# You win free CDs for life from *ONE* record label. Which label do you choose?



## Guest (Jun 1, 2015)

Congratulations! You just won a TalkClassical (?) lottery and the prize is free CDs for the rest of your life from any label that you choose. 

So which label will you select? And why?

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Fine print:

The offer includes all discs currently in print as well as all new issues and re-releases for as long as you live from the selected label. If the label you choose goes out of business for any reason, you cannot switch labels.

Labels are distinguished by the brand name displayed on the packaging, not by the parent company. So if you choose Hyperion, you don't also get Helios, Naxos does not include Marco Polo, etc. 

A mechanism is in place so that you can't resell or give away the CDs you receive. They for your personal enjoyment, within reasonable limits.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Is this a joke or spam?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I'd pick Chandos, a combination of excellent quality and often somewhat more adventurous repertoire.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

My first thought too, but I might reconsider for Brilliant Classics, provided the success/re-issue and new-releases policy goes on.


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## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

Hyperion for me high quality all the way and very daring. From Medieval to present day it's all there.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

I started thinking........Harmonia Mundi has the breadth of repertoire, fantastic musicians especially in early music and contemporary music and quality of recording that I truly love, however I would really love to have free CDs from NEOS because it's really hard to come across any in Australia! Harmonia Mundi I can get quite easily. 

NEOS is my final choice.


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## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

Pugg said:


> Is this a joke or spam?


We can but only dream of such bounty.

:tiphat:


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

Hmm, your fine-print offer is a little sneaky, because you're denying me all the Hyperion re-releases. So I might have to go with Harmonia Mundi instead. As said above, both labels cover a great range of music across all periods and are always reliable.


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## Le Peel (May 15, 2015)

Deutsche Grammophon would be the safe choice. I would also consider Naxos for their every large and diverse catalog.


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## Guest (Jun 1, 2015)

sub rosa

Perfect balance of old and new.

(And by "old," I mean 2000 to 1940.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

ECM new series.

Almost every new release is a little masterpiece. 

And it's quite expensive


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

What a dreadful prospect, just like asking someone, you will be kílled on a street crossing, what make or car do you want to send you on your way? 

/ptr


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Most likely Decca.
Amazing catalogue and best sound quality especially their late 50s - early 70s recordings.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Either BIS, as there is a massive amount of Scandinavian and Baltic music that has so far passed me by, or cpo because of its large catalogue of less well-known 20th century repertoire.


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## Musicophile (May 29, 2015)

Hesitating between Harmonia Mundi and ECM. 

However, in the days of increasing fragmentation of the market with so many artists starting their own label, from Phi to BSO to even the BPO, no single label can fully cater for my taste.


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## Guest (Jun 1, 2015)

NEOS for me too. I could do with a SACD player as well please.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Azol said:


> Most likely Decca.
> Amazing catalogue and best sound quality especially their late 50s - early 70s recordings.


This one for me to. :tiphat:


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## Aecio (Jul 27, 2012)

For overall quality ECM
For variety Hyperion, much broader choice than at ECM
But being practical, Naxos, because you're sure of getting all the music in the world


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## AndyS (Dec 2, 2011)

Can I cheat and say Universal Music Group? :lol:

If not, probably Deutsche Grammophon, playing it safe


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## TwoPhotons (Feb 13, 2015)

Either Naxos or Hyperion. Naxos for its quantity, Hyperion for its quality. Can I split half/half?


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## Celloman (Sep 30, 2006)

Azol said:


> Most likely Decca.
> Amazing catalogue and best sound quality especially their late 50s - early 70s recordings.


Decca for me, as well. Plenty of first-rate opera, plus legendary performers (such as Callas ). And don't forget that warm and inimitable "Decca sound" - the _ne plus ultra_ of stereo recordings.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Give me every single Deutsche Gramphone forever LOL.

