I thought it might be interesting to come up with some abstract record company/label awards for the past decade which salute various companies for the musical enjoyment we derive from their efforts to grab our money: Best Covers Award - Definitely ECM which really knows how to set the mood for the disc contents. They don't give us any angels, portraits of facially challenged artists, or any colors beyond black and white. And, I have yet to find a label that matches cover with music as expertly as ECM. BIS would be a worthy second-best. Best Engineering Award - This goes to Hyperion. I don't have a single Hyperion recording that's not well engineered, and a good percentage of them are outstanding. Two other contenders of note are BIS and Nimbus. Right, most of you probably hate the "Nimbus" sound, but I've loved it from day 1, particularly the piano recordings which make me feel that I'm in the exact right environment. Best Early Music Label - How about Gimmel? That's my pick because I think this label has had more impact on the resurgence of early music than any other. Harmonia Mundi and Hyperion get special mention. Best Baroque Music Label - Harmonia Mundi gets the nod. They've been churning out great baroque recordings throughout the decade and have led the charge. Archiv and Hyperion are close behind. Best Mainstream Label - There are a few that could easily be selected, but I'm going with Philips which had, imho, the best quality of artists. Best 20th Century Music Label - Wergo, with Hat-Hut in 2nd place. Best Historical Performance Label - This is a hard one, particularly since I don't have many historical recordings. But I know how to read, and I can easily be objective here. On the other hand, ignorance is no basis for decision making. It's your choice. Best "We'll Change How You Think Of Classical Music" Award - None other than Sony Classics which has seen the future and decided to dramatically alter it. Best Obnoxious Titles Award - Must be Delos. I'll end with the award you've been most waiting for: Best Band Music Award - Bandleader. Of course, I could go on with this for hours, but I think I've captured sufficiently the high art of trivia production. It's no wonder that when my wife comes home and asks what I've been up to, I usually answer - "nothing much". Don Satz [log in to unmask]