Apple Streaming: Too little too late?
Posted by: Tony2011 on 08 June 2015
Talking of which I have recently been playing stuff by the New York punk(ish) band Television who are fab. Now has anyone downloaded any of the albums from any download site? Please let me know if you have.
Ok, it's off topic from the thread, but yes Big Bill, get yourself a copy of Marquee Moon (their first album) it's an absolute classic.
Adventure ( their second album) is really good too, but MM is my favourite.
Get the CD or vinyl if you can, it's just easier than trying to find a download of them.
Now then, back to the thread....
...err I know their albums what I want to know is anyone selling FLAC24 downloads of these albums.
No, there are no Television Hi Res downloads that I know of.
Apple Music seems to have had a lackluster reception. Maybe it will grow over time.
As far as Spotify offering a superior user experience, I think that is in the eye of the beholder. I absolutely hate the interfaces and the differences between them on several different machines. I always get completely lost in it, can't find music back and once I'm accustomed to it they change the behaviours without clearly indicating what they have changed. My brain seems to be wired differently.
Apple Music seems to have had a lackluster reception. Maybe it will grow over time.
As far as Spotify offering a superior user experience, I think that is in the eye of the beholder. I absolutely hate the interfaces and the differences between them on several different machines. I always get completely lost in it, can't find music back and once I'm accustomed to it they change the behaviours without clearly indicating what they have changed. My brain seems to be wired differently.
I agree with you about the Spotify interface, it's pretty poor. But with use you will eventually find your way around it. Why it has to be so different on various platforms I don't know. The Windows platform version is not too bad but the one I get on my iPad is truly dreadful, there are things you just can't do on it.
What Hifi have just reviewed Apple Music and given it their maximum rating. They also think it sounds better than Spotify's 320k best.
Well unfortunately every service at '320' I have heard sounds better than Spotify at '320'. These services don't use the same lossy codec, Spotify uses Ogg Vorbis at 320k and I think sounds poorer than 320k MP3 or 320k AAC.
Simon
What Hifi have just reviewed Apple Music...
An interesting excerpt from the review:
"According to The Verge, Apple tried to use its power to convince record labels not to renew Spotify's licence to stream music for free. Spotify has 75 million users, but only 20 million of those pay for the Premium service, and Deezer also offers a free subscription plan.
Oh, and don't forget all that free music available on YouTube. Apple also reportedly offered to pay Universal Music the fee it normally receives from YouTube if the label agreed to stop allowing its songs to be available on YouTube for free.
What's more, Apple had hoped to convince record labels to agree to an Apple Music price of $8/£8 a month, undercutting the $10/£10 per month typically charged by its rivals, but apparently to no avail."
They sure are trying hard to turn themselves into a very dislikable company. Quite disappointing really. And one more reason not to subscribe to their service.
What Hifi have just reviewed Apple Music and given it their maximum rating. They also think it sounds better than Spotify's 320k best.
I sometimes wonder if What HiFi has Apple staff working for it. I have never seen an Apple product get anything less than an excellent review from them regardless of what the rest of the world might think.
I think how they hope to make money n this is the difficulty in cancelling the auto-renewing subscription, intuitive it certainly isn't.
for those who are slow like me
settings>itunes and app store> click your apple ID, select view apple ID> subscriptions - manage> click apple music membership and cancel autorenew.
Or just go into your profile in the music app, tap on
"show apple ID" and then manage subscriptions. This was easier than I would have expected, and I have seen services on the net making it almost impossible to find a way to cancel subscriptions.
One funny thing I first cancelled my subscription, enabled it Again and cancelled Again, just to be sure I had explained it correctly for other users. And this seems not to please Apple too much. Now I am not sure if my membership is cancelled, but I hope so.
Claus
What Hifi have just reviewed Apple Music and given it their maximum rating. They also think it sounds better than Spotify's 320k best.
I sometimes wonder if What HiFi has Apple staff working for it. I have never seen an Apple product get anything less than an excellent review from them regardless of what the rest of the world might think.
I know what you mean. I bet you would be very hard pressed to discern an difference in the two.
I will stick with Tidal (running natively on my Linn streamer). Best sound quality available from a streaming service.
Use my 128 gb iphone on the move with my 'extensive' WAV itunes library
No need for crappy lossy.
