# Spotify and classical music?



## Manok

I was just curious, to those that have used it for awhile, I see it mentioned a good bit around here, so I thought I'd ask, how is the classical music selection on it?


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## Klavierspieler

Good. You can't always find a specific recording, but usually you can find just about any piece.


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## Manxfeeder

I'm surprised at the variety of recordings. John Eliot Gardiner always manages to have a few tracks from his recordings unable to be played, but he's in the minority.


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## jttoft

The selection is quite good, but I find the horrible quality control of the whole Spotify business intolerable.
Several albums and tracks have wrong, improperly formatted or missing information. The application itself is clumsy and unintuitive. Some tracks have even been cut off at the end! I was listening to Mozart's 38th Symphony some time ago, and about 15 seconds were just plain missing from the end of the first movement. Unforgivable in my opinion.

As a result, I stay away from Spotify.


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## mmsbls

I have used Spotify fairly regularly for about 4-5 months. The selection is reasonably good as mentioned above. I can't find all the works I want, but I'm fairly happy with the amount I can find. Composers have to be pretty obscure for Spotify not to have any tracks for them. As mentioned the number of recordings is limited. 

I find their search capability good, but it can be frustrating when the tracks of a CD are not labeled completely. If you are viewing a CD with concertos by more than one composer, you may not know which tracks are for which composer. 

I used to use the Naxos Music Library, but the combination of the cost and horrible response times made me stop. For free services I'm not sure what's better than Spotify. You can pay (~$10/month), but as far as I can tell, the only advantage is that you won't get commercials. Admittedly, the commercials do break up movements of works and that can make listening unpleasant, but as a free service, I think it's quite good.


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## Ravndal

I love spotify. I often wonder what my reactions would be, if spotify dissapeared (it would have been me crying my guts out).
Spotify is excellent for *classical music*, you can find almost every recording you want of any composer (lot of unknown composers as well). I recommend you to download spotify and pay for it, also you can save and download playlists on your smartphone.

It is absolutely the easiest way to find about music, and listen to. And it gives 100% more motivation to do so.


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## Sonata

Spotify has a free service you say? I may have to check it out.


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## jani

Sonata said:


> Spotify has a free service you say? I may have to check it out.


Yea, its free but you have to listen few adds every now and then.


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## Sonata

I can deal with that  thanks for the tip.
I don't think I'll use it frequently, as I have so much of my own library to dig into, but it might be nice for the "gotta hear this one now" urges, and perhaps curtail my spending!


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## PetrB

Meh. Incomplete works, little but the already best known and popular of the 20th century composers.

Suppose it is fine 'for the price' and if you are relatively young and want to explore a lot of composers and eras, as long as most of those are before 1900.


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## mmsbls

PetrB said:


> Meh. Incomplete works, little but the already best known and popular of the 20th century composers.
> 
> Suppose it is fine 'for the price' and if you are relatively young and want to explore a lot of composers and eras, as long as most of those are before 1900.


How do you sample 20th century music? What does being young have to do with whether Spotify is OK? Do you think it's harder for older people to use?


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## Ravndal

Spotify gets updated all the time with new music. i found a lot of different 20th century music. Spotify is on their way to have everything...


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## ulyssestone

Manok said:


> I was just curious, to those that have used it for awhile, I see it mentioned a good bit around here, so I thought I'd ask, how is the classical music selection on it?


A few examples:

More than 66 versions of Mahler 2nd:

http://www.spotifyclassical.com/2012/05/66-performances-of-mahlers-urlicht.html

More than 60 complete sets of Beethoven symphony cycle (by the time I made the playlist there's 35, added many more later):

http://www.spotifyclassical.com/2011/07/35-complete-sets-of-beethoven.html

6 complete sets of Bach Cantatas:

http://www.spotifyclassical.com/2012/09/the-7th-set-of-bach-cantatas-on-spotify.html

And how about browsing everything Schubert wrote, from D.1 to D.998, in one playlist?

http://www.spotifyclassical.com/2011/11/franz-schubert-complete-chronological.html

The inferior recordings are in the minority, there's tons of great classical recordings on Spotify.

