"Classical music downloads done right" - CNET
300,000+ Classical Tracks | More CD Quality Downloads than any other site
Frequently Asked Questions
Registration
- How do I register?
- Why do I have to Register?
- I am trying to register, but it says my email address is invalid?
- Is there a subscription fee?
To register, click on register now. This will take you to the registration page. Enter the required information and click on the Submit button. Registration is free-of-charge. You will then receive an e-mail confirming your registration with Passionato, once you have received this email, you are ready to start downloading your favorite music.
You need to register before you can purchase Passionato downloads. You need to do this because some of the music on the site is not available for download in certain countries. Only after you register can we determine if the music you wish to purchase is available in your country. To register, click on register now, which will take you to the registration page. Enter the required information and click on the Submit button. Registration is free-of-charge.
I am trying to register, but it says my email address is invalid?
Please contact our Customer Service team by emailing support@passionato.com
Passionato does not have a subscription fee, therefore there are no hidden charges and you are only charged for the music that you download.
Getting Started
- Can I buy individual tracks as well as albums and work?
- Why is everything not available in FLAC?
- What are Cookies? Why do I need them?
- How can I search for specific composers / orchestras?
- What is the difference between FLAC and MP3?
- What is DRM?
- What type of computer do I need to download music?
- Do I need any kind of licence to manage my music files?
Can I buy individual tracks as well as albums and work?
Yes, you can purchase individual songs by clicking the track name and selecting FLAC or MP3. To purchase an album, or work, click on the FLAC or MP3 link next to the album, or work description.
Why is everything not available in FLAC?
The Passionato store is regularly being updated with new recordings and we are constantly updating the store with FLAC files. Passionato aims to have all recordings in FLAC version available in our store in the near future.
What are Cookies? Why do I need them?
Cookies are used for authenticating, tracking, and maintaining specific information about the way you use our website. They are neither spyware nor viruses, they are pieces of text to enable our system to recognise you whenever you return. You should ensure that cookies are accepted and enabled as we use them to allow you to make a purchase and check that our system is working correctly.
How can I search for specific composers / orchestras?
For the Basic Search, simply enter a search term into the search box at the top left of every page. This can be part of the title, or a composer/orchestra name. Click ‘search’ to start searching and you will be presented with a page listing the items found. If you are having difficulty find a recording on the Passionato store, please contact Customer Services, who will search the site for you.
What is the difference between FLAC and MP3?
Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) is a compression technology applied to CD audio. The benefit to using FLAC is that, as a lossless format, FLAC does not remove information from the audio stream, compared with other compression formats such as MP3. FLAC reduces the full audio to about half its original size rather than 1/10th the original as with MP3; however, no bits are discarded.
DRM stands for Digital Rights Management and is a technology that can help protect the copyright of artists and record labels by helping prevent illegal and unauthorised copying. Customers who buy tracks from Passionato are authorised to make personal CD copies of all tracks purchased and can also transfer them to their portable music players, including iPods.
What type of computer do I need to download music?
You can use a PC or Mac with a broadband connection and any of the following browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or Opera. At Passionato we do our best to ensure that our site is optimized with every major browser, but occasionally browsers are updated in a way that stops them working with some websites. If you experience any problems, please let us know and we will try to rectify the problem. You should also consider contacting the browser developer.
Do I need any kind of licence to manage my music files?
When you purchase any recordings from the Passionato store, our system will automatically issue you with a personal license enabling you to play your music on up to 3 computers as well as burn the track to CD and transfer to a compatible portable music player.
Start Downloading
- What bitrate are Passionato downloads?
- Why do some of your MP3 320k files appear with a lower bitrate in my media player?
- How do I download Music?
- Can I preview a download before I decide to buy?
- How long is a download available to me?
- How long does it take to download a piece of music?
What bitrate are Passionato downloads?
All MP3 downloads in the Passionato store are of variable bitrates which can be up to 320k, however there is no compromise in the audio quality of the downloads. The main advantage of variable bitrates are that they produce a better quality-to-space ratio compared with constant bitrates file of the same size. This means that you still enjoy the highest-possible quality, without having to download unnecessarily large files. FLAC files are not governed by bitrates in the same way as MP3 are in terms of sound quality v bitrate.
Why do some of your MP3 320k files appear with a lower bitrate in my media player?
Our labels use one of two formats for encoding MP3 files, Constant Bit Rate (CBR) or Variable Bit Rate (VBR) – both at 320k. However, due to the way in which MP3 bitrates are reported in some media players the bitrate for a particular track may be shown as less than 320k if the file was encoded using VBR (although the 320k rate will be reported correctly if the file is viewed in Windows Explorer, for example). This does not mean that the sound quality has been compromised, however.
320k MP3 VBR encoded files will use up to a 320k bitrate, but less if the music source is less complex. This has the benefit of producing a smaller file size that requires less storage space and is quicker to download than a CBR file, but actually delivers the same sound quality as a 320k MP3 CBR file. To use a simple analogy for VBR v CBR you could put a pint of water in a pint glass (“VBR”) or in a bucket (“CBR”) – both would hold the complete pint of water, but the bucket uses a lot of unnecessary space – in the same way VBR encoding produces the same quality recordings but without using unnecessary file space.