I signed up to check out Apple Music. I was a happy MOG user that was purchased a ruined by Beats which so I cancelled. I substituted with Spotify until Deezer hit the scene as Deezer via SONOS Connect easily outperformed Spotify Connect via NDX. Then Apple bought Beats. Its easy to see that this is an implementation to find music then turn around and buy a low res version from iTunes so Apple can keep the iTunes business model alive. Too bad...I have cancelled. (Wat, don't upgrade to the new iTines as it will probably ruin your third party integration).
On a side note I saw a mind blowing live concert of Tchaikovsky's 4th in an outstanding concert hall last nigh and was starkly reminded that no amount of hi fi can equal that. The dynamics, detail, instrument placement and sweetness of the string instruments were jaw dropping.
My 2 cents...
M
Its easy to see that this is an implementation to find music then turn around and buy a low res version from iTunes so Apple can keep the iTunes business model alive.
I never understood why anyone would pay a cent to Apple for their crappy low res music. At €10 an album? Really? I'd much rather get the CD instead.
Good laptops, phones and pads, software too, although increasingly annoying. Beyond that? Thanks but no thanks!
Its easy to see that this is an implementation to find music then turn around and buy a low res version from iTunes so Apple can keep the iTunes business model alive.
I never understood why anyone would pay a cent to Apple for their crappy low res music. At €10 an album? Really? I'd much rather get the CD instead.
Good laptops, phones and pads, software too, although increasingly annoying. Beyond that? Thanks but no thanks!
+1. I purchased one iTunes album back in the day as an experiment to test quality. Burned to CD-R popped it in the CD5XS... it sucked and that was the end of my iTunes purchases.
M
Apples installed base is large enough to make it a success. Actually I think Apple Music is very good (except for the lack of Naim HDX integration :-))
Also more negative comments on the net usually means its a bigger success for Apple. It's like their users buy Apple stuff just to spite the nerds.
But I'm not so sure I like everything about this generic global streaming model. First the material that is marketed/promotoed is only 'western popular music'. Apples curated model would be perfect to learn about music from all over the world ... but no such luck. The second objection is the payment. I want to pay for the stuff I like not everything i happen to cklick on, like when you used radio for discovery and then bought the album. Maybe a system where users could rate an album.
On a side note I saw a mind blowing live concert of Tchaikovsky's 4th in an outstanding concert hall last nigh and was starkly reminded that no amount of hi fi can equal that. The dynamics, detail, instrument placement and sweetness of the string instruments were jaw dropping.
I know what you mean. Three weeks ago I was at a concert in the Ante Chapel at Kings College in Cambridge to experience Verdi's Requiem. Mrs SinS and I were about 18 feet away from two of the four lead vocalists and the orchestra spread out across in front of us. The immersive experience sitting this close to the 'action' with superb acoustics was incredible and so emotional that tears came to my eyes.. The passion, textures, dynamics, placement of the sounds and life of this real music was breathtaking. It did cross my mind at the time that reproduced music ( and amplified music) pales in comparison.... and I have experienced some pretty impressive setups including at the BBC's Maida Vale studios.
Simon
Apples installed base is large enough to make it a success. Actually I think Apple Music is very good (except for the lack of Naim HDX integration :-))
Also more negative comments on the net usually means its a bigger success for Apple. It's like their users buy Apple stuff just to spite the nerds.
But I'm not so sure I like everything about this generic global streaming model. First the material that is marketed/promotoed is only 'western popular music'. Apples curated model would be perfect to learn about music from all over the world ... but no such luck. The second objection is the payment. I want to pay for the stuff I like not everything i happen to cklick on, like when you used radio for discovery and then bought the album. Maybe a system where users could rate an album.
Are you saying there is no classical music on the Apple streamer?
On a side note I saw a mind blowing live concert of Tchaikovsky's 4th in an outstanding concert hall last nigh and was starkly reminded that no amount of hi fi can equal that. The dynamics, detail, instrument placement and sweetness of the string instruments were jaw dropping.
I know what you mean. Three weeks ago I was at a concert in the Ante Chapel at Kings College in Cambridge to experience Verdi's Requiem. Mrs SinS and I were about 18 feet away from two of the four lead vocalists and the orchestra spread out across in front of us. The immersive experience sitting this close to the 'action' with superb acoustics was incredible and so emotional that tears came to my eyes.. The passion, textures, dynamics, placement of the sounds and life of this real music was breathtaking. It did cross my mind at the time that reproduced music ( and amplified music) pales in comparison.... and I have experienced some pretty impressive setups including at the BBC's Maida Vale studios.
