Philharmonia Online
"Well it has finally happened," esteemed classical recording engineer Tony">http://www.auracle.com/greenroom/">Tony Faulkner wrote me in a recent email. "I have engineered my first live webcast and MP3 download-only release."
Philharmonic Downloads Top the iTunes Charts
On March 24, Universal Classics labels Decca and Deutsche Grammophon announced a pioneering global initiative to release live recordings of recent performances by the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonics for download on iTunes. By the end of the year, four major European orchestras are expected to follow suit, releasing live concerts on the web on the DG Concerts or Decca Concerts virtual labels.
Philips and Marantz Japan Re-Shuffle Brand Ownership
Last week, Philips">http://www.philips.com">Philips Electronics and Marantz Japan jointly announced that Marantz Japan intends to buy the Marantz trademark, as well as the European and American sales organizations, from Philips. The companies say that the transaction is due to take effect in the coming months. In addition, Philips says it intends to sell shares equal to 1.5% of all shares held in Marantz Japan, effectively reducing its ownership percentage from 50.5% to 49%.
Philips Announces New Chips for CD Players
Last week, Philips">http://www.semiconductors.com/">Philips Semiconductors announced the CD10 chipset, which the company describes as the world's first two-chip solution to deliver CD-RW (compact disc, re-writeable) compatibility for CD audio players. According to Philips, one chip provides a data amplifier and laser supply circuit, while the other is the digital servo, decoder, and DAC. As a result, Philips claims that the new chipset allows designers to build audio players that can read all forms of CDs without an increase in component count.
Philips Chip: SACD + DVD?
The affordable universal disc player may yet become a reality—if Royal">http://www.philips.com">Royal Philips Electronics has anything to do with it.
Philips Re-org Means Fewer Jobs
With worldwide demand for semiconductors lower than it has been in many years, Philips">http://www.philips.com">Philips Electronics NV has announced an organizational streamlining that may cost 4000 workers their jobs.
Philips: Don't Mess with the CD!
The major record labels may put out most of the world's music, but they're doing so on a format first created by Philips and then further developed by Sony: the Compact Disc. In addition to the underlying technology, Philips and Sony established a strict standard for the format, insuring compatibility with all players around the world, which came to be known as the Red Book standard.
Philips' Audio Fingerprinting
The received wisdom has it that among the billions of humans on earth, no two have identical fingerprints, no matter how closely related they are.
Philips' Online Strategy: Link Customers, Dealers
The Internet has become an integral part of Philips">http://www.philips.com/">Philips Electronics' global sales strategy. The Dutch technology conglomerate has announced a plan for online marketing that will link customers to more than 60,000 Philips dealers worldwide.
Phoenix Gold Grabs Carver
Last week, Phoenix">http://www.phoenixgold.com/">Phoenix Gold International announced its acquisition of the marketing assets of Carver Corporation, including the Carver name, along with plans to "actively rebuild the once highly regarded Carver brand, beginning with a full line of new consumer and professional audio products."