FREE/BARGAIN — Media Deals (non-eBook/non-audiobook)

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Should I, or shouldn't I . . . . ?

On the(a) signup page, Spotify gives these three reasons for having Premium:
- Listen without the distraction of ads
- Play music with no phone service (?--I don't use my phone for it now, G.)
- Skip as many songs as you want (This isn't Pandora--I already do that with my Spotify membership, G).
See something missing? I do. It's the benefit of improved quality of sound.

Spotify doesn't seem to mention that much as a benefit of Premium, and I wonder why. When they do mention it, it always seems to be low-key. I can't help but wonder if there really is any improvement in the quality of the sound with Premium. I didn't dig around their website to find out, if indeed they give any details about that. And, then, there's the question of whether or not this non-audiophile would actually be able to tell the difference. I probably wouldn't.

I'm going to skip the offer this time. I just don't see any benefit to having Premium and I don't need to add an expiration date for the trial to my calendar to add to all of the clutter that's already on it--like the Downpour trial expiration date . . . . But, thanks for posting the information.

Spotify Premium

• Shuffle play
• Ad free
• Unlimited skips
• Listen offline
• Play any track
• High quality audio

To me, the two best features of Premium are: playing individual songs on demand and playing songs on albums in sequence.

Still, it's not worth $10/month for this. In the meantime, I'm enjoying it.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by StewartM

I've found that the download page sometimes has just the single Schumann piece, but sometimes also has all four movements of Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony. (I haven't found a pattern to the extra files being there/not being there.)

FWIW, if you can get the Tchaikovsky 5 (and from your message it looks like you did, GtrsRGr8), the recording seems to be by the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra / Fernando Lozano.

If you could not get a webpage to come up that shows all 5 movements (1 Shumann and 4 Tchaikovsky), try this little trick. Click on the link to the download webpage, while pressing the CTRL key. That should open the download webpage at Alexander Street in a new tab, at least with the Google Chrome browser. That webpage should show all 5 movements and links in MP3 and WMA to all of them. This may work only one time; when I tried it the first time, it worked, but when I tested it a second and third time, it didn't.

Another little trick (one that works nicely for a lot of things) that might work with this situation, is to open up a web browser that you haven't used previously to go to Alexander Street (so there aren't any "cookies" that have been tracking you to know that you've been there before) and navigate to the download webpage.

If all else fails, and you feel comfortable doing it, you might want to use an anti-Malware program or something like CCleaner or PC Decrapifier (you can get all three of those free from the Internet) to clean out your cookies (no, that doesn't mean the same thing as "to toss your cookies" ha). Then, go to the download webpage at Alexander Street.

But, don't lollygag around! The next weekly download from Alexander Street is due in about a day from now, and then the current offer will be gone.

Hopefully, Alexander Street's future downloads won't have this issue.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Spotify Premium

• Shuffle play
• Ad free
• Unlimited skips
• Listen offline
• Play any track
• High quality audio

To me, the two best features of Premium are: playing individual songs on demand and playing songs on albums in sequence.

Still, it's not worth $10/month for this. In the meantime, I'm enjoying it.

You may have convinced me.

You need to go to work at Spotify as their ad copywriter--you do a better job of it than the one(s) that they have, IMHO.

[tubemonkey]

Last Day --> Amazon UK -- Prime Sale -- exp 16 May

[GtrsRGr8]

UPDATE: The recording is 6:13 long. The sound (music) actually ends about 15 seconds before the recording does. I suppose that is the way that it is supposed to be (yes, I'm paranoid, because of all of the issues that we've had with free music downloads in the last couple of months. ha). Otherwise, it sounds great!

Here's a new free classical music download from Classical-music.com.

It's Allegretto from Mozart's 'Prussian' String Quartet in D.

Description/blurb:
This week's free download is the Alegretto [sic] from Mozart's 'Prussian' String Quartet in D. It is performed by comes the winners of the BBC Music Magazine Newcomer Award, the Schumann Quartet, and comes from their 2015 disc of quartets by Mozart, Verdi and Ives.

The quartet is a family affair. Erik, Ken and Mark Schumann are joined by Estonian violist Liisa Randalau. 'I could tell within five minutes that we'd get on' she told us. 'I never felt I had to break into a magic circle! If anything, it's more open and direct because they know each other so well.' (BBC Music Magazine, May 2016).

If you are logged in at Classical-music.com, click on the red "download now" button superimposed on the thumbnail of the cover of the album at this webpage. That will (should) start a download of the track to your hard drive. Once that has completed, open and enjoy!

I'm listening to the track right now. If I detect any sound issues, I'll post that information. No news is good news.

[GtrsRGr8]

I have not downloaded these myself as they are not things that I'm personally interested in. So, I don't know for sure that everything works as advertised.

You might have to set up an account with Big Finish in order to download these. I just don't know.

Doctor Who--Vampire of the Mind. https://www.bigfinish.com/offers/v/vampirenewsletter. Access code: 2masters

Cyberman Scorpius: Series One. https://www.bigfinish.com/offers/v/scorpiusfree. Access code: planet14

[GtrsRGr8]

CORRECTION: This is not an identical offer to the one that ended a few days ago. I finally found the information about the prior deal and noticed that every month was free for 3 months. With this one, you have to pay 99 cents per month for 3 months. But this may be the best deal going on Spotify Premium for a while, so you might want to sign up anyway.

It looks like Spotify is running a promotion for their Premium service that is a carbon copy (for you youngsters out there, if you don't know what that means, ask one of your grandparents. ha) of the promotion that just ended a few days ago.

The only difference that I notice is that Starbucks is apparently not the sponsor this time. Apparently, it comes solely from Spotify.

The key aspects of the deal:
- 3 months for 99 cents per month.
- $9.99/month afterwards.

Linky.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by gabby98

Has anyone else here noticed a drastic decrease in love from the Google Rewards app since the new year?

I just answered about 10 or 15 of them. I had a notice pop up that I had one that was about to expire and when I answered that one another popped up, then another and another...

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I just answered about 10 or 15 of them. I had a notice pop up that I had one that was about to expire and when I answered that one another popped up, then another and another...

And I've had three more since I posted this!

[tamborine]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I just answered about 10 or 15 of them. I had a notice pop up that I had one that was about to expire and when I answered that one another popped up, then another and another...

Me too! And I haven't noticed a decrease in surveys; I've consistently been getting at least a couple a week, and frequently more.

[library addict]

Originally Posted by tamborine

Me too! And I haven't noticed a decrease in surveys; I've consistently been getting at least a couple a week, and frequently more.

I've been getting maybe two a month lately, if that.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by library addict

I've been getting maybe two a month lately, if that.

Between yesterday and today I got about $8 worth!

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I just answered about 10 or 15 of them. I had a notice pop up that I had one that was about to expire and when I answered that one another popped up, then another and another...

And these ones are more...obscure...than usual.

Are you currently taking lessons to play the saxophone (or another instrument I forgot the name of)?

I think I've been asked twice this week if I like to participate in extreme sports (I'm 55!).

Now I can't remember any more, but it has been a deluge lately! I'm not complaining - more $ for ebooks.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I think I've been asked twice this week if I like to participate in extreme sports (I'm 55!).

What about shuffleboard while standing on one foot?

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

What about shuffleboard while standing on one foot?

Maybe horseshoes, with the horse still attached?

Or extreme knitting (of tube monkeys).