Melodiya archive destined for iTunes only

[Guest]

The Orchard, a pioneering music, film and video distribution company and the iconic Russian record label Melodiya (Russian: Мелодия) announce the digital release of 750 titles from Melodiya’s historic catalogue to be made available exclusively on iTunes. The first albums will be released on iTunes beginning on September 17 with a second group scheduled for early November. iTunes is also hand-selecting titles to feature in a dedicatedMelodiya section of the store. Other digital service providers will begin offering Melodiya titles after the New Year. This announcement celebrates the result of a long-term initiative to digitize Melodiya’s catalogue and the first time Melodiya’s classical catalog has ever been available for download.

http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2013/09/vast-soviet-musical-stockpile-to-be-dumped-on-itunes.html

Good news, I'm sure ... but why only on iTunes?

[Bryn]

Reminds me of when Alan Sugar's PCW computer packages were only available from Currys at the time of their release. One of the few occasions I have purchased from them.

[Ferretfancy]

A friend of mine working at Ealing Studios used to pop in to the Broadway WH Smith's in his lunch hour. They had a selection of early computers in the back of the shop where he used to programme them to announce " Shop at Currys ! "

[Stunsworth]

Good news, I'm sure ... but why only on iTunes?

Cost I would imagine. No CDs to press or distribute, no money tied up in stock sat in a warehouse. Instead you upload everything to iTunes and collect the money from the sales - I don't know if Apple charges a 'hosting' fee, but even if they do I'd expect it to be less than the costs associated with conventional CDs.

[Bryn]

Sorry for the diversion, a51. What Melodiya titles do contributors here hanker after. I'd like some of the non-Kondrashin recordings which were to be found in the mainly Kondrashin directed Shostakovich Symphonies set issued by EMI in the days of vinyl.

[richardfinegold]

Sorry for the diversion, a51. What Melodiya titles do contributors here hanker after. I'd like some of the non-Kondrashin recordings which were to be found in the mainly Kondrashin directed Shostakovich Symphonies set issued by EMI in the days of vinyl.

I remember having a Tchaikovsky Manfred that I enjoyed immensely, but I can't remember who the conductor or Orchestra was.
Are the Borodin Qt recordings of the DSCH cycle to be available here? I think that they can also be hand on Shandies

[vibratoforever]

There are some jewels in the Melodiya catalogue so this is excellent news.

Svetlanov's Manfred on this label is superb. The sound is fine and, unlike his later Warner Classics recording, the ending is not cut

[Dave2002]

http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2013/09/vast-soviet-musical-stockpile-to-be-dumped-on-itunes.html

Good news, I'm sure ... but why only on iTunes?

Following the links and comments, it seems that iTunes is the first digital provider to offer these recordings, but others will come in 2014.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I see we've once again slipped into the erronious trap of referring to downloads as "digital", as though CDs were somehow ""analogue".

[Dave2002]

I see we've once again slipped into the erronious trap of referring to downloads as "digital", as though CDs were somehow ""analogue".

What would you prefer? It seems to be fairly common parlance, and of course if we look at systems such as DAB - supposedly digital radio, the underlying communication medium is still "analogue" - radio waves - but the encoding and decoding processes are generally considered to be digital. CDs are, of course, at one level, "analogue", but most people wouldn't think that.

[Bryn]

I concur with EA here. What is wrong with, say, "Internet downloads"? I already have the Melodiya Kondrashin Shostakovich symphonies, etc. in digitised format on CDs, for instance.

[HighlandDougie]

Unfair to judge on listening to three clips from i-Tunes but a recording which I know very well - Kondrashin's Shostakovich 4th - sounds, well, as if it is the pre-remastered 'original' has been used (which is the one which appeared on the Le Chant du Monde set aeons ago) rather than Melodiya's (or Aulos's) re-mastered version. Is it just my defective hearing? Am I wrong? I hope that I am as it would be disappointing if Melodiya have supplied any old tapes/files rather than ones on which they have spent some time and care to restore to their best.