Onkyo Corporation had a really tough fiscal 2020 – the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2020. How tough was it? So tough that the company was forced to announce that a massive drop in revenues and record losses had pushed the company into insolvency – calling into question its ability to continue as a going concern. It doesn’t get much tougher than that. And this announcement triggered a Tokyo Stock Exchange action – invoking a rule that starts a clock on a limited grace period for the company to cure the situation – their insolvency – before a forced delisting from the JASDAQ stock exchange is implemented.
Strategy
CEDIA Propel: Member Benefit? Or Quasi-Buying Group?
Last week, CEDIA announced their CEDIA Propel initiative, said to be a new “Affinity Program” designed to offer members a new kind of benefit. The announcement caught my eye almost immediately because this program is unlike other other affinity program with which I’m familiar. Typically such programs offer members benefits such as special pricing on health insurance or discounts on UPS shipping and the like. In this case, CEDIA is recommending technology brands who offer discount programs to CEDIA members on their products.
To me, this sounded at least a little bit like the kind of service provided by a buying group.
Where is CEDIA heading with Propel?…
[Read more…] about CEDIA Propel: Member Benefit? Or Quasi-Buying Group?Let’s Get Ready to Ruummbbblllleee…Subwoofer Powerhouse Velodyne is Back
When we last visited with Velodyne, it was all the way back in 2014 when the company quietly laid off audio staff, and suddenly – without warning – fired all of their manufacturer sales representatives and their dealers. Shortly after this, the company hired a high-powered retail executive (who would go on to eventually go to prison) to launch a direct-to-consumer business. Our coverage drew the attention of then Velodyne President Marta Thoma Hall, who is wife of company founder and chief engineer David Hall, leading to an interview with her on the many dramatic changes taking place at the company. Whew! That was a lot of action in a very short period of time.
Ultimately, it appears that David Hall got bored with audio and moved on with his new prized invention – an improved Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor technology that is important to the autonomous vehicle market. According to a report by Audioholics, Ford and China’s Baidu partnered to invest $150 million in Velodyne’s Lidar technology and Elvis…er…Hall…has definitely left the audio building. Velodyne split into two companies (Velodyne Lidar is now a $100 million public company [NASDAQ:VLDR]) and for a time last year, it looked like curtains for the audio division.
But now Velodyne’s audio division is back…
[Read more…] about Let’s Get Ready to Ruummbbblllleee…Subwoofer Powerhouse Velodyne is BackIs the Thiel Audio Website Relaunch Real? Or Is It a Zombie?
A Real-Life Mystery
Strata-gee reader Jeff (see comments here…) asks, “What’s up with the revival of Thiel Audio’s website thielaudio.com?” That is a good question, as the company has been shut down, and all inventory, factory, and office goods were auctioned off just under three years ago. Shortly after the auction, Thiel Audio’s website went dark and has been that way ever since.
Ever since…that is…until recently…
[Read more…] about Is the Thiel Audio Website Relaunch Real? Or Is It a Zombie?AKM Fire: 2020 was Almost Over, Then Disaster Struck Again
Massive AKM Factory Fire in Japan to Disrupt Global Supply of Critical Digital ICs
Just when you thought 2020 was almost over and the COVID calamity and its associated disasters were mostly behind us, a source tipped Strata-gee off to a major new disaster that will almost surely cause a significant disruption in the 2021 supply of those critical A/V products we all use/sell/and install every day. You may not be aware of this AKM fire story now, but we are all facing what will likely be another major supply chain headache in the near future.
Warning – your supply of key products is now threatened…
[Read more…] about AKM Fire: 2020 was Almost Over, Then Disaster Struck AgainDespite 90 Virtual Events & $40M in Claims Income, Emerald Loses $22.3M
Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE:EEX), formerly Emerald Expositions, reported their fiscal 2020 third quarter results this week and despite their best efforts to shift their business to online virtual conferences, the company reported revenues of just $8.5 million and generated a net loss of $22.3 million. This loss was even deeper than their loss of $19.7 million in the same quarter in 2019 which was well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S.
See more on the results for Emerald Holding this past fiscal quarter…
[Read more…] about Despite 90 Virtual Events & $40M in Claims Income, Emerald Loses $22.3MHarman’s Mark Levinson Brand Launches Lower Cost 5000 Series; Seeks Expansion into Broader Market
Last week, in dramatic fashion, Harman (part of Samsung) brand Mark Levinson announced the launch of an entirely new 5000 series family of products, whose lower price tag is designed to appeal to an expanded share of the market of audio enthusiasts. In a combination of well-produced video segments, coupled with live presentations to the industry media, Harman executives laid out their vision for the brand and presented the details of the engineering and craftsmanship behind their new line of electronics and sources that included a preamp, power amp, turntable and streaming SACD player
Learn more about the new Mark Levinson 5000 Series…
[Read more…] about Harman’s Mark Levinson Brand Launches Lower Cost 5000 Series; Seeks Expansion into Broader MarketSuspicious Changes at CEDIA; CEO O’Connor is Out With No Explanation
This News Follows Other Prominent Departures
The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) announced at the end of last week that Global President and CEO Tabatha O’Connor will “depart” the organization at the end of her contract period in January. The news caught many by surprise and the organization’s announcement gives no clue as to any of the reasons behind this leadership change.
See more on O’Connor’s departure from CEDIA
[Read more…] about Suspicious Changes at CEDIA; CEO O’Connor is Out With No ExplanationChange of Strategy: Emerald Board Tells Company Managers to Buy Stock…Theirs
Emerald Holding, Inc. (Formerly Emerald Expositions Events, Inc.) [NYSE: EEX], the company that owns the CEDIA Expo show and CE Pro, announced last week that its Board of Directors has authorized company managers to purchase up to $20 Million of Emerald’s stock in a share buyback program. As Strata-gee noted back in May in a report on the company’s large fiscal first quarter loss, this program had previously been suspended when cash had tightened up after the cancellation of their events due to COVID-19.
Now the company has been recapitalized, thanks to help from sugar daddy Onex who now owns more than 80% of the company, and – gosh – the stock is so darn cheap. Maybe now is the time to buy…
See more on this stock purchase by Emerald
[Read more…] about Change of Strategy: Emerald Board Tells Company Managers to Buy Stock…TheirsSnapAV Unleashes a Broad Array of New Products at Snap Pro Live
Kicking off their first ever virtual dealer event called Snap Pro Live, SnapAV unleashes a broad array of new products covering their wide gamut of product and service segments. Snap Pro Live runs for three days and kicked off today (Tuesday) afternoon with a keynote from CEO John Heyman – and this major product launch.