Without quoting Kevin Sutton's long and excellent rebuttal of an earlier
anti-Naxos diatribe, and without claiming to approve of everything Klaus
Heymann and company do, I must add my voice to Kevin's.

People who have not bothered to get authentic information about how
the recording industry actually works should not pontificate on its
shortcomings.  The musicians I know who've recorded for Naxos, though they
admit they'd like to be paid more (just like the rest of us) have generally
expressed satisfaction with the practice of up-front, one-shot payment.
And Naxos is not the only famous label doing that, by the way.

Yes, Hyperion, BIS and other labels are inestimable treasures, though they
are not always strong on general repertoire.  But consider some of the
once-vibrant labels that have been acquired by the likes of AOL-Time-Warner
in recent decades (Finlandia and Erato come to mind) and which are being
quietly euthanized today.  What will become of Hyperion and BIS when their
founders tire of managing and the right offer comes along (with suitable
"guarantees" that the labels' traditions will be carried on)?

Of course, it's conceivable that the same thing may happen with Naxos,
isn't it?

Richard, who invites you to visit his music, outdoors and other pages at
http://www.magi.com/~richard/