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Last year, Internet commerce schemes were the darlings of venture capitalists and small investors alike. For months, it seemed that almost any business plan, no matter how half-baked, could attract millions of dollars with the simple mention of "online retail sales"—otherwise known as "e-commerce" or "e-tailing."

The struggle for position in the Internet-based audio downloading market continues unabated. On the format front, Sony has recently">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10716/">recently announced several deals to bring its ATRAC compressed-audio format to the Web, while IBMhttp://www.ibm.com">IBM; and Liquid">http://www.liquidaudio.com">Liquid Audio announced last week that they have entered into a strategic relationship intended to "advance the digital music marketplace" with content-management tools.

The age of downloadable digital music is showing signs of maturing. Territory that was explored by hobbyists, pirates, and startup companies eager to stake their claims will soon yield to the irresistible force of multinational conglomerates.

In an "increasingly complicated and competitive media environment," public broadcasting intends to be there. So declared the Corporation">http://www.cpb.org/">Corporation for Public Broadcasting on March 30, when it announced an almost $2 million investment in projects for National">http://www.npr.org/">National Public Radio and Public Interactive. CPB has long held the intellectual high ground in broadcasting, and its new investments are intended to continue that tradition. The goal of the program is to create "new content and services which will broaden the public square of ideas and civic discourse," according to a corporate press release.

Last week, JBL">http://www.jbl.com/">JBL Consumer Products (a unit of the Harman">www.harman.com">Harman Consumer Systems Group) and Korea's L.G. Electronics (manufacturers of Gold Star and L.G. Electronics brand products) announced that they have entered into a strategic alliance to jointly develop and market a "broad range of new consumer electronics products." The companies say that the partnership "builds upon the respective strengths of both manufacturers" and will enable both companies to expand their offerings into areas outside their traditional product categories.

Audiophiles and classical music lovers often risk falling into a repertorial rut. The classical standards are constantly being rerecorded—often to the point of needless repetition. How many versions of Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony or Ravel's Bolero do you really need? Rather than fill up your shelves with recordings of the same tired compositions, I suggest you look into some of these more obscure pieces—all of them perfect for playing on the first day of April. Below, a list of fresh "basics" that any good audiophile should own:

Next to join the online ATRAC parade, Warner">http://www.music.warnerbros.com/">Warner Music Group announced last week that it has agreed to license the ATRAC3 audio compression technology from Sonyhttp://www.sony.co.jp/">Sony;, for use in the electronic distribution of music. Warner says it expects to launch its electronic distribution business during the second half of 2000, using ATRAC3 on a non-exclusive basis.