March 27, 2009

By By Andre Paine, London

The Black Sabbath back catalog will be available digitally for the first time in the U.K. from Monday (March 30).

Universal Music Catalogue U.K. said in a statement that 18 titles will be available from download retailers and on streaming partners including Spotify, We7 and Napster. Ringtones of classics "Paranoid," "War Pigs" and "Iron Man" will also be available as ringtones for the first time.

It will be the first time that the Black Sabbath catalog is available for digital download and streaming services outside of North America.

"The Black Sabbath catalog is one of the most iconic catalogs to be missing from the digital market," said Brian Rose, managing director, commercial division of Universal Music U.K., in a statement.

"We are delighted that from March 30, music fans will finally be able to download and stream Black Sabbath's music from our digital partners. This is a significant step for us, and will be happening alongside the physical release of 'Paranoid' as a deluxe edition, showing our commitment to providing music fans with the very best both physically and digitally."

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