Phono Cartridge Event in Phoenix Saturday
Saturday January 28, 16pm, Esoteric Audio (111 West Monroe Street, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85003) is presenting the first public showing of the DS Audio DS 002 Optical Phono Cartridge System. This is a lower-priced version of the DS Audio Master1 that Michael Fremer reviewed for Stereophile in September 2015.
Pianist Hyperion Knight to Perform in Rhode Island, Sunday February 25
Sunday, February 25 at 2pm, audiophile-fave-rave pianist Hyperion Knight will perform a program of Bach, Beethoven, and Gershwin at the First Baptist Church in America (75 North Main Street Providence, RI 02903). The church is a short (seven minutes) walk from the Providence Amtrak (train) station. The starting time of the recital was chosen to make it possible for music lovers from New York City to Boston to arrive and depart with the least fuss possible. The recital will be open to the public, and free of charge.
Picture Improves for MP3.com with Pending Licensing Agreement
Widely assumed to be at death's door, streaming-audio site MP3.comhttp://www.mp3.com/">MP3.com; may be on the rebound after reaching a preliminary agreement October 19 to license more than one million songs from the National">http://www.nmpa.org/">National Music Publishers' Association, Inc. (NMPA) and the organization's primary subsidiary, the Harry Fox Agency, Inc. (HFA). Individual music publishers represented by the Fox Agency must approve the agreement before it can take effect.
Pioneer to Ignore Copy-Protection Issue, Will Launch DVD-A
Despite the recent defeat of DVD-Audio's copy-protection scheme (see previous">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10620/">previous story), Pioneer Electronics has decided to move forward with its plan to release two models of its high-resolution players in Japan. The announcement was made December 14 by company executives in Tokyo, who said that delaying the format's launch at this late stage could do irreparable damage to its acceptance by music fans. Super Audio Compact Disc, a competing format developed by the Sony/Philips alliance, is already beginning to win converts.
Pioneering Record Company Director Teresa Sterne Dies
Teresa Sterne, a pioneer in the production of classical music recordings and a visionary marketer of classical and ethnomusicological recordings, died December 10, 2000 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gerhrig's disease). She was 73.
Pirates Awash In Swag
As almost any Stereophile reader could tell">http://www.stereophile.com/showvote.cgi?105">tell you, if the record labels want to stem the rushing tide of big-time music piracy, they should consider starting with lower CD prices at retail. In other words, lessen the incentives that drive the illicit music market, and eliminate a sizable percentage of the problem overnight.
Pirates Pinched
Visit any major metropolitan city, and chances are you'll eventually stumble upon vendors selling pirate CDs from outdoor tables, often for as little as $5 each. But for the suburban resident in the US, flea markets are where the pirate action is.
Pirates Under Pressure Around the World
Last week, the US Secret Service reported that, assisted by the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) New York Anti-Piracy Unit, it had executed two search and seizure warrants in Queens and Manhattan, resulting in what the agency called "the break-up of a massive counterfeit music operation." The Secret Service reported that approximately 20,000 recorded CD-Rs and 1200 masters were seized from the Queens and Manhattan locations.
Plan B for Net Investors: Legal Music?
The continuing legal attacks on Napsterhttp://www.napster.com/">Napster;, the free file-sharing software, and on MP3.comhttp://www.mp3.com/">MP3.com;, the downloadable music site, have spooked investors, according to the financial press. MP3.com's stock got hammered hard, dropping by about 40% almost immediately in the wake of a recent">http://www.stereophile.com/news/10737/">recent decision by US District Court judge Jed S. Rakoff in favor of the Recording">http://www.riaa.com/">Recording Industry Association of America's copyright-violation complaint against the Internet startup.
Platinum Entertainment Gives It Away Online
Old joke: "We lose money on every sale, but we make it up in volume." A similar concept seems to be at the heart of the free download phenomenon sweeping through the Internet music industry: give it away as a lo-rez MP3, and customers will come back to buy the CD.