When you purchase music from iTunes or many other digital music stores, you receive a highly-compressed mp3 file that’s a lower quality recording than you would get from a CD. HDtracks is a new site that sells only CD quality digital downloads, all of which are DRM-free (so they can be played on any machine) and come with a PDF file of the full liner notes and cover art.
The albums available on HDtracks are all from independent labels, so you will not find many big names here, though Norah Jones, Nina Simone, Joan Baez, Tony Bennett, and Shania Twain are among those artists offered on the site. When you purchase music at HDtracks.com, you can choose from three file formats: AIFF, FLAC, or 320 kbps mp3. Because HDtracks are of better quality than iTunes, downloads are more expensive: complete albums cost $11.98, and individual songs go for $1.49. Both Mac and PC users can access this site, though it is currently available only in the U.S.
HDtracks.com In Their Own Words
We are an online music store offering high-definition digital music downloads from the world’s leading independent labels. We offer thousands of titles across a multitude of musical genres as well as in-depth information about the artists and albums.
Why HDtracks.com It Might Be A Killer
Since most digital-music stores only offer heavily compressed mp3 files, more refined audiophiles will appreciate the CD quality of HDtracks downloads. Since all HDtracks purchases are DRM-free, customers can play their downloads on an unlimited number of machines. A lot of digital music stores also don’t offer full cover art and liner notes with your download, so that is a nice bonus that comes with all HDtracks album purchases.
Some Questions About HDtracks.com
Will this site’s success be limited by the fact that it does not include artists from any major labels? Will some potential customers be discouraged by the higher price and larger size of HDtracks downloads? 
