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Downloading music - where from?
nick205 - 24/2/12 at 09:32 PM

OK I'm a download virgin!

SWMBO has asked me to download a couple of albums for her, but I've no idea where to start....

1. I'd like a decent lossless format to fit in with all the other digital music we've got (WMA lossless and FLAC)
2. I want to pay for it, but not too much
3. I want to be able to play it on multiple devices

Where do I go chaps????

dave - 24/2/12 at 09:36 PM

iTunes if you are happy to pay.

daniel mason - 24/2/12 at 09:39 PM

if its an album i think i will listen too a lot. i generally buy it on cd. then burn it to itunes and other mp3 formats and put the cd in my car. but i buy second hand cd's from ebay as im a cheapskate! lol

FuryRebuild - 24/2/12 at 09:50 PM

It depends - itunes won't give you flac, and their quality is middling.

I sometimes buy CDs and use a good ripper to get the most out of them, such as cdparanoia (it overscans the disk and repeatedly scans sections where it finds a discrepancy. It's your best chance to get an accurate rip).

However, if you actually want proper quality, CD isn't the place to go. I use hdtracks for some flac downloads, and bowers and wilkins have a great selection of studio masters from peter gabriel's real-world studios. However, you buy what they have, rather than the high-street selection. it's eclectic, but the quality is amazing (as you'd expect).

I also like linnrecords.com - they have some amazing stuff but again, it's not high-street. naim do a similar service under their own label.

Saying that, I also use amazon for downloads - quick, cheap, legit, mp3 and a reasonable bit-rate.

cheers
mark

nick205 - 24/2/12 at 10:56 PM

Hmm, in with both feet....

Just downloaded from Play.com, installed Spotify and created a Facebook account (something I wasn't going to do)

RK - 25/2/12 at 12:34 AM

Often the bands websites let you download albums directly from them. Grooveshark is an Aussie one (good) for making one off playlists to play once (or as long as your computer is at their site).

daniel mason - 25/2/12 at 09:37 AM

fury rebuild. do you have any more info on the b&w downloads? cheers

wilkingj - 25/2/12 at 11:56 AM

quote:
Originally posted by daniel mason
if its an album i think i will listen too a lot. i generally buy it on cd. then burn it to itunes and other mp3 formats and put the cd in my car. but i buy second hand cd's from ebay as im a cheapskate! lol


Ah... I copy the CD to the PC, and then do another CD copy and put the COPY in the car.

If it gets stolen, then no loss except a 5pence CD, whihc you can remake. A lot easier than having to claim for £200's worth of CD's which the Ins Co will probably try to wriggle out of paying for.

I'm a cheapskate too

violentblue - 25/2/12 at 05:07 PM

less legal, but you can use bittorrent and find your album on pirate bay.