Perhaps to quell the strong criticism of eMusic's addition of Sony and subsequent price increases, the subscription services has created a special FAQ. Some answers offer a glimpse inside the deal and the motivations behind it.
According to the new document, Sony product will only be available to US subscribers, but they may add the UK, EU and Canada in the future. "We don’t currently have a timetable for when this will happen..." says eMusic. But despite the lack of new product, new non-US subscribers are getting a price increase and current members are not. "We’re doing this for two reasons: To help attract new labels and bring back those we all miss and keep us where we need to be as a business."
eMusic had said previously that the price increases were not tied to Sony, but as one tipster pointed out to Hyepbot, "The speculation about eMusic's price increase being tied to the addition of the Sony catalog becomes difficult to deny when you consider that current eMusic members in the UK, EU and Canada, unlike those in the U.S., are not being forced to adopt new and more expensive plans...the 'coincidence' being that the Sony catalog is not yet available in those countries."
eMusic's statements also suggest that labels should expect some of the price increase to be passed along to them. But will payouts really increase if subscribers begin grabbing Sony classics to use their full monthly allotment?
