ten years
Today, eMusic hit a modest, but significant, milestone: our sorta-kinda-maybe official 10th anniversary! Here’s what Wikipedia has to say:
The company now known as eMusic was founded by Gene Hoffman and Bob Kohn on January 8, 1998 and originally named GoodNoise Corporation. In October 1998, GoodNoise acquired eMusic.com…
So maybe the October date has more relevance (or maybe not), but regardless, ten years! We outlasted Pets.com! And Sonicnet! And all of this despite lacking big name artists and being a subscription service and every other bugaboo that the press has always pinned on eMusic. It’s honestly kind of remarkable that a site whose very first download was Frank Black (and our millionth track the Pixies) could thrive during the End of Music and the Disappearance of the Artist and whatever today’s other headline might be. eMusic: we refuse to die.
Anyway, we have a fun batch of things planned for this year to mark the occasion, most of them involving eMusic’s secret sauce… that’s right: you guys!!! In a series of polls, we’ll be asking you to weigh in on a bunch of topics, some of them serious, some of them goofy. We’re still working on the particulars, but it will definitely culminate in Some Definitive List of Something Important this summer, so stay tuned.
This should probably sound more triumphant, more momentous. We’ll leave that to the other folks who have puffed their chests out in pride over the years… Us? We’ll still be here, selling great music that no one has ever heard of and, God-willing, thriving. Thanks, everyone!
Happy birthday and congratulations on hitting the 10-year milestone. I look forward to congratulating you on eMusic’s 20th birthday, too.
“selling great music that no one has ever heard of”
Sounds like a new motto for emusic. I’m glad you’re still around as I’ve discovered some great music here. You better make it another 10, or I don’t know where I’ll find new music.
Well done! 10 years is pretty impressive especially for a web based music company!
It’s the business model I tell you!
Woot. I still remember back around 1999 being in meetings planning the launch of Yahoo Music and meeting the guys who were head of eMusic (and IUMA) at the time. Nice guys but I think they have been gone for a long time at this point.
More mottos from a marketing mullethead. Some for targeted markets, all of them preceded by emusic’s colon:
Meet your new favorite music
Music you didn’t know you love
All you can hear
Exercise your right to independence
Better prices. Better music.
Never had DRM. Never will.
Find out why Henry Rollins is yelling
Music from artists you’ve heard of, before or after they became famous
Music you’ve never heard of, plus Creedence
Music you can’t download in your country
More classical music than you can wave a baton at
25,000 classical albums. 1.75 million albums your parents will hate.
You’ll be sorry you didn’t find us sooner. We sure are.
Ten years of record label roulette
Dozens of dozens
Pass the Spoon!
Harry Potter, Harry Chapin, Harry Nilsson, Debby Harry, and Harry
Trane. Twain.
Music for readers. Audiobooks for music lovers.
From Kitchen Confidential to Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Where else will Alice Cooper SING to you and READ to you?
Droppin’ pages on ya earhole
The DIY Bookstore Cafe. Just add scones!
and my favorite:
emu: who knew?
I’ll stop now. Until I think of some more.
Happy B-day, eMu! You’re a quarter my age. May you outlive me.
How about: eMusic - so much more convenient than stealing.
Thanks for keeping me legal.
I’ve loved so many albums and new artists that I never would have bought via ‘regular’ channels (and I haven’t felt bad about the ones that I didn’t like due to the accessible pricing).
Happy birthday! Too bad I didn’t discover eMusic earlier than 2003. Oh well. I’m looking forward to many more years.