View as PDF not working
Tue, Jun 15 2010, 10:47AM
#2
RE: View as PDF not working
I too wasted many hours trying to get the "save as PDF" to work. I sent 4 or 5 emails to Gramophone about this and nobody bothered to reply. As somebody has already said - it would have been a bit more professional if someone in editorial could have been bothered to put up a message saying the service had been withdrawn and saved us all a lot of grief. I cannot understand the need to prevent ancient pages (say from 60s and 70s) from being viewed. If you have to do this, then at least scan the pictures and graphs etc and put those along with the OCR text. Of course it will be too late to do that now, as all the pages have already been scanned & OCRed and it would probably cost too much (even in China) to get a team of people to do it. Sadly, this is another pathetic example of copyright gone mad.
Tue, Jun 15 2010, 12:00PM
#3
RE: View as PDF not working
I too wasted many hours trying to get the "save as PDF" to work. I sent 4 or 5 emails to Gramophone about this and nobody bothered to reply. As somebody has already said - it would have been a bit more professional if someone in editorial could have been bothered to put up a message saying the service had been withdrawn and saved us all a lot of grief. I cannot understand the need to prevent ancient pages (say from 60s and 70s) from being viewed. If you have to do this, then at least scan the pictures and graphs etc and put those along with the OCR text. Of course it will be too late to do that now, as all the pages have already been scanned & OCRed and it would probably cost too much (even in China) to get a team of people to do it. Sadly, this is another pathetic example of copyright gone mad.
I am sorry for the frustrated time spent trying to work out what has changed - it's always difficult to know exactly how to make everyone aware of changes, though I've been engaged in several discussions on this forum in past weeks about it (and you'll find a full explanation further up this thread), and while I'm sorry your emails somehow slipped through the net I can assure you I have sent many replies to emails about the changes on an almost daily basis. The 'About' page of the Archive has also now been amended to reflect the changes. But if you do have further queries, do please contact me at gramophone.online@haymarket.com. And once again, sorry for the disappointment this unfortunate step we had to take has caused you.
Tue, Jun 15 2010, 12:09PM
#4
RE: View as PDF not working
I presume that the copyright issue would not apply to illustrative/advertising material prior to 1940 (70 year limitation)?
What rights in law does the purchaser have over a magazine he purchases? Do they exclude copying an item for his own use if he decides to discard the magazine itself? Why shouldn't the same purchaser have access to an online version in full (with the necessary encryption and password)?
Tue, Jun 15 2010, 9:40PM
#5
RE: View as PDF not working
The archive details STILL seem to say that you can read PDFs, so the page is not fully updated.
Sign Up for My Archive
Create
your free account! You will be able to read original pages as
PDFs, post comments and create your own archive from Gramophone'
articles and reviews.
Wed, Jun 16 2010, 12:22PM
#6
RE: View as PDF not working RE: View as PDF not working
The archive details STILL seem to say that you can read PDFs, so the page is not fully updated.
Sign Up for My Archive
Create your free account! You will be able to read original pages as PDFs, post comments and create your own archive from Gramophone' articles and reviews.
And elsewhere:
View the items you've bookmarked, download PDF version of pages and view the latest issue online if you're a subscriber
I am very disappointed over the way that Gramophone has handled this. How frustrating it must be for the people who did the scanning in the first place.
Thu, Jun 24 2010, 6:34AM
#7
RE: View as PDF not working
what a shame, here I am, scrubbing my 78's, making up posh new covers for them and as added interest was going to download some intelligent comments/historical notes, etc..............bugger!
Thu, Jun 24 2010, 9:47AM
#8
RE: View as PDF not working
what a shame, here I am, scrubbing my 78's, making up posh new covers for them and as added interest was going to download some intelligent comments/historical notes, etc..............bugger!
It's all still there - but just as plain text, not as page scans.
Fri, Jun 25 2010, 4:26AM
#9
RE: View as PDF not working
With all due respect, Martin, it's not "all still there" at all. Have you tried performing a search for the distinguished mezzo Kozena, for example? You'd think that Gramophone had not reviewed a single one of her recordings, never mind carried two multi-page feature articles on her! The name isn't even corrupted in a consistent way. It's hard to see how the OCR could have been done much worse: and now this is all we have (though I note that gramophone.net still assures the public that "You will be able to read original pages as PDFs", despite all the complaints about this point).
