DVD Continues to Fuel Music Industry
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), global record industry sales declined in the first six months of 2003 by 10 percent. Yet music DVD sales were up 55 percent during this period. This segment now makes up five percent of global music sales, totaling $63.5 million. In addition, the IFPI report stated that there are now 300,000 tracks available online for legal downloads.

Gaming and Music Converge for Marketing of New CD
While there has been a growing trend for bonus DVD-Videos packaged with CD releases, next month Atlantic Records' release of P.O.D.'s new CD "Payable by Death" will include a bonus PS2 DVD, complete with a video game demo of Sony's "Amplitude" featuring an exclusive song not available on the new CD or in the original game. This DVD will be included in the first one million copies of the CD and also features a 50-minute behind-the-scenes documentary with the band.

DVD-A in 2004 Car Models
Multiple Grammy Award® winning producer/engineer Elliot Scheiner, Panasonic Consumer Electronics and Acura have collaborated to bring to market the first "ELS Surround" DVD-Audio sound system, which was designed specifically for the automotive market. The new system will be available as standard equipment in Acura's completely redesigned 2004 TL model. The ELS Surround audio system features the world's first in-dash radio with a built-in six-disc DVD-Audio/CD changer that plays DVD-Audio discs, DTS CD's as well as standard CD's. This unique unit plays the six discrete channels of DVD-Audio in high-resolution 24 bit, 96 kHz and can also play DVD-Audio 2-channel recordings at 24 bit, 192 kHz. The ELS Surround audio system's eight-speaker package was developed to reproduce the extended frequency range and dynamics of DVD-Audio, and includes dedicated speakers to reproduce the center and subwoofer channels.

The Digital Entertainment Group (formerly the DVD Entertainment Group) serves to advocate and promote the many benefits associated with DVD while providing updated information to the media and the retail trade. As an industry funded, nonprofit organization, the Digital Entertainment Group also offers a forum for member companies to engage in ongoing discussions concerning various issues and opportunities which relate to other new digital technologies that may emerge in the future.

The Digital Entertainment Group has more than 55 member companies. The following member companies sit on the Music on DVD Committee: 5.1 Entertainment, Blink Digital, Capitol Records, Columbia Records, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, DTS Entertainment, EMI Music, Epic Records, Image Entertainment, Immergent Records, Interscope Geffen A&M, Island Def Jam, Java, JVC Company of America, Legacy Recordings, Lost Highway, MCA Nashville, Mercury Records, Metropolis DVD, Motown Records, Muze, MX Entertainment, Panasonic Consumer Electronics, Pioneer Electronics, Philips Consumer Electronics, Polydor, Sony Electronics, Sony Classical, Thomson, Toshiba America, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records, Verve and Virgin Records.