New York City – HDtracks.com, the new high-resolution digital music store founded by audiophile record label Chesky Records, today announced the limited availability of a free album download that encourages all listeners to “hear the HDtracks difference.”

“The HDtracks Ultimate Download Experience,” free to visitors to www.HDtracks.com who register with only an email address, offers eight spectacular audiophile-quality recordings across different genres, all hand-picked to prove just how great music downloads can sound. Those who download The Ultimate Download Experience will also receive a promotional code for 20% off their next HDtracks purchase.

HDtracks is unique among digital music stores for its combination of CD-quality music files unencumbered by digital rights management (DRM)*, the ability to download in any of three file types to match most playback devices, and a reliable, easy-to-use interface that makes browsing and downloading a pleasure. The site features thousands of artists representing 60 of the world’s best independent record labels, and all albums are priced at $11.98 and come complete with PDF liner notes (a first among digital music sites). Tracks may be downloaded as CD-quality uncompressed AIFF files or lossless FLAC files, or MP3 files ripped at 320 kilobits-per-second (kbps) — some 2½-times the rate of typical music-store downloads. Ultra-high-resolution 96kHz/24-bit downloads are planned as well.

“Musicians and sound engineers create incredible performances and amazing, lifelike recordings, only to have people download their work at 128 kbps from the popular music stores,” said HDtracks co-founder David Chesky. “This completely destroys the nuance of the recording and often introduces audible distortion. Our free “Ultimate Download Experience” album should prove to listeners once-and-for all that they can hear the difference between a CD-quality or high bit-rate file and a conventional download, even on an iPod .”

About HDtracks
Founded by David and Norman Chesky of the respected audiophile-record label Chesky Records, HDtracks is a high-quality music download service offering a diverse catalog of independent music from around the world. HDtracks does not believe in DRM, and as a result, offers a selection of unencrypted files that play on any computer or portable device. HDtracks recognizes that while there are significant benefits to accessing music at the touch of a button in today’s computer age, preserving sound quality and the visceral experience of the live music performance should remain a priority. The HDtracks mission is to deliver the whole package: world-class music, unrivaled sound, files that play in any environment, and liner notes that enhance appreciation of the artist and album.

* Digital Rights Management encoding, or DRM, is a technology that limits the usage of digital media. HDTracks does not employ this technology, as the company believes that once its customers purchase music from its site, they have the right to play it wherever they wish on any device they choose.

NEW YORK and CUPERTINO, California — HBO and Apple today announced that programming from HBO is now available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com). New HBO programs on iTunes include the Emmy Award-winning programs “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City,” “Deadwood” and “Rome,” as well as the critically acclaimed hits “Flight of the Conchords” and “The Wire.” The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular online TV store with over 150 million episodes sold and features the world’s largest catalog with over 800 shows (over 20,000 episodes).

“We’re very excited to make these legendary HBO programs available on the iTunes Store,” said Henry McGee, president of HBO Video. “Whether catching up on ‘Sex and the City’ in anticipation of its upcoming movie release or reliving a favorite ‘Sopranos’ episode, we think viewers will love being able to watch these shows on their iPod or iPhone.”

“We’re thrilled to bring this incredible lineup of programming from HBO to the iTunes Store,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “These are some of the most talked about television shows ever, as well as some of the most requested by our customers.”

“Sex and the City: The Movie” premieres in theaters on May 30, and in preparation for the movie’s debut, fans can choose any or all 94 episodes from the entire six seasons of the program.

Television shows purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store can be viewed on a Mac or PC, iPod nano with video, iPod classic, iPod touch, fifth generation iPod, iPhone or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV. “Sex and the City,” “The Wire” and “Flight of the Conchords” are $1.99 per episode, and “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood” and “Rome” are priced at $2.99 per episode. iTunes customers can also choose to purchase entire seasons of their favorite programs.

Pricing & Availability
iTunes 7.6.2 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Store and is available as a free download from (www.itunes.com). Purchase and download of songs and videos from the iTunes Store requires a valid credit card from a financial institution in the country of purchase. Television shows are available in the US, UK, Canada and Germany, and video availability varies by country.

Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., providing two 24-hour pay television services – HBO and Cinemax – to over 40 million U.S. subscribers. The services offer the most popular subscription video on demand products, HBO On Demand and Cinemax On Demand, as well as HBO on Broadband, HD feeds, and multiplex channels. Internationally, HBO’s branded television networks, along with the subscription video on demand products HBO On Demand and HBO Mobile, bring HBO services to over 50 countries. HBO programming is sold into over 150 countries worldwide.

New York City – HDtracks, founded by David and Norman Chesky of the audiophile record label Chesky Records, today announces the launch of its ambitious audiophile-quality music download website that offers music enthusiasts high-resolution recordings from a distinguished and diverse stable of thousands of artists, including Smokey Robinson, Joe Jackson, Bob James, Buddy Guy, Nina Simone, Earl Wild, Zubin Mehta, The Kinks, Of Montreal, Yo La Tengo and Jerry Garcia, from 60 independent labels around the world. Music can be downloaded in high definition uncompressed AIFF or lossless FLAC format files for playback on home audio systems, including PCs, Macs or music servers, or as 320kbps mp3 files that far exceed the quality of standard mp3 files for playback on iPods and other portables.

