It’s hard to believe that it’s almost been a year since I blogged about the WD TV HD media player. I was really impressed by it, especially at the asking price. Never one to rest on their laurels, Western Digital went back to the lab, and they came out with the WD TV Mini. Think of the WD TV Mini as the little brother of the WD TV HD. Little brother might be a bit of a misnomer, since the Mini is a competent media streamer in its own right.
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Have you purchased a Billboard top 10 CD lately? If you have, more often that not, it’s probably very loud. That’s awesome, isn’t it? Not exactly. Most of the public is unaware of this, but this is probably the worst thing you could do to sound reproduction. This is done through a process called Dynamic Range Compression (DRC). In simple terms, it reduces the dynamic range of an audio signal. In a normal song, there are highs and lows. Quiet chapters, and loud chapters. With excessive DRC, all the nuance and range between different parts of the song are lost. To the untrained ear, this might sound good since records with heavy DRC are louder. However, you are not hearing what the artist intended you to hear through their music. It’s akin to going to an art gallery, and then having the curator smearing paint all over the art because they think it’s better that way. Generally speaking, many people have never heard a pristine, clean recording, so they have no frame of reference as to what something with minimal compression sounds like. The video below illustrates the detriment DRC is to modern recordings. It really hit the nail on the head.
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Tarrus Riley comes to J&R Music World (directions) Tuesday, August 4th for a 12:30 pm in-store performance, after which he will sign copies of his new album, Contagious.

The secret to the success of Tarrus Riley, believe it or not, is quite simple - “when preparation meets opportunity”, stated a self-assured Riley. “I’ve been surrounded by music all my life. My father is a singer and my mother is a bathroom singer”, he explains with a chuckle. “Because I can’t change the world, I sing for the people - this is the contribution I can make and after I make a song; it isn’t even mine anymore; it belongs to the people.”
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DJ Big Whiz, Chuck D, DJ Parler, DJ Johnny Juice

Hip hop artists celebrate J&R Musical Instrument Store Grand Opening.

First up:
Thursday June 18th, 12:00 noon DJ Big Wiz will demo in J&R Musical Instrument Store, 33 Park Row, 1st Floor.

DJ BIG WIZ started DJing in late ‘83. Since then he has worked as a DJ in many aspects such as community and college radio as well as at one of the biggest commercial radio stations in the US. He was also down with two of the original 3 groups on the Rap-A-Lot Records (home of the Ghetto Boys) in the mid to late ’80s.
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We were lucky enough to have NARM President Jim Donio answer a few questions for us about upcoming Record Store Day and the importance of record stores. Check out what he had to say below.

You are the President of NARM, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers. Can you tell us a bit about what NARM does and it’s function in the industry?

The National Association of Recording Merchandisers is a not-for-profit trade organization that serves the music content and commerce communities by helping advance the promotion, marketing, distribution, and sale of music. NARM provides its members with a forum for diverse meeting and networking opportunities, information, and education to support their businesses, as well as advocating for their common interests. Our core content delivery membership consists of music retailers and wholesalers, including brick-and-mortar, online and mobile companies. More than that, our membership encompasses distributors, record labels, multimedia suppliers, technology companies, and suppliers of related products and services. Individual professionals and educators in the field of music are also members.

Record Store Day is a fairly new event. How did it come about and how many retail stores are participating this year?

Record Store Day has more than 1,000 participating retail outlets around the world. The original idea for Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 by a group of independent store owners and their organized business coalitions as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding independently-owned record stores in the United States and internationally, and to highlight the contributions they makes to the industry and their communities. This is one day when independently-owned stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet and greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Franscisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April.

Vinyl has definitely shown a resurgence lately. Why do you think that is? And do you think it’s for the long haul?

Vinyl records are extremely appealing to a large segment of the population who share a pure love for music. From young collectors discovering the warm tones of vinyl, to the audiophiles who enjoy the “raw and real” sounds, vinyl has become a preferred way to enjoy favorite bands. New generations are still discovering the uniqueness of the LP, and some consider a vinyl album a true work of art and a must-have collectible.

Why are record stores still important?

Record stores are important today because these retail outlets offer a true cultural and economic relevance to their local communities. Music is purchased by a diverse mix of consumers around the world, whose preferences are as varied as their ages and backgrounds. Purchasing music today is not “one size fits all,” nor is it mutually exclusive. For example, a consumer may buy music online, but still enjoy the experience of visiting record stores. As music crosses all demographics, many music fans prefer their unique experience of escaping to a record store where they can listen to new music, browse selections, and discover new sounds — all in a familiar, communal atmosphere. I believe there will be vibrant and thriving record stores for many years to come.

