IPod people, this culture isn’t alien

THE Naxos record label has joined politicians, talk radio hosts and broadcast evangelists in reaching out to people through podcasts -- audio programs that can be pulled off the Internet and downloaded onto an iPod for listening to at one’s leisure. The label has five free mini-documentaries on classical music already available, and more are on the way.

“They’re not really sales pieces,” says Naxos spokesman Raymond Bisha, who writes, narrates and produces the ‘casts. “We designed them to help people get involved, learn about and appreciate classical music. It gets kids thinking about classical music too, using a medium that younger people are tuned in to.”

Topics include composers William Boyce, Benjamin Britten, Peter Boyer and Thomas Tallis, plus a talk on some little-known timpani concertos. Each podcast lasts about 20 minutes and includes history and music.

“You can download one reasonably quickly, but it’s long enough for people to actually hear the music,” Bisha says. “It’s not like a pop single. You need to give a minute or two for the music to unfold.”

Naxos began issuing the segments in July. The plan is to create two a month over the next half a year, then one every week.

“The simple truth is, if they really catch on, we’ll just keep doing them,” Bisha says. “Considering the breadth of classical music, we’re not about to run out of material. There’s a pretty big sandbox to play in.”

Streaming versions can be accessed by going to www.naxos.com and clicking on “podcasts.” For downloadable versions, go through the iTunes Music Store.