(Helsinki, 24.5.2004) - Digital music shop Foryourears.com will launch on 14th June 2004. Foryourears.com is a pay-and-download music service that sells digitally encoded MP3 music files from independent electronic music labels directly to customers for the price of 0.99 EUR per track. The music files are not DRM-protected, which allows customers to listen to the tracks on any player capable of handling MP3 files, burn the tracks on a CD and use them in DJ sets.

The shop launches with full catalogues from five labels: Ural 13 Records (Finland), Kohvi Records (Estonia), Army of Sound (France), Metrotraks (Finland) and Symptom Records (Finland), with more labels joining in after the start. The shop concentrates on the more uncommercial and underground side of electronic music, offering music from downtempo to techno, from electro to IDM and far beyond, yet keeping a tight focus on quality.

Many of the independent electronic music labels are experiencing problems with traditional vinyl and CD sales and because of that, are on the look-out for new markets through digital music shops. The demand for pay-and-download services seems high among the Internet-savvy fans of electronic music. However, Foryourears.com managers are quick to note that "Digital distribution is hopefully going to live and flourish side by side with traditional formats such as vinyl, not kill them. Vinyl is still the most common format for techno and other underground music."

We expect that the digital sale of electronic music will gain new markets for labels and support vinyl sales by furthering Internet promotion of their artists and releases.


Soon they will listen
FORYOUREARS.COM