The 5.1 channel digital platform is a standard for audio surround sound. The rich sound benefits of 5.1 channel digital surround sound are derived from recording audio on five separate tracks: front left, front right, center, rear left, and rear right, with one extra track (the ".1") for very low bass sounds. This three-dimensional sound quality imitates the real world experience of human hearing, and has become extremely popular for U.S. home audio systems.

"There are an estimated 35 million 5.1 music systems in U.S. homes," said Scott Bahneman, CEO, MusicGiants. "We believe that combining the highest sound quality music available over the Internet with the exceptional listening experience of 5.1 will provide a significant market opportunity."

MusicGiants is the first commercial download service offering high-fidelity music files, including the complete digital music libraries of the major music labels, in the Windows Media Audio Lossless format. This format provides the sound quality of the original digital recording, demonstrably superior in playback quality to compressed music from existing download services. Ordinary download services provide music at data rates of 128 to 192 kbps (kilobytes per second), while MusicGiants' Windows Media Audio Lossless downloads reproduce music at up to 1100 kbps, delivering the true sound quality of the original CD. In addition, MusicGiants uses Windows Media Digital Rights Management (Windows Media DRM) to deliver content. Windows Media DRM is the leading solution for securing digital media, and is supported on the widest range of consumer electronics devices.

MusicGiants intends to make 5.1 tracks available as downloads or preloaded as collections on hard disks. The company will provide additional details, including availability and pricing, when it launches its 5.1 service later this year. The format of the MusicGiants files is comparable to the original DVD-Audio formats, at either 88.2kHZ or 96kHZ sampling rate at 24 bits.

About MusicGiants

MusicGiants is the only High Fidelity Music Download service delivering content from all of the major labels. With up to seven times the sound quality of any other service, MusicGiants is the perfect companion for home audio systems. For more information on MusicGiants visit www.musicgiants.com.

The names of companies mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement, "Our next challenge is to broaden our content offerings, so that customers can enjoy watching more videos on their computers and new iPods."

Currently, the selection of television shows is limited, but that's likely to change soon. ABC is negotiating to expand its offerings beyond Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Night Stalker. Other networks may show interest, too, now that Apple can show viewers are willing to pay for downloadable programming.

The iTMS is available for Mac and Windows personal computers and works exclusively with Apple's line of iPod digital media devices. iTMS now operates in 21 countries. In the U.S., the service features more than two million songs, and more than 11,000 audiobooks.

Nokia announced CoolZone, their localized content delivery service for retailers today and bFree will take advantage of the same technology. Basically, it would allow your neighborhood coffee shop to install a service point in their store. Once it is in place, customers could come into the shop and download songs while slurping down a latte.

A trial will initially be run in three coffee shops and three record stores in Helsinki. The downloads will be free during the trial, but a cost will obviously be associated if the business is rolled out to customers on a wider scale.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 31, 2005-- Sprint (NYSE:S - News) customers will be the first wireless customers in the U.S. to download full songs over-the-air. Today Sprint announced the opening of the Sprint Music Store(SM) powered by Groove Mobile, the first music store in the U.S. that lets wireless customers browse, preview, download, play and manage high-quality digital music, right from their phone. Sprint customers can now take their music with them on the go and have instant access to purchase and download music when they want to, not just when they are in front of a PC.

"Sprint is first carrier in the United States to deliver what customers want most in a wireless music store - the instant gratification of downloading and owning their own personal collection of high-quality songs on a device that is always with them," said Len Lauer, chief operating officer for Sprint Nextel. "Sprint is delivering on-the-go entertainment through a music storefront that is customer-friendly and easy-to-use. With a single click, customers can access the Sprint Music Store and more than 250,000 songs from all four major music labels. And because their phone is always with them, now so is the music they want."

The Sprint Music Store operates on the high-speed Sprint Power Vision(SM) Network and is now available on two new multimedia phones, including the Sprint Power Vision Phone MM-9000 by SANYO and the Sprint Power Vision Phone MM-A940 by Samsung, also announced today. When on the Sprint Power Vision Network, customers can download a full-length song in as little as 30 seconds.

