Bleep.com
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| Image:Bleeplogo.gif | |
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| Opened: | January 14, 2004 |
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| Pricing: |  USA: Single track: $1.35Entire album: $9.99 Double album: $12.49  UK: Single track: 99pEntire album: £6.99 Double album: £8.99  Eurozone: Single track: €1.40Entire album: €9.99 Double album: €12.75 |
| Platforms: | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS |
| Format: | MPEG Layer 3 (.mp3), FLAC (.flac) (variable bit rates) |
| Restrictions: | None |
| Preview: | 30 seconds @ 90kbps |
| Protocol: | Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http://) |
| Availability: | USA, UK, Europe |
| Website: | www.bleep.com |
Bleep.com is an online digital music retailer offering single track or whole album DRM-free mp3 downloads. Bleep’s catalog concentrates on Indie-rock and electronic music found on independent labels.
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[edit] Overview
Bleep was launched initially on January 14, 2004 for the distribution of Warp Records’ discography and other electronic and rock music. The website quickly expanded its catalog, gaining enough popularity to receive nomination for a Webby Award in the music category on May 7, 2004 alongside iTunes, BeatPort, Live365 and musicplasma. In 2006 Bleep passed the million downloads threshold and in October of that year won the UK Digital Music Award for "Best Music Store". [1][2]
[edit] Design
The site was built and designed by long standing Warp associates, The Designers Republic and Kleber Design.
[edit] Previews
Entire tracks and albums can be previewed prior to purchase. The preview function plays 30 second segments at a time, encoded at 90kbps.
[edit] File formats
Bleep’s downloads are DRM-free.
All downloads are available as MP3s. Many are encoded in LAME using the “–alt-preset standard” (--aps) variable bit rate command line. LAME’s --aps encoding method is generally believed to be the best mp3 encoding option, offering the best possible quality-to-size ratio available for the standard thus far. [3] Others are encoded at 320 kbps.
Bleep also offers lossless FLAC-encoded versions of some of its downloads, at a premium reflecting the better sound quality (for example, £9.99 for a FLAC album, rather than £6.99 for an mp3 album). The first album available as FLAC was Autechre’s Untilted album on April 18, 2005.
[edit] Labels
Bleep carries music from many different independent labels. Apart from Warp, other labels available include Domino (home of Franz Ferdinand), One Little Indian, Ninja Tune and Twisted Nerve.
[edit] Pricing
On its website, Bleep explicitly claims “after the bandwidth charges and Bleep running costs are subtracted, the artist gets half the album or track price.” [4] Files are purchased through PayPal or with a credit card.
