Spotify - high quality, legal, free, streaming music.

[Ataraxia]

The itunes $10 per album pricing is really inflexible. 

You should look into google music, it's insanely cheap like wow!  They have albums for a quarter and prices that would make amazon blush for being so cheap.

https://play.google.com/music/listen#start_pl

What is that?  A streaming service or a dig. file store? It won't allow me to poke around until I agree to their terms.

[DavidW]

What is that?  A streaming service or a dig. file store? It won't allow me to poke around until I agree to their terms.

It works like amazon and itunes-- store + cloud.  They make it sound like streaming, but it's just samples + integration with google+ (where you can post what you listen to just like you can with spotify+facebook).

[Ataraxia]

Ah, thanks.

Well, to give an Amazon example where the download is cheaper, last night I downloaded this album instead of buying a CD and you can see why right here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MGB1SC/ref=dm_dp_cdp?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1331484518&sr=1-2

[DavidW]

Yeah I love it when the cd goes oop but amazon continues to offer the mp3s at a decent price.  I saw that the other day with the Italiano set of Mozart string quartets.

[Ataraxia]

The mp3 is $75 and Amazon does not offer a CD but a MP seller does for $25.

Yeah, in a situation like that I'll definitely go with the marketplace CD if the seller's ratings are decent.

[nesf]

The itunes $10 per album pricing is really inflexible. 

You should look into google music, it's insanely cheap like wow!  They have albums for a quarter and prices that would make amazon blush for being so cheap.

https://play.google.com/music/listen#start_pl

Not available outside of the US.

[rickardg]

[...]
And again the result is lack of detail, lack of sparkle and oomph.  It sounds less detailed and lively... but it doesn't sound noisy.

[...]

Now if you want to develop a discerning ear, stop listening to 320k mp3 and pretending that it sounds bad (it sounds great and nobody has ears good enough to distinguish between 320k and flac).  Start listening to really low bitrate mp3s and work your way up.  I really think that when people talk about mp3s sounding noisy they are just picking up the noise floor on their crappy phone.

A few year ago I did a A/B/X-test with different bitrate AAC files compared to CD-quality FLAC using decent in-ear headphone (Ultimate Ears Studio-Fi 5, IIRC). It turned I could easily identify the 128-kbps files, the software told me it was statistically significant after 5 or 7 tests, I didn't make a single mistake.

Using 256 kbps I had a hit rate somewhere around 60% (ie only slightly better than guessing), I probably could have made it statistically significant, but I didn't have the patience and quit after 15 or so tests. I didn't try 320 kbps but I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

However, I had to concentrate and actively listen for the lack of oomph and sparkle, I don't think I'd really be bothered by 128 kbps files. I guess if you 'know' how it's supposed to sound the brain fills in some of the detail.

The result? Now I usually download 24-bit audiophile FLAC from eclassical even though I'm pretty sure I won't ever be able to hear the difference. What the heck, neither money nor disk space is a limiting factor for me (listening time is), eclassical and the labels can use the money and I might get some placebo gain in sound quality.

On topic:
Spotify is good, it would be great if the tagging was better for classical.

[Holden]

Another way that mp3 compression works is by filtering out high frequency (treble) and low frequency (deep bass) because our ears are much less sensitive to those ranges as compared to mid range, and we are less likely to miss it.  And again the result is lack of detail, lack of sparkle and oomph.  It sounds less detailed and lively... but it doesn't sound noisy.

This is interesting to me. I have been listening to Deadmau5 on Spotify for a while and decided to buy their "Album Title Goes Here" CD so I could download it to my PC and also my MP3 player. I immediately made a high res 320 kbps (not variable rate) copy and also a FLAC copy. I listend to all four as a comparison.

Some Deadmau5 tracks have some truly deep and clear bass lines and I noticed that on both the CD and FLAC tracks that this seemed to be a bit more enhanced than the Spotify and MP3 tracks. All other aspects of the sound spectrum sounded exactly the same. I tried the same test using a Steely Dan CD and could hear no difference anywhere in the spectrum as they don't go as low as Daedmau5.

So it appears that this compression could be slightly (and I mean very slightly) discernible at top and bottom levels. I think my ears are too old to hear those extremely high notes as clearly as I should yet my hearing range starts at about 18 - 19 Hz at the bottom end. Others with younger ears and more ability to hear the top end might notice the same with a recording that goes that high though it would probably take an electronic instrument to produce it.

Finally, I also listen to NML and it sounds duller than Spotify to my ears. I only use the 'Standard' sound quality choice as I think that to get premium quality that Naxos is too expensive.

Well, I did it, I cancelled my Spotify subscription.

This comes after being pretty happy with the service until about a month ago when a series of "upgrades" were installed.  After the first upgrade the service became very slow and with each successive upgrade I kept hoping that they would correct the flaw and get it back to where it had been.  Never happened.  It got so that each mouse click was taking several seconds, and this was the case no matter what computer I used or the kind of Internet connection, including a T1.

So I added Naxos Music Library and kept MOG for jazz and pop.   While it is more money, NML is an excellent service and well worth the cost.

I cannot understand what is going on with Spotify.

I don't have this issue but I used to. Mine was from my ISP provider and they have now rectified it.

