A while back I tried out eMusic.com. It's one of those sites where you give them money every month and they let you download MP3s. It's like a subscription iTunes with lots of indie music and no DRM.
I tried out the $10 for 30 downloads a month deal for a few months. It was pretty good. There was a decent selection and the site worked well. The contract is month to month, which is nice. The catalog doesn't include all the acts and albums a person with eclectic tastes might be interested in, but none of these services really do. Unused download credits don't rollover, but I never had any trouble using them in time.
I ended up canceling my account when times got lean. It was either that or Netflix, and I'd sell blood to keep my Netflix. This isn't because I like movies all that much, per se. I just despise television. Even when a program is worth watching there are so many commercials and they're all so obnoxious -- except Skittles commercials, of course. I love Skittles commercials.
Back on point, a week or so ago eMusic sent me an offer of 75 free downloads if I joined back up. After working 10 or 11 hours yesterday, I decided to splurge and spend the $10 for 105 downloads. Then I went download crazy. Today I plan to gorge myself on new music, namely the following:
- Animal Collective ~ Sung Tongs
- The Blow ~ Poor Aim: Love Songs
- Dntel ~ Life Is Full of Possibilities
- Enduser ~ Form Without Function
- Fez Dispenser ~ Elephant Etiquette
- High Rankin' ~ Doom / Cerebellum
- Token Entry ~ The ReIssues
- Version ~ Versions
- Zap Mama ~ Adventures in Afropea, Vol. 1