Mark Fleischmann

The Recording Industry Association of America is the music industry's most influential trade group and toughest defender. When it comes to sitting in the hot seat, no one has a hotter seat than the RIAA, especially concerning its tactics in fighting illegal downloading. But there are two sides to every story, and especially on the Internet, the organization's message is routinely drowned out by the denunciations of its critics. Why shouldn't the RIAA have its say? That gave me a bright idea: Ask 10 questions by email and publish the responses without further comment on my part. This is the RIAA's take on things, period. Without further ado, here is today's special guest, Cary Sherman, President of the Recording Industry Association of America.

Binge On is the name of T-Mobile’s new streaming service for mobile devices, which delivers major channels and platforms with no data caps or overage fees.

TAD, already one of our favorite speaker manufacturers, now offers both a mono-block amp and a SACD player cum DAC, both priced at $26,500. Stereo amp and preamp are on the drawing board. The final version of the Compact Reference speaker is now shipping for $37,000/pair. A demo with female vocal and piano was startling in its directness, marred only slightly by the sight of the chandelier gently swinging, apparently as a result of a subwoofer on the floor above.

As of Oct. 2007 Technical Audio Devices became Technical Audio Devices Laboratories Inc. under the ownership of Pioneer. That will enable them to deepen their existing relationship, with engineering resources dedicated specifically to the new company. New from TAD is a Class A mono-block amp that uses no more power than a Class B amp. There's also a new floorstanding model, the S-3EX. It's far less massive than the flagship S-1EX and uses a ceramic graphite tweeter in lieu of the beryllium used in other TAD speakers. Stand-mount and center versions to come. TAD's Andrew Jones is one of the best and brightest in speaker design and his next moves will be of the greatest interest to us.