Neu Records, on CD because there’s no alternative

Posted by Marcel Soleda on June 27, 2011  |  Leave a comment

On 14 June the CD “Blanc” was presented at the Palau de la Música Catalana, the first release from the new Catalan label Neu Records, containing the collected choral works of the composer Bernat Vivancos. This double CD was produced in collaboration with Catalunya Música and the ICIC, and performed by the Latvian Radio Choir conducted by Sigvards Klava.

Thee are many things about this new project that we like:

To begin with, in my opinion, the excellent choice of material for the first recording in the collection, Blanc, which contains a work of extraordinary delicacy and high quality, in a style reminiscent of Arvo Pärt, James McMillan and Olivier Messiaen, and which definitely proves that Spanish contemporary works are at the forefront of the current European scene. Contemplative, transcendent music which, in the words of Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen, “is like a city of angels: blissful sounds populated by saintly spirits hiding between the notes as birds in a tree.” He couldn’t have put it better.

We also like this label’s bold commitment to Catalan contemporary music, a commitment they themselves mention in their own presentation: “Neu Records is a newly created independent label devoted to making recordings of contemporary music in high definition surround format, and also to providing a platform for interaction between Catalan and international performers and composers at the highest level.”

Listening to CDs recorded by Neu Records is different to going to a concert, because it they place the listeners at the heart of the sound experience.

We note their special interest in the exploration and development of new formats and higher sound quality beyond the conventional CD or mp3, employing high-quality Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 (24bits/96kHz). They explain that in contrast to the concept of the classical concert, i.e. the stage in front of the audience, there is no particular reason why contemporary music concerts should respect this tradition in terms of spatial layout, and therefore they put the listener on the centre stage among the musicians. Listening to CDs recorded by Neu Records is different to going to a concert, because it they place the listeners at the heart of the sound experience.

However, what stands out most – and what I personally think it is their biggest selling point – is the new approach to the recording project beyond the sale of hardware. Unlike most classical music labels, their web takes a rather different approach, not so focused on the cold promotion of the CD and subsequent redirection to third-party outlets, real or online, but open to the promotion of extra materials (scores) and additional information, and purchase in a choice of different quality formats, one of which is the CD format itself. This new approach, quite innovative in the field of classical music labels in Spain, suggests that for them the sale of compact discs is no longer the main and sole objective. It even seems as if they were only still doing so because they have no choice.

Neu Records is, then, a project for the 21^st century, high-quality, sophisticated, bold, innovative, and made in Catalonia. We wish the company the best of luck in this venture.

Spotify turns up the pressure

Posted by Marcel Soleda on April 15, 2011  |  Leave a comment

Later this week Spotify has announced changes in its subscription system that affect users of the Spotify Free and Open versions. If last year streaming was limited to a maximum of twenty hours per month, starting on 1 May this will be reduced to ten hours per month, and individual songs will be limited to a maximum of five plays per month.

The changes do not as yet affect users of Free or Open accounts created after 2 November 2010, who will enjoy the standard service for six months. After this time they will also be subject to these restrictions.

The blog entry written by the founder himself, Daniel Ek, says that by “making Spotify available to millions across Europe… people are listening to more music and from a wider range of artists than ever before, and are giving up on piracy.” Ek added: “This is exactly what we hoped would happen…. So it’s vital that we continue offering an on-demand free service… but to make that possible we have to put some limits in place going forward.”

Spotify has built a model that has managed to put order into the chaos and draw millions of users away from illegal downloading. For no other reason than this it deserves our praise.

Users’ reactions have been varied, although the first comment in the blog is categorical: “So long Spotify. It was nice knowing you. Guess I’ll go back to pirating music again then.”

At the moment Spotify is present in seven countries and boasts six million users, of whom one million have a premium account. The current catalogue contains over ten million songs and is continuing to expand at a steady pace.

Although it might not please those users who support the free-only format, the fact is that Spotify is up till now the best formula based on the model Freemium that finds a balance between advantages for all users and a fair system of financial returns for artists. Nevertheless, many music companies that agreed enthusiastically to the inclusion of their music in Spotify, because they expected huge profits, have now completely withdrawn their catalogues (this is the case of ECM and Naxos) on not seeing their expectations fulfilled (very inflated in some cases).

But not everything is restrictions, because the pay offer has been broadened to adapt to another type of customer:

Spotify Unlimited, which is similar to the Spotify Open service of a couple of years ago, offers unlimited music, without advertising and with the ability to connect from outside the country where the account was set up (useful for those who travel a lot). The main limitations are that it cannot be accessed on mobile devices and the audio quality is the same as in the Open version. It costs € 4.99/month.

Spotify Premium has no restrictions of any kind: it offers unlimited listening, is free of ads and runs on mobile devices. It also permits local storage that makes it possible to listen to songs even if you have no Internet access, works with domestic wireless devices and the audio quality is 320Kbps. The price is € 9.99/month.

In my opinion Spotify’s proposal is solid, consistent and honest. It is a model that has managed to put order into the chaos and draw millions of users away from illegal downloading and even persuade them to pay for the service. For no other reason than this it deserves our praise.

PS: Before long we will have news of Spotify’s American venture, the Swedish company’s new plan to penetrate the U.S. market, currently dominated by Groove Shark. This is a similar service, the difference being that it requires no installation or registration (all via web), and it lays claim to a massive twenty-eight million users.

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2011

Posted by Cristina Martí on March 14, 2011  |  Leave a comment

As on previous occasions, Tritó will attend this year’s Frankfurt Musikmesse, which takes place from 6 to 9 April. All the information about Tritó has already been published on the fair’s website. Tritó will have a stand displaying the products of which it is sole agent, novelties, collections – such as Música Breu – and  catalogues of our composers, with the aim of publicising the company’s work in the area of the revival and dissemination of Spanish music at this important international fair of music. In this respect, we will be promoting the works of Xavier Montsalvatge, Eduard Toldrà and Frederic Mompou, among others, whose anniversaries are due to be celebrated in 2012.

The Frankfurt Mussikmese is the most important of the international showcases for music, with thousands of manufacturers, publishers, record labels, producers and music organisations being able to share their knowledge, discover the lines of work of other businesses and strengthen ties of all kinds with a view to the future.

See Tritó Edicions in messefrankfurt.com >