A few tips on how to search for classical music on Spotify:

http://www.spotifyclassical.com/2011/07/how-to-search-for-classical-music-on.html


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## ulyssestone

And if you are an opera fan, here's *every* opera Rossini wrote, in chronological order. Together with his non-operatic works the playlist is more than 100 hours long.

http://www.spotifyclassical.com/2012/02/gioachino-rossini-complete-operas-other.html

You can find similar playlists for most major composers, and starts to listen to any piece *instantly*.


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## Sonata

jani said:


> Yea, its free but you have to listen few adds every now and then.


From what I discovered, the radio is free, but the ability to select specific works or songs is allowed only during the trial period. I was bumped from that within 48 hours of signing up. Oh well.


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## KenOC

Sonata said:


> From what I discovered, the radio is free, but the ability to select specific works or songs is allowed only during the trial period. I was bumped from that within 48 hours of signing up. Oh well.


I've been a free subscriber for a long time and can still pick and choose freely, build playlists, and so forth.


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## Lenfer

I've tired the free service before just signed up again and I'm not impressed. It doesn't seem to have full discographies, understandable with the likes of *Rubinstein* but younger musicians with less than say 10 recordings should be fully cataloged...

The way I see it for €10 a month you get top notch *Spotify* or on average 1 CD, after 40 years you'd have top notch *Spotify* or 4800 CDs. Cancel your subscription and you'll have nothing unless you bought CDs instead in which case I'll be round while you sleep. *slips into cat burglar gear*


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## ulyssestone

Lenfer said:


> I've tired the free service before just signed up again and I'm not impressed. It doesn't seem to have full discographies, understandable with the likes of *Rubinstein* but younger musicians with less than say 10 recordings should be fully cataloged...
> 
> The way I see it for €10 a month you get top notch *Spotify* or on average 1 CD, after 40 years you'd have top notch *Spotify* or 4800 CDs. Cancel your subscription and you'll have nothing unless you bought CDs instead in which case I'll be round while you sleep. *slips into cat burglar gear*


It's 480 CDs in 40 years

And in 4 years CDs would be as rare as vinyls, except it doesn't have collectable value. This is true for young people today, most of them listen to music with phones and computers, and more and more computers today don't even have CD-Roms. They don't understand why they should keep a piece of plastic or a digital file (and sync it across their phones and iPads) when all they want is to listen to any piece of music anywhere anytime.

I'm not sure what you mean by "fully cataloged". The SpotifyClassical.com and playlists on it are my fan project, it only covers a fraction of Spotify's catalog. You should search on Spotify for artists you are looking for. Everyone can find something that's not there, but what they have got so far is worth checking out, IMO.


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## ulyssestone

Sonata said:


> From what I discovered, the radio is free, but the ability to select specific works or songs is allowed only during the trial period. I was bumped from that within 48 hours of signing up. Oh well.


48-hour trial is for mobile; on desktop you can stream any track for free (with ads in between every 3-4 tracks) for unlimited time.

The main appeal of the $10/month paid-subscription is better sound quality (320k; 160k for free users), mobile streaming and offline playlists (download a playlist so you can listen without wi-fi connection). If you don't care about those, then there's a 5$/month plan to get rid of the ads.


