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{{Short description|German entrepreneur}}
{{Underlinked|date=July 2013}}
{{short lead|date=December 2021}}
'''Klaus Heymann''' (born 22 October 1936) is a German entrepreneur and the founder and head of the [[Naxos Records|Naxos]] record label.
'''Klaus Heymann''' (born 22 October 1936) is a German entrepreneur and the founder and head of the [[Naxos Records|Naxos]] record label.


==Early life==
== Biography and career ==
Heymann was born in [[Frankfurt]], [[Germany]], and studied Romance languages and English at the Universities of [[Goethe University Frankfurt|Frankfurt]] and [[University of Lisbon (1911–2013)|Lisbon]], at [[King's College London]] and finally at the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]] in Paris. To pay his way through university, he worked as a tennis coach.
Heymann was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and studied Romance languages and English at the Universities of Frankfurt and Lisbon, at King's College in London and finally at the Sorbonne in Paris. To pay his way through university he worked as a tennis coach. He worked in advertising sales and special supplement production for an American newspaper in his native Frankfurt, then worked in international marketing for Braun AG. He first went to Hong Kong in 1967 to start up the office of The Overseas Weekly, the American newspaper he had worked for in Frankfurt. He "arrived with a suitcase and a typewriter, and strangely enough the hotel which had been booked for me didn't exist anymore."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com.hk/big-smog/features/40251/hongkonger-klaus-heymann.html |title=Time Out Hong Kong &#124; Big Smog &#124; Hong Kong news, current affairs, politics and social issues &#124; Hongkonger: Klaus Heymann |publisher=Timeout.com.hk |date=2011-02-07 |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref> He subsequently created a direct-mail advertising business, then a mail-order company providing goods to members of the United States military in Vietnam. He sold such items as cameras, watches and audio equipment, including [[Bose Corporation|Bose]] speakers and [[Revox]] tape recorders.


==Career==
Following the end of the war in Vietnam, Heymann became the Hong Kong distributor for Bose and Revox, and, later, Studer recording studio equipment. He began organizing classical music concerts to help boost the sales of the brands he sold. When Heymann found that many of the musicians who performed at these concerts could not find their recordings in Hong Kong record shops, he started importing a number of classical record labels, including [[Vox Records|Vox]]-Turnabout, [[Hungaroton]], [[Supraphon]] and [[Opus Records]], for his company Studer-Revox (Hong Kong) to be later renamed Pacific Music. Heymann was asked to join the board of the then amateur Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1973, and helped this orchestra become a full-time professional orchestra in 1974. At this time, he also met his future wife, Japanese violinist [[Takako Nishizaki]], who came to play as soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naxos.com/aboutus.asp?page=klaus |title=About Klaus Heymann of Naxos Global Distribution Ltd |publisher=Naxos.com |date=2011-06-25 |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>
===Early career===
Heymann worked in advertising sales and special supplement production for an American newspaper in his native Frankfurt, then worked in international marketing for [[Braun (company)|Braun AG]]. He first went to [[Hong Kong]] in 1967 to start up the office of the [[Overseas Weekly]], the American newspaper he had worked for in Frankfurt. He "arrived with a suitcase and a typewriter, and strangely enough the hotel which had been booked for me didn't exist anymore."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com.hk/big-smog/features/40251/hongkonger-klaus-heymann.html |title=Time Out Hong Kong &#124; Big Smog &#124; Hong Kong news, current affairs, politics and social issues &#124; Hongkonger: Klaus Heymann |publisher=Timeout.com.hk |date=2011-02-07 |access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref> He subsequently created a direct-mail advertising business, then a mail-order company providing goods to members of the [[United States military]] in [[Vietnam]]. He sold such items as cameras, watches and audio equipment, including [[Bose Corporation|Bose]] speakers and [[Revox]] tape recorders.