PS. Make that iTunes downloads only. I don't buy CD'S anymore really.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Considering only that which I don't have I can probably safely turn my back on the great catalogs of Deutsche Grammophon, EMI/Warner, and Decca. I'd probably have to go with either cpo with their great selection of less-well known composers from the Baroque into the 20th century... or Chandos. I agree with ArtRock that Chandos presents a combination of excellent quality and often somewhat more adventurous repertoire. If I could simply pick and choose without cost from the catalog of any single label it would probably be Chandos.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

*Melodiya* for me (although Chandos, Hyperion, Decca, DG, RCA, CPO, Olympia (now defunct) ranks right up there for many years). Lots of choices to choose from of very fine labels known for stepping outside the box.


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## omega (Mar 13, 2014)

Perhaps Deutsche Grammophon, since they have one of the largest repertoire and the most interesting interpretes...

I like Harmonia Mundi very much for their chamber music, but I would like more orchestral music than they offer.

And if Deutsche Grammophon refuses, why not BIS? An interesting repertoire, and great sound!


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## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

It would be between Deutsche Grammophon and Decca, I think I'd end up going with DG. So many great recordings.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Hungaroton for liszt and more liszt by hungarians. Did you know that the hungarian crown is the de facto ruler, and the king only rules in stead of the holy crown? I choose hungaroton! Also, arpad joo was a tantric mystic yogi guru.

Edit: what stupidity, the forum won't let me use all caps on those sentences, now the capitals are all messed up. Just read the above as it was all caps.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Albany.

I like their selection of contemporary American and band music.

Number two would be Naxos for the same reason.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Malibran, who release CDs of the great French singers of the past whose records would otherwise be unavailable. Second choice Marston, whose transfers are better, but their catalogue is small and new releases take an age to appear. Third choice The Record Collector, because of the eclecticism and quality of their selections, and because their transfers are excellent.


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## Eramirez156 (Mar 25, 2015)

*Preiser Records* for their catalog of historical opera reissues and singer recitals, second would be*Historic Masters* even though they don't make CDs but rather *78s*, and even though I don't at this time have the means to play 78s, such is my sickness.


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## calvinpv (Apr 20, 2015)

Just from recent experience, I would have to go with Chandos. When answering this question, you have to ask yourself whether you want star performances (in which case you choose DG or Decca) or complete sets (Naxos being the biggest representative), although these aren't mutually exclusive. I side with the latter, but not to the point where I'm willing to give up all good performances in order to stockpile box sets for hoarding purposes. So while Naxos is tempting, I must also consider that they do put out some truly unremarkable recordings. Chandos, for me, strikes a nice balance between quality and quantity. Plus, their sound quality is too good to pass up.

I'd also consider CPO, but I'm not too familiar with their catalogue.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I'd be hard pressed to choose between Chandos and CPO, but I'd probably play it safe and go with Chandos for a good mix of well and not so well known. Also Chandos has marginally better cover design.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I'd go with Hyperion; second choices would incude CPO, Harmonia Mundi, Chandos, Accent, BIS and PHI. No interest in the catalogs of the traditional major companies that have really messed-up in the past 20 years or so.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Eramirez156 said:


> *Preiser Records* for their catalog of historical opera reissues and singer recitals, second would be*Historic Masters* even though they don't make CDs but rather *78s*, and even though I don't at this time have the means to play 78s, such is my sickness.


Great choices! :clap: I totally forgot Preiser, who are excellent. Historic Masters are the absolute gold standard of reissues, but they are of course vinyl, and you need an adjustable turntable, which most people don't have. Their Tamagno set is something I really want and mean to have, once I have the means to play it!


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2015)

Depending on how daring I'm feeling, the choices would be between:

DG
ECM
NEOS
KAIROS

DG is the safest bet. A large catalogue for everyone.

ECM is the next safest, but is more consistent than DG. I would rather make a blind buy from ECM than from DG any day of the week. And yet, they still have a broad range from Hildegard and Bach to Holliger or Kurtag (for my avant times)

NEOS and KAIROS are about as consistent as it gets. ECM has consistent quality of performance and recording, but occasionally supports some "meh" composers. I probably prefer the KAIROS catalogue over all (I have essentially the entire catalogue, barring only DVDs and compilations), but NEOS has a few friendly options lest my ears need a break from constant invention... PLUS those annual sampler CDs!

I'm working through the NEOS catalogue right now. Some fantastic folks there that I never see mentioned here. Like Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf, or Peter Ruzicka.


