EMI Music today announced that it has reached an agreement with SNOCAP which enables U.S. fans to purchase DRM-free, higher-quality MP3s by EMI artists through artist websites, social networking pages and fan blogs. EMI will have the ability to place SNOCAP MyStores -- digital storefronts that work on nearly any standard website -- on the web pages of hundreds of its artist sites, making EMI the first major record company to partner with SNOCAP to sell its music in a DRM-free, higher-quality format.
Beginning this week, music from a broad range of EMI Music artists will be available for purchase via SNOCAP MyStores. Downloads will be DRM-free MP3s, encoded at 320 kilobits per second, more than twice the audio quality of standard files. Artists whose tracks will be available via SNOCAP MyStores at launch include 30 Seconds to Mars, The Almost, Ryland Angel, The Bird and The Bee, KORN, Joe Lovano, Dean Martin, MIMs, Relient K, Saosin, TobyMac and Yellowcard, with additional EMI artists rolling out SNOCAP MyStores in coming weeks. EMI's Blue Note Records label has also placed a SNOCAP MyStore on its main website making tracks available from both catalog and current artists -- everyone from Freddie Hubbard to Sonny Clark -- as well as the single from the upcoming Suzanne Vega album.
The SNOCAP MyStore is an easy-to-use Web-based interface and digital storefront which enables labels and artists to place a retail point of sale almost anywhere on the web. EMI's agreement with SNOCAP means fans will be able to download higher-quality DRM-free tracks without leaving the artist's website or social networking page. SNOCAP is making tracks available for $1.30, and albums will be made available via SNOCAP MyStores later this year. Using SNOCAP MyStores' "Spread the word" feature, fans, music bloggers and other third party sites will also have the ability to place SNOCAP MyStores from their favorite artists on their own websites.
"SNOCAP's MyStore technology is an exciting new proposition and another step forward for consumers, artists and the digital music market overall," said Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group. "Giving consumers the capability of buying music directly from their favorite artists' websites and social networking areas is a great way to connect artists directly with fans. We're delighted that our DRM-free, higher-quality offering will be available this way, so that fans can play the music they buy on a range of devices."
"EMI is breaking important new ground in making music accessible without DRM restrictions to everyone and we are thrilled to be a part of this exciting launch," said Rusty Rueff, SNOCAP CEO. "EMI is the first major label to use the SNOCAP MyStores to make such a great range of digital music totally open and available so music lovers will now have the freedom to play and listen to what they purchase from a SNOCAP MyStore on every device, from iPods to music-enabled phones."
SNOCAP, the premier music technology company for direct artist-to-fan online distribution, offers a one-stop registration to allow musicians, labels and distributors to clear and manage their licensing rights across multiple retail destinations. Using sophisticated music fingerprinting technology to identify and catalog the music, SNOCAP's registry authenticates against over five million tracks.
