Buying CDs. Why?

[Phileas]

Actually, if it weren't for Spotify, I would still buy CDs regularly. Probably almost half of the few downloads I've purchased have had faults on them which have required a few email exchanges to get sorted.

[kea]

Actually, if it weren't for Spotify, I would still buy CDs regularly. Probably almost half of the few downloads I've purchased have had faults on them which have required a few email exchanges to get sorted.

I don't think the industry has quite figured out downloads yet—one reliably gets higher quality audio and better booklets from downloads of the, er, non-purchased variety. Or so people tell me

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I don't think the industry has quite figured out downloads yet—one reliably gets higher quality audio and better booklets from downloads of the, er, non-purchased variety. Or so people tell me

That's right. I think of downloads as the modern equivalent of mass produced musicassettes.

[Dave2002]

I don't think the industry has quite figured out downloads yet—one reliably gets higher quality audio and better booklets from downloads of the, er, non-purchased variety. Or so people tell me

I wouldn't know, but it amuses me (well, maybe not a lot ...) that some DVDs and Blu Rays come with dire warnings about copying, as well as trailers for things I don't want to watch etc. I gather that the, er, not purchased versions or pirate versions are much easier to handle! Farcical.

[richardfinegold]

That's right. I think of downloads as the modern equivalent of mass produced musicassettes.

That is a pretty good analogy. I used to buy pre recorded cassettes here and there, but never viewed them as a satisfactory alternative for lps, which of course had their own issues. I treat downloads the same way.

[Ferretfancy]

But was she offered a cheery cuppa as well?

Yes, I think she was ! I bought Cantelli's Pathetique and Romeo and Juliet, Marin Alsop's Naxos disk of Bluebeard's Castle, and a nice disc of lesser known items with the Johann Strauss Orchestra of Vienna and Boskovsky. Finally, a disc I've been unable to find until now of John McGlinn conducting Cole Porter Overtures.
All for £12, which isn't bad ! I only had time to search through a couple of the heaped tables.

[Ferretfancy]

But was she offered a cheery cuppa as well?

Yes, I think she was ! I only had time to search a couple of heaps on the groaning tables, but came away with Cantelli's Tchaikovsky Pathetique and Romeo and Juliet, the Marin Alsop performance of Bluebeard's Castle, a nice disc of lesser known Strauss family offerings with The Johann Strauss Orchestra of Vienna, and finally a disc I've had on a list for a long time, John McGlinn conducting Cole Porter Overtures.

Not bad for £12

[David-G]

Actually, if it weren't for Spotify, I would still buy CDs regularly. Probably almost half of the few downloads I've purchased have had faults on them which have required a few email exchanges to get sorted.

Really? How can a download have a fault? Do you mean that the files are corrupted? Do you have to play them through to check that there are no faults? Sounds like the old days when I would have to listen to new LPs right through to see if there were any scratches.

[Dave2002]

Really? How can a download have a fault? Do you mean that the files are corrupted? Do you have to play them through to check that there are no faults? Sounds like the old days when I would have to listen to new LPs right through to see if there were any scratches.

Possible download faults:

1. Gapless playback doesn't work!
2. Poor sound quality
3. Bad metadata
4. Can't download booklet and/or CD cover art
5. Missing tracks in a collection
6. Difficulty downloading track(s)
7. Tracks out of order
8. Incorrect codec or quality level
9. Can't download music
10. Completely wrong music downloaded

Is that enough for now?

[kea]

Possible download faults:

1. Gapless playback doesn't work!
2. Poor sound quality
3. Bad metadata
4. Can't download booklet and/or CD cover art
5. Missing tracks in a collection
6. Difficulty downloading track(s)
7. Tracks out of order
8. Incorrect codec or quality level
9. Can't download music
10. Completely wrong music downloaded

Is that enough for now?

One I've noticed is when the entire disc is packed into a single FLAC/APE file with no cue sheet. Thus the only way to split the file into its component tracks is to open it in Audacity and do it manually. Always irritates me, especially when it's one of those discs with a single continuous piece split into like 20 tracks (why do recording companies do that anyway? Are we really meant to be listening to the Diabelli Variations on "shuffle" if we so choose?)

That and my wifi dying when I'm in the middle of downloading something (or have 269/270 MB).

But then lots of my CDs and LPs ended up getting scratched down the line as well—for instance it's been years since I heard the ending of Brahms's Academic Festival Overture, because a scratch on the one CD I have with it causes it to start skipping and glitching somewhere in the middle. I don't imagine there's ever going to be a 100% guaranteed problem-proof method of music acquisition.

[Bryn]

I wouldn't know, but it amuses me (well, maybe not a lot ...) that some DVDs and Blu Rays come with dire warnings about copying, as well as trailers for things I don't want to watch etc. I gather that the, er, not purchased versions or pirate versions are much easier to handle! Farcical.

Indeed! Indeed! With some I have found this so annoying that I have used DVD Shrink to rip, edit out the insulting space and time wasting guff, and burned to DVD-R (while retaining the orginal, of course). What a farce the DVD Shrink case was too. Banned from sale but not from distribution as freeware.

[Bryn]

Really? How can a download have a fault? Do you mean that the files are corrupted? Do you have to play them through to check that there are no faults? Sounds like the old days when I would have to listen to new LPs right through to see if there were any scratches.

Not all CDs are delivered without faults, either. I have had quite a few where the reflective layer was defective.

[Bryn]

One I've noticed is when the entire disc is packed into a single FLAC/APE file with no cue sheet. Thus the only way to split the file into its component tracks is to open it in Audacity and do it manually. Always irritates me, especially when it's one of those discs with a single continuous piece split into like 20 tracks (why do recording companies do that anyway? Are we really meant to be listening to the Diabelli Variations on "shuffle" if we so choose?)

That and my wifi dying when I'm in the middle of downloading something (or have 269/270 MB).

But then lots of my CDs and LPs ended up getting scratched down the line as well—for instance it's been years since I heard the ending of Brahms's Academic Festival Overture, because a scratch on the one CD I have with it causes it to start skipping and glitching somewhere in the middle. I don't imagine there's ever going to be a 100% guaranteed problem-proof method of music acquisition.

In the earlier days of CDs, works such as the Diabelli Variations might have index points, rather than separate tracks. I was sorry to see the use of indices abandoned by nearly all those authoring CDs.

[Dave2002]

But then lots of my CDs and LPs ended up getting scratched down the line as well—for instance it's been years since I heard the ending of Brahms's Academic Festival Overture, because a scratch on the one CD I have with it causes it to start skipping and glitching somewhere in the middle. I don't imagine there's ever going to be a 100% guaranteed problem-proof method of music acquisition.

Have you tried Brasso or toothpaste on your Brahms CD? If you can polish the CD well enough to get it to play even just once or twice, you may be able to rip it to hard drive or memory stick. I did this successfully with one charity shop CD of piano music which I liked enough to feel it was worthwhile.

[Phileas]

Possible download faults:

1. Gapless playback doesn't work!
2. Poor sound quality
3. Bad metadata
4. Can't download booklet and/or CD cover art
5. Missing tracks in a collection
6. Difficulty downloading track(s)
7. Tracks out of order
8. Incorrect codec or quality level
9. Can't download music
10. Completely wrong music downloaded

Is that enough for now?

11. The last couple of seconds missing from a track. (This occasionally happens on Spotify also)
12. The wrong track. I downloaded Mahler 5 (Rattle, BPO). I was looking forward to listening to this and got myself comfortable on the sofa. All went well until the final movement when I was rather taken aback to hear a string quartet playing.

The issue is not that there are errors but how frequently they occur.