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Special Funding - Grassroots music venues across England will now be able to apply for special funding from a ring-fenced budget intended to support the sector and help stem their decline. Arts Council England has announced it has set aside £1.5m of National Lottery money to fund projects hosting and promoting live music in grassroots venues. It comes amid an ongoing campaign to protect small venues following a period of decline across the UK.
Opening this week, the scheme will accept applications for between £1,000 and £40,000 from music venues and promoters. The funding will sit within the Arts Council’s project grants programme, but by having a separate budget for grassroots music venues, ACE said it wanted to encourage applications by reducing the high level of competition faced when applying for the main project grants scheme.
Arts Council chief executive Dar

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UK - The first week of May saw Creative Technology UK’s Festival of Technology 2019. CTFest19, as it is known, sees the company welcome innovation partners to its Sussex base to showcase the latest in event technology and creative ideas. This year, Brompton Technology took the opportunity to give attendees a close up look at its high-end processors and new HDR technology.
HDR video offers a new approach to delivering better image quality, without requiring finer and finer pixel pitches to achieve it and brings a trio of image quality improvements that are particularly well placed for LED screens.
“The response to HDR at CTFest19 was extremely positive,” says Brompton business development manager Rob Fowler. “We’re always keen to get involved with companies who prize innovation and want to showcase leading edge technology. CT understands the benefits of our sy

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France - Pioneer Professional Audio has invited the audio installation, rental and club sectors to attend a technical audio demo at the Djoon Club facilities on the 21 May (Tuesday).
Attendees will be able test Pioneer’s XY Series (comprising the XY-3B and XY-2 models) and experiment with the XPRS amplified speakers by bringing their own test tracks.
The XY-3B and XY-2 models are designed for fixed installations and touring. The XY series loudspeakers feature in top venues including Djoon, Fabric London, and Halcyon. The XY-3B has performed at festivals such as I Love Techno (Montpellier) ADE (Amsterdam) Ultra (Singapore) and Lovebox (London).
The XPRS active speaker range features Powersoft Class D amplifiers and comes with a seven-year warranty as standard and is designed for both audio rental companies and mobile DJs.
Spaces at the Djoon demonstration

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Europe - ArKaos has announced that with immediate effect its product range will be distributed by and available throughout the UK and Ireland via sales specialist Entedi.
This announcement coincides with the PLASA Focus expo in Leeds this week where key ArKaos products including the new 4K Studio range of media servers and its MediaMaster Pro software will be presented by Entedi on stand Number N-D31.
Says ArKaos MD Agnes Wojewoda: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Entedi with its dedication to premium products and service. It will broaden the availability and support for ArKaos products generally throughout the UK and Ireland and open new doors through the expertise, enthusiasm and extensive industry contacts of Entedi’s MD Cally Bacchus and his fantastic team.”
Cally himself commented: “We are very pleased to be representing ArKaos as an innov

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Europe - At this year’s Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt, Neutrik went on a determined offensive against product piracy. Following Neutrik’s request, police seized numerous products that clearly violate intellectual property rights. Moreover, extensive warnings to cease and desist have also been sent to the companies concerned. Further legal action has already been launched.
Countless Neutrik products are based on technical inventions that have set new standards and are protected by patents. In addition, design features and brand names have been registered to ensure that original Neutrik products are easily and clearly recognizable.
“We want to generate real customer added value with our products and to protect that value. That requires maintaining global patents and trademarks, which, while very costly, form an important part of our innovation culture. If our compe

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France - Details of Showlight 2021, the unique lighting colloquium organised for lighting professionals by lighting professionals, have been announced. The next gathering for this quadrennial event will take place on 22-25 May 2021 in the French town of Fontainebleau. The main sponsor for the event will be the 100-year old French manufacturer of followspots and theatrical luminaires, Robert Juliat.
The Showlight committee searched long and hard for a setting worthy of Showlight’s reputation for fascinating locations, and settled on the historic town of Fontainebleau which lies 55.5km (34.5 miles) south east of Paris.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and famous for its medieval Château de Fontainebleau, a royal and imperial residence for more than 800 years, and surrounded by former royal hunting park, Fontainebleau Forest, Fontainebleau is

