Can some point me to where I can get "educated" about streaming, etc.

[motownlover1964]

Hello All,

I feel like Rip Van Winkle and have just come out from a 20-year nap as relates to the way one can buy music today. I'm in my mid-60s and have waited, like so many others, for Baby It's Me to be released. I want to be part of the future and I've read post after post about BIM but am very confused as where to even begin educating myself. Please, no snarky comments. My interest is sincere as I can see if I don't get on the wagon I'm left behind completely.

I've supported Motown since 1964 and want to continue to do so but feel completely overwhelmed where to take the first step.

If anyone has the patience to give me an overview and/or an actual place to get educated I'd appreciate.

Lastly, if this forum is not the place please email me at jimnegri@gmail.com

Thanks,
Jim

[Lulu]

Hello All,

I feel like Rip Van Winkle and have just come out from a 20-year nap as relates to the way one can buy music today. I'm in my mid-60s and have waited, like so many others, for Baby It's Me to be released. I want to be part of the future and I've read post after post about BIM but am very confused as where to even begin educating myself. Please, no snarky comments. My interest is sincere as I can see if I don't get on the wagon I'm left behind completely.

I've supported Motown since 1964 and want to continue to do so but feel completely overwhelmed where to take the first step.

If anyone has the patience to give me an overview and/or an actual place to get educated I'd appreciate.

Lastly, if this forum is not the place please email me at jimnegri@gmail.com

Thanks,
Jim

I'd hit Soulster up - he's got a lot of knowledge on the different formats and where to find them.

[soulster]

Streaming is very simple. You just need a computer, tablet, smartphone, or a stereo component, often called a D/A transport, and a reasonably fast internet connection.

You go to a website such as Spotify, sign up, pay foe a subscription if you don't want commercial interruptions, select the music you want to hear, and enjoy.

I prefer downloading, and ripping my CDs to hard drives and a server to listen to. That way, I don't need n internet connection, and i'm not restricted to whatever the record company wants me to hear.

[midnightman]

Yeah that's basically it lol

Streaming's not that bad imho... but I'm usually one of those if I hear the album on a streaming site and I think it's good, I'll buy it... :) I did that with Ed Sheeran's album.

[Lulu]

Interesting and timely post:

http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/425455/why-buying-new-music-on-cd-is-now-the-smartest-thing-you-can-do.htm

Why Buying New Music On CD Is Now The Smartest Thing You Can DoGreg Moskovitch [[http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/author/gregmoskovitch) on 13 November 2014 in Industry News [[http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/news/industry-news)








http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/223.jpgYou think you’re pretty special, don’t you? Look at you, hearing a song you like and immediately searching it out on iTunes and paying for it with your own, hard-earned money. Getting your music the legal way, are we? Good for you. Well, we’re here to tell you that you’re being taken for a ride.
That’s right, cheapskates of the world rejoice, because there’s a new, little-known way to be a complete skinflint and it’s not what you’d expect. In fact, this news even better for Aussies, whose coin is being wasted by the dreaded “Australia tax”, which adds exorbitant extra costs to content that can be purchased cheaply anywhere else.
Just ask Gizmodo [[http://gizmodo.com/i-just-bought-my-first-cd-since-2006-and-you-should-too-1652864486)‘s Brian Barrett, who just bought his first CD in eight years and is highly recommending you try this strange, alien practice yourself. Why? Well, after searching out Taylor Swift’s new album, 1989, on Amazon, he discovered the online retail giant’s AutoRip feature.
http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CDs-214x150.jpg [[http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/397648/learn-how-cds-get-made-with-this-hilarious-1995-video-meant-for-michael-jackson.htm)Learn How CDs Get Made With This Hilarious 1995 Video Meant For Michael Jackson [[http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/397648/learn-how-cds-get-made-with-this-hilarious-1995-video-meant-for-michael-jackson.htm)From the nine gargantuan statues that were erected around Europe to the multi-million dollar promotion frenzy, the 1995... read more [[http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/425455/why-buying-new-music-on-cd-is-now-the-smartest-thing-you-can-do.htm)



