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Canada - Solotech has officially announced the launch of its e-commerce platform. Directly accessible in Canada and via the home page of the company’s website, the Solotech Online Store is a resource for individuals and shops looking for professional audiovisual and entertainment technologies deliverable at home.
Currently offering used professional audio, video and lighting equipment available for shipment everywhere within Canada, the platform will support, in a second phase, purchases made in the United States. Previously used by Solotech during the tours of international artists, all products displayed on the online store are tested by the company’s teams of specialists before being offered for sale and guaranteed 90 days.
“This is the outcome of several months of tireless work to deliver a dynamic platform with a selection of both high-quality and affordab

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New Zealand - Harman Professional Solutions has realigned distribution of AMX and SVSI in New Zealand with the appointment of JPRO.
JPRO, which has a long association with Harman having represented audio brands JBL Professional, BSS, Crown and Soundcraft for more than 30 years, will now add the complete range of AMX video control solutions and SVSI Networked AV solutions. Support, warranty and repair of AMX & SVSI products in New Zealand will also transition to JPRO with immediate effect. Warranty terms and inclusions will not be affected.
“We are excited to expand our partnership with JPRO and extend our distribution reach in New Zealand. This is aimed at enhancing access to Harman products and solutions across verticals, focusing on solutions-driven approach and elevating customer experience,” comments Ramesh Jayaraman, VP and GM at Harman Professional Solut

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UK - Event rental specialist Fisher Hires has confirmed an investment in Portman Lights’ recently developed P1 Mini LED. Launched at Prolight+Sound 2019 in Frankfurt, the units caught the eye of Fisher Hires’ head of operations, Rob Baker, who contacted Portman’s exclusive UK distributor Entedi, to secure stock when the products began shipping in June.
Portman Lights was established in Gdańsk, Poland in 2016 but despite its comparatively recent appearance, has already established an impressive global distribution network for its specialist, decorative stage lighting products. The company’s end-user list already includes an impressive array of concert, festival and TV settings.
With its tungsten appearance and retro style, the P1 Mini retains all the characteristics of Portman’s original and popular P1 Retro Lamp but is smaller, fully LED and weighs in at onl

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Brazil - São Paulo-based Gabisom Audio Equipment, one of the world’s largest audio hire companies, has made a major investment in Outline’s Newton FPGA processor.
Gabisom celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2019. Owner and founder Gabi Ferreira has steered the company through the many changes seen in his homeland since 1984, building a multi-disciplinary operation employing 300 people that works in concerts, musical theatre, corporate events, fixed installations, tours and sporting events. Amongst much else, Gabisom is the audio provider for all the various Rock in Rio events worldwide and for the fabulous Rio Carnival which attracts two million visitors daily.
Gabisom is also the go-to choice for international artists touring Brazil, whose productions rely absolutely on the company’s knowledge of their country and its challenges.
Gabisom’s senior system

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Italy - DTS has entered 2020 with a new look and a full agenda of activities to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary.
The Italian brand of lighting solutions introduced a new logo to celebrate the company’s tradition and expertise in the lighting industry. DTS has also changed its company colour to a vibrant orange.
Founded in 1980, DTS have evolved from a small family company into an industry leader, with three production plants and customers in more than 80 different countries.
To mark its 40th anniversary, at ISE 2020, the company will launch Alchemy 3 ceiling and Euphony 3 ceiling, two products that offer all the benefits of an LED lighting moving head for any commercial or public space.
Raffaella Scaccia, DTS sales director, comments: “The renewal process undertaken by the company is now at full speed. The DTS logo transformation gives a str

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Hong Kong - Prolights has announced the appointment of D&T Prolight & Sound as distributor for Hong Kong and Macau.
The company was established two years ago by two industry veterans, who had joined forces in order to deliver AVL solutions to the Hong Kong and Macau market.
“Our vision is to provide state-of-the-art professional lighting, audio and video solutions to our partners and users,” explains Dominic Cho, regional sales manager for D&T Prolight & Sound. “Analyse systematically our clients’ needs and facilitate them hassle-free by provision of one-stop world class solutions and services, as well as staying focus, are definitely our core valuable strengths.
We approached Prolights due to its impressive, broad selection and comprehensive market differentiation, which reinforces our ambitions to deliver top quality total solutions to d