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South Africa - DWR Distribution recently welcomed Absen’s Ricky Qiu in South Africa, where Qui and DWR’s Schalk Botha visited several Absen installations to seek client feedback. The duo also demo’d Absen products to prospective clients.
“People really liked the new Polaris series,” comments Schalk Botha. “The design of the frame is user-friendly and hands-on, and we were pleased to receive positive feedback.”
(Jim Evans)

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UK - Backstage Academy has picked up a Educate North Award for Business/Industry Collaboration - HE/FE Sector.
Judged by an independent panel, the awards celebrate best practice and excellence in the education sector in the North of England. On Backstage Academy, the judges commented that this was “a fantastic project with clear benefits” and also felt the institution had “an innovative commercial view addressing the skills shortage and improving employability, providing great results in a thriving sector”.
Rachel Nicholson, Backstage Academy vice-principal, led the team at the official ceremony, which took place on 25 April at the Hilton Deansgate, Manchester. This was attended by over 300 education professionals from further and higher education institutions from across the north, together with a range of suppliers.
Nicholson said: “We are so proud t

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Poland - Full-service live event and production company Technika Kubacki has expanded its Adamson Systems Engineering inventory to better serve its customer base, which includes some of Poland’s best-known live acts and music events.
Technika Kubacki joined the Adamson Network in August 2017, sourcing an S-Series system from ProAUDIO-AVT, the manufacturer’s exclusive Polish distributor. That package included 24 S10 two-way, full-range line array cabinets and 12 complementary S119 subwoofers.
“After a long and detailed analysis of what was available, we chose to invest in Adamson. They have excellent products and the brand is respected all over the world,” explains Technika Kubacki owner, Damian Kubacki. “We’ve had our system out on all kinds of applications in all kinds of conditions with great results every time. The sub-compact S10 fits our needs perfectl

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UK - Rental company Adlib has confirmed its investment in a considerate amount of the Vanish V8 LED panel from ROE Visual.
Concluding a two-year conversation with the final investment in the ROE Visual products, Adlib and ROE Visual both believe that a steady business relationship, based on supplier support and excellent service, are beneficial to the end-user.
“A partnership with the Team at ROE was a no brainer,” comments Rich Rowley GM of lighting and video. “Adlib’s ethos of strong manufacturer relationships ensures we have fast backup and support, which is of paramount importance to us. With ROE Visual their diverse and creative product range sits well with our growth strategy in touring video.”
“We have found good resonance in the UK with our products and service-based approach. The UK market has rapidly become an important market for us, and we

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The Netherlands - ELC Lighting has appointed two distribution partners for the Green-GO range.
Event Communications Australia has taken responsibility for the brand in the Australian market, while Electrosonic SA has been appointed as distributor for South Africa.
Sydney-based Event Communications Australia, founded by Peter Cochrane and Frank Madzin, is a specialist provider of professional comms systems for the event production market. To meet the demand for Green-GO across Australia’s vast geographical area, the company has formed close working relationships with partners around the country. In addition, they recently recruited Robbi Nassi, a well-known figure in South Africa’s production industry, as a Green-GO specialist.
Nassi comments: “We see great potential for Green-GO Digital in this market. It has been extremely well received, as if the market

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Germany/Austria - Peavey Commercial Audio has announced an exclusive distribution partnership with Mediamotion AG to service the German and Austrian markets.
Cologne-based Mediamotion specialises in the supply of sound reinforcement, lighting, video, and conference system technologies and offers a wide range of services, from rental to sales to project planning, system design and installation.
Christoph Sesseck, PCA’s European sales manager, comments: “Mediamotion is already involved in every market that is important to us. That includes everything from performance venues to event technology, conferencing, public address and more. By partnering with Mediamotion, we are confident that we can reach new customers and make our Peavey Commercial Audio, MediaMatrix and Crest Audio products more accessible.”
Martin Broscheid, CEO of Mediamotion AG, adds: “We ar

