The SoundStage! Network

Naxos, one of the world’s leading Classical music companies, and Warner Classics have announced a partnership for Naxos to distribute Warner Classics' audio content on CD in the United States. Beginning this month, Naxos will offer repertoire from Warner Classics, encompassing specialist titles on the Teldec, Das Alte Werk, Erato and Warner Classics imprints, as well as the Lontano and Apex labels. As part of the agreement, Naxos will make available more than 2000 classical products, including a range of titles which are currently unavailable in the US.

Naxos of America’s CEO, Jim Selby, commented, "At Naxos of America, Inc. we strive to partner with labels that have a mission similar to Naxos and our family of distributed labels and to provide services to our labels that enable them to grow and manage their businesses more effectively. Warner Classics and its imprints have decades of recorded history and we are excited and honored to be able to represent this fine label and its world-class artists."

John Kelleher, head of Warner Classics & Jazz, added, "Naxos is widely recognized as one of the most expert Classical music companies and one of the largest independent CD distributors in the world. By harnessing Naxos’ dedicated classical resources, this partnership will broaden the range of specialist titles we offer in the US and generate new commercial opportunities. At the same time, it enables Warner Classics to re-focus our efforts on growing our digital business in the region, as well as bolstering our A&R activities."

Naxos website

Warner Classics website

On September 1, 2010, a new SoundStage.com website will be online for the enjoyment of audio enthusiasts worldwide. Described by founder Doug Schneider as the "third thorough redesign since the Internet publication's launch in 1995," the new site will feature an enhanced layout with improved navigability, advanced graphic design, and "some exciting new content that will reconfirm the SoundStage! commitment to mainstream high-end-audio components." According to Schneider, "This redesign was substantial for two main reasons. One has to do with the technology we now use. Gone are static HTML pages; enter a fully automated, database-driven site that allows for improved publishing of articles, in addition to more efficient search, archiving, and maintenance of the content." The name will also change slightly. What was previously just SoundStage! has now become SoundStage! Hi-Fi to better reflect the content in it.

SoundStage.com is one of four online magazines under the SoundStage! Network banner, the other three being GoodSound.com, UltraAudio.com and SoundStageXperience.com. SoundStage.com is considered the first Internet-only audio publication of its type and reaches hundreds of thousands of readers per month. Schneider sums up: "In 1995, we started with a single publication, SoundStage!, and grew into a group of publications we call the SoundStage! Network. We’ve grown significantly, our scope has expanded, and we’ve made some significant changes. But we want to assure readers that our core focus with this publication remains the same, and now with this new site design and renewed emphasis on what it’s about, it will be even better at serving the audio community in the future as it has been in the past."

SoundStage! website

Warner has announced that on October 19 it will add Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to its ongoing series of Harry Potter Ultimate Edition Blu-ray and DVD releases.

Each Harry Potter Ultimate Edition contains three discs filled with hours of special features. Also included are collectibles such as a book featuring over 40 pages of movie stills, production sketches, concept paintings, and behind-the-scenes insight. The Ultimate Editions also feature collectible character cards and a bonus digital copy of the film.

Created for fans of the franchise, each three-disc Ultimate Edition features a new chapter of "Creating the World of Harry Potter," a unique eight-hour documentary series with never-before-seen footage, intriguing stories, and an insider look behind the films. Each hour-long chapter is intended to deepen the relationship Harry Potter fans have with the movies and add to their understanding of and connection to their favorite characters, creatures and more. "Creating the World of Harry Potter" is available exclusively in the Harry Potter Ultimate Editions.

The two new Ultimate Edition releases and the two already released (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) are being made available before the highly anticipated theatrical release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part I on November 19.

Warner Harry Potter website

Chad Kassem’s Acoustic Sounds has purchased audiophile-software industry-leader Classic Records. "This is a big acquisition for Acoustic which will enable us to further increase our presence and reputation in the audiophile vinyl market worldwide," said Kassem in the company's July 27 press release announcing the purchase. "Over the years, Classic Records consistently was able to license the top titles that audiophiles wanted. Since that momentous announcement of the RCA Living Stereo reissue series in January 1994, Acoustic Sounds has been an admirer and strong supporter of the quality products produced by Classic Records. Classic has always been innovative and has set new standards for sound quality. Hobson always pushed the envelope to improve Classic’s products instead of just accepting the current standards. It is an honor to now own Classic, and I intend to continue to use the innovations that Classic pioneered and the high standards they established."

Michael Hobson, who founded Classic Records in 1994, will continue in an advisory role to Acoustic Sounds to ensure a smooth transition. According to Hobson, "Classic Records has always been driven by my desire to make the best-sounding records possible, and to that end we have successfully innovated over the years such that we are now able to make an LP that sounds better than when we started 17 years ago. I have worked with Chad for over 20 years and have seen Acoustic Sounds grow into a powerhouse in the audiophile market. In many ways having Classic Records join the Acoustic Sounds empire is a logical progression and makes a lot of sense strategically. I am confident that Chad and Acoustic Sounds will carry on in the Classic tradition of the pursuit of sound excellence, and I am committed to making sure that our knowledge base and experience transfers completely."

Classic Records website

Acoustic Sounds website