Europe Gets eMusic Digital Music Store

Apple’s iTunes has yet another challenger in Europe, in the form of eMusic, digital online music store, launched throughout the European Union nations today. The 25 EU countries will now have access to eMusic’s international catalogue of more than 1.7 million tracks via the subscription-based service. The service offers 8,500 independent labels, in a universally compatible MP3 file format which allows play on any device including the iPod. eMusic allows consumers to own — not rent — their music with editorial guidance from more than 120 renowned music writers, competitive download price. eMusic also allows consumers to burn CDs, transfer music to MP3 players and make as many copies of songs or albums as they like for personal use, with audio quality of 192K VBR bit rate.

David Pakman, President and CEO, eMusic, said, “The monopoly of iTunes in Europe is over. European consumers, fed up with homogeneous music and services focused only on mainstream pop can now discover a wealth of music created to transcend rules, boundaries and commercialism. At eMusic, fans can explore our vast catalogue of groundbreaking independent music which plays on any digital music device, starting at just 17p or EUR 0.23 a track. We are excited to introduce the most diverse catalogue of music in the world to European independent music fans who are crying out for a download service that caters to their needs.”

eMusic has been operating in the U.S. since 1998 and has been rated second most popular, after Apple’s iTunes. In the UK, eMusic has formed media partnerships with GCap Media’s Classic FM, The Guardian and Haymarket’s Stuff magazine. Marketing partners include SanDisk, DSG International (Currys Digital, Dixons.com, PC World), NetGear, Archos and Box Media, among others.

Click here for more details on the launch.