It's not uncommon for bootleggers to record live performances of favorite artists and then send copies of the tapes around the world. But in an interesting twist that could add a whole new dimension to concert merchandising, the Virgin Entertainment Group and Liquid Audio recently teamed up to record a live performance by the Joshua Redman Quartet at the Virgin Megastore in San Francisco. The recording was then immediately digitized and burned onto CD.

After the bungled launch last year of DVD-Audio, where is a digital audiophile to turn? John Atklinson provides some answers in "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/219/">Talkin&#039; 'Bout a Revolution</A>," from the April 2000 <I>Stereophile</I>. "So while the DVD Forum argues about increasingly arcane aspects of the DVD-Audio medium, and John Lennon's record-industry 'men in suits' retreat further into their lawyer-built fortresses, I have bypassed all they have to offer . . . "

They may sing about death and destruction, releasing albums with titles such as 1983's <I>Kill 'em All</I>, but underneath the menacing exteriors, <A HREF="http://www.metallica.com">Metallica</A&gt; is really just a group of sensitive artists.

In this issue you can find a full report from the 2000 International Consumer Electronics Show, held last January in Las Vegas. By contrast to the 1999 CES, the Y2K Consumer Electronics Show was considerably more upbeat, both according to my own observations and to those experts who specialize in judging the size of Las Vegas conventions: the city's taxi drivers. Yes, there were some rooms where lonely exhibitors were more than usually pleased to welcome a visitor from the press, but to judge from the home-theater exhibits at the Las Vegas Hilton's Convention Center and the specialty audio exhibits at the Alexis Park Resort Hotel, as well as the companies exhibiting at the splinter T.H.E. Show at the St. Tropez, the joint was jumping.

What do you want from a 21st-century record-playing device? I hear you: you want one that's compact, well-made, easy to set up, <I>holds</I> its setup, sounds great, and doesn't cost a lot.

What do you want from a 21st-century record-playing device? I hear you: you want one that's compact, well-made, easy to set up, <I>holds</I> its setup, sounds great, and doesn't cost a lot.

What do you want from a 21st-century record-playing device? I hear you: you want one that's compact, well-made, easy to set up, <I>holds</I> its setup, sounds great, and doesn't cost a lot.

What do you want from a 21st-century record-playing device? I hear you: you want one that's compact, well-made, easy to set up, <I>holds</I> its setup, sounds great, and doesn't cost a lot.

What do you want from a 21st-century record-playing device? I hear you: you want one that's compact, well-made, easy to set up, <I>holds</I> its setup, sounds great, and doesn't cost a lot.

What do you want from a 21st-century record-playing device? I hear you: you want one that's compact, well-made, easy to set up, <I>holds</I> its setup, sounds great, and doesn't cost a lot.