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<I>Genius Loves Company</I> Soars

Ray Charles's last album has taken off like a rocket, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Released in early September, Genius Loves Company, is a duets project that was nearly completed by the time of Charles's death June 10. The disc sold an astounding 202,000 copies in its first week, making it the best-selling duets album since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, according to Billboard. The disc entered the Billboard 200 for the week ended September 5 in the #2 spot.

It was also the biggest initial shipment by the Concord Jazz label in its 31 years, with 733,000 units shipped, as…

Recoton Saved

Last week found Recoton struggling to keep its head above water. This week Gemini Industries tossed the beleaguered company a rope, announcing that it had reached an agreement to acquire Recoton's consumer electronics accessories business. In support of this transaction and Gemini's growth plan, the company raised new funding from Boston-based Parthenon Capital.

As part of the new deal, Gemini and Recoton say they have also entered into a transition agreement which, among other things, will provide Recoton's customer base with a continuity of timely delivery of products. Recoton had…

Retail Roundup

Wiz stores in bankruptcy: Only a week after being acquired from Cablevision by GBO Electronics Acquisition LLC, The Wiz stores initiated a bankruptcy petition in the District of Delaware to "maximize company assets," according to a March 14 press release from TW Inc., as The Wiz is now known. The 17-store electronics chain is seeking protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of US bankruptcy law and approval to conduct going-out-of-business sales at its stores in the New York metro area.

The Wiz stores are already selling deeply discounted goods, said TW Inc. president David Peress. "To…

Added to the Archives This Week

Brian Damkroger finds that the Magnepan Magneplanar MG1.6/QR loudspeaker and a 1973 Porsche 911 have much in common: "Each has grown out of the vision of a single, brilliant designer. Each reflects the long, steady evolution of a basic design, and the consistent focus on a core set of engineering criteria." BD then listens for the fruits of this approach to speaker design and writes up the results.

Wes Phillips thinks different as he uncovers the secrets of the Naim CD 3.5 CD player. Phillips notes, "The CD 3.5 has no digital out—its upgrade path consists of an add-on outboard power…

Napster Reinstates Some Users, Attacks Offspring, Angers Madonna

The Napster saga continues: Last week the Silicon Valley–based firm, which has been very successful with its MP3 file-sharing software, reinstated approximately 30,000 music fans who had signed online affidavits attesting that they had been mistakenly accused of appropriating songs by rock group Metallica. Those reinstated were slightly less than 10% of the 317,000 Napster users who had been booted from the system on May 3 as a result of legal attacks by Metallica.

"We knew they'd be reinstated . . . we think the whole thing's ludicrous. What Napster has done is turned 30,000 probably…

Hard Rock Muzak?

In a world where brand is everything and making money is the bottom line, it should come as no surprise that if there's a buck to be made, any deal is possible. But who would have imagined, 30 years ago, that the bad boys and girls of rock'n'roll would be married to the then-much-scorned icon of safe, watered-down elevator music?

Let's have a moment of silence (or should that be a burst from a Les Paul through a Marshall stack?) and absorb the fact that this is now the era in which the terms "Hard Rock" and "Muzak" can happily appear on the same contract.

Last week saw the Hard Rock…

November Audio Sales Achieve Highest Monthly Increase in Five Years

Last week, the Consumer Electronics Association reported that sales of audio products during November constituted the largest monthly increase since August 1994. Total revenues for the month reached $901 million, representing a 16% increase over last year's figure. The CEA adds that November's sales brought total year-to-date sales to $7.5 billion—2% ahead of the same period last year.

According to the CEA, "November saw growth across all four audio sectors, with the most dramatic increases in audio systems and aftermarket autosound." Statistics reveal that total sales of audio systems…

Finally Time for a Tune-Up

They don't turn over quite as fast as computer equipment, but mass-market audio component product cycles typically last about a year, until the next Consumer Electronics Show comes around. High-end audio products, however, enjoy much longer life spans—sometimes stretching to several years.

And then there's Magnum Dynalab, who have finally decided to replace one of the key products in their tuner line—after almost 15 years. Introduced in 1987, the company's FT101A tuner is finally facing retirement, to be replaced by the new MD-90, which takes advantage of newer technology featured in the…

Added to the Archives This Week

Every once in a while, John Atkinson comes across a speaker that redefines the boundaries of what is possible with the moving-coil loudspeaker approach established 60 years ago by Rice and Kellogg. JA feels that the B&W John Bowers Silver Signature loudspeaker is just such a product, and puts it through its paces to reveal its significant virtues and minor faults.

Love at first sight? Jonathan Scull reviews the JMlab Utopia loudspeaker and writes: "The Utopia is undeniably elegant and sculptural, despite its weight of 275 lbs per side. The cabinetry and finish are truly extraordinary…

Linear Acquires Niles

Linear, LLC of Carlsbad, CA, an innovative firm specializing in radio frequency products, has announced its acquisition of Niles Audio Corporation, the Miami, FL company best known for its whole-house audio and video products.

Linear is a worldwide supplier of residential security systems, intercoms, garage door and gate openers, long- and short-range remote controls, and medical/emergency reporting systems. The company has been engaging in an aggressive acquisitions program over the last few years, picking up Channel Plus, Elan Home Systems, OmniMount, OpenHouse, Panamax, SpeakerCraft,…