LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts/ Rhino) - After its 1949 debut, the 45-rpm vinyl single went on to revolutionize the way people listened to music, both literally-requiring adjustable-speed players and figuratively introducing a global audience to the simple, yet profound joy that comes from playing a favorite song over and over. As the single turns 60 this year, history repeats itself.
Digital bytes have replaced vinyl grooves, but the love affair with the hit song continues. As last year music fans downloaded more than a billion tracks; the most ever.
To celebrate the milestone, Rhino will spotlight songs originally issued on 45 by offering them as RHINO DIGITAL 45s, bundled with their original B-sides and artwork. Original picture sleeve art will be included when available and original label art will be used for all others. The first group of RHINO DIGITAL 45s will be available July 14. iTunes will feature a total of 60 digital 45s, including six exclusives. These will be featured in iTunes Digital 45, which showcases these new digital bundles inside the iTunes store. Among the iTunes exclusives are several singles featuring B-sides making their digital debut including "Take It Easy"/"Get You In The Mood" by the Eagles, "Kiss"/"Love Or Money" by Prince & The Revolution, and "Whip It"/"Turn Around" by Devo. The remaining 54 singles will be available at all digital retails outlets. Each following month, Rhino will release a new batch of 25 digital 45s to all partners. For more information, please visit www.rhino.com/Digital45.
The first group of RHINO DIGITAL 45s features a total of 31 tracks making their digital debut including Jackson Browne's "The Crow On The Cradle" (B-side of "Somebody's Baby"), Morrissey's "I Know Very Well How I Got My Name" (B-side of "Suedehead"), and James Taylor's "I Can Dream Of You" (b-side of "Shower The People). Other digital debut highlights include tracks from The Cars, Talking Heads, and Pretenders as well as single edits, radio mixes, and live versions from The B-52s, Deep Purple, The Doors, Faith No More, and Yes. RHINO DIGITAL 45s will be available from all DSPs for list prices of $1.49 and $1.99. Downloads from iTunes will include a bonus PDF containing the original picture sleeve or label art.
The RHINO DIGITAL 45 marks the return of the B-side. With the "plug side" of a single the focus of a record label's attention, its reverse allowed artists a chance to stretch their creative legs. B-sides were an opportunity to show listeners who only knew the hit that a band had more than one trick up its sleeves (Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" and The Doobie Brothers' "Black Water," among others, were originally issued as B-sides). And while most hits also appear on artists' albums, the "non-LP B-side" was often unavailable to all but the most loyal fans and hardcore collectors, until now.
