Online music provider eMusic announced on Tuesday a relaunch of its Web site that features new editorial content and search tools. The service launched in 1998 and currently sells over 1,000,000 MP3 downloads per month, with more than 500,000 songs available in a wide variety of genres. Its new roster of editors and writers, who help guide users toward the type of music they like, was culled from well-known newspapers and magazines while such added features as “Tell a Friend” and “Neighbors” expand the site’s browsing options with the ability to e-mail information about tracks to friends and the chance to create a profile and connect with others who share similar interests.
The MP3 files sold by eMusic contain no digital rights management software and can be used on multiple computers and burned an unlimited number of times. Users can play them on any MP3-compatible device, including Apple’s iPod and other music players as well as many PDAs, car and home stereos, cell phones and DVD players. eMusic is Web-based, so no client software is required, although the company does offer an eMusic Download Manager utility for downloading and organizing the songs purchased through the site.
eMusic offers a two-week trial membership, during which time you can download up to 50 MP3 files that you can keep if you decide to cancel. After that, the service costs US$9.99 per month for 40 downloads, $14.99 for 65 and $19.99 for 90.