Despite my relatively positive opinion on eMusic, I have cancelled my membership. It’s not that the service wasn’t good, but rather, it is unnecessary. The biggest problem is that it is not a strong enough store on its own to replace iTunes or Amazon, and at the same time, it does not really complement either of them very well, either.

We already know that eMusic’s library of music is limited. The trouble is that, whereas they used to be known for having all the independent music that iTunes did not carry, this is no longer the case. Very few things are exclusive to eMusic, and so there is really no immediate need to be a subscriber. Although eMusic is much cheaper than iTunes, I find that the frustration of having to check both eMusic and iTunes before I make a purchase is just not worth it. I like having a one-stop shop, what can I say?

An interesting psychological factor I’ve noticed is the price. With a $20/month subscription, I can only download a limited amount of songs. Because of this, I have noticed that I have been more conservative about the songs I choose to download for fear of running out of credits. This way of thinking is totally illogical since I would’ve ended up paying way more on iTunes anyway, but nevertheless this is how the mind works when you have been given a limit.

Lastly, there is the issue of what you’re actually getting. eMusic provides all their songs as MP3’s with no DRM (very cool) but they’re not always in high enough bitrates (not as cool). Many of their songs are in 256kbit but many others I’ve seen as low as 180kbit. And the worst part… you don’t know until you’ve purchased and downloaded the song.

In addition, there is no cover art included, but luckily iTunes goes and grabs that on its own. Yet another reason why eMusic does not stand by itself. I am pleased with the music I have gotten from eMusic, but in the end, I missed iTunes’ quality, catalog, and ease of use. Buying music online should be a simple and enjoyable process. Or at least that is what Apple has brainwashed me to believe. I’ll take it.