Monday, October 11, 2010

Topspin Backs High Def MP3 Format

Venice-based Topspin, the music marketing and software firm headed by Ian Rogers, said today that it has inked a deal with Technicolor to distribute its music catalog in a new, high definition, MP3 format. The firms said that Topspin's artists will have the option of using mp3HD, a new, backwards-compatible MP3 format developed by Technicolor, to distribute their music. The new audio format offers lossless compressions for music, and according to Topspin offers up better quality in a smaller file size than competing formats like AAC. Topspin's software is being used by such artists as the Beastie Boys, David Byrne, Paul McCartney, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Arcade Fire, Eminem, Linkin Park, Trey Songz, Peter Gabriel, Carly Simon and Metric. Rogers was the former GM of Yahoo Music, and Topspin has raised funding from the Foundry Group and Redpoint Ventures. Technicolor said that Topspin is the first retailer to support its new mp3HD format.

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