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Downloads and serious music collecting

Music — 17 May 2011

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Downloads and serious music collecting

Most of my thirty-five years working in the music business has been primarily in the world of classical, soundtracks, and Broadway recordings, where serious collectors and “deep catalog” have long been the driving forces behind the business. And as the industry has shifted from physical CDs to music downloads a critical concern of mine has been whether a “collectors mentality” could develop within consumers for digital downloads as had previously existed with CDs and LPs. I always considered cassette tapes to have been a “disposable” format for “time shifting” to cars or portable players and my fear was that downloads could be replacing cassettes rather than CDs. Have you ever walked into the home of a serious music collector and seen a wall of cassettes?

15,000 tracks later…..

Around eight years ago I burned over 15,000 tracks from my collection onto a hard drive. This was done both for the obvious convenience and portability of an iPod but also as an experiment to see how I took to the concept of “collecting” digital files (rather than the traditional “wall of CDs” in my library). At that time I also began buying and collecting digital downloads from iTunes and later Amazon.com.

I quickly came around to loving SOME of the aspects of digital file collecting.

Birdland Downloads and serious music collecting

I loved the ability to find anything very quickly but it was also great to never have to go through the tedious process of “filing” recordings AFTER listening. Having started out in the music business crawling around a record store counting and filing eight track tapes and LPs it’s safe to say that I NEVER want to physically file another recording again!

But I still had ONE BIG OBVIOUS PROBLEM…

The sound quality of music files bought online seriously sucked!

Today

Today I own a small but high quality recording studio in the Catskills, but I “grew up” in the business as the sales and marketing guy for Bob Woods and Jack Renner at Telarc in the 1980s. I was also a major supporter of the SACD (Super Audio CD) in my later gigs at Sony and BMG long after most of the major labels had walked away from the format. So I’ve always been something of a sound “geek” and I have never understood why a business that had been moving FORWARD in audio quality for over one hundred years had taken such a step backward with the sound quality of digital downloads.

Fortunately, the Chesky brothers (long famous for the high quality sound of their own label) felt the same way and have developed a music download store called HDtracks. At HDtracks, downloads start with a minimal standard of AT LEAST “CD quality” but also they offer 96/24 resolution files and beyond. In other words, downloads that SURPASS CD quality! And if THAT isn’t enough to satisfy the “collectors mentality” in consumers they also provide the complete CD liner notes as well as the cover artwork as digital files with every “album” purchased. So there are no longer any compromises between digital downloads and compact discs.

davidandnorman Downloads and serious music collecting

But although HDtracks seemed like the perfect digital solution for serious music collectors and audio purists I must admit that at first I was intimidated by what might be required to play high definition downloads on my own home theater system.

I quickly learned however, that there were easy and relatively inexpensive solutions which would allow me to play the HD downloads on my master computer in my office through my home theater system in the next room.

I bought an inexpensive (around $100) “Apple TV” unit online at the Apple store which easily connects to most quality audio equipment (such as audio components from PS Audio) and uses my home WI-FI system to “beam” my music from my master hard drive to my home theater. Plus it streams HD movies online from Apple or Net Flicks as a bonus!

The HDtracks files come in a FLAC format but by using inexpensive software called “Max” (or many other converter downloads available online) the files are easily converted with no loss in quality to either WAVE files which can be played on PS Audio Players or AIFF files that can be played through Apple iTunes. And I can now also SEE the “album” covers on my television screen while the music is playing and quickly and easily search through my entire collection using the “Apple TV” remote control. And it works GREAT!

The one issue I would caution you on is that the Apple TV will not play high resolution audio out of it’s analog outputs or its digital outputs to a DAC. The ATV is great to give you a taste of what it’s like to have a digital storage collection and, connected to a high-end DAC, standard redbook CD’s sound terrific, although they are not high resolution coming out of the device. You can use the ATV as a convenient storage device with cover art on the TV and as long as you use iTunes to play the tracks, you’re good to go.

And HEARING IS BELIEVING with high definition music!

