Mean Fiddler to offer music downloads

Music promoter Mean Fiddler has signed a deal with Universal Records that will let British fans download live tracks from bands…

Music promoter Mean Fiddler has signed a deal with Universal Records that will let British fans download live tracks from bands who are playing events such as the Reading festival.

The deal will also cover concerts at Mean Fiddler venues in Britain, which have hosted Universal artists including the Scissor Sisters, Black Eyed Peas and Queens of the Stone Age.

Subject to approval from the Universal artists, songs will be sold for £0.99 sterling  to £1.50 each.

Concert downloads, pioneered by jam bands such as Phish and the String Cheese Incident, have been moving into the mainstream.

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A unit of US-based giant Clear Channel has begun offering "instant live" CDs, recorded in real time and sold when the show is over, while eMusic has announced plans to offer concert goers a digital recording of the show on a small keychain-sized device.

Singer-songwriter Mr John Mayer announced earlier this month that songs from his current tour would be sold at Apple's iTunes music store.