The Sprint Music Store includes both a Store and Player. The Store allows customers to browse, preview and buy digital music. The Player allows customers to view their music by genre and by artist, as well as play and manage their music using playlists. It also allows customers to bring music from their PC over to their phone. Sprint Power Vision phones come packaged with a high-quality stereo headset that enables customers to enjoy music privately. Or, if they prefer, they can play their music with the phone closed without the stereo headset.

Sprint Power Vision phones come packaged with a removable memory card that is inserted in the phone to buy, download and play full songs from the Sprint Music Store. Using an optional 1GB removable memory card, customers have the ability to store up to 1000 songs purchased from the Sprint Music Store, or approximately 330 MP3s from their personal collection.

"We expect that Sprint will introduce many customers to their first experience with downloading digital music on a Sprint Power Vision Phone, similar to how many customers first used a digital camera via their Sprint Phone just a few years ago!" said Lauer.

Although customers do not need a data plan to purchase music using the Sprint Music Store, Sprint recommends one of several Sprint Power Vision Packs, priced at $15, $20 and $25 - all of which include a streaming radio channel from SIRIUS, streaming live news from ABC News Now, and unlimited Web and data access. For more information on pricing plans, phones, features and services, please refer to the Sprint Power Vision press kit at www.sprint.com/mr.

The Sprint Power Vision Network is currently available to approximately 130 million people nationwide and is expected to reach over 150 million people by early 2006. For complete Sprint Power Vision Network coverage maps, please visit the Sprint web site at http://www.sprint.com/business/products/products/evdoEnterZip.jsp.

The new rates will be $9.99 per month with a one-year subscription and $11.99 month-to-month. However, these new rates only apply to the subscription service for downloading songs to mobile devices; users who only want access to play songs on their computers will still pay the lower prices. Yahoo! also says that it will honor one-year subscriptions made before November 1st at the lower rate.

The company gave no indication why it was increasing its rates, but the move is not a surprise to analysts. Many were saying that Yahoo!'s prices would not be able to stay so low without cutting steeply into the company's profits.

Source: geek.com

For the “do-it-yourself” guys out there, Hi-Fi Music Downloads came across a computer speaker system that should sound great and be a fun project to build on your own. Hi Fidelity Engineering Co. or Decware in Pioria has plans available for a planar speaker. These speakers look interesting, have great specs, and should be easy to build. You can learn more about these speakers at the Decware site. Have some fun with making your personal computer a hi-fi machine.

“For the first time ever, hit primetime shows can be purchased online the day after they air on TV,” said Robert Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company. “We’re delighted to be working with Apple to offer fans a new and innovative way to experience our wildly popular shows like ‘Desperate Housewives’ ‘Lost’ and ‘That’s So Raven’.”

“Apple is giving music fans a great way to own their favorite music videos,” said Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M. “The people at Apple fully understand the interaction between musicians and their audience.”

Featured exclusive music videos are available from artists such as Beastie Boys and U2 along with more than two dozen classic music videos from Madonna. Music videos are available from hundreds of artists, including classic hits by Michael Jackson and Sting and current hits from Coldplay and Kanye West. The first ever video iTunes Originals is being released with an exclusive performance and interview from Death Cab for Cutie as well as an exclusive video album from Brazilian Girls. Music fans can also purchase the Complete Stevie Wonder digital box set, which contains over 500 songs, a full color digital booklet and three bonus videos, available only on the iTunes Music Store. Movie shorts available from Pixar include “Boundin’,” “For the Birds,” “Geri's Game,” “Luxo Jr.,” “Red's Dream,” and “Tin Toy.”

New features in iTunes 6 include expanded online gift options which now allow customers to give specific songs, albums, music videos or their own iTunes playlists to anyone with an email address, a public beta of new “Just for You” personalized music recommendations and the debut of online customer reviews. Now more than 10 million iTunes music fans can read other customers’ reviews, post their own and rate their usefulness.

With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as integrated Podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod and groundbreaking personal use rights, the iTunes Music Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music online. The iTunes Music Store features more than two million songs from the major music companies and over 1,000 independent record labels, 10,000 audiobooks, gift certificates and exclusive music not found anywhere else online.

