Spotify - a good or a not so good thing?

[Dave2002]

Here is an appraisal of Spotify 10 years after its launch - https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...ate-or-despair

The article addresses mainly pop music, but there could be a discussion about other genres. Discussion doesn’t have to be linked only to Spotify though - there are other services, and all which are still viable, and a few which may have passed on, will have changed the way recorded music is listened to.

[muzzer]

They pay the artists zip, and have done deals at a macro level with the labels where only the biz profits. I refuse to engage.

[PJPJ]

They pay the artists zip, and have done deals at a macro level with the labels where only the biz profits. I refuse to engage.

... and nor do Hyperion, for example.

[Dave2002]

I keep meeting people in my age range who say they’ve got rid of all their CDs and DVDs, and people who say that ”all the young people - sons, daughters, grand children” just stream or perhaps download everything. I have a relatively large CD collection (probably over 5k at last count) and although I stream some music for convenience, I find that the quality of CDs is significantly better generally. Also, even if the streaming audio is OK, there can still be buffering issues - even on high speed Internet. On a good day we get around 70 Mbps, being very close to an exchange, but that still doesn’t prevent buffering at the server end, with adverse effects re the listening.

I accept that studio quality masters often available as downloads may give better quality than CDs, but relatively few people use those.

Lastly performances can become unavailable via streaming. I was surprised last night when I trawled through all my old Amazon purchases looking for a specific electrical item which I thought I’d bought, when I found evidence of an old download - with a comment “unavailable, due to non payment”. I don’t think the non payment was mine. It was I think Klemperer’s recording of Mahler 2 - and I have several copies of it on CD anyway. Maybe the MP3 version (Autorip?) has become unavailable due to contractual issues between Amazon and the copyright holder or supplier.

[BBMmk2]

I find Spotify a very useful resource, especially nowadays!

[waldo]

......although I stream some music for convenience, I find that the quality of CDs is significantly better generally. Also, even if the streaming audio is OK, there can still be buffering issues - even on high speed Internet. On a good day we get around 70 Mbps, being very close to an exchange, but that still doesn’t prevent buffering at the server end, with adverse effects re the listening........

I have a very slow internet connection (cheapest package possible in semi-rural South Wales) and have never had spotify "buffer" once.......I sometimes use my phone, sometimes my laptop, and it always works fine. Always. Strange that yours has problems.

As for quality, I wonder if you have adjusted the spotify settings. You don't automatically get a good quality file - you get a lousy one. You have to go into settings and raise the quality to the maximum level, which is 320kbs. I have done this for family members who were disappointed with spotify - the result is always pleasing. CD is surely not "significantly better" than 320..........

[Dave2002]

I have a very slow internet connection (cheapest package possible in semi-rural South Wales) and have never had spotify "buffer" once.......I sometimes use my phone, sometimes my laptop, and it always works fine. Always. Strange that yours has problems.

As for quality, I wonder if you have adjusted the spotify settings. You don't automatically get a good quality file - you get a lousy one. You have to go into settings and raise the quality to the maximum level, which is 320kbs. I have done this for family members who were disappointed with spotify - the result is always pleasing. CD is surely not "significantly better" than 320..........

I didn’t specify Spotify. I largely gave up using Spotify years ago as I suspected (strongly) it was having a bad effect on my system. I was merely pointing out possible problems with streaming which can and do occur, and have occurred recently with several sources - e.g.iPlayer.

Has Spotify changed? I can’t remember. One used to have to have a premium subscription to get higher bit rates. It’s not only bit rates that matter either - some streaming services do the conversion to digital compressed formats rather poorly.
Some just use poor quality “masters”.

It’s not strange that I sometimes find buffering problems. You are committing a fallacy of assuming that because you don’t experience or notice problems everyone else will be fine. Your generalisation is unsound. Nor do I have a sign on my head which says “give this guy problems...”.

[waldo]

I didn’t specify Spotify. I largely gave up using Spotify years ago as I suspected (strongly) it was having a bad effect on my system. I was merely pointing out possible problems with streaming which can and do occur, and have occurred recently with several sources - e.g.iPlayer.

Your generalisation is unsound. Nor do I have a sign on my head which says “give this guy problems...”.

