I checked out eMusic several years ago when they had a deal going with They Might Be Giants, called TMBG Unlimited. (Waaay before Coverville) After a year or two, I let my account lapse, and forgot to renew it.
Well, recently, there have been a few cover CDs I’ve been looking for that I haven’t been able to find on iTunes, and I was in too much of a hurry to wait for a shipment from Amazon. So I decided to take another look at eMusic. They’ve improved their interface since the last time I checked them out, and quite a few covers I was having a hard time finding are available on their site. Their files download as standard MP3s, and you don’t lose your tracks if you close your subscription (my two biggest complaints about some of the other music downloading services).
Not only have I restarted my account with them, I’ve signed up as an affiliate, so I can offer you, the Coverville listener, 25 free downloads. I won’t lie to you and tell you that I’m not getting a kick-back if you sign up through my link, but I will tell you that I’d recommend checking them out even if I wasn’t getting anything in return. In addition, I’ll link to some albums that I’ve gotten from them recently (mostly Cover CDs, of course!) so you can have some suggestions for those 25 free downloads.
Trash Pour 4 – Recycle Vol. 1 (I played their loungy “I Touch Myself” on Ep 223)
SKAndalous All-Stars (SKA versions of popular tunes – putting together an all-SKA Coverville soon!)
Those Darn Accordions! (Accordion version of popular tunes!)
Brad Roberts – Crash Test Dude (former vocalist of Crash Test Dummies. Lots of excellent covers on this disc, including “Oops! I Did It Again”, which you’ve heard on Coverville)
Thanks Brian, I was meaning to check them out and, as you say, there are 25 free downloads with no commitment.
What’s the problem with you getting a kickback? the least you deserve for your HARD WORK!!
Tell me, do you get a kickback only if someone pays after the trial period?
Thanks again
Wayne
I get a kickback even if you only use the free downloads and cancel before you get charged!
Woo Hoo! I can do that!
Also super excited to hear about a Ska show.
I am so there Brian!
I thought for a minute there was a danger of having to pay for music!
I love eMusic. They have many of my favorites, including both Jack White bands: the White Stripes and the Raconteurs, and the best band with the worst name: The New Pornographers.
Question: Can a band do a cover of their own song? eMusic has an acoustic version of the Raconteurs own song, “Steady As She Goes”. It sounds so entirely different from the original, it might qualify as a self-cover.
Shoot! I knew I should have waited to get Long Tall Weekend. Oh well, at least it was free.
Brian,
EMusic is my absolute favorite source for new music. I’m glad to hear you’re back on board. Since you’re now plugged into the massive EMusic catalog, let me suggest a couple of artists you might want to explore:
Hem: Their recent “odds and sods” album, No Word from Tom, features several remarkable covers, including “So. Central Rain,” “Rainy Night in Georgia,” and the Fountains of Wayne (!) cover, “Radiation Vibe.” (It turns out that one of the members of Hem produced Fountains of Wayne once upon a time, and the two bands are apparently close.)
The Be Good Tanyas: These folks do some interesting, old-timey sounding music with very modern approaches to songwriting. On their just-released album, they do an unexpected cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” With banjos. Yeah, I know. It sounds preposterous, but it really works.
The Tanyas also did a gorgeous version of Al Green’s “That’s How Strong My Love Is” for a live NPR performance. Very stripped down and sweet. I’ve never seen this commercially available, but it’s worth looking up.
Maria McKee: You know about Maria McKee by her solo work and her work with the unforgettable Lone Justice. A new album, just posted, features Maria’s covers of Richard and Linda Thompson’s “Has He Got a Friend For Me?” (also on her first solo record), as well as Springsteen’s “Backstreets. Which is awesome. Definitely worth checking out. If you can find them, Maria’s done some other great tunes in her live shows, including a ferocious version of Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.” The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up, just thinking about it.
Love the show. Keep ’em coming.
– Sky Bluesky, longtime listener, first-time poster