What do labels with antiquated sales methods do when the chips are down? They get desperate and make an array of mistakes. And then, there’s that rare occasion, when one finally makes a smart move that is sure to convince the rest of the Big Four that a change in ethos is necessary. This is that move: Sony announced earlier this month its plan to deliver eMusic a hefty package of songs. This means that eMusic’s all ready sizable catalogue of 4,500,000+ tracks will expand by an additional 200,000 on July 1st of this year.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that you will have access to the latest Pearl Jam or Modest Mouse; however you’ll be able to download any music released two years ago and beyond. Naturally, this comes with consequences for subscribers, although not too unreasonable. The price will remain the same but the amount of downloads will decrease from 30 for the eMusic basic plan to 24 –- and this continues throughout every tier.
Some will balk at Sony’s unprecedented venture due to the appeal of eMusic’s alliance with the indie crowd, but as more bands are picked up by the majors, it will become essential to keep up to date with their releases. One can surmise that the two year restriction will eventually be dropped when Sony realizes that it will only curb file sharing and not eradicate it altogether.