===Hong Kong===
Heymann desired to make recordings for his wife, and to do so, had Takako Nishizaki record the Chinese ''[[Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto]]'', with the Nagoya Philharmonic in Japan. This recording sold several hundred thousand copies, and since 1978, has sold millions of copies in China.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naxos.com/aboutus.asp?page=recordings |title=Naxos First Recordings |publisher=Naxos.com |date=2011-06-25 |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>
Following the end of the war in Vietnam, Heymann became the Hong Kong distributor for Bose and Revox, and, later, [[Studer]] recording studio equipment. He began organizing classical music concerts to help boost the sales of the brands he sold. When Heymann found that many of the musicians who performed at these concerts could not find their recordings in Hong Kong record shops, he started importing a number of classical record labels, including [[Vox Records|Vox]]-Turnabout, [[Hungaroton]], [[Supraphon]] and [[Opus Records]], for his company Studer-Revox (Hong Kong) to be later renamed Pacific Music.


Heymann was asked to join the board of the then-amateur [[Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra]] in 1973, and helped this orchestra become a full-time professional orchestra in 1974. At this time, he also met his future wife, Japanese violinist [[Takako Nishizaki]], who came to play as soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naxos.com/aboutus.asp?page=klaus |title=About Klaus Heymann of Naxos Global Distribution Ltd |publisher=Naxos.com |date=2011-06-25 |access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref>
After this initial success, Heymann created a label called HK to record other works with the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. At the same time, he began to import and license music from pop labels such as [[RCA]], [[Arista Records|Arista]], [[Virgin Records]], [[Chrysalis Records]] and others.


Heymann's desire to help his wife's career led him to start making her recordings, including that of the Chinese ''[[Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto]]'' with the [[Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra]]. Since 1978, it sold several hundred thousand copies legitimately and millions in China.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naxos.com/aboutus.asp?page=recordings |title=Naxos First Recordings |publisher=Naxos.com |date=2011-06-25 |access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref>
While Heymann was successful selling records of Asian music, he decided that he wanted to record rare works, and created the Marco Polo label to do this. Initially recording in Hong Kong and Singapore, Heymann shifted the recording to eastern European countries, profiting from his connections with the Hungaroton and Opus labels, located in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, which he distributed.


After this unexpected success, Heymann created a label called HK to record other works with the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the [[Singapore Symphony Orchestra]]. At the same time, he began to import and license music from pop labels such as [[RCA]], [[Arista Records|Arista]], [[Virgin Records]], [[Chrysalis Records]] and others.
In 1987, Heymann founded the [[Naxos Records|Naxos]] label, with the goal of selling budget-priced classical CDs. His goal was to sell CDs at the same price as LPs, or roughly one-third of the price of CDs at the time. After initially acquiring digital recordings from a German company, Naxos began developing its catalog with young or unknown artists and orchestras. Initially, Heymann assumed the Naxos catalog would not cover more than fifty releases,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naxos.com/aboutus.asp?page=birth |title=The Birth of Naxos |publisher=Naxos.com |date=2011-06-25 |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref> thinking that the major labels would begin competing in the same sector, but given the success of the label, the company went on to become a full-fledged classical label covering a wide range of music. Over the years, Heymann led the label to not only record the standard classical repertoire, but also to focus on works that were not often recorded, or not at all. The company is "still filling gaps in the repertoire."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/the-future-of-listening-will-be-an-all-you-eat-formula?page=0,1 |title=Naxos founder Klaus Heymann on what lies ahead for classical recordings - Page 2 |publisher=gramophone.co.uk |date=2010-08-24 |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>


