Judge Reverses Injunction: Rio is Back in Action
For the past three weeks (see previous">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10291/">previous article) we've been reporting on the troubled plight of Diamond">http://www.diamondmm.com">Diamond Multimedia's new Rio portable MP3 audio player. Announced in grand fashion by Diamond several months back, the Recording">http://www.riaa.com">Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) quickly set its sights on the device, and fired what it hoped would be a fatal shot in the form of an injunction. The RIAA appeared to have succeeded until last week, when US Central District Court California Judge Audrey Collins reversed her initial ruling from 10 days earlier of an injunction, paving the way for the product's release this month. Both the RIAA and the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC) are planning an appeal.
Judge to MP3.com: "Guilty as Charged"
The roller-coaster fortunes of MP3.comhttp://www.mp3.com/">MP3.com; took a downturn April 28, when US district judge Jed S. Rakoff found in favor of the Recording">http://www.riaa.com/">Recording Industry Association of America in its copyright-violation suit against Internet music site MP3.com. Investors in the once–high-flying startup immediately began unloading shares of the company's stock, which had dropped 40% by the end of the trading day.
Judge to RIAA: Prove It!
The Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) aggressive campaign against its customers has most recently relied heavily upon the "making available" argument. The RIAA has argued that the act of making a recording available on a peer-to-peer (P2P) network was a crime, even if nobody actually linked to or downloaded the files. In October 2007, judge Michael">http://stereophile.com/news/100807jammie/">Michael J. Davis ruled in Capitol Records v. Thomas that the labels did not need to establish that the songs Ms. Thomas loaded to her KaZaa account were downloaded by others. Ms, Thomas was held liable for $220,000 in penalties.
Juilliard Forms its First Jazz Orchestra
On May 23, the Juilliard">http://www.juilliard.edu">Juilliard School of Music announced the selection of 18 instrumentalists who will form the core of the newly-created Juilliard Jazz Orchestra. As orchestra members, the musicians will benefit from tuition-free study at the school's recently established Juilliard Institute for Jazz. The creation of the institute—a collaboration of the Juilliard School and the "Jazz at Lincoln Center" program—is an indication that the prestigious institution is further acknowledging the importance of jazz, an indigenous American genre that many critics have called "the classical music of the 20th century."
Julian Hirsch: 1922–2003
Julian Hirsch, the man who personified the state of audio criticism for nearly half a century, died on November 24 after a long illness.
July July July
Zesto's Téssara tube phono preamplifier takes pride of place on the July Stereophile's cover, to accompany Mikey Fremer's review inside. Add to that Jason Victor Serinus on the expensive Audionet Max monoblocks from Germany, John Atkinson on an affordable DAC from Arcam, Larry Greenhill on the awesome No.536 monoblock from the revitalized Mark Levinson company, Art Dudley on the Lamm L.21 preamplifier and the Serbian Soulines Kubrick DCX turntable, and Herb Reichert on turntables from Analogueworks and Palmer, and you'll see why we think this issue is rad! (JA's daughter says "Don't say that, Daddy.")
June 1 Marks Transition for Stereophile
James Dunning, Jr., Chairman and CEO of The">http://www.petersenco.com">The Petersen Companies, Inc., announced June 4th the completion of the acquisition of Stereophile and Stereophile Guide to Home Theater (two of this country's leading high-end audio and home theater publications), as well as HI-FI '98, The Home Theater & Specialty Audio Show.
June is Bustin' Out All Over
Okay, we had a Rodgers & Hammerstein moment, but it was John Atkinson's review of KEF's bad-ass, made-in-England Blade Two loudspeaker, featured on the June 2015 issue's cover, that got us excited. And Art Dudley was also excited by the sound of another English speaker in this issue, the BBC-heritaged Super HL5plus from Harbeth. But it is AD's advice on how to audition cables that might generate the most excitement...
Jupiter Communications Study Refutes RIAA's Claims
The Recording">http://www.riaa.com/">Recording Industry Association of America's lawsuit against Napsterhttp://www.napster.com/">Napster; may be an attack on one of its best friends, if results of a recent study by research organization Jupiter">http://www.jupiter.com/">Jupiter Communications can be believed.
Just Like the Good Old Days
The 10th annual The Home Entertainment Show (T.H.E. Show), which will run January 7–10, 2008, concurrent with the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), has expanded its exhibit space to include both the completely renovated Alexis Park Resort Hotel and its neighbor, the St. Tropez Hotel. By using both venues, T.H.E. Show, in effect, throws down the gauntlet to CES, which last year abandoned its traditional high-end audio home at the Alexis Park and moved High-Performance Audio to the Venetian Hotel.