Pricing & Availability
iTunes 6 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Music Store and is available as a free download immediately from www.apple.com/itunes. Purchase and download of songs from the iTunes Music Store for Mac or Windows requires a valid credit card with a billing address in the country of purchase. Television shows are available in the US only, and video availability varies by country. Music videos and short films are $1.99 (US) each, and television shows are $1.99 (US) per episode.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store.

Will Stapley, Computeract!ve

Downloading music from the internet is a topic fraught with misconceptions. With all the stories about file sharing and illegal music downloads doing the rounds, you would be forgiven for thinking it is best to steer clear of the subject altogether.

While services such as Napster, MSN Music and iTunes offer a wide range of pop music, they also cater for a variety of different tastes. If you are more into folk or jazz than indie or hip-hop, that's not a problem. Follow our guide to cheap and free online music, and you will soon discover there are plenty of ways to build up your music library without breaking the bank.

Beating the boys in blue
Go back a few years and the only music available to download was the type that could get you in hot water with record companies. File-sharing services, many of which still operate today, were being used to illegally download and share copyrighted tracks.

With music sales seemingly falling, record companies saw their profit margins decreasing and, as a result, set about trying to put a stop to the illegal online music trade.

The fact is, if you use file-sharing services such as Kazaa or Filetopia to download commercial tracks, and perhaps even share what music you already have, you are more than likely breaking copyright law.

With cases now being brought against file-sharers in the UK, it is a practice we would not recommend. That said, the important thing to remember is that this does not mean you should avoid downloading music from the internet altogether.

When the record industry began to realise the potential of distributing music online, legitimate download sites started to appear, allowing users to legally download and purchase music for about 99p per track. Today, there are more online music stores than ever. Better still, there are numerous ways to legitimately download free music.

There are a variety of reasons why some artists decide not to charge for the music they have composed. Some of the more established artists simply want to give their fans something for nothing. In 2004, George Michael announced that Patience was to be his last commercial album and that, in future, he would release all his new music free on his website.

However, the most common reason for artists distributing free music is that the artist in question is simply trying to get noticed. Without the backing of a record label, it can be extremely hard for a new band or solo artist to gain exposure. More and more budding musicians are now turning to websites that allow them to upload their tracks either for a small fee or totally free of charge.

Visitors to these websites can then download the tracks at no cost with the full consent of the artist. If their music proves to be popular, it won't be long before a canny record label signs them up.

Turn up the volume
In terms of commercial music sites, there is no shortage of options. One of the most popular is Napster. At the start of the MP3 revolution, Napster was best known for being used as an illegal file-sharing utility but, after it relaunched last year, it is now one of the biggest legitimate music download services.

With a basic subscription costing £10 per month, you can download any of the tracks in Napster's library; this currently sits at more than one million songs. Instead of MP3s, all music is distributed in the WMA file format.

Unlike MP3s, WMA files can include licence information - also known as digital rights management (DRM). With a basic Napster subscription, the tracks you download will come with a licence that allows you to listen to them only on the PC they have been downloaded to. Try copying the files to another PC or portable music player and you will find they won't play.

By paying a fee (currently set at 79p per track), you can obtain a different type of licence that lets you copy the music to other devices and, more importantly, continue listening to your tracks if you decide to cancel your Napster subscription.

It is basically the same as going out to the shops and buying a single on a CD. Should you cancel your subscription without purchasing the music you have downloaded, your tracks will be unplayable until you resume the subscription.

Other popular commercial music websites include iTunes, MyCokeMusic and Virgin Music.

Sounds free to me
However, if it is free music you are after, you will be pleased to hear there is plenty available. One such site that helps new artists gain recognition and, more importantly for you, offers free music downloads is Vitaminic.

Whatever your taste in music, the huge store of music on Vitaminic means there is bound to be something of interest. You will find everything from reggae to contemporary classical music.

Although the majority of tracks are free to download or stream, there are some that have to be paid for. Featuring music from around the world and its own download chart, Vitaminic is well worth a look if you want to increase your music library at little or no cost.