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## JRI (Jan 5, 2013)

Deutsche Gramphone for me.


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2015)

Here are some interesting stats concerning the size of catalogs, based on the number of records in ArkivMusic's database:

Naxos 6,279
Deutsche Grammophon 3,483
Decca 3,457
Chandos 2,142
BIS 1,892
Cpo 1,534 << added later
Harmonia Mundi 1,316
Brilliant Classics 1,287
Hyperion 1,081
ECM 327
Accent 265 << added later
NEOS 185
Kairos 84

I have no idea how accurate they are. Those last few labels look pretty small.

I'm still mulling this one over.


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2015)

Icarus said:


> Here are some interesting stats concerning the size of catalogs, based on the number of records in ArkivMusic's database:
> 
> Naxos 6,279
> Deutsche Grammophon 3,483
> ...


They are small, yes. I've checked KAIROS' website. I don't seem to be missing anything...


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## EDaddy (Nov 16, 2013)

Le Peel said:


> Deutsche Grammophon would be the safe choice. I would also consider Naxos for their every large and diverse catalog.


If there can be only one, I'm going to have to second Naxos. Huge and diverse catalog.


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2015)

Ok, based on my current tastes in music, current collection, market prices, and quick reviews of catalogs, I'm going with:
CPO​There's a lot of stuff in that catalog I would be happy to explore.

Hyperion would be my second choice. Hyperion has played a little hard to get for us bargain-hunting music downloaders. As a result, there are at least a few dozen Hyperion records I would "buy" tomorrow if prices were zero.

The massive Naxos catalog is also very tempting, but I already have plenty of Naxos albums, and I can download new Naxos albums for $6 bucks each. Naxos would be my third choice.


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

Hyperion here. I don't think I've ever gotten a Hyperion album that I was even a little dissatisfied with. Chandos would be my second choice for the same reason.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I like Accent, Harmonia Mundi, BIS, Naxos, DG, Decca etc.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I'd definitely choose Universal (they own Deutsche Gramophon, Decca (which now has the Philips catalogue), Archiv, ECM and many others).


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

Really cool topic!

I like Naxos because of the breadth of their catalog. I like CPO because of the uniqueness of much it's catalog. I love the Chandos sound quality and own many of their recordings and would be happy owning their entire catalog for sure. That said I think Hyperion would be my choice because their titles are high quality but they also think a lot of their product and price it accordingly. And also streaming music services like Spotify, Amazon Prime, Classics HD etc. are not likely to ever have Hyperion titles I think that would be my most reasonable and economic choice. Plus I would love to own the entire Romantic Piano Concertos and Romantic Violin Concertos recordings. That alone would be worth it to me.


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## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

As a diversion the best named label (IMO) has to be :-

Dabringhaus Und Grimm.

Home of the superb Leipziger Streichquartett. Superb sound quality an a very interesting catalogue.


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2015)

brotagonist said:


> I'd definitely choose Universal (they own Deutsche Gramophon, Decca (which now has the Philips catalogue), Archiv, ECM and many others).


Ahh - but this option is explicitly not allowed! Gotta read the fine print! You can only choose one of their labels. :devil:


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## gardibolt (May 22, 2015)

I'd go with DGG. Long history, wide repertoire, lots of different high quality musicians to choose from, and almost always well-recorded. Quantity wins here.


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## BartokPizz (Oct 26, 2014)

I am surprised to see DG being cited for the diversity of its repertoire. DG has many strengths, but that is not one I associate with them. They hew pretty close to the standard rep, over and over. Somebody's got to do it!

Like others here, I'd go for Hyperion, and buy DG recordings out of pocket.


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## Vronsky (Jan 5, 2015)

I like a lot EMI and Neos, but I think, Deutsche Grammophon are the best. Deutsche Grammophon is my choice.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

BartokPizz said:


> I am surprised to see DG being cited for the diversity of its repertoire. DG has many strengths, but that is not one I associate with them. They hew pretty close to the standard rep, over and over.


In addition, those once-major companies have largely become "reissue" labels, a safe and stale way of staying in business.


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