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Brit Awards - Lewis Capaldi and Dave lead the Brit Awards shortlists for 2020, with four nominations each. Stormzy, Mabel, Michael Kiwanuka, Charli XCX, Harry Styles and Coldplay are also among the acts to receive a nod for this year's awards, which will be the 40th major Brits show.
Both Scottish singer-songwriter Capaldi and London rapper Dave are up for new artist of the year, and despite their relative infancy in the industry are also up for the big awards of best male solo artist, best album and song of the year, thanks to chart-topping debuts in the past 12 months.
The past 12 months have been very successful for both artists, with Dave's album Psychodrama winning the Mercury Prize, Capaldi topping the singles chart for seven weeks with Someone You Loved, and both playing bit sets at Glastonbury.
Male solo artists dominate this year's Awards,

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Malaysia - Prolyte Asia Pacific (PAP) has joined forces with Doughty and Sixty82 to form Sixty82 Doughty Asia (SDA).
The move appears to be linked with the 2019 bankruptcy filling by Prolyte Group and the company's subsequent acquisition by Area Four Industries.
“For the past 15 years we have operated under the name PAP, however, due to recent events in the industry, PAP has decided to take a step forward and start a fresh chapter with new partners,” comments Menze van der Sluis, MD of PAP.
Known for its quality products, reliability, and education, along with a focus on safe working practice, customer satisfaction, and in-depth service, PAP has been a critical player in the Asian market for more than 15 years.
“Sixty82 was the best and only cho

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South Africa - Astera distributor DWR Distribution will offer clients the first local demos of the lighting company’s full range of products during an open day programme taking place at the end of January.
Astera’s sales and marketing director Sebastian Bückle will carry out the presentations in Cape Town and Johannesburg, whilst DWR’s local product managers Marlene Riley and Jannie de Jager will do so in Durban.
Bückle, who has been a part of the Astera team for more than a decade, will demo the company’s complete range of wireless tubes and spotlights as well as the AsteraApp and wireless DMX that one can use to control the fixtures. He will be at the DWR Cape Town offices on Monday, 27 January and at the Johannesburg offices on 29 January. The local product representatives from DWR will lead an Astera open day in Durban on 31 January.
Duncan Riley o

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UK - The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) has announced the 2019 recipients of its Awards for Excellence.
The awards celebrate imaginative and creative lighting and video production and offer young designers a chance to showcase their talents and bringing their work to the attention of experienced lighting and video designers and the wider industry.
The event was rebranded for its 2019 edition, with changes to the prizes and the introduction of a new award category, The Fred Foster Award for Production Electrics, created to “balance the recognition of talent demonstrated across the membership profile”.
The Michael Northen Award for Lighting Design was awarded jointly to Lucia Sanchez Roldan from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Rose Bruford’s Ryan Joseph Stafford.
Roldan’s work was described as “beautiful (…) with strong design, clea

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has been appointed as the exclusive UK distributor for Calibre’s HQUltra700 series of universal live events switcher-scalers with immediate effect. Sister Company, A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ireland will handle distribution in the Republic of Ireland.
British-based manufacturer Calibre has been providing image scaling technology for over 30 years for use with large LED videowalls, designed for concerts, award ceremonies, rental/staging, advertising, and for image scalers for professional projection applications.
Calibre’s HQUltra700 series, consisting of the HQUltra730ASV and the HQUltra770ASV, are universal live events switcher-scalers with the ability to drive flat panel displays, projectors or LED videowalls.
Stuart Burdett, video sales manager comments: “Being able to provide our customers with a reliabl

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Czech Republic - Audac has announced a partnership with Prague-based Audio Digital as the new exclusive distributor of its audio solutions in the Czech Republic.
Audio Digital’s managing director Michal Zeman comments: “I genuinely believe in the quality and innovation Audac offers and I am more than happy to be adding their products to our assortment. We at Audio Digital value a high performance/price ratio, and that is exactly what you get at Audac. I look forward to this partnership.”
Audac’s international sales executive Bart Vandermot adds: “It is always important to keep evolving as a business. By expanding our network and starting new partnerships, we can ensure that the clients all over the world can enjoy our innovations. We have the greatest confidence in our partnership with Audio Digital as we have seen first-hand the outstanding quality and ser

