Peter Gabriel's new audiophile subscription site

Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios has launched a download service with high-end British speaker manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins.

The downloads are all recorded here, live.

(Credit: Real World)

It's called the B&W Music Club, and it offers exclusive monthly albums to members, recorded at Gabriel's Real World Studios in southwestern England and downloadable in a "loss-less" file format with CD-quality sound. Subscribers pay just under $67 for a year (that's about $5.60 per recording), or about $47 for a six-month run. Subscribers can download one album per month.

Recordings are dedicated live sessions and they're DRM-free. Two months after the music is offered to Music Club members, B&W will return the album rights to the artists. Right now, you'll find Skip McDonald's Little Axe album on the B&W site. B&W is also offering free trial memberships. Check the site for more details.

Gabriel commented, "This collaboration with B&W is unique as far as I know. It's going to allow a lot of interesting projects to happen. For artists, Music Club is a dream proposition because they get some great time in the studio, access to really good recording facilities, and can experiment without being committed to anything or anyone beyond a month with B&W."