Covermount CD Discontinuance
Sun, Apr 24 2011, 1:15PM
#2
RE: Covermount CD Discontinuance
The grass is often greener on the other side of the fence.
it would be very nice to have such things - my lp of the Cluytens Berlioz is good - one of the first recordings that I ever bought.
Although my first feeling was that this must not be economic, I note that your stablemate magazine from Classic fm is now giving away fairly modern recordings of full works. I'm still waiting for a recording i want though!
P
Sat, Apr 23 2011, 10:56PM
#3
RE: Covermount CD Discontinuance
I was dismayed last year to discover Gramophone's intention to discontinue the covermount CD. For me, reading each issue and then listening to the CD "blind" was one of life's not-so-little pleasures. Like many others who have written, I am not going to be sitting in my little computer room listening to the online streaming feed through tiny speakers.
The upshot of all this is that I have, to my surprise, allowed unread issues of Gramophone to pile up on my shelf. I am first tackling the Awards issue this week! This has never happened before, and I've been a subscriber since 1976. I am becoming aware of the very real possibility that I may allow my subscription to lapse. At 58 years of age, it is possible that I will be granted decades more listening pleasure, music purchases and subscription renewals.
I hope that Gramophone will reconsider their decision and not risk losing part of their loyal base in their attempts to develop a new one.
Sun, May 1 2011, 8:18AM
#4
RE: Covermount CD Discontinuance
Due to the long interviews, often on subjects of no interest to me, the covermount CD had become of no relevance a long time ago. What's of more concern to me, and the reason I let my subscripion lapse, was that the quality of reviews, including crossreferencing to other versions, have been gradually decreasing. A couple of particularly bad examples made me give up altogether. There are other sources.
Fri, Jun 10 2011, 11:14AM
#5
RE: Covermount CD Discontinuance
I've been trying to live with the streaming alternative to the covermount CD, but have now given up in disgust. The sound quality from my PC is quite inadequate to give any assessment of the quality of the extracts provided, and there is no facility provided for streaming to my hi-fi setup, for which I use Squeezebox Touch. It would be ridiculous for me to invest in a separate hi-fi attachment for the PC just for the purpose of listening to the Gramophone streams. Also I cannot play the extracts in the car, which I used to do regularly. Please, Gramophone, reconsider this matter. Perhaps a covermount CD with shorter extracts as before could be provided in addition to streaming from the website.
Sat, Jun 18 2011, 7:41PM
#6
RE: Covermount CD Discontinuance
I bought Gramophone assiduously for years, from about 1984 to 2000 but haven't done so now for a while; I suppose the Haymarket takeover marked the beginning the end as far as I was concerned. I'm often in France and buy Diapason, which I like a lot. As it happens I'm listening to the Cluytens / Berlioz at the moment. What a great performance and recording.
Mon, Oct 10 2011, 4:15PM
#7
RE: Covermount CD Discontinuance
The availability of the selections from the 2011 Gramophone Award winners as free downloads from iTunes points the way to an acceptable replacement for the old covermount CD. If Gramophone would arrange for the monthly Gramophone Player extracts to be made available in this way, I would be able to play them though my hi-fi setup via Squeezebox or burn them to CD to play in the car (neither of which is possible with the present arrangement). If the providers are reluctant to make available the lengthy extracts currently provided for the Player, I would be happy with shorter extracts as on the old covermount.
Tue, Oct 11 2011, 12:54PM
#8
RE: Covermount CD Discontinuance
This development tallies very well with the development in the recording industry where many of my favourite recordings now aren't available anymore in the CD format. I think that perhaps the industry are 'ahead' of the general record buying public in this instance. Perhaps this is an instance where a new development doesn't necessarily mean 'progress'.
Wed, Oct 12 2011, 2:29PM
#9
RE: Covermount CD Discontinuance
By all means, Hermastersvoice! I'm afraid, in certain fields "developments" mean "go backwards". The general financial and economic crisis along with some kind of "misery" exacerbates the situation.
Anyway, courage...
Parla
The French magazine Classica has just started a monthly 'Discothèque idéale' - famous Sony recordings in flat card sleeves but with their original artwork, so they look like the giveaways we sometimes get in British newspapers. Issue 1: Bernstein conducts Ludwig/Berry/the NYP in Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn. Issue 2 will be the brilliant Bertrand Chamayou playing Liszt. Things to look forward to each month and tangible objects to treasure - unlike downloads.
Please rethink your policy, Gramophone. You have shot yourselves in the foot on this one.
Incidentally, Classica still provides a covermount CD of new releases as well. But can anyone tell me why the extracts tend to be so much more substantial on French magazine CDs?
Mark Valencia