Harmony Central MySpace page...

Check out the HC page on MySpace! Be sure to add us to your friend list and spread the word!

Musikmesse Videos

Have you checked out the killer vids from the Musikmesse show yet? If not, you should!

Swedish Couple Fights to Name Baby "Metallica"

Lars has got to be pissed about this:D

EMI, Apple to Sell Songs Online

Good news this morning for proponents of DRM-free online music (including me)! EMI and Apple's long-rumored deal about selling the EMI catalog online without any copy protection has come to fruition. Check out the details here.

North Carolina Man Arrested for Selling Phony Gibson Les Pauls

Harnett Man Arrested on Charges of Selling and Possession of Fake Gibson Guitars

RALEIGH, NC. – Steven F. Sexton, 48, of Lillington was charged Friday with two felony counts of criminal use of a counterfeit trademark, following an investigation by the North Carolina Secretary of State’s Trademark Enforcement Section.

The investigation was initiated by a complaint to the Secretary of State’s Office from a victim who allegedly bought what appeared to be a “Les Paul” model Gibson brand electric guitar from Sexton.

Sexton allegedly advertised such guitars for sale in a regional newspaper. A Secretary of State Trademarks investigator found additional evidence of sales with guitars appearing to be Gibson Les Pauls, a famous line of electric guitar. The guitars were actually imported counterfeits of specific Les Paul models, complete with Gibson logos, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

One victim mentioned in the case, was a 15 year-old Cary teenager who found out his Les Paul model bought from Sexton was a fake when he became concerned with its poor quality and took it to a guitar shop, according to the Secretary of State report.

“This recent case highlights the risks to consumers when counterfeit products enter the North Carolina marketplace,” North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall said Wednesday. “In this case involving Gibson guitars, one young musician even had his dream of owning what was to him the perfect guitar, ruined by finding out what he had bought was a fake.”

A total of five counterfeit Les Paul Gibsons with cases were seized following a search of Sexton’s property, according to arrest records. In addition, two victims in the case also voluntarily turned in the guitars they had bought from Sexton in order to assist in the investigation.

“As we often say, selling counterfeit goods is a serious crime that robs legitimate manufacturers and merchants of business and brand identity. It costs governments in lost tax revenue. It opens the pipeline to criminal organizations seeking to ship merchandise into America, and in this particular case, it ruined some dreams of owning a fine musical instrument,” Marshall said.

The North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State has the statutory duty to enforce laws that protect the holders of state and federally registered trademarks.

MIDI Keyboard Controller Review Category

We're happy to roll out the MIDI Keyboard Controller category for user reviews. Until now, MIDI was mashed in with the Synth category. Eventually we will add many more categories, including Drums/Percussion and Computer Audio Hardware, with sub-categories to follow.

The existing MIDI controller reviews will live in the Synth category for the time being since it's a manual process to move them over to the new area. Going forward though, please add any MIDI keyboard reviews to the new area.
Thanks!

A new look for Harmony-Central.com

We've begun the rollout on the new site design! It's been a long time coming, and I for one am glad to see the lavender disappear. Some of the navigation has changed, but you should be able to find everything you're looking for through the top and left-hand navigation bars.

As you know there are A LOT of pages on the site (hey, it's 10 years old!), so we'll be adding the new scheme as we update pages. For now, most of the major areas of the site should have the new look. Leave your comments here and let us know what you think!

Cover Bands Beware...

Saw this being discussed in one of the forums and thought I'd mention it here. Apparently Van Halen and members of Led Zeppelin are suing a Colorado nightclub over copyright infringement because of bands playing cover songs there. Pretty weak IMO, particularly given Led Zeppelin's penchant for outright theft of old blues songs, then claiming them as their own work.

Forum upgrade/issues

By now you've all seen the updated forums, and while we've heard some complaints, most everybody seems pretty happy. A couple of issues I wanted to address and give an update on:

1. The look of the forums:
Yes, it looks like some other HC-type forums that are out there on the web. That's not intentional; it just so happens that many other sites use the default V-bulletin scheme. Once we get some template issues resolved, we will be adding some skins, and hopefully one of those will resemble the old look of the forums for you vintage-types:)

2. The search function:
*Edit: Search is now fixed!! w00t!

We appreciate everyone that makes this community what it is, and we appreciate even more you sticking with us through these changes. Rest assured our goal at the end of the day is to give you a better overall experience when you come to Harmony Central!

Another NAMM show comes to an end...

What a weekend!I know I was glued to my computer for most of it getting press releases posted to the site, and there are still many more to come. Also, if you haven't checked out the highlight videos from the show, they're posted on the Winter NAMM 2007 Theater page. Many more videos will be posted in the coming days, so check back often or subscribe to the NAMM '07 podcast feed to get the latest clips from the show delivered straight to your browser or feed reader!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from your friends at Harmony Central! Have a safe and prosperous 2007!