[bigshot]

Most streaming services use MP4, not MP3. MP4 above 192 doesn't filter any audible bass, and the treble is filtered above 18kHz which, if you can hear it at all, consists entirely of harmonics on cymbal crashes that are masked by fundamentals and lower harmonics. In short, it doesn't filter anything audible.

There is no reason to use Frauenhofer MP3 any more. LAME MP3 and AAC (MP4) are much better.

[Sammy]

Finally, I also listen to NML and it sounds duller than Spotify to my ears. I only use the 'Standard' sound quality choice as I think that to get premium quality that Naxos is too expensive.

I don't consider that standard sound choice adequate at all, so I gladly pay for the premium quality.

[Johnll]

As best as I can tell NML premium is only 128kbps and runs through Adobe Flash. You might as well be listening to you tube in terms of sound quality. MOG is 320 kbps and the desktop version is their own software which is a lot better than the streaming MOG that used Flash. MOGs sound quality is still better than Spotify desktop version per a recent comparison by me. I spend more time hanging out on diy audio boards than I do on GMC and I do not know anyone who thinks differently on this issue. Try the trial version of each and decide for yourself.

There is certainly trouble in MOG land from difficult searches to disappearing albums and I would be happy to pay more if they got their act together but....

[Sammy]

The main problem I have with NML is that US subscribers do not get access to the historical recordings, which is  significant part of their catalog.

Yes, that definitely sucks.

Back to the sound quality.  I have my own standards, and NML premium meets them.

[Wakefield]

Yes, that definitely sucks.

Back to the sound quality.  I have my own standards, and NML premium meets them.

I was a member of the NML for several years, but I slowly began to feel that their prices were a bit expropriatory. That said, Spotify and Deezer are placed a million miles behind NML's sound quality.

[Holden]

I was a member of the NML for several years, but I slowly began to feel that their prices were a bit expropriatory. That said, Spotify and Deezer are placed a million miles behind NML's sound quality.

Quote from NMLs website

Sound Quality

Recordings are streamed in near-CD quality (64 kbps). Streaming in CD quality (128 kbps) is also available at a premium.

[/i][/b]

128 kbps seems very low to me unless they are using something other than MP3/4. If I understand things correctly, CD quality is 1411 kbps

[Johnll]

I just tried Naxos (free version which I am forced to assume is 64 KBPS since they do not specify) vs Mog and there is no comparison. PLEASE TRY IT FOR YOURSELF. If the assembled will allow me to talk out of the other side of my mouth, some people think lower resolution is even more enjoyable particularly if they have big dollar hardware. I suspect the truth is somewhere in between. This is the survey and so you cannot miss it those with a $6K plus systems loved 320 kbps music more than flac.http://archimago.blogspot.com/

[Mirror Image]

I signed up for Spotify last night and am really enjoying it so far. I don't listen to it that much as I have way too many recordings but it's a great way to listen to a recording before you buy it and their selection seems to be pretty decent. In terms of bitrate, Spotify's highest subscription runs on 320 kbps which is great. NML is just too expensive and I don't particularly care for their web layout. Spotify searches are easy and are based on album covers which is much more appealing than just the texts when you bring up the albums for a particular composer or musician.

[knight66]

The search engine on Spotify is far from reliable. You sometimes have to know exactly what you are looking for. If for instance you feed in an artist I usually can see that there are missing recording, so you have to then drill to pieces and possibly other musicians on the same disc to find it.

It has reduced the amount i buy and i have also avoided a number of duds that i would otherwise have wasted money on.

Mike

[Tsaraslondon]

The search engine on Spotify is far from reliable. You sometimes have to know exactly what you are looking for. If for instance you feed in an artist I usually can see that there are missing recording, so you have to then drill to pieces and possibly other musicians on the same disc to find it.

It has reduced the amount i buy and i have also avoided a number of duds that i would otherwise have wasted money on.

Mike

Absolutely true.

Like most of these things, it is geared up for the pop market, and it is very evident that whoever has input the data knows absolutely nothing about classical music (for instance the comprimario singer brought in to sing a minor role on a star's recital disc will often be listed as the main performer).

That said, like you, I have found it an invaluable resource. I've been able to listen to recordings I was curious about but never got round to buying. In most cases, I'll be glad I spared myself the expense. It's like having a vast library of recordings at one's fingertips. As in a real library, you might have to dig around a bit, and items may not have been filed where you expected to find them, but a bit of rummaging will get you there.

[Madiel]

Almost all the 'top tracks' for Samuel Barber are from the Barber of Seville.

I'm not kidding.

EDIT: It's worth noting that they make errors in popular music as well. I've spotted a few in my limited use. And one of THE most frustrating things about the system is that there is absolutely no way of communicating with them at all to point these errors out. They seem to presume that the copyright owners will do that, which is a massive presumption for anything other than brand spanking new pop releases, and even then it's somewhat doubtful.

Contrast that with classicalarchives, who not only make it very easy to contact them about errors such as wrong links between pieces and descriptions, but have directly replied to me on the occasions I've raised an error, thanked me and quickly fixed the mistake.

[MishaK]

Fun things also with album covers. The Haitink Bruckner 5 with BRSO shows instead the album cover for Naxos' "My First Classical Album".