On behalf of the exile community

jackedUPjazz

I have had a chance to sample the So-nee offerings and by historical standards I find them to be pretty impressive in a day one sort of way. This So-nee deal has turned out to be quite the, ahem, coup. The place which shall not be mentioned should be congratulated.

That said, it still does not change the fact that you lied. There is an old saying, don't piss down my back and try to tell me its raining.

So do the right thing

Also, I find it reprehensible that the download mangler is so unnecessarily complicated without offering any useful benefit in return. Complication is the refuge of the shiftless and shady

And all this fussing and fighting has literally taken the joy out of the site. I look forward to the day when the world is at peace

mommio

Second.

My annual expires toward the end of October. I know I won't be doing another annual. Between now and then, I can see whether or not the new album pricing will work with my downloads without leaving unused downloads, etc.

I do see a bit of Sony I would like, but the pricing sort of puts me out of contention. I did just order a CD from Amazon, something I haven't done in ages. One of my most favorite LPs from the 50s (or maybe very early 60s) -- I Love Paris by Michel Legrand. Maybe it made it to that place which shall not be mentioned today, but I didn't look for it. I want the CD.

Dr. Mutex

I'm very happy with eMusic/J. eMusic hasn't had a good download mangler in--Never.

mommio

Dr. - when download manager 3 stopped working, I tried to go back to eMusic/J, which I had used during the Remote fiasco, but I was never able to get it to work again. Not sure what I was doing wrong. I hate Download Mangler 4.

I did like Version 3 because it gave me the percentage of a track downloaded, picked up where it left off it my connection dropped, and always worked just as I expected it to work. I miss it.

jackedUPjazz

Dr. Mu

Someone should post a link to the that place which shall not be mentioned/J downloader

When I get some head space I might give it a try

xtrev

...as if by magic, a link appeared

Katrina

Cutehead!

captwhiffle

Like jUj, I thought the first day of the invasion of the clones wasn't as awful as I'd feared. I browsed the icons and six degrees editorials. Some are better than others, but I've always like being able to read what the likes of Matos, Wolk, Walters, and the rest have to say about the offerings at emusic. I was happy that, on the homepage, there was by and large a fair-handed promotion of the new major label offerings and other important or recent releases from the indies

Since my last 90 downloads on my 2-year premium plan are due to expire in a matter of days, I picked up some good deals under the new album pricing structure: Presley's Sunrise, The Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime, and Modest Mouse's The Moon and Antarctica, which was the featured review of the day.

I was dismayed to see that so many albums with fewer but longer tracks have had their pricing ratcheted up to 12 downloads. Thus I avoided Bitches Brew and the like. I'll be keeping an eye out at Amie St. and on amazon.com for their $1.99 - $3.99 bargains, while avoiding the bad deals at emusic.

I'm going to change my plan to a mid-range monthly (probably 50 downloads a month) for the meanwhile and see what else I can find. I fear that emusic won't be able to re-instill in me the sense of enthusiasm that I felt for it over the last five years. And I still think that offering no token of goodwill in the form of an even moderately discounted thank you plan to the older subscribers was a real slight.

Sadly, the emusic PR staff / CEO circle are behaving just as poorly as they ever have: they're largely unresponsive to concerns and questions, sneaky in failing to be forthcoming about the bad side of album pricing, and stubbornly determined to play up all these changes as good things (a la Martha Stewart) as opposed to acknowledging the many drawbacks to the new emusic.

It really is a new emusic over there--a sea change in just a month's time. Those are pearls that were his eyes. I'll splash about in the new pool, but I don't plan on doing any ill-advised backward dives or perform any tricky backstrokes through the waters. I saw Caddyshack.

NankerP

I thought today was pretty steady for us non-Americans -- sure there were some pricing structure changes but they didn't affect me overly. In some cases -- Document, JSP, Body and Soul labels -- it was actually a boon as 20+ track albums got pegged at 12 credits.

Then I was alerted to the fact we (outside US, EU, Canada) have now been barred from buying Booster Packs.

Yeeesh. As my sister said in an email, "They really don’t like us any more do they?"

So I dunno. I have 29 credits left. And on Tuesday I leave for three weeks holiday in the United States -- yay!! So I guess I'll get some good travelling music, and wait til I get back to see how I feel.

Katrina

Don't go cracking on Martha, those eMu jerks never did jail time.

Thanks for this:
new album pricing structure: Presley's Sunrise, The Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime, and Modest Mouse's The Moon and Antarctica,

Katrina

Then I was alerted to the fact we (outside US, EU, Canada) have now been barred from buying Booster Packs.


