Strata-gee.com

Strategy in TECH...

You are here: Home / Archives for Manufacturers

Manufacturers

Far From Legally Dead, Monster Slugs Back at Beats

by Leave a Comment

Beats Gets More Awarded; But Monster Wins a Key Ruling Too

Photo of Noel LeeWhen we last visited this legal clash of the titans, a jury had just found that Monster must pay Beats nearly $8 million to reimburse them for the legal expenses in fighting the lawsuit that Monster had brought against them in 2015. Now, we have learned that the judge in that case has increased the judgment with an additional “directed” verdict. And in the matter of a separate case, Beats vs. Monster filed late last year, Monster has filed a countersuit and won a key ruling.

This Beats and Monster slugfest goes on… [Read more…] about Far From Legally Dead, Monster Slugs Back at Beats

With A Sharper Focus on Krell, a Blurry Picture Emerges

by 5 Comments

Krell logoWe reported last week that Krell Industries owner Rondi D’Agostino vehemently denied reports we had received from various sources that the company was in bankruptcy or considering bankruptcy. D’Agostino said that things may not be perfect, but it’s business as usual at Krell. Even better, she told us, the company is close to finally launching a new model. Sounds good…right?

Since our report was published, the trickle of sources approaching us about Krell…became a torrent. In messages public (in the Comments section below our original article) and private, we heard from more sources, many directly connected with Krell, who told a much different story.

See a more detailed picture of Krell’s situation… [Read more…] about With A Sharper Focus on Krell, a Blurry Picture Emerges

Gibson, After Light Pruning, Plans Global Layoffs

by 2 Comments

Hundreds of Employees Facing Pink Slips

Gibson CEO Juszkiewicz
Gibson’s CEO Henry Juszkiewicz

Gibson Brands, a major provider of musical instrument and consumer electronics products, is in the midst of a widely reported liquidity crisis. With more than $500 million dollars in notes coming due late this summer, the company is seeking a knight in shining armor to ride in on a white horse with a big bag of money to refinance the company’s crushing debt.

To make the company appear attractive to a lender or investor, at the end of February the company sold off its shuttered Cakewalk division and laid off about 15 employees from its famous Custom Shop. Now we learn the company is planning more substantial layoffs across the board.

See more on this latest development at Gibson… [Read more…] about Gibson, After Light Pruning, Plans Global Layoffs

Is Krell Out of Business?

by Leave a Comment

A Krell mono amplifierRecently, we have spoken with multiple sources who have said that Krell Industries, a maker of high-end, high-performance electronics, has fallen on hard financial times. Some suggested the company closed at the end of last week for good. Others told us the company may be already in bankruptcy or in the process of filing for bankruptcy. Is this another Classé situation?

So what is really going on at Krell?… [Read more…] about Is Krell Out of Business?

In Battle with Sonos, D&M Takes Yet Another Blow

by 2 Comments

Sonos Seeks Permanent Injunction Against Infringing Products

HEOS logoThe battle rages on between D&M Holdings and Sonos over the patent infringement lawsuit brought by Sonos in 2014 against the HEOS by Denon line, and in which Sonos won the first set of their claims in a bellwether trial that concluded this past December. In retaliation for the Sonos lawsuit, D&M Holdings filed a countersuit that is now heating up, and in which they just lost a major decision from Judge Richard G. Andrews.

See more on D&M’s loss in this ongoing matter… [Read more…] about In Battle with Sonos, D&M Takes Yet Another Blow

Of Gibson, S&P Says: ‘Default is Imminent’

by Leave a Comment

Logo for Gibson BrandsS&P Global Ratings, part of top credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s, this week lowered their rating of Gibson Brands, Inc. to “CCC-” – down one step from the already low rating of “CCC.” Their outlook on Gibson? “Negative.” A rating of CCC- means that “default is imminent.”

See more on this latest torpedo to hit the good ship Gibson… [Read more…] about Of Gibson, S&P Says: ‘Default is Imminent’

CEO Says Gibson Will Dump Brands

by Leave a Comment

Financials Show Sales & Profits Continue to Slide

Photo of Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz
Henry Juszkiewicz, CEO

Gibson Brands CEO Henry Juszkiewicz continues to profess confidence that the company will be able to successfully refinance their over $500 million debt before a mid-year maturation comes due. Telling the Nashville Post that the company is going through a little “spring cleaning,” Juszkiewicz says the company already dropped their Cakewalk music software group, and other brands in their portfolio are next to go. But a financial report to bondholders shows continued deterioration of both sales and profits, suggesting that simply pruning a few brands from the portfolio may not be enough to attract new investors or lenders.

See more on the dire situation at Gibson Brands… [Read more…] about CEO Says Gibson Will Dump Brands

James Loudspeaker Adds John Bishop to Their Team

by 1 Comment

James Loudspeaker logoJames Loudspeaker, the Napa, CA-based manufacturer of innovative, high-performance speaker solutions, announced this week that it is adding John Bishop in a new role with the company – Director of Architectural Audio Services. Bishop, a fairly well-known sales representative in New England, is being brought on in a contract basis and will continue with his rep firm in addition to this new role.

See more on Bishop’s appointment by James Loudspeaker… [Read more…] about James Loudspeaker Adds John Bishop to Their Team

Gibson CEO Turns to PR to Stop Crashing Reputation

by Leave a Comment

Company Rehires CFO With Debt Deadline Fast Approaching

Gibson CEO Juszkiewicz
Gibson’s CEO Henry Juszkiewicz

As the music world media continues to trumpet the news of the potential impending collapse of Gibson Brands, noting large outstanding debts and the exit of the company’s CFO, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz launches a PR blitz to try and stem the collapse of the company’s reputation. It is a critical time for Juszkiewicz, as he is engaged in trying to refinance the company whose huge debt portfolio of over $500 million comes due in just a few short months. To try and stem the tide, Gibson released a couple of press releases last week claiming, in essence and improbably, that things are just fine.

Oh and Gibson Brands hired a CFO…or rather, re-hired a former CFO… [Read more…] about Gibson CEO Turns to PR to Stop Crashing Reputation

The Forgotten Thiel

by 2 Comments

Strata-gee *EXCLUSIVE* Interview with Tom Thiel

Tom Thiel at Northwind TonewoodAlthough Strata-gee has loosely followed Thiel Audio for many years, since 2012, when the company was sold by co-founder Kathy Gornik to a group of Tennessee private equity investors, our coverage intensified. Part of the motivation for devoting more coverage to this stage of Thiel, was a growing interest in the apparent deteriorating state of specialty A/V – but it was also fueled by a wacky, reality-show like, “You’re Fired!” atmosphere as principal owner David B. Griffin routinely dismissed newly constituted management teams. With five different CEOs over a five-year period, some with tenures measured in months, the company’s business suffered from inconsistent fits-and-starts as each team pursued a new direction.

This state of constant turmoil at Thiel caused extreme consternation among – first the Thiel dealer base, and when that disappeared – Thiel end-users, many of whom were huge fans of Jim Thiel. A host of audio forums and bulletin boards had ongoing, passionate postings bemoaning the end of an era: the end of the Kathy Gornik era…and of course, the end of the Jim Thiel era.

Kind of like in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, when Obi-wan says: “That boy is our last hope.” Yoda replies: “No, there is another…” [Read more…] about The Forgotten Thiel