EMusic Lands Major Label Deal

Music lovers already know about eMusic. The online music subscription service where customers pay a bulk rate to download a specified number of songs per month has landed a major label’s catalog to go along with its offering of independent artists and music – Sony Music.

Athough details of the arrangement were not announced the deal is for Sony’s back catalog and will launch during the third quarter this year. EMusic and the label are defining the back catalog as music that’s at least two-years-old.

So it’s not for current product, but hey, it’s a start. Sony’s catalog includes music from The Clash, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen, and encompasses all Sony labels including Arista, Columbia, Epic, Jive, LaFace, Legacy Recordings and RCA.

Think of the download opportunities! Sony’s back catalog includes tracks from the days John Hammond and Clive Davis were making history by signing then-unknown artists and bands such as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Sly Stone and Santana. Even if eMusic and Sony offer only a portion of the label’s back catalog for downloading, it’s sure to result in some marathon download sessions for the service’s subscribers.

“We’re excited to bring Sony Music’s vast catalog of music to eMusic’s customers,” eMusic CEO and Chairman Danny Stein said. “First and foremost, eMusic is about a quality customer experience. We are eager to bring eMusic’s in-depth approach and curatorial excellence to those incredible recordings – as we’ve done for independent labels for the last 10 years.”

Click here for eMusic.