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

[koland]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I may have not been clear. Today's link worked fine, and I had checked it early the day.

Links provided by eMusic did not work two or three days this week. except for the one which I opened in a new tab.

There is no criticism of you, on my part.

I think it varies throughout the day, although I often have the most non-working clicks just after midnight (so I quit checking it late at night, if I happen to be up). Don't think anything changed at my end - I don't close my browser unless it crashes and I check all three if it is giving me problems in Firefox (there are a few times when firefox didn't work and IE or Chrome did, perhaps an issue with the flash plugin?).

It is entirely possible it doesn't work when their server has too much traffic or when the moon is in the wrong position...

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by koland

I think it varies throughout the day, although I often have the most non-working clicks just after midnight (so I quit checking it late at night, if I happen to be up). Don't think anything changed at my end - I don't close my browser unless it crashes and I check all three if it is giving me problems in Firefox (there are a few times when firefox didn't work and IE or Chrome did, perhaps an issue with the flash plugin?).

It is entirely possible it doesn't work when their server has too much traffic or when the moon is in the wrong position...

And, you've got to hold your mouth just right (Southern expression, I don't know if anyone outside of the South has heard it).

Thanks for the info. Sometimes I do check more than once a day, if I can't get the piece to download the first time. But, I guess that I don't have enough patience (strike that--I don't have enough patience). A couple of times is enough for me, and I'm certainly not going to check using more than one browser. Kudos for your stick-to-it-tive-ness.

But the main reason that I'm not going to be more persevering is that there's no popular music (or classical, whether popular in this day or not) by popular artists given away at eMusic. Since historically I have not been much of an audiophile, popularity is an assurance of at least a minimal amount of likeability, it seems to me.

And while I'm in a kvetching mood (ha), if eMusic thinks that by giving away pieces of music that they will gain customers by it, they may be wrong. I would be reluctant to buy from them now, given problems that people have downloading their freebies.

I'll try to be in a nicer mood the rest of the day. ha

ADDENDUM: Oh, and so peeps won't think that I'm a hypocrite . . . . I did mention in a post a couple of weeks ago that if I hear what I think is an exceptionally good eMusic giveaway piece, I will post it. I'm not going to cut off my nose to spite my face (another Southernism).

[BearMountainBooks]

I know I posted about the freebies on Creative Market for fonts and templates (I"m an affiliate). I'm also an affiliate at The Hungry JPEG -- similar site that offers one free font per week and has some great fonts for $1. So for those of you who do scrapbooks, your own Christmas cards/decorations, you might want to check out The Hungry JPEG. This week the font is pretty snazzy:

https://thehungryjpeg.com/freebie-of-the-week/ (Non-affiliate link).

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I know I posted about the freebies on Creative Market for fonts and templates (I"m an affiliate). I'm also an affiliate at The Hungry JPEG -- similar site that offers one free font per week and has some great fonts for $1. So for those of you who do scrapbooks, your own Christmas cards/decorations, you might want to check out The Hungry JPEG. This week the font is pretty snazzy:

https://thehungryjpeg.com/freebie-of-the-week/ (Non-affiliate link).

I remember you posting Creative Market. If I didn't acknowledge it with karma and/or thanks then, I'll say "thank you" now. I think that it will be helpful.

It is bit of trouble to have to download one font and/or one template at a time. And, building up a collection takes some time, doing it at the rate of one per week. I haven't yet started downloading the freebies on Creative Market or The Hungry JPEG, but I know that from my experience with Dover Publications about how troublesome it can be. However, there you can get several samples at a time (but you get them only once a week or two).

And, since I brought them up, I'll go ahead and tell you all that I know about them. Dover is a big publisher. They have a niche market, but at the moment it's kinda hard for me to define it. No matter. My point is that they publish a large number of clip art and other images books. Many of them have CD's with those books, where you can easily drop in images from them into projects that you're working on.

Here is a link to the most recent email (web version) that I received from Dover with sample images. I don't know if you will be locked out of downloading any of the ones on that webpage or not, but at least you can see what I'm talking about. One easy way to get on their mailing list (unfortunately, there may be no way to request samples only and you may have to get their other email messages, too) is to navigate to their store homepage and click on the bright red button on the lefthand side that says, "Sign up for our newsletter free."

I regularly downloaded all of their samples for several years, but I finally got tired of it. I decided that if I wanted a piece of clip art or other image that they had, I'd just go ahead and buy the book, if necessary. YMMV.

