Independent online music store eMusic has now reached its 250,000th subscriber, according to an announcement issued Monday.
The milestone is part of an accelerating growth curve for the company, and follows a level of 200,000 reached just four months ago. David Pakman, chairman and CEO of the company, pointed to a “significant customer segment that’s underserved by iTunes and other music services,” a group that is “eager to explore the riches of music outside mainstream pop and hip hop.” That niche has given eMusic the interesting distinction of being a distant second behind iTunes, a destination that commands most of the attention within the paid download market.
eMusic positions a hybrid subscription and download concept, one that has produced a healthy, 100 million download total. Meanwhile, Apple has grabbed two billion total downloads, though eMusic courts a far more targeted and music-obsessed crowd. That almost places the destinations in separate pools, especially as the digital music market continues to expand. Meanwhile, eMusic is now eyeing the Asian market, a move that follows a recent rollout across Europe. In particular, eMusic is likely to focus on Japan, a market well-known for its music-hungry population. For now, details remain vague, though the company pointed to an Asian expansion as a “challenging” endeavor.
Story by news analyst Alexandra Osorio.