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Germany - Optocore has appointed Dusseldorf-based United Brands GmbH (United B) as its new German distributors with immediate effect.
Tine Helmle, Optocore director of sales and marketing, comments: “With the expansion of our product portfolio such as Festival Box, AutoRouter and our Madi series United Brands was a perfect match. Due to their expertise and long-time experience in install and live events they bring huge potential in placing Optocore as the main sound distribution network on the market.”
United B’s Jens ‘Bubbes’ Steffan, who will largely oversee the Optocore account, adds: “We were familiar with Optocore technology through our distribution of DiGiCo [digital consoles]. So it was just a small step to contact Optocore. The company has a lot of very interesting products, which perfectly match our customers’ demands.”
Discussions had st

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UK - PLASA and the Music Industries Association (MIA) are set to co-host a free event designed to offer advice and information on the incoming changes to the off-payroll working regulations (known as IR35) and Brexit.
Taking place on 30 January, Get your business ready: IR35 and Brexit will see business and HR experts take to the stage, including Nicky Gleadow, MD of The HR Point, who will detail how the IR35 changes may affect employers and contractors. More speakers will be announced soon, the organisers say.
IR35 is a piece of UK government legislation that aims to determine whether a worker is an employee or contractor, ensuring that the person carrying out the work is paid and protected in the proper manner and that both parties pay the relevant tax. The changes

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Thailand - Sonos Libra has assumed exclusive distribution rights for dbTechnologies’ full product portfolio of touring, install and M.I. audio systems in Thailand.
“In the last few years dBTechnologies’ presence in South Eastern Asia professional audio industry is considerably growing,” explains dBTechnologies’ APAC sales manager, Manuele Poli. “We are at a point where we need strategic partnerships to meet a larger base of professionals and disclose our products’ full potential. When we met Alfonso Rodriguez and Sonos Libra’s team, I immediately realized that their sales approach and advanced technical skills were exactly what dBTechnologies needed to enhance the brand perception and further flourish in the local professional market.”
Sonos Libra’s CEO Alfonso Martín Rodríguez adds: “dBTechnologies is a growing company and is now playing at a h

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Hungary - Sixty82 has appointed DP Music Kft. as its new representative in Hungary. The company will offer guidance on a wide range of possibilities, advising customers on the most suitable Sixty82 solution for their particular needs.
Based in Budaörs near Budapest, DP Music offers a wide range of trussing and staging equipment, as well as pro audio solutions. The company is also increasingly focusing on developing its web store and serving the needs of hobbyists, smaller bands, and theatres.
Date Jonkman, Sixty82’s executive account manager, comments: “We look forward to working with a company of DP Music’s reputation, and our partnership will help meet increased local demand for technical know-how from experienced people. They are uniquely positioned to develop our existing customer base further, and with their market presence and sales support network, we a

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UK - Expanding UK dry and wet hire company, Fisher Hires has invested in Chroma-Q's new Space Force onebytwo LED soft light, to provide a flexible lighting solution for its diverse event, film, theatre and festival client base.
Fisher Hires has been supplying the industry for over 30 years, stocking a wide selection of leading-brand lighting, video, sound & staging equipment for hire. Originally created to support its sister event production company, Fisher Hires’ vast inventory enables it to also service the needs of other event companies.
Head of operations, Rob Baker was looking to invest in an LED soft light which was compact and powerful enough to utilise on a variety of its own event productions, as well as being in demand with external clients.
Rob commented: “I knew that Chroma-Q’s original Space Force unit had been very successful in the market

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Australia - Harman Professional Solutions has announced it has realigned distribution of AMX, SVSI, and install ranges of AKG, BSS, Crown and JBL Professional in Australia with the appointment of MadisonAV, part of the Madison Technologies group.
Distribution in Australia for Harman’s retail, cinema, touring, performing arts, broadcast, and Martin lighting solutions remains unchanged.
MadisonAV will expand its portfolio to include the complete range of AMX video control solutions, and Harman Professional install and integration audio product suite. This will offer customers a single interface across Harman’s wide range of video controls and install audio solutions.
“We are excited to partner with MadisonAV and expand our distribution reach in Australia. This is aimed at enhancing access to Harman products and solutions across verticals, focusing on soluti

