Spotify Snobbery

Posted by: realmadspur on 24 December 2014

I remember as a kid when I first got into music, listening to John Peel in bed on a clock radio. I would of given right arm to have a service like Spotify. Yet, people dismiss it as not being of the highest quality. Well, I've loved it, just finding that track I haven't heard in years is awesome, recommending something to someone and they can find it on Spotify is great. I have recently swapped to Tidal, but for the casual user, and searching for new music it's bloody brilliant. We're are very lucky to have these services, I just hope enough money goes to new artists. If it keeps people listening to music, long live Spotify!!

 

 

Posted on: 27 December 2014 by J.N.

"As rural Norfolk's premier resident, I've had the benefit of leccy, phone lines, and 20mb broadband for some considerable time now.  Glad to to hear you're finally catching up.  I remember the days when I had to power my system with and exercise bike and a dynamo, and I would not want to go back there.  Mind you, my physical fitness has deteriorated since the arrival of on tap electricity.  I suppose there is always a price to convenience."

 

My dear fellow. We must become acquainted. Do you frequent the Ipswich purveyor of goodies or 'The Other Place'? My email address is in my forum profile.

 

On the subject of 'The Big Issue' - We seem to be heading for a future where no one will have any need or desire to own music. One will pay a monthly subscription to gain access to the great Juke Box in cyberspace (for films too) and have everything on tap, 24/7.

 

Just like a house with no books.

 

Cue morose Marvin - "Sounds ghastly".

 

John.

Posted on: 27 December 2014 by andarkian
Originally Posted by J.N.:

"As rural Norfolk's premier resident, I've had the benefit of leccy, phone lines, and 20mb broadband for some considerable time now.  Glad to to hear you're finally catching up.  I remember the days when I had to power my system with and exercise bike and a dynamo, and I would not want to go back there.  Mind you, my physical fitness has deteriorated since the arrival of on tap electricity.  I suppose there is always a price to convenience."

 

My dear fellow. We must become acquainted. Do you frequent the Ipswich purveyor of goodies or 'The Other Place'? My email address is in my forum profile.

 

On the subject of 'The Big Issue' - We seem to be heading for a future where no one will have any need or desire to own music. One will pay a monthly subscription to gain access to the great Juke Box in cyberspace (for films too) and have everything on tap, 24/7.

 

Just like a house with no books.

 

Cue morose Marvin - "Sounds ghastly".

 

John.

"Cue morose Marvin - "Sounds ghastly"."

 

Nope, just pompous and pretentious! Still, if it floats your boat....

Posted on: 27 December 2014 by SongStream
Originally Posted by J.N.:

 

Do you frequent the Ipswich purveyor of goodies or 'The Other Place'? 

It would be 'The Other Place' to date, but I've only purchased from them twice in the last 25 years, so hardly a regular.  Luckily the doorways and rooms are of sufficient size that they can accommodate my enormous head, while they attempt explaining things to the tiny brain within it.  How is Ipswich in this regard?  Will be in touch.

Posted on: 28 December 2014 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Andarkian, don't disagree about streaming instead of purchasing.. BTW my point about focussing on recording rather rather than replay in the past was based on equipment used. We hardly ever hear these days what digital equipment was used to record, mix, process and master.. but indeed the quality absolutely does vary.

Simon

Posted on: 28 December 2014 by andarkian
Originally Posted by Simon-in-Suffolk:

Andarkian, don't disagree about streaming instead of purchasing.. BTW my point about focussing on recording rather rather than replay in the past was based on equipment used. We hardly ever hear these days what digital equipment was used to record, mix, process and master.. but indeed the quality absolutely does vary.

Simon

Agreed. I suspect it was a bit of a cowboy world in the music world in the '60s, although there are great exceptions, the Led Zeppelin recordings for example. The great upsurge in British pop, for want of a better word, was accompanied by the haste of the moguls running the industry to get music laid down and out to the market place. When you had to listen to radio Caroline or Luxembourg for your music the quality of recording could hardly be deciphered.  I remember the astonishment when the Beatles recorded Sergeant Pepper in 8 track, as a scientific wonder. However, with all the masters and remastersed that have been issued I have yet to believe that Abbey Road captured them at their best. just my opinion. Just listened this morning to some Radiohead, Supertramp and Eagles through Spotify and all well recorded. However, if you listen to some of the Stones stuff e.g. Beggars Banquet it's pretty rubbish as well. 

 

To to my ears, current recordings have the potential to be very high quality indeed compared to those dark days. However, how did Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra etc. produce some winderful stuff in the '40s and '50s, or were the Americans so much better than us at those times?

Posted on: 28 December 2014 by Simon-in-Suffolk

Interesting.. I think many of the 60s vocal recordings at that time, both US and UK were  had a fairly basic recording path.. Probably onto four track with only basic eq, studio analogue reverb and tape compression...

However one of my favourite music innovators, producer Joe Meek, challanged all the then established ways of music recording and mixing fidelity in the late 50s and 60s. He pioneered many pop recording processing techniques, albeit initially extremely and amusingly primitive,  to make his recorded pop music and artists standout for replay at the expense of quality .. So perhaps we have him in part to blame for the overt processing and compression we have today. 

Simon