Digital Downloads

Listening to samples

60 second preview clips are available for many of our music tracks. Click on the Play icon next to the track to hear the sample of your selected track.

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MP3/FLAC

We currently offer all our albums in the widely-used MP3 file format. We also offer some of our music in the FLAC format. FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec. FLAC is a much higher quality format than MP3, and so offers the listener an enhanced listening experience. However, please note that because FLAC format audio files contain more information than MP3s, the size of the file is also much larger.

PLease check your chosen media player supports the FLAC format before purchasing.

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Bitrates and quality

The quality for our MP3 downloads is 256k. Our FLAC downloads are encoded to CD quality (from 16 bit/44.1 kHz).

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DRM

DRM (Digital Rights Management) is a tool used to protect content from being improperly used or shared. All Universal Music tracks are DRM free, meaning our customers have enhanced freedom and ease of use and storage on different devices.

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How do I download music?

We offer two methods of downloading to your computer: our Universal Music Downloader, or via a Zip file. The Universal Music Downloader is a quick, free and easy-to-use desktop application(Click here for minimum system specifications). The Universal Music Downloader allows you to download multiple files simultaneously, and to re-download previously purchased content (through Your Account are on the website). The Universal Music Downloader also offers a simple and effective way of importing new music from Universal Music into your existing music libraries.

Alternatively, if you prefer to install your music manually, select the Download Zip file option after you make your purchase.

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Downloading to your mobile

We also offer the option of downloading tracks to your mobile phone. (Supported handsets only, please see list here.) If you would like to do this, select "Download to my Mobile" option when you make your purchase. You will then be prompted to enter your mobile phone number. Phone numbers need to be entered in the international dialling format, using the international code with the '+' sign at the start, the international code, and no initial '0' before the first '7', e.g. +44 7999 999 999; or with two zeroes, the international code, and no initial '0' before the first '7', e.g. 0044 7999 999 999. Once you have completed your purchase, we will send an SMS message to your mobile phone (free of charge). By clicking on the link in that message, your download will be activated and the file transfer will begin. All SMS messages we send you as part of this process are absolutely free of charge.

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RE-DOWNLOADING YOUR FILES

Once you have purchased your digital downloads from Universal Music, you can download them up to five times in the year following purchase. In order to re-download, go to your Order History in Your Account and follow the instructions.

Get the Universal Downloader here

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