How were you alerted?

NankerP

Someone mentioned it in the "Pricing in Australia" thread, and I checked and it was the same for me. Although now someone has posted that customer service said "they are working on it." So who knows.

So, still no email ;-)

jackedUPjazz

The exile community welcomes Thom

jackedUPjazz

Well it looks like the ranks of the huddled masses yearning to be free are growing.

So I propose we try to make this place what we would have the other place be.

I'll start

1. I think this should be a Bitch Free Zone (the verb not the noun) with the possible exception of when you just can't hold it in any longer.

choiceweb0pen0

I'm a bit disappointed too about the way the 12 downloads album feature cuts both ways between a long many track album, but also an album that has a few tracks that go well beyond the average 3 minutes.

One thing that is at surprisings is just how many artists are owned by Sony. I saw Weird Al pop up on my eMusic freshly ripped page and almost regretted getting rid of his cassettes a few years ago. Will I ever download any of his music on eH? Not sure.

thomnottom

I'm all for laying off the bitching. I think a thread here or there is cool, but I'm hanging out here to have fun discussing music. So the rants will be at a minimum. Unless they are fun and musical...

jackedUPjazz

My guess is they are running a standard issue pump and dump with a 6 to 9 month time frame which would explain the aggressiveness in seizing dominance over the boards. They are looking for a big pay day and I suspect tenant bitching is the least of their worries so why bother.

Our efforts at rationalization and logic are probably pretty pointless. (Think scrappy little independent music label/service which just coincidentally happens to be owned by one of the majors) uh huh that's right

Linky

jackedUPjazz

United

Linky

jackedUPjazz

You might win some but you just lost one

Linky

BigD-Bluez

As far as the Album Pricing goes the ones that have been jacked up to twelve for fewer tracks I 'm just not doing, unless they have some monstrously long and great tracks or something. On the other side of the coin I made myself a new List from my SFL entries - the Album Pricing Holding Bin - albums with more than 12 tracks at per track pricing that I'm keeping in the deep freeze until they are Album priced to move. It slims down the SFL file a little, which is still floating around 450 no thanks to some members of this community who keep posting good stuff. Make hay where the sun shines, and downloading well is the best revenge.

frogkopf

Good idea on holding off on the album pricing. Given the amount of music I already have in my backlog, I can't justify paying premium price for most tracks. Not to mention encouraging this studid idea that a digital ablum is worth close to what a hard copy goes for...

jackedUPjazz

OK now here is my problem with the new arrangement at TPWSNBS

I discovered this "new" vibes player that I really would like to check out. Before the most recent unpleasantness I would have just picked an album or two and had me way with it.

But now the friggin downloads are so "valuable" that I am reluctant to explore this music which I already know I am going to enjoy.

Therein lies the problem, they have changed the whole experience. Before it was liking using Chuckie Cheese's tokens that had no real value and you didn't mind putting them in the stupid whack a mole game even though you knew full well in advance that it was probably going to be stupid. But there was nothing else you could do with those tokens and so it was OK. But sometimes you found out that you really enjoyed the stupid whack a mole game.

But now it is like spending real quarters which you can put in the stupid whack a mole game or you can use them to buy candy. And everybody knows candy trumps all else.

Geez TPWSNBS, you really screwed the pooch on this one.

mommio

I hear you, JUJ. I am being much more choosy and am reluctant to get some things that wouldn't have given me a moment's pause before.

Not the same tracks, but you can sample a Dave Pike playlist on his My Space page. You know the drill - lastfm, You Tube, etc. We just have to do more exploring these days before committing.

Daniel, Esq.

We must use eMusic differently. When you say you "take a chance on something," do you mean just based on the soundscans? If you don't like it, do you have no angst over deleting it from your harddrive and MP3 player?

I rarely take chances like that. I start with a few trusted review sources. If they highly recommend something new, I'll then go to a second-tier of review sources, then find sample songs on YouTube, MySpace or the act's webpage. If all that checks out, I'll download it, but by that point, it's hardly a spontaneous or risky proposition. Honestly, the AMG review of the Dave Pike album you linked to would likely be enough to keep me from downloading it (unless Pike was an artist who I already knew and loved):

Dave Pike was never an innovator . . . By 1961 standards, this album isn't experimental or forward-thinking -- certainly not compared to some of the adventurous, challenging sounds that were coming from modal and avant-garde improvisers in the early '60s. But it's easy to enjoy if you appreciate swinging, inspired bop

Also, I'm being downgraded to the 100 DL/$40.00 monthly plan, but if I buy a booster pack, I'm back to 150 DL/month for $65.00, which isn't bad at all (either at an absolute level or a per-track price-point). That's still 50 DLs short of what I get on a monthly basis now, but it's still a lot of new music to acquire every month, so I don't feel badly about it.

