Get Better Gear!

Premier Sponsors

TechRestore

Other World Computing

Top 5 Free Apps

Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: August 29, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Release Date: August 07, 2009

iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Top 5 Paid Apps

Release Date: April 22, 2009
StickWars $0.99
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Genre: Games
Bloons $0.99
Release Date: April 05, 2009
Genre: Games

Discover New Music

  • The Dresden Dolls

    • 10 out of 10
    • The Dresden Dolls
    • The energetic duet of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione that make up the Dresden Dolls have created a wonderfully haunting sound in their self-titled album. They have been able to construct an imme

  • Machine Gun Etiquette

    • 8 out of 10
    • The Damned
    • Punk rock is mostly associated with three chords and a bad attitude, but the Damned were one of the few bands of the era bent on bringing musicianship and a good sense of humor to the scene. And while
  • The Stooges

    • 8 out of 10
    • The Stooges
    • Another pillar of my musical foundations, The Stooges' first album is one those records whose influence far outweighed its popularity. Like The Velvet Underground & Nico, hordes of people wh

  • Jagged Little Pill (Acoustic)

    • 6 out of 10
    • Alanis Morissette
    • Ten years after the original release, comes the traditional celebratory acoustic re-recording. The album has held up remarkably well. While it is not as meaningful to me as it was when I was sixteen,
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Once More, with Feeling

    • 10 out of 10
    • Various Artists
    • Most musical episodes of TV shows frankly stink. They are usually little more than ill-conceived vehicles intended to let the stars show off what musical talent they have. Once More, With Feeling,

Reader Specials

Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!

News

eMusic to Lower Monthly Download Allowances

eMusic, the number two online music download retailer behind iTunes, on Tuesday served notice to its members that, effective Nov. 21, its subscription plans will offer fewer downloads per month. The Basic plan will allow 30 (formerly 40), Plus will allow 50 (formerly 65), and Premium will allow 75 (formerly 90). Users with active accounts, however, will keep their current levels of downloads, and will be able to upgrade to better accounts at the old thresholds until Nov. 21.

Cathy Halgas Nevins, eMusic's vice-president of corporate communications, told iPodObserver.com: "The price increase has been planned for some time and was not a result of pressure from the RIAA or any other outside group or partner." She noted that the current account structure was based on the 250,000 songs the service offered when it opened its virtual doors in 2003; it now offers 1.8 million tracks.

Monthly pricing for the plans will remain the same: US$9.99 for the Basic plan, $14.99 for Plus, and $19.99 for Premium. Unlike typical subscription services such as Napster, however, users own what they download from eMusic and will never lose it because they've stopped paying the monthly fee, which simply limits how many songs that can download each month. The service doesn't offer the same breadth of content as rival, iTunes, though, because it only features tracks from independent record companies.

eMusic also features no DRM (digital rights management), which means users can easily import songs into iTunes and play them on iPods. Ms. Halgas Nevins commented: "Our 9,800 independent label partners are supportive of using the MP3 format to release their music in a format that's compatible with every digital music device on the planet, and one that delivers the consumer the same functionality as the CD. The four major labels are the only labels who have refused to license any part of their catalogues to us (or anyone else) without DRM."

She noted: "We have no objection to DRM philosophically; we support MP3 because it is the only interoperable format and offers the consumer the best experience and the most flexibility with their music."

Post Your Comments

  Remember Me  Forgot your password?

Not a member? Register now. You can post comments without logging in, but they'll show up as a "guest" post.

Commenting is not available in this section entry.