Major Investor Calls for Liquid Audio Sale
Citing increasing competition from stronger companies and online music ventures about to debut from major record labels, an investment group has taken the drastic step of calling for the sale of Liquid">http://www.liquidaudio.com">Liquid Audio.
Majors Test-market Hybrid Discs
During the first week of February, major record labels quietly launched small-scale test marketing of a new hybrid disc that combines a standard CD on one side with a DVD on the other.
Making A List; Checking It Twice
As we enter the week of The Home Entertainment Show (HE2005), you can almost hear the audio industry holding its breath, waiting for the Show's April 28 opening date to announce new products, alliances, and strategies. However, despite the lack of hard news coming across the www.stereophile.com newsdesk this week, we have been receiving almost daily hints concerning the must-hear products and rooms awaiting us at the Hilton New York Hotel.
Making the Internet Safe for the Music Industry
Because they now realize that downloading music from the Internet is here to stay, it would seem the major record companies would love to see a world in which Web consumers no longer own a copy of a song or album, but simply pay each time they listen to it.
Making Your PC Sing
Don't smirk, but a lot of audiophiles, including this writer and our esteemed editor John Atkinson, spend a considerable amount of time listening to music on their computers, especially at work. In fact, the results from our recent">http://www.stereophile.com/showvote.cgi?208">recent online poll about computers and listening habits indicate that at least 60% of our readers listen this way as well, with half of those using their PCs for music playback "quite often."
Manley Labs Appoints New Sales Manager
Manley Laboratories, Inc. has appointed Albert Schippits as its hi-fi division's national sales manager. While Manley Labs has maintained a presence in the consumer high-end market since its 1988 launch, the company's energies have often seemed more focused on its successful line of professional studio equipment, such as its tube preamps, compressor/limiters, and equalizers.
Manley Labs Changes Hands
On July 10, EveAnna Manley, co-founder and owner of Manley Labs of Chino, California, surprised her social media followers by announcing the sale of Manley Labs. The buyer is Dirk Ulrich, founder of Brainworx Audio and Plugin Alliance.
Manufacturers Announce SDMI Technology
Last week, Texas">http://www.ti.com">Texas Instruments, Liquid">http://www.liquidaudio.com">Liquid Audio, Fraunhofer, and SanDiskhttp://www.sandisk.com">SanDisk; announced that they've teamed to offer what they describe as "the first complete solution" for the secure downloading of music off the Internet onto portable audio players. The companies say that their programmable DSP-based technology is the first to meet the newly released Secure">www.sdmi.org">Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) guidelines for digital music portable devices, and is now available for manufacturers who want to develop secure players in time for Christmas 1999.
Many Companies Launch New Speakers
The name Joe D'Appolito is synonymous with high-performance loudspeakers. Many manufacturers use D'Appolito techniques, but Snell Acoustics has the advantage of employing the famed designer himself as chief engineer. The company will soon begin delivering its Series 7 loudspeakers, which debuted at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Marantz 70th Anniversary Experience in NYC Open to the Public
Marantz, the iconic company started by audio pioneer Saul Marantz in 1953, is inviting the public to visit a 7000-square-foot immersive, interactive exhibit in New York City to celebrate its 70th anniversary.