Electronics Retail Up?
It's widely acknowledged that the American economy is in a downturn, but some economic indicators point otherwise.
Electronics Retailing Slow in July
Summer is traditionally the slowest time of the year for electronics retailers. July 2001 confirmed the pattern, with sales figures down significantly from previous months.
Eliminating the Weakest Link
Listening to and evaluating audio products in the CES trade-show environment is usually an utterly useless exercise. But every once in a while, a demonstration will clearly prove an exhibitor's point. PS Audio was able to do this with a convincing introduction to their Power Plant a couple of years back, as was Ray Kimber with his DiAural technology. This year, the "proof of concept in a hotel room" award would likely go to a new Australian upstart, ClarityEQ.
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
One of the great sopranos of the 20th century, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, died in her sleep at her home in Schruns, Austria, on August 3, at the age of 90. The myriad ways in which she employed her remarkably expressive, silvery soprano gave rise to as much admiration and respect as her penchant for incessant nuance, along with her Nazi past, generated controversy.
Emerson Radio Corp. and Adcom LLC Announce Joint Venture
A few days ago, Stereophile reader Bill Taylor wrote, "I was just strolling down memory lane and took a look at the Adcom website...they just merged with Emerson."
EMI vs AOL Time Warner
The music industry's ongoing copyright and royalty battle took a refreshing turn Wednesday, August 7, when EMI Group PLC filed suit against AOL Time Warner, Inc. over the unpaid use of songs from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movies. Filed in US Court for the Southern District of New York, the suit seeks unspecified monetary damages and an injunction barring AOL Time Warner from playing songs from MGM classics such as Singin' in the Rain and The Wizard of Oz.
EMI Finally Puts Up
With Napsterhttp://www.stereophile.com/news/10793/">Napster; as the little red devil with a pitchfork prodding them on, the third-largest record company in the world, EMIhttp://www.emigroup.com">EMI;, making good on its earlier">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10745/">earlier announcement, last week became the first major label to begin releasing music online. In a move the company hopes will silence the critics who say that Napster has become successful because the big labels have provided no Web-based alternatives, EMI put over 100 albums and 40 singles online "through all the normal retail websites."
EMI Provides Catalog to Digital On-Demand
The age of digital music downloads has begun in earnest. On July 20, EMI">http://www.emigroup.com/">EMI Recorded Music announced that it has signed a deal with Digital">http://www.digitalon-demand.com/">Digital On-Demand and its subsidiary, RedDotNet Inc., to make the EMI catalog available for downloading to kiosks in music stores. The kiosks will be equipped with CD "burners" where customers can copy EMI recordings not in stock in the stores. They will also be able to print out the original cover art and liner notes. Discs can be copied at high speed in 5 to 15 minutes using RedDotNet's technology, the announcement noted.
EMI Signs Sweetheart Deal with Musicmaker.com
The world's third largest music company has thrown its massive weight behind Internet audio. On June 10, EMI Recorded Music, a division of EMI">http://www.emigroup.com/">EMI Group Plc, announced a five-year licensing agreement with Reston, Virginia-based Musicmaker.comhttp://www.musicmaker.com/">Musicmaker.com;, a major custom CD compilation service and digital download site. EMI has not simply made its enormous catalog available to the service---it has also bought into Musicmaker.com with a 50% equity stake.
EMI Takes Classical Music Online
EMI and Virgin Classics, one of the oldest and two of the most respected names in classical music, have undertaken a series of audiophile-friendly initiatives designed to strengthen their online presence. At the start of September, the labels together launched the EMI and Virgin Classics Listening Club. Open to music lovers who purchase new EMI or Virgin Classics discs marked with the Opendisc logo, the club's "exclusive" online environment offers participants the opportunity to build relationships with some of the labels' top artists.