Barry Willis

The new year ushered in several significant personnel changes for the audio industry.

People are often unaware that they might benefit from industry- or union-sponsored funds or participate in class-action settlements. In early January, we were notified of a fund for session musicians with over $3 million still unclaimed, and of a procedure enabling consumers to collect a small share of the payout from the "MAP" (minimum advertised price) <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11461/">lawsuit</A&gt; that was settled by the music industry last year.

One of the more intriguing discussions we had at last week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was with Jim Weil of Berkeley, CA&ndash;based <A HREF="http://www.soundapplication.com">Sound Application</A>.

The year 2001 was a bleak one for the music industry. Of the major labels, only <A HREF="http://www.umusic.com">Universal Music Group</A> managed to turn a profit.

Electronics retailers typically depend on the winter holiday shopping season to boost their year-end bottom lines. The hoped-for buying surge apparently hasn't happened in 2002, since Best Buy and Circuit City are both projecting slow sales.

Want your kids to grow up smarter? Have them study music. Want to hold off the mental ravages of old age? Listen to music. Want to get high (legally), feel ecstatic, make your pain disappear? Music is the cure for what ails you.

<A HREF="http://www.warnermusic.com">Warner Music Group</A> is supporting efforts by the DVD Forum to create a hybrid dual-layer CD/DVD-audio disc, according to reports from New York the first week of December. WMG, a unit of AOL Time Warner, is one of the music industry's principal backers of the DVD-Audio format.