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## samurai

I have the 5 dollar a month plan with* Spotify,* and overall I have been quite satisfied indeed with this service. Basically, it has become a resource enabling me to listen to different works, composers and* interpretations* of works which I might already own w/o having to buy them and to which I otherwise would never have been exposed. I find that even though I don't "have to" buy some things on* Spotify* on cd, I have found much that I wish to be able to listen to when I am driving in my car, so I end up buying that cd and burning it anyway. And all this for a measly 5 bucks per month! For me, it has truly been a treasure trove and a win-win situation. :kiss:


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## Lenfer

ulyssestone said:


> It's 480 CDs in 40 years
> 
> And in 4 years CDs would be as rare as vinyls, except it doesn't have collectable value. This is true for young people today, most of them listen to music with phones and computers, and more and more computers today don't even have CD-Roms. They don't understand why they should keep a piece of plastic or a digital file (and sync it across their phones and iPads) when all they want is to listen to any piece of music anywhere anytime.
> 
> I'm not sure what you mean by "fully cataloged". The SpotifyClassical.com and playlists on it are my fan project, it only covers a fraction of Spotify's catalog. You should search on Spotify for artists you are looking for. Everyone can find something that's not there, but what they have got so far is worth checking out, IMO.


Thanks *Ulyssestone* I realized I messed up but by then couldn't edit it. 



ulyssestone said:


> And in 4 years CDs would be as rare as vinyls, except it doesn't have collectable value..


They've been saying that for years. I do think CDs will go but I'm hoping Blu-ray Audio discs will take over. Even if they are niche and expensive as long as they came nicely packaged I'd buy them.

By fully cataloged I mean that when I type in X artist I they don't have all the recordings available that are readily available on *Amazon* and elsewhere.

If they offered a lossless service I'd maybe shell out the money.


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## EbMajor

Nobody annoyed by the fact that sometimes when longer works are split up in parts, these ads come bursting out your speaker? It's not the ads themselves, but the separation of for example two movements that's really bad IMHO. 

I use it for comparing mainly. When I've got the version I wanted, I switch to YouTube or other ways to get my music. 

Oh, and you can take a look at Classify. It's a built in app in spotify, is useful when you're looking for music from a certain era or instrument etc.


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## Ravndal

I dont see the problem.. If you dont like the ads, just buy the damn thing >_> It costs almost nothing...


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## Norse

In general I'm pretty satisfied with the classical selection on spotify. It's not perfect though:

*The occational mislabeling or lack of info on tracks.

*I really miss some labels there, like Hyperion. ECM New Series used to be on Spotify, but is no longer. And even when a label is there, you can't be sure you'll find everything they've released. For instance, Harmonia Mundi's availability seems to be extremely selective. I could find one Ensemble Clement Janequin 'album', dispite the fact that they have 20+ on Harmonia Mundi.

*Some people upload midi files as if they were real recordings. I can see why someone would do this in hope of making a little bit of money off people who doesn't know/care, but I really don't like the thought of some clueless person who wants to listen to some classical music ending up listening to a midi file.. Also, for very famous pieces, you'll often find that dull, low-quality recordings are very popular. It's not surprising that 'very casual' classical listeners click anything that says 'Air on the G string' etc, and it's not up to me to decide which recordings people should listen to, but again it's a little sad.

*I've noticed that the search engine can't always be trusted to find what is there.


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## Sonata

ulyssestone said:


> 48-hour trial is for mobile; on desktop you can stream any track for free (with ads in between every 3-4 tracks) for unlimited time.
> 
> The main appeal of the $10/month paid-subscription is better sound quality (320k; 160k for free users), mobile streaming and offline playlists (download a playlist so you can listen without wi-fi connection). If you don't care about those, then there's a 5$/month plan to get rid of the ads.


I see. Unfortunately the free service is a no-go for me then. 9 times out of 10, my iPad serves as my computer. I'm on my home desktop about once a week for an hour, and that's being generous. Oh well. I have enough music to keep my busy for the time being


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## Delicious Manager

I haven't encountered any of the problems cited by jttoft and others. I find Spotify an incredible resource for ALL genres of music. Yes, there are compilation albums on there with incomplete works, but they are easily avoided. Spotify has become an invaluable tool for me while sat at my computer day after day. I can explore music and musicians I don't know, as well as sampling CDs I'm contemplating buying.

Absolutely wonderful!


