[necropimp]

i think the problem here is not so much the argument of lossless vs lossy but the fact that iriverdude decided to post an insulting comment about people who purchase music in a lossy format

then insists it's everyone else who has the problem here when nobody else came in and basically said "haha you're dumb and i'm superior"... it's simple manners

 

[yeahx]

Bleep.com for some great electronic tunes

 

[clasam]

Now that we can ask this question without being called suckers, let me ask...any sites for legit 320kbps mp3 downloads involving the major 4 record companies (EMI, Sony,Universal & Warner)?

Thanks!

 

[Zarathustra19]

Unfortunately I don't know of any sites (legal at least) which have such high quality as of right now.

Were I to give you my advice in a non-confrontational way (as others have previously decided not to, I would tell you two things: if at all possible, it is advisable to buy a cd for high quality. Not only do you have the ability to rip it to any bitrate or format you are comfortable with, but it doesn't disappear if your hard drive dies. Secondly, if you do decide to download the highest quality available in popular/rock/alternative music, you might want to have a second copy on either a second hard drive or a dvd-r for long time storage.

Having said that, I'll echo Amazon as the highest quality I've found in the RIAA acceptable realm.

Cheers and happy listening.

Zach

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ham Sandwich /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are a few places selling lossless audio downloads. The few places that do sell lossless downloads (legally) focus on classical music and audiophile genres. You aren't going to find much rock and popular styles of music for sale in lossless format yet. I suspect Apple and/or Amazon to jump into the lossless download game at some point, but I'm not going to hold my breath and I suspect the prices for lossless will be high enough to keep me buying used CDs. Off the top of my head, I can think of HDTracks, Deutsche Grammophon, and Chandos Records as places that sell lossless downloads. For now the best source of lossless digital files is to buy the CD and rip it yourself. A big advantage there is that you have a physical CD that you can later sell or trade. If you're lucky the CD may end up being collectible or appreciate in value when it goes out of print. Buying used CDs through Amazon and other online sources can be cheaper than the cost of a digital download. CDs are still the way to go and that's how I get almost all of my digital music.

I use HDTracks and they have resale restrictions. It would seem that again, piracy issues have a lot to do with the sale of lossless format music. I guess most of the recording industry is meeting the trend halfway by selling the mp3's, but insisting that the full quality be legally obtainable only through purchasing CD's.

 

[pyramid6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ham Sandwich /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... For now the best source of lossless digital files is to buy the CD and rip it yourself. A big advantage there is that you have a physical CD that you can later sell or trade. If you're lucky the CD may end up being collectible or appreciate in value when it goes out of print. Buying used CDs through Amazon and other online sources can be cheaper than the cost of a digital download. CDs are still the way to go and that's how I get almost all of my digital music.

I have trouble finding some music in CD format. Not going to pay $50 for a music I can get for $10 lossy. I get CDs when I can, but they aren't worth 5 times as much.

P.S. There was a UK site someone mentioned somewhere else, they sold Vinyl, CDs and lossless. Anyone know?

 

[DavidMorton]

My recent download of BT's latest ("These Hopeful Machines") from 7digital.com was in 320kbps.

 

[Olias of Sunhillow]

Glad I waded through to the last page of this thread... I didn't know that DG had a web store. Turns out they offer some at least some downloads in FLAC, including (fortunately for me) the "Boulez Conducts Stravinsky" 6CD set. Oh, and it's $28.99 -- $40 less than retail and $10 less than the cheapest to be found on Amazon.

Maybe the tide is finally turning toward high-quality downloadable music.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Linn Records also offers lossless WMA and FLAC and lossy 320 kbps MP3. They do classical and jazz. Some of their offerings are also available in hi res (24/88.2) lossless.

 

[Deep Funk]

FLAC = CDs
320 kbps = CDs, loaning CDs from the library/friends etcetera

The internet doesn't beat having the actual music in your hand or at least as a reserve in your CD storage.

 

[aimlink]

Backing up your digital music database does offer great security.

I'm moving towards this. My CD collection is collecting dust and I'm thinking that a RAID array (home based ones are becoming popular as was inevitable) makes for a nice backup solution.

 

[yeahx]

Damn this thread made me go to the site I mentioned and make an impulsive purchase of some album in 320k.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Rhino has some of their catalog for sale as digital downloads. 320K MP3 for lossy and ALAC, WMA Lossless, and FLAC for lossless. Confusingly, they're marketing their lossless format as "hi-def". I believe all their lossless files are 16/44.1 which isn't what is normally considered "hi-def".

 

[Olias of Sunhillow]

Rhino making ALAC downloads available is an interesting development. Yes, they're around $13 per album, and pretty much the whole catalog Rhino is available on the cheap from Amazon CD merchants, but it's still another positive sign for the digital music industry.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aimlink /img/forum/go_quote.gif Backing up your digital music database does offer great security. I'm moving towards this. My CD collection is collecting dust and I'm thinking that a RAID array (home based ones are becoming popular as was inevitable) makes for a nice backup solution.

A word of warning. RAID is not a backup. RAID is a method to protect against data loss due to drive failure. It is not a method to protect against data loss due to a multitude of other reasons. There are so many ways to lose data and RAID only protects against one of them.