The news reached us through our readers, who informed us that Opera PLUS had been recognized by the American media agency FeedSpot. Based in California, FeedSpot is a global ranking service that categorizes and evaluates websites, channels, blogs, and influencers worldwide. Its database currently lists more than 415,000 brands and digital creators.
Opera PLUS has been ranked ninth in the 2025 category of the 15 Most Influential Online Music Magazines. FeedSpot recognized both our Czech-language edition and the selective English version, where we occasionally publish highlights from Czech musical life — articles that are often picked up by international media outlets and agencies. The ranking also acknowledged our uniquely broad coverage of live classical music events, the most extensive of its kind across the Czech-language internet and within our national region. Among the key evaluation criteria were digital distribution, speed of access, and the high frequency of daily publications. For all media included in the ranking, a strong domestic readership combined with meaningful international reach was considered essential.
At the very top of the category stands the renowned German magazine VAN, which, alongside music criticism and reporting, has also distinguished itself through investigative journalism. In 2019, VAN was the first to examine allegations concerning conductor Daniel Barenboim’s reportedly authoritarian treatment of staff and artists at the Berlin State Opera. Two years earlier, the magazine published an interview with Iranian-born harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, long based in Prague, which triggered an international media controversy with prominent German harpsichordist Andreas Staier. In the interview, Esfahani spoke critically of what he described as narrow-minded nationalism at a European harpsichord competition.
The second place in the ranking went to Classical Music Magazine, published under license from the BBC. Although the magazine primarily promotes the British music scene, its largest share of followers — 34% — comes from the United States. Founded in 1992 as a print publication, it continues to maintain a printed edition today. Since 2006, it has awarded the prestigious BBC Music Magazine Awards, decided both by experts and by audiences. Czech artists have often been among the winners: this year the Czech Philharmonic won in the orchestral category with their recording of Má vlast under Semjon Bychkov; in 2020 pianist Ivo Kahánek and conductor Jakub Hrůša received the award for their recording of Dvořák and Martinů piano concertos with the Bamberg Symphony. Other laureates include the Smetana Trio and soprano Kateřina Kněžíková.
A few positions ahead of Opera PLUS is the legendary British magazine Gramophone. First published in print 102 years ago — and still available today — it commands enduring prestige among readers. Its digital platform, evaluated by FeedSpot, has been active since the 1990s. Unlike Opera PLUS, Gramophone focuses exclusively on album reviews and avoids social or investigative themes, for which VAN is acclaimed. Since 1977, it has annually presented the Gramophone Awards, regarded as the “Oscars” of classical music. Here, the winners are chosen exclusively by a professional jury. Among Czech artists, laureates have included Ivo Kahánek (2020), the Czech Philharmonic on several occasions, and the Pavel Haas Quartet, whose 2017 recording of Janáček’s quartets significantly enhanced the ensemble’s international reputation.
Compared with the vast English-speaking online communities, the Czech Republic represents a truly small region. In its evaluation, FeedSpot emphasized not scholarly musicological journals, which publish breakthrough discoveries yet serve small, closed communities, but rather those platforms that engage with their readership, actively support live performance, and contribute visibly to the public musical sphere. For Opera PLUS, being listed among such globally respected media outlets is not only a great honor, but also an encouragement for our continued work.
