Let’s face it, we haven’t been hearing a lot of good news about the economy lately. These tough times have also pushed the already strapped classical music industry into making some very tough decisions. Eleven layoffs at the City Opera, followed by workers asked to stay home for two days because there wasn’t enough money to meet payroll. Then Gerard Mortier exists. The stories continue. In general, nobody is smiling a lot about the music business right now.

However, while CD sales have been flat, downloads have done substantially better. And, at the beginning of November Naxos announced its download site, ClassicsOnline, had made its entire catalog–nearly 22,000 DRM-free albums — available at 320 kbps. This speed and quality make MP3 files virtually indistinguishable from CDs. Additionally, in the next few months COL will begin offering certain titles in lossless. COL offers over 100 independent labels and adds more than 500 new albums each month. The cost? Well, it is a great value: complete album downloads run from $6.99 – $9.99 (obviously more for multiple-CD downloads); and individual tracks are typically $.99. In addition to the Naxos catalog, some of the labels you can find on COL include Avie Records, BIS, Capriccio, Cedille, Chandos, CPO, Dacapo, Hungaroton, Ondine, Wergo, Wigmore Hall Live, Vox and many, many more. Right now for new visitors to the site who register before December 31–no, you don’t have to provide three pages of data or your credit card number–you can get 3 tracks FREE. It’s a great way to try ClassicsOnline.

There also have been changes at Naxos Music Library. NML, which is the world’s largest collection of streaming classical, jazz, windband, choral and world music, is adding Canada’s #1 independent record label, Nettwerk Music Group, to its roster of more than 75 premiere performing arts labels, thereby expanding its offerings to include more independent popular music.

Nettwerk Music Group’s extensive catalog features artists such as Barenaked Ladies, Datarock, Delerium, Griffin House, Jars of Clay, Josh Rouse, Junkie XL, Ladytron, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Submarines, Sixpence None The Richer, The Weepies, and many others.

Reprinted from: tonart Magazin 3/2007, Germany (Print run: 70,000)

The world of classical music in the net
Naxos offers everything worth listening online

Naxos is the worldwide leading classical label. Plus the Hong Kong based company which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary is a renowned distributor for other classical labels.
Now Naxos is cutting edge with a portal for legal download of classical music…

During this year’s music-fair Popkomm, which in 2007 has for the first time officially presented classical music under the brand “Popkomm classics”, the worldwide market-leader for classical CDs, the Hong Kong based company Naxos launched the English-spoken music portal “classicsonline” (www.classicsonline.com). There you can legally purchase classical music in mp3-format and download it to your computer or iPod. The DRM-free MP3-files (the only available format) are in 192 kbps-quality which definitely appears to be the smallest possible compression for classical music.

This for sure is sufficient for your MP3-Player or mobile phone. But your ears won’t enjoy a listening experience comparable to your stereo at home.

The most fascinating thing is not only the enormous repertoire available for download, but the platform itself. You get the impression that it is possible to walk through a well-assorted classical store 24 hours a day. There you are not only well serviced, but also while browsing you will regularly discover new themes, works and names that lead you to pieces you have not heard of before, or – even more often – to interpretations of artists you might not have known. And those you can buy at a very reasonable price. Click – and it has happened: You are proud owner of a Rubenstein-file.

Prices range between €6,99 and €9,99 per album, which is a bit below the level of the physical soundcarrier.
Classicsonline’s user-interface is very easy to navigate and offers a variety of search- and browse-mechanisms. Apart from Naxos’ own releases you will as well find a multitude of smaller classcal independent labels with their highly interesting repertoire. The one’s who love to get to know new music or want to expand their CD-archive with an online-collection are at the right website here and are likely to become “classicsonline-junkies”. Because once you started, you will use it daily…