SOME ALBUM DOWNLOADS HAVE MISSING
TRACKS. HERE'S WHY.

If you have ever tried to download the Allman Brothers Band's box set Dreams or Dire Straits' Sultans of Swing, you’ve encountered the mystery of the iTunes "partial album." In the case of Dreams, for instance, the first disc lacks six of its 17 tracks. Irritated? You're not the only one.

So what gives? Most of the missing songs were recorded in an era when digital rights didn't exist. The record label usually owns the copyright on the recording, but there is a separate copyright for the song, owned by the songwriter and/or its publisher, whose consent may be required for the label to use the works digitally. Commonly, rights holders withhold permission because of artistic or monetary disputes. But don't despair if your favorite song is missing. It might still appear. While this story was being reported, a missing live version of Little Feat’s "Dixie Chicken" mysteriously became available. Beth Kowitt

Source: Fortune, September 15, 2008.