Strategy in TECH...
Well it’s the time of Auld Lang Syne as we say farewell to 2022 and look forward with anxious anticipation for 2023. It was a consequential year of stories for our industry in 2022, and we’ll go over the top stories on Strata-gee this year.
By now, data clearly shows that vinyl record sales here in the U.S. have been growing steadily for more than a decade. When initially detected, many thought it was simply a fad… They thought that at first CDs…and then digital downloads…and finally digital streaming would supplant vinyl. Now we know that is just not the case and that vinyl is continuing to grow in importance again to the music industry.
Think this is just a U.S. phenomenon? Think again! A report by the Nikkei in Japan notes the dramatic growth of vinyl sales there, as well.
Emerald Expositions (NYSE: EEX), the national B2B trade show company that owns CEDIA Expo, CE Pro, and Commercial Integrator surprised the industry at the recent CEDIA Expo 2022 by abruptly announcing that next year they will be “co-locating” a show for commercial integrators at the same time and in the same facility. Reaction to this announcement was…to put it mildly…mixed. Is Emerald trying to imitate the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show – an event for both residential and commercial businesses – by launching an ISUS (Integrated Systems United States) event??
Do you wonder why there was a mixed reaction to Emerald’s move? Read on…
It’s a remarkable event when someone can claim a legitimate first. In all my years in this crazy Tech business, those firsts are getting fewer and further between. But Emerald Expositions, owner of the CEDIA Expo trade show can claim a legitimate first that I have never seen before from any show. They gave the cold shoulder to any media organization not named CE Pro.
Usually, shows want good media relations across the board with happy media writing positive stories and building an upbeat buzz about their event. Not Emerald…they are quite satisfied to help just one media outlet to run positive stories about their event…their very own CE Pro.
In the latest research on the smart audio market, analysts see clear progress in the expansion of voice technology both in terms of the growing number of devices containing it, and the expanding uses to which voice control is being used. While much of the results of this latest survey are specific to smart speakers, this version goes well beyond that to looking at voice in all sorts of devices.
Emerald Holding Inc., the parent company of Emerald Expositions, a division that owns the CEDIA Expo trade show and CEPro media, announced its results for the first quarter of its fiscal 2022 year today – and these results clearly showed a strong rebound from the last two COVID-19 impacted years. With both revenues and earnings showing substantial increases, Emerald’s President and CEO Hervé Sedkey stated that “…we are in the midst of a robust recovery.”
In the latest report from the music world, we learned two surprising facts: First, for the first time in 17-years, retail sales of physical compact discs actually increased. And second, for the first time since 1991, vinyl records are the most popular physical media format. It’s big news and much of the media – even mainstream news outlets like CNN – reported on this development. It appears to be part of a surprising swing by consumers back to physical media, as sales of vinyl records in 2021 saw a stunning year-over-year increase of 51.4% – the biggest increase of ANY format, physical or streaming.
What the heck is going on here?
A little more than ten miles south of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, you come to a tiny, unincorporated area known as Murrells Inlet. Known as the Seafood Capital of South Carolina (or at least that is what they say), like many seashore areas, Murrells Inlet is a true lifestyle community where residents and visitors enjoy outdoor living, great seafood restaurants, gorgeous beaches, lots of wildlife in the natural marshlands, and more. It is also where you’ll find Custom Theater & Audio, a custom integration business co-owned and managed by John Sciacca – and just one of the many hats he wears.
Now, adding yet another hat, he is also the new owner of Cineluxe, an online media site seeking to provide lots of informative and interesting content – as well as added support – for the luxury home entertainment consumer.
Holy cow! You guys are amazing! You’ve pushed Strata-gee over the finish line with another record year in 2021! A year ago, I wasn’t sure that was going to be possible, but the data are clear – Strata-gee set many new records this year thanks to the incredible support of Strata-gee readers.
Residential Tech Today Editor Jeremy Glowacki interviewed Ted Green – yeah, that’s me – for their podcast which is available in both audio-only or audio/video formats. What a weird experience it was for me! I’m used to being the questioner…not the questioned. Especially when you consider the fact that Jeremy and I are friends and talk frequently about everything from the business to family and friends – it was strange when he invited me to be on the podcast and shifted into professional editor mode.
And, he asked real questions – such as why Strata-gee can sometimes be controversial and how I came to this role.
