It was, even advertised as such. But then again - have you known Emusic to be reliable and produce quality products?
Edit: I got the same error earlier and am now seeing the following message : "KYC unsuccessful. We are unable to offer you the ability to purchase eMU tokens at this time. Please contact us at support@emusic.com if you believe an error has been made."
From their FAQ, I understand that filling out a KYC questioner will require me to scan my passport for them and cost me $5? plus - on every future purchase done via the Emu tokens, there will be an additional ETH charge!
So from what I'm understanding thus far - screw that, not planning on joining the Emu token system any time soon.
At least here in the US, there are new terms that you must accept to get to the site: https://www.emusic.com/terms "Separate terms and conditions" apply to the blockchain jawn
When I now enter the token sale site from the link they themselves sent, I get the message "Black Friday 33% promo is Invite-Only. Sale opens to all Cyber Week Nov 26".
Even though I'm on hold for a couple more days I've just received an email telling me I have until the 25th to buy tokens at a 33% discount. I may have to pass up the opportunity as they guy over the road has a great offer on five magic beans at the moment ;-)
@ez6, don't feel bad. ;-) My guess is that many of the the invites are going to all those speculators to whom they've been marketing for the past several months. Those buyers won't ever spend tokens on music, so they are more desirable purchasers for eMusic because they won't owe any money to anyone like they would if the tokens actually were used. And don't be surprised if the date for the unwashed masses who actually listen to music keeps sliding if they don't get enough "Black Friday" buyers, though it has slid so much already that it may well open to eMusic members abroad next week. (Anyone else notice the irony of calling it a "Black Friday" promo when Thanksgiving this week is a US holiday and the US can't participate in the sale?)
My eMusic membership was up for renewal in December and I just canceled. Told them in email that I was disappointed in all the label/album losses and despite verbal reassurances, none seemed to be coming back. Also mentioned that probably 80% of my SFL became unavailable virtually overnight, and it seemed like the blockchain/token thing was a desperation move. They responded that they understood, they shared my disappointment at the defections, but believed that the blockchain thing was the answer to a fair payment system for artists and labels. I said I'd keep an eye on the site and would consider returning if they get the content back. Not holding my breath though.
I agree - no way am I giving them my passport details. With hacks etc of websites that would be very valuable information to someone criminally minded. I stopped doing their quiz a coupe of months or so again when i was expected to give details to log onto a new social media site.
In the UK (EU too?) if you carry out any financial transaction like opening an account, buying a house etc, you have to show several forms of identity, generally including either a passport or driving license to prove who you are in case of money laundering. I suspect that it is linked to this. But generally you show your id - the information is not stored electronically. For me, having to give a photo of my passport is definitely a bridge too far.
So who all is still in at this point? I got out a few months ago for a reason I can't even remember, and it feels good. Of course, I'm still hanging out here, because it's important to discuss train wrecks, and because some of my favorite music comes from you good people.
I think the passport requirement comes from the KYC (know your customer) requirement, which comes with many ICOs to prevent scams for money laundering, etc. (Reassuring to know that ICOs hangout in the same zip code as hardened criminals... ;-)
I don't know if eMusic will continue to require this permanently for all new token members, or if it is just a temporary measure intended to keep them in the good graces of regulators. Certainly it seems like a significant barrier to bringing on new customers - who wants to disclose your passport information to buy a digital album?
To me, the real question is why would you buy tokens if you don't know what you are going to get for them? So how many tokens to buy an album? Will it be one token per track? What are the special perks going to be?
@peterfrederics- I totally agree. I think the tokens are net negative for everything except the (hypothetical at this point) raising of money via an ICO. Long term, I think currency fluctuations, etc. will be a nightmare. Of course, this assumes they ever get back to a point where they have music people want to buy, which is a risky assumption.
To answer my own question, I think it is currently $0.39 per Emu, ie per track. There is a bonus if you buy a certain amount, and first time, if you don't buy 500 Emu, ie $195 worth you have to pay an admin fee, currently $5.
After a bit of Maths, I worked out, after first purchase, I'd be getting about 62 tracks per month for my £20 each month, not allowing for introductory bonus, which would add another 8 tracks. My grandfathered plan is worth 100 tracks for £20. I'm still not convinced I'll join though for three reasons - lack of choice, rigmarole of getting the process going, and the dynamic nature of the currency.
And then there's that other kind of math: The kind that got them into the situation they are in today, channeling P.T. Barnum to sell magic beans in hope of paying last year's bills, but offering incentives that all but assure they won't be able to pay the bills going forward, either. I don't think the root problem is discounting in general, but just their overall business model and overhead. If it didn't work previously, how is it suddenly going to work now, especially given that they have to deal with the cost and overhead of the blockchain now, too. "Hey, our low margin but simple business model wasn't working, before - let's raise our expenses, lower our margins, make things more complex, and see if that helps!"
I have yet to see any sign that $0.39/song with all the hassle of tokens is going to magically fix their apparent cash flow problems that got them to a point of a depleted catalogue and no real reason for anybody to engage. That's probably not far off from what they averaged per song with all the perma-boosters, and we know how that turned out. It seems like they are still mainly just in cash grab mode, hoping to sell as many tokens as possible with no intent to ever pay any artist or label and then do who-knows-what with the cash raised. Sorry to be cynical, but is it really that far off from reality?
The end of my hold is on the horizon, so I spent some time over the weekend searching around looking for things to start a new SFL with (I emptied the old one before going on hold). I found enough odds and sods to spend the next month's credit reasonably fruitfully when the hold ends, but beyond that I am looking at the stuff I added to the list and am not at all sure I really want it. Even at half price. There is just not enough music left there that I can find much enthusiasm for (and with maybe ten of the things I added, the labels were gone by the next day). Making how I pay for it more fancy is not going to change that.
I have been one of the hard core emu addicts for a long time, so if I am getting to this point then I really wonder how many customers they will be able to multiply that $0.39 by. Why would the labels come back? I share @soulcoal's puzzlement.
Germanprof, I am the same. Over the years I got some absolutely fabulous music from eMusic. I can remember once, a few years back, having well over 500 albums on my Wish List and nearly all albums that I really wanted. I'm coming off hold in a week's time and have enough to keep me going for a couple of months on my plan but that's it.
I agree with your and SoulCoal's question re the labels. The follow-up question is if the labels don't come back what's the point of any of us sticking around?
Comments
It was, even advertised as such. But then again - have you known Emusic to be reliable and produce quality products?
Edit: I got the same error earlier and am now seeing the following message : "KYC unsuccessful. We are unable to offer you the ability to purchase eMU tokens at this time. Please contact us at support@emusic.com if you believe an error has been made."
From their FAQ, I understand that filling out a KYC questioner will require me to scan my passport for them and cost me $5? plus - on every future purchase done via the Emu tokens, there will be an additional ETH charge!
So from what I'm understanding thus far - screw that, not planning on joining the Emu token system any time soon.
When I now enter the token sale site from the link they themselves sent, I get the message "Black Friday 33% promo is Invite-Only. Sale opens to all Cyber Week Nov 26".
ridiculous.
After a bit of Maths, I worked out, after first purchase, I'd be getting about 62 tracks per month for my £20 each month, not allowing for introductory bonus, which would add another 8 tracks. My grandfathered plan is worth 100 tracks for £20. I'm still not convinced I'll join though for three reasons - lack of choice, rigmarole of getting the process going, and the dynamic nature of the currency.
Sums it up Greg in three easy reasons.
I agree with your and SoulCoal's question re the labels. The follow-up question is if the labels don't come back what's the point of any of us sticking around?