Okay, so that headline was a slight exaggeration; we all know that an MP3 file encoded at 160kbps is a better quality recording than that heard on FM radio. But perhaps the question we should be asking is "Why is Radiohead offering their new album in lower resolution audio files on the official launch date?"
According to the official e-mail distributed by the W.A.S.T.E. system, the digital release format for In Rainbows will be a ZIP file containing ten DRM-free 160kbps MP3 files. (Hey, at least they didn't completely screw over Mac/Linux users by offering the dreaded Windows Media Audio files I lovingly avoid like the plague.) Conspiracy theorists believe the 160kbps encoding may have been used to deter file-sharing on torrents/sites which require at least 192kbps.
Who knows.
On a positive note, iTunes offers really shitty, DRM-laced AAC files encoded at roughly the same bitrate for 0.99 cents a track. When you think about it that way, Radiohead's concept is still a step up from the usual horseshit song-and-dance that the music industry attempts to serve its customers on a daily basis. (No, not that puppet master dance that Elijah Wood did on Yo Gabba Gabba, the other horseshit song-and-dance.) Not to mention the fact that the majority of these artists aren't half as interesting as Radiohead.
Anyway, the download has been available for hours now. Happy listening!
