Classical streaming app raises $9.5 million
mainThe Berlin-basd classical streaming service Idagio has raised €8 million in a new funding round from Tengelmann Ventures, Mülheim/Ruhr, btov Partners, and a number of angel investors.
Details here.
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Not available in the USA.
That is my interpretation of the cryptic message I received:
IDAGIO is currently unavailable in your region.
Due to copyright restrictions we’ve unfortunately had to temporarily delay the release of IDAGIO in your region.
I would never do streaming unless I was fly fishing on the Test. This is all about cutting CD production costs. I want a book of words, I don’t want canned muzak compressed like MRM.
Idagio offers FLAC format which is uncompressed.
I think you are missing out here. I have a huge classical CD collection (well over 1000 CDs or equivalent downloads). A few years back I ripped everything to FLAC lossless format and put in on the cloud so I can access it anywhere. Yesterday I checked Idagio after reading Norman’s article and took out a trial subscription. There is no difference between listening to a FLAC that I put in my personal cloud drive and exactly the same work streamed from Idagio. Similarly there shouldn’t be any difference between listening to a FLAC streamed from Idagio and the equivalent CD.
The current selection on Idagio seems pretty extensive to me. Certainly it is much larger than my “huge” CD collection.
You are wrong, the sound quality is rubbish, besides I do not have an ipod, iphone or other gadget. I have a 78 collection on shellac, 33s and CDs, the sort of music I want is not on download or streaming, I don’t get this tech at all, my XK120 only has a wireless from 1952. I asked some labels eg Harmonia mundi who have been taken over by a Pop firm, why they delete items and make them download only. They say to save money on production. I pointed out that the over 40s and grey rinse brigade account for most of classical cd sales and we do not do download or streaming. We like to see a libretto not a pdf!
No Ted you are wrong. If played through the same equipment then a FLAC file will sound exactly the same as a CD. The trick is to use the same equipment and not just play the download through your computer speakers.
I have no idea what your tastes in music are so I can’t say whether what you want is available or not. Certainly what you say was right for most classical music until a few years ago. However there are now sites such as PrestoClassical which have huge download catalogs.
For the record I am 60 years old but then I have always been a tech freak. However, Andrew Rose of PristineClassical who offers remastered historical recording as both downloads and physical media reports a steady move away from physical media towards downloads.
A lot of the download and streaming sites are very USA oriented so it makes a change to see one that isn’t. As the USA is a big market I suspect that they will use some of their funding to resolve this one.
I think competing PrimePhonic service is available in the USA (can’t check this one as I am not in the USA).
Primephonic is available in the USA.
However, their search function and ease of use is not very good: https://www.whathifi.com/primephonic/streaming/review
Dear Augustine,
this is Lukas from IDAGIO. In case you haven’t heard it yet: IDAGIO is now available in the US and Canada!
Let us know if you have any questions or feedback, you can get in touch with us on our website.
Best regards
Lukas
I’m a subscriber since last month. Beginning with an iOS app, this streaming service is being perfectioned, and an Android app has been released recently. I usually access from my PC. Their distinguished search engine works very well, and the lossless audio option sounds attractive to audiophile listeners. I’m glad it’s avaliable in South America.
Have been a premium member for over a year. Very poor user interface. No playlist ability, you cannot even have a “current queue list”. It is perfect for researchers or musicologists but horrible for regular listeners of music. It all looks great and promising, but use it yourself and you will see how bloody user unfriendly it is! Idagio have no idea how people listen to music.
As an Idagio user in the USA, I must say that as of this date, I am very pleased with it. My listening these days is done on a PC-based system with audiophile cables, DAC, and superb planar magnetic headphones, and the FLAC sound quality is very satisfying, with no dropouts or slow connections or starts. I think those might have been early teething troubles that are cleared up by now. My only disappointment is that I cannot download music on the PC app, and I never listen to music on my phone because the sound quality could never come close to my PC setup.