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Former Specialist Darling McIntosh Opens Up Internet Sales

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BREAKING NEWS

McIntosh LogoMultiple sources have told us that McIntosh Laboratory, Inc., a brand once deeply committed to the specialty electronics retail channel, has notified dealers by phone that for the first time in its history the company will allow Internet retailers to sell the brand. The list of online dealers that will be authorized to sell McIntosh products includes Amazon.com. The news has sent a shock around their dealer base and we have heard from several very loyal, long-time McIntosh dealers…who are very, very angry.

See more on this latest development from McIntosh… [Read more…] about Former Specialist Darling McIntosh Opens Up Internet Sales

Two Rep Firms Join Forces to Create Mega NY Metro Rep

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BREAKING NEWS

Deal Could Be a Blueprint for Rep Deals in Other Markets

Thea & Schoen logoWe learned this week that two large New York Metro area rep firms have joined together to create a mega-rep firm offering an impressively large assortment of largely custom integration-oriented lines. The two firms are Audio Associates of Somerset, NJ and Thea & Schoen of Clifton, NJ…and the news is sure to shake up the market.

See the ramifications of this deal… [Read more…] about Two Rep Firms Join Forces to Create Mega NY Metro Rep

At the Center of the Storm, CEDIA’s CEO Exudes Confidence; But What’s the Plan?

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cedia logoJust 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?

Rep & Distributor Sales Jobs Evaporating – 1 Million More to Disappear by 2020

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Data Suggests a New Blueprint for Greater Sales Success

Forrester Research logoA long and proud tradition in our industry is the narrative of the individual sales rep or distributor salesperson schlepping through wind and snow to meet with one of their dealers lugging product samples and marketing materials, pitching his lines, getting a purchase order from the dealer, calling the order into his manufacturers and thus earning a sales commission. But data from Forrester Research, Inc. released last year shows that this tradition is rapidly diminishing, with market trends projecting the elimination of as many as 1 million B2B sales jobs – like those held by sales reps and distributor salespeople – by 2020.

See this surprising data on the rapidly changing B2B sales processes… [Read more…] about Rep & Distributor Sales Jobs Evaporating – 1 Million More to Disappear by 2020

Once Hailed as Savior, 3D TVs Disappear into the Annals of History

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3D TV from LGIn a move that appears to indicate that major TV makers are finally accepting the reality that consumers don’t want 3D TVs, Samsung and LG are said to be limiting or eliminating the feature from future TV models. Some may say, ‘What took you so long?’ But the reality is that the industry invested billions of dollars developing the technology and has been slow to eliminate it – saying that there are still some enthusiasts that love 3D content.

See who’s taking 3D off of their TVs… [Read more…] about Once Hailed as Savior, 3D TVs Disappear into the Annals of History

Sharp Shocks Japan; Favors Offer from Foreign Entity

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Sharp President Takahashi
Sharp President Kozo Takahashi

Sharp Corp., the troubled Japanese manufacturer of LCD panels and TVs, finds themselves in unfamiliar territory – multiple potential parties want to buy them and are bidding the price up. Unfortunately, this situation has emerged as a result of their deepening financial troubles and whatever offer they accept is likely to change the company in fundamental and unknown ways…forever.

But perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that despite political pressure to accept an offer from a Japan government-backed bidder – an outcome that everyone in Japan expected – the company has let it be known that it is favoring a bid from a foreign bidder…Taiwan’s Foxconn.

See why Sharp is defying expectations – and its own government – to potentially sell to a foreign entity… [Read more…] about Sharp Shocks Japan; Favors Offer from Foreign Entity

Streaming TV to Hit Tipping Point in 2016

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Eye-Popping Numbers Point to Huge Shift in Consumer Preferences

Graphic of digital TVMuch like the amazing growth in music streaming over the last few years, streaming TV has also seen an explosion in the number of users as well. This growth has been fueled in large part by the growing popularity of both original programming and the replay of popular shows on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Now new research data predicts that in 2016 streaming TV will reach the tipping point – more than half of all Americans will watch TV programming from streaming video services.

See more on this amazing milestone… [Read more…] about Streaming TV to Hit Tipping Point in 2016

2015: Accomplishments & Top 10 Stories

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Top 10 trophy

It was a huge year for Strata-gee.com in 2015 – thanks to all of our readers like you! Not only did we sign up a slew of new subscribers to our SYNCH e-newsletter – a big THANK YOU if you were one of them – but our average weekly page views continued to grow as well. Our “heat map” that graphically displays when readers are on our website shows that there are readers on our website every hour of every day – and every day of every week. But we get a blazing “hot” heat signature on Thursdays, when the SYNCH is blasted out to you, with the hotness continuing on into Fridays.

See more on our results from 2015…including the Top 10 stories of the year… [Read more…] about 2015: Accomplishments & Top 10 Stories

Good Economic Sign: November Housing Starts Shoot Up

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Photo of construction workersIn a result that exceeded economists’ estimates, November overall housing starts jumped an impressive 10.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.173 million units.  Well over the revised October rate of 1.062 million units, it also exceeded the 1.007 million units in November last year by 16.5%.

More importantly for our industry, single-family home construction rates jumped as well.

See more on this encouraging economic data… [Read more…] about Good Economic Sign: November Housing Starts Shoot Up

Our Editor Makes Guest Appearance on AVWeek’s New Residential Webcast

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Photo of AVWeek showStrata-gee.com editor Ted Green made a guest appearance on AVWeek’s new webcast called AVWeek Special: Residential. Just the second episode of this all-new, residential industry-centric webcast, host Tim Albright led an industry panel that, in addition to Green, included Heather Sidorowicz, Steven Brawner, and Todd Anthony Puma commenting on several hot stories of the day.

More on this new webcast, including a link so you can see it for yourself… [Read more…] about Our Editor Makes Guest Appearance on AVWeek’s New Residential Webcast