Led by Canaan Partners, the round of funds also includes Chase Capital Partners, Motorola, Vulcan Ventures, TI Ventures, Macrovision, St. Paul Venture Capital, and Franklin Resources. Command Audio's Don Bogue says that "The involvement of investors of this caliber is a significant…
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Last week, Command Audio announced $56 million in new funding from several media, technology, and venture capital companies for its audio-on-demand service. The company says that the new funding will help fuel the rollout of their entertainment and information service to major US markets in the coming year.
Credit-card amps: Miniaturization could change the look and feel of many audio products. On October 29, Austin, TX–based D2Audio announced its new line of MXS amplifiers, each only 1.5" tall with a footprint no bigger than a credit card. Intended for use with in-wall or on-wall loudspeakers, MXS amps can deliver up to 125Wpc into 8-ohm speakers or up to 250Wpc into 4-ohm speakers, with THD+N of 0.1% at full-rated power from 20Hz to 20kHz. Dynamic range is specified at "up to 145dB." The tiny digital amplifiers have programmable DSP features and 93% power efficiency, thereby eliminating the…
In cooperation with the International Intellectual Property Alliance, the Recording Industry Association of America filed a report in February with the United States Trade Representative outlining the problems that US record companies face conducting business in foreign marketplaces. The report highlights inadequacies in copyright protection with respect to standards and enforcement, and identifies major impediments to market access.
The RIAA commended the USTR for having identified Paraguay as a Priority Foreign Country last month, and recommended that Bulgaria be moved from the Priority…
From the December 2001 issue, Robert Deutsch tries something completely different when he fires up the 47 Laboratory 4706 Gaincard power amplifier. RD notes, "The pursuit of simplicity in the design of solid-state audio electronics is perhaps best exemplified by the products from 47 Laboratory." Less is often more, but with the 4706 Gaincard, is it better?
Next, Kalman Rubinson goes on a blind audio date with the Coincident Speaker Technology Super Conquest Series II loudspeaker. Contrary to standard procedure, KR says, "I had no knowledge of Coincident Speaker Technology until Wes Phillips…
BMG and SunnComm Technologies revealed last week that they have entered into a "strategic worldwide" licensing agreement and revenue deal to add restriction technology to CDs in an effort to reduce piracy and the unauthorized duplication of music. The companies report that the agreement will enable the use of SunnComm's newest proprietary CD restriction system, known as MediaMax CD-3 Technology, on BMG discs.
BMG claims that it has already successfully deployed MediaMax CD-3 on a number of promotional and advance release discs in the US and will begin using the technology at retail…
I admit to being a little surprised at the results of our Discs or Downloads poll a couple of weeks ago. More of you (65%) see a future for downloads as a viable music medium than I would have expected. As reader Mike Garner put it, "As bandwidth and storage continue to become cheaper, audiophile quality music downloads are inevitable." "Downloads save you trips to the shop or having to wait for shipping when you shop online. We'll soon be loading the data into a music server anyway," adds reader Ola Roll.
Linn bounced out of the gate early with a hard disc–based music server, the Kivor,…
The latest figures for the music industry remain grim: Online sales of recorded music have dropped 20% through the first half of 2002 compared with the same period last year, losing ground faster than the overall US music market, which lost 7% during the same period, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). And the trend is accelerating. The latest numbers show online sales down 25% in the third quarter over last year.
Given that consumers are increasingly shunning official online music sites, what is the distribution formula that might better suit their needs?…
A few weeks ago, we ran an item concerning drummer Billy Higgins' declining health and rapidly growing medical expenses. Apparently, his fans have come through generously, because we just received the following:
"Dear Friends,
"We are writing tonight with an update on Billy Higgins. Your response has been wonderful, immediate, and healing. We are happy to report that, as of last week, Billy's home is out of foreclosure. This is a major milestone and was made possible by your unfailing generosity and through a grant from Music Cares, Sweet Relief and the Jazz Foundation. Currently,…
You want to grow your market, you've got to plant some seeds. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is doing just that with the BuzzNet 2000 tour, a traveling educational event that will hit college campuses beginning this month, as reported last week.
The road show will not only introduce attendees to high-resolution audio and surround sound, but will also leave some lucky students with complete mini-systems. Students who participate in BuzzNet's "ears-on" events will be entered automatically in daily drawings to win free equipment. Music surround DVDs, disc players, receivers, and…
When spying this press release a couple of days ago, I had to read it twice—this was too good to be true. A couple of years back in the September 1997 (or as JA likes to put it: Vol.20 No.9) Stereophile "Industry Update," I had reported on the then-discovered "synchronicities" phenomena: playing certain classic rock albums, when sync'ed up with certain classic films yielded several uncanny coincidences twixt music and screen. Watching and listening this way could lead one to almost believe that the albums were created as soundtracks to the films.
In-depth synchronicity information for…