The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is the first American symphony to digitally distribute performances previously unreleased to the public.

MSO Classics, an e-label created specifically for digital distribution of the symphony's recordings, was launched last week. The label is available exclusively on Apple's iTunes music store for the first 90 days, according to Tracy Johnson, MSO director of public affairs.

"The MSO has always been a pioneer in the world of new music," said MSO Music Director Andreas Delfs. "Now a new age for classical music distribution has begun, and we are pioneers once again."

The MSO has been known to pave the way for other American orchestras in many ways, Johnson said.

"Since we are one of the leaders in technology in classical music, being the first orchestra to distribute music digitally was possible," Johnson said. "Classical music has a tendency of being behind the curve, and the MSO is helping classical music get ahead of the curve."

An archive of 25 years worth of recordings for national radio broadcasts made it very possible to launch a label for digital distribution, according to Robert Levine, MSO principle violist.

"It is very rare for an orchestra to record over such a long period of time for radio broadcasts," Levine said. "Because our recordings date back to the 1970s, we have a very large archive of over 300 pieces."

The MSO hopes that the digital distribution will help make classical music more accessible and popular among younger audiences who download music, Johnson said.

"MP3 players are such a big thing now and we may be able to reach new markets, maybe markets orchestras may not have been able to open up," Levine said.

Levine said he feels that the digital music will also help build on the MSO's community profile and attract more people to concerts.

MSO Classics started digital distribution by releasing 13 pieces, including Roberto Sierra's "Sinfonía No. 3," which the MSO debuted in September. Works by Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Dvorak, Mussorgsky and Haydn are also a part of the inaugural release.

"We thought that the release was good stuff to start with because it was done recently and already recorded digitally for our radio broadcasts," Levine said.

The pieces, conducted by Delfs between 1999 and 2005, presented the least amount of barriers for the inaugural release because they did not involve featured artists and guest conductors, Johnson said.

"The MSO prides itself in pieces that aren't as conventional," Johnson said. "We plan on releasing more modern pieces that other orchestras don't usually release."

Although the MSO has one of the largest audio archives in the United States, the entire archive may not be available for downloading, Levine said.

"Every orchestra has a repertoire of music that is played by many other orchestras," Levine said. "Releasing pieces that other orchestras have released would not separate the MSO from other institutions. We will look forwards and backwards to find music that is different to create a repertoire different from other orchestras."

After the exclusive contract of MSO Classics on iTunes, the label will be available on other online music stores including Yahoo! Music, Napster and RealNetworks Rhapsody.

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on October 13, 2005.