What this means is that when a shopper purchases the 1989, Amazon chucks in the MP3 album for free and you can download it immediately. Best of all, the MP3 album by itself is actually 25 percent more expensive than the CD.
The latter may come as a surprise to some — after all, there’s no printing or pressing that needs to go into making an MP3, right? — though it shouldn’t, Kindle ebooks are regularly pricier than their paperback counterparts.
The reason for this is that digital prices are negotiated separately. In fact, there’s a set price for them. However, Amazon can work around that set price if it knows you own a physical copy of the music you’re attempting to purchase.
In this case, Amazon can essentially gift you the MP3 version without paying the artist and label extra money, since you already own it, hence AutoRip. As Barrett writes, “It’s a loophole, a way to offer competitive pricing that its digital contracts don’t allow. Or seems to be, anyway. It’s hard to think of another explanation that makes any sense.”
http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Cds-2-214x150.jpg [[http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/217706/cds-copy-protection.htm)Making Piracy Easy. Why The Labels Let CDs Go Unprotected [[http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/217706/cds-copy-protection.htm)Cast your mind back, way back. Before streaming services, before digital downloads, before mp3 players - to thirty... read more [[http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/425455/why-buying-new-music-on-cd-is-now-the-smartest-thing-you-can-do.htm)



Of course, there’s a downside to this. Buying a CD to save a couple dollars on the download price is a little wasteful, but likely having not bought a CD in ages, you’re forgetting the countless applications that CDs offer.
While services like Spotify have admittedly incredible catalogs, there are still artists that simply choose to eschew the whole streaming thing, while continuing to release all of their content in the “archaic” medium of CDs.
Besides bearing higher fidelity than downloads, they also have resale value [[not much, but more than trying to flog MP3s at your next garage sale), and can be used as a cheap substitute for a frisbee, coasters, or even a shaving mirror.
So the next time you’re looking to contribute a few bucks to your favourite artist’s dwindling royalty payouts, save yourself a few coins too, jump on Amazon, and get the CD – it’s worth it.

[calvin]

Interesting and timely post:

Yes, I mentioned in another thread that one reason I think cd albums are still selling somewhat better than download albums is that they are often cheaper. I also find this strange.

Although I almost only play files these days, I still buy mostly cds either because a lossless download is not available or because the cd is significantly cheaper than the lossless download. I can always rip the cd to lossless flac myself.

When I first saw the headline, "Why Buying New Music on CD Is Now The Smartest Thing You Can Do", I missed the word "new" and expected something else - an article about buying used cds. People are dumping their cd collections these days and used cds of many titles are dirt cheap. One can buy these and rip them.

[calvin]

Motownlover1964, getting back to your original post before this goes off topic...

Do you really mean streaming or do you mean downloads? I ask this because it sounds like you wanted to buy BIM on cd, but now you're a bit lost because it was released as a download only. Or is it already available on streaming sites like Spotify?

[milven]

I think that I am slightly ignorant on the definition of streaming too. I do know that downloading is now going the way of the CD and streaming is becoming very popular.

Is streaming like listening to the radio but where they pick what you want?

I use RHAPSODY where I can make playlists out of my own musical library combined with the Rhapsody library. I pay a small monthly fee to rent their music. I can also buy music from them by downloading it.

They have an option to name a few songs and then they take your tastes and play that music for you. I think this is the streaming option. If it is, I don't like it. I tried it a few times and the music they pick is not compatible to few songs that I chose. At least not to me.

I like creating my own playlists with my music and their music.

[midnightman]

The sales of 1989 are proof why CDs won't go away. I doubt downloads won't go away either. But I welcome streaming as well. If people brag about how music can be heard any and everywhere, they should keep it that way. I'm tired of hearing about how the CD or the download is dead just because a new format comes in. MTV didn't really kill the radio star so I don't know how streaming would kill anything. In fact, vinyls and cassettes [[in a way) are making something of a comeback. I say embrace every musical format out there...

