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Pristine Classical, 2005-2010:
It's hard to comprehend just how much has changed in the world of online music since the beginning of 2005, and yet five years later we still read "this CD is urgently recommended" rather than "this download is urgently recommended". We may have some way to go before that happens, but in the meantime, let me take you back half a decade to a very different online world...
In many ways we were lucky to be in there at the beginning of what is still very much an ongoing move online. When James Jolly, the then editor of Gramophone magazine, started a downloads column in their June 2005 issue, there really wasn't a great deal to write about for UK music lovers. Chandos had just launched their downloads site, a few weeks after us, and there was of course iTunes. Our tiny website got not just equal but top billing in that first column:
Alas we're still not in the same league as iTunes, who sold their billionth song download in 2006, and achievement I doubt we'll ever see. Then again, we're in the business of selling albums, not songs, and passed the 10,000 downloads mark some time over the last 12 months, we think - which must at least equate to 100,000 or so of Apple's songs. Not bad in a tiny niche market such as ours. Along the way we've removed a lot of clicks and crackles and made a lot of friends. Special mention should go to Peter Harrison, Dr. John Duffy and Mark Obert-Thorn, all of whom have contributed many hours of music to our catalogue, as well as the many people around the world who've sent recordings for consideration, books for information, and of course e-mails for encouragement (well, most of them, anyway!), not to mention the dedicated music reviewers who occasionally find the real gems amongst our output:
We've embraced Jazz and Blues - our issue of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue will certainly be one of the best-sellers of 2010, and our 2007 release of the blues recordings of Robert Johnson likewise is one of our all-time best sellers. Meanwhile we've delved into the earliest days of scratchy blues recordings and gained something of a reputation in the Blues community for working magic on some of the most difficult and precious recordings this genre has to offer. From an admittedly shaky start Pristine Classical has always stood on its own two feet - there was no start-up investment fund, no business loan and no credit card. We're still here - and flourishing - because we've managed to produce something people want, and have reinvested our profits in the business. We're still a small company, with three staff and a couple of freelance contributors, but we hope we can continue to grow as we have over the past five years and enjoy more success - and discover more great music of course - in the months and years to come. Thank you for your interest and support! - Andrew Rose, Pristine Classical
Our free 5th Birthday Prize Draw
We also have 50 downloads to give away! Each winner will be free to choose a single download in any format from any of the pages on our website - MP3, 16-bit FLAC, Ambient Stereo FLAC or 24-bit FLAC. You choose, let us know, and we'll set up the download for you!
How to Enter There are two ways to enter:
To allow plenty of time for postcards to get here, we'll draw the names out of the Pristine hat on 3rd March, 2010, the fifth anniversary of our first sale. Winners will then be contacted by e-mail, so you must include an e-mail address on postcards. There is no limit to the number of times you can enter the draw. The winner of the PADMC drive will be contacted and arrangements made for shipping (at our expense). There is no cash, CD, download or other alternative to this prize. If it is unwanted it will be offered to the next name drawn until claimed. Downloads winners - who may win more than one prize - will be asked to nominate their choice(s). All releases are eligible for choice, regardless of length, with the exclusion of our Jazz "Box Set" and Blues "Box Set" downloads. There is no cash alternative, however downloads can be 'converted' to CDs if you prefer. Convert downloads to CDs: Our competition prizes are for downloads, however we can offer a CD alternative upon payment of the price difference between the 16-bit FLAC price and the CD price of any release, including double and multiple CD issues where applicable, in order to cover the additional costs of manufacture and postage. Times and dates to qualify for entry will be based upon PayPal's standard time - all PayPal transactions which are registered by them on or after 29th January 2010 and on or before 5th February 2010 will be eligible for free entry. Postcard entries must show a date stamp indicated posting on or before 5th February 2010. Closing date for receipt of postcards is 2nd March 2010. All prizes must be claimed within one week of notification. No late claims will be accepted.
GOOD LUCK!
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Here's your chance to win a €1200 prize! We're giving away a fabulous 1000GB Pristine Audio Digital Music Collection (right) - it's a 1TB external USB hard drive containing all our recordings in FLAC format - you can read all about it