Death Of A Record Label?

That seemed to be "The Gramophone's" conclusion after learning that Warner Classics would be run by Rhino UK. "This move by Warner reduces the so-called majors in the classical record arena to just EMI, Universal and Sony-BMG," writes editor-in-chief James Jolly.

Not so fast, according to Amanda Collins, spokeswoman for Warner Classics. She tells us that Warner Classics will still exist. It will be managed by Rhino. In fact, Stefan Bown has been hired as the new general manager of Classics. She would not tell us whether the label, under Rhino, will continue to release as many classical releases than in the past. (We know Rhino for its super-cool reissues of, among others, The Monkees.) Collins also sent a statement which read, in part: "We remain committed to classical music and look forward to continuing to pioneer new ways to bring our content to consumers going forward."