eMusic drops majors

DECLARATION OF INDIE-PENDENCE: eMusic, which has been selling digital downloads since 1998 (try to wrap your head around that), says it will be “exiting the mainstream music business” and returning to its roots as an indie outlet, The New York Times reports. Specifically, the service will no longer sell music from UMG, Sony or WMG starting tomorrow. eMusic was conceived as a dedicated indie store but added major-label content in 2009. “Beginning Oct. 1, 2014, the leading download-to-own music retailer will be exiting the mainstream music business and exclusively offering independent music,” eMusic said in a statement on Monday. “The company’s goal is to build the most extensive catalog of independent music in the world.” But as the piece points out, exactly what constitutes “indie music” is open to interpretation. A spokeswoman for eMusic told the Times that “the independent labels that use major label distribution resources have been removed from the site.” It’ll be interesting to see what’s left under that criterion. (9/30a)