Sales of recorded music were down by 5% monetarily and 6.7% in units shipped worldwide for the first half of 2001, according to figures released September 28 by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPA). The IFPI reported declines of 20% in Latin America, 8% in Asia, and 5% in North America as well as decreases in other major markets. (Other reports, such as those appearing in the Wall Street Journal, quoted much higher figures, including a 30% decline in the Latin…
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The international music industry is once again singing the blues, and CD burning is the refrain.
One can almost imagine how it all started: "Hey, you got a computer in my audio system." "No, you got an audio system in my computer . . . "
No matter how it began, manufucturers are still trying to crack the "convergence" market with products intended to leverage the processing and connectivity abilities of computers with the popularity and ease of use of the home entertainment system.
Another twist on the convergence concept emerges this week as computer manufacturer Dell unveils the Dell Digital Audio Receiver during PC Expo in New York. Dell says that the new receiver is…
In a move that is sure to enrage users of blank digital media, Canada's Copyright Board has finalized plans to add a levy of 5.2 Canadian cents on CD-Rs and CD-RWs, 23.3 cents on audio cassettes over 40 minutes in length, and 60.8 cents on MiniDiscs and recordable audio CDs. In a market in which blank CD-Rs used for computer backup typically cost less than C$1 each, this represents an increase of at least 5% per disc. Interestingly, DAT tapes are excluded from the tax, as they are not seen as a threat to the music business.
Predictably, Canada's high-tech sector is outraged about the fees…
Where Pogs and Pokemon once ruled, HitClips have taken over. HitClips are hot. So hot, in fact, that Hasbro Incorporated's Tiger Electronics division has sold more than 20 million of them at $3.99 each. That's $80 million gross on a single product, a figure that probably no high-end audio company has ever reached.
Tiger Electronics has also sold truckloads of HitClips players at just under $20 each. But unless you happen to have kids under the age of 12, you've probably never heard of the format—and for good reason. HitClips are so far below the high-fidelity radar that audiophiles…
The age of digital music downloads has begun in earnest. On July 20, EMI Recorded Music announced that it has signed a deal with Digital On-Demand and its subsidiary, RedDotNet Inc., to make the EMI catalog available for downloading to kiosks in music stores. The kiosks will be equipped with CD "burners" where customers can copy EMI recordings not in stock in the stores. They will also be able to print out the original cover art and liner notes. Discs can be copied at high speed in 5 to 15 minutes using RedDotNet's technology, the announcement noted.
"We are happy that EMI shares our…
After enduring frustrating delays, XM Satellite Radio announced the successful launch last week of its first satellite, which the company has named Rock. XM reports that lift-off occurred off the Sea Launch Odyssey Launch Platform in the open waters of the Pacific Ocean on the equator, and that the first signals from the satellite were captured by a ground station in Australia a little over an hour later, as planned.
The launched satellite is the first of three 702 models built by Boeing Satellite Systems, with its 10,284 lb. (4666 kg) payload lifted to geosynchronous transfer orbit by a…
The received wisdom has it that among the billions of humans on earth, no two have identical fingerprints, no matter how closely related they are.
Neither do audio recordings. Despite stylistic similarities, all musical recordings have differences in pitch, tempo, timing, and melody. Researchers at Royal Philips Electronics, NV have exploited this phenomenon in the development of what they are calling an "audio fingerprinting" system that may enable anyone to quickly identify the name of the song they are listening to, its performer, and other important data.
A three-second snippet…
The Andra, Stereophile's 1997 Product of the Year, will soon be back. So will the Rosa, the Fontaine, the Isabel, and the Ivy Reference—in fact, the full line of EgglestonWorks loudspeakers will be shipping soon to dealers, now that the company has been rescued from extinction. EgglestonWorks had been in legal limbo for most of the year as creditors wrangled over its future.
The good news for EgglestonWorks fans came on November 1, when Memphis, Tennessee-based EgglestonAudio LLC announced the acquisition of the assets of EgglestonWorks Loudspeaker Company. EgglestonAudio will…
Several weeks ago, we reported on the revival of McCormack Audio by Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson, who purchased the company's assets at an auction in Southern California. This past week, McCormack Audio has announced that one of the original co-founders, Steve McCormack, has rejoined the company as Director of Research and Development. McCormack had worked at the company from its inception in 1982 until 1996.
So how did the first few days back at the job go? "We just had a very intense week back at headquarters in Virginia," said McCormack from his office in Southern California. "We spent…
Anyone who has experimented with wireless local area networks for audio—feeding rear/side speakers in a multichannel system, for example—can attest that the technology is far from ready for prime time. Prone to noise, interference, and dropouts, wireless audio systems require a tremendous amount of refinement before they'll meet audiophile standards.
The domestic intrusion caused by the necessary cabling in hardwired systems prevents many potential converts from joining the multichannel camp. A reliable, good-sounding wireless surround system could be the audio industry's next great leap…