Nearly 700,000 classical music fans have downloaded live performances of Beethoven's first five symphonies after BBC Radio 3 made them available online as part of a Beethoven season.
The broadcaster was able to make the recordings available for free because they had been performed by the Corporation's own Philharmonic Orchestra. The advantage of older classical music, of course, is that there are no publishing royalties to pay, making its online distribution less complicated.
Commenting on the success of the Beethoven download initiative, Radio 3 controller Roger Wright told reporters: "We hope it will encourage audiences to explore online classical music. This trial was all about gauging listeners' appetite for downloads and the results are astonishing."
He added that he hoped that by having on online component to his Beethoven season that the radio station had "attracted people who wouldn't previously have explored much classical music, as well as inspiring others to embrace digital technology".
The station intends to make the remaining symphonies available to download later this month. The initiative has received a mixed reception from the classical music industry. While most welcome any programmes that increases public interest in classical music, some owners of classical recordings fear the precedent the BBC is making in giving away recordings.