Andrew Orlowski

Collected Journalism

  • “The biggest attempt at recording theft ever attempted”

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    Andrew Orlowski

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    The husband of the late classical pianist Joyce Hatto has apparently admitted to “doctoring” sound recordings issued on his own record label. William Barrington-Coupe issued over 100 CDs of his wife, who hadn’t performed in public for 30 years, on his label Concert Artists Recordings. Recently Hatto, who died last year, had been rediscovered to…

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  • Pot, dial kettle: Closed Skype wants open networks

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    Andrew Orlowski

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    eBay’s proprietary VoIP service Skype wants the Federal Communications Commission to change its rules on how cellular networks operate. It’s demanding that the US regulator extend a 1968 legal decision, which permitted any device to be attached to the AT&T network, to apply to mobile operators. It also wants a new industry body to decide…

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  • ‘Hoax’ stuns classical music world

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    Andrew Orlowski

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    Gramophone magazine has unearthed what one sound recording expert describes as “the biggest attempt at recording theft ever.” Thanks to the internet, the formerly obscure British classical pianist Joyce Hatto had become a critical favorite shortly before her death last year. In 2005, the Boston Globe described her as “the greatest living pianist that almost…

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  • Unlimited mobile music for £1.99 a week

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    Andrew Orlowski

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    In what may prove to be the most far-reaching digital music launch since iTunes, Omnifone today took the wraps off its MusicStation service. The service gives mobile phone users access to the big four labels’ music catalogs on-demand for £1.99 (€2.99) a week, using a player that runs on mid-range feature phones and GPRS or…

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  • Google – this internet won’t scale

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    Andrew Orlowski

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    Google’s TV chief has admitted the internet is crap for TV. Speaking to the Cable Europe Congress in Amsterdam, Vincent Dureau told attendees: “The web infrastructure, and even Google’s [infrastructure]…doesn’t scale. It’s not going to offer the quality of service that consumers expect.” Dureau, is head of TV technology at the ad giant. He candidly…

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  • On the Web 2.0 bubble

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    Andrew Orlowski

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    To London, where the web utopianism has a name (“Web 2.0”) and is a rage amongst marketing and media people. I reiterated a point I had raised two years earlier: &ldquo”Let’s acknowledge what the Web has been successful at: as a presentation layer. But the Web 2.0 kids desperately want to write system apps on…

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