While Heymann was successful selling records of Asian music, he wanted to record rare works, and decided to create the Marco Polo label to do this.<ref name="Soames2012">{{cite book|author=Nicolas Soames|title=The Story Of Naxos: The extraordinary story of the independent record label that changed classical recording for ever|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vlg5DPfjkNAC&pg=PT32|date=3 May 2012|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-0-7481-3110-5|page=32}}</ref> After initially recording in Hong Kong and Singapore, Heymann switched to eastern European countries, profiting from his connections with the Hungaroton and Opus labels, located in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, which he distributed.
Heymann was one of the early proponents of digital music, and led Naxos to put its entire catalog on-line for streaming in 1996<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/klaus-heymann-the-last-record-man-standing/ |title=Klaus Heymann: The Last Record Man Standing |publisher=NewMusicBox |date=2012-06-18 |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref> via hnh.com, subsequently naxos.com. In 2002, he launched the Naxos Music Library, essentially used by educational institutions and libraries. In 2007, Heymann stated that "the label was positioned to survive and prosper without selling CDs,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicsonline.com/executive_bio.aspx |title=Press Room |publisher=Classicsonline.com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref> and that "revenue from other sources is now big enough to let us not only survive but lead a healthy, profitable existence."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/1207hey/ |title=Klaus Heymann: A 20th-Anniversary Chat with the Founder of Naxos |publisher=Stereophile.com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref> He also created distribution companies in most major music markets to distribute Naxos recordings, and the group of companies is now a major distributor of classical recordings and classical music DVDs around the world, including those of [[Warner Classics]] and [[Sony]].


===Naxos===
Heymann claimed, in a 2007 interview with Stereophile Magazine, that he was only just making a "decent return" from the more than $80 million he invested in the company, "thanks to the advent of digital platforms."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stereophile.com/content/klaus-heymann-20th-anniversary-chat-founder-naxos-page-2 |title=Klaus Heymann: A 20th-Anniversary Chat with the Founder of Naxos Page 2 |publisher=Stereophile.com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref> He sees the future of the classical music market as a mix of CDs, downloads and streaming: "Whether physical product will be a half of today or a third of today, nobody knows. There will also be downloads, and all kinds of subscription things. Our streaming classical-music library right now is by far the most successful in our field, and the most profitable for us and for the labels. But there may be others that mix paid and unpaid [streaming]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stereophile.com/news/klaus_heymann_of_naxos/ |title=Klaus Heymann of Naxos |publisher=Stereophile.com |date=2010-08-25 |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>
In 1987, Heymann founded the [[Naxos Records|Naxos]] label, with the goal of selling budget-priced classical CDs. His goal was to sell CDs at the same price as LPs, or roughly one-third of the price of CDs at the time. At first, he was acquiring digital recordings from a German company. Then, Naxos began developing its catalog with young or unknown artists and orchestras. Heymann assumed the Naxos catalog would not cover more than fifty releases,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naxos.com/aboutus.asp?page=birth |title=The Birth of Naxos |publisher=Naxos.com |date=2011-06-25 |access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref> thinking that the major labels would begin competing in the same sector, but given the success of the label, the company went on to become a full-fledged classical label covering a wide range of music.


Heymann's strategy is to be "the last man standing in terms of distributing classical music in physical form."<ref>{{cite web|last=Midgette |first=Anne |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-classical-beat/2010/07/the_future_of_the_recording_in.html |title=The Classical Beat - The future of the recording industry: is there one? |publisher=Voices.washingtonpost.com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>
Over the years, Heymann led the label to not only record the standard classical repertoire, but also to focus on works that were not often recorded, or not at all. The company is "still filling gaps in the repertoire."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/the-future-of-listening-will-be-an-all-you-eat-formula?page=0,1 |title=Naxos founder Klaus Heymann on what lies ahead for classical recordings - Page 2 |publisher=gramophone.co.uk |date=2010-08-24 |access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref>


Heymann was one of the early proponents of digital music and led Naxos to put its entire catalog online for streaming in 1996<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/klaus-heymann-the-last-record-man-standing/ |title=Klaus Heymann: The Last Record Man Standing |publisher=NewMusicBox |date=2012-06-18 |access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref> via hnh.com that became naxos.com. In 2002, he launched the Naxos Music Library, essentially used by educational institutions and libraries. In 2007, Heymann stated that "the label was positioned to survive and prosper without selling CDs,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicsonline.com/executive_bio.aspx |title=Press Room |publisher=Classicsonline.com |access-date=2013-09-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023055533/http://www.classicsonline.com/executive_bio.aspx |archive-date=2013-10-23 }}</ref> and that "revenue from other sources is now big enough to let us not only survive but lead a healthy, profitable existence."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/1207hey/ |title=Klaus Heymann: A 20th-Anniversary Chat with the Founder of Naxos |publisher=Stereophile.com |access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref> He also created distribution companies in most major music markets to distribute Naxos recordings, and the group of companies is now a major distributor of classical recordings and classical music DVDs around the world, including those of [[Warner Classics]] and [[Sony]].
In 2007, Heymann successfully sued music critic [[Norman Lebrecht]] for defamation, for a book entitled ''Maestros, Masterpieces and Madness: The Secret Life and Shameful Death of the Classical Record Industry'', published by Penguin, which led to the UK publisher pulping all copies of the book.<ref>{{cite web|last=Johnson |first=Andrew |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/music-critics-book-is-pulped-as-penguin-loses-defamation-case-398144.html |title=Music critic's book is pulped as Penguin loses defamation case - Crime - UK |publisher=The Independent |date=2007-10-28 |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>


