EMusic today announced it has signed a distribution agreement with the Beggars Group, which will provide subscribers access to hundreds of titles from nine high-profile UK labels. Today’s agreement builds on EMusic’s extensive catalog of more than 250,000 MP3s from over 900 leading independent labels.
EMusic allows its 70,000 members unlimited access to its catalog of high- quality MP3s for one low monthly price. Unlike other subscription services that offer only streaming and significant restrictions, EMusic uses the popular MP3 format and allows members the flexibility to easily burn their music to CDs and transfer it to portable MP3 audio players. EMusic offers a free two-week trial to its service at http://www.EMusic.com/subscription/.
“EMusic subscribers are passionate about music and we are extremely pleased to give them access to music from Beggars Group’s premier labels,” said Steve Grady, general manager for EMusic.
“Over the past 25 years, Beggars has remained one of the most influential and commercially successful independent labels by focusing on great music and constantly reinventing itself,” said Ray Farrell, EMusic’s vice president of music acquisition and management. “Beggars is a perfect fit for the EMusic’s member base of avid music fans.”
As part the agreement with Beggars Group, EMusic will add more than 300 new titles, from labels including Beggars Banquet, 4AD, Mo’ Wax, XL Recordings, Wiiija, Too Pure, Nation and Mantra Recordings. Beginning this month, EMusic customers will have access to MP3 albums from artists such as Bauhaus (Beggars Banquet), The Prodigy (XL Recordings), The Cult (Beggars Banquet), Peaches (XL Recordings), Gary Numan (Beggars Banquet), Tindersticks (Beggars Banquet), Badly Drawn Boy (XL Recordings), Cornershop (Wiiija), Dead Can Dance (4AD), The Pixies (4AD), Stereolab (Too Pure), Saint Etienne (Mantra Recordings), Fun Da Mental (Nation), P.J. Harvey (Too Pure) and Tommy Guererro (Mo’ Wax), among others. In addition, Beggars Group will also use EMusic as a distribution outlet for rare B-side releases and out-of- print material.
“We’re very happy to have our artists’ music available online through EMusic,” said Martin Mills, chairman of Beggars Group. “We believe in supporting outlets for independent music, and EMusic offers a genuine and focused alternative to mass market offerings that appeals to our fans.”