# Martin Fröst's Mozart: quarter of a million sales



## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

This was posted today on Facebook by Swedish record label BIS, and I thought it worth sharing:



> BIS is proud to announce that one of its products has just passed the 250'000 mark in sales. With this, it is the best-selling BIS production ever.
> 
> For classical music this is truly very, very rare for any company.
> 
> ...


The album was released in 2003 so the high sales aren't what you might call an overnight success, but it's a nice reminder that quality continues to be valued, without the need for slick marketing.


----------



## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

Congratulations. I have that disc and it is indeed a treat


----------



## Guest (Mar 9, 2015)

The success is well-deserved. That is my favorite recording of K622 out of the eight that I have, including Thea King's legendary performance.


----------



## echmain (Jan 18, 2013)

I saw Fröst play the clarinet concerto with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra last October. It was fantastic. Immediate standing ovation at the end.


----------



## shadowdancer (Mar 31, 2014)

Thanks to the great "Rise of the Masters" series I've been quite near the performances of Mr Fröst.
For those not familiar, check it:




For 6USD you get both his best records from Mozart's work. A lot of good stuff together.
May I also recommend his Brahms? Also for 6USD with a lot of good stuff.





Well deserved recognition. Congrats to the Artist!


----------



## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

This guy is an excellent technician, with an interpretive imagination that is charming, wide-ranging and under his control. I don't know how unusual that is; when combined with the career success he is (I hope) enjoying, 'unusual' is a conservative term.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

So many fine clarinetists recording today.


----------



## Delicious Manager (Jul 16, 2008)

Martin Fröst is one of the best clarinettists around at the moment (the only one I would marginally prefer listening to would be Michael Collins). He combines flawless technique, velvety sound and supreme musicianship. For me, he's a musician's musician. In the classical world, a quarter of a million sales is quite an achievment, especially at a time when CD sales generally are plummetting.
Bravo, Martin and Bis.


----------



## Guest (Mar 9, 2015)

I have that recording as well, and it is a great one! The recording of the Brahms Clarinet Sonatas and Trio by him, as well as the Weber Clarinet Concertos and Quintet are also highly recommended.


----------



## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

And further proof that classical music sales aren't dying... Doomsayers just want to be having their glory day.

And I will add this fine album to my want list so I can support this guy.


----------



## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

Albert7 said:


> And further proof that classical music sales aren't dying... Doomsayers just want to be having their glory day.
> 
> And I will add this fine album to my want list so I can support this guy.


Classical music sales are dying. Our ancestors had predicted a long time ago.

_Oh and I hate eating grass too._


----------



## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Lord Lance said:


> Classical music sales are dying. Our ancestors had predicted a long time ago.
> 
> _Oh and I hate eating grass too._


Hopefully I can't entrust you with the crystal ball...

Remember this is a BIS release and they aren't even a huge label. This is rather impressive to be honest.


----------



## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

Albert7 said:


> Hopefully I can't entrust you with the crystal ball...
> 
> Remember this is a BIS release and they aren't even a huge label. This is rather impressive to be honest.


It was sarcasm, dear Albert. But for a minor-league label like BIS to make a quarter of a million sales is most unexpected and pleasure-inducing.


----------



## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Lord Lance said:


> It was sarcasm, dear Albert. But for a minor-league label like BIS to make a quarter of a million sales is most unexpected and pleasure-inducing.


Misread the tone actually LOL.

I am actually curious now to see what sales of reissues are like. How many does Karajan still sell nowadays?


----------



## Guest (Mar 9, 2015)

This one, another one from BIS, has sold a lot less.

http://www.eclassical.com/composers...nto-complete-works-for-soprano-and-organ.html

We could double or triple its sales - like a flash mob! Plus it's on sale today only.

Here's the blurb from Robert von Bahr, owner of BIS, about it:

Ah, finally!!! I have been longing for the moment the computer would land at this one, one of the most disregarded and unjustly neglected small treasures in our collection. OK, truth: this record has sold a total of 5 or so copies in the past 7-8 years - not a single one on eClassical - and I will go to my grave, wondering why. It is music by a Swedish composer, Torsten Nilsson - a great original, perhaps even a little crazy, working in a church in Stockholm, and mostly written for his soprano daughter Kristina. It is music in a (what we would say now) mildly modern style, a bit Messiaenish, and - in my ears - extremely accessible and, yes, beautiful. I myself worked with him on occasions and was there for the first performances of some of these works, which are totally unjustly forgotten. Mona Julsrud and Bjørn Kåre Moe, Norwegian artists, have spent a lot of love and affection on this music, and it shows. The recording was done in the very church and on the very organ, for which the music was conceived. Please do give this a chance. RvB

You can preview on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/nilsson-complete-works-for/id331204207. I'm checking it out now.


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Fröst recorded the Mozart concerto for Bis again more recently, this time conducting as well. The couplings include non-Bis artists Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) and Janine Jansen (violin), both very well known indeed.


----------



## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

Albert7 said:


> Misread the tone actually LOL.
> 
> I am actually curious now to see what sales of reissues are like. How many does Karajan still sell nowadays?


The population of Iceland ^ 3? Per album, that is.


----------



## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Based on averages, that means he sold about 25,000 copies per year and that's on a small classical label. I am rather impressed. Especially when CD sales were down heavily with only I believe Taylor Swift's album hitting platinum status.

I am hoping that there can be measurements for iTunes and Amazon mp3 sales added into this as well.


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

It is an excellent recording, but there are others in that category as well. Also, I found the Facebook blurb from BIS to be over-the-top.


----------



## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Albert7 said:


> Based on averages, that means he sold about 25,000 copies per year and that's on a small classical label. I am rather impressed. Especially when CD sales were down heavily with only I believe Taylor Swift's album hitting platinum status.
> 
> I am hoping that there can be measurements for iTunes and Amazon mp3 sales added into this as well.


Revision... apparently even BIS is outselling Hilary Hahn who is a major artist.

http://slippedisc.com/2014/01/good-news-hilary-tops-the-charts-bad-news-lowest-ever-sales/

Obviously there is no doubt that Hilary Hahn is making tons of money from iTunes downloads. Not CD sales... most people like me are buying iTunes version and don't care for the physical copy.

So nearly 350 copies is very much an underestimate. But still... BIS could be outselling DG?!?


----------



## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

Albert7 said:


> Revision... apparently even BIS is outselling Hilary Hahn who is a major artist.
> 
> http://slippedisc.com/2014/01/good-news-hilary-tops-the-charts-bad-news-lowest-ever-sales/
> 
> ...


I just took a look at the latest UK classical chart, and independents are responsible for 25 of the 30 entries. AFAIK this isn't unusual (and hasn't been for some time). BIS and several other indies release as much new material each year as the majors, and are as good (if not better) an indicator of quality.


----------



## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Nereffid said:


> I just took a look at the latest UK classical chart, and independents are responsible for 25 of the 30 entries. AFAIK this isn't unusual (and hasn't been for some time). BIS and several other indies release as much new material each year as the majors, and are as good (if not better) an indicator of quality.


Yes, other small labels such as Orfeo, harmondi mundi and Hyperion have exceptional releases too. Note that Baiba Skride and The Takacs Quartet have moved on from larger labels to smaller labels because they probably have more artistic freedom to play the pieces they want.


----------