Soundclick is a similar site to Vitaminic and offers music from bands both with and without a record label. If tracks are not available as a free MP3 download, you will be able to listen to a near-CD quality audio stream. As is usual with streaming high-quality music, this service is dependant on a broadband internet connection.

The popular shareware library Download.com is a well-used resource for those trying to hunt down free utilities, but it now also offers a good range of music that is freely available to download. If you want to see what is on offer, head to the Download.com homepage and click on the Music tab.

Among other genres, there is hip-hop, country and easy listening music. Each track is free and can be downloaded without having to register. Before downloading a track, you can preview it or, with a broadband internet connection, play the whole track at full quality.

If you fancy sampling music from around the world, there is also an option to search for music by continent and even right down to the nationality of the artist.

Big boys tuning in
Better known for its commercial chart CD sales, Amazon's US site is also home to a selection of free music. You will need an Amazon account to be able to download the free music, but there is no sign-on fee.

The selection on offer is not as varied as on the other sites mentioned here, although it is still worth checking out. If you like the music, a boxed CD copy can be ordered direct from Amazon.

The BBC has recently been active in terms of online and downloadable music and you can now listen to previously-aired BBC Radio broadcasts as live streams. Bear in mind that it is only possible to stream these radio shows, rather then actually download them to a PC.

As well as having popular radio shows available online, the BBC also recently ran a section on its site titled The Beethoven Experience. For a limited time, it offered free MP3 downloads of classic Beethoven symphonies performed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

Due to licence restrictions, each symphony was only available for seven days, but if you are interested in classical music it is a good idea to keep an eye on BBC Radio 3 for similar events in future.

If the sites we have mentioned do not cover the sort of music you are after, do not despair. There are plenty of alternative free music sites available. They may not have as big a selection of tracks, and the quality of the music will vary (both in terms of actual recording quality and talent), but it is still well worth checking them out.

Efolkmusic is one such site and, as you would suspect, given its name, devoted solely to folk tunes. Based in the US, it offers links to other folk music-related sites as well as making tracks available for download from a number of different artists. It is not a free service, but tracks are available for as little as 79 cents (about 43p) and you also have the ability to preview songs before downloading.

Alternatively, if jazz and blues is more your scene, Peoplesound houses a decent selection of suitable music, as well as tracks from other genres. Along with Latin, big band and acid jazz, Peoplesound houses a good selection of gospel, country and traditional blues.

Free music trials
If you're thinking of signing up to a commercial music download store to take advantage of a free trial period, make sure you understand exactly what the trial is offering. One of the most popular sites, Napster, currently offers a seven-day free trial of its services.

This allows full access to Napster's entire music database and you can download as many tracks as you like during the trial period.

While this might sound like a good deal - and, indeed, it is a great way to try out the service - it is important to realise that you are not actually purchasing the music that is downloaded, you are simply acquiring a conditional licence to play it on a PC.

When the trial period finishes, the licences for all downloaded music will expire and the downloaded tracks will be rendered unplayable. To carry on listening, you will need to start a Napster subscription or buy licences for the individual tracks through Napster.

Napster also recently launched its Napster to Go service. This provides an extended licence that allows you to transfer music that has been downloaded but not paid for to a Napster to Go-approved portable audio player.

A free three-month trial for the Napster to Go service is currently on offer when you buy selected portable audio players (see www.napster.co.uk for more details).

Stay on track
It is easy to boost your music collection either for a small fee or, in many cases, free of charge. Even if your tastes differ from the popular music found in the charts, there is still plenty of music available to choose from. As long as you stick to recognised free download sites, such as the ones we have covered, you won't fall foul of the law.

By using these services, you will be able to find a variety of tracks in next to no time. With most sites constantly being updated with new music, there is no shortage of tracks to download.

If you are happy to spend a little money, you will find downloading music from sites such as Napster and iTunes far more economical than buying albums on the high street. Not only can they be accessed within just a few minutes, but you will be able to create compilation albums that contain precisely the music you like.

In short, whatever music you enjoy, there is a wealth of tracks to suit any tastes on the sites we have covered here.

