Basic, Plus, Premium and Fan in exchange for a monthly fee. Every 30 days the download limit is reset (regardless of how many songs were downloaded). eMusic also offers "booster packs" to subscribers, which expire after 90 days rather than after a month, and are consumed when subscribers download tracks beyond their monthly allotments. Earlier business models prior to Dimensional Associates' ownership supported an "all-you-can-eat" download subscription. For a monthly fee, customers were able to download as many tracks as they wished from the service.
eMusic was one of the first sites to sell music in the MP3 format, beginning in 1998. It differs from other well-known music download services (such as the iTunes Store and Amazon Music) in that it is a download-to-own subscription service. However, in 2011 eMusic took its first, limited step into streaming in an effort to help users discover unfamiliar tracks and artists more easily.
In 2006, eMusic added two European versions of its online store: 'eMusic UK' and 'eMusic Europe'. Current subscribers to the global site that were within the European Union had their membership transferred to the appropriate European store. eMusic UK and eMusic Europe have higher prices compared to their North American counterpart, partially due to the extra sales taxes which these stores are now subject to. However, the changeover also included access to labels previously unavailable to non-European customers, notably London-based Domino Records and artists such as The White Stripes and Mogwai. It is also notable that the European version of the store is for customers within the European Union, not customers within Europe.
...
Wikipedia