To music fans not familiar with high definition recordings I can best describe it as being similar to the quality improvement of HD TV or perhaps the difference between a magazine photograph over the lower quality found in daily newspapers. It’s a major leap forward in definition, realism and depth. One listening to the opening cowbell of Honky Tonk Woman from The Rolling Stones or Beethoven’s seventh symphony from Carlos Kleiber on Deutsche Grammophon and you WILL be convinced. And on HDtracks there is an enormous selection from which to choose (with more new releases offered every week).

When Sony and Philips first developed the CD there were two criteria that dictated the format. Sony wanted the time limitation to be the length of the complete Beethoven 9th symphony (around 78 minutes) while Philips wanted the physical size to be able to fit into a standard automobile dashboard “radio” space. But without today’s compression technology they were forced to go to a resolution rate of only 16 bits. Which unfortunately limited the digital sonic possibilities for decades. But now with today’s 24/96 (and beyond) recordings being available as downloads, digital audio has finally truly reached it’s full potential.

The future of music collecting can be found today at www.HDtracks.com

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About Author

Gilbert Hetherwick

Gilbert Hetherwick is the former President of Sony/BMG Masterworks and has also served as the General Manager of Angel Records as well as BMG Classics. He has also worked for Telarc and PolyGram Classics and today is a music consultant with his own studio in the Catskills near Woodstock New York. www.GROUSE-HOUSE-PRODUCTIONS.com Gilbert writes opinion pieces on the high end as well as music reviews for us. Gilbert’s passion is music and high-end audio and he consults with the folks at HD Tracks as well as others in the high-end industry

(9) Readers Comments

  1. mCrane

    May 31, 2011 at 4:34 pm

    I very happy to see the beginning of this discussion. When I changed jobs (happily), I knew I would be traveling 90% of the time. I was afraid to lose the quality of sound I enjoyed at home.

    I moved to digital files for the music, buying through HDTracks and other vendors like it (Sony’s Ariana, for example). To help me get the most out of these high end files, I added the Amarra Mini player which has its own processing and can automatically switch ITunes from 44.1 to higher as needed (up to 192). And the sound is noticeably improved, even at 44.1.

    Add to this the optical output of my MacBook Pro and the outboard DAC converter amp from Headroom and my UE 11 headphones, and I have a portable system that truly outperforms my home system and is one of the best listening experiences I had the pleasure to encounter.

    I look forward to more discussions about our high-end digital future.

    Mike, Chicago

  2. Andy

    June 1, 2011 at 1:47 am

    I continue to buy CDs because I want to hear new music at its best currently available quality and at reasonable cost. I rip all my CDs into FLAC and 320kbs; the former for listening on my main system and the latter for my iPhone and other systems.

    I’d be delighted to buy CD+ quality downloads, however:
    a) the likes of HD Tracks and iTrax etc. have almost nothing that is new or that I want to listen to
    b) the back catalogue is incredibly expensive e.g. I’d love to try Let It Bleed @ 176/24 – but at US$30?!
    c) I don’t want to be tied to proprietary formats such as Apple Lossless

    There are many articles on this site, and others, bemoaning and explaining the death of the industry – but in the article “…Wall Street …” by Dan Schwarz, he points out the fantastic profits that have already been made (several times over) on high selling ‘classics’. That being the case (and notwithstanding the effort that’s been made in re-recording the hi res versions) does there appear to be some significant profiteering going on at $30 for a download of a 1969 recording?

    I have Let It Bleed on LP and CD. It’s also been re-issued as ‘Remastered’ in both those formats and on SACD, it’s available for download on iTunes and Amazon plus every single has been included on countless collections. By any standards, the costs of the source product is well and truly amortised! So why $30 please? If it’s due to low volumes – can I offer Price Elasticity of Demand?

    I have to buy many of my CDs via eBay since they are not available where I live. This means it’s a bit of a chore to do plus I have to rip the files – but look at the numbers: even with post and packaging from UK/USA to Hong Kong (on top of the original production and distribution costs for the disc) I rarely pay more than US$16 for new product – and there are many profit-points in that chain of events.

    Then, regarding availability; a quick trawl of my HDD shows I’ve bought 15 CDs this year and I bought 105 last year. I’m pretty sure that NONE of them are available for Hi Res download, but I could buy all of them in lo-res from Amazon, iTunes et al.

