News

"High-End Market Will Crash," Bender Predicts

Barry Willis Nov 14, 1998 First Published: Nov 14, 1998

One might think that the publisher of "The Largest Marketplace in the World for Audiophile Equipment" would have a vested interest in encouraging trading activity among his readers. One would think that such a publisher might take a neutral stance regarding fluctuations in the world market for used equipment. One would think that he would credit his readers with sufficient intelligence to decide for themselves whether any specific purchase, sale, or trade was a good deal.

News

WebNoize Brought Music Industry Suits and Internet Geeks Together

Jon Iverson Nov 08, 1998 First Published: Nov 08, 1998

The WebNoizehttp://www.webnoize.com">WebNoize; three-day conference took place last week in Los Angeles, mixing record-company executives with Internet geeks, all trying to find profitable ways to distribute music online. Tom Roli, publisher of the Webnoize website, set the tone for the event, stating that "the industry is facing great change and uncertainty due to emerging technologies, shifting global markets, and media revolutions."

News

Audio Divx for the Internet?

Jon Iverson Nov 08, 1998 First Published: Nov 08, 1998

MP3-formatted audio files are considered to be the most popular streaming technology on the Internet, but the major record labels have so far shunned the format, which doesn't offer as much security and pay-per-download options as they'd like. Several announcements last week coincided with the WebNoizehttp://www.webnoize.com">WebNoize; conference in Los Angeles and revealed what a few of the labels are thinking.

News

Rolling Stone Announces "Radio" at WebNoize

Stereophile Staff Nov 07, 1998 First Published: Nov 07, 1998

Internet audio continues to expand. Last week, at the first WebNoize conference, held in Los Angeles, JamTV/Rolling">http://www.jamtv.com/">JamTV/Rolling Stone Network and RealNetworks">http://www.real.com/">RealNetworks, Inc. announced the debut of Rolling">http://www.rsradio.com/">Rolling Stone Radio, a new Internet audio service offering music in several genres. Rock star David Bowie announced that he would serve as a disc jockey for the new venture. Amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.com">Amazon.com; has also signed on to participate as a music retailer.

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Rundgren: Musicians Will "Fish" for Fans on the Internet

Barry Willis Nov 07, 1998 First Published: Nov 07, 1998

In the age before recordings, music was a service business. Composers wrote for their patrons, and musicians performed for money. In the days since Edison's inventions, music has become a commodity business in which record companies stockpile large inventories and attempt to move them into the market of music lovers through a dense network of distributors and retailers. For established artists, the service aspect of music---playing for pay---now exists primarily to support the commodity business. For developing artists, public performance is a form of self-promotion to aid the search for a recording contract.

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A Note to International Subscribers

Nick King Nov 04, 1998 First Published: Nov 04, 1998

I have been informed that there was a serious error at the shipping department. The September and October issues of Stereophile and Stereophile Guide to Home Theater have been sent via a very slow shipping method. This was due to a misunderstanding between the magazines' new printer and the new subscription mailing house.

News

MP3 Association Formed

Stereophile Staff Nov 01, 1998 First Published: Nov 01, 1998

Hot on the heels of a favorable RIAA/Rio decision (see related">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10299/">related story), five of the pioneers in the rapidly expanding market for downloadable music---GoodNoise">http://www.goodnoise.com">GoodNoise Corp., MP3.comhttp://www.mp3.com">MP3.com;, MusicMatchhttp://www.musicmatch.com">MusicMatch;, Xing">http://www.xingtech.com">Xing Technology Corp., and Diamond">http://www.diamondmm.com">Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc.---announced the formation of the MP3 Association, an industry trade group focused on the "continued evolution and adoption of the MP3 (MPEG 1 or 2, Layer 3) standard." The Association will focus on three primary goals: promoting MP3 technology as the next-generation digital music format, educating consumers about MP3 and its legal use, and opening new creative avenues for musicians and developers.

News

Are You Listening to a Radio Station Right Now?

Jon Iverson Nov 01, 1998 First Published: Nov 01, 1998

The Internet is having a startling effect on radio, as evidenced by a new report released by The">http://www.arbitron.com">The Arbitron Company, entitled "Arbitron Internet Listening Study: Radio in the New Media World." Arbitron concludes "that Internet broadcasting is a fast-growing medium which presents both challenges and opportunities for radio broadcasters."

News

Judge Reverses Injunction: Rio is Back in Action

Jon Iverson Nov 01, 1998 First Published: Nov 01, 1998

For the past three weeks (see previous">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10291/">previous article) we've been reporting on the troubled plight of Diamond">http://www.diamondmm.com">Diamond Multimedia's new Rio portable MP3 audio player. Announced in grand fashion by Diamond several months back, the Recording">http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) quickly set its sights on the device, and fired what it hoped would be a fatal shot in the form of an injunction. The RIAA appeared to have succeeded until last week, when US Central District Court California Judge Audrey Collins reversed her initial ruling from 10 days earlier of an injunction, paving the way for the product's release this month. Both the RIAA and the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC) are planning an appeal.

News

Rock and Roll Will Never Die!

Barry Willis Nov 01, 1998 First Published: Nov 01, 1998

Cleveland's WMMS-FM built an enormous following of loyal fans by cranking out a steady stream of rock'n'roll---a stream now 30 years old. "The Buzzard," as the station at 100.7MHz is known, rode the wave of rock's ascendancy, and pioneered the classic rock format---one instantly recognizable by the heavy rotation of the recordings of such groups as Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, the Allman Brothers, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, the Cars, Kansas, Boston, and Journey. Every major city in the United States has at least one such station. Throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s, WMMS won generations of rock fans with its midday concerts and kept them tuned in with its unwavering dedication to heavy rock. The station was instrumental in winning the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame and Museum for the city of Cleveland.