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Muji wall-mounted CD player easy on eyes, hard on wallet

If you're living in the past and still using physical CD players, Muji's got a new wall-mounted version that will take a bit of the heat off your back. And it's got its own star appeal with a cameo in the trailer for "Objectified," the new design documentary from the heads behind the hit "Helvetica."

The way it works is pretty simple: you just mount it on any flat surface, load in your CD, pull on the string at the bottom, and your music plays out of the speakers built into the body. … Read more

WaTunes offers free digital distribution for musicians

Talk about a race to the bottom: a week after I pondered which digital music distribution service was cheapest, WaTunes made the question irrelevant by offering digital distribution for free. That's right--for no money down and no cut of the royalties, WaTunes promises to distribute your digital downloads to iTunes, Amazon's MP3 store, Rhapsody, eMusic, and Rhapsody.

So how does the company expect to make money? The answer became clear this week when WaTunes launched its premium-priced service, WaTunes VIP. For $29.95 a year, artists and labels will get distribution to more stores (including the Zune Marketplace), … Read more

First SSD-based CD ripping NAS device?

RipNAS announced their latest network attached storage devices this week--the Statement series--in solid-state drive and hard-disk drive formats. The RipNAS Statement is purported as the first CD ripping NAS device to come equipped with the former.

Based on the Windows Home Server OS and housed in a silver aluminum casing (designed to eliminate noise pollution), the Statement is capable of CD ripping, media streaming, and networked storage on either the 500GB SSD configuration (2 x 250GB SSDs) or the 3TB HDD configuration (2 x 1.5TB HDDs). The entire case measures 10 x 43 x 38 cm and is powered … Read more

Print your own CD cover in iTunes

iTunes (for Windows|Mac) has so much going on with its music library, playlists, and store, it's easy to overlook the little ways that this brand of software can improve your life.

Take CD mixes, for example. CDs may be passe, but they're not dead yet, and mixes make great gifts for anyone with a CD player built into their car, or anyone who hasn't sprung for MP3-player docking station.

With that in mind, the always-entertaining CNET Editor Brian Tong shows you how to create CD covers for mix CDs in iTunes, using iTunes and Amazon album … Read more

Are record shops worth saving? (Part 3)

By now you've read what I love about record stores, and what I could live without. In this third--and final--installment, I'm going to throw out some ideas for how to bring record shops into the 21st century. If record stores are to survive, what's the way forward? I'm sure these mom and pop shops are asking this question every day, so if you have any ideas beyond what I've outlined below, let's hear 'em.

I may be a romantic, but I still believe that in spite of our access to music downloads, fans need a physical space to explore and consume music, and to mingle with their peers. But to work, the High Fidelity throwbacks need to evolve.

The trick is to leverage digital music to give customers the best of both worlds, and to do it without losing what makes your store unique. If I could sit down with my old boss and give him some advice, here's what I'd offer:… Read more

Are record shops worth saving? (Part 2)

Last week, I offered five reasons record stores are worth saving from extinction. As someone who's spent plenty of time on both sides of the music retail counter, I believe that the world still needs record stores; however, I also have a laundry list of record-store failures.

Many record stores are going out of business for perfectly good reasons that have little to do with iTunes or Amazon. In general, the brick-and-mortar music retail experience is antique and frustrating, and when it's bad, it's enough to make you swear off record shops for good. Consider my complaints below, and then click over to part three to learn what strategies record stores could take to stay relevant and vital.… Read more

Are record shops worth saving? (Part 1)

Last Saturday, independent music retailers organized a national Record Store Day, complete with in-store freebies and exclusive releases from dozens of bands who want to see these business survive. As someone who spent two of the best years of my youth working at an independent record store, I have a nostalgic attachment to these mom-and-pop shops.

I don't know if I was motivated more by sentimentality or pity, but I felt an obligation to honor the spirit of the day and visit my local music store. The shop was ripped right out of "High Fidelity," and contained all the requisite elements for an indy music store: aloof, yet knowledgeable staff; equal ratios of vinyl and CDs; postered walls; a selection of local music; and a lazy pet cat. But nostalgia aside, I couldn't shake the reality that stores like this can't last much longer.… Read more

Get 9 free audiobook MP3s from Barnes & Noble

Good news, commuters: Barnes & Noble is offering nine audiobooks absolutely free. They're downloads, of course, but they're in MP3 format, meaning that you can burn them to CDs, copy them to your iPod/Zune/Sansa, and listen on your Netbook or whatever.

So, if they're free, they must be bargain bin books from no-name authors, right? Wrong. But eight of them are short stories, most ranging from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. Thus, while you may not recognize the titles, you'll definitely recognize some of the authors.

Among the more notable names: Kurt Vonnegut, Louis … Read more

Knock your blocks off with Lego's new CD boom box

PlayStation 3s, iPods, and Wiis are the toys of today's tots, but I still hold a soft spot in my jaded heart for Legos. Brick by brick, they taught me the value of patience and creativity, and you know what? They didn't cost $200. That's why I'll always support these toys, even when they release a boom box with a CD player and analog radio.

The boom box is 10 times the size of the classic eight-knob rectangle and features two 1-watt speakers on the front faceplate. The big knobs on top control the volume and … Read more