LATEST ADDITIONS

A few years ago, when media pundits began discussing the possible ramifications of 500 channels of television, the concept of "narrowcasting" quickly became the buzzword <I>du jour.</I> The idea was that programming in the future would be aimed at increasingly better-defined markets. Rather than an all-sports channel, an astute broadcaster would operate multiple channels devoted to individual sports: an all-basketball channel, for example, or round-the-clock motor sports. Advertising tailored for a tightly defined market might prove more efficient than its shotgun-effect equivalent.

Some optimists in Washington, on Wall Street, and elsewhere predicted that the Asian economic crisis wouldn't reach the United States. But in late August, the financial flu infecting that part of the world, and the ongoing monetary instability in Russia, finally affected North America. As of Friday, August 28th, the <A HREF="http://www.dowjones.com/">Dow Jones</A> Industrial Average was hovering just above 8000, down from a record high of 9337.97 on July 17th. The market decline has affected the whole economy---traditional industries as well as hot-ticket ventures like Internet stocks.

I think I've finally figured out the secret of <I>Stereophile</I>'s success. You, cherished reader, <I>don't</I> read this mag because it's chock full o' reviews of tantalizing audio gear (even though it is). And you <I>don't</I> read this mag because JA and RL strive so hard to keep the literary quotient as hi as the fi (even though they do). And I <I>know</I> you don't read this mag cuz trusting yer own sensory input is a mighty scary proposition indeed so you look to <I>Stereophile</I> as to a Holy Bible that eases your Earthly burden by <I>telling you</I>, Ah say Ah say TAILING YEW what to buy (do you?).

Are CD prices too high? Does pricing constrict the amount of music you purchase and listen to? After reading the responses to last week's question, it seems appropriate to ask if you would buy more regular CDs if the price dropped substantially---let's say to around $8 US per disc at retail.

Looks like it might be a while before a profitable formula jells for selling music over the Internet. News this week indicates that one of the largest music retailers, <A HREF="http://www.towerrecords.com">Tower Records</A>, is finally ready to challenge the market, while online distribution pioneer <A HREF="http://www.n2k.com">N2K</A&gt; will be scaling back operations until things steady a bit.

The <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/">Federal Communications Commission</A> is fighting an epidemic called "microradio." The agency has closed 250 unlicensed stations in the past year, most of them low-powered urban pip-squeaks with less than 100W of power and broadcast radii of 10 miles or less. The typical microradio station offers an off-center perspective on local, national, and world events to a listenership of a few hundred people, and loses money in the process.

In June, while the <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com/">Recording Industry Association of America</A> was collecting fat <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10208/">settlements</A&gt; from unauthorized CD compilers, its Canadian counterpart was busy shutting down <A HREF="http://www.purpledot.zener.com/">Purple Dot</A>, a custom-disc operation in Calgary, Alberta. The Canadian Recording Industry Association e-mailed a cease-and-desist order to 18-year-old Robert Clark, owner and operator of Purple Dot, which had been advertising on the Internet in the <A HREF="http://www.yahoo.com/">Yahoo!</A&gt; directory.