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Several news sources reported Saturday, January 22, that Time">http://www.timewarner.com/">Time Warner is close to completing a merger with EMI">http://www.emigroup.com/">EMI Recorded Music. The combined company will be worth an estimated $20 billion, making it the world's second-largest music conglomerate, exceeded in size and scope only by Seagram Ltd.'s Universal">http://www.umusic.com/">Universal Music. News of the deal came less than a week after the announcement of an impending mergerhttp://www.stereophile.com/news/10648/">merger; between America Online, the world’s largest Internet service provider, with Time Warner, one of the world's largest media conglomerates.

Stereophile writers and editors were saddened to learn of the June 27 death of colleague Timothy White, editor-in-chief of Billboardhttp://www.billboard.com">Billboard; magazine. White collapsed of an apparent heart attack in an elevator at Billboard's New York offices and died shortly thereafter at St. Vincent's Hospital. He was 50.

Embattled audio brand TAG">http://www.tagmclarenaudio.com">TAG McLaren Audio is showing more signs of life since hitting">http://www.stereophile.com/news/11701/">hitting the ropes earlier this summer. After completing "a full strategic review of its participation in the audio market," the company had announcedhttp://www.stereophile.com/news/11718/">announced; a re-focused effort to continue.

It would seem almost reasonable to imagine that your next stereo receiver or preamp could have an "intel inside" sticker on the front. Last week, software company Behttp://www.be.com">Be; made several announcements that it hopes will not only bring such a future to consumers, but also place itself at the center of the Internet-connected home-entertainment equipment market.

Thomas P. Colangelo, designer of some of the best regarded solid-state components of the last three decades, died in a single-car collision on September 5.

Back in the spring of 1986, I was visiting a hi-fi show in Lucerne, Switzerland. In the KEF/McIntosh/Perreaux room, I was engaged by a voluble American, who wanted to talk about the changes I was making with the English magazine Hi-Fi News. The conversation shifted to the hotel bar, then to a restaurant. The American was one Tony Federici, who at that time was distributing Perreaux gear in the US. With an education in the philosophy of science, Tony's comments were insightful and challenging. He was never at a loss for an opinion! After I moved to the US to take the editorial">http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/352">editorial reins at Stereophile, Tony stayed in touch, and many were the conversations we had about audio magazines, the audio business, and music.

Last week, Napsterhttp://www.napster.com/">Napster; announced that it had reached a preliminary agreement with US songwriters and music publishers to settle a class action lawsuit currently pending in federal court in California. The beleaguered company says the agreement includes terms under which the songwriters and music publishers will license their music to Napster's new membership-based service.