January 6, 2025

🎶 Feeling a bit extra this week? Maybe not $18M-Stradivari-violin-extra, but hey — one can dream! A historic Stradivarius is set to change hands at auction for a cool $18 million.

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The big idea: Spotify's alleged classical music shell game exposed
Talking points:
— Metropolitan Opera opens first new production of Aida in nearly 4 decades
— French opera singer reacts to being booed in Vienna
Around the web + Laugh of the week

CLASSICAL CHARTZ

Weekly selections are based on sales numbers and albums we simply love and think you NEED to hear!

For the complete top 20, tune into Classical Chartz with the New Classical FM’s Mark Wigmore every Saturday from 3-5 pm EST!

THE BIG IDEA

Spotify's Alleged Classical Music Shell Game Exposed

How streaming's biggest player is quietly replacing musicians with stock music

The Secret Program

For years, classical music listeners on Spotify may have noticed unfamiliar names populating their favourite playlists. Now, an investigation reveals why: Spotify has been systematically replacing legitimate classical recordings with anonymous "ghost artists" through a secret program called Perfect Fit Content (PFC).

According to a recent Harper's Magazine exposé, Spotify deliberately fills its most popular playlists — including classical and jazz collections—with cheap stock music to reduce royalty payments. The company partners with production houses that churn out anonymous tracks, often replacing works by established artists.

Impact on Classical Music

The impact on classical music has been particularly severe. Spotify's "peaceful piano" and classical music playlists, which once featured renowned performers and composers, are now dominated by nameless performers creating generic background music. Internal documents show Spotify actively tracks and aims to increase these replacements across hundreds of playlists.

Behind the Scenes

The mechanics of this system are troubling. Production companies hire musicians to create quick, formulaic recordings designed to mimic authentic classical performances. These musicians often sign away their rights to the recordings for a small upfront fee, while Spotify and the production companies profit from millions of streams. One musician interviewed described the process as "brain-numbing" and "completely joyless," noting that the goal was to be "as milquetoast as possible."

Why It Matters

Why does this matter? When Spotify replaces legitimate classical recordings with stock music, it doesn't just affect streaming revenues—it undermines the entire classical music ecosystem. Professional musicians lose crucial exposure and income, while listeners unknowingly consume generic substitutes instead of authentic performances.

The Future at Stake

The program's existence contradicts Spotify's public claims about supporting artists and providing a "meritocratic" platform. Instead, it reveals a troubling future where streaming services might prioritize cheap, anonymous content over real artistry — all while keeping listeners in the dark about these practices.

For classical music lovers, this raises an important question: When we hit play on a classical playlist, are we supporting genuine artists or unknowingly contributing to a system designed to replace them? — MV

TOUR DE HEADLINES

Joachim-Ma Stradivarius (Photo: Tarisio)

🎻 The $18M Strad… hitting all the high notes? A rare Stradivari violin just auctioned off for a record-setting $18 million, signaling that the classical-music collector scene is on fire. With 300-year-old violins demanding eye-popping sums, the question is: are we about to see a new era of seven-figure instruments pulling focus away from modern contraptions like, say, your average keyboard? Read more

🎶 Grumbling composers… but (spoiler) music is good for us: A growing chorus of classical creators is complaining about streaming cuts, skimpy budgets, and short rehearsal times. But new research suggests that music — yes, even the brooding symphonies that put your dog to sleep — can actually boost mental health. So let’s give some slack to the moaning Mozarts out there. After all, “the hills are alive” for a reason. Read more

📝 A new spin on “paperwork panic”: Self-employed musicians are learning the hard way that missed invoices and awkward contract details can lead to big-time billing drama. Think you can’t chase a two-week-late check? Now there’s a whole etiquette manual encouraging artists to politely (but firmly) nudge their clients to cough up the cash. Because apparently even a brilliant Bach suite can’t pay your phone bill. Read more

