If you needed any additional evidence that music licensing remains 1) byzantine and 2) frustrating, even to the players most involved with it, consider what happened last week to eMusic after it posted early work from the Rolling Stones.

eMusic, the number two download service with more than 400,000 paying subscribers, scored a major coup last month by acquiring the Rolling Stones' complete catalog of music from 1964 through 1970. That early, fertile period included albums like Beggar's Banquet and Let It Bleed and hits like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Sympathy for the Devil," and "Gimme Shelter." The material was licensed through label ABKCO and distributed through Universal Music Group Distribution.

As befits such an important "get" for the site, the eMusic folks "pursued every level of due diligence possible" before posting the music, trying to make 100 percent sure that all the rights were in place. After staff "triple- and quadruple-checked" the clearances, eMusic posted the albums along with commentary from its in-house music writers. Not surprisingly, the material soared to the top of the download charts, and fans were thrilled to have an indie-oriented site like eMusic offering the Stones.



Paint It, Black

Within weeks after it went up, the catalog was back down. A Hypebot reader noticed the news, which appeared as an eMusic forum post. "Due to events outside of our control, we are being forced to remove the entire ABKCO catalogue from eMusic," said the note, which went on to rail against the industry's "arcane details" and the "maddening situation" surrounding the rights.

Looking for more clarity, I checked into the situation. All ABKCO would say is that eMusic "executed an excellent promotional campaign" but that the label "has decided that at this point in time we wish to further evaluate this area of the digital marketplace."

eMusic, for its part, expressed frustration. "Unfortunately, during this time of transition in the music industry, customers are often caught in the middle as traditional music companies determine how to adjust to new opportunities in the marketplace," it said in a statement.

The odd part is that ABKCO had apparently adjusted to those realities already by offering its albums on eMusic for around 25¢ a track. While this price is great for consumers, it's not always so great for labels and established artists used to commanding much higher premiums. If money (and concerns about creating new consumer expectations surrounding cheap music by big-name bands) isn't at the root of the current flap, then call me a brown-sugar loving street fighting man married to a parachute woman who sings the stray cat blues.