Of course, since Radiohead's In Rainbows, plenty of artists have given away albums digitally. In truth, 7 Digital are currently providing a more compelling reason to buy the Muse album digitally, by pricing it at £5. The iTunes LP concept is also badly let down by the fact that the bonus content won't transfer to an iPod. Indeed, Muse's lyrics and half of their iTunes' LP pictures are already available for free on Muse's own website, alongside many more videos. The extras are only what you'd expect to find on an act's website. But it seems unlikely to persuade too many listeners to abandon CDs or illegal downloading, or to trade up from cherrypicking the singles. That content does make the digital purchase feel more worthwhile.

Alongside the music, it comes with making-of videos, lyrics, song credits, pictures and Matt Bellamy's written track-by-track commentary. The new Muse album, released on Monday, is one of just six albums currently available in the new format. The idea is that when you pay to download an album, you'll receive additional bonus content, similar to extra features on DVDs. How then to inject some life into digital album sales? Last week, Apple unveiled its cunning plan: the iTunes LP.

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