Linn Records - a classical music label website that puts the 'big boys' to shame

[Guest]

1) Easy to browse
2) A fantastic amount of information is given about releases, including full reviews from magazines, newspapers and other websites, saving the user having to hunt them out.
3) Decent sound samples
4) Great choice of formats for downloaders (though this does lead to some silly prices e.g. €1.50 for all 0.07 seconds of Halt! Lass sehen from St. Matthew Passion.)

Bravo, Linn!

DG's site is better but no where near as crammed with info. But why can't a powerhouse like EMI do this? Their site is the absolute pits. Could it be because they don't really give a stuff about the end user/consumer?

[richardfinegold]

1) Easy to browse
2) A fantastic amount of information is given about releases, including full reviews from magazines, newspapers and other websites, saving the user having to hunt them out.
3) Decent sound samples
4) Great choice of formats for downloaders (though this does lead to some silly prices e.g. €1.50 for all 0.07 seconds of Halt! Lass sehen from St. Matthew Passion.)

Bravo, Linn!

DG's site is better but no where near as crammed with info. But why can't a powerhouse like EMI do this? Their site is the absolute pits. Could it be because they don't really give a stuff about the end user/consumer?

a lot of questions there. Not sure I have any answers but just speculation.
I have downloaded from the Linn site. All my downloads were High Resolution, and therefore the problems that I encountered i have also encountered with other High Resolution Download Sites, namely HDTracks. Having soured on Downloads, I prefer to order from the Linn site in SACD when the recording appeals to me.
Linn has a small amount of content. It consists of their in house label, Channel Classics, Chesky, and just a couple of others. EMI must have several thousand times more content and probably concluded that they were better off delegating a large amount of the work to the likes of Apple and Amazon.
I am sure that part of what would go into this calculation is the relatively small margins that EMI would make with Classical downloads vs popular music. As you may be aware, our "genre" represents only 2% of the market. One could see where a businessman that knows nothing about Classical would not think it worth his or her time to learn about the market, and if they did want to learn, they would probably be confused by the duplication in repertoire amongst so many artists. They probably have marketing data showing that many old farts like me that spend money on classical music don't like downloads and still want the silver or black discs, which would decrease their incentive to cater to our market.
Companies that have catered to our market have done well with downloads. Naxos is profitable. Linn and Chesky (HD Tracks) have done well. We Classical Music lovers recognize a quality product and we will ante up for quality. The so called majors (labels) of classical music stopped realizing this long ago and have tried to do gimmicky things such as crossover, or signing Paul McCartney or Billy Joel as classical artists, etc and have thumbed their nose at their core audience. They are reaping accordingly.

[Thropplenoggin]

a lot of questions there. Not sure I have any answers but just speculation.
I have downloaded from the Linn site. All my downloads were High Resolution, and therefore the problems that I encountered i have also encountered with other High Resolution Download Sites, namely HDTracks. Having soured on Downloads, I prefer to order from the Linn site in SACD when the recording appeals to me.
Linn has a small amount of content. It consists of their in house label, Channel Classics, Chesky, and just a couple of others. EMI must have several thousand times more content and probably concluded that they were better off delegating a large amount of the work to the likes of Apple and Amazon.
I am sure that part of what would go into this calculation is the relatively small margins that EMI would make with Classical downloads vs popular music. As you may be aware, our "genre" represents only 2% of the market. One could see where a businessman that knows nothing about Classical would not think it worth his or her time to learn about the market, and if they did want to learn, they would probably be confused by the duplication in repertoire amongst so many artists. They probably have marketing data showing that many old farts like me that spend money on classical music don't like downloads and still want the silver or black discs, which would decrease their incentive to cater to our market.
Companies that have catered to our market have done well with downloads. Naxos is profitable. Linn and Chesky (HD Tracks) have done well. We Classical Music lovers recognize a quality product and we will ante up for quality. The so called majors (labels) of classical music stopped realizing this long ago and have tried to do gimmicky things such as crossover, or signing Paul McCartney or Billy Joel as classical artists, etc and have thumbed their nose at their core audience. They are reaping accordingly.

Thanks for such a considered response. I enjoyed reading that.

[johnb]

My problem with Linn downloads is the pricing structure they use. For example, Ivan Fischer's recording of Mahler 4 (on the Channel Classics label) is available on both Linn's and Channel Classic's websites. The prices on each are:

Channel Classics
24/192 ... £15.85
24/96 ..... £13.47
24/44.1 ... £11.10

Linn
24/192 ... £18.00
24/96 ..... £18.00
16/44.1 ... £10.00

As you can see Linn prices the high res downloads significantly higher than Channel Classics - 33% higher for 24/96. It makes me suspect that Linn prices the downloads to match the deep pockets of those who buy Linn audio equipment.

[Thropplenoggin]

My problem with Linn downloads is the pricing structure they use. For example, Ivan Fischer's recording of Mahler 4 (on the Channel Classics label) is available on both Linn's and Channel Classic's websites. The prices on each are:

Channel Classics
24/192 ... £15.85
24/96 ..... £13.47
24/44.1 ... £11.10

Linn
24/192 ... £18.00
24/96 ..... £18.00
16/44.1 ... £10.00

As you can see Linn prices the high res downloads significantly higher than Channel Classics - 33% higher for 24/96. It makes me suspect that Linn prices the downloads to match the deep pockets of those who buy Linn audio equipment.

Yes, that is very peculiar. However, Fischer's Mahler 4 is a belter - don't hesitate if you don't yet own it. Superb.

[richardfinegold]

My problem with Linn downloads is the pricing structure they use. For example, Ivan Fischer's recording of Mahler 4 (on the Channel Classics label) is available on both Linn's and Channel Classic's websites. The prices on each are:

Channel Classics
24/192 ... £15.85
24/96 ..... £13.47
24/44.1 ... £11.10

Linn
24/192 ... £18.00
24/96 ..... £18.00
16/44.1 ... £10.00

As you can see Linn prices the high res downloads significantly higher than Channel Classics - 33% higher for 24/96. It makes me suspect that Linn prices the downloads to match the deep pockets of those who buy Linn audio equipment.

I couldn't agree more.
Linn's internet radio station is, however, a real joy. I wish the Beeb could broadcast in that high a bit rate.

[richardfinegold]

Yes, that is very peculiar. However, Fischer's Mahler 4 is a belter - don't hesitate if you don't yet own it. Superb.

I've heard 2/4 of the recording from the aforementioned Linn radio station. What a great way to promote your own recordings!