NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - May 21, 2009) - eMusic, the internet's corner music store and the first retailer to sell digital audiobooks in the MP3 format, today announced that its audiobook catalogue has surpassed 7,000 titles.

Audiobook fans can now purchase DRM-free versions of Alexander McCall Smith books, including "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," William P. Young's "The Shack," Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" and "No Country for Old Men," Salman Rushdie's "Shalimar the Clown," and Charlaine Harris' "Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire" series upon which HBO's "True Blood" is based. Other authors new to eMusic audiobooks include Arianna Huffington, Haven Kimmel, David Denby, Yann Martel, and Joyce Carol Oates.

The expanded catalogue is a result of new agreements to sell DRM-free audiobooks from Recorded Books, the world's largest independent publisher and distributor of unabridged audio books, and Minnesota-based HighBridge Audio. Other publishers recently added to the eMusic roster include personal development book publishers Sounds True and Gildan Media; Christian audiobooks publisher Oasis Audio, and award-winning, PublicAffairs, a member of the Perseus Books Group.

Since the launch of eMusic audiobooks, subscribers have downloaded more than a quarter million audiobooks. In addition, over a 12-month time span, 89.3% of the catalogue has been downloaded, illustrating both the power of the long tail as it pertains to books, and the viability of the medium for publishers.

"As more publishers choose to sell their audiobooks DRM-free, they validate what we've proven since eMusic launched in 1998 -- customers want to be able to own their recorded content in the format of their choice and play it on the device of their choice," said Rob Wetstone, eMusic VP of Content. "These new catalogues are excellent additions to eMusic's audiobook service and we remain committed to expanding the market for DRM-free audiobooks."

About eMusic Audiobooks

eMusic offers thousands of audiobooks from all the significant audiobook publishers including Random House, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Macmillan, Hachette, HarperCollins, Blackstone Audio, among others. eMusic audiobooks are encoded in high-quality 64 Kbps bit rate -- twice the audio quality available from iTunes and Audible. As with its music service, eMusic offers audiobooks at a great value. Customers can sign up for monthly subscriptions priced at $9.99 for one book or $19.99 for two books -- and get one bonus book as part of an introductory offer. eMusic audiobooks subscription plans represent a considerable discount from the cost of physical audiobooks, which typically retail for $20 - $40, and are far more convenient, as physical products often include at least four and sometimes more than 20 CDs.

About eMusic

eMusic is the internet's corner music store. It offers a deeper, more personal alternative to mass market digital music retailers by combining the best of ecommerce, community and editorial content to create a more immersive and authentic music experience. State-of-the-art recommendations, award-winning editorial and social media features provide the most musical context for an enthusiastic community of music fans, renowned experts, record labels, artists and employees. Customers are encouraged to explore music downloads with subscription pricing that rewards discovery at a better value than any legal competitor. eMusic also sells downloadable audiobooks from all major audiobook publishers. Based in New York with an office in London, eMusic is available in the U.S., Canada and 26 E.U. nations. eMusic.com Inc. is wholly owned by Dimensional Associates, Inc., the private equity arm of JDS Capital Management, Inc.

NOTE: eMusic and the eMusic logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of eMusic.com Inc. in the USA or other countries. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.