Classical music lovers can now download much of Deutsche Grammophon's back catalogue from the company's website without any form of digital rights management – and at a high-quality bit-rate of 320kbps.
There are around 2500 titles available, and all are DRM-free so they can be played on any type of MP3 player.
Prices range from around $1 for a seven-minute track to $10 for a complete album.
The move apparently took many of DG's artists by surprise, as they were not told in advance that their music was going to be downloadable.
DG hopes the initiative will rekindle demand for classical music. In the US, one in seven classical albums is now sold by download.
