Starting a classical library is BMG an answer?

Don't worry about the manufacturing quality--that's a non-issue. If you can stand all the mailings, a mail-order club is a great way to get your feet wet. (I started my classical record collection with Musical Heritage Society 20-odd years ago.)

As for the quality of Naxos, there are bad performances on every label, and until you've really gotten into classical music, you're liable to pick up some dogs no matter how much you spend. So what? That's part of the learning curve. The great thing about Naxos is, it doesn't cost you much to experiment. And experimenting is exactly what you should be doing right now. Buy 'em by the fistful!

BMG is well worth belonging to because of the wide selection of classical music and the low prices; they are always offering sales and monthly specials that make their prices unbeatable. The story about their CDs being inferior to those bought in a store is absolutely false--an audiophile myth; their CDs are idential to the same title bought in a store, just cheaper. Their marketing is pretty aggressive but you can choose email only or postal mail only. On balance they are a very cost-effective way to built a classical music collection.

As for Naxos, I'm a fan and have and enjoy many Naxos CDs. Naxos has become the most ambitious and adventurous force in recorded classical music in recent years. Their catalog is extensive and is not free from some dogs. A good way to go with them, I believe, is to get a copy of their catalog, which identifies all their CDs that have received positive reviews. Some have received considerable acclaim. If you buy the CDs that have received several positive reviews, it's hard to go wrong; this makes it relatively easy to spot the Naxos CDs that are really outstanding. It's worked for me. (If you are an audiophile, I could give you a short list of Naxos orchestral CDs I have that have demonstration-quality sound if you're interested.) Good luck and happy listening.

Read this about BMG and decide whats going on! I think it's might be the poor quality CD's used because I'll be damned if I do not notice differences in the CD's. Then again most BMG CD's I have are pre 1992 CD's.
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Eric Grunin wrote in message http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=hbjabvs3rppnltk0u8bjl8un0nbi4kmd1c%404ax.com...
> On Sun, 04 May 2003 10:35:01 GMT, "EDS" wrote:
>
> >Looking on Ebay (I'm a newbie ebayer), I noticed that there are a lot of CDs
> >that are branded with the BMG label even though they originally come from
> >other major labels. Is there any difference between these CDs and the
> >originals?
>

I managed the BMG Classical club from 1992-94, and I seem to answer
this question every two years or so, so here goes:

The club manufactures their CDs under license from the respective
labels. Masters and CD booklet film are provided by the licensor to
BMG. BMG usually removes the original barcode from the original film
and strips in a unique barcode and their legal language (ie:
Manufactured under license by BMG...") on both the booklets and the CD
label. One reason this is done is to keep the club CDs from coming
back through retail as returns. The club barcode won't be found in the
retail system. That doesn't mean the discs don't get sold off on e-bay
or at used CD stores. However, BMG and CH are prohibted by contract by
dumping their manufactured versions onto remainder (ie: cut-out)
dealers. They must destroy their overage. Sounds wasteful, but it's
actually a great incentive to manage inventory effectively.

The master used to press the recording is the same master used by,
say, Universal USA. BMG usually manufactures at their JVC plant, but
on some occasions, they simply go to the licensor's plant and
piggyback their run onto the end of the licensor's run, changing only
the CD label film in the process.

The BMG Club masterings are identical to the retail masterings, and,
in fact, the whole Club operation is set up for expediency. BMG would
NEVER spend the time or money to "ruin" a mastering by making it
inferior to the retail release. Believe me. It doesn't happen. If an
audiophile tells you differently, he's mistaken.

The CD booklets often look inferior to retail because 1) they are
usually printed on a lower-quality paper, and 2) expensive things like
gold leaf are replaced by standard 4-colour process CMYK tones. If a
multi-disc set doesn't really need a slipcase, that's discarded too.
Likewise O-rings on single CDs. BMG saves alot of money here and that
allows them to offer the CDs at low prices. This is the only noticable
difference between BMG Club and retail product. If it bothers you,
then buy from retail.

The licensee contracts that the record clubs have with the record
labels allow them to buy "finished goods" directly from the label's
warehouse. This comes in handy when you're buying expensive multi-CD
sets and/or discs that are only going to sell a couple of hundred
copies in a year. When I was at BMG, the rule of thumb was to buy
finished goods unless you projected selling 5,000+ units of a single
disc over a 2-year period. If a disc was going to sell large
quantities, we secured the parts and did our own manufacturing. If
there was less demand projected, we bought finished goods. I imagine
that rule still stands.

That's it.

I belonged to Musical Heritage in the 80's and early 90's and BMG still. I agree that you can not find better prices than BMG and it is an excellent way to build up a library at a reasonable cost, typically between 7-8.00 each including shipping if you buy smart. They market constantly buy 1 get 2 free or 2/3 off retail unlimited etc. What they do is charge shipping and handling AND your State sales tax for each CD which still works out to be a bargain. I also agree that the NAXO's CD's are hit or miss but typically very well recorded and there is much rare material from obscure composers as well as mainstream and at about 6.00 each a great deal as well.

The choice about BMG is a matter of opinion, listen for yourself and decide. Personally I do not buy BMG.
I chose do stick for the most part with major labels. Get a copy of the Penguin Guide and read some reviews before you buy, Grammaphone magazine is also good. I beleive the reviews are important. I also look at who is preforming and conducting and there are certain ones I like and dislike. I have also found that I sometimes sacrifice a bit of recording quality to get a better preformance.