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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Comments
well, unfortunately it seems that 7digital had the exclusivity on the 24bit release, so I'm afraid that fans won't see the 24bit version on the radiohead website for a while. I certainly won't open a 7digital account just for one album. Also 7digital's CEO should know that he is not pioneering anything, high resolution downloads were available long before 7digital dare to think about it at websites such as HDtracks, Qobuz, bandcamp, Chandos, Linn, Naim, Society of Sounds and many others. Now if 7digital has the exclusivity, it is scandalous. That no other websites could get the 24bit version looks like fans are forced to register to 7digital...does that comply with european regulations?
Thanks Radiohead! - so are you going to allow all the fans that have paid for the wav 16bit downloads to upgrade to 24bit downloads?
Hopefully they'll update their Advanced search options to include FLAC as well, rather than just mp3, AAC and Windows Media.