Universal puts BBC tracks online

Some of Pulp's session tracks will be released online

Rare session tracks from the BBC's archives are to be released online as part of a deal with Universal Music.

The BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, signed a deal with Universal last year giving it access to thousands of unreleased performances.

The company says it will make songs by artists such as Pulp and Billy Fury available for download.

The deal is part of a plan by Universal to release about 100,000 currently unavailable tracks on the internet.

Around 3,000 recordings, including songs by Nirvana, Fairport Convention and Big Country, have already been released under the scheme.

There is a wealth of fantastic performances and interviews in the BBC archive Simon Danker BBC Worldwide

Some of the first releases from the BBC archive are included on a new version of The Orb's classic dance album, The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld.

Two John Peel Session tracks by the band can be downloaded by fans online even if they do not buy the rest of the album.

Archive

BBC Worldwide said it hoped to make more material from its catalogue of recordings available to record labels.

"There is a wealth of fantastic performances and interviews in the BBC archive," BBC Worldwide director of digital media Simon Danker said.

"The explosion in digital media means there are many opportunities to work with the music industry to bring these performances to new audiences."

The BBC archive contains about 400,000 hours of video and 300,000 hours of radio dating back to 1924.

It includes rare studio sessions and live concert performances from programmes such as John Peel, Top of the Pops and Parkinson.

Universal Music Group, the world's largest record company, is home to artists including U2, Mariah Carey and Elton John.