 

In addtion to four live performance, exclusive offerings and giveaways, J&R’s celebration of Record Store Day will feature an Advance Listening Party of 50th Anniversary Legacy CDs on the 2nd Floor of J&R Music World, 23 Park Row, 12 noon, Saturday, April 18th.

In celebration of the 50th anniversaries of their recording, Columbia/Legacy is releasing special Legacy Editions of Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, Miles Davis’ Sketches Of Spain and Charles Mingus’ Mingus Ah Um. All three are slated for a May 26 release and excerpts of all three will be played at J&R, Saturday.

Receive a free Lithograph with pre-order!

The Time Out Legacy Edition will feature two CDs and a DVD. The DVD features a new 30-minute documentary on the making of Time Out, including footage of Brubeck illustrating selections from Time Out at the piano. The audio portion of this package features over 90 minutes of music, including an entire second disc of previously unreleased live recordings from the Newport Jazz Festival from 1961-’64.

Sketches Of Spain was released in 1960, but recorded in ‘59. The two-CD Legacy Edition of this collaboration between Gil Evans and Davis features more than two hours of music: the original album along with rehearsal and alternate takes previously heard only on the 1996 set Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings, plus the lone live performance by Davis with Evans, “Concierto De Aranjuez” performed at Carnegie Hall on May 19, 1961.

The two-CD Mingus Ah Um features more than two-and-a-half hours of music, including Mingus Ah Um and its sequel, Mingus Dynasty, in their entirety, plus four bonus tracks from the sessions and three alternate takes.

 

Scott A. Rosenberg’s post, Back in the Groove: Vinyl Records are making a comeback, in AM New York’s Urbanite Blog asks,

So what is it about the vinyl record … that caused sales to nearly double in 2008?

“It’s really for the true collector, the one that understands music, quality of music, wants to know about the artist that’s playing, wants to read liner notes,” said Rachelle Friedman, president of J&R Music World.

Vinyl sales have been rising steadily at J&R, which has been selling vinyl since it opened in 1971. As demand increases, it has expanded the vinyl section, Friedman said.

Friedman recounted a story where a vinyl customer came in and bought two of everything. “One I leave sealed and the other one I listen to,” he told her.

J&R is the only mega-music store left in New York City and is fast becoming the vinyl outlet for the Tri-State area. ( Directions )

 

THE SEARCH IS OVER…BUT THE JOURNEY HAS JUST BEGUN!!!

The Search for the Next Great Metal Band was in full swing at J&R on Saturday, February 21st. Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister was on hand as the 4 final bands played it out in front of a crowd of fans, friends and shoppers. Each band gave it 200% and represented themselves well. To choose just one of these bands to represent J&R was an extremely difficult task, but in the end we are only allowed one entry.

J&R would like to congratulate MISERY and look forward to entering them as our pick in the SEARCH FOR THE NEXT GREAT METAL BAND!

MISERY along with all of the other winning bands across the country will perform an in-store in their respective cities on April 18th, 2009, which is Record Store Day. Our selection will then be forwarded along with all of the other local winners to Brian Slagel, the mastermind behind Metal Blade Records, who will choose the winner of the NEXT GREAT METAL BAND.

The grand champion of The Next Great Metal Band will receive not only the accolades of metal minions and the respect and interest of the entire metal community but also:

PUMA will outfit the entire band
ATTICUS will clothe the entire band
KRANK AMPLIFIERS will provide two half-stacks
AKT ENTERPRISES will provide the ever-important MERCH SHIRTS to sell on the road and more prizes from ESP GUITARS, ROTOSOUND STRINGS, and MORE STILL BEING FIRMED UP!

To check out more about Misery, stop by their MySpace page! And check out photos from the event on our Flickr page, too!

 

This ain’t your grandpa’s alarm clock radio. The iLuv HD Radio is more than just an alarm clock radio. It’s capable of receiving AM/FM HD radio signals. You might ask what the significance of this is, so I’ll tell you. HD Radio enables broadcasters to transmit static, hiss and noise free signals, allowing you the end user to enjoy audio at fidelity levels comparable to CD quality.

Programmable station presets and the ability to add an external mp3 player like an iPod via an auxiliary line input make the iLuv HD radio a well rounded device that should please anyone looking to enjoy high quality audio.

To learn more about the iLuv HD Radio, check out our product demo below: