News

Digital downloading is all the rage with the major record labels. EMI">http://www.emimusic.ca/">EMI Recorded Music, a unit of EMI">http://www.emigroup.com/">EMI Group PLC, announced May 10 that it will make some of its massive catalog available as digital downloads beginning this summer. More than 100 albums and 40 singles will be offered on a trial basis, according to a company press release dated May 10. EMI's musical spectrum covers every genre, including pop, rock, jazz, classical, Latin, Christian, country, rap/urban, and dance—a roster of approximately 1500 artists. Labels under the EMI umbrella include Capitol, Angel, Blue Note, EMI, Priority, and Virgin.

The Super Audio CD has won the endorsement of two more major record labels, according to press releases issued the last week of August. The announcements followed by only a few days one by Universal">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11123/">Universal Music Group that it would begin producing the high-resolution recordings for mass distribution.

Citing poor sales in North and South America, EMIhttp://www.emigroup.com">EMI; reported that it lost $77.6 million during the first six months of its business year, ended September 30, compared to a loss of $44.3 million for the same period last year.

Last year wasn't kind to UK entertainment conglomerate EMI">http://www.emigroup.com">EMI Group PLC. On February 5, the company issued its second profit warning since September, blaming a slow market for recorded music. EMI is now predicting that pretax profits for the year ending March 31 will total $213.4 million (245.1 million euros, or £150 million), far below analysts' predictions. The news caused an immediate 6.4% drop in the price of EMI shares on the London market.

Join EMM Labs on Saturday May 31, 11am–4pm at Bending Wave USA, the new Boca Raton luxury retail location, for a special day of high-fidelity audio, fine timepieces, hors d’oeuvres, and distinctive spirits, all to celebrate the finer moments of life.

The online music world has been hit by one jolt after another as the record labels go after anyone they can slap with the "music pirate" label. In response, the e-sharks smell blood and are circling. Internet music-distribution company EMusichttp://www.EMusic.com">EMusic; sent out a press release recently making the assertion that "now that Napster and MP3.com are both on shaky legal ground, many downloadable-music fans are going to be looking for compelling, 'legitimate' alternatives."

Breaking news at the 2001 CEDIA Expo, held this past weekend in Indianapolis, IN, was that Harry Pearson, founder and editor of bimonthly high-end audio magazine The Absolute Sound, has apparently been moved to one side. According to TAS publisher Mark Fisher, with whom I spoke briefly Sunday morning on the Show floor, the day-to-day editing of the magazine will become the responsibility of erstwhile Stereophile consulting technical editor Robert Harley.