YOU CAN’T PLEASE ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME. But if you offer the right people the right product, you’ve got a hit.
EMusic is following this tried-and-true direct marketing credo to carve out its own place in the emerging downloadable music subscription service market. It launched in July 2000, slowly building an audience of avid fans of independent label music. The site’s paid subscription base took off this spring, doubling to 20,000 since May, likely attributable to consumer awareness that the Napster free buffet was about to end.
Targeted partnerships with musical acts like They Might Be Giants and sites like RollingStone.com and Listen.com will help the site continue to grow, says Steve Grady, senior vice president of marketing for EMusic.
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