The Classical Download Thread

[Mark]

Like it or not, the music industry is focusing its efforts more and more on the distribution and sale of digitally compressed (and, in some cases, uncompressed) music. Or ‘downloads’, to use common parlance. As broadband speeds increase and computer hard drives become larger - and as familiarity with new technologies becomes steadily more demographically widespread – we’re entering a new musical age: one that will undoubtedly benefit the classical music industry in particular.

This thread is intended as a place to discuss downloads, the technologies involved, and where to get the best or most interesting deals. What follows is a brief summary of this thread (now eight pages long), including links that will help new and experienced users of downloads to get more out of this new way of buying and enjoying music.

PLACES TO BUY DOWNLOADS

iTunes Music Store

For iPod users who have the iTunes software installed on their computers, iTunes Music Store is a seamless and simple way to buy and download music from a selection of tracks that runs into the millions. Be advised, however, that you MUST own an iPod if you want to transfer the music bought at iTunes onto a portable device. Music downloaded from this site comes in AAC and Apple Lossless formats, both of which place restrictions on what you can do subsequently with the tracks you’ve bought.

eMusic

eMusic is fast-becoming the biggest challenger to iTunes Music Store is terms of sales and popularity. All music downloaded from this site is in the universally accepted MP3 format, contains NO Digital Rights Management (DRM) – so you can do what you like with the tracks you buy – and is of high enough quality for PC or portable device listening purposes. Be advised that you need to sign up for a subscription package to use this site, but you can cancel this at any time.

eClassical

This classical-only download store also sells tracks in MP3 Format, but works with just four independent labels. However, buying from here is extremely simple, particularly if you have PayPal: you can purchase and download music without a subscription, and you don’t even have to register.

TO BE CONTINUED …


EDIT: June 18th - I'm in the process of revising the start of this thread to make it more useful to those unfamiliar with the business of downloading and its attendent technologies.

[Bonehelm]

You do know it can cost you as little as nothing when you're downloading music online right 

ask MahlerTitan or Manuel, those two are the gods of free music downloading.

[Steve]

Mark,

I just finished listening to that Bax Naxos Disk. The quality was consistently excellent across the symphonies. Do you reccomend anymore Bax Naxos disks?

[techniquest]

I have downloaded a load of not-released-on-CD music and performances by joining 'Classical Music Archives'. It's been great - I have discovered music I have never heard before, even if some of the live recordings are a little unpolished.
http://www.classicalarchives.com/

[mahlertitan]

i don't think i can post all the music i downloaded, people might get too jealous....

[Harry]

Mark,

I just finished listening to that Bax Naxos Disk. The quality was consistently excellent across the symphonies. Do you reccomend anymore Bax Naxos disks?

Steve, since Mark is caring for his wife, let me fill you in on the Bax.
I have them all, and the quality is high, infact they are must haves.

[Steve]

Steve, since Mark is caring for his wife, let me fill you in on the Bax.
I have them all, and the quality is high, infact they are must haves.

That's all I needed Harry. Thanks. 

[orbital]

From what I read, Amazon will start offering downloads this summer, and the pilot program will start with their classical selection. They already have deals with EMI (and I think Universal). It remains to be seen if OOP catalogues will be released digitially as well 

[Mozart]

I downloaded a Mozart PC set, the soloist is Ashkenazy. It is terrible. Right now I'm downloading some of Bachs organ works, but it could take all night.

[Scriptavolant]

Download music? What a shame, I would never do that!












I've downloaded enough to fill up seven/eight 5GB Cds. And something from iTunes too (Malipiero symphonies, something else).
And I won't talk about my 40-50 DVD downloaded as well. And books, a lot of books. And softwares sometimes, but not very often.

[George]

I downloaded a Mozart PC set, the soloist is Ashkenazy. It is terrible.

You get what you pay for. 

[Mozart]

You get what you pay for. 

Thats one of those statements that people say that just isn't true like "you are what you eat". Im not sure do I look like farfalle with Florentine spinach pasta sauce and a gallon of water? If I do then Its not wonder why the girls aren't crazy for me. Too many calories...

[George]

Thats one of those statements that people say that just isn't true like "you are what you eat".

So you are what you don't eat?

[Mozart]

So you are what you don't eat?

Now, you aren't food. Your mainly water

[George]

Now, you aren't food. Your mainly water

True. That's why I drink the best water I can get. 

[marvinbrown]

We devote a lot of time on this forum to discussing CD releases - and sometimes, classics from the LP era. So how about a thread devoted to downloads? Yes, okay: most downloads are also available as CDs. That's not the point. Some of us are now buying as many (perhaps more?) downloads as/than CDs. This can be the place to discuss those purchases, and the sites from where they were bought.

I'll get things started by posting a selection of 'covers' from 'discs' I've downloaded from www.emusic.com since September last year. These are the highlights of my virtual collection so far ... my own ripped CDs notwithstanding.

  Mark...your advice would be appreciated here.... what do you play this downloaded music on- an ipod?.  I bought (downloaded) some cds from itunes onto my sister's ipod (she has an ipod photo 20GB) recently and I can hear gaps between the tracks.  Then I tried "burning" the downloaded music onto a cd and I could still hear gaps between the tracks when I played it on my cd player.  I must be doing something wrong??  With symphonies and operas these gaps at the end of tracks are so irritating I gave up and went back to buying cds.  Where did I go wrong?

  marvin

[Mark]

  Mark...your advice would be appreciated here.... what do you play this downloaded music on- an ipod?.  I bought (downloaded) some cds from itunes onto my sister's ipod (she has an ipod photo 20GB) recently and I can hear gaps between the tracks.  Then I tried "burning" the downloaded music onto a cd and I could still hear gaps between the tracks when I played it on my cd player.  I must be doing something wrong??  With symphonies and operas these gaps at the end of tracks are so irritating I gave up and went back to buying cds.  Where did I go wrong?

  marvin

Everything you need to know, Marvin, is right here: Gapless playback

[Mozart]

  Mark...your advice would be appreciated here.... what do you play this downloaded music on- an ipod?.  I bought (downloaded) some cds from itunes onto my sister's ipod (she has an ipod photo 20GB) recently and I can hear gaps between the tracks.  Then I tried "burning" the downloaded music onto a cd and I could still hear gaps between the tracks when I played it on my cd player.  I must be doing something wrong??  With symphonies and operas these gaps at the end of tracks are so irritating I gave up and went back to buying cds.  Where did I go wrong?

  marvin

Old men and technology, its a fun mix! Hehe Well I'm embarrassed to say I burned 3 cds with those gaps myself until I fixed the problem, a simple setting.

[The Mad Hatter]

Everything you need to know, Marvin, is right here: Gapless playback

Well, I'm glad they're doing something to remedy the problem.

Though if I have music that I need to run together, I just splice it together before I listen.

[Mark]

We've put men on the moon (allegedly ... ), but we can't be arsed to implement gapless playback of MP3s as standard.