Back in the 60’s, our toys were Tonka trucks, lunchbox-sized record players and Barbie. Our parents had large pieces of furniture called HiFi’s and collections of vinyl records. Album play is limited, though and CD technology has improved music production for continual play. Even so, we did learn from these what real music sounded like. Finally there is an opportunity from which we will, just as our parents did, educate our children about real music and true sound.

According to Forrester Research the digital music market will grow from $700 million to $4.6 billion by 2008. While investors and young music consumers are still cooing over their iPods, they are missing out on something even better - high definition music and a service that can deliver it. If you are listening to compressed music using iPod earbuds you may notice some difference from a store bought CD, but once you play that same music on a good home stereo system, the difference is huge.

If you do the math, it is simple. The majority of compressed music offered by on-line services is downloaded from 128kbps to 192kbps. While all of these services claim their music is CD quality, it’s not. Anyone can hear the difference.

Well funded start-up, MusicGiants, has spent the past two plus years developing software, hardware and signing licensing deals with all of the major music labels to deliver high definition music in Microsoft Windows Media Lossless (WMA) format. Music originally recorded on high resolution masters is delivered over the Internet from 470kbps to 1100kbps to your PC, running XP, and is directly connected to your stereo. That same music can be downloaded directly to a MusicGiants media player called SoundVault and the SoundVault directly connected to your stereo. Media servers are in development by other manufacturers. MusicGiants’ SoundVault comes with a 380-gigabyte hard drive, its software, a state-of-the-art sound card and additional features. With the SoundVault connected in your stack, you can use your big screen TV to manage your music collection. A wireless keyboard or Crestron panel really enhances the experience.

Companies like HP are building PCs dedicated to home entertainment. The price of storage is very affordable and high-quality sound cards for the PC provide interesting ways to acquire and listen to music. On the portable front, Creative Labs, Samsung and others have products that include larger hard drives and an alternative for music lovers to play and store WMA Lossless music in Microsoft’s Windows Media Player.

The discerning listener, who cares deeply about music and its reproduction, can easily hear a massive quality difference. Just download a track in WMA Lossless from MusicGiants, then download the same track from any other download service at 128kbps, copy the tracks to a CD and play the CD on your home system. You will hear the difference loud and clear.

It has taken several years for HDTV to take off. Now that satellite and cable services are providing consumers with HD content, we are seeing the adoption of HDTV. MusicGiants may be a contributor to digital music’s evolution to an all digital future in which CD racks are no longer needed and where the highest resolution music formats are offered. While only time will tell, you can decide whether you want to try the elegant software developed by MusicGiants that allows you to really enjoy and add to your collection with many unique features. MusicGiants’ software allows you to see what you own in high fidelity and low fidelity and to add music track by track, or buy a complete collection in high definition.

If you agree that a Ferrari requires high-octane fuel and that your home system needs high definition music, then you may also agree that your toys too have evolved again. You may also find your children listening to your music.

From HomeToys

IFPI has estimated the retail value of the digital music market in order to be consistent with its reporting of physical sales, and to allow year-on-year comparisons. On that basis, digital music sales in the period amounted to approximately $US 790 million, up from $US 220 million in the first half of 20041. This is the equivalent of 6% of total record industry sales.

The surge in digital music sales is being driven by the growing uptake of broadband, increasing penetration of 3G mobile phones and portable music players, and a series of successful launches of new music services in different countries over the past year. The digital music market has now overtaken the value of the global singles market.

The figures show online and mobile sales making a significant impact on the world music market for the first time.

The digital music business is so far being driven largely by the world s top five markets US, Japan, UK, Germany and France but is expected to spread rapidly and will benefit many other markets in the coming months.

IFPI Chairman and CEO John Kennedy said: "The digital music boom is continuing and it is growing at an exciting pace for the music industry, for online retailers and for consumers. More and more people in a growing number of countries are turning to the new legal ways of downloading music on the internet or via mobile phones.

Meanwhile, there has been other good news in 2005: our actions to contain internet piracy, whether by education or by litigation, are working. And the legal environment is improving, with a series of recent decisions against unauthorised file-swapping services such as Kazaa helping to shift the balance in favour of the legitimate business.

