Another Visit to Aardvark Boutique Audio
Was a sunny day. Not a cloud was in the sky. (With thanks to Paul Simon.) A good day for a drive. But where? "Is there some audio store you haven't been to for some time that you'd like to visit?" (My wife is well-acquainted with my interests.)
But of course! Aardvark Boutique Audio, in Orangeville, Ontario.
Anti-Piracy Czar Named by Bush
President George W. Bush has created a new senior level position, aimed at combating the global counterfeiting and piracy of American intellectual property—a category that encompasses everything from copies of Hollywood films to faked auto parts. The new IP czar will be Chris Israel, currently deputy chief of staff for Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.
Anti-pirates: Vivendi, Thomson
American media companies and electronics manufacturers may be adversaries in the conflict over digital copy protection, but their French counterparts have decided to make love, not war.
Antitrust Probe of Online Music Plans
When does cooperation become collusion? When does collusion become anti-competitive? Investigators at the US Justice Department have begun asking such questions in regard to plans by major music labels to make their wares available on the Internet.
AOL Jumps into Net Music with $400 Million Acquisition
Better late than never. America">http://www.aol.com/">America Online has finally leaped into the Internet music business with its recent purchase of San Francisco-based Spinner">http://www.spinner.com/">Spinner Networks, and Nullsofthttp://www.nullsoft.com/">Nullsoft; of Sedona, Arizona. The combined deals, which were announced on June 1, cost AOL $400 million in company stock.
Aperion University
On a recent tour of Manhattan, Aperion Audio's Win Jeanfreau and Lorraine Janeway took some time to lunch with Stereophile's Stephen Mejias, Robert J. Reina, and me. Reina had just reviewed the $750/pair Aperion Intimus 533-T loudspeakers in the April Stereophile, so we assumed that would be the main topic of conversation. As far as Jeanfreau and Janeway were concerned, however, that was ancient history. They were excited about more recent developments and future plans.
Apogee Owners Group Forming
Owners of Apogee Acoustics loudspeakers are apparently being left to twist in the wind by a/d/s/http://www.adst.com/">a/d/s/;, the company that took over Apogee and subsequently shut it down (other than to apply the brand to a range of switch-mode power amplification modules). Service will no longer be available for the ribbon speakers, according to Apogee owner Matt">mailto:mcarnicelli@bigfoot.com">Matt Carnicelli.
Apogee Rides Again
If you didn't follow Paul Messenger's 2006 Hi-Fi News Show Report—and really, you missed some fine reporting if you didn't—you may be unaware of the fact that Apogee">http://blog.stereophile.com/hifinews2006/092406apogee/">Apogee Acoustics has been reborn in the Antipodes.
Apogee Users' Group Now Online
The demise of Apogee Acousitics three years ago was one of high-end audio's biggest losses. The company's ribbon loudspeakers were among the best-sounding and best-looking high-fidelity products ever made. What remained of Apogee was picked up by a/d/s/, which at the time made a commitment to supply parts and service for the thousands of speakers in use, but that plan appears to have been abandoned shortly after it was announced. Apogee owners have since had to fend for themselves.
Apple + Universal?
A month after news of Apple Computer's start-up subscription music service, reports began circulating that the company was negotiating to buy Universal Music Group, the dominant player in the global music market. The rumored buyout, first reported April 10, was variously quoted at $5–6 billion. The discussions between Apple and UMG may have been blown out of proportion; by April 12 the New York Times was suggesting that Apple might invest in UMG, but was in no position to make an outright acquisition.