1. I signed up for the free trial and got charged $10! What gives?

Emusic has always tinkered with their free trial offer, and lately (Dec 5, 2007) they came up with a somewhat misleading formula. As far as we can tell, when you sign up you start your first month's subscription right away, and that costs $10. In addition, you get 50 bonus downloads and a free audiobook. So, in reality, it's not "free" and it's not a "trial." This is a major change from the way eMusic used to welcome new users.

Emusic recently issued this response to concerns about the offer:

Hey everybody. In light of the confusion some people are having in regards to our current trial offers, we've set up a special email address where we can clear things up. Simply drop an email to offerquestions@emusic.com if you have had problems with your trial, and we will immediately get back to you. Thanks everyone!

It turns out if you email this address you got an offer for your 10 bucks back if you joined between 12/5 and 12/27. I suspect eMusic does not intend to extend this offer to people who signed up after that (but you can try the email anyway.)

An additional warning about Audiobooks!

Also, some people complain of being charged a second time after eMusic sends confirmation of cancellation. This is because of the Audiobooks plan. Emusic considers Audiobooks to be a separate service with a separate billing policy (an extra $10/month for one audiobook.) When you signed up you may have been offered an audiobooks trial that kicks in to a full subscription after two weeks. Thus, when you cancel, you should submit two cancellation forms, one for audiobooks and one for music. Even if you intend to keep your music plan, you probably want to cancel Audiobooks!

2. I tried to contact customer service and got no response. What's THAT about?

This is another problem that eMusic is having right now. People report that the response time from eMusic customer service is about a week, and one often has to tolerate multiple form-letters that bear no relation to the original question.

Apparently, after you initial inquiry, you will receive a long email that touches on a variety of topics. In order to get a human to read your message, you MUST respond to that initial form letter (see the instructions at the very end.) After that, your response time may still be a week and you may receive more irrelevant emails.

Users here on the message board recognize that this level of service is completely unacceptable. The Director of Customer Service at eMusic is named Martin Hammond - you can email him at mhammond@emusic.com and let him know what you think. (Though, of course, I encourage you to use this information responsibly, and send Mr. Hammond a mature and intelligent email.)

Understandably, some people also want to call eMusic. Phone numbers for their corporate offices in NY and London are buried here, and your credit card statement may include another number. (Mine says 212-300-2855.) You can try these, though we don't know if they will work. (If you are crafty, you can get through to a person, but most people seem to end up in a voice-mail dead end.)

If you have questions about how the service works, try asking on the message boards - there are many long-time users here who would be happy to try and help. But if you need an adjustment to your subscription, a refund for bad tracks, or some such thing you are probably going to have to ask over and over.

I do not think there is currently any way to get a refund for the initial $10 subscription fee, whether through eMusic or your credit card company. Some users have, however, reported getting a refund for Audiobooks charges.

3. So why doesn't eMusic carry popular music?

Emusic specializes in "independent" labels only. Chances are, the most desirable songs or artists that first pop into your head are on a label owned by the "big 4" corporations - Sony/BMG, Warner Music Group, Universal, and EMI. They aren't here. Heck, even a few highly desirable indie labels (like SubPop) aren't here.

4. Why would anyone use eMusic, then?

There are two fantastic things about Emusic - the price and the freedom of mp3 files. A monthly subscription to eMu costs $10 for 30 tracks - that's .33 a track! The other big download services (like ITunes) are mostly $1 per track. AND, the files on iTunes come with DRM (digital rights management) which control what you do with them. Emusic gives you plain mp3s that you can play on anything.

AND, there is still tons of great stuff on eMusic. It's the best way to expand your musical horizons and discover new music that's off the beaten path.

5. No, seriously, does anybody really use this site, or is it just a big scam?

Really, for some people this site is perfect. I'd say that the music on independent labels appeals to people with a particularly strong interest in music - people who do not care whether something is popular or not. Here is a checklist to see if eMusic is for you:

Do you...

If you answered "no" to all, you'd probably be much happier at ITunes or Amazon.com.

But if you answered yes to at least one or two of these questions, eMusic is probably for you! You'll be able to find plenty of stuff to listen to. Start by browsing rather than searching and check out what's really here. Also, you can ask on these message boards and you'll get a lot of recommendations, fast. We've even tried to guess what you are into on our Recommended if you like... page, and we've compiled a Resources for Finding New Music page that goes beyond the links listed above.

And, of course, even if you aren't a hardcore music addict yet, eMusic is a great way to become one. You've been warned.

6. I'm still mad! This sucks! I'm going to sue!

Please try to chill out, at least a little bit. This message board is full of happy eMusic addicts, who just want to talk about music. It's not our fault you are mad! If you feel the need to post on the board, please try to express yourself in a mature and intelligent way.