There is a long way to go - digital and physical piracy remain a big threat to our business in many markets. Our industry's priorities are to further grow this emerging digital music business while stepping up our efforts to protect it from copyright theft."

Physical music sales in the first half of the year, by contrast, fell by 6.3% in retail value to $US 12.4 billion, and by 6.6% in units, compared to the same period of 2004.

Complete article at ifpi.com

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 28, 2005-- In a major development for consumers, the recording industry, musicians, and the music download business, MusicGiants today announced the launch of the MusicGiants Network, the first music download service to offer high-definition, digital recordings from top music labels EMI Music, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.

"The MusicGiants Network will give music lovers a reason to fall in love with their music all over again," said MusicGiants CEO Scott Bahneman.

MusicGiants is the first commercial download service offering high-definition music files in the Windows Media Audio Lossless format, which provides the sound quality of the original digital recording, demonstrably superior in playback quality to compressed music from existing download services. Ordinary download services provide music at data rates of 128 to 192 kbps (kilobytes per second), while MusicGiants' Windows Media Audio Lossless downloads reproduce music at up to 1100 kbps, delivering the sound quality of the original CD. In addition, MusicGiants uses Windows Media Digital Rights Management (Windows Media DRM) to deliver content. Windows Media DRM is the leading solution for securing digital media, and is supported on the widest range of consumer electronics devices.

"Throughout my career I've had the honor to record with some of the greatest producers and engineers in the world," said Grammy award winning artist Michael Bolton. "It's very exciting and promising to know that there's finally a format such as MusicGiants that will reproduce the musical integrity of our work."

Any PC running Windows XP or device that supports Windows Media Audio Lossless and Windows Media DRM can play the downloaded files. To use MusicGiants, customers must register online, get the MusicGiants Network software via download or CD-ROM, and open an account by paying the $50 annual fee. MusicGiants will then credit the new customer's account with $50 for music purchases.

"MusicGiants is taking digital downloads to a new level of sonic quality that should please even the most discerning audiophile," said Thomas Ryan, senior vice president, Mobile and Digital Business Development at EMI Music North America.

"With its dedicated focus on delivering high-quality downloads, MusicGiants represents an important new addition to the digital music landscape," commented Thomas Hesse, president, Global Digital Business, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. "We're delighted to be working with them as they roll out this innovative new service."

"We are pleased to be joining with MusicGiants to bring this exciting new service to consumers," stated Larry Kenswil, president of Universal Music Group's eLabs. "Universal Music Group is committed to expanding the digital experience for music fans through innovative offerings like MusicGiants."

"When it comes to listening to music, quality is everything," said Dave Fester, general manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft Corp. "MusicGiants Network is taking a giant leap forward to now give consumers the best digital music listening experience possible."

MusicGiants has also introduced a professional-grade home music player, called the SoundVault, pre-loaded with Windows XP and the MusicGiants Network, and capable of storing about 10,000 songs in high-definition. MusicGiants is marketing its service and the SoundVault through high-end electronics retailers, custom audio/video installers and online.

"We sell premium music for high performance audio systems," said Bahneman.

"From Woodstock to countries all over the world, I've always loved bringing music into people's lives," said Doug Clifford from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. "You probably think I am getting paid to say this, but in fact it is the other way around. MusicGiants sounds so good I invested in the company."

"MusicGiants is raising the bar in both audio and sound management worlds," said Oscar and Grammy award winning singer and songwriter Paul Williams. "There's hope at last for the record romantic who longs for the bright sound of his vinyl past and yet demands the convenience of the download. It'll only take one listen for the consumer to realize there's a brighter sound future available."

While MusicGiants has signed agreements with major labels, it also is inking agreements with smaller companies, including independent labels.

"We're highly focused on home audio. There's a number of ways to get portable music and that market's pretty full right now. We're just going down a whole different road," Scott Bahneman, CEO of closely held MusicGiants, told Reuters.

Lossless files have up to 7 times the sound quality of music files on other commercial music services, it said.

Unlike most other download services, which provide music in Windows Media Audio files at data rates of 128 to 192 kilobits per second, downloads in the "lossless" format reproduce music at up to 1100 kbps, delivering the sound of the original CD, company officials said.

