Scott Dolan

I think I know what you mean. Buying a CD/LP creates a sense of anticipation, right? Especially if you actually go and buy it from a store yourself. You pick it up, inspect the front and back covers, but it, take it home and unwrap, etc., etc... With streaming you simply click on it and off you go. Nothing to touch, or really look at. No booklet of liner notes... It is a very different experience. But, what I will say is that now that I'm somewhat used to it since I never buy CDs anymore (outside of box sets), I find myself focusing on the music more intently right out of the gate. Perhaps because that's all that is confronting me. Does that make sense?

A lot of what you've said here sums up my feelings as well. But I do have a question: why does it have o be a cursory stream? Why not stream it multiple times to make sure it's something you want?

Does anyone else here do streaming? I have to admit I always stayed away from it because when Spotify first took off their sampling rates for the free model were an atrocity (96kbps MP3, IIRC). But after reading up on the new and improved streaming from Spotify Premium (320kbps Ogg Vorbis), Tidal (320kbps AAC, and FLAC/ALAC if you want to pay for it), and Apple music (256kbps AAC), I decided to audition it again today. Naturally, being a big iTunes fan I decided to give Apple Music and their three month free trial a go. So far, so good. The sound quality is the same excellent quality they offer with their iTunes store downloads, and it seems to run just fine, unless I'm overloading my processor as I'm web surfing on the same iPad I'm streaming on. The catalog is quite impressive, even for more obscure Free Jazz and European Improv releases. There are 53 Evan Parker albums, for example. So, today's listening: Van Halen - Van Halen Evan Parker - 50th Birthday Concert Parker/Guy/Lytton Schlippenbach Trio - 2x3=5 Björk - Vulnicura Three distinctly different styles of music, and all sounded wonderful. I'm still an old fart that insists on buying and owning music, but I can see this as a nice little $10 a month supplement! Anyone else have an experience with streaming that they'd care to share? I do admit I'm very impressed with it so far.

Still no shipping/tracking number for my order yet...

I bet those are very high resolving.

Did anyone else that ordered the Benedetti box last Thursday receive a shipping number yet?

That's barely Avant-garde at all. Good tune, though.

Unfortunately, I think you're spot on, HP.

Theloniois Monk And Eric Dolphy: The Complete Live At The Village Vanguard Recordings

Does that mean all those who didn't order it during its initial run were part of the market indifference?

I'm actually wondering when the fetishists and hipsters will be clamoring for their very own Edison Phonograph and wax cylinders.

Jealous! I still haven't received a shipping number for the Benedetti set. I'm hoping it ships by the end of the week.

What I say is that this is simply a prequel to all of your bemoaned R.I.P. threads. Circle of life, baby! I love it!

iTunes is starting to offer booklets/liner notes with some of their releases, but I know you're referring to streaming. That said, I'd love to see a company like the one that made the Shazam! app do something similar for streaming services. Let's say you're streaming something and you pull out your phone/tablet, it recognizes the album you're listening to and up pops the "CD" booklet, and possibly other sources of information. It shouldn't be terribly difficult to do, although I suppose there may be licensing issues that would have to be hammered out beforehand. OH! And welcome back! Haven't seen you around lately.

You know, I'm not sure I ever saw the Ella commercial. The only one I recall was the guy sitting in a chair being blown backwards by his stereo speakers.

Are their files still MP3 with crapshoot bitrates?

That genuinely made me laugh out loud!

I only buy downloads these days, unless it is a box set. I've never gotten into streaming.

Yeah, like The Beatles remastered box, I'm going to ask Mrs. Claus for this one as well.

Alright, I'll concede the point. The rest stands, though. I seriously doubt Mr. Cuscuna has the slightest interest in pursuing the point. Hey, fair enough, right? Sometimes you reach a point in your life/career where you just say, "fuck you. This is the best buggywhip in the business. Buy it, or don't. But I ain't interested in making no goddamn spark plugs." Rest in peace. You've earned it.

Well now, let's not let the cat out of the bag that MP3 isn't the only digital codec out there. Or that all the others are superior to it. As for DRM, that died a very quite death about a decade ago.

No, no! I wasn't accusing him of anything of the sort. Just pointing out that the language is purely speculative in nature. And as I said, his closing statement tells me it's not a conversation he's willing to entertain. Let alone whether the labels would. Instead of concrete statements, he leaves everything rather ambiguous.

Ah, yes. Sony. Duh. In my defense, I actually am a blonde...

What do you mean when you say the corporations have more control over your music when it's digital?

I was never aware of all the mergers and acquisitions that have obviously taken place. So are Universal and Warner essentially the only two real parent companies left?