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South Africa - DWR Distribution is now offering the Fenix lifting tower range to the South African market.
Valencia-based Fenix Stage manufactures lifting towers, trussing, stage platforms and accessories.
“We introduced the first telescopic tower in 1988 and then in 1992, when L-Acoustics launched their line array, customers were looking for a solution to fly the new speaker system,” explains Alex Bryan, export manager at Fenix. “As a result, the Fenix line array tower was introduced and there has been no looking back.
“We are delighted to be working with DWR Distribution,” adds Alex. “They have a very strong position in the South African market, being the exclusive distributor for many well-known brands, and we are happy that they have chosen FENIX as their lifting tower supplier.
“Fenix is a respected brand, and due to popular demand in Afr

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UK - Claypaky has announced that, with immediate effect, it will handle directly the distribution of its products in the UK market.
The Italian manufacturer has thanked its long-term UK distribution company Ambersphere Solutions; the collaboration between the two companies will continue for the after sales technical support for all the equipment that Ambersphere has supplied. The direct contacts with customers will be managed by Emilio Cornelli, a face already known to many, who returns as UK regional manager. 
Pio Nahum, CEO of Claypaky, comments: "The stage lighting market is changing rapidly and we decided that, in an influential market such as the UK, a direct relationship with customers and Lighting Designers that make use of our products has become indispensable".

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UK - Distribution company Ambersphere Solutions has announced a streamlining of its product portfolio.
Ambersphere MD, Glyn O’Donoghue, comments: “We have decided to dedicate our moving light offering to Ayrton Digital Lighting. It has been a real privilege to witness the innovation coming from the Ayrton development team and to experience the exceptional product-reliability first hand. We are very excited about the future working exclusively with Ayrton moving lights”.
O’Donoghue continues: “To allow us to focus solely on Ayrton, we have decided to cease our distribution relationship with Claypaky. However, we remain dedicated to providing ongoing service and support for all of the equipment we have sold”.
“I would like to thank the Claypaky team for working exclusively with Ambersphere for the

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Missing Out - Paul McCartney has accused a government funding body of having a “flawed process” that has seen the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts miss out on a potential £16m of funding. The Parliamentary Ombudsman is currently investigating the decision-making process of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, which has now been replaced by the Office for Students.
According to LIPA, which McCartney co-founded, the institution has lost out on £16m in potential funding over a four-year period due to a “series of errors” by the government body. LIPA says it has also lost a further £160,000, which has been spent on the first steps of a judicial review.
When applying for institution-specific funding in 2016, LIPA claims it was “failed at the first stage of the process” and was only allowed to proceed to the second stage following an appeal.

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USA - Online Early Bird registration is now open for the Audio Engineering Society’s 147th International Pro Audio Convention, taking place 16-19 October at the Javits Centre in New York City.
This year’s convention will “inspire” attendees with “a diverse gathering of top minds in the audio engineering industry, leading technical programme presentations and events tailored to offer attendees the ultimate professional audio education and networking experience”. The best housing options and registration pricing are available during Early Bird registration.
This year’s AES New York convention is being organised by convention co-chairs Agnieszka Roginska, Valerie Tyler and Jonathan Wyner, who have assembled an expert team of to hone a programme covering “the most talked-about topics in the industry”.
By popular request, this year’s convention i

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UK - PLASA hosted its 2019 Members’ Day and AGM at the Royal College of Physicians, London, on 1 May to reflect on a year of stand-out projects and on-going industry initiatives. PLASA chairman Adam Blaxill opened proceedings with news of the Association’s key developments and achievements over the past year, while PLASA treasurer Mark Surtees reported a strong financial performance, and success across the membership, events and media divisions.
PLASA MD Peter Heath then welcomed a series of active members who have helped to steer the Association and wider industry. ETC’s Adam Bennette provided an update on the single lighting EU Ecodesign regulations, followed by Peter Willis (Howard Eaton Lighting) and Wayne Howell (Artistic Licence) who celebrated the success of PlugFest, the annual event for lighting interoperability. Board members Matt Lloyd and Koy Nem

