Comments on: Classical music in an MP3ifying world http://classicalconvert.com/2007/09/classical-music-in-an-mp3ifying-world/ A beginners guide to classical music, by someone who switched at 23 Sat, 21 Apr 2012 23:06:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: JonJ http://classicalconvert.com/2007/09/classical-music-in-an-mp3ifying-world/comment-page-1/#comment-1404 JonJ Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:40:11 +0000 http://classicalconvert.com/2007/09/classical-music-in-an-mp3ifying-world/#comment-1404 True, the iTunes pricing policies for classical music are absolutely inscrutable (to me, at least), but considering the convenience of instant gratification (which I indulge in rather too frequently, I'm afraid), the prices aren't bad. On the matter of sound quality, as I commented a while ago, the only way to get really good quality is to hear music live, but even the iTunes m4p's (not mp3's) sound reasonably good to me, given a good amplifier and speakers or headphones to push them through. But this is a subject of religious fanaticism that I refuse to get into an argument about. (When I was a kid, I listened to my mother's 78s, so compared to them I'm certainly not complaining about today's digital quality!) Even cheaper music is available electronically, of course, by recording from radio with Audio Hijack or a similar application. I have done this for years with various tape recorders, but now that I can do it digitally, using a lossless codec, I am a very happy camper. Before long, though, I'll have to get a bigger external disk to hold all the stuff. True, the iTunes pricing policies for classical music are absolutely inscrutable (to me, at least), but considering the convenience of instant gratification (which I indulge in rather too frequently, I’m afraid), the prices aren’t bad.

On the matter of sound quality, as I commented a while ago, the only way to get really good quality is to hear music live, but even the iTunes m4p’s (not mp3′s) sound reasonably good to me, given a good amplifier and speakers or headphones to push them through. But this is a subject of religious fanaticism that I refuse to get into an argument about. (When I was a kid, I listened to my mother’s 78s, so compared to them I’m certainly not complaining about today’s digital quality!)

Even cheaper music is available electronically, of course, by recording from radio with Audio Hijack or a similar application. I have done this for years with various tape recorders, but now that I can do it digitally, using a lossless codec, I am a very happy camper. Before long, though, I’ll have to get a bigger external disk to hold all the stuff.

]]> By: wahoofive http://classicalconvert.com/2007/09/classical-music-in-an-mp3ifying-world/comment-page-1/#comment-1403 wahoofive Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:57:02 +0000 http://classicalconvert.com/2007/09/classical-music-in-an-mp3ifying-world/#comment-1403 There's also the "song" concept which is ingrained in the download sales industry. iTunes has papered over this in the case of art-rock bands like Yes and Pink Floyd by having long tracks be "album-only" purchases, but the movements of a symphony don't lend themselves either to per-song or per-album pricing, because they vary so much in length; the same goes for choral works, chamber music, and so on. The logical solution might be to sell classical music on a per-minute pricing scheme, but that isn't likely to catch on anytime soon with Apple or other online music retailers. There’s also the “song” concept which is ingrained in the download sales industry. iTunes has papered over this in the case of art-rock bands like Yes and Pink Floyd by having long tracks be “album-only” purchases, but the movements of a symphony don’t lend themselves either to per-song or per-album pricing, because they vary so much in length; the same goes for choral works, chamber music, and so on.

The logical solution might be to sell classical music on a per-minute pricing scheme, but that isn’t likely to catch on anytime soon with Apple or other online music retailers.

]]>