Paul Nelson Dead at 69
We have just learned that Paul Nelson, an influential music writer and talent scout for Mercury Records, was found dead in his New York City apartment last week. The cause of death was not reported.
Paul Simon Releases DVD-A
Two years after they were first announced, DVD-Audio discs may finally be on their way from major labels.
Paul W. Klipsch, 1904–2002
Paul Wilbur Klipsch, legendary inventor and engineer from America's "golden age of audio," died May 5. The founder of Klipsch">http://www.klipsch.com">Klipsch Audio Technologies was 98.
Pay the Digital Piper or Die!
Hilary Rosen, president and CEO of the Recording">http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), must feel like Sisyphus playing an endless game of "Whack-A-Mole."">http://www.xvt.com/users/kevink/mole/">Whack-A-Mole." Her job recently has been to patrol the digital world for music copyright violators, especially those pesky pirate MP3 websites on the Internet. It seems that each time they find and eradicate a horde of copyright violators, hundreds more pop up faster than you can say "information wants to be free."
Pay the Man to Play the Band
In an effort to smooth the way for websites that wish to legally reproduce copyrighted music, BMIhttp://www.bmi.com">BMI; announced last week that it has now become the world's largest online digital rights management company with the launch of its Digital Licensing Center (DLC) and "Klick-Thru" online copyright licensing system. The company says that the DLC is intended to help Internet companies digitally obtain a music-performance license through BMI.com, allowing them to publicly "perform" any of BMI's 4.5 million copyrighted works from its 250,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers.
Pay to Play
Music publishing organizations such as ASCAP and BMI have long worked out licensing deals with radio broadcasters, who pay royalties in exchange for playing music over the air. A US">http://www.loc.gov/copyright/">US Copyright Office panel is now suggesting that online broadcasters also pay royalties, this time directly to the record labels, in a recommendation that has so far left all parties unhappy, particularly broadcasters.
PBS forms classical-music record label
It only makes sense. PBShttp://www.pbs.org">PBS;, the most visible national broadcaster of classical-music-related programs, has decided to launch its own classical-music label. According to a recent story in Variety, several major record labels are competing for the rights to distribute the new label. It's common in the music business for larger labels to distribute smaller ones, and an association with the new PBS label is seen as a feather in the cap of whoever makes the deal.
PBS, Warner Bros. Records launch new record label
The Public">http://www.pbs.org">Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and Warner">http://www.warnerbros.com/">Warner Bros. Records announced January 8 that they have entered into a five-year record and television program funding partnership. The arrangement launches the PBS Records label, a new venture that will fuel the production of PBS performance programs and companion recordings. In addition, PBS Records will present music soundtracks from major PBS nonfiction series.
PC Audio Gets Another Boost
Some long-time Stereophile readers were outraged when the magazine put a photo of a computer soundcard on its cover in September of 2000 http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/280/">(click here for the review and controversy). And then, John Atkinson added insult to injury by doing another soundcard">http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/299/">soundcard review last November. Some readers may have been scratching their heads about why we did it, but at least one manufacturer is getting the message.
PC Or CE?
Maybe it's only fair: Consumer electronics giants like Sony have been selling personal computers lately, so computer manufacturer Compaqhttp://www.compaq.com/ipaqaudio">Compaq; announced last week that it will begin selling audio products. Joining Intel in making the transition from the computer industry to consumer electronics, Compaq has now redefined itself as "a global enterprise technology and solutions company."