Chandos Downloads

[richardfinegold]

Someone mentioned in a thread that Chandos was going to eliminate downloads. I can’t find the relevant thread and more importantly when I Googled Chandos and downloads found nothing. Naxos owns many other labels besides Chandos and there was also no mention of any of their other labels being also unavailable.
The market for downloads has fallen dramatically but I always thought that compared with maintaining physical product such as CDs downloads were very inexpensive for the companies. The files exist on a server. A program is necessary too allow a paying customer to access the downloads. I mean that’s it, right? A skeleton staff to collect the money and trouble shoot any issues, and those people could be poached from the streaming side of business

[LMcD]

Someone mentioned in a thread that Chandos was going to eliminate downloads. I can’t find the relevant thread and more importantly when I Googled Chandos and downloads found nothing. Naxos owns many other labels besides Chandos and there was also no mention of any of their other labels being also unavailable.
The market for downloads has fallen dramatically but I always thought that compared with maintaining physical product such as CDs downloads were very inexpensive for the companies. The files exist on a server. A program is necessary too allow a paying customer to access the downloads. I mean that’s it, right? A skeleton staff to collect the money and trouble shoot any issues, and those people could be poached from the streaming side of business

It's the lead item on the Chandos Records Ltd. website. The 'Download Spectacular' offers 'big savings' until October 25th, which is the end-date for purchases.

[gurnemanz]

I had recently acquired several half price Naxos downloads from Chandos (including the first issues from their new Brahms Lieder edition - eg Vol 1 with Christoph Prégardien). I hadn't noticed that Chandos had been acquired by Naxos, which I guess explains the offer. Noticing the deadline, I dived in yesterday and got a FLAC download of Joseph Marx Orchestral Songs for £2.88. Issued by Naxos in 2019 but taken from a 2003 ASV recording. Beautifully done by the Bochum Symphony Orchestra (new to me) under Steven Sloane with singers Angela Maria Blasi and the much mourned Stella Doufexis.

[Gargoyle]

Does anyone know if the already purchased downloads will still be available to re-download?

[Cockney Sparrow]

Does anyone know if the already purchased downloads will still be available to re-download?

From Chandos:

Dear Customer,
This email is formal notification that on 25th October ‘The Classical Shop’ will be closed for all digital download services. After this the website www.Chandos.net will become exclusively dedicated to Chandos Records, with the continuation of Chandos physical sales, and news and information about all that we do.

We are therefore offering you 90 days’ notice in order to download again any products in your order history if you so wish, or purchase new downloads in our up-coming sale. After the 25th October you will not be able to order any additional downloads but can continue to download products in your order history until November 29th. Of course, you can continue to buy physical products from the Chandos label though the website, and your account will remain open.

Before the closure we will offer one last digital download sale for all consenting labels. Starting from 30th August and ending 25th October with a discounts between 30% and 50%.

The reason for the closure is purely that sales of digital downloads have been decreasing year on year, with many customers preferring to stream from their favourite streaming service. It has now become un-profitable for us to continue the service, which we are very sad about of course, having been one of the first to offer Hi-Resolution downloads to the market and introduce many good labels. However, we understand that in the UK Presto Music will continue to offer a download service.

We thank you for your support over the last 20 years.
Yours sincerely
Ralph Couzens
Managing Director - Chandos Records

[oliver sudden]

the Bochum Symphony Orchestra (new to me)

They asked me to jump in for Mahler 9 once and I got VERY CROSS since I already had a gig I couldn’t have weaselled my way out of which I really didn’t want to do. And I really can’t imagine that a chance like that is going to come along again.

I ended up getting what I think was the flu anyway, so I couldn’t do either of them.

Sorry, as you were.

I _must not miss_ this deadline. There is some juicy stuff in there.

[Retune]

The market for downloads has fallen dramatically but I always thought that compared with maintaining physical product such as CDs downloads were very inexpensive for the companies. The files exist on a server. A program is necessary too allow a paying customer to access the downloads. I mean that’s it, right? A skeleton staff to collect the money and trouble shoot any issues, and those people could be poached from the streaming side of business

Apart from the shift to streaming, is it simply that most download sales are via the big third party sites? I would guess they kept a bigger cut from chandos.net, but perhaps this wasn't worth the cost of maintaining the infrastructure. I also see that Chandos was recently acquired by the Naxos founder, and that Naxos will be handling their distribution. Naxos were partners in a download site a few years ago but that now seems to have closed, and clicking on a Naxos release on their own site just gives you a list of purchase options, including Naxos Direct (just CDs), the Naxos Music Library (just streaming) and the usual suspects like Amazon and Presto who offer downloads, streaming, or CDs.

[Gargoyle]

From Chandos:

Dear Customer,
This email is formal notification that on 25th October ‘The Classical Shop’ will be closed for all digital download services. After this the website www.Chandos.net will become exclusively dedicated to Chandos Records, with the continuation of Chandos physical sales, and news and information about all that we do.

We are therefore offering you 90 days’ notice in order to download again any products in your order history if you so wish, or purchase new downloads in our up-coming sale. After the 25th October you will not be able to order any additional downloads but can continue to download products in your order history until November 29th. Of course, you can continue to buy physical products from the Chandos label though the website, and your account will remain open.

Before the closure we will offer one last digital download sale for all consenting labels. Starting from 30th August and ending 25th October with a discounts between 30% and 50%.

The reason for the closure is purely that sales of digital downloads have been decreasing year on year, with many customers preferring to stream from their favourite streaming service. It has now become un-profitable for us to continue the service, which we are very sad about of course, having been one of the first to offer Hi-Resolution downloads to the market and introduce many good labels. However, we understand that in the UK Presto Music will continue to offer a download service.

We thank you for your support over the last 20 years.
Yours sincerely
Ralph Couzens
Managing Director - Chandos Records

Thanks

I'm trying to download all my purchases before the deadline, but for some reason the Chandos downloader (which was terrible in the first place) is playing up and I'm having great difficulty.

[richardfinegold]

Thanks

I'm trying to download all my purchases before the deadline, but for some reason the Chandos downloader (which was terrible in the first place) is playing up and I'm having great difficulty.

That’s good to know. I tried to do one and it failed

[Gargoyle]

That’s good to know. I tried to do one and it failed

I've had to resort to downloading the tracks individually, ignoring the downloader altogether. It works, and doesn't take any longer.

[richardfinegold]

I've had to resort to downloading the tracks individually, ignoring the downloader altogether. It works, and doesn't take any longer.

I did that and only got about 2/3 of the tracks to come through

[Gargoyle]

I did that and only got about 2/3 of the tracks to come through

Sorry to hear that. Maybe keep trying.

I've just had an email from Qobuz listing about 30 recordings that I have purchased which will no longer be available for re-downloading after 1st October. Mainly Chandos. So I'm busily downloading them.