Standard vs. High Definition
MP3 - Standard Definition:
MP3 is primary format of digital music sold through this service. MP3 digital audio files are the most common files used today for digital music. They can be played on any computer and in pretty much all portable digital music devices. MP3's sold through the BSO Digital Music service will be encoded using the Fraunhofer MP3 codec and will be encoded at 320 kilobits per second (kbps). Kilobits per second or "kbps" refers to the amount of information stored in one second of audio. The more information there is, the better the sound you will hear. iTunes and Amazon sell their digital music at a rate of 256 kbps. We provide ours at 320 kbps. 320 kbps is the highest quality MP3 encoding rate there is and is the equivalent of near-CD quality.
WMA - High Definition:
For select albums, and for most albums sold in the future, a Windows Media Audio (WMA) Lossless Surround format is also available for purchase. These files are encoded at a much higher encoding rate of 12,700 kbps and offer 5-channel Surround Sound. Surround sound equates into 5 channels of sound rather than 2 (stereo) found in standard definition audio files. The purpose of providing a high definition surround sound option is to offer a music experience that best equates to the sound one would hear during a live performance. Because of the higher encoding rate and the inclusion of three additional channels of sound, WMA files are SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER than their MP3 counterparts. If you own a PC (not an Apple Computer), you should be able to play these files on your computer. If your computer is built with a surround-sound capable sound card, then you can here these files in surround sound. Please note that we STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you have a high speed Internet connection to download these files.
Pricing Information:
Pricing for albums will be $8.99 for an MP3 album and $12.99 for a WMA album. Tracks will be priced $.89 (MP3) and $1.29 (WMA) if the track duration is under 7 minutes in duration. Otherwise, if longer, the price of the track will be scaled up to reflect a price that is commensurate with the proportion of time that the track consumes compared to the overall duration of the album. Works (i.e. a complete symphony) will be priced similarly to tracks over 7 minutes in duration - their price is not the sum of the costs of each track in the work, but rather the price is a proportion of the time the work consumes compared to the duration of the complete album. This offers an economy in scale - meaning it will be cheaper to by complete works or complere albums, rather than buying all the composite tracks separately.
= Artist Details | 
= Music Preview
