eMusic + Sony = classical boon?

Digital Audio Insider has a lot of great links — and some thorough analysis — of the recently-announced pricing changes happening over at eMusic.

When I discovered my own subscription plan would be shaved from 65 to 37 tracks a month, my initial reaction was, "Where’s the cancel button?" Of all the major labels with which eMusic could team up, Sony is relatively milquetoast. I would have been far more impressed if they snagged Warner Music Group, or even EMI. But when I think of indie music — even major label-subsidized indie music — Sony is not within the solution set.

But I use eMusic mostly for classical music. And the merger of Sony and BMG back in 2004 meant the consolidation of two of the deepest classical music catalogs. The Sony partnership will reportedly add about 200,000 tracks to the eMusic catalog. It can’t all be Kenny Chesney and Alicia Keys.

So for the time being, I’ll be sticking around eMusic to see how the classical offerings turn out. If I’m not impressed, I’m out of there. Hopefully, Lala will still be around.