January 10, 2002

Musicians, members of Congress, recording-company executives, Internet entrepreneurs, copyright lawyers, union representatives and computer experts grapple with issue of how musicians will make living in Internet age, Future of Music Coalition conference, Washington; coalition seeks to represent musicians and listeners while law and technology reshape music business; photos (M)

SAP, leading maker of business-management software, says it exceeded its latest sales forecast for 2001 and met target profit, setting off 13 percent gain in its stock price; graph (S)

Los Angeles Kings defeat New York Rangers, 4-0; photos (M)

New York Jets defensive end John Abraham has been working this season to improve his run defense; photo (M)

Stephens Group will sell its stake in Huntingdon Life Sciences, British drug-testing company that has been target of animal-rights protesters; last week, house in New York owned by its president and chief executive, Warren A Stephens, was vandalized a week ago, and group called Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty claimed responsibility; photo (S)

David Pogue State of the Art column on radical new design of Apple's i-Mac computer, composed of 6-inch-tall dome and thin flat-panel screen; photo; drawing (M)

Argentina's decision to devalue peso is bringing it closer to Brazil, and more stable relationship with Brazil might make possible revival of Mercosur, trading bloc that in mid-1990's gave two countries more powerful voice in negotiations with US and Europe; Arminio Fraga, president of Brazil's central bank, says devaluation is necessary first step toward revitalizing Mercosur (M)

Brisk sales of high-end goods at Metropolitan Museum of Art's gift shop, inspired by opulence of special exhibition on jeweled arts of India, offer small dash of comfort in what was otherwise bleak holiday shopping season in New York's museum stores; shopping has long been integral part of museum experience in United States, providing average of 25.5 percent of museums' earned income; drop in sales at some New York City museums was less steep than attendance dip even though tourists, usually most extravagant shoppers, were largely missing; photos (M)

Marine Corps tanker plane crashes into Pakistani mountainside en route to Afghan border, killing all 7 marines aboard, in apparent accident; military officials say they have no evidence plane came under hostile fire; Pres Bush comments; allied jets continue to bomb Al Qaeda's Zhawar Kili base in eastern Afghanistan; Defense Department says underground complex is much larger than previously thought, raising concern that similar sophisticated complexes might exist elsewhere in Afghanistan and shelter Al Qaeda and Taliban forces seeking to regroup; seven marines killed are Capts Matthew W Bancroft and Daniel G McCollum, Sgts Stephen L Bryson, Scott N Germosen and Nathan P Hays, Cpl Bryan P Bertrand and Sgt Jeannette L Winters, first woman among American forces killed since Afghanistan war began (M)

Gaylord Entertainment Co, owner of weekly Grand Ole Opry live show and radio program and WSM-AM, show's radio home, weighs abandoning struggling station's country music format, stirring ire of show's fans and artists; says it is committed to finding another radio home for program, world's longest-running radio show, and for country format and explores national syndication; station, which features older artists, has dropped to third among Nashville's four country stations, behind stations that stress younger stars; photos (M)

Deutsche Bank sells its Brazilian asset management business to Banco Bradesco (S)

Gazprom, Russia's gas monopoly, accuses management of Sibur subsidiary of draining away assets illegally; Gazprom's chief executive, Alexei Miller, has been locked in struggle for months with Sibur, which manufactures petrochemicals, over consequences of 1999 reorganization that transferred most of Sibur's assets to outside companies, leaving little or nothing to repay large debts owed to Gazprom; investigators detain Sibur's president, Yakov Goldovsky, Vyacheslav Sheremet, Sibur board member, and unidentified executive (M)