This Friday, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence will testify before a Congressional committee (the House antitrust subcommittee) that is investigating the issue of competition in digital markets. Or, I should say, they are investigating whether the tech giants – Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, etc. – are engaging in anti-competitive activities in violation of the law. The Sonos CEO is likely to complain that Google is in fact anti-competitive. Spence’s appearance takes place literally just days after it has filed a major patent infringement lawsuit against Google – alleging that the tech giant stole its proprietary technology…making them a victim.
Manufacturers
Bose to Shutter 119 Bose Stores in N. America, Europe, Japan & Australia
Bose Corp. announced earlier today that it will close a total of 119 Bose retail stores as a response to changing retail purchasing trends. The locations to be closed represents their entire retail footprint in North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
See more on this dramatic announcement from Bose…
[Read more…] about Bose to Shutter 119 Bose Stores in N. America, Europe, Japan & AustraliaURC Cuts Staff as It Realigns Its Sales Efforts
Universal Remote Control, Inc. (URC) has had a round of layoffs heading into the holidays. Taking place last week, the remote control giant has made cuts to its team that represent approximately 6% of their total workforce.
Learn more about the cuts at URC…
[Read more…] about URC Cuts Staff as It Realigns Its Sales EffortsFrank Sterns Leaves Sony for Sound United
Rumors abound for the last few days and now we learn it’s true, Frank Sterns, former Vice President of AV Specialty/Custom Integration for Sony, has left that position to join Sound United as Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations – Americas. This new role will begin on January 6, 2020.
See more on Sterns joining Sound United…
[Read more…] about Frank Sterns Leaves Sony for Sound UnitedAudio Design Associates Warns of Imminent Company Shutdown
In a letter to the media early Tuesday evening, Richard Stoerger announced the likely impending closure of Audio Design Associates (ADA), a company that was a founding member of CEDIA and a significant driving force in the early days of the “CEDIA channel.” The letter itself never explicitly explains the reasons for the possible closure, only offering vague allusions to: difficulty to “defeat the noise generated on a public level”… and … that they “just ran out of time and money”… and … a failure to “reckon with” how “difficult and expensive” it is to tell one’s story.
This news tolls the end of an era…
[Read more…] about Audio Design Associates Warns of Imminent Company ShutdownJames Loudspeaker Terminates Reps as Integration into Sonance Progresses
Early last week, a holiday week, sources reached out to relay the news that multiple manufacturer sales representatives were being terminated by James Loudspeaker. Happy Thanksgiving…you’re fired. In chats, I heard of the pain that some those reps felt – for while getting terminated is never a happy circumstance, getting terminated during holidays seems particularly poignant.
James Loudspeaker’s CEO & Sonance’s CSO speak to what is going on…
[Read more…] about James Loudspeaker Terminates Reps as Integration into Sonance ProgressesNPR: American Speaker Manufacturer Says Tariffs May Force Him Out
This week, National Public Radio (NPR) tells the story of the Minneapolis Speaker Company, Inc., known as MISCO, a St. Paul, MN-based manufacturer of speaker drivers and systems sold mostly on an OEM basis, who is struggling to continue to manufacture products here in the U.S. as they have for the last 70 years. What threatens their ability to continue to do so? In a word…tariffs.
See more on the MISCO story…
[Read more…] about NPR: American Speaker Manufacturer Says Tariffs May Force Him OutSonos Announces Record Fiscal 2019 Results; Acquires Snips
Sonos announced this week that it has acquired French AI voice control software maker Snips in a deal valued at $37.5 million. The company also released their Fiscal 2019 results in a letter to investors denoting a record year for the company – its first as a publicly traded one.
See more on Sonos’ new announcements…
[Read more…] about Sonos Announces Record Fiscal 2019 Results; Acquires SnipsLast Week Onkyo, Now Sound United Reorganizes in Wake of Failed Acquisition Deal
For a few weeks now, I’ve been chasing a rumor that both sides of the failed Sound United acquisition of Onkyo’s branded A/V business were in the throes of a major reorganization. The rumors, it seems, were true – starting with Onkyo’s announced reorganization last week…and now word that Sound United is also implementing changes to its management structure.
See what changes Sound United is making…
[Read more…] about Last Week Onkyo, Now Sound United Reorganizes in Wake of Failed Acquisition DealNo Josh-ing, AudioControl & Josh.ai Partner for a Better User and Integrator Experience
AudioControl and Josh.ai announced last week that they were partnering with an integration that will allow integrators to offer their clients a better voice-enabled home entertainment control experience. A perfect blend of the high-quality electronics from AudioControl, coupled with the natural language and privacy protecting voice automation technology of Josh.ai, means clients can simply say their commands to their system and have their system respond in new powerful ways.