eMusic made its name with a subscription-based music downloads service focused on independent labels, before adding major labels in 2010 – a controversial move at the time.
Eight years on, the company is planning an even-bigger shift: launching a new music-distribution and royalty-management system that will use blockchain technology.
This month, eMusic is launching a public pre-sale for the eMusic Utility (EMU) token which will be used on this new platform, with the company hoping to raise $70m from selling the tokens, and claiming that the new system will improve payments to artists and bring greater transparency to digital royalties.