Music Magazines Classic Fanfare (USA) Gramophone Exellent British rag that has both hardware and software coverage, although it has dumbed down considerably in the last couple of years apparently in an attempt to get a wider American circulation Vital Long running if a little braindead magazine on industrial and experimental music Classical Record Stores Seaford Music (UK) Brittens (UK) Buywell(Australia) Audiophile Record Stores Vivante (UK) Has SACD, CD and LP's Please send any factual corrections, dead links, information and/or links that you feel that should be on this page to the page maintainer but please note that I do not have an Internet access at the moment so there may be some time before I can answer.
|
Please note that this is not meant to be a complete list of record labels by any means, but rather to collect together in one place information on labels that are either issuing "audiophile" CD's of note, or are supporting non CD formats like SACD, vinyl records and cassettes. However while researching those specialist labels you will obviously find something else along the way so we throw other labels in here as well if we happen to find them, especially those with the more adventurous catalogues regardless of genre.
ABC Records
Australian classical record company, has a number of local artists and local repettoire that is difficult to get hold elsewhere. Note that the company does not appear to have a homepage so the link below refers to one of their retailers that has a full catalogue availble online. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Absolute Analogue
Primarily a distributor of hi-fi equipment but the company does also occasionally publish re-releases of late 60's/early 70's rock music on 180g vinyl. No homepage but the link below points to a page on them that one of their customers holds out, for contact info see : Absolute Analogue. Official homepage.
Formats supported : LP.
Academy of Sound and Vision (ASV)
UK based label that started out in 1981 as a budget price publisher of music that was out of copyright. Currently publishes classical music at full and mid price under it's own name, early music under the Gaudeamus label, out of copyright and other early recording under the Living Era label (Mid price). Another 2 mid price labels that it holds out are the White Line that puts out light classics (Sousa etc) and Transacord that handles sound effect disks and that peculiar English phenomena, the steam engine and train recordings. Finally they have 2 budget classical labels, namely Quicksilva and The Chamber Orchestra of Europe. They also release recordings made by the Hallé orchestra under that name at mid price and have recently announced the formation of a new label called Resonance which is their new budget label and will eventually be repalcing the Quicksilva brand, the company is now a part of the Sanctuary groups BTW. Note that they have at the least 3 classical SACD titles out, but the last time we checked their online catalogue was so badly organised (or out of date ?) that it's almost impossible to find them, so better check with you favourite supplier... Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD, SACD.
Accent
Small Belgian label that releases all kinds of classical music but is best known for their early music releases. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Ace Records
UK based reissue label, mostly American pop music from the latter half of the 20th century. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Acoma Company
Tiny Canadian company that primarily publishes music theory books and the like but also puts out CD's featuring classical guitarist Lynn Harting-Ware. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Act Music
German jazz label. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Additive Records See --> EMI
Aeolus
Small German classical label specialising in Organ music and early works. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
AJP Records
Small Italian company, jazz and classical music. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
AIX Records
Small USA based label that releases classical music and jazz. Official homepage.
Formats supported : DVDA.
Air Mail Recordings
Japanese label that specialises in reissuing "progressive" music. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Alba Records
Finnish classical label, wide range of music from early to contemporary. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Albany Records UK
UK based classical label that releases mostly modern works (or rather modern-ish) by British composers and is really keen on George Lloyd. Has released 2 hybrid SACD, one featuring a world premiere of a cello concerto by the aforementioned George Lloyd and one of his "Artic" symphony, interestingly enough the company is pricing the unit at the same level as a standard full price classical CD and we understand there are more releases on the format on the way. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD, SACD.
Albany Records US
US based classical label that releases mostly modern US works. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD, SACD.
Almafame
British reissue label that concentrates on rock oriented musical styles and the 80's, also issues products using the YEAAH!, Mapps Cafe, Anathema, VinylShminyl and Victory Works. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Altus Records
Tiny UK based label that issues classical records, or something. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Amadeus See --> Omega
Amadis See --> Naxos
Amarilli Classical
Tiny British label that puts out early classical music. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Amati
A small German audiophile label, puts out classical music both well known works and more seldom seen fare such as Franz Lachner and Joaquin Turina. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
American Grammaphone
Mannheim Stemroller's label, a type of classical pops/new age that really only thrives in the US. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD, DVD, DVDA.
American Sound Archives
Small label that puts out re-releases of historical Edison Recrodings. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CDR.