Simon
I hear you Simon. Nothing like it. My daughter is a violinist but working as one of the music librarians for The Eastern Music Festival in NC of which this concert was apart of. An entire month of classical music performances. Next full orchestra is Rimsky Korsakov's Le Coq d'or this weekend. Check it out EMF if you ever happen to be in this area during the month of July. I can also recall a tremendous concert at the Barbican Theater in London during my 2012 visit to the UK. Fantastic venue.
M
On a side note I saw a mind blowing live concert of Tchaikovsky's 4th in an outstanding concert hall last nigh and was starkly reminded that no amount of hi fi can equal that. The dynamics, detail, instrument placement and sweetness of the string instruments were jaw dropping.
I know what you mean. Three weeks ago I was at a concert in the Ante Chapel at Kings College in Cambridge to experience Verdi's Requiem. Mrs SinS and I were about 18 feet away from two of the four lead vocalists and the orchestra spread out across in front of us. The immersive experience sitting this close to the 'action' with superb acoustics was incredible and so emotional that tears came to my eyes.. The passion, textures, dynamics, placement of the sounds and life of this real music was breathtaking. It did cross my mind at the time that reproduced music ( and amplified music) pales in comparison.... and I have experienced some pretty impressive setups including at the BBC's Maida Vale studios.
Simon
Completely agree.
I think the exception to this is music that must be played amped in the first place. Live music in great venue without the need for amping is magical and the best system is still pretty far away from that. But go and see a band play at even a small venue and the tables are turned. The setup they have for amplification is never as good as listening at home - you basically are there for the atmosphere. Generally, when I go to see live jazz or rock, the sound quality is pretty bad (but it is loud).
On a side note I saw a mind blowing live concert of Tchaikovsky's 4th in an outstanding concert hall last nigh and was starkly reminded that no amount of hi fi can equal that. The dynamics, detail, instrument placement and sweetness of the string instruments were jaw dropping.
I know what you mean. Three weeks ago I was at a concert in the Ante Chapel at Kings College in Cambridge to experience Verdi's Requiem. Mrs SinS and I were about 18 feet away from two of the four lead vocalists and the orchestra spread out across in front of us. The immersive experience sitting this close to the 'action' with superb acoustics was incredible and so emotional that tears came to my eyes.. The passion, textures, dynamics, placement of the sounds and life of this real music was breathtaking. It did cross my mind at the time that reproduced music ( and amplified music) pales in comparison.... and I have experienced some pretty impressive setups including at the BBC's Maida Vale studios.
Simon
We move OT, but let me to bless your words, these are the references experience, not really the ancillary hifi details... 
HH, yes sorry I meant lossy.. All these losses get confusing..
Yes the BMW service is very good, and you don't pay for data usage or roaming... if you look under the cover it uses a Vodaphone flat rate data service package as part of the annual music streaming package.. and I read that BMW subsidises the roaming.. But that sounds a bit too benevolent to me.. But one thing for sure the end customer doesn't pay for it.
...the end customer *ALWAYS* pays for it somehow unless the business model is unsustainable.
Phil
Well, yes of course, I should have said, paying for the roaming and data usage directly... I am sure it is paid for as part of the fixed rate 3G mobile streaming package and the costs are far less than I am used to experiencing in retail consumer land if bought separately and if so it would appear perhaps I am being ripped off elsewhere ... I suspect this is more like it... in my experience consumer prices and negotiated b2b prices can be significantly different...
Simon
Feeling_zen, we are OT, but jazz concerts really do differ in my experience. An acoustic jazz set is to die for.. The timing, the suspense, textures, phrasing is wonderful.. Even if sometimes rather loud if sitting close by some of the instruments... But i have yet to hear a truly rewarding completely amplified Jazz set.. The sound and timing in my experience is so often strangled... and this also includes in my experience unfortunately even a few sets I have heard at Ronnie Scott's in London.
M, good luck with your daughter's concerts.
Simon
Feeling_zen, we are OT, but jazz concerts really do differ in my experience. An acoustic jazz set is to die for.. The timing, the suspense, textures, phrasing is wonderful.. Even if sometimes rather loud if sitting close by some of the instruments... But i have yet to hear a truly rewarding completely amplified Jazz set.. The sound and timing in my experience is so often strangled... and this also includes in my experience unfortunately even a few sets I have heard at Ronnie Scott's in London.
M, good luck with your daughter's concerts.
Simon
Simon, visit North Sea Jazz in the coming weekend. I find the sound treatment of the concerts normally on quite a high level.