BIS Records taken over by Apple

[Spotted Horses]

I got an email from eClassical.com that made my heart skip a beat:

Store Closure Notice 

However, this is only for inventory work starting from June 18 and ending before July. Orders will not be processed during this time. That's all... 

Inventory work? I thought eclassical.com only sells downloads. I did get an email a few weeks ago that a new eclassical site would debut soon, with "new features."

[71 dB]

Inventory work? I thought eclassical.com only sells downloads. I did get an email a few weeks ago that a new eclassical site would debut soon, with "new features."

I am so confused. I thought BIS online store transferred to eclassical when Apple took over. Why else would I be on their mailing list?

[Spotted Horses]

I am so confused. I thought BIS online store transferred to eclassical when Apple took over. Why else would I be on their mailing list?

bis.se still exists, but I don't see any way to purchase discs from it, it just has links to vendors, some of which sell discs. I randomly searched for "sibelius jarvi" and it found nothing, so it seems to have only a subset of BIS releases. I followed a link to presto classical for the Vanska Sibelius set, and presto told me "out of stock at the distributor." eclassical.com also still exits, and has always sold downloads, and doesn't list any physical media.

I take it for granted that BIS will stop producing physical media in the near future. I just hope they continue sell lossless downloads somewhere, and don't become exclusive to Apple Music streaming.

[71 dB]

bis.se still exists, but I don't see any way to purchase discs from it, it just has links to vendors, some of which sell discs. I randomly searched for "sibelius jarvi" and it found nothing, so it seems to have only a subset of BIS releases. I followed a link to presto classical for the Vanska Sibelius set, and presto told me "out of stock at the distributor." eclassical.com also still exits, and has always sold downloads, and doesn't list any physical media.

I take it for granted that BIS will stop producing physical media in the near future. I just hope they continue sell lossless downloads somewhere, and don't become exclusive to Apple Music streaming.

How I see it, BIS webstore was dumped to eclassical when Apple took over. It is its own corner there, bis.eclassical.com and sells physical media, even looks like the old BIS site. I have never in my life signed to eclassical (because I don't do downloads!), but now I am on their mailing list because of this dumping.

[Spotted Horses]

How I see it, BIS webstore was dumped to eclassical when Apple took over. It is its own corner there, bis.eclassical.com and sells physical media, even looks like the old BIS site. I have never in my life signed to eclassical (because I don't do downloads!), but now I am on their mailing list because of this dumping.

I didn't know about bis.eclassical.com.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Nice to see that they still have SACDs there for sale.  I wonder what the shipping costs would be to the US (not certain where eclassical is located and/or ships from?

PD

[71 dB]

I didn't know about bis.eclassical.com.

No wonder, because the whole Apple takeover was made very stupidly. Why did they suddenly change their own site into a history lesson of the label? That's something you "hide" behind a link for history nerds instead of putting it on your front page!

I have never used eclassical before. I don't know how it goes to buy stuff from them? What country does the stuff ship from? (Very important because of customs clearances) Shipping costs? I know nothing, because the damn World changes too fast!

[71 dB]

Nice to see that they still have SACDs there for sale. 

PD

Yes, but what we have been speculating for how long? Do they have SACDs for sale next summer? Nobody knows, because the damn World has become so crazy and unpredictable! We can't count on anything anymore!

[Le Buisson Ardent]

I have never used eclassical before. I don't know how it goes to buy stuff from them? What country does the stuff ship from? (Very important because of customs clearances) Shipping costs? I know nothing, because the damn World changes too fast!

I've used eClassical to buy CDs/SACDs on many different occasions. The shipping costs are reasonable, the prices for each CD/SACD are typical and Sweden is where the items will be shipped from. I haven't used them in quite sometime, so I don't know if anything has changed, but I received my orders fairly quickly.

[Le Buisson Ardent]

Yes, but what we have been speculating for how long? Do they have SACDs for sale next summer? Nobody knows, because the damn World has become so crazy and unpredictable! We can't count on anything anymore!

Does it matter for how long? I mean aren't you content in knowing that you have some of their recordings in your collection?

If BIS went under right now, I wouldn't be surprised, because the music business in general has become so prone to sea changes that I'm not phased nor worried about what's next for a label. I live in the present and, as I wrote previously, I'm grateful that I was able to acquire so many of their recordings through the years.

They are (were) an outstanding label that have done some incredible work, but nothing lasts forever.

[CRCulver]

How I see it, BIS webstore was dumped to eclassical when Apple took over. It is its own corner there, bis.eclassical.com and sells physical media, even looks like the old BIS site. I have never in my life signed to eclassical (because I don't do downloads!), but now I am on their mailing list because of this dumping.

BIS and eclassical.com were closely related already years before the sale to Apple, and I wound up on eclassical.com's mailing list after purchasing a BIS disc through bis.se. In fact, I always assumed that Robert von Bahr was one of the founders of eclassical.com.

[Spotted Horses]

BIS and eclassical.com were closely related already years before the sale to Apple, and I wound up on eclassical.com's mailing list after purchasing a BIS disc through bis.se. In fact, I always assumed that Robert von Bahr was one of the founders of eclassical.com.

Yes, von Bahr was behind the founding of eclassical.com. I once set an email to BIS notifying them that FLAC download tracks from one of their releases obtained from somewhere else didn't have preemphasis removed. He replied to the effect that they are aware of the problem and working to correct it, but advised me to purchase from "their download site," eclassical.com.

[Spotted Horses]

Does it matter for how long? I mean aren't you content in knowing that you have some of their recordings in your collection?

