eMusic relaunch

E FOR EFFORT: Meanwhile, eMusic is close to signing licensing deals with UMG and EMI in anticipation of a relaunch of the service in November, CEO Adam Klein told Reuters. The 12-year-old company, which has licensed content from Sony Music and WMG, had previously focused exclusively on indie music. If eMusic can close out the Big Four, its catalog would be up to an estimated 17 million tracks. Newly named CEO Adam Klein, a onetime EMI and MTV executive, said that while eMusic would retain its club membership model, it hopes to add a digital locker and will have a more “open site,” without the need for credit card registration before being able to browse the catalog. The site's relaunch will be supported by a major marketing campaign as it tries to reverse a slow decline in membership and compete more effectively with iTunes and Amazon MP3. eMusic now has around 375k members and expects to bring in around $65 million in revenue this year. Subscribers pay around $12 a month, allowing them to download 24 songs. (9/17a)