AXPONA 2020 has been canceled. CEO and Founder of show organizer JD Events just released the following letter:

"Tone Poet" Joe Harley sent this photo taken today at a Kevin Gray mastering session. Analog life goes on at Cohearent Audio during the Pandemic.

The print edition of today's New York Times includes an article titled "The Vinyl? It's Pricey. The Sound? Otherworldly", written about The Electric Recording Company by music critic Ben Sisario. To prep for the article he visited, bringing with him an ERC mastered Johanna Martzy Bach Violin Sonatas recording and a newly mastered CD version produced by Warner Music Korea. He wanted to compare on the kind of system ERC buyers might own. He also visited The Electric Recording Company in London.

Mack Avenue Music Group launches an all-sales-go-directly to-the artist event starting Thursday, April 30th, which is also International Jazz Day, running through May 3rd. Mack Avenue Senior Director of A&R Will Wakefield says, "Almost everyone I know—musicians, managers, venue owners and booking agents—are facing unemployment or worse for an unknown amount of time. We are keenly aware of what that means and wants to be there to help in whatever way we can and I think this is good start."

Hi-res streaming service qobuz just announced a now through May 15th offer of 21 CD resolution and hi-res titles you can download free. The music includes classical, jazz and "world".

Cambridge Audio’s $1699 Direct-Drive Alva (named after Thomas Alva Edison) is not the first “plug’n’play turntable, but it’s the first serious, well-engineered one that combines set up ease with high performance, both mechanical and sonic. An added attraction is high resolution Bluetooth SBC [lowest resolution 320 bit MP3]/apt X/apt X HD [up to 24 bit/48kHz Hi-res] functionality that allows wireless connectivity to a Bluetooth loudspeaker or headphones.

From the Sam Records press release:

“By the late 1940s, the emergence of vinyl records created new opportunities for graphic artists to express their talent. The new 12'' square format seemed particularly suitable for experimentation and many labels became reputed for their innovative designs. Amazingly gifted artists such as David Stone Martin, Jim Flora, Pierre Merlin, Burt Goldblatt or Reid Miles, to name just a few, made a name for themselves illustrating or designing jazz record covers.

Amoeba Music with record stores in Hollywood, Berkeley and San Francisco says that due to the Covid-19 virus it faces an "uncertain future" as all three stores since mid-March have been shut down. Savings are running out and while the company is paying staff salaries it cannot continue much longer without help from customers and friends.

Cushioned by the Netherlands-based Matangi String Quartet, plus bass drums, percussion and occasional guitar, singer/songwriter/pianist Lori Lieberman delivers a tender, occasionally excruciatingly intimate song cycle replete with regret, heartache, abandonment, longing and loss.

WAM Engineering's new universal WallyTractor is now available from the newly formed company, a partnership between the late Wally Malewicz's son Andrzej, himself a mechanical engineer and Wally's former production assistant J.R. Boisclair. They've just launched the Wallyanalog website where you will find complete details of the new $395 universal WallyTractor and the available services the Santa Rosa, CA based company provides.