EMusic Picks (June, 2003)

Ahh.. the teaches of peaches. :)

I like eMusic's subscription service, but they have a really crappy selection. No popular or recent bands hardly at all. Are there any other services out there that don't charge per song but have a decent selection? I haven't found any yet...

"No popular or recent bands" is the reason I LIKE Emusic! Seriously, they have a great selection of indie pop, surf, punk, etc., that you don't find on iTunes Music Store (yet) or other services. Almost anyone who's a bit adventurous can find twice $14.95 worth of muisc each month.

RE: Popular music
That's exactly why I subscribed to. I have pretty esoteric taste, so the fact that Emusic is loaded with independent labels makes it perfect for my taste. iTunes Store is has TOO much major label stuff for me.

What's the story with artist royalties on eMusic? How much do the bands or labels get?

I'm not really interested in indie bands... I'm sure that makes me a sellout or someone with bad taste or something, but I just happen to like "popular" bands like POD and Box Car Racer and MxPx and so forth.

Yes, I miss my eMusic account. I subscribed for a year and built a great library. I'm thinking about going back because the iTunes Music Store doesn't have as much good stuff (yet). I also like the more esoteric choices (The Dining Rooms, Nightmares on Wax, Troublemakers, etc.)

Hmm, "Sounds Great" I thought. I've currently got the iBook set aside as I experiment with a Linux desktop, and oooh, they have a Linux client.

So I sign up, install the linux download client, set up my MIME types and log in. I check for a band I saw on MTV2 recently, Interpol. Yep, there they are.

"Download Entire Album". emusicdlm pops up, and, boom. "CANNOT CONNECT TO SERVER".

Only time will tell if this is a glitch or an endemic problem.

See, this is where having trackbacks on your site would be handy. Instead of clogging up your comments window with a long post, I just added my favorite recent emusic albums on my blog in response to your excellent list. Thanks for the picks, I'm downloading the ones I didn't already have now.

What is the quality of their mp3s?

Hey Chris, you will definitely have problems with Linux, as EMusic switched to a new download system, with particularly flaky Linux support. I believe there are only two Linux releases supported, but you can find out more by hitting the emusic Help button at the top of the site, or searching through the message boards (a lotta disappointed Linux users on there). If possible, use The Mac OS X client, which works very well, or the Windows XP client, which apparently works pretty good too.

EMusic MP3s are 192k VBR LAME encoded.

EMusic's jazz selection is pretty damn good, too. Tons of classic stuff and a sweet selection of the avant garde for more adventurous palattes.

I've found the combination of eMusic, the iTunes music store and my 20 GB iPod to be killer. If I have a band in mind, my search usually goes: eMusic, iTMS, Limewire, Amazon. If I'm just looking to browse, the eMusic recommendations are actually pretty good.

I've found that since I download so much new music, it's a little hard to keep track of. I set up a smart playlist in iTunes that collects all music added in the past five days, then I listen on my commute to work.

If you love music, this is the way to go. You do have to have a sensibility for non-mainstream tracks, though, which ain't exactly a bad thing. Although I was finally able to download "Email My Heart" when the iTunes music store added Britney's catalog :-)

This is great!! My company builds the recommendation, search, stash it etc for eMusic. One of the things we are hopefully rolling out this month is a List feature much like Amazon's lists. Users will then be able to create their own lists and they will fit into the referral system. Its just waiting on emusic to turn it on now.

Being so anal about sound quality, does anyone know the sample rate on the mp3's at emusic?

nevermind, I should read before I post my apologies

Isn't Stew great? His solo stuff is good, too. Another stylistic influence I'd mention is cabaret music and stuff like Jacques Brel.

EMusic. Best thing to happpen to my diverse music taste in a long time and worst thing to happen to my hard drive. 30+ GIGS of music after only a few months.

jeremy you're wrong ... they did CD quality mp3 conversions ... some are not updated yet, but the main library is done! bingo! EMusic is the THING I thought would never come!! all indy labels are there, it is a pure joy to go there ....
from Thursday to Curtis Mayfield, Reagge to emo, world music to classical, they have it!!! thanks EMUsic!

So what is the bit rate? Someone mentioned 192 VBR. I was a member a year ago when the bit rate was 128. Emusic was great for finding out about new music but the quality wasn't there. How does it sound now?

O, did anyone see 'Gold Chains' the other night at MJQ. I was out of town and found out about it after the fact.

nope, 192 VBR is correct, which is close or at CD quality. They were 128Kpbs encoded with XING, but are now at the higher VBR rate encoded with LAME, which many consider to be the best encoder out there.

After two months of being a happy eMusic subscriber, I can attest my $14,95 a month has been the money best well spent in a long time for me. (A broadband connection also helps you take full advantage of it, too)

They have been doing quite some improvements lately - such as converting most of its albums to VBR, and quality is much much better.

