News Desk

On August 20, Digital Theater Systems (DTS) and EMI Music announced a joint venture to create and distribute new surround-sound versions of music recordings from various EMI labels on a worldwide basis. The new titles will be created by a DTS production team and will bear a "DTS Signature Series" logo, the announcement stated. The series will include "some of the top artists from EMI's catalog, as well as future releases, and will be distributed globally by EMI."

DTS Entertainment vice president Jeff Skillen described the agreement as "another example of how the recording industry is recognizing the importance of surround music for the future growth of the industry." The project will "create an incredible new music catalog," he said. EMI labels are distributed in over 50 countries and include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, EMI, EMI Classics, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone, and Virgin.

On August 12, Universal Music Group (UMG) announced plans to release dozens of DVD-A titles, starting September 23, 2003. Among them: Aaron Neville's Nature Boy: The Standards Album; Andrea Bocelli performing Verdi Arias; Anne-Sophie Mutter performing Vivaldi: Four Seasons; Beck's Sea Change; Cecilia Bartoli's The Vivaldi Album; Christian Thielemann in Orff's Carmina Burana; Claudio Abbado conducting Beethoven Symphonies 1 and 2; Dave Grusin's Two for the Road; David Sanborn's timeagain; Diana Krall's Love Scenes, When I Look in Your Eyes, and The Look of Love; Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive!; Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road; George Strait's Honkytonkville; John Hiatt's Bring the Family; Collection by Marvin Gaye; Ryan Adams's Gold; Shania Twain's Up!; Sheryl Crow's The Globe Sessions; Steely Dan's Gaucho; Sting's Brand New Day; The Who's Tommy; 3 Doors Down's Away from the Sun; Vince Gill's High Lonesome Sound; and Valery Gergiev conducting Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony.

All of UMG's releases will be remixed and remastered from the original multitrack masters, the announcement stated. UMG says its DVD-A discs will typically contain bonus content, including photos, biographies, lyrics, discographies, and videos. UMG DVD-A discs will play on existing DVD-Video players using Dolby Digital surround sound, according to the announcement.