I know I know I know

[french frank]

I've asked before but I'm well out of my depth

When we add something we've heard on R3 to our Playlister thing, and assuming we're linked up to Spotify or whatever, what are we actually adding? Not necessarily what we've heard on R3 but perhaps another version of the same piece, whatever Spotify has on offer? Or if R3 played one movement from something, does that just add the one movement to my Playlister?

Puzzled of Bristol

PS I did sign up to Spotify and didn't think it was what I wanted and unsigned again

[Old Grumpy]

Don't know Don't know Don't know

Sorry - never tried it, although I do have Spotify.

OG

[gradus]

My Spotify gives me a choice of importing from iTunes or Windows Media Player and I assumed that's all it does. maybe I should read the instructions?

[Dave2002]

I've been round this loop (msg 1) myself before. At first I assumed that I would get the same performance as on the radio broadcast, but I don't think that's necessarily the case, and sometimes, for very obscure pieces, there is nothing. I think all it does is keep a record of the item played, and then try to find it, or something similar, on one of the "standard" music services. I found it disapointingly uninteresting. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/playlister

[french frank]

Yes, I thought you would be lucky to get what you were really after. If Chris Evans plays Roger Miller singing King of the Road and you put it on your Playlister, I presume you get Roger Miller singing King of the Road …

[Dave2002]

Yes, I thought you would be lucky to get what you were really after. If Chris Evans plays Roger Miller singing King of the Road and you put it on your Playlister, I presume you get Roger Miller singing King of the Road …

I had to read that carefully - hope I've got it right. You may "presume", but in fact I don't think you always do. If you look at the PDF of your playlist there is insufficient information to retrieve the exact version, even if it is available to stream.

I just tried again, and found I'd been here before, but Miaskovsky 4th Symphony seeemed to find Miaskovsky 14th - not the same at all.
Now Playlister seems to be doing the recommendations thing too - based on what's in the list new items get suggested.

[french frank]

I had to read that carefully - hope I've got it right. You may "presume", but in fact I don't think you always do. If you look at the PDF of your playlist there is insufficient information to retrieve the exact version, even if it is available to stream.

I just tried again, and found I'd been here before, but Miaskovsky 4th Symphony seeemed to find Miaskovsky 14th - not the same at all.
Now Playlister seems to be doing the recommendations thing too - based on what's in the list new items get suggested.

Well, indeed. I meant that in the world of popular music there may only be one available version anyway: the one everyone knows/wants. Not like that with classical works.

It's like the new automated playlist that rolls out the details of each piece as it's played (NB Classic FM has had that for ages). It's fine for people who will be listening to a programme anyway, regardless of what's played: popular music where the music changes every 5 minutes because that's how long songs last …

[Anastasius]

Playlister for Radio 3 is a complete and utter waste of time. It redefines the word 'pointless'. As you have found out, what it might actually find in Spotify or iTunes or wherever bears little correlation with the piece of music that was actually played - especially as regards performance.

But in the 'One-Size-Fits-All' world of the BBC they use the same software to do the Radio 3 schedules as for Radios 1 and 2 and all the others as far as I know. Which is why we get the execrable Playlister.

My particular 'hate' of the moment is the awful webpage that they dish up for Radio 3 - especially if you want to find out who is performing the piece you are listening to on air. The webpage is basically full of c**p and you have to hang around waiting for the work to finish before you can find out who and even then the information is scant.

And I wonder why I rarely listen to Radio 3.

[french frank]

you have to hang around waiting for the work to finish before you can find out who and even then the information is scant.

My point too. And additional information links to Wikipedia. Thanks very much, but if we want to know what Wikipedia thinks of a composer, we don't need Radio 3 to help us get there. I think there has been a move to introduce specially written material - if so, Bravo.

The problem is that if they put up the playlist in advance we probably shouldn't listen anyway these days. Too little musical reward Every other piece moderately interesting?

[Dave2002]

My particular 'hate' of the moment is the awful webpage that they dish up for Radio 3 - especially if you want to find out who is performing the piece you are listening to on air. The webpage is basically full of c**p and you have to hang around waiting for the work to finish before you can find out who and even then the information is scant.

I do wonder if that's because of an "issue" from the USA, where some radio stations were providing listings of "songs" in advance and cunning listeners were recording them, which seemed to upset some copyright enforcers. Thus stations are now only permitted to publish the details after the broadcast.

Pretty sad really - that we can't be provided with the details in advance, so as to know whether it's even worth bothering to switch on.

Perhaps the only comfort is that we can indulge in a guessing game. I turned on R3 in my car earlier today and correctly identified Beethoven Symphony 2, but by the end I had no idea who the conductor was - also not having listened earlier in the week which would have given me a clue. I guessed Abbado, but it was Solti. However, do we really need such guessing games?

[Anastasius]

I don't think that that is the reason, Dave, since ClassicFM tells you what piece of music is on now, at least, but like R3, not the performance. You have to go to the playlist to see which performance afterwards and surprisingly if you click on the 'download from itunes' button against a particular piece then some of them, at least, actually take you to the performance broadcast.

I think FF has hit the nail on the head. If they gave the playlist in advance then no-one would listen !!

[french frank]

A slightly different query - to those who use Spotify/downloads &c:

How can Playlister include songs while they're currently in the charts (Top 40), and for that matter, how can the videos be available on YouTube? Why don't the record companies mind?

Or have I misunderstood - again - what's being offered?

[antongould]

Speaking of Apple Music and my £9.99 per month - I can get, as I see it, just about everything on there. I can either stream it or download it ... So presumably my monthly instalment is spread around the artists I access one would suppose??

As to YouTube I am, as ever, at a loss ..

Tangentially I booked a hotel in Harrogate and hen I was sent the confirmation email it didn't work on my iPad .. When I queried this from my ageing laptop I was told their emails "didn't work" with Apple products !!!!!

[french frank]

Ta. I suppose they get their money back somehow. I'm trying to work out if Radio 1 Playlister users really can listen to Grimmy, then get Adele, Justin Bieber, and One Direction current chart toppers. Not really like the service we get.

When I queried this from my ageing laptop I was told their emails "didn't work" with Apple products !!!!!

I know, I always find this a terrible nuisance not being able to get emails at all … Erm …