If BIS went under right now, I wouldn't be surprised, because the music business in general has become so prone to sea changes that I'm not phased nor worried about what's next for a label. I live in the present and, as I wrote previously, I'm grateful that I was able to acquire so many of their recordings through the years.

They are (were) an outstanding label that have done some incredible work, but nothing lasts forever.

I'm not sure instability is worse now than before. Mercury's classical division closed in the 60's, their recordings disappeared, and only got new releases years later by Philips (without Mercury's distinctive vinyl). Then in the CD era a bunch of the long out of print Mercury titles got released by Universal. Philips ceased to exist as an independent label in the 70's, although the sale allowed Universal to use the Philips name for some years. ASV folded years ago and their catalog has vanished, more or less. Telarc is gone, Westminster, Vanguard. Classical recordings have not been a profit center, and labors of love tend to go away when their founders retire. At least BIS and Hyperions seem to have made a soft landing. When you think of Apple acquiring BIS, it is like an elephant eating a fly. It can't be that they want BIS's tiny revenue stream on their balance sheet. They want to tap into BIS's culture to nucleate a new business for them, artsy music publishing.

The bright side now, I think, is that new labels spring up faster than the old ones vanish.

[Le Buisson Ardent]

I'm not sure instability is worse now than before. Mercury's classical division closed in the 60's, their recordings disappeared, and only got new releases years later by Philips (without Mercury's distinctive vinyl). Then in the CD era a bunch of the long out of print Mercury titles got released by Universal. Philips ceased to exist as an independent label in the 70's, although the sale allowed Universal to use the Philips name for some years. ASV folded years ago and their catalog has vanished, more or less. Telarc is gone, Westminster, Vanguard. Classical recordings have not been a profit center, and labors of love tend to go away when their founders retire. At least BIS and Hyperions seem to have made a soft landing. When you think of Apple acquiring BIS, it is like an elephant eating a fly. It can't be that they want BIS's tiny revenue stream on their balance sheet. They want to tap into BIS's culture to nucleate a new business for them, artsy music publishing.

The bright side now, I think, is that new labels spring up faster than the old ones vanish.

Well, as I wrote, whatever happens, I'm proud to own these little shards of history.

[Brian]

I'm not sure instability is worse now than before. Mercury's classical division closed in the 60's, their recordings disappeared, and only got new releases years later by Philips (without Mercury's distinctive vinyl). Then in the CD era a bunch of the long out of print Mercury titles got released by Universal. Philips ceased to exist as an independent label in the 70's, although the sale allowed Universal to use the Philips name for some years. ASV folded years ago and their catalog has vanished, more or less. Telarc is gone, Westminster, Vanguard. Classical recordings have not been a profit center, and labors of love tend to go away when their founders retire. At least BIS and Hyperions seem to have made a soft landing. When you think of Apple acquiring BIS, it is like an elephant eating a fly. It can't be that they want BIS's tiny revenue stream on their balance sheet. They want to tap into BIS's culture to nucleate a new business for them, artsy music publishing.

The bright side now, I think, is that new labels spring up faster than the old ones vanish.

Sometimes I wonder what is even in the catalogs of some of those long-gone labels like ASV, Koch Schwann, and even Arte Nova. (Wish Arte Nova's neoclassical Hogwood series came back in a reissue box!)

[Le Buisson Ardent]

Sometimes I wonder what is even in the catalogs of some of those long-gone labels like ASV, Koch Schwann, and even Arte Nova. (Wish Arte Nova's neoclassical Hogwood series came back in a reissue box!)

About Arte Nova: doesn't Sony own them now? The reason why I'm asking is because the Dutilleux series on this label with Hans Graf was originally on Arte Nova, but then later reissued in a budget Sony French release.

[Spotted Horses]

Sometimes I wonder what is even in the catalogs of some of those long-gone labels like ASV, Koch Schwann, and even Arte Nova. (Wish Arte Nova's neoclassical Hogwood series came back in a reissue box!)

Had no idea those Hogwood recordings exist. Koch had some great things, like the Tansman recordings by Israel Yinon. Universal now owns the catalog, but inexplicably doesn't seem to have bothered to make any of it available for streaming (or download). Similar for ASV. Looking at the wikipedia page, I can't figure out who owns their catalog after multiple sales. The only thing I have seen re-released is the Fergus-Thompson Debussy recordings, under Decca Eloquence.

[Brian]

About Arte Nova: doesn't Sony own them now? The reason why I'm asking is because the Dutilleux series on this label with Hans Graf was originally on Arte Nova, but then later reissued in a budget Sony French release.

Yep, like Universal owning Koch, Sony owns Arte Nova and they seem to forget that fact for years at a time.

The only thing I have seen re-released is the Fergus-Thompson Debussy recordings, under Decca Eloquence.

Thank goodness for Cyrus.

btw:

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Yep, like Universal owning Koch, Sony owns Arte Nova and they seem to forget that fact for years at a time.
Thank goodness for Cyrus.

btw:

Who/what is Cyrus?

PD

[Brian]

Who/what is Cyrus?

PD

Cyrus Meher-Homji is the record producer who organizes reissue CDs on Australian Eloquence. He knows the Decca/Universal archives intimately and is responsible for reviving a lot of those artist box sets on Eloquence. He is also consulted on which recordings to include for things like the Decca/DG "complete works of Composer X."

https://serenademagazine.com/meet-record-industry-heavyweight-cyrus-meher-homji-of-universal-music-australia/