Samir Shukla
Notes from the Editor’s Desk
Streaming music has essentially become the norm. In the old days, collecting records of favorite artists or labels was a fulfilling hobby. There are still some record stores around the country, as well as record collector shows, where one can spend time on a treasure hunt for vinyl or CDs. But of course, the prime music listening in the evolving 21st century is with the click of a few buttons. Streaming opens access to all types of music from around the world.
If you love world music, ethnic music, or rare folk or traditional music, the Naxos Music Library World now offers a streaming service from its extensive collection of recordings and record labels.
Music from more than 150 countries and 1,500 cultural groups can be streamed by subscribers to the library. It’s a library of over 5,000 albums and the company is adding new and archival material on a regular basis. The result is a wondrous world of music offering everything from obscure street performers recorded on location to veteran musicians and recordings made in world-class studios.
Some of the renowned labels such as Smithsonian Folkways, ARC, Warner, Sony, and Naxos World are a part of the library plus dozens of other smaller independent labels are featured as well.
The library is nicely organized and searchable by several parameters. Users can search by country, label, geographic region, or cultural group. There’s even capability to browse using a map, an online treasure hunt if you will.
For lovers of South Asian music there are many recordings ranging from Hindustani, Carnatic, sitar, vocal, spiritual, and rural folk songs. All countries of the region are covered while majority of the recordings are from India.
The Naxos Music Library World offers an array of pieces from historically significant field recordings to new releases. The cool thing is users also have access to the full liner and tray card information for each release, as one would while listening to a CD.
This library is one of a suite of online Naxos libraries including Naxos Music Library, Naxos Music Library Jazz, Naxos Video Library, Naxos Spoken Word Library, and Naxos Works Database.
The subscription price ranges from standard quality monthly rate of $14 or premium quality monthly rate of $21. There are also annual rates available.
For more details visit www.naxosmusiclibrary.com/world
