[Balthazar B]

If Amazon became the only online streaming option available, I would just go back to playing ripped CDs and maybe get a CD transport.
They won't be getting my business, that's for sure!

We might be beyond the point where it's become feasible for the music publishers and the distribution channels that are part of the ecosystem to go to a completely licensed model and end physical distribution of content. "Easy" enough to do when everything is digital, since playback can require a check-in/authorization step beforehand. It may be possible to hack some kind of circumvention to that, but then one becomes subject to civil and criminal consequences.

IIRC, today there's a two-tier model governing streaming: analog source content and digital source content. The replay royalties (currently) are less for the former. Not hard to imagine a new dominant tier comprised of tracks that are only/strictly licensed via DRM for use by listeners and not ownable by them. Ultimately the publishers would own those rights/licenses, while distributors would continue to pay for streaming rights and serve as aggregators (the Spotify/Amazon/Apple/Google/etc.) model. While content that has been distributed on physical media will continue as long as the physical media itself exists (years, maybe decades), when no new physical media for music/video content is being produced, the air will be slowly sucked out of that ecosystem. just as it has been for tape.

If this comes to pass, Amazon won't be the only option available, and it will be the publishers who are the oligarchs (even if some/many of the publishers are the artists as well). It'll be in their interest to have many channels competing and paying them for their content, not just one.

Sorry for the dystopian post, but it's the zeitgeist these days, no?

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

This does not bide well for the future.
I fear we wil not have a good FLAC (maybe HigRes) streaming service at all.

 

[Balthazar B]

This does not bide well for the future.
I fear we wil not have a good FLAC (maybe HigRes) streaming service at all.

We will almost certainly have high-res streaming, for the same reason 4MB (soon 8MB) video streaming has become ubiquitous. The additional cost of providing it is only a minor increment to lower-res, and there's enough of a market for it (and a market, by the way, that continues to expand, what with marketing and all).

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

We will almost certainly have high-res streaming, for the same reason 4MB (soon 8MB) video streaming has become ubiquitous. The additional cost of providing it is only a minor increment to lower-res, and there's enough of a market for it (and a market, by the way, that continues to expand, what with marketing and all).

I assume you're right.
And I hope you're right.

 

[438555]

The do not pay much for the “rights” nor much for royalties.

They’re going to have to be careful there, or sooner or later they won’t get any new music
I still think the Bandcamp model is the best.

 

[judson_w]

They’re going to have to be careful there, or sooner or later they won’t get any new music
I still think the Bandcamp model is the best.

And anything you buy on bandcamp today (until midnight PDT) will go directly to the artist (or label in some cases...). Bandcamp is waiving their fees on the first friday of the month for May, June, and July.

 

[Inoculator]

Always buy through bandcamp if given the option. As someone who purchases a lot of vinyl, but also still maintains a FLAC collection, bandcamp is a godsend for allowing unlimited lossless downloads. It is amazing how much vinyl these days comes with no download code or a download code that only gives you access to 320 mp3 (or sometimes worse). Bandcamp downloads always seem to have great ID tagging and everything as well, while random download card downloads lot of times are a total mess tag wise.

 

[ScubaMan2017]

anyone have any opinions as to whether I should add the USB unison upgrade? (the windows limitation is not an issue)

My classic stack (bifrost mb & asgard 2) came with their USB5 card (proto-Unison?). My Eitr got moved to another nook. I used to have really awful knocking and pinging (and drop outs). I suspect upgrading my USB (and getting a Chromebook with more a robust WiFi radio) helped. My 2 cents....

 

[ScubaMan2017]

They’re going to have to be careful there, or sooner or later they won’t get any new music
I still think the Bandcamp model is the best.

My vote, HD Tracks (some region restrictions... so Band camp might be the superior option).

 

[MisterMoJo]

We will almost certainly have high-res streaming, for the same reason 4MB (soon 8MB) video streaming has become ubiquitous. The additional cost of providing it is only a minor increment to lower-res, and there's enough of a market for it (and a market, by the way, that continues to expand, what with marketing and all).

I got some SACD's to sell you.

 

[Balthazar B]

I got some SACD's to sell you.

Why bother when 24/96+ content sources are becoming common (or at least not uncommon)?

 

[US Blues]

I got some SACD's to sell you.

Are they MQA encoded?

 

[MisterMoJo]

Are they MQA encoded?

 

[MisterMoJo]

Why bother when 24/96+ content sources are becoming common (or at least not uncommon)?

Oh! I got some DVD-A's too!!

 

[earnmyturns]

As much as it pains me... One reason Google is so large is because a lot of people use YouTube as a primary streaming service and Google uses counts of music video plays to boost their Google "Play Music" subscriber base. Yes, there are people in my office who load YouTube playlists and minimize the video <shudder>

Not quite. Google Play Music has (almost) merged into YouTube Music https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/04/09/google-play-music-to-youtube-music-making-the-switch/. There's an YouTube Music app.