HDtracks offers an intriguing alternative for the current “iTunes” music buyer. In addition to offering consumers entire albums at value-pricing ($11.98), complete with PDF-file downloads of album cover art and full liner notes, it is the first site to provide nothing but high-definition, DRM-free downloads for both PCs and Macs playable on any home or portable device. The site also offers thousands of music titles from diverse genres (including blues, classical, country, folk, gospel, jazz, latin, new age, pop, R&B, rock, soundtracks and world music) that are often overlooked by music sites designed to be “everything for everybody.”

“HDtracks is like the cool Greenwich Village record store of yesteryear, where you can always discover something different and worthwhile that you’d never find anywhere else,” said site co-founder Norman Chesky. “And by focusing on the sale of complete albums and giving music enthusiasts the ability to download cover art and liner notes, we’re also restoring key components of the music experience not enjoyed since the days of vinyl, and not offered by any other music site.”

High definition music files deliver greater audio detail and realism than the standard compressed 128 kbps mp3 files commonly heard by the average iPod and mp3 player user. By preserving more of the original digital information in the recording, the AIFF, FLAC and 320 kbps mp3 files offered by HDtracks retain more of the original audio performance. In offering all three of these formats as an option for any download, HDtracks gives buyers the ultimate flexibility for playback:

• AIFF format files deliver uncompressed CD-quality music that is compatible with iTunes, iPods and Winamp
• FLAC format files deliver CD-quality lossless compression music files that allows audio to be downloaded at a faster rate than AIFF and is compatible with Media Monkey, VLC, Songbird, Mac Flac, Toast and Winamp
• 320 kbps mp3 format files enable quick download times and universal compatibility for all portable mp3 media players

Furthermore, in the coming months HDtracks will offer select titles in ultra-high resolution 96kHz/24-bit files that provide DVD-Audio sound quality for music enthusiasts who seek the very finest audio quality available.

“Serious efforts have been made throughout history to deliver a pristine live-music experience, from the design of concert halls with perfect acoustics to the building of precious hand-made instruments, to the years of work put in by performers to perfect their craft,” said site co-founder David Chesky. “We offer the best alternative to those music enthusiasts who will not compromise and accept recorded music that is compressed, flat, lifeless, and represents a mere fraction of the original performance.”

Not surprisingly, accomplished musicians frustrated by how typical downloads diminish the quality of their work have responded favorably to HDtracks. “At last!,” declared nine-time Grammy winner Paquito D’Rivera. “With the invention of HDtracks, music lovers can not only enjoy CD quality, but also liner notes and photographs of their favorite artists. The future is here!” Legendary concert pianist Earl Wild noted that HDtracks “is the only music download site that retains the exact experience of my audiophile-recording CDs. Anyone particular about sound quality should feel comfortable using this site exclusively.” Renown flugelhorn master Chuck Mangione simply said, “I love the way my recordings sound!”

About HDtracks
Founded by David and Norman Chesky of the respected audiophile-record label Chesky Records, HDtracks is a high-quality music download service offering a diverse catalog of independent music from around the world. HDtracks does not believe in DRM, and as a result, offers a selection of unencrypted files that play on any computer or portable device. HDtracks recognizes that while there are significant benefits to accessing music at the touch of a button in today’s computer age, preserving sound quality and the visceral experience of the live music performance should remain a priority. The sound should not suffer at the expense of convenience. The HDtracks mission is to deliver the whole package: world-class music, unrivaled sound, files that play in any environment, and liner notes that enhance appreciation of the artist and album.

* Digital Rights Management encoding, or DRM, is a technology that limits the usage of digital media. HDTracks does not employ this technology as the company believes that once its customers purchase music from its site, they have the right to play it wherever they wish on any device they choose.

HDtracks features music from the following independent labels:

• Acoustic Disc

• Alligator Records
• Appleseed Recordings
• ASV
• Audium Records
• Bar None Records
• BHM Records/ZYX
• Black Box
• Blind Pig Records
• Blue Jackal Entertainment
• Brodsky Records
• Calvin Records
• Chesky Records
• COE Records
• Collegium Records
• Cryptogramophone
• Daemon Records
• Dorian
• DRG
• Evidence Records
• Fatboy Records
• Gaudeamus
• HipBop Records
• Hyena Records
• Imago Recording Company
• Ivory Classics
• KOCH Records
• Liquid 8 Records
• Luaka Bop
• Marquis Classics
• MaxJazz
• MDG Records
• Miles High Records
• Mode Records
• Musical Concepts
• New Albion Records
• New World Records
• OhBoy Records
• Oxingale
• Pachyderm Records
• Penitentiary Records
• Reader’s Digest
• Reference Recordings
• Renaissance Entertainment
• Resonance
• Revenant Records
• Sidecho
• Signature Sound Recordings
• Silva Screen Records
• Sundazed Music
• Sunnyside Records
• Taang! Records
• Taxi Records
• The Children’s Group
• Tzadik
• Vanguard Classics
• White Line
• Wigmore Hall Live
• Wildflower

For further information contact:
Doug Wright
Account Supervisor
Giles Communications LLC
2975 Westchester Avenue, Suite 402
Purchase, NY 10577
tel 914-798-4115|fax 914-696-4120
Please visit us at www.giles.com
dwright@giles.com