US Music Shipments Drop Again
Recorded music as a packaged-goods commodity continues to decline, according to figures released March 4 by the Recording">http://www.riaa.com/news/newsletter/030404.asp">Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
US-Made Products Debut in Florida Saturday
Saturday September 17, from 127pm, Audible Images (1610 Pineapple Avenue, Melbourne, FL 32935) will be hosting Bill Peugh from Wilson Audio, Bill McKiegan from Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems, and Trent Suggs from Audio Research Corp. This event will be the Florida debut of the Wilson Yvette speakers, the D'Agostino Progression monoblocks, and the Audio Research Ref 3 phono preamp and Ref 6 preamp. The music will be accompanied by complimentary food and wine. For more information call (321) 626-3898.
USA Digital Radio Announces Test Markets for AM/FM Digital Radio
Last week, USA">http://www.usadr.com">USA Digital Radio, a developer of In-Band On-Channel Digital Audio Broadcast (IBOC DAB) technology, announced an "aggressive" field-test campaign at 12 radio stations across the country. The company will be conducting the digital tests under experimental licenses issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). With most equipment already installed, according to USA Digital Radio, test efforts are currently underway at several stations.
USA Digital Radio Coalition Makes Technical Progress
Progress toward a working digital radio technology took a big step forward in April with the addition of Lowpass">http://http://www.lowpassprototype.com/">Lowpass Prototype Inc. to the development team. According to an April 27 press release, USA">http://www.usadr.com/">USA Digital Radio, Inc., a privately held digital radio technology company owned by the nation's largest radio broadcasters, has added the manufacturer of radio-frequency systems for radio and television transmission to its coalition to develop and commercialize digital AM and FM radio.
Using the CD Carrot
Record companies are having a tough time making new friends these days as they toy with ways to restrict consumer use and distribution of their products. Amid sliding sales, mediocre new releases, high prices, and failed attempts at implementing restricted-use CD technology, the big labels clearly need some advice on getting back on track.
Vacation Vinyl
Aboveground Records, obligatory cedar shingles and all.
The Massachusetts island called Martha's Vineyard, a tourist destination with a year-round population of only 18,000, is home to at least a hundred T-shirt shops, scores of seafood shacks (the calamari at Nancy's is amazing), dozens of ice-cream parlors, and three unpleasant cute-tiques called The Black Dog. Residents and vacationers alike are also served by an excellent store called Aboveground Records (8 Great Harbor Triangle, Edgartown, MA 02539).Vacuum Tube SOTA Conference Slated for August 21-24
The Silverdale by the Bay Resort Hotel in Silverdale, WA, will be the site of the second annual Vacuum State of the Art Conference, scheduled for August 21-24. The conference will feature new and vintage equipment, tube electronics seminars, a used-gear swap meet, and demonstrations of audio creations by both amateur and professional designers.
Vacuum Tube Valley Audio and Music Expo
Vacuum">http://www.vacuumtube.com">Vacuum Tube Valley, "The Classic Tube Electronics Journal & Tube Audio Electronics Resource," is hosting the VTV Audio and Music Expo at the Piscataway Embassy Suites May 6–7, 2006. (Embassy Suites, 121 Centennial Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Tel: (732) 980-0500.)
Vacuum Tube Valley Hosts Antique Audio Show
San Francisco---Vacuum">http://www.vacuumtube.com/home.html">Vacuum Tube Valley's tube and antique audio show here last week drew dozens of exhibitors and hundreds of attendees to the Airport Clarion Hotel over the Feb. 6-7 weekend. The heavy rains that caused mudslides in some Northern California communities, combined with high tides that flooded some freeways, kept attendance down. The show's turnout was "about half of what we expected," said VTV publisher/editor Charlie Kittleson.
Valve Audio Company (VAC) and Von Schweikert
Hanging at the bar at the Hilton Twinbrook, one hears stories of audio deals gone bad, an actor absconding with a $500,000 system to an unknown Mexican destination, or sordid tales of a peeved player spiting bile at an unknowing colleague. Then there's show organizer Gary Gill, whose upbeat, generous persona is a prime contributor to the success of the Capital Audiofest.
Another valued player, who possesses a sense of inner calm I wish I could generate, is Valve Amplification Company President Kevin Hayes, one of our industry's good guys since his company's founding in 1990.