Audio News for January 24, 2007

by | Jan 24, 2007 | Audio News | 0 comments

Dissenting View on Electronic Gadgets As Power Hogs – Not long ago we summarized some of the articles warning of modern electronic gadgets and their wall wart power supplies being electric power hogs and running up your electric bill unseemingly. Well, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal decided he wouldn’t research those findings for himself. He wondered if all his TVs, cable boxes, chargers and various computer gear were really sucking up so much power. He obtained a professional power meter, and quickly found that electronic gadgets are getting a bad rap – being relatively insignificant power consumers in the scheme of things. He didn’t have much AV equipment but several computers and peripherals. No plasma display, which can be power hogs.They were not the culprits. The problems were his lights and his electric dryer – each one cost around $25-$30 each month. An electric stove and/or electric heaters would of course be even greater hogs.

The Cleveland Orchestra Resumes Commercial Recordings
– The Cleveland Orchestra – one of the most-recorded orchestras in the world (started recording in 1924) – has announced plans to return to commercial recording under their Music Director, Franz Welser-Möst.  The first project was the taping of concert performances of Beethoven’s Ninth earlier this month. As with several other major orchestras around the world, The Cleveland will be producing and releasing the recordings on their own label, but will be working under a licensing arrangement with a major international record label on CD distribution and Internet downloads. The recording initiative is made possible by a new agreement with the orchestra’s players. The agreement provides for self-production of recordings from live concerts, to be sold as CDs and/or digital downloads under license to recording companies with copyright ownership retained by The Orchestra. The recently-retired President of EMI Classics is a consultant to orchestra. A 26-week Cleveland Orchestra syndicated radio series is broadcast in 25 states, plus international broadcasts on BBC Radio 3.

Lawsuit Against XM Radio Will Proceed
– Major recording companies last year filed a suit against XM Satellite Radio saying they infringed on exclusive distribution rights by allowing customers to record songs onto special receivers sold as XM + MP3 players. XM has said it is protected by the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, which permits individuals to record music off the air for private use. However, the judge involved has now said she does not believe XM is protected in this instance by the Act. XM had said their receiver was no different than an obsolete radio-cassette recorder, but the judge says it is not because the cassette was recording songs played over free radio which did not threaten the market for copyrighted works, whereas the XM unit stores songs from private subscription-fee radio broadcasts.

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