I see little need to add to Herb's admirably clear and cogent explanation of exactly what went down. I did, in fact, cover the story for Billboard, but there's certainly more to be said on the issue. To wit, in an article on NewMusicBox.org, Charles Wuorinen was quoted as having said that the need for CRI is certainly diminished in a day and age when more and more performers and even composers are able to run their own labels. On the face of it, that's certainly true... for a composer of Wuorinen's stature, anyway. But is it equally true for Ursula Mamlok, a fine composer whose work has thrived in the traditional establishment setting but probably would't sell well enough to maintain the mass of a private label? Not so sure. How about Marc Mellits, a very fine up-and-coming composer whose work remains largely undocumented so far? I'm just posing these as questions; I don't yet feel like I have the answers. There's another element to the CRI story, as well, namely the unrealistic expectations of sales potential on the part of certain board members. Without going too deeply into it, I was one of the people who was interviewed for the job of general manager, and even from those brief meetings, I could tell that anyone coming into the job would have a tough time meeting expectations. For example, that much vaunted and valuable new jazz series, which managed to issue three discs by John Hollenbeck, one by Matt Moran and one by Scott Fields, was imagined by the label as a serious generator of profits. Simply put, the board thought jazz was generate greater commercial returns - something that could certain not have been sensed behind the decision to issue a 3-CD set by Fields, for example. And one look at those jazz releases with their ornate, stylish packaging will give you a sense of how much money was spent on them. And Herb, yes, you're correct that New World has acquired the entire CRI catalog. Some of the more commercial things on the label (like the Harry Partch releases, which have effectively been out of print for a while now because CRI literally couldn't afford to repress them) will be issued on a New World subseries, while other things, those titles that only sold 5 or 10 copies a year, will be made available through downloads, custom burns or limited pressings made in the New World office itself. And the existing CRI stock will not be destroyed, but will remain on the market until depletion. The announcement of CRI's demise was made through a low-key announcement on the label's website in Decemeber, and came to public knowledge in a broadcast on WNYC's Soundcheck program. The show remains archived on the WNYC website, at www.wnyc.org. Steve Smith ssmith36@sprynet.com NP - Eyvind Kang, "Angel With Wings Torn Off," '7 NADEs' (Tzadik)