Bad Year for Music Biz
The year 2001 was a bleak one for the music industry. Of the major labels, only <A HREF="http://www.umusic.com">Universal Music Group</A> managed to turn a profit.
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Home and Car Audio Connect
Imagine this: You're a modern kind of audiophile, and your music library is loaded and sorted (without any compression, of course) onto a hard-disk–based audio system which is networked throughout the house. You've also got a hard-disk–based audio system in your car.
Who is the most important (to you) musician you've ever personally met?
We've all seen dozens, if not hundreds, of great musicians play live. But who have you personally met who you would rate as a great musician or composer?
The Fifth Element #14
The custom of giving presents at Christmastime recalls the Magi, or wise men, of the Nativity story (Matthew 2:1-16), who were most likely not "kings" but astrologers. Paintings usually depict three wise men presenting gifts to a newborn in a stable. However, a persnickety reading of Matthew's text reveals that the precise number of Magi, although it must have been at least two, is not stated. The text specifically mentions a house rather than a stable, and implies that Jesus was a toddler. So much for the great Renaissance painters doing their research, or even reading carefully. The text, however, does specify three gifts, and it is that inventory—of gold, frankincense, and myrrh—which has given rise to the common (but not necessarily commonsense) inference that the number of wise men was three.
Against the Dying of the Light: the Second Cantus CD
<B>Part 1: Wes Phillips on the CD's genesis</B>
Last week's Soapbox delved into the subject of musical preferences. Do you think your musical taste is something you were born with, or was it shaped by your environment?
Where did your taste in music come from? Please explain.
Copy Restriction Alliance
Although some record labels have scaled back plans to add restricted-use technology to all CD releases, efforts continue to find the protection formula that consumers, and in particular record labels, will accept.
First Annual Surround Awards
With the advent of Dolby Digital, DTS, DVD-Audio, and SACD, multichannel audio and its enthusiasts are not lacking for playback formats. What has been lacking, however, is recognition for outstanding achievements in the fledgeling surround music business. But not anymore.
Webcasters, RIAA Sign Final Deal
On December 14, the music industry and small webcasters concluded their long and often-acrimonious negotiations on royalties. The two parties—the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) "SoundExchange," a royalty-collecting body, and the Voice of Webcasters (VOW)—filed an agreement with the US Copyright Office in Washington that details generalities agreed to under the Small Webcaster Settlement Act (SWSA), signed December 4.
RIAA Targets Small Retailers
The music industry intends to leave no stone unturned in its war on piracy. Just a week after reports emerged about crackdowns on sales of pirated CDs at <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11514/">flea markets and swap meets</A>, the <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America</A> (RIAA) announced a campaign to eliminate sales of unauthorized discs at gas stations, grocery and convenience stores, and small independent music outlets.