Heymann claimed, in a 2007 interview with Stereophile Magazine, that he was only just making a "decent return" from the more than $80 million he invested in the company, "thanks to the advent of digital platforms."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stereophile.com/content/klaus-heymann-20th-anniversary-chat-founder-naxos-page-2 |title=Klaus Heymann: A 20th-Anniversary Chat with the Founder of Naxos Page 2 |publisher=Stereophile.com |access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref> He sees the future of the classical music market as a mix of CDs, downloads and streaming: "Whether physical product will be a half of today or a third of today, nobody knows. There will also be downloads, and all kinds of subscription things. Our streaming classical-music library right now is by far the most successful in our field, and the most profitable for us and for the labels. But there may be others that mix paid and unpaid [[streaming]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stereophile.com/news/klaus_heymann_of_naxos/ |title=Klaus Heymann of Naxos |publisher=Stereophile.com |date=2010-08-25 |access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref>
Heymann is also the co-founder of Artaria Editions, a music-publishing house with a specialist interest in rare eighteenth-century repertoire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artaria.com/SystemLink_AboutArtaria |title=Artaria Editions, About Artaria |publisher=Artaria.com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-09}}</ref>


Heymann's strategy is to be "the last man standing in terms of distributing classical music in physical form."<ref>{{cite web|last=Midgette |first=Anne |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-classical-beat/2010/07/the_future_of_the_recording_in.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810221637/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-classical-beat/2010/07/the_future_of_the_recording_in.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 10, 2011 |title=The Classical Beat - The future of the recording industry: is there one? |publisher=Voices.washingtonpost.com |access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref>
Heymann lives in Hong Kong with his wife Takako Nishizaki and their son Henryk.

Heymann is also the co-founder of Artaria Editions, a music-publishing house with a specialist interest in rare eighteenth-century repertoire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.artaria.com|title=Artaria Editions High quality sheet music from the 18th century|website=Artaria Editions|access-date=2017-01-25}}</ref>

In March 2024, Heymann personally acquired [[Chandos Records]]. The announcement mentioned that there would be no immediate changes among the people managing Chandos Records, which will continue to operate independently and under the same name, but worldwide distribution of physical and digital Chandos products will be handled by the Naxos Music Group.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://operawire.com/naxos-founder-acquires-chandos-records/|title=Naxos Founder Acquires Chandos Records
|website=OperaWire|access-date=2024-03-28}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Heymann lives in Hong Kong with his wife [[Takako Nishizaki]] and their son Henryk.

In 2007, Heymann successfully sued music critic [[Norman Lebrecht]] for defamation, for a book entitled ''Maestros, Masterpieces and Madness: The Secret Life and Shameful Death of the Classical Record Industry'', published by Penguin, which led to the UK publisher pulping all copies of the book.<ref>{{cite web|last=Johnson |first=Andrew |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/music-critics-book-is-pulped-as-penguin-loses-defamation-case-398144.html |title=Music critic's book is pulped as Penguin loses defamation case - Crime - UK |work=The Independent |date=2007-10-28 |access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 31: Line 46:


