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The independent music site adds thousands of songs to its catalog, which can also be accessed from Yahoo's new Audio Search service.

Apple has the Rolling Stones back catalog for iTunes now. Congratulations. The eMusic subscription service just picked up a few thousand more songs from a number of independent labels.

eMusic claims it sells two million tracks of music per month, and is the world's number 2 digital download service, according to a press release. The service now has music from the Smithsonian Folkways label available. The stylings of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys appear on the label, and fans of the soundtrack to "O Brother Where Art Thou" will find that music very familiar.

Merge Records brings such indie-rock luminaries as Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk, and Spoon to eMusic. They never got the commercial play that Nirvana and Pearl Jam did years ago during the so-called "grunge" phase, but Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis (really one and the same) can unleash some incredible guitar work.

"eMusic leads by catering to avid music fans seeking music outside the commercial mainstream. Our exclusive focus on selling independent music has led to a substantially deepened catalog with the addition of these landmark labels," said David Pakman, COO of eMusic, in the statement.

No kidding. The Internet definitely has room for more than one big player in the digital music space, and if it's bringing Merle Haggard and Lead Belly along, that's all for the better.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.