Figured I'd put this subject here since most of the audio on HDTracks are Hi-Res FLAC.

For anyone else who uses HDTracks, have you noticed how a number of albums or specific formats of an album there gets delisted?

I first noticed this when I purchased Aerosmith's Toys In The Attic a few years ago (in DSD format.) Shortly after when searching for other Aerosmith albums, that one was completely taken off the site.

In a similar fashion, I purchased Prince's Purple Rain: Expanded Deluxe Edition which was in 24-bit/192Khz FLAC. Now on a Facebook page about hi-res audio that I follow, it was announced that Purple Rain was announced for blu-ray audio, but the stereo track will be 24-bit/96Khz. I went to double check that the version on HDTracks was in 24/192 but the only version available now is 16-bit/44.1Khz.

Anyone else run into and/or know how often this happens? I mean, sure they can only sell whatever the record labels allow them to, but losing a hi-res version of an album or an album altogether while their many of their other albums are still listed is a bit strange.

One can argue that the label wants stop the sale of a digital version of an album when they release a new physical version like the aforementioned Purple Rain, but then again Seal 1 is still available on HDTracks in 24-bit even though the blu-ray audio was released recently.

Yeah it likely has to do with what the right holders want, or allow.
I sometimes purchase stuff there and from similar sites (bandcamp, qobuz.com)
but to be honest I have never checked if stuff I purchased in the past is still
available for sale now. Just make sure to have backups of your purchases.

It happens all the time, they only have time-limited contracts with copyright holders.

Julien

I have stuff I bought from iTunes that can no longer be purchased from iTunes and isn’t streaming on Apple Music. No streaming service has “everything”, I think we all know that, but really no streaming service even has everything they had five years ago.

And this is just like actual record stores. They carry what’s current and return everything else they can. No established artist has their entire catalog in manufacture at all times.

Adding to that is that many of these audiophile things, DSD, 180g LP, etc are not done by the label but are licensed mini-projects of their own that have their own contracted window of availability thats likely totally separate from more mainstream versions of the same thing.