FindHDMusic.Com Shutdown: How to Find HD Music Now

If you visit the FindHDMusic.com website today, you’ll be met with a short message: “FindHDMusic is gone.”

This event happened back around May 2020 when numerous companies and platforms struggled with managing restrictions.

Although speculation is rampant, there is nothing to suggest that the site was taken down for any other reason than its owners wanted to be done with the process.

When the platform initially went down, there was a brief message thanking HDTracks, Qobuz, and Presto for their help.

Since it was such a helpful site for finding HD downloads of today’s best music, a lot of fans are wondering where it went.

You could also be searching for an alternative resource that lets you find those downloads.

Why Did FindHDMusic Shut Down?

Forum users from Audiophile Style reached out to HDTracks and Qobuz to ask them what happened to FindHDMusic. The responses posted on the forums stated that API access required limitations to hardware partners, and older websites with HD downloads were recently closed.

When HDTracks responded to questions about the removal of FindHDMusic, their answer was relatively straightforward.

“We’re a small company… I see the back end and all that happens. We shut down our old U.S. and U.K. sites last week, and maybe they decided to shut down their site because any links to our old ones would lead to ‘blob not found’ messages. It looks like the site may have been run by a hobbyist instead of a business entity. If that is the case, they wouldn’t have had a way to go through and re-catalog all of the new URLs in a week.”

When Qobuz was contacted about the fact that FindHDMusic.com was shut down, they offered a much shorter response.

“We’re… saddened by the untimely demise of FindHDMusic. It was a terrific resource. Unfortunately, we’ve been forced to limit our API access to hardware partners…”

Not much is known about who owned the FindHDMusic domain. The WHOIS information refers to an individual living in Sydney, Australia.

Where the Best Places to Find Hi-Res Tracks Online Today?

If you’re looking for hi-res audio tracks today, you can still find what you need on HDTracks and Qobuz. These platforms don’t cover everything available online, but it is a good start.

Reasons to Choose HDTracks	Reasons to Choose Qobuz
This website is operated by David Chesky, who is a musician, producer, and composer. He works to develop the online catalog.	You can download 24-bit, 192 kHz tracks when using this platform.
You can download your hi-res music in a few formats, including AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, and WMA.	It offers files in numerous formats, including AAC, AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, MP3, WAV, and WMA.
The highest resolution found on the website is 24-bit/192 kHz.	A $250 membership allows you access to 50 million tracks at the lossless CD quality and savings of up to $5 on each album you want.
Almost all of the titles you can find on this website are available in multiple formats and resolution rates.	A $15 monthly plan provides access to similar benefits.
Many of history’s favorite artists are included in the catalog, ranging from Rush to Bob Dylan.	You have the option to stream your hi-res music if you prefer that listening method.

It isn’t always easy to find some specific artists on each site. If you enjoy The Beatles, you’ll want to go somewhere besides HDTracks to get the downloads you want.

That’s why knowing where to find the best hi-res music online is helpful when trying to build a collection.

These additional FindHDMusic alternatives can help you find even more hi-res downloads to let you enjoy your music in whatever way you prefer.

1. Acoustic Sounds

When you select Acoustic Sounds for high-resolution downloads, you can find files in ALAC, DSD, and FLAC formats.

The highest res on the site today is 24-bit, 192 kHz for rock and pop selections from famous artists.

It’s not like you’ve wandered into an Apple advertisement where the music seems to come from an underground artist recorded at the Sundance Movie Festival.

Everyone from Aerosmith to Eric Clapton is on the site, along with enough Indie favorites to keep everyone happy.

If you want to add to your music collection, even if you prefer classical or bluegrass, you’ll find the artists you love at this site.

2. ATMA Classique

Although you’ll only find 24-bit, 96 kHz downloads on this site, it stands out as one of the best FindHDMusic alternatives because it offers digital exclusives.

You won’t need to worry about having it disappear on you with its 15+ year history of providing CD and FLAC downloads.

You can browse through the selections using virtual pages technology, making it feel like you’re browsing through some vinyl LPs in someone’s collection.

