I got a press release from Music & Arts recently, entitled "Hall of Shame".
It concerns the CM industry at large, and so I feel compelled to share what
I can with you.

They (M&A) are imploring CM fans, stores, etc.  not to purchase material
from certain labels, citing them for flagrant copyright violation.  (Due to
industry positioning [read:my job] I am not at liberty to mention any names
at this time.) They are apparently taking painstakingly and expensively
remastered old recordings, bootlegging them, and selling them under their
own moniker at budget price.  This is all (they say) being done flagrantly
and aggressively.  The result of this of course is undermining the smallish
labels who go through much trouble and much money to bring us these
recordings.

Has anyone any experience with this? I thought this was terribly
interesting.  It seems in our (CM freaks) collective best interest to
keep alive those small labels going through all the trouble to bring us
these rare old recordings in the first place, even though the pirated
copies may be cheaper.  Transfer guys, I understand, don't come cheap.
And small labels' already precarious economic niches are being threatened.
Its not the big faceless corporations that are threatened here, folks.

I am extremely curious to hear what y'all have to say about this.

Bob K.

 [You can read all about this at the M&A website, or at Mark Obert-Thorn's
 (THE Transfer Guy) website, both listed at Classical Net.  -Dave]