News

Jonathan Scull has seen the future of audiophile proselytizing and aches to spread the word. In "Fine">http://www.stereophile.com//finetunes/217/">"Fine Tunes" #18, J-10 shares the new tweak-audio mantra, and more.

In an "increasingly complicated and competitive media environment," public broadcasting intends to be there. So declared the Corporation">http://www.cpb.org/">Corporation for Public Broadcasting on March 30, when it announced an almost $2 million investment in projects for National">http://www.npr.org/">National Public Radio and Public Interactive. CPB has long held the intellectual high ground in broadcasting, and its new investments are intended to continue that tradition. The goal of the program is to create "new content and services which will broaden the public square of ideas and civic discourse," according to a corporate press release.

Last week, JBL">http://www.jbl.com/">JBL Consumer Products (a unit of the Harman">www.harman.com">Harman Consumer Systems Group) and Korea's L.G. Electronics (manufacturers of Gold Star and L.G. Electronics brand products) announced that they have entered into a strategic alliance to jointly develop and market a "broad range of new consumer electronics products." The companies say that the partnership "builds upon the respective strengths of both manufacturers" and will enable both companies to expand their offerings into areas outside their traditional product categories.

Audiophiles and classical music lovers often risk falling into a repertorial rut. The classical standards are constantly being rerecorded—often to the point of needless repetition. How many versions of Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony or Ravel's Bolero do you really need? Rather than fill up your shelves with recordings of the same tired compositions, I suggest you look into some of these more obscure pieces—all of them perfect for playing on the first day of April. Below, a list of fresh "basics" that any good audiophile should own:

Next to join the online ATRAC parade, Warner">http://www.music.warnerbros.com/">Warner Music Group announced last week that it has agreed to license the ATRAC3 audio compression technology from Sonyhttp://www.sony.co.jp/">Sony;, for use in the electronic distribution of music. Warner says it expects to launch its electronic distribution business during the second half of 2000, using ATRAC3 on a non-exclusive basis.

The legal molasses in which MP3.comhttp://www.mp3.com/">MP3.com; is mired got thicker and deeper in mid-March, when MPL Communications launched a lawsuit against the Internet music company. MPL, ex-Beatle Paul McCartney's publishing house, joined the attack begun months ago by the Recording">http://www.riaa.com/">Recording Industries Association of America. McCartney's firm filed suit in a New York US District Court against the San Diego–based startup over copyrights on intellectual properties owned by MPL, whose catalog includes McCartney's solo work, as well as the works of Buddy Holly, Hoagy Carmichael, Sammy Cahn, and other songwriters and performers. MPL was joined in the suit by Peer International, which owns the work of the late Latina star Selena.

Record producer and critic John Marks, whose writing has appeared from time to time in Stereophile—his March "As">http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/208/">"As We See It" triggered a deluge of letters—has started John Marks Recommends, a free e-mail newsletter on music and the arts. "Talking about my own work will be the exception rather than the rule," says Marks. "I tell people about great recordings, books, and videos, recipes, and an occasional wine recommendation."