Yet another variation on restricted-use compact discs appeared last week, when Phoenix-based <A HREF="http://www.sunncomm.com/">SunnComm</A> announced an agreement with Nashville's Sunbird Records that also includes revenue sharing. Sunbird says it is preparing to release country music singer Len Doolin's <I>Once in a Lifetime</I> on November 1 using SunnComm's new "Expanded Experience CD" (CD3) technology in an effort to restrict use of the disc on computers.
Whenever we <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/showvote.cgi?168">run a poll</A> asking readers what record companies can do to reduce piracy, one of the most common gripes is that CD prices are too high. Apparently the <A HREF="http://www.narm.com/">National Association of Recording Merchandisers</A> (NARM) and major music retailers across the country agree. They also are looking for better-sounding formats to goose sales.
DVD-Audio and SACD are offering record companies a chance to re-release their back-catalogs of "classic" material once again. But the results will not necessarily resemble the CD re-releases of the last two decades. Artists, producers, and labels now have an opportunity to go beyond the standard "re-mastered for (insert new format here)" process when updating an older title for DVD-Audio or SACD. For better or worse, they can entirely remix the master tapes for multi-channel surround sound.
<I>Screeeeeeech, thump, thump, vroooooom...</I>
Will the official online music gates finally stream open and flood us with non-pirated tunes? Perhaps. One important step in the process has finally been taken. The <A HREF="http://www.nmpa.org">National Music Publishers' Association</A> (NMPA), the Harry Fox Agency (HFA), and the <A HREF="http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America</A> (RIAA) announced last week that they have come to a "breakthrough" agreement on the licensing of musical works for new subscription services on the Internet.
Although it <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11129/">announced support</A> for SACD in early September, the world's third-largest record label, <A HREF="http://www.emigroup.com">EMI Music Distribution</A>, says it is also gearing up for a full slate of DVD-Audio titles. While the company has numerous new releases available, these will be the first to come from its back catalog.
The final numbers aren't in yet, but all indications point to an astounding show of support from the audiophile community for the <A HREF="http://www.audiogon.com/charity.html">Audio Charity Auction</A> conducted by <A HREF="http://www.audioasylum.com">Audio Asylum</A>'s Rod Morris and <A HREF="http://www.audiogon.com">Audiogon</A>'s Arnie Chinta. The numbers are still stacking up, but as of Sunday, October 7, the benefit had raised $173,738 from over <A HREF="http://gonmain.iserver.net/cgi-bin/auc_ch.pl?charity&1&c">400 closed auctions</A>.
Last week, <A HREF="http://www.napster.com/">Napster</A> announced that it had reached a preliminary agreement with US songwriters and music publishers to settle a class action lawsuit currently pending in federal court in California. The beleaguered company says the agreement includes terms under which the songwriters and music publishers will license their music to Napster's new membership-based service.
Last week, <A HREF="http://www.cirrus.com">Cirrus Logic</A> unveiled what it is calling the world's highest-performance six- and eight-channel D/A converters, which the company says will give consumers the ability to decode high-resolution multichannel surround content at home or in the car. The converters are the latest addition to Cirrus Logic's Total-E platform group of products.
Let's try to imagine the ideal music-buying landscape from a record company's point of view. As distasteful as this may seem to an ever-growing legion of unhappy audiophiles and music fans, it can go a long way towards explaining why the major labels appear to suddenly be at war with their customers.