The Bottom Line
The eMusic Toolbar is a Firefox add-on which allows you to easily search and navigate through eMusic.com and their extensive song library. eMusic is a web site dedicated to artists that are signed to independent record labels, providing artist information and music downloads.
Pros
- You can navigate eMusic's large collection of songs from independent artists directly from Firefox.
- Browsing the music library is broken out by over a dozen different genres.
- The daily free download occasionally offers some suprisingly nice musical gems.
- The message boards for each genre are fairly active.
- For eMusic members, the toolbar's account management features are very convenient and easy to use.
Cons
- By default, the toolbar takes up a lot of space (although some buttons can be removed).
- Long album names get cut off in the "Today's FREE Download" window.
- The toolbar is not very practical if you are not a member of eMusic.
Description
- eMusic Toolbar allows you to search eMusic's database of over 2 million tracks for more than 13,000 indy record labels.
- You can browse specific genres such as blues, classical, rock/pop, and more directly from the toolbar.
- The search feature can be broken down into categories such as artists, albums, tracks, labels, classical sections, and more.
- Every day, access to a free song download is provided through the toolbar's main menu bar.
- Links to every genre within the eMusic message boards are included.
- eMusic members can easily manage their profile, song collection, friends list, and more account features.
- Menu buttons show what songs are new as well as which songs are generating the most interest on the eMusic charts.
- Also included in the toolbar is a button which links to eMusic Live, a collection of mp3s of live music shows.
Guide Review - eMusic Toolbar
eMusic Toolbar provides the means to unearth some great indy music, which isn't always easy to do without having to sift through a lot of junk. The add-on serves as a great tool to lead you in the right direction within the large eMusic compendium, and the message boards and overall community as a whole help narrow things down even further. If you are a music fan who is looking for a break from the mainstream scene and you love uncovering buried harmonial treasure, the eMusic toolbar along with a membership may be right for you. With that said, if you are not a member of eMusic and do not plan on becoming one then this toolbar can get old in a hurry. There is the daily free download and a free trial offer is always available so it will not cost you anything to install this add-on and give eMusic an exploratory run. Although the layout could stand to be less obtrusive, for the most part the toolbar does what it claims to do.