Dear Lord! Are you giving me a lesson in logic? I was just trying to he helpful. Perhaps I should have been more careful with my phrasing etc. Even so.......is this what internet forums do to people??? I wouldn't speak to my sworn enemies in this fashion.

[richardfinegold]

As BBM says, I have found streaming useful, mainly for being able to pull up given recordings immediately. SQ isn’t quite equal to CD yet, although I am waiting to see what Quobuz will bring to the party if it ever becomes available in the States.
If I like a recording enough after auditioning it by streaming, then I buy it, so the artists aren’t losing out on me, but they are with the younger generation

[Dave2002]

I wouldn't speak to my sworn enemies in this fashion.

OK. I'm sorry. You are not one of my sworn enemies. Can we forget that?

[teamsaint]

As BBM says, I have found streaming useful, mainly for being able to pull up given recordings immediately. SQ isn’t quite equal to CD yet, although I am waiting to see what Quobuz will bring to the party if it ever becomes available in the States.
If I like a recording enough after auditioning it by streaming, then I buy it, so the artists aren’t losing out on me, but they are with the younger generation

http://fortune.com/2017/11/13/young-adults-are-buying-more-vinyl-than-boomers/

Young people are finding their way to physical media. London bookshops are full of young people.

Physical books have survived the ebook revolution and sales remain solid, and physical music will too, IMO.

Streaming is part of the mix now, but stuff remains popular. You can't sign a download, and who really wants a download as a gift ?

[Old Grumpy]

http://fortune.com/2017/11/13/young-...-than-boomers/

Young people are finding their way to physical media. London bookshops are full of young people.

Physical books have survived the ebook revolution and sales remain solid, and physical music will too, IMO.

Streaming is part of the mix now, but stuff remains popular. You can't sign a download, and who really wants a download as a gift ?

Agree. Love books, love CDs. Not keen to revert to vinyl (this has been discussed elsewhere). Spotify has its uses - primarily to find particular music and try before buying the physical form (or not). I can't see the attraction of e-readers, except for space purposes when travelling etc.

OG

[Richard Barrett]

I can't see the attraction of e-readers, except for space purposes when travelling etc.

Space purposes when travelling can be an extremely important factor! As indeed can the possibility of reading in bed without keeping a light on. And for that matter being able to order a book at 3am when you've just finished the previous one, and have it arrive immediately. (Yes, I have actually done that.) On the other hand, if you sometimes need to have a number of books open on your desk at the same time an e-reader isn't much good. Going back to the subject at hand, though, there are no such downsides to streaming music. I think this makes a difference. Music is and always has been "immaterial" in a way that books aren't.

Regarding Muzzer's point about the financial aspect of streaming: although it is a lot easier and cheaper than it used to be to make high quality studio recordings, the lack of revenue from the sale of physical sound carriers more than offsets this, I'm fairly sure. Since there's no putting the genie back in the bottle, I guess we are all going to have to get used to this situation. Of course it means (as in plenty of other walks of life) that economic privilege is going to become an even more important factor than it already is, in terms of what and who gets recorded. I'm not sure what the answer to this might be. I'm not talking about artists (like for example myself) making more or less cash from recordings, but whether one is actually in a position to make those recordings in the first place.

[Jonathan]

I'm on Spotify premium, I'm very happy with it. I'm happy to use it when doing the washing up and for investigating recordings I might like to buy! It's been terribly useful especially recently when I've not been working so unable to buy anything new.

[teamsaint]

I'm not talking about artists (like for example myself) making more or less cash from recordings, but whether one is actually in a position to make those recordings in the first place.

Just to develop this point, part of the challenge in this content rich world is how to get your recording or music in fromt of people in very crowded market places, and that is where the marketing people and their relationship with the mass media still hold a very traditional kind of sway.
Places which offer mass market access, In Tune for example, are I suspect still populated by those with big record company marketing clout. We see this in publishing. There must be a secret corridor or something between publishers like Bloomsbury and the Guardian, since the Graun seems to review any old stuff that they throw out, and ignore much more appropriate ( and possibly more interesting) material from, well, other smaller publishers. Fortunately, as a senior buyer told me, in sales terms , Guardian reviews are irrelevant !

Publishing a good book , or recording a great CD ( much cheaper and easier than punk bands ever dreamed of) is one thing......