The critic is by no means the artist's enemy. At least as long as the artist is good. However, the quality of a performance can of course be debated. The music lover benefits when seeking some orientation among the vast multitude of recordings: because advertising cannot replace in-depth expert criticism.

Der Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik e.V (the German Record Review Award e.V.), some 158 music critics from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, are currently working for it in 32 expert panels, has been a hallmark of quality for fifty years. As of lately the jurors have started having debates in public: four of them come together as a "quartet of the critics", discuss various interpretations of a piece based on selected recordings and prepare the audience for the following live performance. A complex masterpiece from the world of lieder opens to the keen listener in the audience.