    As stated, I’d love to buy Hi Res product; I have a nice system and I want to make the most of it. I really like the convenience of soft-copy files (I’ve run out of CD space!) – So, come on Music Industry, offer us variety of choice and reasonable value for high quality software. We’ll happily buy it, reduce our carbon footprint and realise we need to upgrade our systems….restoring the interest and the wider industry cycle.

    Pretty please?

    regards
    Andy

    • June 1, 2011 at 9:26 am

      Hi Andy,

      Concerning your note below..

      I will try to answer what questions I can. I am not an employee of HDtracks although I sometimes do write for them as well as PS Audio.

      The selection at HDtracks continues to grow as they complete deals with more and more music companies. There are some very exciting new titles coming in the near future.

      The number of High Definition titles is of course limited to whether or not high definition masters are available. Which is why many of the titles also previously existed in SACD of DVD Audio. If it were up to HDtracks to remaster titles themselves into the 96/24 format the costs would be prohibitively high. And the price per title would be WAY beyond the current $30 for the highest quality.

      And about the pricing…. I believe that much of that issue is set by the labels but at the moment there isn’t much resistance to it (aside from your note). Sales are good on these titles. Just as they were good decades ago for higher quality pressings from Mobile Fidelity (and other specialty companies) at considerably higher prices than traditional CDs and LPs. And even though the high def masters may be available there is still a significant cost in preparing each file for download by HDtracks.

      And yes it is true that labels make a lot off of older proven catalog titles. But as many as 19 of 20 new releases today actually lose money. As in any business, it would be nice to only sell the titles that make money but in the end they all have to balance out into a profitable company. The Wall Street article focusing on the profitability of older titles is like a grocery store talking about the amount they make on milk.

      And at the moment, few record labels are making much of a profit. The business has collapsed. EMI (the crown jewel of the recording business in UK history) is now owned by Citibank. Which is why you can’t find any CDs near where you live. There aren’t many music stores around anymore anywhere just selling prerecorded music.

      The equation of making money in the music business today is a delicate one.

      The most common thing that most people believe is that the business collapsed due to all of those nasty kids downloading and stealing everything for free on the Internet. But it’s actually a lot more complex than that. For one thing the music business has quickly evolved from an “album world” to a “track world.” As most web sites sell tracks individually and music fans can “test drive” individual songs of a new album to determine which ones they actually want to own. So in the old world where a fan bought an album for 15.98 today they might only spend two or three dollars. Fortunately for HDtracks the consumer demo is one that is still “album” oriented. And yes… I still call them albums…. even on CD… and even as downloads.

      But also… twenty years ago about the only thing a person had to spend entertainment money on was books, records, and maybe going to the movies. Today you also have “sell through” DVD video as well as rentals and streaming, mandatory expensive home computers, expensive software, video games (a HUGE factor), and literally HALF the current U.S. population now owns a “smart phone.” And of course you can also still buy books and go to the movies. So the competition for the discretionary dollar is the highest it’s ever been.

      Yes… music prices should probably be lower. But if the equation is wrong… and the increased sales don’t balance out the loss in profit per title, the whole business may completely fail. Which is close to happening now (as I said it already has in the case of bankrupt EMI).

      Gilbert Hetherwick

  3. Decker

    June 1, 2011 at 6:34 am

    Great article. But where’s the link to the coupon for 50% off. Been dying to try hdtracks but wouldn’t mind a cheap first dip.

  4. Roger Walk

    June 1, 2011 at 7:22 am

    Interesting to hear what an enthusiast with such a professional background does for his own listening. Unfortunately the article leaves out the part that is most interesting to me: The transfer of HiRez music files like WAV files from a local storage device (e.g. a NAS drive) to my ears in high resolution. I would be interested to learn more about the solutions that don’t just accept that the Apple TV apparently does not allow to listen to 96/24 music at that resolution even if your music system would allow for this ‘downstream’. I am currently experimenting with a Logitech Touch “bridge” fed into a Meridian G68 processor that works as a preamp and DA converter for my music reproduction system. Both devices work at the 96/24 resolution, but I still cannot find the sound quality ‘superior’ to playing a well-recorded standard CD through a high-end transport and DAC into the Meridian processor. Maybe another article on this great new medium PS Tracks can address this missing link.

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