Americus Records
US based classical label. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
AMI See --> Asia Music International
Amiati Media
Italian record company that puts out a lot of music from parts of the world that are not often visited my other record companies, most of the music they publish is not strictly traditional music but often fused with various forms of western music, also has a few pop and classical titles. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
AMP Records
A British company run by Mark Jenkins that in the latter half of the 80's and the early 90's put out some interesting electronic music of varying styles but lately has become more connected with "progressive" music and much of it's recent output is by the proprietor himself. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Anacrusi
Spanish classical record company, mostly works by local artists. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD, LP.
Analekta
Canadian classical label, much local talent and some little known works. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD, DVD, VHS.
Animato See --> Bauer Studios
Analogue Productions (APO)
Blues label with audiophile pretensions. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD, SACD.
Anathema See --> Almafame
Andante
USA based classical label, only releases historical recordings. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Angel See --> EMI Classics
Angel Air
UK based reissue label, mostly pop music from the decade of evil, sorry I mean the 70's. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Appian Publications & Recordings (APR)
Small British label that re-releases classical music, both fairly modern recordings but also historical recordings from 78's . Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Apple On The Moon
Tiny Dutch company that puts out improvised music and contemporary classical works. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Arabesque Recordings
Independent USA label that puts out classical and jazz music. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Arbiter Records
Small USA label that took over the catalogue of Arbiter Recordings and puts out classical music (mostly historic recordings) and "world music" in the form of sundry traditional and modern works from the middle east. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Archer Records
Tiny record company based in the USA, mostly jazz but also a classical release or 2. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Archiphon
Small German company that publishes historical recordings of classical music. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Archiv Produktion See --> Deutche Grammophon
A-Records See --> Challenge
Arhoolie Records
Long running small US based label, Southern US music : Mexican, gospel, country, blues and texarcana. Mostly original recordings but also some reissues. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Ariola See --> BMG Classics
Arion Music
French classical and "world music" label.
Disques Arion, 36, Avenue Hoche, 75008 - Paris, France.
Tel : +33 (0) 1 45 63 76 70. Fax : +33 (0) 1 45 63 79 54... Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Arkadia Records See --> V.I.E.W. Video
ARS Harmonica See --> La má de guido
ARSIS
Small classical record company based in Boston, Massachusets, USA. Mostly vocal reocrdings and local repitore. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
ARS NOVA
Notorius Russian bootlegger, this company appears for all intents and purposes legit and sells a lot of products over the net to the rest of the world but is actually a new breed of bootleggers that specialices copying the works of small independent labels and artists that cannot afford to legally defend themselves. We have been contacted by a couple of organisations that whish to make it clear that they are not connected with this company although they share the name, since none of them is Russian that should be self evident.
Art By Heart
German jazz label. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Artegra
USA based audiophoile record label, mostly jazz/trad but also a classical redording or 2, originally released CD's but now only publishes hybrid SACD's that can be played on both CD players and SACD players. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD, SACD.
Arte Nova See --> BMG Classics
Arthaus Musik
A company that specialises in making DVD's of classical music performances in particular opera, interestingly their disk have an uncompressed PCM track in addition to the more usual compressed multichannel audio. Official homepage.
Formats supported : DVD.
Artista See --> Bertelsmann Music Group
Art Joins People See --> AJP Records
Asian Music International
Record company based in Tailand that puts out jazz and light classical music under the AMI Records label. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Astralwerks See --> EMI
Astrée Naïve See --> Naïve
Athene Records
Small British company that primarily acts as a classical recording service but puts out some CD's on it's own, also uses the Athene-Minverva label. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Atlantic Records
One of the smaller majors around, publishes anything from electronica to classical. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Atoll Records
Classical label, has quite a bit of historical releases as well as modern recordings. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Audio Fidelity
A reissue label formed by the people behind DCC Compact Classics, mostly Jazz but also lots of 50's and 60's pop and more geared towards American tastes in music but a couple of gems there nonetheless,. CD and LP releases are of "audiophile quality materials" but the website does not give out any technical details. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD, LP, SACD.
Audio Lab Record See --> Octavia
Audioquest Music
USA blues label, with some audiophile quality SACD releases. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD, SACD.
Aulia Records
Small Italian classical label. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD.
Autonomy Records See --> EMI
Avie Records
British classical label, puts out amongst other things the recordings made by the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln. Official homepage.
Formats supported : CD, SACD.
Next Page : Record labels : B & C