Apple to fix Coldplay 'La Vida' error

Last week, Apple began taking pre-orders for Coldplay's "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends," and in so doing, offered buyers immediate access to the title track. As noted here, the single downloaded with DRM at 128 kilobits per second.

The post generated a call from an Apple spokesperson, who reported that the Coldplay track was to have downloaded at higher bit rate, the DRM-free and better-quality 256 kilobits per second that graces all music from EMI labels. But a quick iTunes check confirmed that the slightly lower-quality version did indeed download.

This week, Apple will rectify the error, according to a company spokesperson.

Those who received the 128-bit edition of Coldplay's "La Vida" should receive an e-mail from Apple sometime within the next 48 hours, explaining the error and offering a download of the 256-bit version. But regardless of the bit rate, the song is good.