I realize that my previous Emusic post may have been a bit short sighted because I was only coming from a consumer’s point of view. So I also wanted to delve into how the changes at Emusic might affect indie bands/labels that I love, support and even work with at times. Needless to say, I think it’s a lose/lose for indie supporters. I will be very interested to see if indie labels will make more per download under the new price structure. I would venture to guess not. The price increase and slashing of downloads was obviously made to facilitate Sony’s arrival on Emusic. I do hope that indie labels/bands will make more starting in July because I fear the quantity of their downloads is about to drop do to Emusic’s downsizing of plans or subscribers canceling their accounts.

Take me for example. My current plan is $14.99 for 50 downloads. To keep my current download status of 50 I would have to pay close to $6 more per month starting in July. That’s a 40% price increase. Or I can keep my current price but lose 13 downloads. If I choose to do that, that’s one entire album (at least) that I won’t get to download. That is twelve albums in a year. Multiply that by a ton more Emusic subscribers and you can see how much downloads will actually decrease. In comparison, my cut of 13 monthly downloads was rather small. I’ve seen people who will have to take 100% monthly download cuts in their plans to stay at their current price points. And like a lot of subscribers, I usually used my last remaining downloads to take a chance on a band/album. That luxury will surely end for many come July 1st.

So, what about the new customers that Emusic will attract with the Sony back catalog? Does anyone honestly think these music buyers will pay attention to indie music as much as Emusic’s current subscribers already do? I mean, I sure hope they do. Perhaps they will stumble upon a great independent release as they download Kings of Leon. That would certainly still be a wonderful thing. I Just worry that it’s not going to happen as often as it already does within the existing model. Emusic’s devotion to push indie bands into the spotlight was gratifying to see and was a big factor in what initially attracted me and many others to the download site. But all of the upcoming changes seems to show Emusic slowly turning their back on the community that made them who they are.

Note: Some indie bands/labels might counter that the changes will be negligible because Emusic already pays labels significantly less than big boys like Itunes and Amazon. I guess that can be the next topic for debate.

All good things must come to an end. As a never-ending consumer of music, I have become a huge supporter of Emusic over the years. Their indie approach to downloading was something that I found to be enticing and sincere. I have found a lot of wonderful music through Emusic that I would not or could not find elsewhere. So, the company’s decision to carry major labels (starting with Sony’s back catalog) was bothersome to say the least. But, what came after and was announced today was even more bewildering. Not only was Emusic abandoning the very niche marketing that made them the premiere indie download site, they were raising their prices substantially and slashing download plans to go with it. Obviously, these two shifts go hand in hand. To carry Sony, Emusic had to change their business plan. But, the premise of this whole scenario is just flat out puzzling. Long time Emusic subscribers like myself are up in arms and rightfully so. The majority of these long-time subscribers could care less about the back catalog of Sony. They are on Emusic to find and discover indie bands/artists. To tell your customers that you are raising prices and cutting back downloads to carry something the majority of them do not want in the first place is astounding to me. It is even more astounding to be doing so in the current economic climate where people are looking to cut their spending. Instead you are asking customers to spend more for much less. Perhaps Emusic will offset the losses of long-term subscribers with the attraction of new customers who do care about the Sony back catalog. I have my doubts though. With every major label addition, Emusic will lose their identity and the niche they worked so hard to successfully create. With nothing to distinguish themselves Emusic will surely suffer. Instead of offering something different, they will blend in with all the other major download retailers and become part of the problem. July 1st marks all these changes and the beginning of the end for Emusic…at least for me. As a loyal Emusic customer I am saddened and disappointed. As someone who follows marketing and business practices (especially within the music industry), I am just left dumbfounded. The only question I have left is who will be the next Emusic?