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iTunes Digital Music Sales Fall 13 Percent as Apple Prepares Beats Music Refresh
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It depends on the source, the equipment used to play the music, and the listener.
At least one double blind test has demonstrated that it's not really possible to tell the difference (regardless of what some people say): http://www.music.mcgill.ca/~hockman/documents/Pras_presentation2009.pdf
Granted, there will be people who can tell the difference but for most people, no there is no difference even if you are ripping lossless from a CD.
Hm, so the music streaming service, which used to be called MOG and which Beats bought for $15 million a few month before Apple bought Beats for $3 billion, is integral to Apple's music business?
Maybe Apple should have done better due diligence.
MOG used to be a great service. It had Artist Radio (kind of Pandora-like) and a desktop app. Beats completely ruined MOG, removed the Artist Radio and it no longer has a desktop app.
If this is a sign of things to come, it doesn't bode well for us.
Maybe Apple should have done better due diligence.
MOG used to be a great service. It had Artist Radio (kind of Pandora-like) and a desktop app. Beats completely ruined MOG, removed the Artist Radio and it no longer has a desktop app.
If this is a sign of things to come, it doesn't bode well for us.
I will purchase $5.00 worth of music if I feel like it. Not subscribe to beats to push music I will not most likely not care for.
Part of this can be explained by the mastering process in the studio and post production. Knowing that most of your target audience will be listening to your work on a digital device with earbuds or headphones means you can compress the heck out the dynamic range to make it sound better in that listening format. So even if you buy the CD version and create a lossless FLAC file, it doesn't matter. All the extra range and tonality has already been lost before the CD's were even pressed. No one targets the audiophile with the tube amp and high end speakers because it's so improbable you'd find a customer like that. That's why these double blind studies don't reveal any differences. The mastering process has already stripped out the goods.
There is a big difference between streaming and CD. Just like there is a big difference between CD and SACD. If you have never listened to each, you don't know what you are missing. Just like streaming video. If you have never watched blu ray, or soon to be released 4K blu ray, you will never realize that streaming is really crappy.
Maybe because people want high-quality music, not outdated AAC 256 kb/s crap
Exactly!
I buy CDs and rip my songs as ALAC. Takes a little longer, but then I have the highest quality for future use. And the cost is about the same (maybe a little more). And since I mostly buy my CDs on Amazon, they generally include 256kbs mp3s of the album -- so I still have the instant gratification of an immediate download while I wait for the CD.
I was perfectly happy paying MOG $5/month for a desktop subscription at 320kbps, and Beats took that away. Why is it so hard for Apple to bring that option back?
Streaming at low bitrate is not worth much more than $5, IMO. And I never have or will purchase digital content if it is lossy - give us Apple Lossless or a slightly more costly Hi-Res option, at least.
I know this view is in the minority, for now.
Streaming at low bitrate is not worth much more than $5, IMO. And I never have or will purchase digital content if it is lossy - give us Apple Lossless or a slightly more costly Hi-Res option, at least.
I know this view is in the minority, for now.
I've been writing my first novel and it is a real eye opener to think that I might not get paid for this beast that I have been putting literally hundreds and hundreds of hours into building. The whole project has made me much more diligent about paying other artists for the enjoyment of their work. Yes, writers and singers do what they do in part for the job of creating something or the need to express something, but it is disheartening to put in so much effort and not receive appropriate monetary compensation.
For me, they'd need to offer a service equal to, or better than Spotify, for equal to, or less than the current cost.
Apple should really consider developing an iTunes app for third party devices, I imagine it could prove popular on Android and Windows Phone - or even Smart TV's!
Apple should really consider developing an iTunes app for third party devices, I imagine it could prove popular on Android and Windows Phone - or even Smart TV's!
I don't buy nearly as much music now that I have a Spotify account. The stuff I do (listen to on Spotify) and deem worthy of buying gets bought on CD and ripped to FLAC. There is no rush with Spotify since I can listen to it there while I wait two days for the CD to show up.
I'd probably buy more albums from iTunes rather than ordering the CD from Amazon if they had the option to download an ALAC version.
If Apple could come up with a better UI for the Beats subscription service I might switch. Spotify's "Play Queue" drives me absolutely insane.
