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Author Topic: EMusic Overhaul - Reactions?  (Read 1261 times)

elpaolo

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EMusic Overhaul - Reactions?
« on: October 09, 2003, 05:28:26 am »

Wow.  Did anyone else just get the email about the coming membership changes?  Mainly, $10/month will no longer buy "unlimited" downloads, but rather, 40 songs/month.  All taking place in a matter of weeks!

I must say - this accelerates my timeline for upgrading all my 128kbs just a tad...  Here's a copy of the message for everyone to read.  Also, I'd be interested to know what the listed acquisition means and exactly who Dimensional is.  Jim?  Any ideas?

Dear EMusic Subscriber,

Over the past several years, EMusic has stood alone in its
commitment to providing digital music consumers a service
that offers flexibility and portability.  We remain the
ONLY service offering downloads in the standard MP3 format.
We are also unique in our focus on music from the leading
independent labels.  Unlike other services, we understand
that many music consumers want to go beyond the Billboard
charts.  We remain firmly committed to continuing to
provide avid music fans an alternative to the mainstream.

The digital music industry continues to change rapidly,
and EMusic also continues to evolve.  The purpose of this
letter is to inform you of a number of important changes
that will affect EMusic Subscribers.

First, we are pleased to inform you that EMusic.com Inc.
is being acquired by Dimensional Associates LLC
("Dimensional"), a private equity group focused on
providing innovative online music distribution services.  
Dimensional shares EMusic's consumer focused philosophy
of providing low cost, convenient access to great music.  
Dimensional plans to continue enhancing the EMusic service
with new features and content and you can look forward to
hearing more once the acquisition has been completed.

Although our current privacy policy remains in effect, http://www.emusic.com/help/privacy_policy.html  
when the acquisition is completed, EMusic's privacy policy
will be changing to reflect Dimensional's ownership and your
Personal Information (as defined in the privacy policy) will
be transferred to Dimensional. Please take a few moments to
review this our new policy which will take effect around  
October 30, 2003.
http://www.emusic.com/help/privacypolicy.html  
As always, EMusic is firmly committed to consumer privacy
and we believe the new policy continues to reinforce this.

As an avid digital music fan, you are also aware that the
music industry continues to suffer under intense financial,
legal and technological pressure. As a provider of music
downloads, EMusic is subject to a complex system of
intellectual property rights and technological challenges
that impose high costs and often uncertain risks on the
company.

In order to respond to these ongoing challenges and
maintain a compelling service for our valued customers,
EMusic will be making a number of significant changes
in the coming weeks and months.  As part of these changes,
we will be discontinuing the unlimited service plan and
replacing it with a new service offering.

Unless you visit the link below:
http://help.emusic.com/cu/index.cgi?cmd=step2&st=1&categoryID=1198
and notify us of your intention to cancel your subscription
prior to November 8, 2003, your EMusic subscription will
convert into EMusic Basic. Under EMusic Basic, you will be
billed $9.99 per month for access to the service with no
minimum monthly commitment, but you will be limited to no
more than 40 downloads during your monthly billing cycle.  

In addition, EMusic is pleased to present a special,
limited time offer available exclusively to current
subscribers - EMusic Premium.  Designed for our most
active subscribers, this plan allows you to download
up to 300 tracks per month (approximately 25 albums)
for a monthly charge of $50.00 - a price of just
16 cents per track - with no minimum monthly commitment.
If you are interested in registering for this subscription
plan, you must complete the EMusic XL registration
form no later than November 8, 2003.  
http://help.emusic.com/cu/index.cgi?cmd=step2&st=1&categoryID=1998


You will still have unparalleled access to the best MP3s
available from independent music labels around the world.
You will continue to have the ability to download this
music, take it with you and play it wherever and however
you like. And, over the next several months EMusic will
be adding significant new labels, artists and releases
as well as enhanced features.  EMusic remains committed
to providing the best MP3 service on the Internet. We
continue to believe that EMusic is the best value
available and like you, we are passionate about our music.
We believe that the changes we are making today will enable
us to provide an even more compelling service.

To learn more about the new service offering, please go to
http://www.emusic.com/messages/qanda.html
and read our revised terms and conditions at
http://www.emusic.com/bem/new_signup/terms.html
which will be effective as of November 8, 2003.  If, for
any reason, you decide that you do not want to become a
member of the EMusic services as described above, you may
cancel at any time during the trial period.

As always, if you have a specific question about these
changes or need additional help with your service, the
following site will guide you through our customer service
process.

http://help.emusic.com/emhelp/

Thank you for being an EMusic Subscriber.  
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Holden

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Re: EMusic Overhaul - Reactions?
« Reply #1 on: October 09, 2003, 06:03:23 am »

I got that message from emusic early this morning and immediately cancelled my subscription. It no longer holds any appeal to me. I can't imagine many will stay with them under the new terms.
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...happy to be among such a great bunch of members. Holden

mrsnarky

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Re:EMusic Overhaul - Reactions?
« Reply #2 on: October 09, 2003, 12:14:34 pm »

I'll be cancelling my membership this evening.  It was fun while it lasted.
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lise

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Re:EMusic Overhaul - Reactions?
« Reply #3 on: October 09, 2003, 12:26:36 pm »

I just posted this in the emusic thread on the other board.

What a shame. Just last night my partner and I were extolling the virtues of emusic and it's system.  He had even suggested joining himself (instead of using my account) just to support them. We were also thinking how we would even pay twice the fee ($20 instead of $10).  But now...

Unless they make it so that the total left of the maximum tracks downloaded can be brought forward (and the Q&A says they will not), I'm not sure I will keep subscribing.  

Like MANY emusic users, I don't login for months, then I do and download about 5-15 albums (about 4 times/year).    And the whole "yes, but it's still only ___(enter value) per track" thing doesn't work with me. I wouldn't be buying these cds in the first place; I use emusic to discover music. If I don't like what I downloaded, I remove it from my drive. If I really like it, I buy the cd on top of having the mp3.  Their option to listen to 30 seconds of a track just doesn't work for me.

So, I will probably only renew if a) they bring forward the allowable tracks or b)  they let me listen to an entire album before downloading. I don't think any of these will be options.  I'm really sad about this.
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A wise man once said don't count your years, but make your years count. Or was it beers?

KingSparta

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Re:EMusic Overhaul - Reactions?
« Reply #4 on: October 09, 2003, 12:28:10 pm »

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Retired Military, Airborne, Air Assault, And Flight Wings.
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