Big Music vs Individual Music Lovers
The music industry is reportedly preparing to open a new front in its war on piracy.
Big Music's Malaise
The most entertaining part of the 44th Annual Grammy Awards wasn't the "Lady Marmalade" production number that opened the show or Alicia Keys' awkward tango later. It was Recording Academy President Michael Greene's rant about the criminal enterprise of electronic music swapping, a phenomenon that, he warned, threatens the music industry's very existence.
Bigger Better Tower?
Purported financial">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11074/">financial difficulties haven't prevented Tower">http://www.towerrecords.com">Tower Records from developing a massive new flagship store in Los Angeles. Occupying more than 33,000 square feet, the new store in the renovated Sherman Oaks Galleria features a "state-of-the-art" performance stage and a Super Audio CD demonstration room.
Bill Voss, Technics's man in the US, retires
Bill Voss of Technics retired in June 2026 after 44 years with parent company Panasonic, the past decade as US Business Development Manager during Technics' successful relaunch as a hi-fi major player.
Billy Higgins Update
A few weeks ago, we ran an itemhttp://www.stereophile.com/news/10957/">item; concerning drummer Billy Higgins' declining health and rapidly growing medical expenses. Apparently, his fans have come through generously, because we just received the following:
Billy Preston: 1946–2006
Billy Preston, the keyboard player, singer, and songwriter frequently credited as "the fifth Beatle," died June 6 in Scottsdale, AZ from respiratory complications from improperly treated pericarditas he experienced in an LA hospital visit on November 21, 2005.
Binaural audio available on the internet
Operating at the fringes of the audio world, binaural recordings have continued to maintain a hardcore group of advocates. Creating a convincing three-dimensional surround effect using only a two-channel source, binaural technology is especially impressive with headphones.
Björn Erik Edvardsen RIP
It's been reported on the Strata-gee consumer electronics news website that Björn Erik Edvardsen (known as BEE), who was the creator of the historic NAD 3020 integrated amplifier, passed away on December 16 from Myeloma/bone cancer. BEE had worked continuously with the company from 1976 until just a few months ago, when he left his position as NAD's Director of Advanced Research to focus on his battle with cancer.
Blackie Pagano's Perfect Storm Bass Guitar Preamp
My friend and renowned tube polymath J.C Morrison says, "Blackie Pagano is sweet, smart, and has a devious sense of humor . . ." And now Blackie has just posted an original hand-built "bass guitar preamp" project called the "The Perfect Storm" on Kickstarter.
Blows Against the Empire
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAAhttp://www.riaa.com">RIAA;) has lost a couple of important rounds in its fight against file sharing.