BIS Records taken over by Apple

[71 dB]

If BIS continued releasing CDs and SACDs under Apple, those discs should be called Apple pies.

[Spotted Horses]

Apple has lossless audio.

I use Apple Music and listen to lossless audio. But lossless is only available on the streaming service. You can't buy a lossless track, which you can listen to on any device and have access to without subscribing to the streaming service. If you buy a track from Apple (i.e., the iTunes model) it is MP3 (or whatever they call their version of the format).

[Madiel]

I use Apple Music and listen to lossless audio. But lossless is only available on the streaming service. You can't buy a lossless track, which you can listen to on any device and have access to without subscribing to the streaming service. If you buy a track from Apple (i.e., the iTunes model) it is MP3 (or whatever they call their version of the format).

AAC is not merely a version of mp3. It is a different format (and generally regarded a better quality one). But you are correct it isn't lossless, and you cannot buy lossless.

[Roasted Swan]

I use Apple Music and listen to lossless audio. But lossless is only available on the streaming service. You can't buy a lossless track, which you can listen to on any device and have access to without subscribing to the streaming service. If you buy a track from Apple (i.e., the iTunes model) it is MP3 (or whatever they call their version of the format).

Which implies that Apple (and I am sure they are not alone in this) are nudging folk who interact with their platform towards a subscriber model.  Of course it makes sense for them to get regular - albeit quite modest - payments from their 'membership'.  A one-off payment with no residual income is by definition less apealing to the business in question.  But that does not augur well for those who want to access/own lossless BIS (and any other label from that platform) recordings.

[Spotted Horses]

Which implies that Apple (and I am sure they are not alone in this) are nudging folk who interact with their platform towards a subscriber model.  Of course it makes sense for them to get regular - albeit quite modest - payments from their 'membership'.  A one-off payment with no residual income is by definition less apealing to the business in question.  But that does not augur well for those who want to access/own lossless BIS (and any other label from that platform) recordings.

Yes, it is quite obvious that "iTunes" is a legacy service and that they are trying to funnel iTunes users into Apple Music subscriptions (rather than have them decamp to Spotify, etc). The ploy of making lossless available only on Apple Music is only the latest thing. I noticed that when Apple Music was released they made it increasingly difficult to buy a track, forcing you to find a non-obvious link into the track-buying system.

[San Antone]

I use Apple Music and listen to lossless audio. But lossless is only available on the streaming service. You can't buy a lossless track, which you can listen to on any device and have access to without subscribing to the streaming service. If you buy a track from Apple (i.e., the iTunes model) it is MP3 (or whatever they call their version of the format).

I guess that's true, but I forgot the last time I bought something from Apple.  I have an old iTunes collection of about 200k "songs", of variable quality audio.  I no longer have the entire library on my hard drive, but import stuff as I want to.  Most of it is 256 or higher mp3 (which is about the best audio my 71 year old ears can discern).

I also subscribe to their streaming service as well as Spotify premium.  Between the two I find everything else I want to hear.

YMMV - 

[Spotted Horses]

I guess that's true, but I forgot the last time I bought something from Apple.  I have an old iTunes collection of about 200k "songs", of variable quality audio.  I no longer have the entire library on my hard drive, but import stuff as I want to.  Most of it is 256 or higher mp3 (which is about the best audio my 71 year old ears can discern).

I also subscribe to their streaming service as well as Spotify premium.  Between the two I find everything else I want to hear.

YMMV - 

I ripped my nonclassical CDs to MP3 (using iTunes) and have added a few iTunes albums to that. My classical CDs are ripped to FLAC, so I no longer spin discs. I've more or less converted to steaming for non-classical, but even though I've been streaming classical as well it still doesn't sit well with me that something really important to me is only available to me on a streaming service. Now there are exhaustive audio streaming services, but it doesn't seem inconceivable to the business model could shift to something like video streaming, where there are no exhaustive services and you have to subscribe to multiple streaming services where their own content is streamed (HBO, Disney, etc).

[DavidW]

Now there are exhaustive audio streaming services, but it doesn't seem inconceivable to the business model could shift to something like video streaming, where there are no exhaustive services and you have to subscribe to multiple streaming services where their own content is streamed (HBO, Disney, etc).

I think it is too late for record labels to do that.  Publishers tried to do that with ebooks but it was too little too late by the time they tried because Kindle had established a monopoly.  I think the same would happen with record labels.  They would absolutely kill their revenue stream if they withdrew from Spotify.

[Madiel]

There are parts of the world where Spotify is not king.

Unfortunately, for some reason the USA as the biggest market went all in with Spotify. As did Australia.

But personally I will stick with Deezer as long as it's around.

[71 dB]

Great news!

Dear Customer

We are thrilled to announce the much-awaited return of our online CD store!
After a brief hiatus, we are back and better than ever, ready to bring your
favorite music directly to your doorstep.

https://bis.eclassical.com

[Brian]

eClassical sends emails to its customers with every new BIS release. Before the sale, these were written by Robert von Bahr personally, with his own judgment of the music included - which was not always positive! He was very honest but also very proud of his musicians and producers.

That has changed. I kind of suspect that the very generic descriptions are now being written by ChatGPT.

[Todd]

I kind of suspect that the very generic descriptions are now being written by ChatGPT.

Better that than Copilot.

[71 dB]

That has changed.

Well, Didn't RvB retire? Do you expect him to write these emails from his grave too?

[Spotted Horses]

Well, Didn't RvB retire? Do you expect him to write these emails from his grave too?

Based on the email he wrote announcing the sale of Apple, he remains involved.

However, it is clear that BIS won't be BIS when RvB is no longer there, Apple or no Apple.

[Todd]

Based on the email he wrote announcing the sale of Apple, he remains involved.

Unless someone here directly works with what used to be BIS or the subdivision of Apple Music that manages it, no one knows what the involvement entails.  Typically, gigantic corporations like Apple keep people like Robert von Bahr on for high level activities and remove them from day-to-day operations immediately.  The companies then entirely phase such people out quickly.  Apple may be different, but that seems unlikely.  (It is not Berkshire Hathaway.)  I base this on my experience having worked at smaller companies that were bought by large companies, as well as hundreds of similar stories published in the business press over the decades. 

[dhibbard]

I hope they don't do what Warner did to Finlandia.... terrible

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I hope they don't do what Warner did to Finlandia.... terrible

What happened there?

PD

[dhibbard]

essentially, they discontinued the catalog other than Sibelius works..

[Pohjolas Daughter]

essentially, they discontinued the catalog other than Sibelius works..

So, I guess that the moral of the story is buy those old Finlandia discs when you come across them.

PD

[Pohjolas Daughter]

essentially, they discontinued the catalog other than Sibelius works..

Perhaps the will make them available via download and/or streaming?

PD