# The Evolution of Music Formats



## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/790955603946594304
The Streaming Revolution

https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/the-streaming-revolution?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Gee. A graph of our music collection except it doesn't go back far enough.

We still have music on 78-rpm shellac-based compound records and reel-to-reel tapes. And we still have 45-rpm and 33-rpm vinyl, 8-tracks, cassettes, and the rest shown on the graph. We have converted it all into mp3 files on a hard-drive which includes all purchases as downloads over the past decade. And all 50,000+ tracks are uploaded to our Amazon Music Cloud account for backup and so we can stream it.

In some sort of aging music lovers revolt, we buy downloads of what we want to hear even though a lot of it is offered as free Prime Streaming Music and on Sirius-XM so we're not feeling like freeloaders as explained in the article:



> Music streaming services pay record companies a fraction of a cent per play for songs and say they spend heavily on royalties. Yet some musicians, notably Taylor Swift, complain that they are insufficiently compensated.


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

As one with a passion for the classical, I still buy CDs, but from a store in England - better selection than Amazon, and certainly better than the online for pay streaming selection. Plus, the CDs from England tend to be slightly cheaper than Amazon. I rip my CDs to flac files, and put the files on a NAS. I listen via a Logitech Media Server (AKA Squeezebox).

On the other hand, the selection of IP radio stations playing commercial free classical is huge. Varying quality of streaming, but some are reasonably good. My current favorite is Pure Classic, from Dublin.


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## Dude111 (Aug 6, 2010)

Analogue is the BEST format for music ever


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

Dude111 said:


> Analogue is the BEST format for music ever


Do you mean vinyl recordings? Do you consider a WAV file analog? My hearing isn't as good as it used to be and 128kbps MP3 files sound fine to me.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

billsharpe said:


> Do you mean vinyl recordings? Do you consider a WAV file analog? My hearing isn't as good as it used to be and 128kbps MP3 files sound fine to me.


That is either your hearing or your sound system. That's no where near as good as even a cd. They may sound ok but when you have something much better to compare it with MP3 sucks IMHO.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

I have about 100 cassettes and I can't find any clear plastic cases for 'em.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I'm not sure why streaming is considered revolutionary in terms of how people listen to music... I mean, I get the technology... but at its core it feels like full circle to me.

Radio -> buying LPs -> recording off radio onto cassette -> buying cassette -> buying CDs -> ripping CDs you buy to listen to them on mobile devices -> buying MP3 (or other) instead of ripping your CDs -> streaming

Streaming feels like Radio all over again, except you never had to pay for radio (beyond the equipment) whereas some streaming services charge money, while others don't.

From a consumer standpoint we just go in circles of listening for free to buying a new/different format to listening for free again. No?


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Streaming is the new radio, with the difference with paid services you get to be your own DJ, free services you get a DJ bot. 

I have never been one of those that like to own songs of movies, however I do like to listen to any song whenever I want, this is why when Spotify came around, I was on it very quickly and have been there since. I took a trip to Apple Music while I had their 3 months trial while still subscribe to Spotify, both services are pretty much the same but for me Apple music downfall was app integration. There are a few apps that I use like Pacemaker, Algoriddim's DJ App and Pyro that only support Spotify. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

inkahauts said:


> That is either your hearing or your sound system. That's no where near as good as even a cd. They may sound ok but when you have something much better to compare it with MP3 sucks IMHO.


It's probably a bit of both. I can't notice any difference in sound between a 128 kbps MP3 file and a CD played on my Sony stereo system, which is not a high-end system.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

Drucifer said:


> I have about 100 cassettes and I can't find any clear plastic cases for 'em.


I found this with a quick Google search - $24 for 100 pack:
http://nationalaudiocompany.com/Black-and-Clear-Norelco-Box--P4342.aspx


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

When CD's first came out they were so much better as a portable format than tape that from that point on I only bought vinyl in addition on music important to me. But back then I could hear the difference in the higher quality of vinyl. It is now 30 years later and I can't really "feel" the difference between vinyl and MP3's at 256 kbps and above on a good audio system. I don't know whether that's a plus or minus for getting old.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

billsharpe said:


> I found this with a quick Google search - $24 for 100 pack:
> http://nationalaudiocompany.com/Black-and-Clear-Norelco-Box--P4342.aspx


No, you missed understood. I don't need individual boxes. I need a plastic storage case for all the cassettes. E.g. Like an Iris USA case. Currently, they're in a custom entertainment center that I not taking in my future move.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Drucifer said:


> No, you missed understood. I don't need individual boxes. I need a plastic storage case for all the cassettes. E.g. Like an Iris USA case. Currently, they're in a custom entertainment center that I not taking in my future move.


Wow, I didn't know just how impossible that is to find except to be ripped off on old ones. The closest thing I could find was the WalterDrake Cassette Tape Organizer for $9.95 which I have a feeling isn't what you want.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

phrelin said:


> Wow, I didn't know just how impossible that is to find except to be ripped off on old ones. The closest thing I could find was the WalterDrake Cassette Tape Organizer for $9.95 which I have a feeling isn't what you want.


I've seen that on Amazon, but I have cats. That bag could be in torn apart in a few years.

The case I'm looking for is the case you get when you bought 15 blank tapes.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

I keep my old cassettes in lids from copy paper boxes. Each lid holds 68 cassettes.

Get a scratching post for your cats...


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## Dude111 (Aug 6, 2010)

billsharpe said:


> Do you mean vinyl recordings? Do you consider a WAV file analog? My hearing isn't as good as it used to be and 128kbps MP3 files sound fine to me.


Yup buddy thats what I mean... RECORDS,8 TRACK TAPES,cassettes,VHS,etc........

If the source on these IS 100% ANALOG,its beautiful


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

billsharpe said:


> I keep my old cassettes in lids from copy paper boxes. Each lid holds 68 cassettes.
> 
> Get a scratching post for your cats...


Have six cat trees. The cats still claw at cardboard and chew plastic.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Drucifer said:


> Have six cat trees. The cats still claw at cardboard and chew plastic.


Sounds like you need something like this:


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

Or less cats. (and we're cat lovers)


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

dennisj00 said:


> Or less cats. (and we're cat lovers)


All it takes is one.


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## Eva (Nov 8, 2013)

Meow.

We still have boat loads of CDs, records, etc. Sometimes one of my friends come over and ask me "why all that, I have it all on my phone," I'm old fashioned I guess. :hurah:


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