Presto Music classical & jazz streaming

[JANDL100]

Thanks to @aoxomoxoa for the heads up on this.

Full hi res, free 1 month trial.
£10.99 a month.

I've signed up and I've been having a look-see.

Very impressed so far.
Good catalogue at first glimpse, easy to use and fast.
Album booklets which download quickly.
Slightly inflexible search engine - search words have to be correct and complete. Spotify is more flexible on this. But you can search by recording label which you can't with Spotify.

Very excited about this!
.... And I might even learn to like jazz.

 

[JANDL100]

... And they say they pay the artists by the amount of time played rather than per track.

Most streaming services cough up the fraction of a penny when 30 seconds has been reached on a track, I think.
So the artists get the same amount whether it's a 2 minute pop song or a 30 minute movement from a Mahler symphony. Which isn't very fair.

I don't know how much they pay compared to other services, though.

 

[khapahk]

I'm interested to know how this develops for you, Jerry. I've used Presto for many years as my primary source of classical (and, increasingly, jazz) CDs and have received a number of emails from them re the streaming service. I don't stream at all at the moment but this ioption is making it a great temptation !

What kit do you use for streaming ?

Bob

 

[JANDL100]

I've replied by PM, Bob.

 

[khapahk]

I've replied by PM, Bob.

Thanks, just replied to you.

 

[Lurch]

Thanks, just replied to you.

If I remember correctly Jerry is using an ifi Zen Blu 2 Hi Res BT streamer, if so I have one here not being used (bought for the show last year and not used since) if you want to give one a try for the cost of postage.

 

[khapahk]

If I remember correctly Jerry is using an ifi Zen Blu 2 Hi Res BT streamer, if so I have one here not being used (bought for the show last year and not used since) if you want to give one a try for the cost of postage.

Thanks for the offer - see PM

 

[JANDL100]

I've been using Presto Music streaming for a day now.

Absolutely solid thumbs up.

I've come across a whole bunch of new to me music.
The presentation of suggested albums is vast and excellent.
Very easy to use.
Where available, album reviews are available.

If I were to pick a few nits...

the saved albums presentation options are limited to latest and alphabetical.
With the information they have to hand they could helpfully extend this to other ways of listing (for example, by last accessed or grouped by music type) .

I've not found a way to 'share' selections by being provided with a link to copy and paste.

But. This is great, really enjoying it.
Sound quality is excellent.

Top recommendation.

 

[JANDL100]

^ That recommendation is for classical music.

I'm clueless about jazz.

 

[JANDL100]

OK, this is the Day of Reckoning. The last day of my free trial month with Presto Music streaming.

The decision was actually made a week or so back when, despite a barrage of reminders, I let my regular monthly subscription to Spotify lapse.

I'm staying with Presto and forking out actual ££ to do so.

Really, really pleased with it.
It hasn't quite got the UI sophistication of Spotify, with the occasional glitch, but it's more than acceptably decent.

I absolutely love the exploratory search connections and facilities. Streaming services in general open up music exploration, Presto take that to the next level.
It is, though, limited to classical and jazz, with quite a few film soundtracks and related albums included as well.
I'm sure there's a load of other music on there that I haven't yet come across.

Strong recommendation!

... And, as I type this, I'm listening to a Jan Garbarek jazz album, In Praise of Dreams!

 

[griffo104]

My month trial is just about up and I've decided to ditch Tidal and go with Presto. It's been excellent in most ways except one or two silly irks which don't actually stop me enjoying the music.

So I've decided to do all my classical and jazz in Presto and keep my Youtube Music for everything else.

 

[Juancho]

So why would you use this when Qobuz has all the catalogue and more and costs the same or less?

 

[JANDL100]

So why would you use this when Qobuz has all the catalogue and more and costs the same or less?

For me, it's about the music exploration capabilities.
Very powerful link facilities, including musical works.
... You want to see all of the recordings of, say, Schubert's 2nd piano trio?
Tap... Pow! There they are.
Same for musicians, record label.... etc.

It's next level music exploration and discovery for classical music.

The iDagio classical music streaming service has the same type of facilities but the catalogue is no where near as comprehensive.

There's also album booklets to download, review links for many of the items, comprehensive listing of new releases, knowledgeable articles.

It's just a great resource for classical music. It really is next level compared to Qobuz or Tidal etc. But it's limited to classical and jazz.

 

[Juancho]

For me, it's about the music exploration capabilities.
Very powerful link facilities, including musical works.
... You want to see all of the recordings of, say, Schubert's 2nd piano trio?
Tap... Pow! There they are.
Same for musicians, record label.... etc.

It's next level music exploration and discovery for classical music.

The iDagio classical music streaming service has the same type of facilities but the catalogue is no where near as comprehensive.

There's also album booklets to download, review links for many of the items, comprehensive listing of new releases, knowledgeable articles.

It's just a great resource for classical music. It really is next level compared to Qobuz or Tidal etc. But it's limited to classical and jazz.

Fair enough! I get most of that from Qobuz and Material Skin Pi Core Player but understand you may want more for eg classical

 

[JANDL100]

Fair enough! I get most of that from Qobuz and Material Skin Pi Core Player but understand you may want more for eg classical

Classical recordings are different from most other genres.
It's almost all covers.
You just can't get a recording of Beethoven conducting his own symphonies, or Chopin playing his own piano sonatas. I know, I've tried!

And in classical it's more about individual interpretations of previously composed music. There's an infinite number of ways to play a Beethoven string quartet, all performances and recordings are different.
So Presto Music provides an excellent tool for exploring what is available.

 

[bencat]

If Classical is your main music I fully understand the value of the additional sorting , links and reviews being a very integral part of enjoying the music and discovering other versions . I think if you are mainly in this area this seems a very good service for a niche market . Qobuz and Tidal are not really offering this and this is often why people look to Roon to add that extra detail and link facitilty . As has been noted you can get similar for free from Material Skin GUI using Logitech Media Server but it is not as comprehensive as Roon but it does appear to be a learning software and things that were not listed last year now have the information .

This is really the digital age version of having a Vinyl LP cover or gatefold compared to the CD . It is larger and easier to read and often can be something to browse while listening to the music . For some this will be a horror and they only sit and listen for others it is an added stimulus and enhances the love of the music with relevant and learning information . Others just listen potter around and enjoy and could not care less about what is written .

 

[JANDL100]

... Being able to easily access all available recordings of a particular piece is really good.
It's just too easy to limit yourself to big labels, big name performers, high profile recordings.
There are a lot of enjoyable, enlightening, and interestingly weird recordings out there which a service like Presto simply makes it easier to find out about and to give a try!

It's all about exploration, discovery and learning - backed up by an impressively large catalogue with frequent updates - that separates Presto from the rest at the moment imo.