Jump to content

all things emusic


John B

Recommended Posts

The new pricing structure on e-music UK is a bit bizarre.

I picked up a couple of Dave Liebman recordings (new issues) for less than £3 each.

But they also seem to price by number of tracks. There's an ECM I was looking at with 28 tracks that costs £11. You can get it on i-Tunes for £8.

Not sure they've thought this through properly!

Still, plenty at a decent price to keep me onboard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 675
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

As far as I can tell, with the new pricing plan, all your previous downloads are no longer being honored (in case one needed to download a second time). Anyone else experience this? With this change, I am out of there. Just have a very few albums left in my queue and no interest in sticking around any longer.

I'm down to 7 albums. One more month and a booster pack and I am done with eMusic. Just feel like I've been kicked about by them (or the labels) too much. So long.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know what it's like elsewhere, but the bizarre pricing structure works both ways here.

Last night I downloaded half a dozen albums from the ECM New Series for very little. Two albums cost me less than £1 each! A very good way to experiment with the unfamiliar - which was e-music's strength in the past.

I'm really surprised they've not shifted to a whole album pricing system.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

The most recent San Francisco Jazz Collective disc (Horace Silver) is there. Hope the also put up the past discs.

I ordered the Wayne Shorter set (which I love) but it proved pretty expensive and took weeks to arrive. Far more sensible to have it up for downloading like this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still trying to make sense of what's going on there. Some people are complaining about the encoding (Frauhofer instead of LAME), others say there's no audible difference. If you have a balance of over 49 cents at the end of the month, they just take your money - how can they rationalize that? On the other hand, some prices are really good, and they just dropped a bunch of desirable WEA and Grateful Dead titles (Dick's Picks, anyone?). So I still don't know what my approach will be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really can't believe they will keep this charge by track pricing system for long. Surely someone will notice that all their albums with lots of tracks are not selling...whilst their albums with just a few tracks are being eaten up fast.

There's more than enough of the albums with few tracks to keep me on board; I just go to iTunes, Amazon or Classics Online if they are cheaper there.

No sign of the new labels yet. Still acres of dross - seems there's a new label every day putting out a Best of Charlie Parker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Well, we have some progress on the encoding issue. This was posted on the eMusic bulletin boards:

Hi Everyone:

Here’s an update on your questions about UMG bit rate. We are arranging to receive all new content moving forward from UMG as FLAC files beginning early in the new year. These tracks will be on the site as LAME-encoded 256 vbr MP3s. We are also looking into getting a portion of UMG content already on the site re-delivered in FLAC (although this has not yet been confirmed). There are number of questions we cannot answer yet as they are still to be determined, such as when new UMG content will be available on the site with LAME encoding, if/when previously delivered content will be re-delivered, and how we will notify members of the encoding differences on various releases. Please be patient as we continue to work on this issue and we will get you answers as soon as we can.

Thanks and happy holidays to all,

Cathy

eMusic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I just downloaded two recent releases on the Clean Feed label: Matt Brauder's Day In Pictures, and Dulces by Billy Fox's Blackbirds and Bullets.

As an aside, I find it difficult to tolerate the obnoxious and disrespectful posts by various customers on eMusic's bulletin board. To be sure, there are legitimate complaints and concerns that deserved to be heard, but the nasty tone that permeates many of the threads is sickening. I've posted a few times myself, expressing my opinion that the prices and selection are usually better at eMusic than at other vendors. At least one disgruntled fellow responded that that's not the point. He and others accuse eMusic of lying, misrepresentation, and generally treating customers like crap. I get the sense that some of these people believe they've suffered some kind of personal injury, as if they've been betrayed by a thoughtless lover. So much drama, so little constructive conversation. Oh well.

Edited by sonnymax
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just downloaded two recent releases on the Clean Feed label: Matt Brauder's Day In Pictures, and Dulces by Billy Fox's Blackbirds and Bullets.

As an aside, I find it difficult to tolerate the obnoxious and disrespectful posts by various customers on eMusic's bulletin board. To be sure, there are legitimate complaints and concerns that deserved to be heard, but the nasty tone that permeates many of the threads is sickening. I've posted a few times myself, expressing my opinion that the prices and selection are usually better at eMusic than at other vendors. At least one disgruntled fellow responded that that's not the point. He and others accuse eMusic of lying, misrepresentation, and generally treating customers like crap. I get the sense that some of these people believe they've suffered some kind of personal injury, as if they've been betrayed by a thoughtless lover. So much drama, so little constructive conversation. Oh well.

There have been a lot of those people for quite a while. Every time eMusic changed their policy the board has been lit up with them. I agree, if you don't like the service get out, but don't hang your dirty laundry all over the board.

Bottom line is, they went from 'too good to be true' (the "unlimited" days) to just 'cheaper than most'. Still a good source.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've pretty much given up on emusic after being with them for over a decade now. Even though they still are "cheaper than most," I've been finding so many used CDs these days for just a buck or two that even 3 or 4 dollars for a download seems to much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've pretty much given up on emusic after being with them for over a decade now. Even though they still are "cheaper than most," I've been finding so many used CDs these days for just a buck or two that even 3 or 4 dollars for a download seems to much.

Does this mean you're not particularly interested in hearing new jazz releases like the two I mentioned, or new titles from similar labels?

Edited by sonnymax
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've pretty much given up on emusic after being with them for over a decade now. Even though they still are "cheaper than most," I've been finding so many used CDs these days for just a buck or two that even 3 or 4 dollars for a download seems to much.

Does this mean you're not particularly interested in hearing new jazz releases like the two I mentioned, or new titles from similar labels?

Not at all. I still pick up the occasional newer release or even buy downloads from Amazon and elsewhere (losing Aimestreet really hurt!), but honestly I've also been finding many newer releases in the bargain bins a well. Found a copy of Hartigan Ensemble for a buck (yes, the double disc!) and various Clean Feed and other indie labels as well. But my tastes are eclectic and I'll pick up almost anything if it's cheap enough. The problem is more that I now have such a backlog of stuff to listen to that some of the newer releases simply get put on hold. And yes, I do realize that there's a "devaluation of music" going on, at least of the physical product. On the other hand, I'm exposing myself to many more artists than I did previously.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just downloaded two recent releases on the Clean Feed label: Matt Brauder's Day In Pictures, and Dulces by Billy Fox's Blackbirds and Bullets.

I actually canceled my account today, but one of my last downloads was off the excellent Clean Feed label...

41zmEYOki7L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Carlos Bica + Materia - "Prima"

Personnel include Bica, pianist João Paulo, guitarist Mário Delgado, drummer João Lobo, and trumpeter Matthias Shriefl.

Taken from three different live performances, jazz based on old folk songs but viewed through that oddly tuneful Clean Feed prism.

Here's the myspace page, which has several songs off the album to listen to...

http://www.myspace.com/carlosbicamateriaprima

Um, it's my first post on the board, and I know giving a rec for an artist screams PR flak, but I'm really just a listener.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Um, it's my first post on the board, and I know giving a rec for an artist screams PR flak, but I'm really just a listener.

I think you're safe. First off, your name isn't Heather. You're not "just stopping by" to hip us to a "new and exciting artist" that everyone says is the "future of jazz", etc. Those folks we eat with a side of fava beans and a fine Chianti.

Welcome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...