This is quite a coup for 7digital. The UK company’s music download store has bagged Radiohead’s new album “The King of Limbs” as a world-wide digital exclusive, meaning that it’s the only place online to purchase said album as a download. What’s more, 7digital is offering up an extremely high quality 24bit FLAC version of the recording – audiophiles rejoice – a first for a major recording artist, says the company.
The album should be available from 7digital stores across 32 territories, including the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, and Austria. While the “deluxe digital version” will also include a 16-bit FLAC and AAC 320kbps version of the album, allowing for playback on music devices that do not support the FLAC format, such as Apple’s iPod.
As for the 24bit standard, it’s supported by devices such as Sony’s Playstation Portable, Samsung Galaxy S, SanDisk media players, BlackBerry smartphones and Logitech Squeezebox models.
FLAC and 24bit is the way forward, says 7digital CEO Ben Drury. The company plans on offering more music in the higher quality format, likening it to the move to High Definition video in the world of film and television.