The Future of Music Listening and Broadcasting

RBFC · Dec 26, 2014

For me, the availability of streaming music has opened my eyes (and ears!) to more music than I could possibly be exposed to under my old methods. Today, for example, I listened to iTunes Radio and the Miles Davis channel. They played several selections from the Miles era from various artists, some of whom I did not know. I listened via Bluetooth from my iPhone to a pair of wireless Blue Ant Pump earbuds (certainly not the paragon of fidelity). Yet, I had a blast! While I absolutely agree that sitting down to a session in front of the "big system" with some "serious content" is wonderful, there are many times now that I can be immersed in great music while I do my workouts, without tangling the wires of my old earbuds. So, it IS about the music; this type of variety keeps your interest alive. I know it's re-kindled my passion for this hobby.

Lee

Joe Whip · Dec 27, 2014

FrantzM said:
Different strokes and all that .. I feel absolutely no connection to any media. i am in for the Music .. but I do understand your points.

Call me crazy but I feel no connection to any media at all. None. I listen to music. It is the music that matters. I don't feel a connection to the packaging that a fine piece of meat comes in either. I just don't get that mindset at all. Like I said, call me crazy.

FrantzM · Dec 27, 2014

Joe Whip said:
Call me crazy but I feel no connection to any media at all. None. I listen to music. It is the music that matters. I don't feel a connection to the packaging that a fine piece of meat comes in either. I just don't get that mindset at all. Like I said, call me crazy.

Not crazy ... A Music Lover ... that's all

Johnny Vinyl · Dec 27, 2014

Joe Whip said:
Call me crazy but I feel no connection to any media at all. None. I listen to music. It is the music that matters. I don't feel a connection to the packaging that a fine piece of meat comes in either. I just don't get that mindset at all. Like I said, call me crazy.

I appreciate your position and can't find fault with it, although I am of a complete opposite mindset with regard to physical media.

Where we do agree is on the music. Music is always first! And I said as much when I joined this site some years back.

Old Listener · Dec 27, 2014

FrantzM said:
Different strokes and all that .. I feel absolutely no connection to any media. i am in for the Music .. but I do understand your points.

I agree. I buy downloads or physical media depending on availability and price. I rip the CDs and don't give further thought to the physical media.

A streaming service might be of interest to me in the future but I have some concerns:

- I listen to lots of recordings that have been out of print for years. Will all those be available on a streaming service? Will they continue to be available?

- I listen mostly to classical music. Will the service have a user interface that makes finding what I want to hear easy, pleasant and successful?

- I already have most of the recordings that are important to me. How much value will I get from a streaming service?

We listen to big band and swing on the 40s on 4 channel on Sirius radio on car trips. Sirius seems to regard that channel as marginal and preempts it for content like a Billy Joel marathon. I think the threat is clear: if your interests are not shared by enough other customers, the streaming service provider may drop the content you want most.

still-one · Dec 27, 2014

I have used the streaming services of Rhapsody, MOG and Spotify in the past. These services are a great way to try out new artists or even new releases by familiar artists before ordering them from Amazon. I have saved a lot of money by auditioning these discs that end up having on a couple of good tracks or are just plane crap. The SQ of these services are pretty good for most listening sessions but now I only end up ordering the disc or Hi-Rez download when I know the release will get regular listens. One of the better features of MDMS (aka Sooloos) is how well Rhapsody is integrated into the user interface. I have many CD's tagged on Rhapsody that I like for the occasional listen and they show up in my "library" along with discs I have burned or downloads I have copy to my server. These files act as if they are stored on my server when in reality they are actually being streamed from Rhapsody. There is a slight SQ drop off but the performance is more important to me than the quality of the recording. Any SQ issues should disappear once the Tidal integration with the MDMS software is completed and released.

The only connection I have with the physical media is when I load it on the server. Those discs are then stored in case I need to load it onto a new server or should a drive fail (which has never happened in over 30 years). I also go through my server at least twice a year getting rid of music I no longer listen to on a regular basis. I have no desire to keep marginal music. If I ever want to hear it I can usually just stream it.

Johnny Vinyl · Dec 27, 2014

If anyone wants to unload their CDs...let me know what you have and I might be interested.

GaryProtein · Dec 27, 2014

The reason I buy CD's rather than streaming is because I'm a control freak and I want to hear what I want to listen to! Having to open a CD box and load the disk into the machine is of no consequence to me.

still-one · Dec 27, 2014

GaryProtein said:
The reason I buy CD's rather than streaming is because I'm a control freak and I want to hear what I want to listen to! Having to open a CD box and load the disk into the machine is of no consequence to me.

Gary
Even when I am streaming via Rhapsody I only hear the artists and tracks I selected to be played. Not everyone uses features such as "play artists similar to Richard Hawley" where you will get random choices.

Barry2013 · Dec 27, 2014

I am not really into streaming or digital downloading but have done some.
That is largely because in the UK we are blessed with wonderful FM radio programming by the BBC and I can listen to it at its best through my Magnum Dynalab 109 tuner with sound quality up there with all but the most expensive cd/sacd players. The classical programming on Radio Three is so good, varied and accompanied by really knowledgeable presenters and the better popular music on Radio 2 is a great blend of old and new music unsullied by constant adverts.
I am sure good FM is still available in most of Europe, My impression is there is not a lot of good quality public or private FM broadcasting in the USA, but, subject to correction, rather better in Canada. Not sure what it is like in the rest of the world but just so grateful for our BBC.

