Seattle rockers Pearl Jam [ tickets ] will debut a new live "bootleg" program following their sold-out Sept. 1 concert at Washington state's Gorge Amphitheater, making high-quality digital downloads of their performances available online hours after the show ends.

According to a statement issued by the group, the downloads will be available for "most" of the band's 2005 dates, and will include unique downloadable artwork and a slideshow specific to each show.

Each show will be mixed on the fly by Brett Eliason, Pearl Jam's longtime engineer. Eliason's company, Basecamp Productions, developed the software that delivers and manages the downloads, according to the statement. Downloads will be priced at $9.99 per show.

Pearl Jam launched an official bootleg-CD program during its 2000 world tour, and the group claims that more than 3 million CDs have been sold to date under the program.

"The concept for the bootlegs has always been about providing high quality recordings of our shows at an affordable price for the fans who collect them," Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis said in a press release. "A lot of the band's fans want to own a copy of the live show they saw in their hometown, or a particularly standout show they hear about from other fans. Making the bootlegs available in digital form is just a natural evolution for the bootleg CD program, and a response to more and more fans turning to the web to buy their music."

The downloads will not be encrypted with Digital Rights Management (DRM), allowing fans to burn them to CDs, a computer, MP3 player or iPod. The band's Ten Club fan club will manage the program.

"The decision to exclude the DRM is unprecedented for a band of this size, but it's consistent with the band's sensibilities," said Ten Club manager Tim Bierman. "We want to make it as hassle-free as possible for someone to listen to a show they've downloaded regardless of what music-playing device they use."

Pearl Jam takes to the road Aug. 29 for more than a month of tour dates that focus on Canada. Several U.S. shows are planned as well, including an opening set for The Rolling Stones in Pittsburgh, PA.

As previously reported, the quintet is expected to debut songs from its next studio album during the trek. The band has been in the studio working on a follow-up to 2002's "Riot Act." No release date has been set.