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Apple vs Apple: Despite persistent rumors of an impending settlement, the trademark dispute between Apple Corps, the Beatles' record company, and Apple Computer remained unresolved as of late September. The rift arose from the computer company's entry into the music business with its iTunes Music Store, in apparent violation of a previous deal in which it agreed not to do so. One possible outcome of current discussions between the two companies could be the first-ever online availability of Beatles recordings, an exclusive arrangement that might give iTunes an advantage over its competitors.…
Kalman Rubinson reviews the MSB Platinum Link Plus D/A processor, revealing, "I have a warm spot in my heart for MSB's approach to product development." With this latest product, will Rubinson's heart continue to glow?
Next, Art Dudley creates more controversy with his appraisal of the 47 Laboratory 4715 D/A processor & 4716 CD transport. Dudley says, "It seems to me that the two-box Shigaraki combo from Japan's 47 Laboratory is aimed more at that old-style hobbyist—the individualist, if you will—than the average audiophile."
Records to Die From? In "Listening #3," AD confronts…
Within the confines of the cozy analog audiophile kingdom, things couldn't be better: Turntables, cartridges and phono preamps can be found in abundance, while mounds of new and used vinyl can be scored by the truckload.
But outside, in the wilds of the larger music community, the analog herd's numbers are falling precipitously. The first shockwave hit the recording industry when it was announced that Quantegy, the last remaining manufacturer of professional analog recording tape and the only US recording tape manufacturer, had closed its doors on the last day of 2004.
Studios,…
Canadian music fans are breathing a collective sigh of relief in the wake of a ruling by a federal justice that sharing music over the Internet doesn't violate the nation's copyright laws.
On Wednesday, March 31, Justice Konrad von Finckenstein stymied efforts by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) to rein in file-sharing activity by music fans who had made large collections of recordings available to others via services such as KaZaa and DirectConnect. His decision means that 29 alleged large-scale copyright violators, to date known only by their screen names and IP…
Five years after opening a research office in Moscow, BMG Entertainment has launched an affiliate called BMG Russia OOO, which will work from the capital. The intent is to develop the Russian market for BMG products, discover and sign new musical talent—and combat piracy.
Russia is the world's second-largest market for pirated software, according to the International Federation of Phonographic Industries. Most of the computer software used in the vast country is pirated, as is the bulk of prerecorded audio and video entertainment. Much of the piracy is attributable to Russia's ongoing…
Wednesday, June 23, was an auspicious day for Musicland Stores Corporation. That day the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based music and video retailer took its sales online. Four websites, each mirroring one of Musicland's four divisions, went live simultaneously with a promotional contest offering customers the chance to win daily and weekly prizes and a $10,000 grand prize---including a Sony home entertainment system. Participants can also win a trip for two to the World Wrestling Federation Summer Slam in Minneapolis on August 22.
Musicland's four divisions---Sam Goody, Media Play, On Cue,…
Price-fixing by major record labels isn't confined to the United States. The music industry's "Big Five" (Universal Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, EMI Group PLC, and the Bertelsmann Music Group) are now under the scrutiny of European Union antitrust investigators, who are looking into the possibility that the companies may have colluded to keep CD prices artificially high in Europe. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and music industry agreed to settle the American version of the issue in May 2000.
Contracts between music companies and European retailers are under…
In his review of the Clearaudio Champion 2 turntable and Unify tonearm with Benz Micro L2 phono cartridge, Paul Bolin notes, "Turntables are intrinsically cool. Maybe it's that I am of the pre-CD generation, for which the acquisition of one's first really good turntable marked an audiophile's coming of age." Bolin explains why the Clearaudio is a really good player.
High-end headphone maker Stax has had its share of ups and downs, ending with a permanent down in 1996. But when several engineers from the company announced that they were reforming the brand to further develop the legendary…
On June 16, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a product recall in voluntary cooperation with equipment manufacturer and distributor Linn. The notice asks that consumers stop using the recalled products immediately, unless otherwise instructed.
Products affected by the recall include the Linn AV5150 2-Channel Power Amplifier (all serial numbers of this model are recalled), the Linn LK240 Single-Channel Power Amplifier (all serial numbers of this model are recalled), and the Linn AV5150 Melodik Bass Extension Loudspeaker System (only serial numbers 1001–714451 are…
Yet another variation on restricted-use compact discs appeared last week, when Phoenix-based SunnComm announced an agreement with Nashville's Sunbird Records that also includes revenue sharing. Sunbird says it is preparing to release country music singer Len Doolin's Once in a Lifetime on November 1 using SunnComm's new "Expanded Experience CD" (CD3) technology in an effort to restrict use of the disc on computers.
SunnComm's John D. Aquilino says, "This new release will feature security measures via on-board digital rights management (DRM) included as a second session. These new…