Out of the U.S. and Out of Luck to Download Music Legally. Online music-selling services have far fewer restrictions than they used to, but they do not necessarily travel well. [New York Times: Technology]
This really drives European friends crazy -- and what drives them even crazier is that I have a US credit card so can sign up for things like Apple's Music Store anyway...! But all that aside -- this story fits right in with something I was going to write about this morning. No, not a crabby rant about how the RIAA needs a better business plan than suing its potential customers.
Instead, I wanted to note that I spent a happy evening last night downloading music from the absolutely wonderful eMusic (after writing my story on how eBay is coming to Dublin, but bureaucracy in the Irish govt and the IDA (Irish Development Agency), which tried to force them to go outside Dublin, nearly lost them this investment. I'll put the piece up on the blog later but if you already subscribe to Ireland.com you can read it at the link above).
But back to eMusic. While this service does not carry the big labels, it has an extraordinary array of independent labels and back catalogues of, in particular, jazz and classical music. It even has some very mainstream British acts like Badly Drawn Boy. You pay $9.99 a month for a year (slightly more for 3 or 6 month memberships) and you get unlimited downloads; all can be burned unlimited times, transferred, etc. I signed up for a year and have long since had the value of my entire membership fee (within two months), compared to if I had bought albums.
I was once a serious music buyer, and loved experimenting with new sounds across all genres. Then along came CDs and their ridiculous pricing. I stopped buying all but a minimal amount of music -- for a good 20 years. RIAA, do you hear that? You basically lost me as a customer for YOUR clients, the musicians, whom you are supposed to represent, for 20 years because of the price gouging habits of the industry you represent.
In between Apple's Music Store and eMusic (and especially eMusic), I have rediscovered the pure joy of experimenting. And with eMusic especially, where I have no additional outlay to make, I am hearing real music again from smaller labels that can take risks -- not the palaver that the main labels have been spewing out (also making me not want to buy much but classical and jazz, where I know I am getting value and pleasure, for the bulk of 20 years). You can find a huge variety of artists in all genres. New music, back catalogue, old classics. I really encourage anyone who enjoys music to try out eMusic, which has a free introductory offer where you can download loads of MP3s before deciding whether to join. Then I'll bet you'll join.
Today I will have great fun listening to what I downloaded last night -- some sultry jazz singers, an incredible LP by Tony Bennett and the great, great jazz pianist Bill Evans (which I know will become one of my treasures), Stereolab, Ricky Skaggs, Mozart's Requiem recorded by the Vienna Philharmonic and Mozart piano concertos by Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Tom Waits, oh, so much, much more. eMusic gets it, totally.