Those who complain about not seeing Radiohead or Mariah Carey at eMusic are barking up at the wrong tree - eMusic is more of a place where indie labels and artists (those who are more willing to embrace and adapt to the new music business scheme) deliver their goods at a price that is hard to argue with. Everybody wins... Apple should take a cue or two from eMusic.

There are a few albums you'll find on Emusic that have not been encoded > 128. You rarely find them. If the album info doesn't stipulate anything about bitrate, it's 192 VBR (or higher). Only if the album was encoded in 128 do they mention the bitrate.

Too bad the service is not available outside North America. Does anyone know where can a European (pay :-) and download good music? Thanks, -m

Also, any 128K music will be replaced with higher bitrate at some point. I believe they had about 90% finished when they launched the VBR a couple months ago, and continue to update the remainder as time goes on.

And Martina, the service is available outside the US, though some of the music is restricted. You can find out by browsing or searching the site before you sign up, as the album pages will have a note specifically saying "Not available outside North America due to licensing restrictions." For example: Pizzicato Five - Made In USA (appropriate, eh?). If you find enough music that is available to you, then you should try it.

Thank you very much Jeremy! I'll browse and have a look around...

It was mentioned that the service was not avaliable outside North America and yet the sign up form lists other countries. I was about to sign up as there is nothing else availble in Taiwan but when I clicked on a link to fins out how to cancel my subscription I got "Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80040e14' " Certainly not the answer I was looking for. So I guess it's back to wasteing my time with Aquisition.

Just signed up and I'm hooked. Great collection of Jazz recordings, many of which I could never find on cd here in Taiwan. Sound quality seems ok since many of these recordings are not concerned with the highest fidelity anyway.

I know after work I'll be buying a new hard drive. I think I'll need it.

Todd, you have outstanding taste.

And give the iTunes Music Store a little time, I think they'll please you.

In the meantime, they've got some great Yma Sumac and Astrud Gilberto to chew on ...

What kind of DL-speeds are you getting from this place? It seems very interesting but if it slow I won't even bother... BTW - I'm in scandinavia, so if someone has tried it from (t)here that would be a plus ;-)

Thanks for linking all of these. I was going to let my subscription expire next week but then The Morning News -- newsfeed -- linked you.

I also found a new newsreader: FeedDemon and it makes it easy to search RSS for keywords like "EMusic".

I know EMusic has a message board -- for complaining about the RIAA, etc. -- but RSS is easier for finding what people like at EMusic.

Thanks for keeping me an Emusic fan. I enjoyed my first year of service and will enjoy future even much if people write about what they like.

Feel free to edit my last line. :o)

I saw T-Model live about a month or so ago and I was totally blown away. He's the real thing. Go get his CD now!

...er, i guess i mean, go download it now.

I put a list of my fave eMusic artists up on my site.

Mac OS X client? Where? I can't find it.

Wow, thanks for opening my ears to EMusic. I had no idea how much good stuff is out there. I feel like someone just sent me a crate of CDs and I don't have enough time to listen to them all. I hope that more people list their recommendations on EMusic, I love seeing what others have found.

Wow, impressive. Considering that the iTunes store isn't available in Canada, and considering that eMusic works out to be a much, much better deal overall (selection and price), this is great.

I would have never thought to check eMusic out - thanks for the pointer!

tigerbeat6
tight bros network
in association with XLR8R magazine present:
Paws across ATLanta
Monday, August 11th
Echo Lounge

featuring:
KID606
DJ/rupture
Dwayne Sodahberk
Airoes
sponsored by XLR8R magazine

9:00pm
18 and up
admission $8.00

Echo Lounge
551 Flat Shoals Ave
Atlanta, Ga 30316
info-(404) 681-3600
puchase tickets online- http://www.echostatic.com/echolounge/

The Echo lounge is located in the East Atlanta neigborhood.

directions:
From I-75/I-85:
take I-20 East towards Augusta and exit at Moreland Avenue South. Merge onto Moreland and turn left at the second traffic light at Glenwood Avenue.Turn right at first traffic light at Flat Shoals Avenue. Echo Lounge is 1/2 block down on the right hand side.

From I-285:
take I-20 West towards downtown and exit at Moreland Avenue. Turn left onto Moreland, crossing over I-20 heading South. Turn left at the second traffic light at Glenwood Avenue, and then turn right at the first traffic light at Flat Shoals Avenue. Echo Lounge is 1/2 block down on the right hand
side.

