Almost all of the industry's enemies have been outsiders. That's what's so unusual about a lawsuit filed in early April in…
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In a never-ending quest to control what it believes is an epidemic of piracy, the music industry in recent years has gone after Internet file-sharing startups, fly-by-night CD duplicators, foreign pirates operating on an industrial scale, college kids with too much time on their hands, and street-corner vendors hawking badly-duped cassettes. At times the anti-piracy campaign has reached the fervor of a witch hunt, with blame laid on the innocent as well as the guilty.
Have you ever been to a rock concert and come away mumbling, "Those engineers must be deaf"? After enduring three hours of an all-out sonic assault, you were probably just a tad cranky, but the facts are that those engineers probably were deaf, or well on their way.
That's the sobering conclusion of a seven-year study of hearing loss among music and audio professionals conducted by the House Ear Institute (HEI) in Los Angeles. Data gathered from hundreds of screenings at music and audio trade shows since 1997 reveal a consistent pattern of "high-frequency hearing loss from noise-induced…
From 2000, Brian Damkroger checks out the seductive Oracle CD player, commenting, "I couldn't help but wonder if the Oracle's sonic performance would be as unique and spectacular as its looks."
The January 1999 Stereophile saw Kal Rubinson listening to a pair of disc spinners. First he auditions the Arcam Alpha 9 CD player and writes, "There are as yet no 24/96 CDs, and it's unlikely that there ever will be. So, what can justify the inclusion of a 24/96 DAC in a CD player?"
Next, KR reviews the California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD-V/CD player, noting, "At a price of $2495, the CL-20 sits…
Retail prices of compact discs are likely to drop in the coming months, thanks to a Federal Trade Commission action ending an industry-wide price-support policy begun five years ago. On May 10, the FTC announced that it had reached an agreement with the "Big Five" of the music business—Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Music, Seagram Ltd.'s Universal Music, Sony Music Entertainment, BMG Entertainment, and EMI Group PLC—that will effectively end the practice of "minimum advertised pricing" (MAP) instituted as a response to music-retailing price wars in the mid-1990s. Under MAP, retailers were…
"Digital audio quality at analog prices." ThatÆs how Cirrus Logic's Crystal Semiconductor division introduced a chip that may bring a new level of audio performance to a much wider audience. On April 6, Crystal announced its CS4334, an 8-pin, small-outline D/A converter. The 24-bit CS4334 will support sampling rates of up to 96kHz, and is being marketed as a low-cost, high-quality solution for computer, automotive, and portable audio applications, as well as DVD systems and set-top converter boxes. Crystal claims the new chip is the industryÆs smallest delta-sigma DAC.
The highly…
The largest of six divisions of Royal Philips Electronics, Philips Consumer Electronics Mainstream intends to push the audio industry in several directions this year, according to a presentation made by the division's CEO Guy Demuynck at a January 5 press conference in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Long a dominant force in research and development, as well as in marketing consumer electronics, Philips has great hopes for every segment of the audio market. 2000 was a record year for the company, Demuynck said, and 2001 should be very good as well.
For those who prefer music by the ton,…
While at the 2005 CES in Las Vegas, we received word that The Dorian Group had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. More details have emerged in the days following the show.
The Dorian Group has estimated debts of $1 million and filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, on January 5. The largest secured creditor noted in the filing is Portland, ME–based bank Banknorth N.A., listed with a claim for a loan of approximately $300,000.
Chapter 11 is often used to protect a company as it attempts to reorganize its obligations, and allows continued operations while creditors work out a…
While all of the attention was on SDMI and watermarking earlier this month, Diamond Multimedia, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC) quietly announced the settlement of all pending litigation related to Diamond's Rio portable Internet music player. (See previous story.) All three parties say they have dismissed their legal actions, and have announced the mutually satisfactory resolution of outstanding legal issues.
Ron Moore, general counsel of Diamond Multimedia, stated that "Diamond Multimedia and our RioPort…
What can save the music industry? We've asked the question on this website a dozen times in several different ways and your responses are pretty much always the same: lower CD prices—closely followed by better music.
One down and one to go: Universal Music Group (UMG) announced last week that it is lowering the wholesale pricing on "virtually all top line" CDs and instituting a $12.98 Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) in the US. The current wholesale pricing to record stores is reported to be around $12.00, but the new price would put it at around $9.09. UMG says there are "no…
Music lovers within driving distance of San Francisco and those planning a visit for later this month should set aside Sunday, February 28, for a feast of black vinyl. That's the day the San Francisco Conservatory of Music holds its Giant LP Sale.
The twice-yearly fund-raiser is hosted by the Music Rack, the school's bookstore, and takes place in SFCM's Hellman Hall Lobby from 10am to 5pm. Flyers for the event promise "Thousands of used classical, opera, jazz, and pop LPs for $1-$2 each." What treasures lie buried in the hundreds of boxes and crates that will be arrayed for your perusing…