Schwann catalog
G Riggs
The Schwann Catalog has instituted an alarming change of policy. No longer
will there be a quarterly catalog of all available offerings in the
classical repertoire. Instead, once a month, there is to be a puny update
magazine offering merely a listing of new releases (frequently without all
of the principal artists listed, stopping at the name of the conductor and
the ensemble -- if one is lucky)! These monthly issues will combine
similarly sketchy info re the newest Jazz releases as well. (I wonder how
the equally short-changed Jazz aficionados feel about *that*!)
Only once a year will we have the usual complete listings typical of
previous quarterly issues. Since we all know how quickly new releases can
disappear from the record shelves, it is surely not inconceivable that
certain short-lived releases may never be listed in any annual catalog at
all, leaving it to one of these puny monthly magazines to be the only
(inadequate!) documentation of such a release.
This new policy is not writ in stone. At the new URL given below, you will
find a fuller explanation of Schwann's proposed new policy together with a
Schwann e-mail address you can write to and a sample letter of protest
written by a fellow collector admonishing Schwann for their reckless shift
in policy. Please act on this today. Time is of the essence.
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/7023/schwann.htm
Thank you,
Liz & Geoffrey Riggs
[sent to rec.music.classical.recordings, rec.music.collecting.cd and
rec.music.opera]
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The Collector's Guide to Opera Recordings and Videos
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/7023
The Collector's Guide to Books on Opera
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/7023/reading.htm
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Floyd Patterson
the old schwann catalog as it now exists. You omit the fact in this
message -- although you do mention it on your website that the entire
schwann catalog will be available on line for a fee. You seem to feel we are
losing historical information by not having back issues of the schwann
publication. I am not so certain.
At Tower Denver, where I work, we have long stopped relying on Schwann for
availability of recordings. Why? You mention how quickly some new releases
come into and go out of the catalog and are never reflected in the
publication. There is also an absurdly high error rate in the listings that
are there. I have taken to using the phrase when explaining to customers why
the recording they see listed does not exist, "this is another example of
Schwann's creative writing." Whether it is due to simple error or how
releases come and go from the catalog, the bottom line is the same...the
error rate in schwann has reached the point where I think it is of little
value. The old system is "broke" so what's the alternative. Is it the online
listing supplemented by monthly publications? I don't know...but I believe
schwann is to be commended for at least trying to address the fact.
"G Riggs" <ehu...@concentric.net> wrote in message
news:8t5the$h...@dispatch.concentric.net...
vaneyes
and as costly as these things have become, who needs an incomplete and
incorrect catalogue.
Online is the way to go, if the particular service has the dedication to
correctly update daily, and if their pricing is realistic.
Regards
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Simon Roberts
: At Tower Denver, where I work, we have long stopped relying on Schwann for
: availability of recordings. Why? You mention how quickly some new releases
: come into and go out of the catalog and are never reflected in the
: publication. There is also an absurdly high error rate in the listings that
: are there. I have taken to using the phrase when explaining to customers why
: the recording they see listed does not exist, "this is another example of
: Schwann's creative writing." Whether it is due to simple error or how
: releases come and go from the catalog, the bottom line is the same...the
: error rate in schwann has reached the point where I think it is of little
: value. The old system is "broke" so what's the alternative. Is it the online
: listing supplemented by monthly publications? I don't know...but I believe
: schwann is to be commended for at least trying to address the fact.
At least as far as readers of this ng - and anyone else who has internet
access - go, Schwann, flaws and all (one of which, perhaps unavoidably, is
that it only includes domestic release)s, is obsolete. Given the number of
international sites (typically retailers) which allow searches, and the
ease with which discs can be bought internationally, the demise of Schwann
As We Know It doesn't seem to me to be much of a loss.
Simon
Lance G. Hill
wanting to see it restored. To have as much classical record
information in one domestic source as Schwann OPUS, is an incredible
feat, but one I relied on for a quick, concise listing of available
performances. The fact that we were given four issues a year would keep
most of us up-to-date for the most part. I dislike seeing what has
happened to Schwann OPUS.
I wrote to Schwann and received a most intelligent and informative
response from Ali Crawford, Publisher of Schwann, who, I am sure, would
not mind me sharing this information with readers of this group, and
might possibly avoid an overflow of writers seeking the same
information. I would like to quote from the message to me:
"... Opus will be printed next February, 2001, as an annual. We have
prided ourselves on the accuracy of our database, which at its present
size, is getting more difficult to manage with our current systems. If
we are to do OPUS and classical music justice, we need to start from
scratch, build a database using today's technology. But during the
transition, we will be prevented from producing quarterly output. Our
solution in the meantime was to create monthly updates. ... Watch over
the next two issues. We will try to create new release listings that
parallel the information found in OPUS. And we will reconsider a
quarterly format next year, when our new database is complete, if the
demand is still there. We will however need to raise the price."
Crawford also makes note of the financial involvement in producing such
a publication, citing less demand for OPUS over the last decade,
largely due to the Internet, etc. Apparently, OPUS has not been a
money-maker for the company, which is indeed, unfortunate. I think
most of us would agree that $16.95 (Spring 2000 edition) is a small
price to pay for a volume that offers so much. Most avid collectors
WOULD probably pay more for the publication simply because of its
convenience and ease of use as a one-spot source. We pay that price for
one single CD many times. This is a pittance, in comparison, at least
in my view, for a publication of this nature.
I am all in favor or restoring the Schwann OPUS to four quarterlies and
having a separate Artist Issue, perhaps the latter being issued more
frequently than it is as well.
Lance G. Hill
www.classicalmusicguide