Question on Listening to Classical Music Online

[monafam]

If this is not appropriate for this forum, please let me know.   Also, please feel free to reply to my inbox.

While there are lots of ways to listen to classical music online, I'm looking at something where I can pick and choose full tracks to listen to.   I previously had a subscription to classical.com, I actually liked it to an extend, but it was one of those things that we needed to cut out of the budget.

Now I'm considering doing something like that again.  I noticed a classicalarchive.com, which seemed alright, but I'm just not sure.   Does anyone have any suggestions/recommendations? 

Thank you!

[MN Dave]

Your local library may have online access to classical tracks or perhaps you'd like to subscribe to the massive Naxos library.

http://www.naxos.com/

[Keemun]

Depending on where you live, you might have access to Spotify or Grooveshark.  I live in the U.S. and don't have access to Spotify, but I do listen to Grooveshark.  It's not the best interface for finding classical music, but it's free.  I'm not sure it it's available outside the U.S.

[Lethevich]

Last.fm has a fair amount of full classical tracks, generally from Naxos. I think you need to sign up to stream the full ones, but it's free. It's hit or miss which composers are well-represented, but Bax, for eg, has a lot. One flaw in this system is that they have uploaded movements from symphonies with generic titles like "Lento molto espressivo", so it's only much good for titled symphonic poems

http://www.last.fm/music/Arnold+Bax/+tracks

Edit: I just noticed something neat. I use JDownloader (another free app) to manage my http downloads, and with sites like Youtube it offers options to download videos, but in copying that URL I notice it also has a Last.fm ripping option, meaning that you can extract the mp3s on any Last.fm page with it, if you wish to listen on an mp3 player or whatever.

[Opus106]

[JDownloader] has a Last.fm ripping option, meaning that you can extract the mp3s on any Last.fm page with it, if you wish to listen on an mp3 player or whatever.

Audacity can do that to virtually every Internet stream.

[monafam]

Thanks for the suggestions thus far.  I've checked out Grooveshark (limited to non-classical for now) and I like it...looking forward to checking out the other things as well!

[Sef]

For $20 (or Euros) the naxos subscription is good value. I also had a trial of the Naxos Music Library, www.naxosmusiclibrary.com for a month. Better quality, huge catalogue from various labels, iPhone app to listen to it anywhere! Very impressed. $150 per year was a bit steep for me though. Libraries and educational establishments may have group memberships.

[Franco]

A couple of free streaming sites:

Pandora has a Classical library

And for something geared towards 20th & 21st century music, the Contemporary Classical Internet Radio.

[oabmarcus]

pay the money and subscribe to:
www.naxosmusiclibrary.com

you don't need anything else, trust me

[offbeat]

A couple of free streaming sites:

Pandora has a Classical library

And for something geared towards 20th & 21st century music, the Contemporary Classical Internet Radio.

yes Contemporary Classical is excellent - have heard lots of new music and composers since discovering this station

[Bulldog]

For $20 (or Euros) the naxos subscription is good value. I also had a trial of the Naxos Music Library, www.naxosmusiclibrary.com for a month. Better quality, huge catalogue from various labels, iPhone app to listen to it anywhere! Very impressed. $150 per year was a bit steep for me though. Libraries and educational establishments may have group memberships.

You can always subscribe monthly - reduces the hurt.

[imperfection]

A couple of free streaming sites:

Pandora has a Classical library

And for something geared towards 20th & 21st century music, the Contemporary Classical Internet Radio.

Note: you do need to be from the U.S. to use Pandora.