A recommendation about buying books that they publish. They have sales all of the time--sometimes 70% off or even more. However, it will be a limited selection. Also, by the time that you pay shipping and handling, you end up paying retail price or more, at that. I don't think that you can download any of their books at the present time, either. So, do yourself a favor: if you are an Amazon Prime member, just buy it from Amazon. Shipping will be free and almost certainly the order will get to you a lot quicker.

I apologize for not bringing up the Dover freebie samplers before now. To be honest, I still haven't gotten it firmly into my head that we no longer are limited to posting ebooks and audiobooks and related matters, but that we can also, by using this thread, post a lot of other things. Thank you, moderators!

[BearMountainBooks]

Yes, if you only download the freebies, it could take weeks to even FIND a font you can use. But some of the dollar only fonts can really be nice and there are bundles (the Laura Worthington bundles are some of my favorites. WHen those are on sale they run about 20 dollars, and they are beautiful fonts with a lot of extras. They are VERY nice fonts for cover work, but are readable enough for any job.) Keep in mind that in the old days a single font (that might not even include bold/italic/etc) could run over 100 dollars--making them prohibitively expensive for someone working on covers or other small projects. Some of the most popular and common book fonts out there can cost 500 or more (which puts them solidly out of my budget!)

The freebies on both sites range from hand drawn fonts to fat fonts and everything in between. I don't download all of them, but if a font looks like a decent one for a cover, I'll grab it. The dollar and under 5 fonts change frequently so it's a good place to shop if you're looking for a particular tone or style.

Thanks for the link to Dover.

Also--for anyone downloading these types of freebies, always double check to make sure the license is commercial. Some sites will have a "personal use only" on the freebies and you don't want to mix those in with your commercial use fonts. Both the sites I listed say commercial use for fonts. Some of their templates and backgrounds MAY be personal use only when free. Always check!

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Yes, if you only download the freebies, it could take weeks to even FIND a font you can use. But some of the dollar only fonts can really be nice and there are bundles (the Laura Worthington bundles are some of my favorites. WHen those are on sale they run about 20 dollars, and they are beautiful fonts with a lot of extras. They are VERY nice fonts for cover work, but are readable enough for any job.) Keep in mind that in the old days a single font (that might not even include bold/italic/etc) could run over 100 dollars--making them prohibitively expensive for someone working on covers or other small projects. Some of the most popular and common book fonts out there can cost 500 or more (which puts them solidly out of my budget!)

The freebies on both sites range from hand drawn fonts to fat fonts and everything in between. I don't download all of them, but if a font looks like a decent one for a cover, I'll grab it. The dollar and under 5 fonts change frequently so it's a good place to shop if you're looking for a particular tone or style.

I may have left the wrong impression. I'll definitely have a look at each one of the freebies, and likely I'll find some keepers. I've got both of them bookmarked under "Check These Daily" until I get used to the frequency that I should expect to see new ones.

I don't do nearly as much creative/graphic arts work now than I did in the past, so I'll be more selective than I would have then. Also, since my first foray into PC computing (Windows 3.1, "TrueType" fonts (if you really wanted to do things right, you used PostScript) ha), there are a ton more fonts pre-installed with the OS than there used to be. Most of them probably aren't on the creative side, but among them are usually all that I need for what little creative/graphics arts work that I do now.

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Also--for anyone downloading these types of freebies, always double check to make sure the license is commercial. Some sites will have a "personal use only" on the freebies and you don't want to mix those in with your commercial use fonts. Both the sites I listed say commercial use for fonts. Some of their templates and backgrounds MAY be personal use only when free. Always check!

Thanks for the reminder. I've slipped into the thinking that if someone is giving away things like that, they're free to use wherever, whenever. But they're not.

[GtrsRGr8]

Enjoy a 7 minute, 14 second piece from composer Camille Saint-Saens, as the first YourClassical freebie of this new week.

It is from her Naxos album Saint-Saens - Piano Concertos - Klavierkonzerte - Concertos pour piano, Nos. 2 and 4. The piece that you can get free is Piano Concerto No. 2: III. Presto.

The album is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra, with Idil Biret on the piano. The conductor is James Loughran.

Find out more general information about the whole album here. The album has some reviews at this webpage, but they are paltry. That is kind of a mystery to me, because the album was physically released way back in 1990; you would think that over that time lots of reviews would have accumulated. Perhaps Saint-Saens is not a very well-known composer.

