7digital releases Radiohead album as 24-bit FLAC download

Radiohead's latest album, The King of Limbs, is released today by 7digital as a high-resolution 24-bit FLAC file.

The album will be available from 7digital online stores across 32 territories including the UK, US, Canada and numerous European countries.

The deluxe download (£8.99) will also include a 16-bit FLAC and 320kbps AAC version for music devices that do not support the FLAC format, such as Apple's iPods, iPhones and iPads.

Ben Drury, CEO of 7digital, says: "We're pioneering the move towards higher quality audio formats that offer higher quality music than the CD equivalents.

"The Radiohead album, produced by Nigel Godrich, was recorded in 24-bit digital audio and it's great listeners will now be able to download and hear the album in the quality it deserves."

7digital says it will release more hi-res FLAC downloads in future.

Last month Radiohead released its eighth studio album as a download on its own website as a 320kbps MP3 file (£6) or as an uncompressed WAV file for £9.

Radiohead is also releasing the record as a 'Newspaper Album' which comprises two 10in vinyl records, a CD, a digital download and "many large sheets of newspaper artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradable plastic to hold it all together". It's out on May 9th.

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Andy Clough

Andy is Global Brand Director of What Hi-Fi? and has been a technology journalist for 30 years. During that time he has covered everything from VHS and Betamax, MiniDisc and DCC to CDi, Laserdisc and 3D TV, and any number of other formats that have come and gone. He loves nothing better than a good old format war. Andy edited several hi-fi and home cinema magazines before relaunching whathifi.com in 2008 and helping turn it into the global success it is today. When not listening to music or watching TV, he spends far too much of his time reading about cars he can't afford to buy.