HDtracks high-res downloads store launches in the UK

The US site has long promised it would make its way over to this side of the pond, and has finally today launched download stores in the UK and Germany.

HDtracks announced at CES at the start of the year that it would launch in the UK "in Q1 of 2014". Promising some 10,000 uncompressed high-res albums at launch, the HDtracks UK site has gone live today. Was the company waiting for a possible high-res audio Apple announcement? If so, no such luck...

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HDtracks joins French site Qobuz in offering high-res music for download, with Qobuz also offering a CD-quality streaming music service. A new streaming service, Tidal, powered by Scandinavian service WiMP, is also set to launch in the UK with a CD-quality offering later this year.

David Chesky, co-founder of HDtracks.com, said: "The tremendous success of HDtracks since our launch in 2007 and continued growth is a real indication that consumers all over the world are hungry for better quality music sound.

As pioneers in the fast-growing new category of high-resolution music downloads, we’re very excited to expand our business into the German market, where consumers have long demonstrated their strong interest in the best possible quality audio performance.”

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Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).