MORE NEWS TO KNOW

Leonhard Baumgartner was just loaned a legendary 1683 “ex-Petherick” Strad, sparking envy among rosin-rubbing peers. Read more
On TikTok, classical music is thriving… albeit in 15-second, mashed-up slices. Beethoven would probably faint. Read more
Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin is set to lead the Vienna Philharmonic’s 2026 New Year’s Concert, bridging tradition with next-gen energy. Read more

TALKING POINTS

Soprano Angel Blue makes her Met opera role debut in Verdi’s Aida (Photo: The Metropolitan Opera)

Metropolitan Opera Opens First New Production Of Aida In Nearly 4 Decades

Michael Mayer’s production of Aida opened at the Metropolitan Opera this past week. Mayer’s staging is the first new production in nearly 4 decades, following Sonja Frisell’s 1988 production.

Out with the old: Along with a new year came a new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida for the Metropolitan Opera. Staged by director Michael Mayer, the production follows Sonja Frisell’s legendary production from 1988, which has had more than 240 performances at the Met. While the Frisell production was a traditionalist crowd-pleaser full of hieroglyphics and torchlit temples, Mayer’s production takes a different approach. Mayer and set designer Christine Jones employed animators to include digital projections alongside set pieces. A team of early 20th century archaeologists in Panama hats take the stage alongside the star-crossed lovers Radamès and Aida.

Looking back in time: Verdi’s Aida is one of the most-performed operas at the Metropolitan Opera, where it was staged 1176 times between 1886 and 2022. Originally commissioned by Cairo’s Khedivial Opera House where it premiered in 1871, the opera’s story is believed to originate from the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette (1821–81).

We recommend checking out our favourite performance of Aida from the Metropolitan Opera: soprano Leontyne Price’s farewell in 1985. Good luck holding back tears as Price’s ovation goes on and on. — SS

Mezzo-soprano Katia Ledoux. (Photo: Wolf-Dieter Grabner)

French Opera Singer Reacts To Being Booed in Vienna

The French mezzo-soprano Katia Ledoux took to social media following her booing during a performance at Vienna’s Volksoper.

Beat on the ground: On New Year’s Eve, the French mezzo-soprano Katia Ledoux was booed while performing the role of Orlofsky in the Vienna Volksoper’s Die Fledermaus. Ledoux took to social media to reflect candidly following the occurrence. She noted that the Volksoper’s production featured a rewrite of Orlofsky as a nihilistic, “deeply depressed and tragically closeted” gay character. Ledoux commented on the involvement of Viennese audiences in their city’s opera scene, engaging in online forums and often sending letters and emails to performers.

The trends: For many opera singers, being booed is a rite of passage. Yet, that doesn’t lessen its sting. In 1998, the soprano Renée Fleming was booed at La Scala during a performance of Lucrezia Borgia. Fleming described the experience in her autobiography as the worst night of her operatic life, which led to a nearly career-ending crisis of confidence.

Katia Ledoux, who identifies as big, Black, polyam, queer and feminist on social media, pondered in her post not only whether she had done anything wrong during her performance of Orlofsky, but whether or not to her Viennese audiences, she herself was wrong. We here at Ludwig Van are cheering her on. — SS

GAMES

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AROUND THE WEB

🎼 On this day: In 1838, German composer Max Bruch was born in Cologne—he would go on to create iconic works like his Violin Concerto No. 1.

🎬 Video: Dive into the chilling story of the Titanic’s maiden voyage and explore remarkable underwater footage of the famous wreck.

🔎 That’s cool: Scientists have identified a newly discovered fungus capable of breaking down certain plastics—potentially transforming waste management.

🕹 Game: Jump into this fast-paced capture-the-flag world — team up or go solo in an addictive test of strategy and reflexes.

🐱 Aww: Meet Picasso, the first cat adopted from a local shelter in 2025—proudly sporting a unique, lovable face.

LAUGH OF THE WEEK

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