Glenn Miller replies to me:

>>Also, I think in general Naxos is a great buy, particularly if you want
>>to sample something way off the beaten track at a small price.
>
>I wonder about that now because I am now seeing Naxos selling for $8.99
>a CD (7.99 in most places) when they used to sell for $5.99.

Well, sure, if you're buying from amazon.com or in a walk-in store.  But
there are other places.  CDNow, for example, sells Naxos for 5.49.  This
is, admittedly, about a 100% increase from when I first started buying
Naxos, but compared to $18 a CD, it's still a bargain.

>I think $8 per CD is not cheap just to sample music.

I hear you, believe me, but unless you take a chance, you never find
anything new, and it's better to take a chance cheaper than full price.
I agree that the Philips (or any old-line label) two-fers often represent
a great deal.  But you're still taking a chance.  Nothing from the label
alone guarantees an artistic winner.  After all, Universal is as much
up the creek as BMG.  In the same sense, the Naxos offerings often
represent a great deal, and not just on music everyone else records.

Steve Schwartz