Provided as a software development kit (SDK), AuthorScript Advanced Music offers important enhanced capabilities in key areas such as digital rights management (DRM), royalty tracking, and audio quality ? all of which are essential to creating the highest-quality end-to-end electronic sell-through solutions for consumers.

"AuthorScript Advanced Music builds on the solid foundation of the AuthorScript Music SDK, giving even the most demanding online music services the management and usability features they need to deliver the best possible customer experience," said Jim Taylor, general manager of Sonic's Advanced Technology Group. "AuthorScript Advanced Music not only offers consumers a richer, more satisfying purchase experience, but helps ensure that the rights of artists, producers, and publishers are fully respected."

The launch of AuthorScript Advanced Music highlights Sonic's leading role in enabling download-and-burn capabilities for online audio services, several of which have previously licensed AuthorScript and incorporated it into their sites. With the introduction of AuthorScript Advanced Music, music download services and other licensees will now be able to take advantage of the following key new features:

• Stream Audio Directly to Disc - Allows for faster, more secure, burning of audio without caching any audio data to the client's hard disk.
• DRM Support for WMDRM-Encoded WMA files - Enables consumers as well as music services to manage and burn tracks from most music services securely while respecting the designated use rights.
• Audio Track Normalization ? Increases or decreases the amplitude (volume) of a digital audio recording so that the tracks in a collection are close to the same level, without distortion.
• ISRC Support - Keeps the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) intact so that businesses can follow music tracks for proper usage and royalty reporting.
• MCN / UPC Support - The Media Catalog Number (MCN) allows music labels to track albums like the ISRC allows for the following of individual tracks.
• Synchronous Low-Pass Linear Resampling - Allows audio files of any sample rate to be burned at the maximum possible quality to an Audio CD.