Incidentally, may I ask whether any consideration has been given to my suggestion of making the PDFs available once more but with a watermark to prevent unauthorized use? That has worked for other journals (Tempo, for example), and I don't see why it shouldn't work for Gramophone just as well. What do you think?
Fri, Jun 25 2010, 10:06AM
#10
RE: View as PDF not working
With all due respect, Martin, it's not "all still there" at all. Have you tried performing a search for the distinguished mezzo Kozena, for example? You'd think that Gramophone had not reviewed a single one of her recordings, never mind carried two multi-page feature articles on her! The name isn't even corrupted in a consistent way. It's hard to see how the OCR could have been done much worse: and now this is all we have (though I note that gramophone.net still assures the public that "You will be able to read original pages as PDFs", despite all the complaints about this point).
Incidentally, may I ask whether any consideration has been given to my suggestion of making the PDFs available once more but with a watermark to prevent unauthorized use? That has worked for other journals (Tempo, for example), and I don't see why it shouldn't work for Gramophone just as well. What do you think?
There is a problem with foreign characters (as in letters with accents etc, I hasten to add) - I wouldn't like to do a search for Jiří Bělohlávek for example. Or Leoš Janáček. Holst seems to render in some fonts as Hoist. So it isn't perfect, and I apologise for that. As for the watermarking, we certainly have been discussing that here - we're still working out the best next step.
Tue, Jun 29 2010, 3:11AM
#11
RE: View as PDF not working
Although this thread is an old one I wanted to suggest to Martin that one possible option you might consider is to have the ability to view the PDF versions of the magazine as a feature excusively available to current subscribers of the magazine only. It would be an added inducement to subscribe.
I have been buying the magazine off stands here in Canada for years and I think something like that would probably get me off my particular fence and send in my subcsription money.
Mike
Wed, Jun 30 2010, 11:21AM
#12
RE: View as PDF not working
I wish to add my complaint, along with probably every other subscriber. The concept of every page of every issue being available in PDF format was very exciting and truly 21st century. Without PDF the archive is virtually useless. It's shameful that every one is denied because of a minority.
Surely it can be made available to subscribers?
Footnote: at least I am fortunate in having every issue since 1978, and most from 1960.
Wed, Jun 30 2010, 12:44PM
#13
RE: View as PDF not working
Surely it can be made available to subscribers?
AFAIK, the issue isn't one of limited or general availability, but the possibility of material belonging to other copyright holders – such as pictures – being reproduced in ways beyond our control.
Fri, Jul 2 2010, 9:47AM
#14
RE: View as PDF not working
As it is known THE NEW YORKER was born almost simultaneously to GRAMOPHONE (1925). You may now buy a four DVD-rom containing the whole collection (and it is a weekly magazine), for $ 60. From front to rear cover, with zoom, writing notes and all kinds of facilities. Hundreds of music chronicles by, say, Andrew Porter or, more recently, Alex Ross, some pages long in the magazine manner. A luxurious book is added. A bargain of bargains (you may read IN COLD BLOOD or Arendt´s chronicle of Eichmann´s trial as they were originally published). Why don´t the English do the same?
Sat, Jul 3 2010, 2:49PM
#15
RE: View as PDF not working
Oh dear, what a shame. I absolutely concur with the many comments above: Gramophone Archive is a fantastic way of delivering access to a wonderful HISTORICAL archive of criticism, but without PDFs of the original magazine that concept is only 10% realized. The possibility of accessing, at home, the original review of a favourite recording, and perhaps slipping a printout into the LP sleeve on the collector's shelf... that was a wonderful gift to the world of recorded music. I suspect many, many staunch supporters of the magazine will simply lose interest in the Archive website now, so I passionately hope a solution to this problem can be found.
What a sad loss!
I was not around when old Gramophone magazines were around(pre-70s). It was greatly entertaining and informative to look at the progressive history of music on real pages of the magazine, including advertisements as technology progressed.
The argument of any possibility, such as infringement of copyrights in small manner somewhere, resulting in such a step, personally a huge loss of useful source of information. I can't blame the management, but it is the "risk averse culture" I am afraid which is self-defeating.