DGG Celebrates 112th Birthday With 56-CD Box Set – Deutsche Grammophon will turn 112 years old on December 6 and has encored last year’s 55-CD set of treasured artists and recordings from their past with a new one which is also expected to sell out in a few weeks. DGG has been around ever since Emil Berliner began pressing gramophone recordings in 1888, and is Universal’s oldest active label. The Collector’s Edition 2 compliments the 209 Edition to total 111 CDs altogether. The recordings constitute a role call of great musicians in unforgettable performances of the 20th and 21st century. There is also a 6-CD “111 More Classic Tracks” which has different selections, going back to Chaliapin in 1911. Details at www.DG-111.com
Apple and Google to Clash in Music Space – Google is busy talking with the various music labels about a plan for a download store and digital song locker which would allow mobile users to play songs wherever they are. It’s definitely stepping up its serious rivalry with Apple. The new service is supposed to be up and running by Christmas. Apple may have a seven-year dominance thru its iTunes Music Store, which currently accounts for 70% of all U.S. digital music sales, but Google is going head-to-head with them in a wide range of media and consumer technology areas including online TV movies, mobile phones, software and advertising. Google wants to tie its iOS/Android technology into search and the Android mobile platform. Sales of Android-based iPhones has rocketed recently to 200,000 a day. The record labels have become increasingly concerned with the control Apple exerts over everything from song pricing to digital formats. While digital album sales are up 13% year-to-date from a year ago, sales of individual songs has been steady, according to Nielsen.
Mozart Stops Violence – In Christchurch New Zealand, playing Mozart on speakers in the City Mall has led to a steep fall in petty crime and antisocial behaviour. Originally the business association manager intended to play easy-listening music like Barry Manilow, but he found classical music more calming to the riff-raff. He said “Classical music is known for reducing anitsocial behavior. It is much more pleasnt now. People sit in that area now because they feel safer.” The Senior Rageant at the City Centre said “The music has certainly had an effect during the day. It has created an environment that is conducive to good behavior.”
Software Predicts If a Song Will Be a Hit – The uplaya.com web site offers software with the award-winning Hit Song Science technology, which generates a statiscally-based analysis of any pop music, including its potential for commercial success. Already professionals in 190 different countries are utilizing Hit Song Science analysis to make important decisions. Record companies are buying into the idea, and the Economist says it could profoundly change the way music is created.
Soft and Flexible Earpieces Make Difference in New Earphones – The new Sensaphonic 2MAX in-ear monitors offer the quietest background sound of any. To do so they require placing more deeply in the ear canals that most earphones. Their frequency response has some minor deviations from flat but is negligible. The life and drama of music is conveyed without the usual noise floor. SRP of the new earphones is $850.
CEA Launches Tech Enthusiast Membership Category – The Consumer Electronics Association has created a membership category for individuals who are early adopters and foervent supporters of consumer technology. Members receive such benefits as online discounts, beta-testing opportunities, and insider industry information on the latest technologty trends. Membership has been lowered to $29 for the first 2000 members. The CEA has also launched a nationwide search for the Ultimate Tech Enthusiast. The grand prize will be a lifetime CEA Tech Enthusiast membership and a VIP CES Experience pass to the 2011 International CES Experience in Las Vegas.
