On December 21, 2009, MIDEM announced that Naxos’ premier download site, ClassicsOnline.com, has been honored with the 2010 “Classical Download” Award by the MIDEM Classical Awards Jury.
Founded in 2005 as the successor of the Cannes Classical Awards, the MIDEM Classical Awards 2010 recognize creativity, innovation of repertoire and artistic excellence in classical music. Each year, a prestigious international Jury made up of the leading specialist magazines, radios and organizations, comes together to recognize top artists and recordings of the year. The Classical Download Award honors a download site which has garnered a devoted following among classical music lovers and aficionados—whether the site be a commercial or a non-commercial one, and whether it be the site of an Orchestra, a Choir, soloist, ensemble or the site of a label or a distributor.
“I speak for the entire ClassicsOnline team when I say that we are most honored and gratified to be recognized by the judges at MIDEM for our efforts,” says Jack Campbell, ClassicsOnline.com General Manager. “We are serious about our website, enjoy giving a good customer experience, and are fundamentally driven by our love of music. We have a great deal of enhancements planned, and it is our greatest goal to become the definitive source for classical music on the internet.”
In November 2008, Naxos announced that music enthusiasts and audiophiles worldwide could now visit www.ClassicsOnline.com (COL)—the leading online, independent classical music store—and begin downloading from the universe’s largest online classical music catalog (currently, 33,254 DRM-free albums) at 320 kbps. ClassicsOnline has continued to be ranked among the best music download sites offering classical music, with writer Liz Coville recently noting, “ClassicsOnline is a satisfying source of music downloads for classical music fans, carrying more than 31,000 CDs and more than 560,000 tracks…” In 2008, San Francisco Examiner writer, professor, and musician Scott Foglesong wrote, “ClassicsOnline is a gracious, friendly store with an excellent search engine and a deep catalog.”