Amazon Offers Downloads Without DRM
On September 25, Amazon announcedhttp://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&I…; that its Amazon">http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/163856011">Amazon MP3 download store was open as a "public beta" test. Amazon claims it has "more than two million songs by more than 180,000 artists from over 20,000 major and independent labels," which makes it somewhat less diverse than Apple's iTunes Store, which claims six million songs. However, Amazon MP3 has a few advantages in its corner: its MP3s are higher-resolution, variable bit-rate 256kpbs with no digital rights management—and they are cheaper, 89–99¢ per track, as opposed to iTunes' 99¢ for its 128kbps AAC files (or $1.29 for iTunes+ files, which are DRM-free and 256kbps AAC files).
Amazon, Best Buy Join Online Internet CD Sellers
Move over, CDNowhttp://www.cdnow.com">CDNow;, N2Khttp://www.n2k.com">N2K;, and Music">http://www.musicblvd.com">Music Boulevard---Amazon.comhttp://www.Amazon.com">Amazon.com; and Best">http://www.bestbuy.com">Best Buy want to play.
Amazon.com Beefs Up CD Sales; Stock Surges
The "world's largest bookstore" may be on its way to becoming one of the biggest music stores, too. Two weeks ago, Amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.com">Amazon.com; began a big push into CD retailing, more than doubling the number of its musical offerings to over 100,000 titles. (Competitor CDnowhttp://www.cdnow.com">CDnow; offers over 500,000 titles.) Visitors to the Amazon website can now click on a tab that will take them to a new music site, where they can listen to audio previews and read reviews, reprints of articles on bands and musicians, and music-industry news.
Ambisonic Revival
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 Haygood, 1919–2007
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.
America Online and Columbia House Sign Marketing Agreement
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.
America Online: No MP3, For Now
The word's largest Internet service provider has decided to forgo an MP3 search feature until it figures out how to distinguish legal recordings from illegal ones. America">http://www.aol.com/">America Online made the announcement August 11 after discovering that the feature, which it hoped would enhance its Winamp site, might encourage piracy of copyrighted recordings.
American Express Showcases MusicDirect
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.
American Mobile Radio Boosts Capacity
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.
American Sound and Avantgarde Acoustic at AXPONA 2026
At AXPONA 2026, Ken Micallef speaks with Avantgarde Acoustic's International Sales Manager Jérôme Andre about the gear shown in American Sound's room at the show, including Avantgarde Acoustic Opus 1 speakers, an AirTight ATC-6 preamplifier, and a Synthesis Embrace HDP 300B headphone amplifier.