The Grim Reaper announces another classical music label death

Kuhlau

New member
For those who don't subscribe via an RSS feed reader to Lebrecht's often sensationalist style of music journalism, here's his latest cry of 'Death!': the end of Telarc, apparently.

FK
 

dll927

New member
I can't help feel that the recording companies have brought this on themselves. CDs don't wear out as vinyl discs did, and eventually, this had to happen.

Look at what they did when CDs first made their appearance -- they dug out every old recording they had around and "re-issued" them on CDs. Result, how many versions of Beethoven's Ninth, Tchaikowsky's first Piano Concerto, or Beethoven's Violin Concerto were there around? And who needed all of those?

We have long lived with the fact that classical recordings are only a small portion of the recording industry. Everything else plays to the riff-raff crowd. So it had to be expected that, sooner or later, the stalwarts would thin out. Who wants to play the Ninth on mp3?
 

Kuhlau

New member
Who wants to play Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on MP3? Loads of people ... and that's part of the problem. Once some has a copy of something digitally, it can easily be 'distributed', if you catch my drift. ;) So inevitably, CD/download sales will shrink, and this will have a knock-on effect for the whole recording industry.

Mind you, I don't think the overall picture is worryingly gloomy. Look at all the terrific independent labels out there: Naxos, Harmonia Mundi, Chandos, Avie ... and so many more. The future of classical music recording is now in THEIR hands.

FK
 

dll927

New member
Don't forget Erato -- they couldn't keep going without Marie-Claire Alain. But even she has to give it up someday.

You are probably right in your view of things, but it's what used to be called record stores that are disappearing. I'm sure recordings will survive in some way.

As for mp3, I don't own such stuff, so can't claim any expertise on the subject. But I realize it has been the subject of a lot of discussion and fireworks.
 

mathetes1963

New member
Man, that really sucks-- the first digitally recorded organ record I had was Telarc's recording of Michael Murray @Symphony Hall, Boston. Telarc's stuff was the "Gold" standard of hi-fi demo recordings for years. It really is the end of an era.... :cry:
 
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