Gibson and HDtracks team up to offer some free music

Do you remember ?  Well, if you don’t, it’s an online store that sells music and albums in high definition format, meaning the audio clarity is a lot better than normal music.  Unfortunately, this music doesn’t come cheap, an album would cost $15.98 and a single song would cost $2.49.  However, HDtracks and Gibson (a company that manufacturers instruments and famous for their guitars) have partnered up to offer an exclusive album for free in high definition. 

The album is called Gibson Presents: Hot Tones and is available on the Gibson website, but is available on the HDtracks website for free in high def; the album on Gibson is only available in normal format.  Within this album, performers such as Johnny A, Michael Burks, Billy Burnette, Arlen Roth with Sonny Landreth, Chris Cain, Neal Schon, Nick Colionne, Eric Johnson,  Tinsley Ellis, Big Bill Morganfield, Peter Karp, Kenny Neal and Johnny Winter have all put forth their music.  In addition, this album features a never-before-heard instrumental track with performers Abraham Laboriel Sr. and his son with Slash. 

Unfortunately, this album will only be available for a limited time.  It is available right now, but on December 6, 2008, it will be taken down from both sites and they will not be made available after that. 

As an added incentive to download the album, everyone who downloads it will be entered to win a Gibson Robot Les Paul guitar along with other cool prizes.  Now, the album will be available for download in a non-DRM format and in AIFF, FLAC, and MP3 in 320kbps encoding. 

Let’s see what the CEO’s have to say about the new partnership, and first we begin with Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson, and his thoughts on the album and HDtracks:

“Gibson is committed to providing its customers with the most innovative and exciting musical experiences in the world.  Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High Definition will afford our customers the opportunity to download something in the highest of quality and is the first offering of its kind from any music company. This will be one of many such opportunities as we continue to partner with HDtracks on this pioneering effort.“

On the flipside, David Chesky, co-founder of HDtracks, had this to say about Gibson and the partnership:

“I’ve never been a fan of MP3s and I wanted to have a website that delivered the same quality music as you’d get in a record store. When Henry and I met we discussed nine million things. He thinks outside the box, and we decided that giving the public an opportunity to download something truly different and in such high quality was not only an offer of convenience but the genesis of Gibson Guitar’s next step into technology.“

Lastly, a contributing artist to the album, Billy Burnette, adds in his two cents:

“As an artist I am thrilled by the whole format since it’s such high quality. To me this is all ear candy, no fluff, and it’s the real deal.“

If Gibson is pleased with the way HDtracks markets their album, you can bet that Gibson will be offering more, exclusive albums for free in the future.  A copy of the press release is below.

HIGH-DEFINITION ALBUM – FOR FREE OFFERED EXCLUSIVELY BY Gibson Guitar AND HDtracks.com
A World Leader in the Music Industry Offers World Class Guitar Performances to Global Audience

New York, New York…..Gibson Guitar, the world’s premier musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology, has partnered with HDtracks.com to offer free, downloadable, high-definition music - a first of its kind collaboration for an instrument manufacturer. The exclusive offering to fans of Gibson Guitar, titled Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition, is a diverse collection of music performed by the world’s best guitarists and will be available as a FREE download at Gibson.com for a limited time. Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition features exclusive tracks from legendary performers Johnny A, Michael Burks, Billy Burnette, Chris Cain, Nick Colionne, Tinsley Ellis, Eric Johnson, Peter Karp, Big Bill Morganfield, Kenny Neal, Arlen Roth with Sonny Landreth, Neal Schon and Johnny Winter plus a never-before-heard instrumental track featuring father and son team Abraham Laboriel Sr. and Jr performing with Slash. Guests at Gibson.com can read about the brilliant musical performances and download the entire album in HIGH DEFINITION for free now through HDtracks.com. On December 6, 2008, the first of a kind album will no longer be available with no plans to redistribute it in any format. Listen while you can!
The high-definition format of Gibson Presents:
Hot Tones in High-Definition guarantees a listening experience never available before for consumers. The resolution of the audio does matter! They will also have the option of choosing the format in which to download it. Fans who download the album are automatically entered to win an exclusive Gibson Robot Les Paul guitar and other prizes from Creative Labs.

Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition is a non-DRM, high-definition download available in AIFF, FLAC, and 320kpbs MP3 formats.  The download is available for 60 days in the U.S. and worldwide. Consumers will have the chance to hear some of the world’s greatest masters of guitar tone on a single disc. The project represents an enormous amount of passion for and dedication to creating the best possible high-definition experience for the Gibson consumer with no financial return to the company.  It is a pioneering union of musical excellence and technical achievement for the 21st century.

The free distribution of a high-definition guitar album is possible now because of the massive access of today’s Internet users to high-speed DSL and cable services. Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz and David Chesky, co-founder of audiophile label Chesky Records are two technologists who, over a recent lunch in New York, combined their ideas and efforts to create the inaugural offering from Gibson.com and HDtracks.com.

“Gibson is committed to providing its customers with the most innovative and exciting musical experiences in the world,“  said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High Definition will afford our customers the opportunity to download something in the highest of quality and is the first offering of its kind from any music company. This will be one of many such opportunities as we continue to partner with HDtracks on this pioneering effort.“

“I’ve never been a fan of MP3s and I wanted to have a website that delivered the same quality music as you’d get in a record store. When Henry and I met we discussed nine million things. He thinks outside the box, and we decided that giving the public an opportunity to download something truly different and in such high quality was not only an offer of convenience but the genesis of Gibson Guitar’s next step into technology,“ said David Chesky, co-founder of HDtracks.com, the partner on this project with Gibson.

All the files from Gibson Guitar and HDtracks will be offered in a choice of formats – AIFF, FLAC or 320kbs MP3 – depending on the consumer’s needs. Both AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) and FLAC (Free lossless audion Codec) are uncompressed formats in which the audio data is not altered or compromised to reduce its file size during transfers. The audible difference of Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition is amazingly clear and crisp. It presents more precise definition and depth and creates an experience consistent with original recordings for the listener. The exclusive offering is very different from a typical online offering.  It is better than CD quality audio with complete liner notes and a description of what the players did and how to accomplish the Hot Tones. The multiple formats allow music that is playable on any device without any DRM (digital rights management) limitations. Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition is meant to be cranked up loud and for people who want to really LISTEN to the music.

“As an artist I am thrilled by the whole format since it’s such high quality. To me this is all ear candy, no fluff, and it’s the real deal,“ said Billy Burnette.

Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition is a genius example of great performances and the future of music distribution. It is meant to inspire and entertain, and if Gibson has its way, is only the first of many such offerings that will be available exclusively through Gibson.com and HDtracks.com.
About HDtracks.com

HDtracks features DRM free downloads in CD-quality AIFF and FLAC —as well as 320 kbps MP3. The universal compatibility means your songs can be played on computers, home music servers, iPods and MP3 players, etc. Choose from thousands of titles across a multitude of musical genres and enjoy in-depth information about the artists and albums. When you purchase a complete album from HDtracks.com you will receive a pdf file containing the cover art and liner notes. Our Download Manager works on both PCs and Macs.  It launches automatically so you can start downloading your music without a cumbersome installation process. For more information go to
About Gibson

Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. Gibson’s HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar and the Gibson Robot Guitar represent the biggest advances in electric guitar design in over 70 years. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.‘s family of brands now includes Baldwin, Epiphone, Dobro, Maestro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Oberheim, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, Baldwin, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson’s website at .

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