eMusic

Pros: Big selection of indie music

Cons: Most of it isn't worth listening to

Summary: I only have one gripe about eMusic but it's a big one and a deal breaker.

Say you sign up for a plan that includes 30 downloads per month. At the start of you month, you download 10 tracks but that's all you do during that month. At the end of your month, you lose the 20 downloads that you didn't use and you start your next month off with 30 downloads instead of 50.

This doesn't fit the way I acquire music. I'll hear some music I like, usually on satellite radio, and I'll want to get some of his/her/their music. I may only want to download a few tracks and take some time to listen to them before I get more. I don't always have time to sit on the eMusic web site and search for enough music I like to use up my quota.

eMusic justifies the way they operate by calling it a subscription service. This still doesn't jibe with me. At the end of the month, the publishers of the magazines I subscribe to don't come to my house and remove the articles I haven't read from their magazines.