“It has become received wisdom that the future of music distribution is in downloading, and that the CD’s days are numbered, as surely as the LP’s were. Yet here is the ArkivCD, resurrecting recordings in a format whose obituary has already been written.
“‘For classical music, it’s a whole different ball game,’ Feidner [president of ArkivMusic] responds, pointing out that the genre is a niche that often has quite different priorities from the broader music market. He cites a survey the company did at the end of last year that confirmed what they already suspected: Classical music consumers are concerned about sound quality and thus loath to purchase music in compressed formats like MP3. They also want to have liner notes and vocal texts, and prefer hard copies to electronic formats like PDFs.
“The bottom line, says Feidner, is that ‘overwhelmingly, our customers want to buy physical CDs.’”–from article by David Weininger, Boston Globe
ArkivMusic.com, The Source for Classical Recordings 
“The Duchess of Cornwall is to fly off for a Mediterranean holiday without Prince Charles. Sources say she will use the weeklong break to cool off after she had to pull out of tomorrow’s memorial service for Princess Diana at the last minute.
“Camilla was invited by William and Harry but after a backlash against her from Diana fans the Queen advised her not to attend. Camilla is said to be furious at the way the issue has been handled by Charles’s aides.”–dailymail.co.uk
The royal family aren’t Roman Catholic. They might have been wise to stick to the Protestant tradition of not having church services on the anniversary of somebody’s death.
When I answer the telephone, if the person calling is not somebody that I know, the call is usually from somebody who is trying to sell me something, to get a donation to a probably bogus charity such as an alleged police patromen’s association, or to get me to take a survey I have no interest in taking. Why don’t people understand that that is the reality? My experience can’t be unique. Why don’t people understand that they should immediately make it clear who they are and what the nature of the call is, because my assumption is that the call is an unwanted annoyance? Do they really think that I’m going to pretend that I am Emily Post in 1930 receiving a social call? Do they think that I am going to answer questions from a stranger? That I am going to pretend that a stranger is not a stranger?
As president, Bush has not been to Vermont, but has been to the other 49 states, reports the Washington Times.
TuneCore stocks digital music and delivers it to online stores such as iTunes. But unlike other distributors, Tune Core doesn’t take a cut of the sales. Instead, it charges a flat fee, reports Jed Gottlieb in today’s Boston Herald.
Get Your Music on iTunes for as low as $22 
“Only 14,302 people voted in the [Iowa Republican straw] poll [Saturday], far fewer than the 23,685 who cast ballots in the last big straw poll in 1999.
“That’s a sign Republicans are not happy with their choices,” says DesMoinesRegister.com.
Well, I’m glad to hear that. I can’t imagine than anybody could be enthusiastic about any of the Republican candidates.
