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The GFC is fast receding but the Australian
banks are still squeezing small businesses, especially those they do not
understand. That means Sound, Lighting and Video, or events and promoter firms.
Without bricks and mortar security and sometimes even with, they are tightening
the noose. So now is the time to plot a change. CX can reveal that although
Westpac mis-stepped its retail clients with an ill-timed additional mortgage
rise (and a silly email video belittling everyone about the price of banana's
relative to the cost of their funds), the real culprit in the pile is the
Commonwealth Bank.
From January 1st, everyone is now under
an award. Technicians, floor crew, musicians, strippers. Everyone.
Suddenly everyone
working behind the scenes in entertainment is covered by a national minimum award
wage system. The Fair Work Act provided simplified awards from January 1st
2010 to all workers including those not unionised.
This somewhat radical
change affects all industries, and has seen 1,700 federal and state awards
condensed into around 120 ‘modern awards'. For those covered by an enterprise
agreement or contract, then life remains the same - provided they are not worse off
under the new award. So the new award really is the bottom pay, and everyone
will quickly come to know what they should get.
The devil is in the
detail. If you are not currently covered by either an award or an enterprise
agreement, then your minimum rates of pay are affected from January 1st.
Expect big changes even though Behringer, Midas and former Midas owners Bosch say it is 'business as usual.' But nothing is 'usual' if you are Uli Behringer, one of the most dynamic and determined identities in the pro audio and musical equipment market.
With the retirement of
the PM1D concert digital mixing console system and no replacement on the
market, Yamaha have flagged a ‘system of tomorrow’ for the new flagship which
should arrive for the Frankfurt Musik Messe in March.
Considering the family
of live mixing consoles at Yamaha is roughly split into two generations each
with a pair of consoles, industry buzz suggests a whole of family approach is
on the way.
L-Acoustics kicked off the line array generation with the V-dosc, and enjoyed considerable success on concert riders for the first haf of this decade. Now the firm's audio systems are more available in Australia as it winds back its territorial partnership scheme.
With 300 crew and a
growing network, Canada's Solotech appears to have designs on an Australian
branch which would offer sound lights and vision up to concert sized.
NSW: New funding is now available from the Government for Entertainment Technical Training.
Now there is a funded program for all levels in an organisation: new trainees, and existing workers with Certificate Four AND for the Advanced Diploma. If you are a venue or employer, you really need to read this!
New Blacksheep company not affected by $2.5 million collapse
The liquidator to the former Blacksheep Productions business (not the
new business which is currently trading) has issued a scathing report
that reveals excessive losses and mismanagement. Blacksheep is a Sydney
based video and audio visual firm with blue chip clients such as
Westfield, Macquarie Group and Nestle.
Imagine a lighting fixture with a lamp that is rated almost the life of
the fixture. This is the tantalizing possibility offered by Robe, the
first manufacturer to rush the LIFI lamp to market. LIFI stands for
light fidelity lamp, a tiny source with no filament which uses micro
waves to create a plasma light source.
Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion is set to join Luna Park and Enmore Theatre
as venues with professional concert PA systems installed in house.
Jands Production Services will install six V-Dosc boxes per side, plus
subs at the 5,000 seat Hordern which will in turn offer promoters the
convenience of a pre-installed system.
Last issue CX reported on industry reaction to three trade shows in
Sydney in July. Given the high stakes, we had some reaction. SMPTE have
responded strongly, and Integrate cancelled their visitor advertising
campaign in CX. In July SMPTE and Integrate will stage their Sydney
trade shows and before they open, both show organisers have banked
their profits.
Fairmont Resort is a five star, 250 room property perched in a
beautiful location above a scenic gorge in the Blue Mountains west of
Sydney. For many years it has been a highly desired convention
destination where the who’s who of Australian big business ran great
events.
CX Media Kit
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