The tracks will be priced at $1.29 each, as opposed to the industry norm of 99 cents and under.

In addition to providing superior playback quality, the software provides digital copyright management, it said.

Any device running Windows XP or Windows Media Player can play the downloaded files. Customers must first register online, get the software via download or CD-ROM, and open an account by paying a $50 annual fee. Incline Village, Nevada-based MusicGiants then credits new customers $50 each for music purchases.

MusicGiants has also introduced a professional-grade home music player, called the SoundVault, pre-loaded with Windows XP and the MusicGiants Network, and capable of storing about 10,000 songs in high-quality audio.

MusicGiants is marketing its service and the SoundVault through high-end electronics retailers, custom audio/video installers and online, the company said.

NEW YORK, N.Y.; Sept. 28, 2005 -- In a major development for consumers, the recording industry, musicians, and the music download business, MusicGiants today announced the launch of the MusicGiants Network, the first music download service to offer high-definition, digital recordings from top music labels EMI Music, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.

The MusicGiants Network will give music lovers a reason to fall in love with their music all over again," said MusicGiants CEO Scott Bahneman.

MusicGiants is the first commercial download service offering high-definition music files in the Windows Media Audio Lossless format, which provides the sound quality of the original digital recording, demonstrably superior in playback quality to compressed music from existing download services. Ordinary download services provide music at data rates of 128 to 192 kbps (kilobytes per second), while MusicGiants' Windows Media Audio Lossless downloads reproduce music at up to 1100 kbps, delivering the sound quality of the original CD. In addition, MusicGiants uses Windows Media Digital Rights Management (Windows Media DRM) to deliver content. Windows Media DRM is the leading solution for securing digital media, and is supported on the widest range of consumer electronics devices.

"Throughout my career I've had the honor to record with some of the greatest producers and engineers in the world," said Grammy award winning artist Michael Bolton. "It's very exciting and promising to know that there's finally a format such as MusicGiants that will reproduce the musical integrity of our work."

Any PC running Windows XP or device that supports Windows Media Audio Lossless and Windows Media DRM can play the downloaded files. To use MusicGiants, customers must register online, get the MusicGiants Network software via download or CD-ROM, and open an account by paying the $50 annual fee. MusicGiants will then credit the new customer's account with $50 for music purchases.

"MusicGiants is taking digital downloads to a new level of sonic quality that should please even the most discerning audiophile," said Thomas Ryan, senior vice president, Mobile and Digital Business Development at EMI Music North America.

"With its dedicated focus on delivering high-quality downloads, MusicGiants represents an important new addition to the digital music landscape," commented Thomas Hesse, president, Global Digital Business, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. "We're delighted to be working with them as they roll out this innovative new service."

"We are pleased to be joining with MusicGiants to bring this exciting new service to consumers," stated Larry Kenswil, president of Universal Music Group's eLabs. "Universal Music Group is committed to expanding the digital experience for music fans through innovative offerings like MusicGiants."

"When it comes to listening to music, quality is everything," said Dave Fester, general manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft Corp. "MusicGiants Network is taking a giant leap forward to now give consumers the best digital music listening experience possible."

MusicGiants has also introduced a professional-grade home music player, called the SoundVault, pre-loaded with Windows XP and the MusicGiants Network, and capable of storing about 10,000 songs in high-definition. MusicGiants is marketing its service and the SoundVault through high-end electronics retailers, custom audio/video installers and online.

"We sell premium music for high performance audio systems," said Bahneman.

"From Woodstock to countries all over the world, I've always loved bringing music into people's lives," said Doug Clifford from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. "You probably think I am getting paid to say this, but in fact it is the other way around. MusicGiants sounds so good I invested in the company."

"MusicGiants is raising the bar in both audio and sound management worlds," said Oscar and Grammy award winning singer and songwriter Paul Williams. "There's hope at last for the record romantic who longs for the bright sound of his vinyl past and yet demands the convenience of the download. It'll only take one listen for the consumer to realize there's a brighter sound future available."

While MusicGiants has signed agreements with major labels, it also is inking agreements with smaller companies, including independent labels.