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The music industry is facing its toughest business climate in recent memory, and slow sales are hurting not only the record labels, but music retailers as well. In the face of continuing sales declines, store closings, mergers and consolidations, layoffs, and seemingly intractable digital distribution issues, the industry came together last month for its annual <A HREF="http://www.narm.com">National Association of Recording Merchandisers</A> (NARM) convention and trade show in Orlando, FL.

It was 20 years ago today that Sgt. Michaelson taught the band to play. I was living in London when Antony Michaelson launched Musical Fidelity in an attempt to make a major statement in the area of affordable, high-quality, high-value electronics. Other Brits at the time were doing the same&mdash;companies such as Creek, A&R Cambridge (now Arcam), and DNM began to compete for the destitute audiophile's dollar.

Well into dCS managing director Mike Story's attempted explanation of upsampling, there came an epic moment when the ever-expanding universe of his thoughts&mdash;which we had been following to new heights of digital enlightenment&mdash;broke free of our collective grip, snapped back on itself, and caused a conceptual implosion of nearly cataclysmic proportions. The blank, spent expressions on the faces of the journalists gathered in the small attic-like meeting room at dCS's Great Chesterford (UK) facility all seemed to say, "What the hell was that? Was it just me, or did you feel that too?"

How did Michael Jordan, talented as he was at the peak of his powers, <I>always</I> manage to impose his will on his teammates to push them to victory when it counted most? What made Sandy Koufax able to elevate his pitching to a superhuman level when the stakes were highest? A knowledgeable, hardcore sports fan can watch the performance of two players with nearly identical statistics and, after not too long, tell you which one is merely very good and which one is great. What makes a star are intangibles&mdash;those qualities you can't quantify or analyze, but can't help but recognize when you're in their presence.

We were having trouble with the power in our home&mdash;the wall current, I mean, not the dynamics of our marriage&mdash;so I called the local utility. While the technician was here, he let me watch what he was doing. I had a chance to look inside our meter box, which is the junction between the utility's power lines and the circuit-breaker box in the cellar.

Webcasters will pay a new royalty rate to the recording industry, as of April 3.

Back in 1996, Martin Colloms reviewed the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/809/">Krell KAV-300i integrated amplifier</A>, asking, "Is Krell risking its reputation?" He needn't have worried, as the 300i has gone on to become a popular audiophile classic.