Johnny Vinyl · Dec 27, 2014

Barry2013 said:
I am not really into streaming or digital downloading but have done some.
That is largely because in the UK we are blessed with wonderful FM radio programming by the BBC and I can listen to it at its best through my Magnum Dynalab 109 tuner with sound quality up there with all but the most expensive cd/sacd players. The classical programming on Radio Three is so good, varied and accompanied by really knowledgeable presenters and the better popular music on Radio 2 is a great blend of old and new music unsullied by constant adverts.
I am sure good FM is still available in most of Europe, My impression is there is not a lot of good quality public or private FM broadcasting in the USA, but, subject to correction, rather better in Canada. Not sure what it is like in the rest of the world but just so grateful for our BBC.

It's still quite good in Canada despite the horrendous cuts the CBC has suffered through the decades.

microstrip · Dec 27, 2014

Old Listener said:
(...)
A streaming service might be of interest to me in the future but I have some concerns:

(...)

- I already have most of the recordings that are important to me. How much value will I get from a streaming service?
(...)

Also relevant for me. I currently have more music than time to listen. And I enjoy re-listening to old favorites.

MtnHam · Dec 27, 2014

According to some, streaming is a terrible waste of energy: http://scienceofrock.com/wordpress/...e-for-the-environment-cds-or-streaming-music/
and http://www.care2.com/causes/how-netflix-is-hurting-the-environment.html

I live in a remote area which is poorly served by conventional Internet providers. My connection is relatively slow (2Mbps) and my daily bandwidth allowance is limited to 2Mbs/day. Christmas Eve I downloaded the free DSD files offered by Linn, and received the following email from my ISP:

"Ooops- You have exceeded 100% of the recommended bandwidth allotment of 2,000 MBs. per day(9am-9pm). Current usage is 4,250 MBs.
The electrical energy used is equal to 4- Refrigerators running 24/7 for a year! Wow!
Please respond ASAP. Utubes and short videos are fine but full length TV shows and movies destroy the environment and kill the network, especially during prime time 6-9 PM.
This is only a warning as we are trying to avoid implementation of any set limits. Please help!
Thank you for your cooperation Video kills!"

Fortunately, I also have a small apartment in San Francisco, where I enjoy a 50mb/second connection without a bandwidth limit. I guess I will have to restrict my downloading/streaming to my time in the city, but also live with the quilt! What do you constant streamers have to say?

astrotoy · Dec 28, 2014

One major issue that has not been discussed in detail are the economics of having a cloud based collection, from the perspective of the music companies and artists. If having no physical media in your "collection" is the way of the future, how much would it cost to have musicians make a reasonable living from the royalties from such a system.

One positive possibility: the major problem of piracy of digital files (including CD's) I would think would just about disappear if you could not download the file - but only have your collection live in the cloud and streamed to you on demand.

However, what would a pricing model look like that provides what the customer wants at a reasonable price point and also provides what artists and producers need to make a living.

A model which is currently evolving is the change from print to digital media, both for newspapers and books. Newspapers appear to be moving to an amateur production model - where it is very difficult for a full time professional journalist to make a living and the same content is recirculated on different websites, with almost no in depth reporting. Similarly books appear to have the same trajectory (e.g Amazon vs. Hachette) Will we have music evolve in the same way - with only a handful of artists being able to make a living and the rest working part time at little or no pay?

I see even in WBF and similar forums that members, who usually have significant investments in equipment, complain about paying $20 a month for subscription to Tidal, when Spotify and others are cheaper. The vast majority of artists get essentially nothing in royalties from these services. (It reminds me of my wife who has written several chapters in medical textbooks and gets quarterly royalty checks, often for less than a dollar!)

Larry

Barry2013 · Dec 28, 2014

Johnny Vinyl said:
It's still quite good in Canada despite the horrendous cuts the CBC has suffered through the decades.

Thanks John.
It is good to hear that it is alive and kicking in Canada despite the cuts.
Some years ago I remember reading about a government program to protect and nurture the music industry in Canada which included mandatory quotas on the broadcasting of Canadian artists. If I remember Arcade Fire were one of the beneficiaries of that policy and I am sure there were many others.
Is that still in force?

Barry2013 · Dec 28, 2014

tomelex said:
Although we have whats called public radio in most states, it is not what I would call high quality FM from an audio level, and I don't think really hardly any audiophiles use FM in their main systems anymore. I do appreciate what you are talking about as I lived in England for 4 years in the early 90's and did enjoy the BBC radio transmissions. FM radio in general here as far as over the air everyday radio is so full of commercials and compression that it is only listenable by audiophiles in general in the car, however there are a few exceptions but pretty much I would say 95% of audiophiles don't have tuners that they regularily listen to over the air FM broadcasts in their main rigs at home.

Thanks Tomelex.
That is helpful if a bit sad.
There was a concerted move over here to phase out FM in favour of DAB but it has largely faded out and it looks as if FM is secure for a long time yet.
I suppose also that there are any Rex Bob Lowensteins around the USA these days which is one of my favourite tracks by Mark Germinho.
Glad to hear you enjoyed our BBC when you were over here and hope you had a good stay,

Johnny Vinyl · Dec 28, 2014

Barry2013 said:
Thanks John.
It is good to hear that it is alive and kicking in Canada despite the cuts.
Some years ago I remember reading about a government program to protect and nurture the music industry in Canada which included mandatory quotas on the broadcasting of Canadian artists. If I remember Arcade Fire were one of the beneficiaries of that policy and I am sure there were many others.
Is that still in force?

Hello Barry,

Yes it's still in force. While originally strongly opopsed by the consumer and content providers, it was almost a stroke of genius by the CRTC as Canadian artists flourished.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_content

slowGEEZR · Dec 28, 2014

Peter Breuninger said:
I'm going to set Tidal up after CES, why would anyone use Pandora or Spotify when you can get redbook on Tidal?

When I talked to the Tidal folks at RMAF, they said it was "near" redbook quality.

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