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Germany - Audac has announced a new partnership with S.E.A. Vertrieb & Consulting as the exclusive distributor of its audio solutions in Germany.
Alexander Kirchfeld, S.E.A. CEO, comments: “We have experienced the quality of Audac’s products as well as the passion of its employees ourselves and believe they will enhance the everyday lives of our customers. The new partnership between our companies allows us to fulfil the needs of our customers even better by providing them with a wide range of innovative audio solutions.”
Mark Asselberghs, Audac’s international sales director, adds: “We are constantly looking for new like-minded companies that share our passion for innovative audio solutions to broaden our network. S.E.A. perfectly fits that description. We believe that they are an outstanding company that values giving their partners the best experience

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Canada/Germany - The Canada-based IP video processing specialist Embrionix has become part of Riedel Communications.
Founded in 2009, Embrionix provides miniaturised, high-density IP gateways, IP signal processors and converters for broadcast video applications. Since pioneering the use of small form-factor pluggable (SFP) modules for signal processing early in its history, Embrionix has been granted more than 20 patents for its technologies.
Riedel Communications has grown to become a leader in distributed intercom and video network solutions. Riedel has been pursuing a networked approach to video infrastructures for more than a decade with its real-time media network, MediorNet.
"Sometimes, things just fit. Just like Riedel, Embrionix started out as a garage company and has managed to preserve its innovation-driven startup spirit on its way to global success. O

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UK - The team behind the ground-breaking Blackout installation have released the results of the UK Backstage Entertainment Industry’s Evaluation on Mental Health Awareness.
This pioneering study was launched alongside the acclaimed 6-minute immersive experience at September’s PLASA Show, held at London Olympia. Funded by leading industry associations PLASA, the ALD, the ASD, the ABTT and the PSA, the academic analysis was conducted by Dr Paul Hanna, research director in clinical psychology at the University of Surrey. Hanna has worked closely with Blackout’s core creative team since they launched the installation in May 2019 at The Guildford School of Acting.

According to the survey, the prevalence of mental health issues among those working in the UK technical, backstage and entertainment industry is far higher than the national avera

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UK - The Stage to Studio competition for the best audio mix, hosted by PLASA in association with Sound on Sound and Headliner magazines, ends on Monday, 13 January. Those interested in entering can find out more on the PLASA Show website.
The competition launched in November inviting submissions for the best mix of VC Pines’ Stage to Studio session from PLASA Show 2019. The packed sessions saw a line up of emerging artists perform live, headlined by VC Pines who was recently BBC Radio One’s artist of the week. The sessions were mixed at the show by eminent engineers, with Pines’ recording overseen by Jamie McEvoy (Noel Gallagher, Placebo, the Vaccines.) The raw audio files were then released for the competition.
Audio professiona

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Fire Damage - North London music venue Koko has been damaged by fire. The London fire brigade said it was called to the scene in Camden, in north London, shortly before 9pm on Monday night (6 January). About a third of the roof of the venue, which in previous incarnations was known as The Music Machine and Camden Palace, was alight as firefighters tried to save the rest of the building. The former theatre is covered in scaffolding as part of a renovation. The venue was due to reopen in spring 2020 after a “major state-of-the-art” refurbishment, after the purchase of two adjacent buildings.
Royalty Cheque - Bohemian Rhapsody's success at the box office in 2018 was replicated in the living room last year. The Freddie Mercury biopic was the biggest home video of 2019, selling 1.7m copies in the UK. Two-thirds of those copies were on DVD or Blu-Ray, with the re

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South Africa - DWR’s first sale of Astera Titan Tubes in the country was to freelance gaffer Andre Beumer from Just Light It in Pretoria, who works extensively with several leading DoPs and other clients in the film, TV, commercials and video industry.
No sooner had DWR and Astera struck the distribution deal, Andre was on Duncan Riley’s doorstep, and in fact the eight-way Titan Tube kit was DWR’s original demo kit, which he purchased on the day it arrived in their warehouse in Johannesburg!
Duncan commented: “I always knew Astera was going to be popular, but even I was taken aback by Andre’s enthusiasm. He rocked up, virtually snatched them from us, transferred the money and disappeared in a cloud of dust up the road,” he says laughing. “I think he was straight out on a shoot that day using them.”
“They are totally amazing tools,” confirms An
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