Interested in Improving the Sound of Your Stereo? Consider RecordsWritten by Charles Essmeier
Introduced in 1982, compact disc was intended to provide better sound than 40-year-old long-play record album, popularly known as LP. Using a laser rather than a diamond needle for playback compact disc was smaller, more convenient to use, and less susceptible to damage than LP. A bonus was that format was said to offer “perfect sound forever.” “Forever” isn’t that long these days; improvements in digital sound have come along in last twenty years and music industry introduced two new formats this decade that are designed to improve upon “perfect” sound of compact disc. Those formats are Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) and DVD Audio (DVD-A.) Over years, various audio publications have criticized sound of compact discs, describing sound as “harsh”, “brittle” or “sterile” compared to sound of LP. After years of research, SACD and DVD-A were introduced several years ago and introduced sound that was said to be cleaner and more natural than that of compact disc. In addition, these formats offered multi-channel sound, and artists such as Pink Floyd offered special multi-channel versions of their albums to entice sales. It hasn’t worked, and sales of both formats peaked in 2003. What is interesting, however, is that both formats still trail LP in sales!
According to Recording Industry Association of America, combined sales of SACD and DVD-A were less than those of LP in 2004. The music industry is in a slump at moment, and sales of all formats were down last year. But sales of LPs were down 13% from 2003, while combined SACD and DVD-A sales were down 33%. It would appear that new formats are failing, even though they are said to be superior to compact disc. The LP, on other hand, continues to have steady sales. While major labels are still somewhat hesitant to release new product in LP form, labels that specialize in reissuing older material, such as Classic Records, are releasing as much product as their manufacturing capacity will permit. It is worth noting that much
| | SAINT ANNOUNCE DATES AT UK’s PREMIER FREE MUSIC FESTIVAL IN STONY STRATFORD TO LAUNCH NEW ALBUM "BONES & TELEPHONES"Written by Liz Toone
Milton Keynes, Wednesday 1 June, 2005 - SAINT, Brussels based Rock/Pop band are pleased to announce that they will be playing two gigs on same day near Milton Keynes on Sunday June 12th 2005.Following on from successful launch of their debut album "Bones & Telephones" and recent appearances in Brussels, Barcelona, London, Dublin and Amsterdam, Saint have confirmed they will be appearing FREE at Folk-on-the-Green in Stony Stratford at 2.15pm on Sunday 12th June. This appearance will be followed by a performance of their debut album, "Bones and Telephones" as part of ‘Stony Live’ on same day at Cock Hotel Marquee Suite, Stony Stratford from 8.00pm (tickets available from Andante Blues, High Street, Stony Stratford, price £4.00). Saint lead singer, Steve Jones said "Saint are really excited about playing at both major events in Milton Keynes music calendar on same day. Folk-on-the-Green is always a great event and opportunity to debut "Bones and Telephones" during Stony Live should make for a fantastic gig". Saint, comprising of Steve on vocals & guitar, Laurent on lead guitar, Philou on bass guitar & Oli on Drums are all highly accomplished musicians. To give new listener a hint to style of music that Saint play, imagine a blend of Radiohead and Coldplay with Placebo and U2 that results in creation of both powerful and touching songs. Fans of Saint and Saint newcomers alike will be pleased to know that several tracks from "Bones and Telephones" plus other well known Saint tracks can be heard at their website, www.saint.be Saint have been playing several major European cities with its brand of melodic pop/rock for sometime and have now developed a considerable following in their home town of Brussels following release of their debut album "Bones & Telephones". Appearances on Belgian TV and Radio have also swelled band’s following.
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