Opinion

The spring cleaning of schedules at BBC Radio 3 took its listeners by surprise, to judge from comments both within and outside the media. The 'shop window' of Record Review on a Saturday morning moved to the first floor, in the afternoon. The spoken-word programmes were shunted off to Radio 4, while Friday Night Is Music Night has resurrected an antique Radio 2 title. The channel's once-serious coverage of new and contemporary music is almost entirely effaced under the controllership of Sam Jackson, who formerly headed up Classic FM.

The outside needs a lick of paint, but otherwise this famous Bay Area recording studio is ready to make music once more, this time as a non-profit. Barry Willis salutes its owners’ ambition

Afew days ago I decided to listen to a CD that I'd not played in ages. The impact was almost immediate. I'd intended to have it as pleasing background music while I did some work in the kitchen, but after a few bars of music - time stopped! Totally captured by the sheer beauty of the sound, I just stood and listened, unable to do anything else. And this was in a room where there was no stereo imaging as such, and the acoustics of which would never be accepted as a good listening environment for hi-fi sound.

It’s a safe bet that most HFN readers are not merely gearheads, but music lovers too. So you might have wondered how economic decisions affect the lives of the artists on whom we depend, aesthetically and emotionally. Back in the days of physical media, musicians launched tours in support of new releases. Tickets were affordable because profits were primarily derived from sales of records. Beginning with Napster, and especially since the advent of streaming, that business model is dead. Recordings today are basically given away as promotional items to sell concert tickets, whose prices have skyrocketed.