UE Shrugs off Lost Revenue, as E-mails are what Really Matters

I just saw this press release posted on the Universal Editions website regarding their actions against IMSLP. The following paragraph struck me as particularly odd:

The flood of complaints to UE, however, didn’t come. They received about 30 e-mails and one letter (Geist’s thousands apparently had better things to do). UE replied to each and every one and were happy that most – when having heard the other side of the story – were relieved that UE was certainly not acting improperly. In fact, in the end, quite a few messages of support were received.

Apparently, the fact that I no longer purchase UE scores does not move them. They are unconcerned by the lost revenue; it would only concern them if they'd received an e-mail. I thus encourage everybody to join me in not purchasing UE products, as they won't mind at all. Just don't send them an e-mail, or else they may feel the pinch.



For the record: I sent them an e-mail on December 24 of last year, and have not yet heard back. I guess UE doesn't actually respond to all their mail.

Newbury Comics Classical Newsletter

For classical music fans interested in maintaining access to traditional brick-and-mortar record stores, the response by Newbury Comics has been encouraging. As co-founder Mike Dreese put it:

Like many in the Boston community, I was truly saddened to see the "mega-stores" of music leave the market late last fall. We had a very healthy competition with both Virgin Megastores and Tower Records over the years, and previously with HMV and The Harvard COOP. Their abrupt departure, while perhaps a sign of the digital times, represents a great loss of cultural resource for the region. We at Newbury Comics feel an obligation to try our best to serve the enormous hole these closures leave for Classical fans.

One way to track their progress is through the new weekly classical e-mail newsletter, which features new releases, sales, and offers coupons. The focus of the newsletters will be the Newbury St. and Natick locations, but hopefully, with enough positive feedback, the rest of their locations will also embrace a wider classical selection.

You can sign up here by clicking on the "Beta Classical Newsletter" option (or by filling out one of the forms in the Newbury St and Natick stores). I encourage everyone to let their voices be heard by signing up for the newsletter and showing that the classical audience does exist.

Living in a Post-Tower Boston

In moments of stress or sadness, I like to use record shopping as a means of consolation. On-line shopping just doesn't do it in that situation; there's something about flipping through CD's, accumulating a huge pile, sorting through them to whittle it down to a reasonable amount, and then immediately being able to open them, listen to them, read the liner notes, catalogue them, and clear a place on the shelf for them.

I thought about this earlier this week. I was running errands in a mall, and popped into FYE to see what they had. I did end up getting something, though that was in spite of the selection. (There was a used copy of the concept cd "Ricecar," at half of what they probably should have charged for it.)

So, then, where to go for a brick-and-mortar record store in the Boston area? (Digression: William Safire's Language column today discusses retronyms, of which "brick-and-mortar" is an excellent example. They're adjectives that become necessary when a variant becomes common. For hundreds of years, there were just stores; only in the last decade have we had to distinguish "brick-and-mortar" stores from the on-line variety.)

There are a handful of used record stores, but none boast an extensive classical section. With used stores, it's all a matter of luck; maybe they have some gems, maybe they don't. I don't know of any used stores in the area that warrant special mention.

Tower's traditional rival has been Barnes & Noble (in the Prudential Center, as well as various locations in the suburbs). Unfortunately, the selection is whithering away, seemingly getting smaller every day. While there is some variety, it is mostly vanilla. The prices also aren't great, unless you buy the discount card. If you want to choose from 12 different recordings of a Beethoven symphony, it is a good bet. If you want to get outside "the box" of the 1700-1900 WCRB playlist, the choices are more limited.

Then there's Newbury Comics. As of two weeks ago, the Harvard Square location had more than doubled its classical section, although it remained quite spotty. The Newbury Street location, however, has shown a new commitment to classical music. They have taken on classical staff and set aside a sizable section (given the very real contraints of their footprint). While they don't have as many units as Barnes & Nobel, the selection is richer and more varied. There's a decent selection of opera and a small but interesting new music section. What I find particularly promising is the fact that the staff is still working to develop the section further. I look forward to seeing the results.

Unfortunately, in the immmediate future, it will be impossible to replace the two Tower locations. Let's just hope that some day there will be a store that specializes in classical music.



Digression 2: I was always fond of Newbury Pizza. Every time I stopped in, I always wondered how it survived. Surely, in that gentrified street, the landlord would prefer a high-end restaurant to classic greasy-spoon pizza place. I was very sad today to discover that it finally has closed. It's a real shame.

Digression 3: As I walked by Fenway today, it was perfect weather for a ballgame. Yet my calendar says January 6. I can't figure it out. (84 days until opening day!)

Berkshire Record Outlet

Do you remember those really productive excursions to the record store when you were first starting to build a collection? I mean those trips where the number of CD's or cassettes or LP's increased by 10%, 20%, maybe even more?

I've been thinking about such a spree.

The first netted me a lot of music I have since outgrown: Carmina Burana, Stravinsky's three early ballets, the Planets. Of the pieces I acquired that day, the only one that I haven't lost any affection for is Also Sprach Zarathustra.

I came to think about this trip to the Berkshire Record Outlet when I recently ordered Leslie Howard playing Liszt's transcriptions of Beethoven's 9 symphonies on Hyperion. The BRO price of 29.95 puts Amazon.com's 87.98 and Tower's 70.99 to shame.

The outlet takes advantage of close outs and deletions to provide a very diverse catalogue at a very low price. In addition to the horses listed above, I've found some more interesting and unique selections there. I was able to find some Babbit, Pendercki, and Cage there, along with Dufay and Harmonia Mundi's recording of Biblical songs.

There are a couple of catches: because of the ephemeral nature of their catalogue, you never know what you'll find. That record you passed on last time you ordered may not be there this time. Also, the web site is pretty clunky, but sufficient.

The best way to experience the outlet, though, is in person. It is very close to Tanglewood, on Rte. 102 in Lee, Massachusetts. The bins are wonderfully disorganized, leading to wonderful surprises.

With the price of CD's rocketing so much, BRO is one of the places where you can still find a value. It's a great store, and well worth the patronage of any classical music fan.