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.naxos.com/aboutus.asp?page=klaus Klaus Heyman's biography on the Naxos web site]
* [http://www.naxos.com/aboutus.asp?page=klaus Klaus Heyman's biography on the Naxos web site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903193451/http://www.naxos.com/aboutus.asp?page=klaus |date=2013-09-03 }}
* [http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/the-future-of-listening-will-be-an-all-you-eat-formula Interview with Klaus Heymann on the Gramphone web site, August, 2010]
* [http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/the-future-of-listening-will-be-an-all-you-eat-formula Interview with Klaus Heymann on the Gramophone web site, August, 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202013300/http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/the-future-of-listening-will-be-an-all-you-eat-formula |date=2011-12-02 }}
* [http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/klaus-heymann-the-last-record-man-standing/ Interview with Klaus Heymann on the NewMusicBox web site, October, 2011]
* [http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/klaus-heymann-the-last-record-man-standing/ Interview with Klaus Heymann on the NewMusicBox web site, October, 2011]


{{Gramophone Hall of Fame}}
{{Persondata
{{Authority control}}
| NAME = Heymann, Klaus
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =German entrepreneur
| DATE OF BIRTH =22 October 1936
| PLACE OF BIRTH =Frankfurt am Main
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heymann, Klaus}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heymann, Klaus}}
[[Category:German businesspeople]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Frankfurt]]
[[Category:Classical music record labels]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:People from Frankfurt]]
[[Category:Alumni of King's College London]]
[[Category:People from Hesse-Nassau]]
[[Category:West German emigrants]]
[[Category:Immigrants to British Hong Kong]]
[[Category:German emigrants to Hong Kong]]

Latest revision as of 08:54, 1 November 2024

Klaus Heymann (born 22 October 1936) is a German entrepreneur and the founder and head of the Naxos record label.

Early life

[edit]

Heymann was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and studied Romance languages and English at the Universities of Frankfurt and Lisbon, at King's College London and finally at the Sorbonne in Paris. To pay his way through university, he worked as a tennis coach.

Career

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

Heymann worked in advertising sales and special supplement production for an American newspaper in his native Frankfurt, then worked in international marketing for Braun AG. He first went to Hong Kong in 1967 to start up the office of the Overseas Weekly, the American newspaper he had worked for in Frankfurt. He "arrived with a suitcase and a typewriter, and strangely enough the hotel which had been booked for me didn't exist anymore."[1] He subsequently created a direct-mail advertising business, then a mail-order company providing goods to members of the United States military in Vietnam. He sold such items as cameras, watches and audio equipment, including Bose speakers and Revox tape recorders.

Hong Kong

[edit]

Following the end of the war in Vietnam, Heymann became the Hong Kong distributor for Bose and Revox, and, later, Studer recording studio equipment. He began organizing classical music concerts to help boost the sales of the brands he sold. When Heymann found that many of the musicians who performed at these concerts could not find their recordings in Hong Kong record shops, he started importing a number of classical record labels, including Vox-Turnabout, Hungaroton, Supraphon and Opus Records, for his company Studer-Revox (Hong Kong) to be later renamed Pacific Music.

Heymann was asked to join the board of the then-amateur Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1973, and helped this orchestra become a full-time professional orchestra in 1974. At this time, he also met his future wife, Japanese violinist Takako Nishizaki, who came to play as soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic.[2]

Heymann's desire to help his wife's career led him to start making her recordings, including that of the Chinese Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto with the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 1978, it sold several hundred thousand copies legitimately and millions in China.[3]

After this unexpected success, Heymann created a label called HK to record other works with the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. At the same time, he began to import and license music from pop labels such as RCA, Arista, Virgin Records, Chrysalis Records and others.

While Heymann was successful selling records of Asian music, he wanted to record rare works, and decided to create the Marco Polo label to do this.[4] After initially recording in Hong Kong and Singapore, Heymann switched to eastern European countries, profiting from his connections with the Hungaroton and Opus labels, located in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, which he distributed.

Naxos

[edit]

In 1987, Heymann founded the Naxos label, with the goal of selling budget-priced classical CDs. His goal was to sell CDs at the same price as LPs, or roughly one-third of the price of CDs at the time. At first, he was acquiring digital recordings from a German company. Then, Naxos began developing its catalog with young or unknown artists and orchestras. Heymann assumed the Naxos catalog would not cover more than fifty releases,[5] thinking that the major labels would begin competing in the same sector, but given the success of the label, the company went on to become a full-fledged classical label covering a wide range of music.

