Twenty Hertz Digital Information

QUESTIONS:

What bit rate / encoder do you use for your MP3s?

All MP3 files are produced using the LAME encoder, widely believed to produce the highest quality MP3s, using the 'high quality' 256kBit setting. This creates larger files but we hope you will not mind the extra download time as it will produce a high quality copy almost indistinguishable from a CD.

What is a flac file?

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) files are more like ZIP files for audio. Unlike MP3s, there's no loss of quality between this and uncompressed audio files. However, file sizes are much larger to reflect this and the format is not as widely supported by players as MP3s are. It is more likely that you will need to de-compress a FLAC file to the standard WAV or AIFF format before burning to a CD, or playing (this is the customers responsibility).

Why aren't all releases available as FLAC files?

Due to the large sizes created by FLAC files we are unable to offer all releases in this format. We can only offer the latest releases in the FLAC format and for a limited period only. The limited period will generally be dictated to by the release schedule.
Put simply, if you prefer a FLAC file, it would be prudent to place your order sooner rather than later to avoid any disappointment.

Which file is right for me, MP3 or FLAC?

If you have any doubts about FLAC files and what is written above then we recommend the MP3 files without hesitation.

INFORMATION:

It is recommended that due to large file sizes (especially the FLAC files) only users with broadband connections to the internet purchase these downloads.

All files will be correctly tagged, complete and of a much higher audio quality than many lower bitrate downloads found illegally on the internet.

As many of the releases are meant to be heard in their entirety (rather than as a selection of tracks), downloads are for the complete album only.

You will download a .zip file that will contain the MP3 or FLAC files plus a pdf file of printable artwork. You may need to expand the files using WinZip or similar program.

Approximate file sizes are listed prior to download.

Downloads will be available for 48 hours after purchase.

Available downloads are subject to change without prior notice.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

You are free to copy these files to your computer hard-disk, to your mp3 player, burn them on to a CDR etc etc.
Our one request is that you respect the label and the artists we work with and kindly ask you not to share these downloads with anyone else. Income from these sales goes directly to the artists involved and your support will help enable the development of all those involved. It will help musicians to continue to dedicate the necessary time to produce their music and for Twenty Hertz to continue to make such work available. In return for this support you will be able to keep on enjoying interesting, challenging, quality music in a variety of formats.

When you place an order to purchase an item from us, we will send you an email confirming receipt of your order and containing the details of your order and how to collect your item(s). Your order represents an offer to us to purchase an item, which is accepted by us when we send email confirmation that we've made that product available to you. The information contained in this email is privileged and unique to you and must not be given to anyone else.

Prices will vary dependent on whether the release is a reissue, exclusive release, mini album or full album.

All transactions must be completed via Paypal and customers should be able to download immediately after paying for your item if payment is cleared. If the order has not been processed, or the payment is pending, then the customer will receive an email with the download links when the transaction has completed.

Digital download service by PayLoadz:

The Payloadz system prevents excessive downloading by limiting the availability of the product to the customer for each transaction. Our system sets the download count and download period automatically based on several factors including file type, file size, customer email domain, amount of items purchased in order, selling volume of merchant, and IP address. Using different weights and values for each of the variables our system designates how long a file will be available for and how many times someone can fully download the product. A merchant cannot change the value set by our system. We have derived the most reliable method over our million transactions processed to ensure an enjoyable customer experience while limiting link piracy/abuse. Each link give to a customer is encoded with the PayPal transaction id for that order.
A download page can stay active for various amounts of time after purchase. Because our system tracks access to the download page for the customer, we may or may not provide them with an active download link. For instance, if the download page for an order had never been accessed according to our server, then our system will provide the person with an active download link. This can be several days or weeks after the initial order. Because no one had ever accessed the download page, the download link will still be active. Conversely, if a download page had been accessed several times from several different ip addresses in a very short time span, say an hour, then our system will display the download expired page and the original customer will have to request additional downloads from the merchant by filling out a request form.

If you do not agree to anything stated above then please refrain from purchasing any downloadable material.
Tangible CD/CDR releases can be found here.