Once you have completed your purchase, you will be presented with a 'Download Tracks' button, please click on it. Once you have done this you will be taken to your download manager, where you will be able to check the boxes next to the tracks you want to download or click on 'tick all' to download all the tracks in the list and then click on 'Download all Selected' to start downloading. Please see our Guide to Downloading for further details.
Can I preview a download before I decide to buy?
Yes, all tracks feature a 60 second sample preview so that you can listen to any music before purchase. For copyright reasons in the U.S. some samples are restricted to 30 seconds.
How long is a download available to me?
Your downloaded files are available indefinitely. However, once you start downloading a track you will need to complete your download within 14 days. This will give you a chance to ensure that there are no problems and will enable you to download the track again, should the download fail for any reason. Once the download has been completed on your computer, the music is yours to keep forever. We recommend that you back-up your personal Passionato downloads.
How long does it take to download a piece of music?
Downloading time mainly depends on the actual bandwidth or the capacity of Internet connection that you are using. The higher your bandwidth is, the faster your downloading will be. For example a 10MB file would take, approximately; 5 seconds at 20Mbps (very fast broadband), 20 seconds at 4Mbps (average broadband), 2 minutes and 40 seconds at 512kbps (slow broadband), 25 minutes at 56kbps (old modem).
Passionato Player
- What are the Passionato Player's minimum system requirements?
- Do I need a specific program to start downloading the Passionato Player?
- Will it make a difference if I am using a Mac or a PC?
- My player is not operating properly. Can you help?
- Are there updates to the player available?
- Can I transfer my files from iTunes to the Passionato Player?
What are the Passionato Player's minimum system requirements?
- A computer running Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7 (XP/Vista or Windows 7 recommended) - (Note: this could be an Intel Mac with Parallels or BootCamp.)
- Internet connection for importing files (broadband recommended)
- Screen resolution 800x600 or greater, in 16-bit colour (32-bit recommended)
- Keyboard, mouse and speakers/headphones
Do I need a specific program to start downloading the Passionato Player?
No, all you have to do is register your details and click on the link to Download The Free Passionato Player, this will then start to download the player for you, which you can save or run as required.
Will it make a difference if I am using a Mac or a PC?
The Passionato Player is designed to enhance your Classical Music experience, but is not essential if you simply want to purchase music from Passionato. The Player is currently not available for download on a Mac.
My player is not operating properly. Can you help?
We do have a help page for anyone having trouble with the Passionato Player. Also, please feel free to contact us at any time at support@passionato.com with your questions about the player.
Any time you download an update to any other player on your computer, like iTunes or Windows MediaPlayer, this may cause changes in the smooth functioning of your Passionato Player. We try to stay up to date with all important changes to the main players, and new versions of the player will be available to our customers at no charge.
Are there updates to the player available?
The Passionato Player, powered by MediaMonkey is constantly being updated. Passionato has a Player Information Page that can be accessed here.
Can I transfer my files from iTunes to the Passionato Player?
This is a very simple procedure, and it can be done without affecting your iTunes library, or any library you have on your hard drive. The tracks will appear in both players, and the files will not be altered.
In the Passionato Player, use the File pull-down menu. Click on the option “Add/Rescan Tracks to Library”. This will open a search box, and you can scan large folders or simply add individual folders or tracks to the Passionato Player.
Portable Players
Are there any portable media players that can play FLAC that you would recommend?
Yes, the HiFiMan HM801 has been getting rave reviews recently, will play a wide range of formats, including FLAC. For details click here
Troubleshooting
- Why can’t I see “buy now” buttons?
- Why don’t you have the recording I am looking for?
- I have a defective track – what should I do?
- My download stopped in the middle – what happened?
- The music I downloaded is not what I purchased.
Why can’t I see “buy now” buttons?
If the “buy now” buttons are missing from the site, that means that you are using the site in a country where Passionato is not allowed to sell downloads. As of December 1, 2009, Passionato is allowed to sell downloads in the UK, any country that accepts the Euro as local currency and the United States.
Why don’t you have the recording I am looking for?
With almost 1 million tracks, Passionato has the largest digital library available in the world. However, we are always adding new recordings, and archival recordings as well, so it’s possible that we don’t have a certain recording.
However, no search engine is perfect, and most can be difficult at times, so if you’re really eager to find a recording, please drop us an email at support@passionato.com, and we’ll let you know if we can help you find the recording you are looking for. Please help us help you by providing us with as much detail as you can, if you are looking for a certain recording (work, performer, record label, even the year the recording was made if possible).
If you are just looking for a version of a work, like Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, we will be happy to make a recommendation.
I have a defective track – what should I do?
This does happen – nothing is perfect. There are loud clicks, or other defects that do appear in tracks. Please bring this to our attention right away, so we can get you a new version, or offer you a refund.
Please be aware that putting new files on the site can take time, as we need to get new versions of the files from the record labels.
My download stopped in the middle. What happened?
Feel free to start over again. You can attempt a download 5 times over a 14 day period, so if something happens while the download is occurring, you can restart the download by going to the “Active Download” page.
If this happens regularly, please contact Customer Service at support@passionato.com.
The music I downloaded is not what I thought I was purchasing.
If your download included tracks that are mislabeled, please contact Customer Service at support@passionato.com. We will run a test internally, and if we confirm that the work is incorrectly labeled, we will immediately refund your money and remove the files from our site.
