Well actually, it looks like it's not free anymore:
http://blog.last.fm/2009/04/22/radio-subscriptions
at least i still have the "my recommandations" page

There I was properly drunk and stoned, ready to listen to Sonic Youth's new album for a second time. The glory of the first listen gone, what revealed itself was a crappy bit rate from hell. I saw red. I got as mad as a bull charging a MATADOR. But over and over again all I got was a face full of 128k/bit. There is no excuse for 128k these days. This is just another example of a record company not understanding the new digital market. It just doesn't do Sonic justice that THIS is the first impression most people will get of the album.

It's just a "for instance" scenario. They just wanted you to hear it. Why does anyone care if it's 128, 160, or whatever bitrates are used? In case you forgot, the record doesn't come out until June, so you should stop yr bitching about the quality. Be thankful that you got to hear the whole thing before some people.

Just a thought.

andddddddd thread CLOSED!

Yep, i know Nic. That's why we are here... to talk, debate, disagree.

1. it sounds all a little muffled with 128 kbs, everyone can hear that.
2. 128 kbs are especially for sy a bad thing, since much of the noise and fine little things get filtered out.

thank you! :D

mp3's have taken 50 years of recording technology and flushed it down the toilet! If you insist on mp3's you're getting blindly ripped off. Let somebody that knows what they're doing give you a comparison test but don't do it with an Enya album.

Yes, I'm "insisting" on mp3's by giving reasons why a 128kbs file sounds fine to me on a stream.

As the thread continues!

I agree on this, that's why I said this preview just makes me want to hear the "real thing" even more than before :D.
I guess it's part of its purpose..

Most boards have an option for the moderator to lock/close a thread. I think this one should be locked.. closed.. deleted? It's just so fucking stupid at this point.

yes.

Exactly. It sounds like a horses arse!!!!!!!!

Stream or not 128k/bit is not acceptable these days and MATADOR SHOULD UNDERSTAND THIS.

SY board trolls (with thousands of posts) may continue to brown nose now...

yes, but i think, nicfit was right: Matador knows its not acceptable, and its not a mistake, they just dont want us to get the whole thing now. Imagine there were flacs circulating through the net one month before the official release - they might loose a lot of money. on the other hand: i dont understand why they make their fans dislike the album one month before its release ... so ... whatever ... close this thread.

There is no point in giving the WORST first impression of an album possible.

I do think this comes from an "internet paranoia" standpoint for Matador where they don't want higher quality mp3's out there. So until the album is actually released there will be all of these crap sounding 128k versions floating around giving everyone a terrible impression of the album. GENIUS!

Instead of looking at the internet like the enemy look at it as the greatest chance to reach your target market in history. Make people come to YOUR SITE to get high quality mp3's for free (GASP!!!). Make money on advertisements while the user is there, offer them the CD version at a fair price, get their email address to reach them by newsletter, try to sell them a T-shirt, try to turn them on to a few other bands you have signed while you have them on your site, tell them about the bands tour schedule.

DO ANYTHING BUT WHAT HAS BEEN DONE!!!

right, thats pretty stupid.


right, thats the future - or actual its now. maybe they are to used to the idea of being anvantgard to realize they are behind at matador - like the old boys and girls from sonic youth ;-) dont they sound now like other bands 10 years ago?

o For Fuck's sake,
SHUT UP, FUCKING TWAT


:D

fucking A I love to rock vinyl records.
I get AT LEAST 5,390 terabytes/sec when I spin my vinyl platters.
I can turn that shit up ridonk loud and no crackle.

mp3's suck ass. fuck digital media.

when someone drops a EMP thermonuclear warhead on you your files will be erased, and my vinyl will last and last and last


GO JOE!

yeah, right. did you realize that live boots sound terrible now since they dont use tapes anymore but more and more digital crap, at least somewhere in the transfer?

sometimes i wish some of the sy tapers would learn from the deadheads how to make good live record (i am still very thankful though).