Which 1999 David Bowie album was the first full-length album by a major artist available as a download? Hours. Released online ahead of its physical edition, Hours became a landmark in the transition from CDs to internet-based music distribution.
Bowie made the album available as a complete download in September 1999, while the UK physical release followed on October 4. At the time, established retailers reportedly objected to the experiment, but Bowie’s decision anticipated the way listeners would later buy and stream entire albums online.
The album grew partly out of music Bowie and guitarist Reeves Gabrels created for the video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul. Its sound was more reflective and song-oriented than the aggressive industrial rock of 1.Outside and Earthling. “Thursday’s Child” became its best-known single, while the album’s cover showed Bowie cradling an older version of himself—a visual meditation on aging and identity.
The title is commonly styled as “hours…” with an ellipsis, though “Hours” is the standard short form used in quiz answers.