The first download I ever made was a whole album, astonishing I know. It was exclusive to iTunes and as far as I know is not available on CD in the UK.

And it was...

Scooter - Live Selected Songs

I'm sure Andrew Harrison owns it too.

... I found my first music download as memorable as my first vinyl purchase.

The song itself was pretty throwaway ('Denmark' by The Ocean Blue, an obscure indie pop act from Pennsylvania). However, I vividly remember watching the track slowly download via a dial-up connection and then appear as a 'Real Player' file on my desktop. I got more than a frisson of excitement when I clicked 'play' and sure enough it sounded great. And it was free!

First album download was the debut LP by Engineers via iTunes. The simplicity of it and the act of obtaining new music in an instant was again completely thrilling.

it was a song I'd only *read* about, and never expected to actually hear: Jeff Buckley's Forget Her, described in David Browne's peerless biography as the great unreleased classic, destined forever to stay in the vaults in accordance with Jeff's wishes. To be able to find this song online and have it, within a few minutes, on my computer, was nothing short of extraordinary to me.

Of course, a couple of years later Columbia went and put it on the Deluxe edition of Grace anyway.

- but I think it was some live Fatima Mansions tracks via Cute FTP. I couldn't tell you what my first bought cd was though.

I too read the article this morning and thought the same thing. Still can't think what it was.

Pressing a button on a keyboard is hardly as romantic or memorable as sifting through piles of vinyl in a jazz cigarette-scented record emporium.

Me and a mate got hold of the software and after much flaffing about, missed connections (this was on dial-up) we finally managed to get in, and after further huffing and puffing, downloaded our first track.

I'm not sure, but I think it was Paranoid.

Took about two hours from top to bottom.

It was Twilight Cafe by Susan Fassbender, c/o Audiogalaxy when I first hooked up to broadband in about 2002. I can't remember my first CD. I think I bought Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos and Decency by Diesel Park West at the same time.

I purposefully downloaded a song that was memorable, significant and one that I already owned, so I could compare it to my CDs: That's All Right by Elvis Presley.

I remember it very well. Danny Baker played a great record that I'd never heard before. Within seconds I was downloading it via my newly-opened i-tunes music store account. It felt wonderful and still does.
I still like records and CDs but I don't find anything romantic about rifling through racks in a grubby shop on the off-chance of finding something you might want.
I buy terrible old northern soul and girl group singles. Off the internet.