eMusic - What Are You Downloading This Month?

[WJGreer]

I like eMusic - you pay a flat monthly fee and get a set number of downloads per month. They offer high quality VBR MP3 files and focus on independent artists. I've run across a few really great recordings there, many from artists I would have never known about otherwise.

The only problem is that the downloads are "use them or lose them" - if you don't download your full allocation during the month, your downloads do not carry forward to the next month. So, sometimes I download stuff essentially blind.

Referrals are great - let's set up a log of what people are downloading from eMusic right now.

There is a very good comparable thread focusing on double bass tracks on eMusic here.

[Beast]

Do they have a reasonable selection? Not just independent artists?

and is it possible to take the MP3's you download off of their, and put it on itunes so you can put the music on your Ipod?

If both of those are "yes" then I may have to check this out.

[WJGreer]

Originally Posted by Beast

Do they have a reasonable selection? Not just independent artists?

and is it possible to take the MP3's you download off of their, and put it on itunes so you can put the music on your Ipod?

If both of those are "yes" then I may have to check this out.

Their selection is very good as long as you aren't looking for an artist who is or has been part of the general collective consciousness. In fact, if you go out there and search on "Dave Matthews" (as an example), their search engine responds with an explanation as to why they do not carry his music. They do have "signed" artists, just not the ones everyone already knows about, mainly.

As for the MP3 files - they are fully fully portable and not DRM-limited. If you download their optional eMusic Remote software client (free), it will automatically copy any music you download into your iTunes library for you, and the next time you run iTunes it will be there waiting - with cover art in most cases.

It's pretty economical, too. I am on the $15.99 monthly plan, which gives me 50 downloads per month.

[jro]

I've been a member for a couple of years now and I really like the service. You won't find the latest top 40 but you will find lots of cool stuff if you're willing to explore a bit. I've gotten into countless bands that I doubt I would have ever heard of without eMusic.

If you are looking for bass specific stuff they've got Victor Wooten's and Marcus Millers latest albums plus some stuff from John Patitucci, Gary Willis, and Alain Caron.

This month I plan on getting:
Dr. Dog - Fate I love these guys.
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive good rock
Explosions In The Sky - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place a maybe pick, reviews are good. I'm on a hard rock/metal kick lately
Symphony X - The odyssey same as above
The Bad Plus - Motel on a jazz kick too
Happy Apple - Back on Top local jazz thats great
Sasquatch - II Soundgardenesque - a maybe

[The Owl]

I dig e-music a ton, always found cool stuff on there. Next up will be some:

Thelonious Monk
Magma
Zao
World's Rarest Funk 45's

Just for starters

[WJGreer]

Originally Posted by The Owl

I dig e-music a ton, always found cool stuff on there. Next up will be some:

Thelonious Monk
Magma
Zao
World's Rarest Funk 45's

Just for starters

Oh yeah, you bring up a good point. eMusic also seems to have an excellent selection of straight ahead jazz, including many of the masterworks from the legends, as well as some good recordings that are by no means new but went oddly unnoticed. They are surprisingly strong in jazz IMO.

[Josh Ryan]

I don't know yet, but I usually have no trouble burning through my downloads at all.

[DigMe]

I'm a big emusic guy too. The other day I found some of these emusic 65 download cards at my local Best Buy for $4.99 each!! They were marked as $14.99 on the rack but rang up as $4.99. I bought three of them and I wiped out all 195 downloads in under 2 hours based on my "Save for later" list.

Here's some good stuff I have downloaded lately:
Bodies of Water - A Certain Feeling
The Avett Brothers - The Second Gleam EP
Ratatat - LP3
The Khrusty Brothers
California Guitar Trio - CG+2
Detektivbyrån - E18
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Twinkle Echo
godspeed you, black emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Ornette Coleman - Sound Grammar
Ron Carter - Piccolo
Freddie Hubbard - Above and Beyond (an absolutely smokin' jazz set that I used to have on CD but lost)
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
Thom Yorke - The Eraser

Here is my only public list on emusic:
http://www.emusic.com/lists/showlist.html?lid=584808&p=

Also, check out their "Best New Music" list. I found some good stuff on that one.

bc