Over the years, Heymann led the label to not only record the standard classical repertoire, but also to focus on works that were not often recorded, or not at all. The company is "still filling gaps in the repertoire."[6]

Heymann was one of the early proponents of digital music and led Naxos to put its entire catalog online for streaming in 1996[7] via hnh.com that became naxos.com. In 2002, he launched the Naxos Music Library, essentially used by educational institutions and libraries. In 2007, Heymann stated that "the label was positioned to survive and prosper without selling CDs,"[8] and that "revenue from other sources is now big enough to let us not only survive but lead a healthy, profitable existence."[9] He also created distribution companies in most major music markets to distribute Naxos recordings, and the group of companies is now a major distributor of classical recordings and classical music DVDs around the world, including those of Warner Classics and Sony.

Heymann claimed, in a 2007 interview with Stereophile Magazine, that he was only just making a "decent return" from the more than $80 million he invested in the company, "thanks to the advent of digital platforms."[10] He sees the future of the classical music market as a mix of CDs, downloads and streaming: "Whether physical product will be a half of today or a third of today, nobody knows. There will also be downloads, and all kinds of subscription things. Our streaming classical-music library right now is by far the most successful in our field, and the most profitable for us and for the labels. But there may be others that mix paid and unpaid streaming."[11]

Heymann's strategy is to be "the last man standing in terms of distributing classical music in physical form."[12]

Heymann is also the co-founder of Artaria Editions, a music-publishing house with a specialist interest in rare eighteenth-century repertoire.[13]

In March 2024, Heymann personally acquired Chandos Records. The announcement mentioned that there would be no immediate changes among the people managing Chandos Records, which will continue to operate independently and under the same name, but worldwide distribution of physical and digital Chandos products will be handled by the Naxos Music Group.[14]

Personal life

[edit]

Heymann lives in Hong Kong with his wife Takako Nishizaki and their son Henryk.

In 2007, Heymann successfully sued music critic Norman Lebrecht for defamation, for a book entitled Maestros, Masterpieces and Madness: The Secret Life and Shameful Death of the Classical Record Industry, published by Penguin, which led to the UK publisher pulping all copies of the book.[15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Time Out Hong Kong | Big Smog | Hong Kong news, current affairs, politics and social issues | Hongkonger: Klaus Heymann". Timeout.com.hk. 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  2. ^ "About Klaus Heymann of Naxos Global Distribution Ltd". Naxos.com. 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  3. ^ "Naxos First Recordings". Naxos.com. 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  4. ^ Nicolas Soames (3 May 2012). The Story Of Naxos: The extraordinary story of the independent record label that changed classical recording for ever. Little, Brown Book Group. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-7481-3110-5.
  5. ^ "The Birth of Naxos". Naxos.com. 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  6. ^ "Naxos founder Klaus Heymann on what lies ahead for classical recordings - Page 2". gramophone.co.uk. 2010-08-24. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  7. ^ "Klaus Heymann: The Last Record Man Standing". NewMusicBox. 2012-06-18. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  8. ^ "Press Room". Classicsonline.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  9. ^ "Klaus Heymann: A 20th-Anniversary Chat with the Founder of Naxos". Stereophile.com. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  10. ^ "Klaus Heymann: A 20th-Anniversary Chat with the Founder of Naxos Page 2". Stereophile.com. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  11. ^ "Klaus Heymann of Naxos". Stereophile.com. 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  12. ^ Midgette, Anne. "The Classical Beat - The future of the recording industry: is there one?". Voices.washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  13. ^ "Artaria Editions – High quality sheet music from the 18th century". Artaria Editions. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  14. ^ "Naxos Founder Acquires Chandos Records". OperaWire. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  15. ^ Johnson, Andrew (2007-10-28). "Music critic's book is pulped as Penguin loses defamation case - Crime - UK". The Independent. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
[edit]