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Beggars Group On Why They Left eMusic

image from www.atozmedia.com In an official statement, UK based indie power house Beggars Group, which includes the popular Matador and 4AD labels, explained why, like several other indie labels, it's leaving eMusic on the eve of the subscription service's addition of tracks from UMG and major relaunch:

"As those of you who buy our music from eMusic will know by now, our music will very shortly no longer be available from that site.

We wish this hadn’t happened, but as eMusic has brought major labels on board, they have changed the terms on which they deal with labels in certain ways, some of which we have found impossible to accept, in our own interests, those of our artists, and ultimately those of their fans.

We have loved eMusic, and the support it has given to our music, but it was the dedicated home for independent music and is, in our view, not that any more.

You will continue to find our music on many other great sites and stores, we encourage you to visit them, or ask us where."

More: On Eve Of Relaunch, eMusic Loses 3 Key Indie Labels. Subscribers Not Happy.

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11 Comments

  1. This is a terrible story for eMusic. I am glad to say though that you can buy all of the Beggars Group music on WaTunes in high quality MP3s. Check it out!
    Sam Reid
    Customer Service
    WaTunes.com

  2. Bad business move on the part of emusic, and I predict will result in its inevitable demise like others who partner with the majors, i.e. Myspace Music. It’s sad that what sets these music services a part from the rest– the discovery of indie music and artists — is what they chose to overlook in the end. Why does this remind me of the catastrophe the major labels and even the radio industry currently find themselves in — make yourself different from the rest and you will succeed. Fans want choices, uniqueness, new music discovery — not the tired, uncreative avenues that are being pumped out.

  3. exactly Tim – abandon the only site that has supported you over the years and send everyone to those famed bastions of independent support – iTunes and Amazon. A bit disingenuous, I say… They will be back.

  4. This is sorely lacking in details. eMusic has said that they are treating all labels equally. That implies one of two things
    1. Beggars Group used to get preferential treatment and now it does not.
    2. Beggars Group used to get equal treatment and that equal treatment is now worse for all labels.
    In either case, it would be interesting to know what specifically was their breaking point. What are other labels willing to deal with, that they are not?
    It would also be interesting to know what percentage of their current revenues and profits are they giving up by leaving eMusic?

  5. from what I understand…eMusic paid labels extra based on their overall percentage of downloads on the site, not per track. With more larger labels entering the mix, Beggars would lose market share..and therefore revenue…

  6. That’s interesting to hear. If that is how the system was set up, it makes perfect sense that Beggars and the other indies that jumped, like Merge, would lose out in the new system relative to their previous position. Interesting. I’m still scratching my head though as to how it’s possible for major labels and countless other indie labels to find eMusic a viable outlet for music but Beggars and Merge can not. Really, that does confuse me.

  7. Fully agreed Tim. It is not a viable explanation that eMusic used to be a solely independent source, as Beggars still does business with two of the largest, corporate, and global companies in the world: Apple and Amazon.

  8. A year on and Beggars Group are not back, but like others, I have a legacy membership so I’m sticking with eMusic and finding my 50 downloads a month always too short without the likes of 4AD and others. Beggars were not the only ones, as Domino and XL have left too which is a real shame. Personally, I cannot afford to buy any extra music apart from the odd track I must get (on juno or beatport) so it’s a shame but indie labels should try harder to get back to emusic and emusic should try harder to get them back too.

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