As more and more music companies are merging, folding and being sold for nickels, The New York Piece of Crap Post is reporting that eMusic may be seeking out a suitor. eMusic is a major destination for music afficionados and those looking to actually "keep" their music, as opposed to fans who go the way of streaming services (many do both). I've been a subscriber since 2005 and I've generally been very happy. Although they upped the price nearly 50% in the past year after adding "premium" content, most of which is not appealing to their audience (obvious exceptions (Springsteen, Dylan, etc.)), I still get 50 downloads for $20/month. That's about $5/record. But keep in mind, despite the "indie" feel of the site, eMusic is owned by JDS Capital, not exactly the kinda fellas you're going to see pouring cash into the jukebox at Great Lakes in Brooklyn.
These things can happen fast, or they can take months or years, but given the current climate, similar companies have been gobbled up with little notice. imeem was swept up by MySpace for a few bucks, lala seemed to make out okay with iTunes and who knows who's next. But if you're a subscriber, and especially if you've been so for a long time, I'd get those tracks on a hard drive asap. As imeem users know, the service can disappear in an instant.
Or you can be like me: Get it all on a hard drive and go back to buying physical.
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