AudioControl, a Seattle, WA-based manufacturer of home and mobile electronics solutions, announced this week that it has joined the Azione Unlimited group. The company says it is focused on “innovative, industry leading theater and audio products that provide custom integrators with performance-audio solutions across the residential and commercial markets.”
Associations
ProSource Sets Spring Meeting Details
ProSource, a national retail buying organization, announced this week the final details of their 2016 Spring Meeting taking place May 9-13 in Dana Point, CA. Taking place at the Marriott Laguna Cliffs Resort and Spa, the group says it plans to break the event into two segments.
See more on this fast approaching event… [Read more…] about ProSource Sets Spring Meeting Details
Streaming Revenues Overtake Music Downloads for the First Time Ever
Overall Recording Industry Sales Grow for First Time Since 2011
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reported overall industry sales data for 2015 this week, revealing that for the first time in history streaming music was the single largest component of industry sales. Revenues from streaming sources accounted for 34.3% of total revenues, beating out music downloads from services like iTunes and others which accounted for 34% of total revenues.
Overall sales increased 0.9% to $7 billion, the first overall industry growth since 2011.
See more on the growth of streaming in music industry sales… [Read more…] about Streaming Revenues Overtake Music Downloads for the First Time Ever
ProSource Launches Member Portal
ProSource, a national retail buying group, announced today that they have launched an all-new member services portal for their participating dealers. A web portal – or simply portal – is a customized website that typically offers access to an array of non-public data, often pulled from separate sources. In the case of the new ProSource portal, the group says that it serves up “information, services and tools designed to strengthen and grow member business.”
See more on this announcement from ProSource… [Read more…] about ProSource Launches Member Portal
At the Center of the Storm, CEDIA’s CEO Exudes Confidence; But What’s the Plan?
Just before the Consumer Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) held its annual Expo in Dallas in October 2015, we learned it had appointed a new Chief Executive Officer – Vincent Bruno, who joined the organization after leaving his role as a marketing director for Crestron Electronics. Bruno, who went through an extensive executive search process, hit the ground running, including trying to meet as many members as possible at the show.
But now, months later, the organization is trying to regain momentum after some concerning issues came to light, the most recent being the exit of Crestron, which we announced last week. Bruno described his go-forward plan…and it is ambitious.
What’s the new CEO’s plan? Read more below… [Read more…] about At the Center of the Storm, CEDIA’s CEO Exudes Confidence; But What’s the Plan?
Crestron Pulls Out of CEDIA Expo 2016
BREAKING NEWS
After receiving several urgent communications from multiple sources, Strata-gee.com has confirmed that Crestron Electronics – for years the single largest exhibitor at CEDIA’s Expo – has informed the trade association that it will not participate in the upcoming 2016 event. Crestron, a long supporter of both CEDIA and the Expo, has always maintained a huge presence, with an upfront positioning right at the entry, thanks to the many priority points it has earned over the years. Now, CEDIA is fast at work finding a replacement.
See more on this surprising turn of events… [Read more…] about Crestron Pulls Out of CEDIA Expo 2016
InfoComm Sets New Standards for Cable Labeling in AV Systems
InfoComm International, the trade group representing commercial integrators, announced this week that they have created and set a new standard for integrators called Cable Labeling for Audiovisual Systems (CLAS). This new standard puts forth new requirements for the labeling of cables in an AV system, and is meant to “harmonize” practices among integrators.
See more on this important announcement… [Read more…] about InfoComm Sets New Standards for Cable Labeling in AV Systems
CES – From Real Biz to Future Biz to Virtual Biz; This is Progress?
CES is back and its bigger than ever. According to the CTA (formerly CEA), the show spans 2.3 million sq.ft. of exhibit space, in which more than 3,600 exhibitors of all sizes and types have set up booths to hawk their wares. The show is expected to draw more than 150,000 attendees and 6,000 member of the press. It is impossible to cover the entire event…it has just gotten too large.
Luckily, with the industry stuck in several well-worn trends, we in the media can focus our attention beyond these usual suspects – automotive tech (autonomous vehicles and related technologies), drones, 4K UHD TV, Internet of Things (IoT), wearables – to new areas (such as Virtual Reality), and iterative updates from current companies.
See our CES overview… [Read more…] about CES – From Real Biz to Future Biz to Virtual Biz; This is Progress?
New HTSA Board of Directors Selected
A new board of directors has been selected by the Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA), one of the leading retail buying groups in the U.S. This new board, along with the recently announced new managing director (Jon Robbins), represents an all-new and fresh approach to group management and oversight – albeit from a selection of executives with tremendous history within the organization.
See who’s on the HTSA board and why they were selected… [Read more…] about New HTSA Board of Directors Selected
Dysfunctional CEDIA Board Cited in Resignation Letter
We reported to you last month that, in an unexpected development best described as surprising, two members of CEDIA’s Board of Directors – Bob Brown and Richard Millson – abruptly resigned their positions within 24-hours of each other. We learned of this through our industry sources, not from CEDIA – which has yet to make any official statement about this unusual event. While we were able to confirm the incident had happened, since none of the parties would speak to us about it, we were unable to report on the reasons behind why this double resignation occurred in the first place. Now…we have more information.