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## sqorda

Spotify has some flaws, but they are negligable. And if you've ever worked in the industry you know that none of the systems used are deisgned for classical music. Searching for stuff is always involves a bit of detective work. But you pick that up pretty fast. It's just a question of outsmarting the system. Basically you have to think backwards (same as when I worked selling records). And once you've acquired that skill you can find anything that's actually there. And there's an awful lot there.
If you have an interest in music, any kind of music, and yes, definitely classical too, Spotify is a f*****g dream come true with very nearly everything available on tap. And another very good thing is that a lot of recordings that have been long deleted are available. Also, some new releases are available way ahead of schedule. For instance, Sony's Gary Graffman box is scheduled for release in September, but it's already available on Spotify.
Just see to that, in "preferences", you uncheck "set the same volume level for all tracks", as that is the default setting.
Spotify is an incredible resource. And it's fun. Not only if, like me, you're always low on funds. (The new up-popping web player is a nuisance, though. Hope they'll sort that quickly.)
I've even been trying to create a website, just to show my fellow nerds that Spotify is an extremely useful tool if (and a source of joy!) if you listen to classical music: http://classicalmusiconspotify.tumblr.com/


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## sqorda

Spotify has some flaws, but they are negligable. And if you've ever worked in the industry you know that none of the systems used are deisgned for classical music. Searching for stuff always involves a bit of detective work. But you pick that up pretty fast. It's just a question of outsmarting the system. Basically you have to think backwards (same as when I worked selling records). And once you've acquired that skill you can find anything that's actually there. And there's an awful lot there.
If you have an interest in music, any kind of music, and yes, definitely classical too, Spotify is a f*****g dream come true with very nearly everything available on tap. And another very good thing is that a lot of recordings that have been long deleted are available. Also, some new releases are available way ahead of schedule. For instance, Sony's Gary Graffman box is scheduled for release in September, but it's already available on Spotify.
Just see to that, in "preferences", you uncheck "set the same volume level for all tracks", as that is the default setting.
Spotify is an incredible resource. And it's fun. Not only if, like me, you're always low on funds. (The new up-popping web player is a nuisance, though. Hope they'll sort that quickly.)
I've even been trying to create a website, just to show my fellow nerds that Spotify is an extremely useful tool (and a source of joy!) if you listen to classical music: http://classicalmusiconspotify.tumblr.com/


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## sqorda

Sorry. I doubled when i tried to edit my six in the morning typos.


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## Tristan

I've honestly been using Spotify Premium more than I have CDs or mp3s I've purchased recently. Quality is good and my computer's built in equalizer allows me to adjust the sound to my liking. And the selection is excellent, in my opinion. It's rare that I can't find something on Spotify that I can on iTunes.


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## Kevin Pearson

I subscribe to the $9.99 a month plan. One it gives me 320k stream (which is near CD quality) and two it allows me access on any mobile device I own. The $4.99 a month plan is good too but it streams at only 198k and thus is a little inferior in sound quality. I have my soundcard on my PC connected to my Yamaha receiver and play it on a $1500.00 pair of B&W speakers and on most selections the sound is awesome. The selection for classical is very very good in my opinion and it is a rare occasion that I cannot find what I want. You have to learn how to use their search engine because the record labels do not do the best job of tagging their recordings they supply to Spotify. If you can't find a specific album try searching by conductor or even orchestra. Also if you you search for an artist just click search instead of highlighting the artist name. Sometimes it will give you alternate spellings or entries for the same artist plus you will sometimes find albums not listed under the artist by scrolling through "albums' that were listed when you did the search.

I have discovered literally hundreds of wonderful recordings I would never have known about or been able to hear or afford by using this service. In my opinion it's the best $9.99 a month I spend and I would let go of other things before I would close my Spotify account.

Kevin


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## neoshredder

I feel the same way about MOG. Both are great services. I think MOG has slightly better audio quality though imo. I've tried both out btw.


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