Osaka, Japan. Major audio equipment maker Onkyo Corp. announced yesterday that it will close the manufacturing plant adjacent to its Osaka headquarters. The company plans to set up a large shopping center at the site.

Onkyo previously halted audio product assembly at the 28,000 square meter plant, but had continued to produce parts there. Company officials put the blame on sluggish domestic demand in Japan for audio gear. Onkyo will transfer all domestic manufacturing to its two subsidiaries in western Japan.

At its peak, the Osaka plant produced 56,000 units of audio equipment a month with a workforce of 500.

Atlanta, GA. Atlanta Mix Factory (AMF) opened a new 24-track analog room last week, emphasizing vintage tube gear and technology. It goes into action for real this week. Epic Records artist Simone will be completing work with producers Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on a new album begun in AMF’s digital studio B.

The new studio A is co-owned and operated by engineer Alan R. Gregorie. It is built around a Studer A-80 two-inch 24-track ATR and a Soundtracs MRX 56 Console, with Urei and B&W monitoring.

A key attraction in Studio A is a the selection of classic tube equipment, such as Summit Audio EQ’s, limiters and pre-amps; and a range of vintage microphones collected from around the world. It also comes with a typical inventory of state-of-the-art digital processors.

Gregorie has engineered for headline artists such as Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins, Janet Jackson, Depeche Mode, Guy, Diana Ross and Afrika Bambaata. Before hooking up with AMF, Gregorie was based in New York for 10 years, working as composer and sound designer for a number of Broadway and off-Broadway shows as well as films.

Atlanta Mix Factory is part of Global Music Productions, headed by President Michael Anthony. Global Music also operates the recently-formed Nippon South Publishing Company. AMF has two other production rooms:

Studio B is a 32-track digital facility equipped with a 96-input console, a baby grand piano and a groove lounge. It is headed by Chief Engineer William (Will) Bowles, who has worked with George Clinton, Curtis Mayfield, the Fugees, Marion Meadows, and Pure Soul and Keith Murray.

Studio C is dedicated to MIDI production. It is fully equipped with automation capabilities, keyboards, modules and drum machines, along with an adjoining lounge.

New York, NY. On September 10th and 11th, DigitalArena at the Atlantic Records site will broadcast two shows by Hootie & The Blowfish live over the web. The concerts will be carried on the Internet direct from the Red Rocks Amphitheatre (near Denver, CO).

The webcast will involve a whole slew of state-of-the-art technology for delivering audio and video on the net. It will combine realtime audio and video streaming, live chat, commentary, digital photography, and up-to-the-minute reports from Atlantic’s on-site correspondents. The webcast kicks off both nights at 10:00 pm EST (7:00 pm PST).

The audio side of the event will be something of a shootout between the two current leading technologies for delivering realtime streaming audio on the net. Concert segments will be delivered in both StreamWorks™ and RealAudio™ formats.

The StreamWorks portion of the broadcast, using MPEG-based compression and streaming technology by Xing Technologies, will be produced by New York-based entertainment company Cybersonic. On The Scene Productions will deliver the video for StreamWorks, sourced from a four-camera shoot.

“Xing is honored to be working with Hootie & The Blowfish to enable the band’s first live performance on the Internet,” said Howard Gordon, Xing founder and CEO. “The band’s worldwide popularity will surely attract thousands to the webcast, and in turn, demonstrate our technology to many who have never experienced audio and video on the Internet.”

The audio for the show will also be delivered over RealAudio, the compression and streaming technology developed by Progressive Networks, and currently the dominant technology for audio webcasts.

“We expect that attendance for Hootie & The Blowfish’s performance will set a new benchmark for online live events,” says Larry Levitsky, Vice President at Progressive. “We’re thrilled that RealAudio is part of the band’s first-ever cybercast.”

Intel Corp. will also be heavily involved in the web cast. Intel’s Intercast technology, which combines live video with web page content and on-site kiosks, will be used for the first time in a concert setting. Intel will also showcase its Internet Phone technology in a call-in session that will be prepared in advance (Hootie and the band talking with fans via Internet Phone) and then broadcast during the show on Wednesday.

“Intel is very excited about the PC’s continued growth as the platform of choice for music delivery in the Internet,” said Avram MIller, Intel Vice president and director, Corporate Business Development. “Hootie & The Blowfish’s Red Rocks concerts signify how Intel’s Internet technologies are enabling artists and their fans a more compelling way to interact via their PC’s.”

Atlantic’s web site has recorded record numbers of visitors this year, due in large part to webcasts carried in the DigitalArena area. Previous webcasts have featured Tori Amos, Jewel, Poe, Seven Mary Three, Duncan Sheik, and the Tragically Hip.

DigitalArena allows participants in Atlantic’s broadcasts to receive live audio, video and commentary on one screen simultaneously. It blends basic applications like chat (via EmeraldNet’s “Chatbox” software) and continuously updated still images with more sophisticated features such as streaming audio and video, so that the user can participate in events regardless of their level of hardware. Online users have enjoyed the ability to communicate with Atlantic commentators without interrupting the enjoyment of the broadcast. The site melds

“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Intel on this trend-setting Hootie cybercast,” says Nikke Slight, Atlantic’s Director of Multimedia. quot;Intercast and the Internet Phone are two more outstanding examples of how Internet technology can be utilized to bring artists and their fans closer together.”

“From the very beginning, Hootie & The Blowfish have shown extraordinary care for their fans,” adds Atlantic Senior Vice President Karen Colamussi. “Whether they’re reaching across a fence to sign autographs, or reaching across cyberspace to answer questions, the band will stop at virtually nothing to get closer to their fans.”

Indianapolis, IN. Klipsch Inc., renowned for more than half a century as a leading manufacturer of speakers and cabinets for high-end home audio, is steering a new course towards the car audio market. Klipsch has announced an agreement in principle to purchase car sound manufacturer Pyle Industries from Pyle’s parent company Harman International.

“The addition of Pyle to Klipsch will add strength to our manufacturing capabilities and allow us to enter the automotive and OEM businesses,” says Fred Klipsch, Chairman and CEO.

Pyle is based in nearby Huntington, IN. They are known for the Pyle Driver car speaker line. Initial plans call for Pyle’s manufacturing operation to remain independent, with sales and marketing moving to Klipsch headquarters in Indianapolis. The acquisition is expected to be complete sometime in September.

Hope, AR. Klipsch Professional recently announced the appointments of Ian Thacker as President, and Tom Gallagher as Director of Sales and Marketing. The appointments were announced by Louis Schiller, Chairman of parent company Consolidated Technology.

Thacker’s previous company experience includes 13 years as the Klipsch distributor in Australia and the South Pacific, and 3 years as Director of Sales, Marketing and Production. He was promoted to the position of General Manager last year.

Gallagher joins Klipsch Pro from Mackie Designs. He is an audio industry veteran, and has previously served in various sales and marketing positions with Klipsch, Electro-Voice, and Aurasound.