Are HD download sites getting desperate?
Posted by: solwisesteve on 21 May 2015
It seams every day I'm getting emails from Qobuz, HDTracks, et al, with some special offer. Today I get an email offering 20% from HDTRacks. Despite only buying from them half a dozen times, they now call me a Platinum Member!
It's a flyer for sublime not a discount - well unless you buy sublime that is!
Totally lost now. But thanks for taking the trouble.
Not a HD download money off offer then.
Since, if I have understood the above correctly, we have now wandered off the subject of discounts offered by retailers for HD downloads, I will mention that the HDMAY26 code from HDT dot com got me the Yes Progeny double CD for a very good price indeed. No physical media or artwork past the cover, but a good price for an instant fix. Knocks Yessongs 24/96 out of the stadium, which is not surprising but it never hurts state the obvious - providence is paramount regardless of the quality of the vinyl or the bit depth and sample rate of the file.
Harry at first I thought it was an offer for a discount to buy music by the band Sublime. Someone would have to pay me to take it; a mere discount would not be sufficient.
But I see that Qobuz are now offering a "SUBLIME" subscription level that includes in its yearly price of GBP 219 a "35-50% discount on downloads."
Me -- I don't like paying now for future discounts.
Me -- I don't like paying now for future discounts.
+1. Especially when the long-term solvency on the retailer is questionable. Sounds like they are looking for a short-term cash infusion any way they can get it.
Why anybody would want to buy from HD Tracks is somewhat beyond me given the prices. As an example, I am considering the Naxos 24/192 Jazz at the Pawnshop. Even with the current 20% discount HDT is c250% the Qobuz price (I use the French site but I doubt the UK price is much different).
Moreover, with apologies for the confusion over SUBLIME, I'm not so sure it's such a bad deal at about £18 a month including the CD quality streaming. When and if Naim make it available, I may consider it even given the risk.
Why anybody would want to buy from HD Tracks is somewhat beyond me given the prices.
The UK pricing is piss taking of the highest order but the US site can be cost effective. Or Pro Studio Masters. Or Qobuz. Or Highresaudio. And so on. It depends on who is offering what at any particular time.
£219 a year??? They're having a laugh. BBC costs me just over half that for all the radio I can eat 24 hours a day from Pop to Classical to Intelligent to Comdey; more TV than I care to watch and the best website in the world
Do people actually pay £219 a year to download stuff by subscription rather than buy the music they want when they do? Sheesh
Download pricing is a rip-off. Some sites (eg eClassical) offer downloads more cheaply than physical media as they should be with no production, shipping, storage, shop costs etc. And they price in $ thereby not ripping off European customers. As for the others, the sooner some of them go to the wall for being greedy the better
PS what happened to the "We want Tidal" now thread? Just asking
All are experiencing hard time.
Qobuz actually is in bankruptcy protection in France and the protection is due in 2 weeks time. They are projecting EUR12M revenue for this year but yet it won't be profitable. This is a 40-people company. You can imagine how much is needed to pay to the record labels for the distribution.
Blame the record labels.
I've been happily downloading from Qobuz but am fed up with them charging UK customers more. Until yesterday I was able to buy from the French or German site and pay in Euros, now it doesn't matter which account I use, they recognise it's from Blighty and shaft me accordingly. It seems most if not all of the download sites charge UK customers more and it stinks.
I use an IP blocker to protect my privacy. There's a plug in for Chrome called Hola.
some say though: "Hola is harmful to the internet as a whole, and to its users in particular. You might know it as a free VPN or "unblocker", but in reality it operates like a poorly secured botnet - with serious consequences."
I've been happily downloading from Qobuz but am fed up with them charging UK customers more. Until yesterday I was able to buy from the French or German site and pay in Euros, now it doesn't matter which account I use, they recognise it's from Blighty and shaft me accordingly. It seems most if not all of the download sites charge UK customers more and it stinks.
You can ask to be buying from the French site...., just sent them an email.
I sent them an e-mail yesterday and have received no reply.
They flipped my account back in, IIRC, five days. So be of good cheer - for now.
some say though: "Hola is harmful to the internet as a whole, and to its users in particular. You might know it as a free VPN or "unblocker", but in reality it operates like a poorly secured botnet - with serious consequences."
Yes, I've stopped using it.
That's interesting. I shall seek out alternatives. Thanks.
Do you get 30% off then? ;-)
What's higher up than diamond then?
Kryptonite
Wait until you get to "anti-matter" level. Given its estimated cost is $100 trillion per gram.
All are experiencing hard time.
Qobuz actually is in bankruptcy protection in France and the protection is due in 2 weeks time. They are projecting EUR12M revenue for this year but yet it won't be profitable. This is a 40-people company. You can imagine how much is needed to pay to the record labels for the distribution.
Blame the record labels.
Tidal appear to be similarly stuffed. They had assumed they would be able to sign a deal with Sony music which still hasn't happened. If they don't sign, 7 of the founding artists may have to remove their music from the service.
On top of which a marketing strategy which basically says "help make this group of rich artists even richer" problably doesn't go down very well...