I would describe the piece as being very lively. The piano is certainly there, but it does not overwhelm the rest of the music.

The "Direct MP3 download link" is on this webpage. For the benefit of those who haven't seen such YourClassical posts as this one before, you do not have to set up any account, give them your email address, or anything else like that, in order to download their freebies!

[gabby98]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Here's a very pleasant free piece of organ and strings music, from baroquemusic.org.

The composer's name is a new one to me--John Stanley.

Let me just quote the information from baroquemusic.org about this piece. In addition to being informational, I find it very interesting:
Concerto No. 3 in G Major for Organ & Strings, Op. 2 - 1: Adagio-Allegro. The blind English organist-composer John Stanley, a contemporary of Handel, specified these Six Opus 2 Concertos "for string orchestra, with solo organ, or harpsichord, or strings". Our recording (BMC 1) explores every combination. Here is an excerpt from Concerto 3 in G, with organ solo played by Conductor Leslie Jones, and The Little Orchestra of London. The organ is a Byfield of 1764, in the church of St Mary, Rotherhithe, historic port on London's Thames River from which the Mayflower set sail.

I am not a fan of the harpsichord, the melodion (the 18th/19th century variety, not the modern one per se), and similar musical instruments. But, the harpsichord music in this piece is so subdued that it is not bothersome at all, and actually adds to the piece, in my opinion.

This free piece runs about 3 minutes and 45 seconds, and is formatted MP3. Like the free piece offered by Domo Music Group, that I posted early yesterday (Saturday), the giveaways from baroquemusic.org are not made on a regular basis. And, they don't have a stated expiration date.

Here's the webpage to go to in order to download the free piece. When you get there, the audio will start streaming (or you might have to click on the play button to start it, I've forgotten now). I think that everyone reading this probably knows this, but in case someone doesn't, what you need to do then is to right click somewhere on the progress bar, then save the MP3 link to the drive on your computer where you'd like to send it. Then open the file in your MP3 player of choice in order to listen to it.

Easy peasy. And no account is required! Why can't we get the freebies from everyone this way?

FYI
This page contains links to download all the tracks....I believe the one GR posted is track #6, but when I compare it to the one on the above page there is a 5m12s second time difference

ETA: I think this page has even more links if you like the music

[GtrsRGr8]

Classical-music.com posts new freebies once a week. They just emailed us about the availability of this week's freebie.

It is Christophe Rousset plays the Prelude in C minor from 'The Well Tempered Clavier a JS Bach composition. The piece is only 1 minute, 28 seconds in length.

This week's free download is the Prelude in C minor from JS Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, performed by Christophe Rousset.

The recording received a four-star review in the July issue of BBC Music Magazine. 'Rousset untangles Bach's protean polyphony with the informed illumination of a seasoned tour guide steeped in his subject' writes Paul Riley.

If you are logged in to the Classical-music.com website, you should see a bright red "Download Now" button partially covering the thumbnail image of the album cover, located on this webpage. If you click on it, the download to your drive should begin automatically. As per usual, it is formatted in MP3.

Now my expert review( ) of the piece. Remember a day or two ago when I said that I didn't like a strong harpsichord or old-style melodion element to a piece. Well, this one has it. 'nough said.

[Froide]

Alexander Street's Classical Music Library Free Download of the Week
http://www.alexanderstreet.com/page/...-download-week

Every two weeks, Alexander Street offers a free music download from our popular online music collection. This download is freely available, regardless of whether or not your library subscribes to the collection.

Sicilienne, op. 78 by Gabriel Fauré
This week's download features Sicilienne, op. 78 by Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924). There are several arrangements of this work, including the original cello and piano arrangement presented in this recording. This recording is performed by Aleth Lamasse, cello, and Daria Hovora, piano.

NOTE: I'd like to grab the piece, but the "Download" link on the page directs one to another page where that composer's scores are posted. Anyone know how to download the mp3 file?

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Froide

Alexander Street's Classical Music Library Free Download of the Week
http://www.alexanderstreet.com/page/...-download-week



NOTE: I'd like to grab the piece, but the "Download" link on the page directs one to another page where that composer's scores are posted. Anyone know how to download the mp3 file?

The previous one occurred about 11-1, so its close to a full 2 weeks. So we are due for a new one soon.

