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This is cool news: ECM Records has partnered with HDTracks.  It seems to be a partnership that makes sense – ECM’s particular production values (reconstituted echo, Nordic precision and ice-clear mixes) kinda get lost in low bitrate mp3 format. Hi-res digital is definitely a good move for ECM.

Currently the ECM selection in the HDTracks store is relatively limited, mainly focusing on a few of the grandes classiques from the back catalogue: the usual Keith Jarrett albums, Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Fall, Chick Corea’s Return to Forever and some of Jan Garbarek’s stuff.  Hopefully we’ll see a lot more of the catalogue available  soon. Some older ECM titles (like Steve Reich’s work) are a bitch to get hold of these days, either on vinyl or CD. An easy download option for these hard-to-find albums would rock.

HDTracks offer offers music both as AIFF and FLAC lossless files, as well as 320kbps mp3 files.  However I’m not sure how long this distinctiveness is going to last. Storage and bandwidth keeps getting cheaper and larger, so I’m guessing that more digital download stores are going to be offering lossless and much higher bitrates.  Just this week Apple announced it was starting to dropp DRM from iTunes and moving to higher bitrates…

Meanwhile, the 45 rpm vinyl disc is still going strong. Please somebody tell me, why do I still have 400 CDs sitting in boxes?