Led Zeppelin, one of the last major acts to resist digital distribution, are releasing their back catalog online. Led Zeppelin said their songs, including “Communication Breakdown,” “Whole Lotta Love” and “Stairway to Heaven,” will be available from online music stores Nov. 13. The band is due to release a two-CD retrospective, “Mothership,” the same day.
“We are pleased that the complete Led Zeppelin catalog will now be available digitally,” guitarist Jimmy Page said in a statement Monday. “The addition of the digital option will better enable fans to obtain our music in whichever manner that they prefer.”
The band has signed a separate deal with Verizon Wireless to offer their songs as ringtones and downloads to mobile phones, Verizon said in a statement.
The Beatles are the highest-profile holdouts for digital distribution.
Led Zeppelin, which split up in 1980 after the death of drummer John Bonham, announced last month they were reuniting for a Nov. 26 concert in London. The lineup includes Page, singer Robert Plant and bass player John Paul Jones, along with Bonham’s son Jason, on drums.
More than 1 million fans entered a draw for a chance to buy one of the 10,000 tickets to the show. The concert is a tribute to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who died last year.