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Five sites where you can buy and download FLAC music
A couple of weeks ago we published an article with some nods to the history of liquid music, adding a quick overview of how, in recent times, this mode of enjoyment has also become attractive to many audiophiles. On that occasion we focused mainly on streaming; today, however, we want to take a closer look at platforms where you can download FLAC music. If you want to download and save hi-res music locally, this is the article that will explain how and where to do it. Or at least five possibilities in this regard.
Five sites for downloading liquid music
HDtracks is the first site we recommend when talking about buying music in high definition. It was one of the progenitors to offer the downloading of tracks in high resolution. You can see this, alas, starting with the interface and graphics, which are not very up-to-date. This makes the prevailing genres in the catalog mostly rock, jazz, and classical music, which may disincentivize younger audiophiles. The pop section, however, is constantly expanding, and already the artists of the moment can be found. The available formats are quite numerous, and typical when it comes to lossless music, thus: FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC, DSD. The biggest problem with HDtracks, however, is another, in addition to less than competitive prices: the need, in Italy, to make purchases via VPN and choose USA or UK as the origin. Doing otherwise will drastically reduce the number of tracks that can be purchased and we can almost only do site navigation.
About Qobuz we talked about when we looked at the best platforms for hi-res music streaming. But Qobuz also boasts a digital store. The service does not have a very up-to-date interface, but relies on a blog with in-depth features and interviews, as well as a concise but comprehensive artist presentation sheet. The catalog is quite varied and constantly evolving, and capable of leaving room for independent productions. Qobuz also offers a variety of formats to download: FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIF and others; moreover, it is available in Italy and does not require any VPN. Not only that, the prices are on average more affordable than HDtracks and you can download the app for smartphones, tablets and computers. The icing on the cake is being able to take out a hybrid subscription (download + streaming) that allows for discounts on the direct purchase of music tracks.
7digital is another site where you can download FLAC music, as well as an example of how a book should not be judged by its cover. Not that 7digital's interface is bad, in fact; it is among the most modern, with an intuitive and functional player. One need only click over an album to hear a preview of every song on it, even scrolling through other pages of the site in the meantime. The problem is the editorial side: at least in the Italian domain, through the "New Albums" and "New Singles" sections, you will not find anything more recent ... than the hits of 2018. Dulcis in fundo: among the "Suggested" there is "Best of 2014." Fortunately, using the internal search engine, one can find numerous very recently released hits. Not many formats, however: tracks can be downloaded only in MP3 or FLAC 16/24 bit (distinguished by special badges). The files, sold at competitive prices, can also be saved in the cloud so they are accessible via the Web or mobile app.
The first thing that would jump out at anyone visiting Bleep for the first time would definitely be the type of offer proposed to the audiophile. Bleep, in fact, intercepts a user base with particular and niche tastes. The catalog includes hip hop, electronic, house, ambient, alternative, and modern classical music, among others. The number of formats to select when we choose to download is discrete (MP3, FLAC and WAV). Being "out of the choir" also manifests itself in another way: not in the aesthetic side, which is rather anonymous, but in the type of offer proposed to the customer. In almost all of the tracks, alongside the option to purchase the file, are those to take home the CD, vinyl or, hear hear, the cassette tape. But that's still not all, because Bleep also presents a full-fledged merchandising section where you can find clothing, books and other accessories from the most underground labels.
HighResAudio presents itself as rather spartan in appearance, except for the presence of badges that will indicate to us limited-time offers (prices are competitive, however) or format. HighResAudio, without much pleasantry, shoves numerous albums right in our faces on the home page, summarily divided by best-selling, recommended, and major record label. Also being canonical (at least to an audiophile) are the main genres into which the catalog branches: classical, jazz, rock, and pop (however, there are many others). Making us think that HighResAudio was conceived with a specific target audience in mind is the choice to make available only studio master quality albums (FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, WAV, DXD WAV, DSD64). Completing the picture is a curated editorial side, albeit in English, with some Hi-Fi-level advice and numerous music album reviews.
An important notation to close the discussion: HDtracks and HighResAudio do not allow you to purchase the individual track, only the entire album. An aspect that some audiophiles might consider essential. Regardless of which service where to download FLAC music you choose-the nicer one, the cheaper one, or the more alternative one-it remains essential to have quality electronics and connections. Click the button below to figure out which cable is right for you.
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Let me also add the Bandcamp site , https://bandcamp.com/ which is similar in concept to Bleep, because it allows you to download (or purchase where possible the CD or vinyl) of an incredible amount of artists, some relatively famous others decidedly indie, but I have unearthed some absolutely extraordinary ones, particularly in classic rock blues etc. Without disdaining Italian artists such as the very talented singer-songwriter pianist Davide Zilli.
The nice thing, in addition to the variety of choice, are the very low prices, which do not depend on the format (flac wav costs the same as mp3, and once you buy the album or individual track, you can download it as often and with as many formats as you want.
I don't know if there are also hi-res albums or if they are planned to be introduced.
Also in many cases you can listen to the song, or the album often in full. And there are numerous free tracks !
In short it is worth a visit, considering that most of the titles on Bandcamp do not exist in "normal" record stores or on the most popular sites (amazon & Co, except in mp3 format )
Hi RockOnlyRare, indeed Bandcamp was one of those sites that we considered but reluctantly excluded. Who knows, maybe this might be an opportunity to produce an article expressly dedicated to it. Thank you, in the meantime, really for the feedback! Much appreciated!
Good morning,
let me add Tidal in streaming for the presence of a lot of albums in MQA format and NativeDSD as a music store for the availability of music in DSD
Good morning Michele, absolutely agree with you. So much so that Tidal is the first site recommended in our article dedicated to streaming music in high definition: https://www.ricable.com/music-liquid-and-hi-fi-the-best-streaming-services-for-music-hi-res-on-demand/. In the current article, however, we wanted to focus on platforms where you can buy and download music locally, which is a bit different from streaming. But we completely agree with you 🙂 🙂