'Connoisseur Plans' offer eMusic tracks for 25 cents

Independent music download service eMusic on Thursday introduced its Connoisseur Plans, which offer downloads for 25 cents each, almost one quarter of the price of most singles on the iTunes store.

eMusic bills itself as the world’s second largest retailer of digital music behind Apple’s iTunes Store, and the biggest independent music retailer. The service has more than two million tracks from artists of almost any genre imaginable. eMusic makes content available in MP3 audio file format, unencumbered by any Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions.

Unlike the iTunes Store, however, eMusic doesn’t provide an “a la carte” download service that enables users to buy songs per track or album. Instead the company works on a “subscription” model. Three plans have been offered — eMusic Basic, which enables 30 downloads per month for $9.99; eMusic Plus, which provides 50 downloads per month for $14.99; and eMusic Premium, which provides 75 downloads per month for $19.99.

The Connoisseur Plans have three tiers. Users can buy 100 downloads a month for $24.99, 200 for $49.99, or 300 for $74.99. That lower the price per track to 25 cents each. Existing subscribers can sign up for the plans now.