eMusic Momentum Continues; Tops 300,000 Subscribers

NEW YORK - eMusic has announced that its subscriber base has topped 300,000 and that its global catalogue has reached 2.5 million tracks. The new subscriber tally comes approximately four months since eMusic hit the 250,000 subscriber mark.

“Consumers are now shaping the music industry,” said eMusic President and CEO David Pakman. “They determine whether an artist is successful or not, what format music should take, and how much it should cost. eMusic’s success to date demonstrates that there are many consumers out there unsatisfied by the mainstream who are interested in buying music they love that’s well-priced, and in a format that plays on any device.”

eMusic is continually adding to its genre-spanning catalogue of independent music. It now boasts more than 13,000 independent labels, including celebrated world music label Luaka Bop, Spanish indie label Siesta, extreme metal pioneers Relapse, and Swedish pop giants Labrador, as well as international aggregators like World’s Fair (which distributes the indiepop label Rough Trade and innovative hip-hop label Def Jux), Phonofile, Idol Distribution and many more.

“eMusic can now bring home up to 1/2 our digital sales and with some records charging well over the 25% mark in total digital sales eMusic has become a huge account for Worlds Fair,” commented Kevin Wortis, Co-Founder of World’s Fair. “eMusic has been ahead of the curve now for years both with the subscription model and the non DRM encumbered downloads, its no wonder they have grown as rapidly as they have. Wortis added, ”We’ve enjoyed the marketing opportunities and the knowledgeable staff immensely and on a personal note, strictly as a music fan myself, eMusic has become one of my favorite places to buy music"

Yale Evelev, representative for the Luaka Bop label, put it another way. “In the future we will be able to go to a site that has all the coolest indie music in one place. Oh, wait, we can do that now -- it’s called eMusic.”

eMusic sets itself apart from other digital music services not only by offering tracks in the MP3 format, but by appealing to the serious music fan who seeks material outside the commercial mainstream, including breaking indie rock, classical and jazz. With deep relationships with the world’s top independent labels, guidance from the best music editorial experts and a passionate music community, eMusic caters to music fans aged 25+.