My best guess is that Alexander Street is transitioning from the last set of freebies to the next one. They have their new webpage up, that you referenced, but things have not been updated yet at the openmusiclibrary.org site, where the download button on the webpage directs you.

The openmusiclibrary.org website's content doesn't change unless Alexander Street sends them a request to add the links to the freebies (blue links in aquablue box). Then, after the two weeks is over, openmusiclibrary.org either takes it upon itself to take the links down, or Alexander Street makes the request to them.

Still working on it . . . .

In fact, the temporary URL by Alexander Street to the openmusiclibrary.org webpage (the one with the links to the free tracks) has already changed. The standard (non-promotion) URL for all of the artists that have been featured is much shorter. The standard webpage for Gabriel Faure is http://openmusiclibrary.org/person/26334. Unless I've missed my guess, the webpage with that long URL, http://openmusiclibrary.org/person/2...email#corpsite, that the blue download button directs you to and that you referenced, will have links to the free tracks within a short time, where as the standard URL, http://openmusiclibrary.org/person/26334 will not have those links.

Still working on it . . . .

Another clue that leads me to believe that the temporary long URL will give us the links is "Download_11-14-2016" is embedded in it.

That appears to me to be what's going on. So, my recommendation is to sit tight, and later tonight check the temporary long URL again. If there's not a change, and I was a bettin' man (which I'm not), I'd say that it will change by tomorrow (Tuesday). If not, we've still got 13 days left in the promotion for things to get straightened out by AlexanderStreet/OpenMusicLibrary or for me to figure out where I've gone wrong in my thinking.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by gabby98

FYI
This page contains links to download all the tracks....I believe the one GR posted is track #6, but when I compare it to the one on the above page there is a 5m12s second time difference

ETA: I think this page has even more links if you like the music

Thanks for sharing the info.

I think that it actually may be track 5.

As I mentioned, I liked the music. I was surprised that I did, given the fact it contained harpsichord music. But, the sound of that instrument was subdued, as I mentioned. I'm not sure what it is about strong use of that instrument in a song annoys me so much. It sounds Gothic and kind of spooky or having something to do with monsters like Frankenstein. Obviously, it is something that I developed in childhood watching some movie or something that maybe scared me, in which there was that music. Seems like Frankenstein was set in the era when harpsichord music was popular. Maybe it was a Frankenstein movie.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

The previous one occurred about 11-1, so its close to a full 2 weeks. So we are due for a new one soon.

My best guess is that Alexander Street is transitioning from the last set of freebies to the next one. They have their new webpage up, that you referenced, but things have not been updated yet at the openmusiclibrary.org site, where the download button on the webpage directs you.

The openmusiclibrary.org website's content doesn't change unless Alexander Street sends them a request to add the links to the freebies (blue links in aquablue box). Then, after the two weeks is over, openmusiclibrary.org either takes it upon itself to take the links down, or Alexander Street makes the request to them.

Still working on it . . . .

In fact, the temporary URL by Alexander Street to the openmusiclibrary.org webpage (the one with the links to the free tracks) has already changed. The standard (non-promotion) URL for all of the artists that have been featured is much shorter. The standard webpage for Gabriel Faure is http://openmusiclibrary.org/person/26334. Unless I've missed my guess, the webpage with that long URL, http://openmusiclibrary.org/person/2...email#corpsite, that the blue download button directs you to and that you referenced, will have links to the free tracks within a short time, where as the standard URL, http://openmusiclibrary.org/person/26334 will not have those links.

Still working on it . . . .

Another clue that leads me to believe that the temporary long URL will give us the links is "Download_11-14-2016" is embedded in it.

That appears to me to be what's going on. So, my recommendation is to sit tight, and later tonight check the temporary long URL again. If there's not a change, and I was a bettin' man (which I'm not), I'd say that it will change by tomorrow (Tuesday). If not, we've still got 13 days left in the promotion for things to get straightened out by AlexanderStreet/OpenMusicLibrary or for me to figure out where I've gone wrong in my thinking.

Meanwhile, cuing up Carly Simon's "Anticipation", while visualizing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3AE...ature=youtu.be

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Froide

Meanwhile, cuing up Carly Simon's "Anticipation", while visualizing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3AE...ature=youtu.be

I would email AlexanderStreet, but I'm sure that thousands of people have already done it.

[GtrsRGr8]

This link works:

http://openmusiclibrary.org/person/2...email#corpsite

I haven't compared it yet with the link that we were given.