Hundreds of downloads are available, with all of them easily sorted into curated collections. That makes it easy to find your favorite instrument, genre, or composer.

Pricing hovers in the $15 range per album, which keeps it competitive with the rest of the music industry today.

3. Chandos

You might know this website better as “The Classical Shop.” Although the name is updated, you’ll find one of the Internet’s most extensive collections of file formats.

You can download your hi-res music in AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, FLAC 5.1, WAV, and WMA. The highest resolution offered is 24-bit/96 kHz.

The online platform hosts over 200 labels for your browsing pleasure. That means over 80,000 high-quality tracks get uploaded each month so that you can always find something new.

If you want the best hi-res downloads, you’ll need to hunt for them on this site.

Most of the rock and pop tracks tend to be CD-quality only, which means you’ll need to search through the subgenres.

After switching to Chandos, the search filters disappeared from the website.

It’s not as easy to find something new unless you know the artist, but it’s still an affordable way to enjoy the music you love.

4. Blue Coast Records

If you prefer hi-res live music, you’ll want to check out this website. Not only does it offer access to label-recorded events, but you’ll also find a wide selection of different genres.

It’s one of the most eclectic collections you can find online right now.

When you sign up for an account on the site, you’ll get access to a few free downloads immediately.

The file formats include DSD, FLAC, and WAV, while the highest resolution offered is 24-bit at 192 kHz.

If you work with Blue Coast Records’ sister site called “Downloads Now,” you can pay an annual subscription that generates a 15% discount on DSD256 formats by Grammy-nominated artists.

5. Pristine Classical

Although you can only download FLAC or CD files at 48 kHz on this site, you’ll discover one of the largest collections of classical music is at your disposal.

It also contains some of the earliest blues and jazz compilations that are rare to find on vinyl.

Over 10,000 tracks are available through this website’s streaming portion, with about 10% of the work considered exclusive content.

If you have about $1,500 to invest, you can also purchase the Pristine Collection on a 2 TB Hard Drive that the website delivers to your front door.

It’s one of the fastest ways to create a massive collection of your favorite compositions in this genre.

The Best Hi-Res Headphones for Listening to Your Music

Once you have the best hi-res music files downloaded to your system, it is time to find headphones that deliver an excellent user experience.

I highly recommend the Sennheiser HD 800 Reference headphones. This model uses a 4.4mm and a 0.25-inch cable connector instead of Bluetooth to create a dynamic listening experience.

It naturally reduces all of the frequency response peaks that happen in your hi-res downloads, ensuring that all of the artist’s nuances come through adequately.

The 56mm ring radiator transducers in this Sennheiser model are some of the largest drivers you can find on hi-rest headphones right now.

This feature combines with a unique ear-cupping design that directs the audio waves at an angle to create a more spatial listening experience.

■ Specs of the Sennheiser HD 800 Reference Headphones

Frequency Response:	4 Hz to 51,000 Hz
Impedance:	300 Ohms
Sensitivity:	103 decibels at 1 kHz; 1V
Cable:	9.8 feet (3 meters); detachable
THD:	< 0.02%
Weight:	11.6 ounces (330g) – without cable
Included Accessories:	Cable with 6.3mm stereo plug, 4.4mm Pentaconn plug, USB manual with frequency response plot, deluxe storage container

Are You Ready to Discover More Hi-Res Music?

Although some smartphones and high-end stereo receivers have excellent converters to go from digital to analog, hi-res takes advantage of the advanced audio processing that generates more frequency exposure.

You might not physically recognize the differences, but your mind will process the sounds.

If you find that these websites don’t have the files you prefer, several additional niche sites provide hi-res music access.

• Analekta Records provides access to classical music downloads.
• Melba Records delivers hi-res classical performances recorded by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
• Subradar delivers free rock, electronic, contemporary, and modern jazz tracks that you don’t always find on other HD music websites.
• Naim Audio is for underground artists, Indie rock, and some limited folk.
• Gube Music specializes in the world, jazz, and classical genres.

Although FindHDMusic.com is no longer functional, these alternatives enable you to enjoy your favorite compositions still today!