emusic rules!

Raise your hands if you find the iTunes music store needlessly complicated. That many of you?
I am a big fan of everything Mac, but I can’t say I have ever been a big fan of the iTunes music store. In fact, while I have used it, I have only used it once.
Why? I think it stinks that songs cost $.99, I don’t like that tunes come with DRM, the files are not mp3s (playable on all devices) and I think it’s getting harder and harder to find new music on the service because it’s constantly buried by other, crappier music. Now, must of that is out of Apple’s control, but be that as it may, it still sucks.
And because I’m not a huge fan of iTunes, I’m put off by most online music services – from the legalized Napster to everyone else that has tried to sell music online.
But recently I was introduced to emusic, an online music store that sells mp3s by indie artists, and I was officially blown away.
The service differs greatly from the iTunes music store. Instead of paying per song, e-music sells download packages – the cheapest is 10 bucks a month for 30 songs. The songs are delivered in mp3 format, DRM free and are compatible with iTunes and your iPod (and, as far as I know, every other mp3 device).
And the selection is great. I picked up the new Stars release (not available on disc until mid September-I’ll have a review later this week) and an older release from the Plain White T’s, and I still have an album’s worth of songs to burn through this month.
I would highly recommend checking emusic out. They give away 25 free downloads with new membership, and it’s totally worth it!

http://www.emusic.com/