eMusic Adds Major Catalog Expansion; Increases Prices

Indie music download site eMusic has long been one of my favorite download services (I've been a member for the better part of the last eight years), but in terms of selection and shear size of catalog, it's always been a distant third behind iTunes and Amazon MP3. Come July, that gap is going to narrow.

That's when eMusic will make a major addition to its catalog, according to a blog post by CEO Danny Stein.

The service had previously limited itself (or been limited by the demands of major labels) only to music from independent labels. The July expansion will add major labels including Arista, Columbia, Epic, and RCA (all part of Sony Music), meaning that many major label artists - like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Leonard Cohen, and many, many more - will now be available through eMusic.

But, as one of my favorite eMusic discoveries of the last two or three years, Carolyn Mark, sings; "nothing is free." And the catalog expansion comes with a price increase.

Previously, eMusic offered a flat fee for a fixed number of downloads. I was on the US$9.99/month for 30 download plan. When I log into the site now, I'm told that come July my plan will now be $95 for 210 downloads every six months. While I used to pay about US$0.30 per download, I'll now be paying about $0.45 per. My annual cost at eMusic used to be just under $100 (they gave a discount for pre-payment). Now my annual cost will be just under $200 - effectively a doubling in price.

As a long-time member, I'm excited to see this change, as it will give me a substantial amount of new music through my main digital download store (I only use iTunes when the music I want isn't available at eMusic, since my eMusic cost is lower - which it will be even with this increase). For the digital download space as a whole, I think it's a great thing because it means greater competition, which is always good for consumers. I'd be a little surprised if these prices go entirely unchanged for long-time members, though. The hew and cry is already loud at eMusic.

Still, this is a pretty great reason to look forward to July.