Brightest Young Things

I've been a member of eMusic since Sept 1999.  Wow.  That's a long time. I first joined up because they offered (what I think was) the first mp3 only album, They Might Be Giants' Long Tall Weekend. Shortly after, TMBG played a show near me:

John L."So, who downloaded our new album from eMusic?"
Me, and nobody else"Wooo!"
John F. "Cool. They told us we had to download the money too, not sure how that works"

They were kidding of course, eMusic is a stand up company. They got it right from the start.  Cheap, easy, DRM-free, legal, re-downloadable mp3's focusing on indie labels.  And not just indie labels you've never heard of - Matador, Merge, Rough Trade, Jagjaguwar, Beggars, Razor & Tie, 4AD, Kill Rock Stars, Italians Do It Better, Modular, etc. An easy to use site, custom recommendations you actually want, lot's of helpful reviews/lists, rare singles, vinyl transfers, audiobooks, and some exclusive stuff as well make it a no brainer over the competition.

Today they launch their eMusic Selects program, a highly-curated boutique music space that will showcase unsigned and underexposed new artists. Each month, eMusic's staff will handpick up to two artists to be featured prominently on the site, with interviews and free downloads, plus the artists will agree to provide their often previously unreleased music exclusively to eMusic for 60 days. Today we have Breathe Owl Breathe and High Places.

A site that sells music recommending more music to buy from them. Normally I would be skeptical, but I realized I was genuinely interested in what they picked, eMusic has proven they're a company with integrity and good taste. They care about musicians getting a fair deal and they trust that their customers agree. I feel all warm inside doing business with them.

http://www.emusic.com/