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

The age of downloadable digital music is showing signs of maturing. Territory that was explored by hobbyists, pirates, and startup companies eager to stake their claims will soon yield to the irresistible force of multinational conglomerates.

The struggle for position in the Internet-based audio downloading market continues unabated. On the format front, Sony has <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/10716/">recently announced</A> several deals to bring its ATRAC compressed-audio format to the Web, while <A HREF="http://www.ibm.com">IBM</A&gt; and <A HREF="http://www.liquidaudio.com">Liquid Audio</A> announced last week that they have entered into a strategic relationship intended to "advance the digital music marketplace" with content-management tools.

Last year, Internet commerce schemes were the darlings of venture capitalists and small investors alike. For months, it seemed that almost any business plan, no matter how half-baked, could attract millions of dollars with the simple mention of "online retail sales"&mdash;otherwise known as "e-commerce" or "e-tailing."

For lifelike audio presentation in your living room, what could be better than the real thing? When it comes to putting the sound of a piano in your home, nothing comes close to, well, a real piano. For more than a century, several companies have marketed player pianos, first using rolls of punched paper, and most recently sophisticated MIDI programs. But if a real piano represents the ultimate audio performance in your living room, who has the ultimate real piano?

<B>JONI MITCHELL: <I>Both Sides Now</I></B><BR> Joni Mitchell, vocals; Wayne Shorter, soprano & tenor sax; Mark Isham, trumpet; Herbie Hancock, piano; Chuck Berghofer, bass; Peter Erskine, drums; Vince Mendoza, arr., cond.<BR>Reprise 47620-2 (HDCD). 2000. Larry Klein, Joni Mitchell, prods.; Geoff Foster, Ben Georgiades, engs. ADD? TT: 51:35<BR> Performance <B>****?</B><BR> Sonics <B>****?</B>

For <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//finetunes/214/">"Fine Tunes" #17</A>, Jonathan Scull presents readers with the ultimate bachelor-pad mod for speaker stands: shiny black trash bags. More important, Scull investigates why we even try these things in the first place.

Next to join the online ATRAC parade, <A HREF="http://www.music.warnerbros.com/">Warner Music Group</A> announced last week that it has agreed to license the ATRAC3 audio compression technology from <A HREF="http://www.sony.co.jp/">Sony</A&gt;, 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.