HDtracks.co.uk is to close on 31st March 2020 according to a recent announcement from the HiRes download site. In a mailed newsletter the company said:
“Today we are announcing HDtracks.co.uk will no longer be available after March 31, 2020.
After six years of helping passionate audiophiles discover the highest quality music available, we are departing from this amazing community in the United Kingdom.
While we are sad to say goodbye to HDtracks.co.uk, we are excited to continue improving our core website, HDtracks.com, and developing new Hi-Res technologies.
Please complete any pending downloads before March 31. Contact@HDtracks.com will be available to answer any questions now or in the future.”
Downloads have declined in the UK from their peak of 33.3% of the UK record industry in 2013 to just 5.4% in 2019 according to recent figures released by the BPI. There was a 26.8% decline in download sales from 2018 to 2019 compared to a 23.5% increase in streaming over the same period.
A similar picture is seen in the US where the RIAA reported a drop of 18% in download sales in 2019 compared to 2018 and now represent only 8% of the US music market. Last year still contained sales from Apple’s iTunes and so it likely that the decline will continue into 2020.
Figures for the percentage of MP3 v CD Quality/HiRes downloads are not publicly available but the higher quality download market is looking like it will become an endangered species very soon as better quality streaming becomes the predominant way that music is consumed.
