"For a long time we've been hoping that home audio products would break out of the slump they've been in. Now it's time to move beyond hope to action," stated Joe Richter, president of Kenwood USA…
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Responding to continued softness in the audio market, the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA) has finalized plans to hold its first annual Audio Industry Summit at the Westin Hotel O'Hare in Chicago, Illinois, May 29-31. CEMA audio company members will congregate in an effort to formulate strategies they believe will lead the category back to long-term prosperity and growth.
The digital music market balances on at least five legs: software producers, technology developers, electronics manufacturers, consumers, and regulating bodies. So, can a two-legged agreement stand? That's the question industry watchers are asking as representatives of two groups, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the technology sector, announced that they have reached agreement on a "core set of principles" to guide their public policy activities regarding the distribution of digital content.
The agreement, embodied in a document issued by the Business Software…
Cats vs. dogs, Wile E. Coyote vs. Roadrunner, Spy vs. Spy, Analog vs. Digital. It seems that some battles will never end, and so it is with flux vs. bits in the professional recording industry. The Audio Engineering Society (AES) conventions dazzle showgoers with the latest audio recording and processing gear, mostly digital, and this year's show is no exception. The big buzz heard 'round the hall were higher sampling and quantization rates for future music formats such as DVD-Audio. But off-site, at the nearby ANA hotel (great choice of venue---just add LOG) in downtown San…
National Public Radio is in no danger of going off the air any time in the next century, thanks to a massive gift from the estate of philanthropist Joan B. Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc.
On November 6, NPR president Kevin Klose announced that his organization would receive a bequest of more than $200 million from Mrs. Kroc's estate. More than twice NPR's annual operating budget, the gift was said to be "among the largest ever given to any American cultural institution." Mrs. Kroc also bequeathed $5 million to San Diego NPR station KPBS, one she listened to frequently at her…
The market for recorded music, measured by what manufacturers ship to retail and non-retail channels, experienced a decline in unit shipments and dollar value according to a Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) report released February 19. Concurrently, accounts from US record retailers and mass merchandisers indicated a banner 1997.
"The industry is responding to a smaller but healthier retail base," said RIAA President and CEO Hilary Rosen. "We're adapting to tighter inventory controls at retail, to a pipeline that can deliver product to stores faster than ever before, and…
The Home Entertainment 2000 show, originally planned to be held in Rye, New York this spring, has been canceled. Show staff has received feedback from manufacturers and dealers, who feel that the rooms at the Rye venue are too small, and that a suburban location is not optimal. EmapUSA VP Jaqueline Augustine states that "We want to hold a successful show, and this venue could not guarantee our success."
Show management has decided that resources should be focused on a larger show with greater potential for success in both the specialty audio and home theater markets. Augustine adds, "We…
The packed house that was Home Entertainment Expo 2001 on Saturday thinned to a manageable level on Sunday the 13th, allowing most of the Stereophile crew ample opportunity to visit all the displays they had missed the previous two days. Toward the 6 o'clock closing time folks were still wandering the halls, and talking amicably and enthusiastically with friends they see once or twice a year. There is always a great deal of continuity in these shows, not only in the products, but also in the people.
That's one of the most charming aspects of the high-end audio industry, which isn't…
When I submitted my Records 2 Die 4 selections this past winter, it seemed inevitable that I include a web radio station. Not only had I enjoyed listening to www.techwebsound.com more than anything else last year, but it had exposed me to more new music and led to more music purchases than any other source—by a wide margin.
RRadio Network conducted a survey last month which indicates that I am hardly unique among Internet users. The online radio organization prompted respondants: "Lately, I've been finding most new music on..." and found that 56% cited Internet radio, 25% said broadcast…
The international uncertainties of 2003 have not been kind to the specialist hi-fi sector, and are probably a key factor in this week's shock announcement. In a statement that sounds depressingly valedictory, the press release (reproduced in full below) baldly states: "TAG McLaren Audio ceases development of new products and commences a full strategic review of its participation in the audio market," before signing off with, "TAG McLaren Audio would like to thank everybody for their kind support over the years."
Although those simple sentences do sound pessimistic, and are not going to…
The music industry has taken its war against piracy into a new realm.
Having launched attacks against commercial pirates and issued warnings to colleges and private companies about copyright violations on their computer networks, the industry has fulfilled its promise to pursue individuals believed to be responsible for large-scale distribution of music recordings over the Internet.
On April 3, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed copyright-infringement lawsuits against four college students, accusing them of using their colleges' computer networks to distribute…