Naxos Records is a record label specializing in
classical music. The company was known for its budget pricing of discs, with simpler artwork and design than most other labels. In the 1980s, Naxos primarily recorded central and eastern European symphony orchestras, often with lesser-known conductors, as well as upcoming and unknown musicians, to minimize recording costs and maintain its budget prices. In more recent years, Naxos has taken advantage of the expiring
copyrights of other companies' studio recordings by selling discs remastered from
gramophone records. Examples include the complete recordings of opera singers such as
Enrico Caruso,
Amelita Galli-Curci, and
Titta Ruffo and the 1934 world première performance of
Howard Hanson's opera
Merry Mount. Legal restrictions prevented some of these recordings from being sold in the United States. Naxos has also recorded the music of contemporary composers, including
Leonardo Balada,
Bechara El-Khoury,
Laurent Petitgirard, and
Alla Pavlova. The label has branched out into
jazz,
world music, and books on musical subjects. Naxos Spoken Word Library contains non-music products, such as
audiobooks and
radio dramas. In 2015, it launched a high-definition download and streaming service, ClassicsOnline HD•LL, with a catalogue drawn from a number of classical record labels.
Distribution Naxos Global Logistics, based in
Poing near Munich, was founded in 2008 to expand the services offered to its distributed labels, including manufacturing, marketing, and licensing.
Awards In 2005, Naxos won the Label of the Year Award at Classic FM/
Gramophone awards. In 2023, they won the Label of the Year Award at the International Classical Music Awards. ==Other divisions==