[soulster]

This is getting complicated for the newbie. Let's break this all down:

Download: you actively download a file to your computer or smartphone by either paying or, illegally for free. Once you have this file, you can do anything you want with it like copy it, transfer it to another device, edit it. You need the internet to download it, but, do not need the internet to play it back. You can even burn the file to a CD-R if you want. Sound quality can vary, depending on what you download.

Stream: when a website allows you to listen "over the internet" without having to download anything. You cannot do anything to this music. It's just like a video on YouTube. The bad part is that only the person who provided it/owns it can make it available or remove it, usually without notice. You can pick what you want to hear, but you need an internet connection. You usually have an option to pay, or to have it free with limitations. Streaming is like radio, except that you can have the ability, depending on the website, to choose what you want to hear.

I'll address the advantages and disadvantages of CD later when I get more time. I may even outline lossy/lossless.

[soulster]

The sales of 1989 are proof why CDs won't go away. I doubt downloads won't go away either. But I welcome streaming as well. If people brag about how music can be heard any and everywhere, they should keep it that way. I'm tired of hearing about how the CD or the download is dead just because a new format comes in. MTV didn't really kill the radio star so I don't know how streaming would kill anything. In fact, vinyls and cassettes [[in a way) are making something of a comeback. I say embrace every musical format out there...

The only reasons I don't like streaming is because:

1) you must be connected to the internet.

2) sound quality varies.

3) the music can altered by the owner, or be removed by the owner, usually without warning. That's the worst one. You are also stuck with whatever mastering was done to the music.

4) most artists get screwed. They don't get properly compensated, while the record companies make out like bandits. I prefer to support the artists. This is why people like Taylor Swift have pulled all of their music from streaming.

5) I like to listen to what I want, when I want, and how I want with no restriction.

[calvin]

To put it very simply: The difference is that with a download, you download a copy of a music file over the internet onto your own device and then play your copy. With streaming, what you're playing is not on your own device, you access it over the internet.

Also just to mention, once you've bought a download, most vendors allow you to stream that title from them if you wish. Some might find this useful when they're away from home.

[motownlover1964]

Hello Calvin and those who offered advice. Calvin - I did mean downloading so you can see I got mixed up with the terminology. LOL. Thank you all. I rarely post but am an avid reader of this site. -- Jim

[Philles/Motown Gary]

You're not alone, Motownlover1964. Also a Motown fan since 1964, my mind is not wired for this technical stuff, either. I bought the download for Diana's "Baby It's Me" [[Expanded) with the help of my trusty neighbor/friend who had recently helped me with 20 other Motown downloads and burning them to CD. I spent over an hour manually cutting out and paginating Diana's digital booklet. When I went to play the CD that he had burned for me from the download, imagine my shock and disappointment when it wouldn't play. The readout on my CD player says "No file". And my friend typically knows what he's doing. If you want your downloads transferred to CD as I do, be ye prepared for some time-consuming and trying times in getting your favorite music the way you want it. It's annoying and frustrating, to say the least.

[soulster]

You're not alone, Motownlover1964. Also a Motown fan since 1964, my mind is not wired for this technical stuff, either. I bought the download for Diana's "Baby It's Me" [[Expanded) with the help of my trusty neighbor/friend who had recently helped me with 20 other Motown downloads and burning them to CD. I spent over an hour manually cutting out and paginating Diana's digital booklet. When I went to play the CD that he had burned for me from the download, imagine my shock and disappointment when it wouldn't play. The readout on my CD player says "No file". And my friend typically knows what he's doing. If you want your downloads transferred to CD as I do, be ye prepared for some time-consuming and trying times in getting your favorite music the way you want it. It's annoying and frustrating, to say the least.

Gary, have your friend make another CD-R. You don't have to buy the music again, or learn to do it yourself. You are not stupid. I mean, you didn't have any trouble with the booklet, so...

[ejluther]

If you want to stream in Hi-Fi/Quality check out TIDAL; I just started my free trial and so far it's amazingly good...

http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/audio-visual/hi-fi-and-audio/music/tidal-music-1270607/review

https://tidalhifi.com/us