TimMason

A lot depends on the genre. If it is music that gets recognition, then there may be reviews to consult. But it isn't always the case: much of the modern classical music I've purchased from eMu has not been reviewed at all, or has been little reviewed. Much of the international catalogue is unreviewed. So it was good to be able to download one or two tracks, just to get an idea of whether it was interesting or not (I don't find the samples sufficient by any means). And for an orchestral piece in several movements, you really need to hear the whole thing. So, yes, the changes - once they hit me fully - will mean that I will be less adventurous. And that may mean that I'll leave.

Compulsive

I love your Chuckie Cheese tokens analogy, JUJ. That's exactly how I used to use them.

I discovered another liability -- my spouse. Yesterday he wanted a particular Sony novelty song, and it was album-only. I spent 12 credits to get the album and the song he wanted instead. (It was album-only on iTunes as well.) I need to block the URL from his view from now on if I'm going to spend credits on ridiculous stuff he wants.

Daniel, Esq.

much of the modern classical music I've purchased from eMu has not been reviewed at all, or has been little reviewed.

OTM. This is one of the reasons I've stayed away from classical works at eMusic. Frankly, I don't see reviews anyplace online for many classical works, even for a lot of titles from highly-regarded classical labels. Eventually, I just picked a label I liked -- based on (a) seeing glowing reviews of one of it's key series (the Beethoven symphony cycle), (b) appreciating the fact that the label's founder appears on the eMusic message boards and speaks candidly to fans of the label, and (c) the great album covers -- and began downloading some titles. But aside from staying with BIS classical works, I'm not sure where to go next with the genre.

Katrina

So sad, being reduced to Chuckie Cheese tokens. I realize now that's what it's been. Very apt.
My tokens don't work in the machine any more, like they used to do.

jackedUPjazz

We must use *Music (sic) differently.

I trust my ears completely so I totally rely on the sound samples to determine what I download. On the rare occasions when I do use reviews or professional critiques to help me decide, it usually only as a confirmation of what I have decided based on the sound samples. About a quarter of the time I only need less than five seconds of the sample to know I am in love.

TPWSNBS does not have the album I want. Apparently the album, Pike's Peak is something of a collector's item. And I keep reading something about Dave Pike and Bill Evans but I am not sure if it is this album

I would have been satisfied with whatever leftovers they happen to have at TPWSNBS but now the freakin downloads are so valuable I am afraid to use them. Its not that I don't think I will enjoy the music, I know I will. Its that my number of downloads are now so limited and there are so many new things to spread them over that I am paralyzed. I cannot bring myself to hit the download button.

And I do not delete music from my hard drive, ever! I would only delete music if it turns out to be the most putrid, God awful vileness that should never be heard by human ears. I rarely even finish the sound samples on that type of music, much less download it. And sometimes, I find that music I could not get to at first has a way of morphing on you, especially when you hear it in a different context. So maybe there was nothing wrong with the music, it was just my mood that was wrong.

And as for Pike being innovative or not I cannot tell you. But I can say innovation is not what makes for good music. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a musician putting it in the pocket and letting stay there. Groove, Modal, Funk (as I understand those terms) all have a similar thread. You can find something new in a tune without getting all weirded out.

And, IMHO, folks trying to prove that they are the next Bird is half of what's wrong with jazz. Instead of just playing they music they end up with something more akin to an algebra equation than music. The next new thing will come when it comes and not one minute before and there is nothing anybody can do to force it.

CaptainWrong

Infra-Red is the best Dave Pike album, hands down. The rest of his stuff that I've heard was ok, but not mindblowing. Infra-Red will melt your face.

thomnottom

I agree with JUJ on most of his points. Well, maybe all of them. I don't feel like enumerating right now. But I have very rarely been the kind of person to use reviews that heavily, or to hunt down previews for albums on eMusic. It's typically a name drop/comparison someone makes, a few listens to the soundscans, and then I'm clicking Download All. Reckless, perhaps - but that's music.

Now I'm debating on whether or not to d/l the Archive Of American Popular Music 1895-1927. 100 tracks for 12 "credits" is awesome, but that doesn't change the fact that I won't listen to it "a lot" - it's the type of archival piece I like having available though. But if I decide not to get it this month, will it magically become a 6 CD set next month? Who knows? It's also the type of set that works better as a CD because some context would make it that much more entertaining.