The classics going online: Digitalisation and the recording of classical music

This paper investigates the effect of digitalisation on the classical music recording industry (CMRI). Whereas the popular music industry in the digital age has been studied extensively, there is a gap in the academic debate on the influence of digitalisation on the classical music industry. With the use of both qualitative interviews with industry officials and a quantitative content analysis of album reviews since 1999, this research investigates the extent to which the developments in demand and supply witnessed in the pop industry hold for the CMRI and how this has influenced the practice of actors in the field, focusing on symphony orchestras in the Netherlands.