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Naxos facts

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  • Naxos was launched in 1987, following the drop in CD manufacturing costs
  • Naxos counts over 2500 titles, with 15 new titles released every month
  • Label keeps costs minimal by reinvesting profits into recordings of new music
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(CNN) -- Budget classical music label Naxos is named after the Greek island, home to the legend of Ariadne on which Richard Strauss based his opera "Ariadne auf Naxos" in 1912.

Naxos' comprehensive music Web site offers composer biographies and online listening.

It is the brainchild of Klaus Heymann, a German-born entrepreneur and music lover based in Hong Kong since 1967.

Naxos was launched in 1987, following the drop in manufacturing costs of compact discs, with the aim to offer customers classical CDs for the same price as LPs. Following the success of the first Naxos releases, the label began to build its catalogue by recording standard repertoire with young or unknown artists.

By concentrating on music rather than performer, the company developed into a full-fledged classical label offering a full range of classical music, with little or no duplication of repertoire and all new recordings.

Today the Naxos repertoire counts over 2500 titles, with 15 new titles released every month, and a growing market share in many countries, including the UK (15%), Finland (40%), Sweden (50%), Norway (50%), Denmark (30%), Canada (25%), Greece (45%), South Africa (45%), Spain (20%) and Germany (20%).

Naxos CDs continue to retail at competitively low prices, as the company keeps its costs minimal by reinvesting profits into recordings of new music rather than multiple versions of standard repertoire already in the catalogue.

Naxos is also active in music education, online and offline, distributing Arthaus and BBC/Opus Arte DVDs worldwide, as well as TDK in most major markets. Naxos Audiobooks features readings of classic literature, often incorporating excerpts of Naxos music. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

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