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The BBC had an idea: let's bolster our Radio 3 homage to the composer by making his symphonies available for free download.

Classical music made a high-tech impact when the BBC posted legendary composer Ludwig van Beethoven's nine symphonies online last month. According to the company, the performances by the BBC Philharmonic of Beethoven's works were made available for a week in June following their radio broadcast.

Demand proved impressive, and Beethoven's Symphony number 9 was the most downloaded of the collection. Many people may be familiar with the Ninth Symphony already, as it has been part of several movie scores and Olympic ceremonies.

"This download experiment began as an added extra to our Beethoven Experience, and quickly took on a life of its own," said BBC Radio 3 controller Roger Wright.

These particular performances won't be offered again for downloading, though. But Beethoven's impact on modern music continues. The standard compact disc, which replaced vinyl as the medium of choice for music, may be what it is today thanks to the classical music training of the CD project leader, then-Sony VP Norio Ohga.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.