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eMusic is one of the biggest Marketplaces for independent artists with over 1.5 million tracks available. The best part is the non-DRM MP3 VBR 192 kbps format they use is compatible with Zune. Files you download are yours to keep and use with whatever player you like (any mp3 software player, iPod, Zune etc.). They give you 25 free songs when you subscribe (for free)...
[...]eMusic focuses on selling music beyond the commercial mainstream in every genre, including rock, jazz, comedy, hip-hop, blues, classical, country, folk, children's music, electronic, world, reggae and more. Unlike so much of today's commercial Top 40, independent music is simply about great music. Top independent artists include familiar names such as Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Bob Marley and Creedence Clearwater Revival, established rule-breakers such as the Pixies, Lucinda Williams and Black Flag, and breaking new artists like Neko Case, the New Pornographers and Ying Yang Twins.[...]  To help consumers navigate this wide-ranging catalogue, eMusic provides award-winning editorial created by a staff of more than 120 of the best music journalists and experts in the country, led by eMusic editor-in-chief Michael Azerrad, the acclaimed music journalist and best-selling author. The web site includes the Review of the Day, regular columns in every genre and the popular eMusic Dozen, which is a brief overview of a genre, era, place or artist, followed by concise, insightful reviews of the 12 best eMusic albums fitting the topic.
Other discovery tools include the eMusic Toolbar, which offers members a free MP3 download every day, and puts Internet search and quick search of eMusic's vast music catalogue at members' fingertips. "Neighbors," "Friends" and "Playlists" features allow members to share their discoveries with each other, and eMusic provides powerful technology that analyzes members’ download histories and ratings to suggest playlists and personalized recommendations of new arrivals. Members can further customize their eMusic experience by developing their own PowerCharts™ and subscribing to genre-specific newsletters.
The question is if you should prefer eMusic or the Zune Marketplace. Zune Marketplace is for mainstream music. If you want to buy tracks of well known artists in the music industry, then its for you. eMusic is a different story. Its a treasure of independent artists you won't find anywhere else easily. Its about digging for music and learning about new bands.  eMusic works with subscriptions. The smallest is $12.99 for 40 songs per month. If you don't download 40, they don't rollover to the next month. They have larger subscription programs also. The good news is you can try eMusic for free. They give you 25 free downloads you can use in 14 days. The tracks can be used on any mp3 player (both hardware and software) or burned on CDs. You need a credit card to subscribe (verification purposes for multi-subscribers).
If you don't like it you can cancel your account before the end of these 14 days. If you don't, you automatically enter a payed subscription program for one month.There is no minimum for how long you subscribe, this can be only for this month. You can just check their free offering and see if eMusic is for you. They let you keep the 25 free mp3s after all!
Link: eMusic 
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