"With the hundreds of articles I have been reading on the changes in media distribution (literally hundreds and is this a REALLY big surprise??) I have not read one - not one - that makes any mention of the fact that the quality of the recordings being distributed by download are significantly compressed and poorer then those distributed on media."
Here's one such article, by the way. It ran Monday in the Boston Globe. Someone cares!
Best,
Joel
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/01/28/more_music_dea lers_offering_downloads_with_sound_quality_that_rivals_a_cds/
More music dealers offering downloads with sound quality that rivals a CD's By Hiawatha Bray Globe Staff / January 28, 2008
Internet music retailers offer millions of tunes, in every genre from opera to hip-hop to Palestinian folk songs. But it's still hard to find online music that sounds good on a $10,000 stereo system.
Online music sellers like Apple Inc. and Amazon.com use digital compression technologies to shrink the sizes of music files, making them easier to store and download. But compression also hollows out the music, eliminating many of the sonic subtleties cherished by hardcore audiophiles. That's why many finicky music lovers won't sully their ears with today's downloadable tunes and are clamoring for something better.
Joel Bresler 250 E. Emerson Rd. Lexington, MA 02420 USA
781-862-4104 (Telephone & FAX) joel.br@xxxxxxxxxxx IN CASE OF VERIZON EMAIL PROBLEMS, PLEASE USE MY BACK-UP EMAIL: joelbresler-at-gmail.com
-----Original Message----- From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jim Lindner Sent: Friday, January 25, 2008 8:54 AM To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [ARSCLIST] The "dumbing down" of Downloaded Recordings
Is it just me who wonders about this? With the hundreds of articles I have been reading on the changes in media distribution (literally hundreds and is this a REALLY big surprise??) I have not read one - not one - that makes any mention of the fact that the quality of the recordings being distributed by download are significantly compressed and poorer then those distributed on media. Of course it does not have to be this way - there is no reason why .wav files could not be being downloaded instead of AAC or MP3 - but no one seems to care - at all.
I figure that if anywhere - the members on this list should care. I don't get it - why aren't people complaining? Has our benchmark for quality become Apple Ipod earbuds? Tell me it isn't so. While people are spending untold thousands on Krell's and esoteric speakers what we are witnessing here is a recording media and quality implosion and I for one am concerned that getting a recording that is of the former relatively high (ok we can debate that but this is not the real point) quality of recordings on CD will become an impossibility in the not too distant future. How come there aren't a bunch of audiophiles - or professionals - or both - speaking up and saying to the downloading public and to the distributors - hey wait a minute - if I am paying the same prices for downloading as I am for physical media - the least you can do is give me the same quality.
All I hear is - silence. To me this is a HUGE threat - even short term - to what you are going to be able to listen to, and the quality of what you will be able to listen to.
So, members of ARSC - I ask you - to discuss this - and - OK I will say it - as an organization - take an actual position on this subject - let the world know that this is a BIG issue. That is right - I am actually advocating for standing up and talking out loud - not to our group but to the rest of the planet. If we are not going to take a stand on this - what will we take a stand on? Get some manufacturers behind you - you know the Krell and "monster cable" kind of folk that have lots of marketing smarts - because there really isn't any point in spending thousands of dollars on esoteric gear when the quality of the recordings will not let you hear it anyhow. They have allot to lose also. What we are talking about here is the dumbing down - the AAC'ing of all distributed music and I for one think this is an issue. Does anyone agree?
Jim Lindner
Email: jim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Media Matters LLC. SAMMA Systems Inc. 450 West 31st Street 4th Floor New York, N.Y. 10001
eFax (646) 349-4475 Mobile: (917) 945-2662 Office: (212) 268-5528
www.media-matters.net Media Matters LLC. is a technical consultancy specializing in archival audio and video material. We provide advice and analysis, to media archives that apply the beneficial advances in technology to collection management.
www.sammasystems.com SAMMA Systems provides tools and products that implement and optimize the advances in modern technology with established media preservation and access practices.