Buying an upload to heaven

Led Zeppelin has joined the increasing numbers of artists who are bypassing record companies and selling their music online.

The band will make its back catalogue available online for the first time on 13 November, and will release a greatest hits album on the same day.

Later in the month the band will play a one-off charity gig at The O2 in London, for which one million people have applied to get tickets.

"We are pleased that the complete Led Zeppelin catalogue will now be available digitally," said guitarist Jimmy Page.

"The addition of the digital option will better enable fans to obtain our music in whichever manner they prefer."

More and more bands are turning to the internet as a distribution channel, or indeed to replace record companies altogether.

The Beatles are poised to sign a deal to make their music available online, and some bands have ignored traditional record companies altogether and gone completely online.

"The digital download market is growing at an exceptional rate," said Paul Hague, managing director of the British Internet Broadcasting Company.

"Consumers and content owners now understand the huge benefits of the download market in terms of cost and accessibility. Digital downloading is overtaking record sales fast and is the future of media entertainment."