The Next Track, Episode #94 – Do Classical Record Labels Make Money?

The Next Track Blue Flat Button2 400pxPeople often wonder if classical record labels make money. We asked Andy Doe, who has a lot of experience in the classical record business, and he explains how the business works.

Listen to The Next Track: Episode #94 – Do Classical Record Labels Make Money? .

Find out more, and subscribe to the podcast, at The Next Track website. You can follow The Next Track on Twitter at @NextTrackCast, to keep up to date with new episodes, and new articles from the website.

6 thoughts on “The Next Track, Episode #94 – Do Classical Record Labels Make Money?

  1. I will admit to being a classical music philistine. I rarely listen to classical tracks, and sometimes I even wonder why a centuries-old art form (one commanding only a tiny contemporary audience) still exists. So I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this episode. Andy clearly knows his stuff. It was fun hearing how the present-day classical music industry operates. Well done to Andy, Kirk and Doug.

  2. I will admit to being a classical music philistine. I rarely listen to classical tracks, and sometimes I even wonder why a centuries-old art form (one commanding only a tiny contemporary audience) still exists. So I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this episode. Andy clearly knows his stuff. It was fun hearing how the present-day classical music industry operates. Well done to Andy, Kirk and Doug.

  3. Another wonderful episode that cannot be found anywhere else.

    In 1979 when China barely opened its door to the outside world, Karajan brought the Berliner there. That was 6 years before the Wham concert in Beijing, 7 years before Pavarotti. All were historical cultural and musical events. Karajan’s Beethoven symphonies could be bought on cassette tapes. Even to this day, he still seems to be the conductor of all conductors.

    As to the cost of making a record, or a pop record, Michael Buble told Kirsty Young on BBC that David Foster asked for $100,000 per track to produce him.

  4. Another wonderful episode that cannot be found anywhere else.

    In 1979 when China barely opened its door to the outside world, Karajan brought the Berliner there. That was 6 years before the Wham concert in Beijing, 7 years before Pavarotti. All were historical cultural and musical events. Karajan’s Beethoven symphonies could be bought on cassette tapes. Even to this day, he still seems to be the conductor of all conductors.

    As to the cost of making a record, or a pop record, Michael Buble told Kirsty Young on BBC that David Foster asked for $100,000 per track to produce him.

  5. I saw the same performance with my grandchildren, ages 5 and 9. And I certainly agree with the awwww factorthe children really are adorableand it”s a beautifully designed production. I did think the narrative got lost in the stagecraft, so to speak, so I asked my 9 year old grandson after the show (very well read kid!) if it was recognizably Alice in Wonderland to him, and he said “Oh yes. Which was reassuring. I very much enjoyed some of the unexpected casting, particularly Chauncey Parsons, an impeccable classical dancer (Kirov Academy trained) as the hapless (and tumbling)cook. I did think the first act was way too long, and some of the star turns ditto, but everyone in the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves, including me. And for those audience members familiar with the 19th century classics, it”s amusing to spot the bits that Webre, a bit of a magpie as many choreographers are, has inserted into the action (cygnets” dance from Swan Lake, for example).

  6. I saw the same performance with my grandchildren, ages 5 and 9. And I certainly agree with the awwww factorthe children really are adorableand it”s a beautifully designed production. I did think the narrative got lost in the stagecraft, so to speak, so I asked my 9 year old grandson after the show (very well read kid!) if it was recognizably Alice in Wonderland to him, and he said “Oh yes. Which was reassuring. I very much enjoyed some of the unexpected casting, particularly Chauncey Parsons, an impeccable classical dancer (Kirov Academy trained) as the hapless (and tumbling)cook. I did think the first act was way too long, and some of the star turns ditto, but everyone in the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves, including me. And for those audience members familiar with the 19th century classics, it”s amusing to spot the bits that Webre, a bit of a magpie as many choreographers are, has inserted into the action (cygnets” dance from Swan Lake, for example).

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