Kid606
Kidd606's first single from his upcoming full length album "kill sound before sound kills you" on ipecac records in the fall. Crazy new
acidtechnohardcorebreakbeat action from the hyperactive manboy known as the kid. "the illness" is a retro hardcore techno anthem for a period which still hasnt occured yet, sweeping melodies and gnarling basslines combined with classic beats and all the sonic sci-fi twist and turns needed to keep you at the edge of your listening seat. "ecstasy motherfucker" is a 9 minute relentless 4/4 160 bpm epic with more energy in it then most albums, thumping 909's mized with baltimore breaks and booty 808's and DSP rush breakdowns all climaxing in a bass heavy speedcore gabber blowout. 12" includes a exlcusive mix of the illness, while the cdep comes through with three new kid606 songs: "evasion", the haunting ambient "circumvent" and "Maybe" featuring kevin blechdom on accordion. note: Each format features
different artwork, as the digipak case the cd comes in could not accurately recreate the 12" cover design.

DWAYNE SODAHBERK
Shunting aside all pretense towards retro rock irony and IKEA aestetix, Swedish techno misfit Dwayne Sodahberk gives us a new collection of excitingly memorable songs painstakingly composed and improvised with just the right balance between egghead super collider dsp workouts and raw drum machine beats, gildedmodular synth stabs, the occasional glitch, and melodic guitar workouts .

With a handful of EPs for his own Stuporsonika label and appearances on numerous compilations under his belt as well as the occasional Absolut Vodka or Saab advertisement, Dwayne has been quietly making a name for himself since 2000 with driving techno pieces that incorporate ambient elements and minor bursts of noise similar to the sounds championed by labels like Force Inc, perlon and Kompakt. But Dwayne Sodahberk is more than just a fresh face on the minimal techno scene - as his 2002 debut full-length on Tigerbeat6 proved. Deeply inspired by all forms of music, Dwayne sites influences like Unsane, Blonde Redhead, The Seeds, and Velvet Underground to Autechre, Super_Collider, Fennesz and Mike ink. Quite possibly the most mature and promising long player to date for Tigerbeat6, Sodahberk is going to be receiving a lot of recognition for its eclectic, daring carefully composed electronica.

DJ/RUPTURE
Born near Boston, based in Madrid, DJ /rupture captured the world’s imagination on the strength of Gold Teeth Thief, the “stunning, globe-trotting, three-turntable mix" that "captures the spirit of the best bootleg mixes--bumping, brash, and without borders,” according to the album's four-star review in the April 2002 issue of VIBE. Previously available only on mp3 and cdr, now available in a strictly limited edition bootleg re-release from Violent Turd, Gold Teeth Thief is a work THE WIRE called "so fabulous that you need to beg, borrow, remortgage, and steal...so you can go to the Website and download it post haste." Declared one of the year's 50 best albums by THE WIRE, Gold Teeth Thief has made DJ /rupture one of URB’s Next 100 Artists to blow up in 2002 and earned hm the title “best DJ in the world" from German magazine DE:BUG. For once, the hype is not hyperbole but the just reward for a powerfully syncretic musical imagination, nurtured on the one hand by New York's legendary illbient scene and by notions of the African diaspora on the other. And Minesweeper Suite is DJ /rupture's first full-length statement and response to the world since it swallowed the delicious mix with a thump and a bootyshake.

On Minesweeper Suite, DJ /rupture tears some of hiphop's most familiar battle breaks into arguments that reconstruct "the missing links between dead prez and Middle Eastern dub selector Muslimgauze," as VIBE described his mission. MAHMOUD FADI, APHASIC, DISC, CUL DE SAC, ROTATOR, CEX, GREGORY WHITEHEAD, KID606, J-BOOGIE, DAT POLITICS, BORBETOMAGUS, DJ SCUD, SO TAKAHASHI and DONNA SUMMER all find a home in DJ /rupture's realm, where squalls of noise and dub concréte are the sand in his mixer, scouring away the listener's previous associations with music they thought they knew, forcing them to confront cultural differences in a manner that neither essentializes nor orientalizes but honors them within a deeply rooted, humanistic vision. Minesweeper Suite extends DJ /rupture's mission of dissolving the boundaries between artistic genres and scenes and the result is post-colonial, post-apocalyptic work that the world needs now more than ever

Chris Thompson :

Did you find a solution to the emusic problem you told about above? I'm having the same problem (that's why I ended on this page...)

Chris, I had the same problem with eMusic connecting. Did you get it fixed?

I've been on emusic for 4 months. They have the bands
I like and I was really excited at first. Trouble is I can't
possibly download my 65 each month because I always
get "requesting file" and it never starts downloading.
Then when I shut down DLM it loses that selection
from my que. It counts against my sub even if I don't
download it. I can put it back on through "my emusic"
but it is a real pain. It has been just one rip-off after
another and now they have charged my card twice this
month (for music I can't even get). They don't answer
my complaints and I've gone from patient to totally
pissed off. I have no problem downloading music from
many other sources. I'm quitting emusic and I'm going
away mad. What a dissapointment they have turned
out to be! I had high hopes but they are giving the
appearance of being crooks.