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A Music Lover Remembered

Barry Willis Jan 03, 2005 First Published: Jan 03, 2005

Chris Keeler was the first guy I ever knew with an exotic turntable and a record library that most radio stations would envy. The love of music was a driving force throughout his life, one that sustained him right to the end.

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Frederick Fennell, 1914–2004

Wes Phillips Jan 02, 2005 First Published: Jan 02, 2005

Audiophiles everywhere were saddened to learn of the death of Frederick Fennell on December 7. He was 90, which made him only a few years senior to the process of electrical recording—an art form in which he made quite an impact.

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China Cracking Down on Piracy?

Barry Willis Dec 27, 2004 First Published: Dec 27, 2004

In a decision delivered in late December, China's top court has elevated intellectual property theft from misdemeanor status to felony. The move may be a sea change for the giant Asian nation, where piracy has long been a way of life.

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Meridian on DualDisc

Barry Willis Dec 27, 2004 First Published: Dec 27, 2004

Meridian">http://www.meridian.co.uk">Meridian Audio Ltd. is the latest electronics maker to weigh in on the continuing DualDisc controversy.

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Surround On The Go

Jon Iverson Dec 27, 2004 First Published: Dec 27, 2004

One of the drawbacks of the new DualDiscs released by the major labels to date is a lack of consistency when it comes to portability—the ability to easily transfer the music to any device the listener prefers, such as an iPod, media server, PC, or MP3 player, or to make a back-up CD for car use.

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XCP CDs For 2005?

Jon Iverson Dec 20, 2004 First Published: Dec 20, 2004

While a relative trickle of copy-restricted CDs have been released in the US, European labels have been more likely to experiment with lock-down technology. Russia is battling extreme piracy, as its culture and mass communications minister, Aleksandr Sokolov, reported to his government last week, asserting that pirated wares account for 80–90% of the overall audio and video sales in that country.

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Cell Phone Hi-Fi?

Barry Willis Dec 20, 2004 First Published: Dec 20, 2004

Music industry executives widely believe that "ring tones"—snippets of favorite tunes—and music downloadable to cell phones will be the next big trend, perhaps one that could help restore some luster to the industry's tarnished bottom line. "Music-related products for PCs and mobile phones are on pace to deliver as much as $500 million in combined revenue in the US for 2004, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures and analysts' projections," reported Brian Garrity in a mid-December issue of Billboard.

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iPod Mania Causes Shortage

Barry Willis Dec 20, 2004 First Published: Dec 20, 2004

Once upon a time, holiday shoppers fought over Cabbage Patch Dolls and Beanie Babies.

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Supreme Court Tackles P2P

Barry Willis Dec 13, 2004 First Published: Dec 13, 2004

Long-simmering disputes about peer-to-peer file sharing, or P2P, will finally come to a boil sometime next year. On Friday, December 10, the US Supreme Court agreed to examine whether online services Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks, Inc. are liable for copyright infringement. Both services enable users to share music and other forms of copyrighted material, and both derive revenue from advertising.

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Auto Surround

Jon Iverson Dec 13, 2004 First Published: Dec 13, 2004

A local body shop owner explained to me recently how the center brake light that began showing up on the rear deck of cars a few years ago killed business for him and his pals. Seems that all of a sudden, folks weren't rear-ending each other as often.