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All but forgotten in the field of surround sound are the efforts of UK classical music label Nimbus">http://www.wyastone.co.uk">Nimbus Records. More than 25 years ago, Nimbus recorded with Peter Fellgett and Michael Gerzon's two-channel–compatible, matrixed UHJ Ambisonic Surround system, using multi-capsule Calrec Soundfield microphones. Other labels, including Unicorn-Kanchana, also supported Ambisonic, releasing such rarities as a UHJ Ambisonic recording of the soundtrack to North By Northwest on LP. Playback decoders were available from the UK's National Research and Development Council (NRDC) and speaker manufacturer IMF. As timing would have it, the Ambisonic releases appeared when users could still recall the unfortunate experience of 1970s quadraphony, and Dolby Digital was still some years off. However, those who have heard proper demonstrations maintain that the UHJ Ambisonic technique remains the most convincing surround-sound format ever.

Amelia S. Haygood, the sound-conscious founder and president of record company Delos International, died on March 19 at the age of 87 after a 12-year battle with cancer. Survivors include pianist Carol Rosenberger, her closest friend and Delos vice president, artists and repertoire; Robert Haygood, her stepson; several nephews and nieces; and her extended family at the pioneering classical label she founded in 1973.

Because online music retailers like CDNowhttp://www.cdnow.com">CDNow; and Amazon.comhttp://www.Amazon.com">Amazon.com; have likely taken a bite out of record-club sales, last week Internet company America">http://www.aol.com">America Online and direct music marketer Columbia">http://www.columbiahouse.com">Columbia House announced a marketing agreement for both online and offline advertising and promotions, including product bundling, direct-mail initiatives, and co-marketing and advertising campaigns. Under the multi-year agreement, Columbia House, with more than 13 million members, will promote its music, video, and DVD clubs on AOL's Shopping Channel, as well as on AOL.com, CompuServe, Digital City, and Entertainment Asylum.

If you watch mainstream TV, you've probably seen it: The American">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eI3frLu32Q">American Express Plum Card ad that features catalog/online analog retailer MusicDirecthttp://www.MusicDirect.com">MusicDirect;. Filmed in December, with little advance notice, the ad debuted on February 19, and is expected to run for several months.

Digital radio company American">http://www.worldspace.com/">American Mobile Radio Corporation announced last Wednesday that it has exercised a $52.9 million option to upgrade its satellites. The move will potentially double the channel capacity of AMRC's nationwide satellite-direct audio radio service (SDARS), scheduled for the year 2000.

Former PolyGram Music Group president Roger Ames has been named to head the Warner">http://www.pathfinder.com/corp/wbmusic/index.html">Warner Music Group, parent company Time">http://www.pathfinder.com/corp/tw">Time Warner announced August 16. Warner's music division, formerly the top domestic money-earner, has been stagnant in the past few years. Still one of the top five music conglomerates, it now trails Seagram's Universal Music, Bertelsmann AG, and Sony Music in total business, but retains the #2 spot in total number of albums sold, according to the Wall">http://www.wsj.com/">Wall Street Journal. Warner's foreign business is far weaker.