I'd probably buy more albums from iTunes rather than ordering the CD from Amazon if they had the option to download an ALAC version.
If Apple could come up with a better UI for the Beats subscription service I might switch. Spotify's "Play Queue" drives me absolutely insane.
audio
There is a huge technical difference.
You can rip songs in Lossless format from the CD - variable bitrate conversion usually yield between 900 - 1300 kbps audio. Then you are future-proofed against audio player quality improvements.
Honestly, I don't know that I can really hear the difference between a 320kbps audio mp4 and an 1100kbps audio file - even with my best in-ear headphones. I think that may relate to the audio-processing chip in iDevices. Perhaps with a high-quality stereo/amp/speakers, one would notice more of a difference. I rarely use my stereo anymore (I prefer headphones).
Also, you have the CD as an archive to use if you were to ever suffer a media storage catastrophe. Also, I find that the overall price is the same.
I'm not someone who buys just one or two songs from an 'album'.
I guess I'm showing my age, but I prefer having the entire album/CD/artist's experience as designed for listening.
There is a huge technical difference.
You can rip songs in Lossless format from the CD - variable bitrate conversion usually yield between 900 - 1300 kbps audio. Then you are future-proofed against audio player quality improvements.
Honestly, I don't know that I can really hear the difference between a 320kbps audio mp4 and an 1100kbps audio file - even with my best in-ear headphones. I think that may relate to the audio-processing chip in iDevices. Perhaps with a high-quality stereo/amp/speakers, one would notice more of a difference. I rarely use my stereo anymore (I prefer headphones).
Also, you have the CD as an archive to use if you were to ever suffer a media storage catastrophe.
Also, I find that the overall price is the same.I'm not someone who buys just one or two songs from an 'album'.
I guess I'm showing my age, but I prefer having the entire album/CD/artist's experience as designed for listening.
There is a huge technical difference.
You can rip songs in Lossless format from the CD - variable bitrate conversion usually yield between 900 - 1300 kbps audio. Then you are future-proofed against audio player quality improvements.
Honestly, I don't know that I can really hear the difference between a 320kbps audio mp4 and an 1100kbps audio file - even with my best in-ear headphones. I think that may relate to the audio-processing chip in iDevices. Perhaps with a high-quality stereo/amp/speakers, one would notice more of a difference. I rarely use my stereo anymore (I prefer headphones).
Also, you have the CD as an archive to use if you were to ever suffer a media storage catastrophe.
I'm not someone who buys just one or two songs from an 'album'.
I guess I'm showing my age, but I prefer having the entire album/CD/artist's experience as designed for listening.
Yeah when I was in my late-teens/early 20's I preferred having one or two songs from an album but now I've resorted to buying whole albums.
I don't think so.
I think it has more to do with the availability of all you can eat music buffets for a cheap monthly price.
I was a former pirate but since I got on the All Access deal I haven't looked at a torrent site since. Even deleted all my ill gotten gains I've collected over the years.
I even converted two of my brother in laws to go legit with a streaming service.
Spotify is responsible. If only Apple Beats or whatever it'll be called can compete, and has similar functionality, Apple stands to make a lot of $$$
I never put any thought into this subject before reading this post, but I think I'm at the same point. I just can't be bothered to keep up with music anymore, let alone buy it. I have an Rdio subscription, but I really don't even use that as much as I should. There's something missing with digital music. The thrill of actually going to the record store, sifting through the albums/cassettes/CDs, buying what you want, unwrapping it, and then putting in your music player....it isn't the same. Maybe I'll consider buying CDs again to see if that sparks any renewed interest for me.
Aren't declining download sales a given for iTunes just by nature?
I mean, you only need to purchase the album once. Once it's purchased, that's it. No more sale. Even if you "lose" it, you can just re-download it.
It's not like the phyiscal world, where if I lost a CD, I had to go buy it again.
I mean, you only need to purchase the album once. Once it's purchased, that's it. No more sale. Even if you "lose" it, you can just re-download it.
It's not like the phyiscal world, where if I lost a CD, I had to go buy it again.
Yes, but still pretty limited catalog (for my tastes); and the Euro to Dollars price is high. I have bought a couple of albums from them, though. When the CD price was just as high (a couple of artists) - around $15.