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Napster may be down for the count, but audio file-sharing is more popular than ever, according to a study released October 10 by research firm <A HREF="http://www.jmm.com">Jupiter Media Metrix Inc</A>.

Do good things come in small packages? Audio technology over this past half century offers pretty good evidence that they do. Fifty years ago, the long-playing record amazed people with a half-hour of music per side, compared to the 78's few minutes. Thirty years ago, the cassette tape replaced bulky open reels, ushering in a new era of recording capability&mdash;and portability&mdash;for millions of people. Twenty years ago, the CD began to push the LP out of the way because it packed a little more music into a much smaller and more durable package. Personal radios have long been hugely popular, and portable audio players are consistently among the industry's best-selling products.

Napster may be down for the count, but its millions of former members are happily swapping audio files elsewhere, according to an October 10 report from technology research firm <A HREF="http://www.jmm.com">Jupiter Media Metrix Inc</A>.

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&gt; 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.

As the results from last week's Vote prove, having the right tool for the audiophile job makes all of the difference. And a lot of you selected the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//features/424/"><I>Stereophile</I&gt; Test CD 3</A> as your weapon of choice for uncovering the good, the bad, and the ugly of a component under consideration. Here's the complete story on the most recent test disc from <I>Stereophile</I> and company.

The need to cut costs may push the music industry to experiment with collaborative manufacturing and distribution, according to reports that emerged the first week of October.