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UK - Shure has announced its official sponsorship of the audio at this year’s Unified Communications (UC Expo), which takes place on 15-26 May at the ExCel, London.
As official audio sponsor, Shure will be providing a selection of microphones to equip the various theatre spaces, seminars and presentations taking place throughout the two-day London event.
Along with audio sponsorship, Shure is the headline sponsor of the AVIXA Diversity Council seminar, How Do We Attract, Recruit And Retain A Diverse And Inclusive Workforce? which is being held on 15 May (Wednesday). The seminar will focus on solutions to facilitate the development of increased diversity and inclusion within the AV/IT industry and features insight and discussion by a selection of industry heavyweights, including Kevin McLoughlin, AV manager, Royal Society of Medicine.
There will also be a

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China - One of the Hong Kong Science Museum’s latest exhibitions - a complex projection interpretation of the Landscape Map of the Silk Road - made good use of AV Stumpfl’s PIXERA two media servers to achieve the flexibility and power necessary for such a demanding project.
The install was designed, supplied and system integrated by Cosmo Pro AV, and ran from 7 December 2018 and until 20 February 2019.
The original map was created as a painting for the Jiajing Emperor in the Ming dynasty. With over 200 cities marked on the map, ranging from the Jiayu Pass in Gansu Province in the east to Mecca in Saudi Arabia in the west, it demonstrated that the Chinese had grasped a very clear geographical understanding of the Silk Road thanks to centuries of trade.
For the recent exhibition, the museum oversaw the fabrication and installation of a 32m x 3m edge blending

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USA/Australia - Owing to increasing demand, high-end LED processor manufacturer, Brompton Technology, has expanded its Tessera training programme, adding sessions in both the US and Australia for these very popular courses.
“We want to make sure everyone gets the best out of our products and, because of that, we’re passionate about investing in training,” says Brompton product specialist, Cesar Caceres. “In addition, we are always keen to respond to customer requests to take our courses to wherever they need it.”
The result is an expanded schedule, with its first US training session held at the end of April in Boca Raton, Florida and a further date added on 31 May in Chicago, Illinois, both led by Sean Sheridan, regional technical manager (Americas). Another first is in Australia, where Melbourne-based WooHah Productions will play host to Brompton account man

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Italy - On 5 May (Sunday) the curtain will be officially raised on Music Inside Rimini. The industry event runs for three days.
The event organised by Italian Exhibition Group over the years has managed to become a reference point for the world of national and international show business, thanks to a format at European level that integrates all sectors of the product chain - in the light & sound, professional video, integrated systems and music & DJ producer sectors. New exhibitors, training and entertainment will feature across eight pavilions of the Rimini Expo Centre.
The Live You Play format, officially incorporated by the MIR brand, will give space to the rock and theatre world with three dedicated pavilions, in which participants will be able to immerse themselves to experience technological innovations live through Virtual Check and Live Show

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South Africa - With the new production of Phantom of the Opera, which started a world tour in January this year in Manila, Philippines, Gearhouse Splitbeam have added the Eilon Ron StageMaster 6000 G4 Wireless System to their rigging rental stock for the first time.
“The 10-load cell system, that we purchased from DWR Distribution, can be remotely monitored in conjunction with the wireless receiver and Apple compatible software via blue tooth technology,” comments Alistair Kilbee, managing director at Splitbeam. “The Eilon load cells are easy to install due to the perpendicular design and wireless capabilities.”
The Eilon Ron StageMaster 6000 System, that allows for “always on” wireless continuous monitoring, was the main reason Splitbeam selected the 6000 series. “This means that the load on the motors can be monitored as the motors are moving sc

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China - Point Source Audio (PSA) has appointed China’s EAD and South Korea’s Capstone Pro as distribution partners for its SERIES8 and EMBRACE microphones and CM-i series of in-ear headsets.
The appointments come on the back of an expansion effort in response to increased sales and product awareness outside of the USA for Point Source Audio. These partnerships further expand the company’s worldwide reach, which now includes international partners in the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan Italy, Norway, Finland and France, among others.
“We’re excited to be working with both Capstone Pro and EAD,” says James Lamb, president of Point Source Audio. “The creative community in these regions is massive and our products fit their needs. Our goal is to continuously improve our customers’ experience around the world in every aspect and we are confident that our
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