Audio brand Technics disappeared off the scene some time ago, with most of its home products getting rebranded with the Panasonic name, but it's making a glorious comeback with the announcement that it's set to launch Technics Tracks, a hi-resolution music download service.
Hi-res audio is a burgeoning movement that has, at least until now, only been a concern to the true audiophiles. But while Tidal Music is adopting the Spotify streaming model to deliver studio-quality music to our ears, Technics is going to sell individual tracks via its own high-definition iTunes.
With not an MP3 in site, Technics Tracks will offer a large selection of 24-bit FLAC tracks, tens of thousands of which will be 24-bit 192khz, hundreds of thousands in total 24-bit, and several million offered in 16-bit 44.1khz quality (that's CD quality, basically). Technics isn't disclosing the specific numbers and artists just yet, but we expect we'll hear more soon.
Once you've bought a track it'll be stored in the "cloud locker" for you to then download on multiple devices.
7 Up
The service, which has been built by 7digital, is set to go live in the UK and Germany in January 2014, and there are plans to continue piling on the hi-resolution tracks as time goes on. However, you can go and register for the new service right now, and anyone who does will get a complimentary track.
7digital CEO Simon Cole said: "For us, hi-res is a growth area. We see high interest not just for consumers... but also for us as music lovers, this really brings back that feeling of warmth and connection."
Not only has 7digital helped builed the platform, it's also had a big hand in curation and editioralising the content. "We are the largest independent producer of programming for the BBC," said Cole. "By being that, we're also pretty good at programming. So we know what works and what doesn't, we know the sequcne of tracks. The human curation element of the service is another aspect we bring."
