Hi Resolution music licensing arrangements?

[Rayooo]

More and more I notice an increasing amount of high rez downloads on Linn Records that are not available for download here, or I guess North America.

In more and more cases, a given recording is only available as a high resolution download in Europe.


Most recently and the case that's got me unhappy is the latest Mark Knopfler release, Privateering.
This recording is available for purchase/download on Linn, but not for me here in the US via Linn

HD Tracks have a couple Mark Knopfler high-rez recordings, but, no Priviateering. (response from HD tracks is not helpful being only "hopefully sometime we'll have it")

I've got the CD of course.

I suspect typical licensing/record company politics, etc. involved. i.e. are the distributors of Privateering worried about High Rez downloads affecting CD sales on Amazon or some such gibberish?

I was hoping to at least understand more about how this situation works, or IMHO doesn't work. :S

 

[Mike]

I agree. But unless someone like an Apple catches on to high res files, don't expect licensing agreements to be fast and furious. I was at least somewhat encouraged to see Neil Young promoting a high res music player (ipod type device) the other night on Letterman.



If iTunes all of a sudden started selling high res downloads, things would take off - fast. But right now, it remains fairly niche. There was talk of Apple providing high res files (they were going to be called "Mastered for iTunes") if I recall, but I don't think the project has taken off. Late last year, Apple started asking for hi res files: Apple asks for hi-res music files for iTunes | whathifi.com

The so called "market" appears to be fixated on streaming/cloud based music services right now. I use Spotify (hi res), but it is no where near the quality of hi res (24/96, 24/192) and quite frankly, for what its worth, 24/192 is not as good as DSD. I have these pure DSD recordings that are off the charts good. They are three dimensional in sound and are amazing. So life like, its scary.

Mike