Legal music downloaders who have been enjoying the broad range of tunes on offer at eMusic are about to be charged more for the service. The company’s basic package, which offers 30 songs for $9.99 per month, is set to rise to 40 songs for $11.99 per month.

The indie-rock oriented service will introduce the changes on July 17, giving users a chance to consider whether they really need to fork out the extra $$$ for a bunch of rare Will Oldham tracks. eMusic chief executive David Packman believes they will, particularly as the company has vastly expanded both its catalog and its editorial focus.

“It's our mission to get more and more people buying more and more music,” says Packman. “We still now provide a really nice incentive to get them to pay more per month." eMusic continues to offer substantial free downloads as an impetus to join the site. [Digital Music News]