Frequently Asked Questions

Sign in using the email address used for the purchase. On the Orders page, choose Download this order beside the purchase. You can also open the order itself and use the large download button at the top. This opens a page containing that order’s downloads.

On a phone, tap the three-dot More actions button beside the order to find Download this order.

For your complete library, including earlier purchases and subscription additions, choose My Downloads or the Download your purchases button above the order list. Both open My Music, where the Downloads tab lists your available recordings.

For full instructions, see Finding your downloads.

24-bit Studio Quality is our highest-resolution tier, for suitable music players and hi-fi equipment. 16-bit CD Quality provides lossless audio at CD quality. MP3 – Smaller files uses less storage space and works with a wide range of players.

Bit depth describes the precision used to store sound. CDs use 16-bit audio. Lossless means that no sound information is discarded from that version to make the file smaller.

Mono, stereo and Ambient Stereo describe the presentation. Where this differs by quality tier, it is shown beside the relevant purchase choice.

Our MP3 downloads are 320 kbps: 320 kilobits of data for each second of music. This is a high-quality MP3 setting, not the speed your internet connection needs to reach.

MP3 files are smaller because they discard some sound information, especially details that are less easy to hear. They save storage space and download time, but are not lossless. Converting an MP3 to another format cannot restore the missing information.

Yes. If you own a lossless tier, choose FLAC, ALAC or WAV in My Downloads, at the quality you own. You can return later and choose another lossless format at that quality without buying the recording again.

FLAC and ALAC compress files without losing sound information. ALAC is suitable for Apple’s Music app. WAV files are uncompressed and larger. At the same resolution, all three preserve the same audio quality.

An MP3-only purchase does not unlock lossless formats. Changing the format does not upgrade a 16-bit purchase to 24-bit.

See the Beginner’s Guide to Downloading for more help.

Downloads are normally added to your account as soon as checkout is completed. Open the order and choose Download this order, or use My Downloads. If the new order’s download page says no downloads are available yet, wait a few minutes and choose Check again.

Yes. Choose Download this order again, or find the recording in My Downloads. You do not need to buy the same download again.

A ZIP file keeps the album tracks, artwork and supporting files together in one download. After downloading it, extract or unzip the folder before adding the music to your player or library.

FLAC is widely supported, but some music programs need a little preparation. See the dedicated guides for Downloads for Windows and Downloads for Mac.

Yes. Choose 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV in My Downloads for making a standard audio CD. If you own the 24-bit version, choose the 16-bit WAV option for this purpose. This gives you a CD-ready copy; your original 24-bit download remains available.

Unzip the download and add the WAV tracks in order to an Audio CD project in your CD-burning software. Use a blank CD-R and a CD-writing drive. Simply copying files onto a data disc will not make a standard audio CD. See Making audio CDs from downloads for step-by-step instructions for Windows and Mac, including burning directly from MP3.

MP3-only ownership does not include the lossless WAV option. Burning an MP3 to CD does not improve its sound quality.

Our CDs normally use the same sound presentation as the corresponding downloads: mono, stereo or Ambient Stereo.

In the minority of cases where a release offers a choice between mono and Ambient Stereo downloads, the physical CD is always Ambient Stereo. The mono download option does not mean there is a separate mono CD option.

These terms describe the sound presentation, not the download file type or quality tier. Read more about Ambient Stereo.

Our CDs are shipped from France. Standard delivery within the European Union, including the Netherlands, incurs no additional customs duties, import VAT or customs handling charges on arrival.

The normal postage charge is shown at checkout; this is separate from any question of import charges.

On an album page, use the CDs by post section, select the required CD option, then choose Add CDs to basket. The visual ordering guide walks through the process.

Yes. Pristine CD purchases include a complimentary MP3 download, which is added to your account after checkout.

Yes. On the release's main product page, scroll down below the album details to the row of information tabs and open PDF Downloads. There you can download the printable PDF artwork supplied for that release, including the cover, tray insert or booklet material where provided.

The PDFs are already prepared at the correct physical size for standard jewel cases. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader, choose Print, and under page sizing select Actual size (100%). Make sure Fit, Fit to page, or any other automatic resizing or scaling option is switched off. The artwork will then print at exactly the right size to cut out and fit into a standard jewel case.

For the full CD ordering walkthrough, see How to order.

Pristine CDs are made to order and are normally dispatched within 3 to 5 working days.

For the lowest CD shipping rate, customers in the USA are advised to order one album at a time, with up to 3 CDs in that album order.

Email cdsupport@pristineclassical.com with your order number, the email address used for the order, your delivery country and a brief description of the problem.

Yes. Visit the Catalogue and Order Form page for the current printable catalogue and ordering information.

Open My Account, enter the email address connected to your purchases, and follow the verification-code instructions sent to that address. The current sign-in system uses a code rather than relying only on an old password.

Older purchases may be connected to a different email address. Sign in with the address originally used for that order. If your purchases are split across addresses, contact downloadsupport@pristineclassical.com.

Pristine Streaming is the online listening service for the Pristine catalogue. It works through a web browser on computers, tablets and phones, and includes subscriber-only Pristine Exclusives. See Pristine Streaming for details.

The Digital Music Collection is the complete Pristine archive, carefully organised and supplied on a solid-state USB drive in MP3, FLAC, or combined FLAC and MP3 editions. It is DRM-free and yours to keep.

See the full Digital Music Collection page, including its FAQ for New Owners and User Guide.

Update subscriptions are available to Digital Music Collection owners. New releases added through Add to my account appear in My Downloads rather than in the ordinary order-history list. See Subscriptions for the available options.

Sign in, open My Account, choose My Subscriptions, then use Manage Subscription History. Further guidance is on the Subscriptions page.

Search by composer, performer, conductor, work, ensemble, keyword or catalogue number. An exact catalogue number is usually the quickest route to a particular release. If a broad search returns too much, try a surname or fewer words.

See Searching the site for more tips.

Yes. Use the Find Music menu to browse the catalogue by artist, composer or ensemble.

Use the heart control on a product page to save an album. The heart icon in the site header opens your wishlist, where saved releases can be revisited later.

For downloads, accounts and subscriptions, email downloadsupport@pristineclassical.com. For CDs and shipping, email cdsupport@pristineclassical.com.

Please include your order number, the email address used for the purchase and a short description of the problem. More details are on the Help & Support page.

Digital purchases can be supplied immediately. Before access begins, checkout may ask you to acknowledge that your right of withdrawal ends once the download or digital access has started.

Use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any Pristine newsletter. Newsletter subscriptions are managed separately from your website account.

See the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.