The price? A mere $8 million, to be paid to various Napster creditors, will secure the company's assets. That's less than 10% of the $85 million Bertelsmann has pumped into Napster so far in the hope of turning it into a profit center offering licensed music. It…
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Napster has been saved from what appeared to be certain death. A last-minute deal struck by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG will revive the company, which was reportedly near bankruptcy. It's the end of a long-running soap opera and the beginning of a new era for the company that began the audio file-sharing phenomenon.
When it comes to purchasing and using electronics products, the gap between men and women appears to be disappearing. That's one conclusion reached by a study conducted in early October by eBrain Market Research and published by the Consumer Electronics Association. The study, titled Women, Men & Consumer Electronics, questioned 1000 random households about their involvement with electronics technology.
A number of results of the study are in direct opposition to one of the most firmly entrenched assumptions held by audio retailers: that the field of consumer electronics is a "boy's…
The last day at CES is low-key. Displays at the Las Vegas Convention center are already being broken down by mid-day, and many attendees have already left.
So things were quiet at the Alexis Park, except for the last-minute scrambling of bag-toting journalists trying to see the demonstrations they missed. Shannon Dickson wandered by, looking dazed. "I should have trained for this," he said. "Walked miles every day with a cinder block in each hand." We know the feeling, having spent nearly a week trudging thither and yon, computer in one hand, bag o' literature in the other. Can we hire…
At nearly simultaneous press receptions in London and New York on November 17, B&W unveiled its new 800 series loudspeakers, the first complete redesign of this respected and venerable line in more than six years. Wisely, the presentation began with cocktails and a surprisingly entertaining technical description of the innovations. The latter offered many reassurances that, although all aspects of the 800 line were examined, no changes were made simply for the sake of change, and the basic design principles withstood this re-examination. Thus, when we were, at last, treated to the…
One billion dollars in 1997---thatÆs the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association's first-ever estimate of the high-end industry's factory-sales volume. The number could be as high as $1.4 billion, according to a CEMA projection for the entire industry based on sales data of a representative sample of 32 companies. The results of the survey were published March 23 on CEMA's website.
The projection is a first for the association. "It's not the first time we've sampled companies [for their sales volume], but it's the first time we've projected the entire industry's sales," said a…
Music file–sharing service Napster Inc. appears to be losing its fight against the Record Industry Association of America. On May 8, judge Marilyn Hall Patel of the US District Court in Northern California rejected two of Napster's key defenses: that it is a "mere conduit" of information, like a telephone network; and that it had made serious efforts to prevent "repeat offenders" from using the site. Telephone companies, Internet service providers, and other types of information services are exempt by law from being responsible for the information transmitted over their systems, provided…
Music sales over the past two years have increased almost everywhere except near college campuses, according to a recent study undertaken by Reciprocal, Inc., a digital-rights management company. The first quarter of 2000 showed a 12% rise in overall music sales compared to the same period in 1998—except at stores located within five miles of a college campus. Reciprocal reached its conclusions based on figures supplied by sales-tracking organization Soundscan, Inc.
Stores near colleges showed a 4% drop in sales during the same period—a significant figure in light of the fact that such…
Kalman Rubinson looks past the odd knobs to discover what's at the heart of the Blue Circle BC21 preamplifier & BC22 power amplifier. KR reveals, "In the past, I've found components with small drawbacks that made them unacceptable, but the Blue Circle BC21 and BC22 triumphed over their flaws."
From 1992, Robert Harley conducts an exhaustive analysis of the two-box Linn Karik/Numerik CD player. "After years of anticipation, speculation, and rumor, the Linn CD player has arrived," writes Harley. Was the Linn CD player worth waiting for? "We'll find out," proclaims RH.
Brian…
As this is filed, there are only a couple of days until the end of the year, but still plenty of time to get these predictions under the interconnect. You can find part one here, and part two here.
7) "Breakthrough" speaker technologies still don't dent the high-end market.
1997 saw the emergence of some radical, highly publicized new speaker designs. First we were enticed with the Flatland products from NXT, and then the hypersonic wonders from ATC hit the press. But follow-up evaluations, though confirming that the devices make sound, haven't convinced us that they're ready for…
Audiophiles tend to be a fussy lot. But there are always a few sure-fire items that will put a smile on their faces without breaking the bank. We've got dozens of great ideas, guaranteed to suit every taste, available online (links are below) from our secure Web pages.
Stereophile's editor, John Atkinson, is a busy man. In addition to carefully shaping each issue of our beloved magazine, he tries to create at least one reference quality recording each year. Last year saw the release of the much heralded, ground-breaking 10-CD box set of Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas with Robert…