Who’s The Winner Here? Probably Not You

January 29th, 2010

This week’s announcement that the US Justice Dept. would allow the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster is a game changer for the entertainment industry.

If you’ve attended a major concert or other arena event recently, you realize that you can’t turn around without someone sticking their hand in  your pocket, even though you’ve already bought a ticket for the event.

Start with the ticket service fee.  You can’t buy a ticket without paying that, even if you purchase at the box office.

Next comes parking.  $7.00 is the going rate around here, and some tickets automatically add a parking surcharge to every ticket, regardless of how many patrons might share a ride.

Next comes concessions.  Mandatory purse and backpack checks assure that you won’t bring in so much as a bottle of water.  Once you’re inside, prices range from $4.00 up for a simple snack to as much as $11.00 for a beer.  If you’re covering the cost for a family of four, your out of pocket expenses can easily double the ticket price.

Ticketmaster and Live Nation share the credit for devising this system, and the Justice Department decisions means that it is now open season on event patrons.

By allowing these two companies to combine forces there is no longer any reason for one to try to gain a competitive advantage over the other by pricing tickets or add ons more competitively.

If you are concerned about this pending monopoly, you might find this web site interesting.

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Since When Is Google An Entrepeneur?

January 26th, 2010

mike2This blog has been following the “white space” debate (issues regarding reallocation of broadcast spectrum used for wireless mics) for some time.  What appears as a “final decision” by the FCC regarding the date for ending use of the 700MHz band for these microphones has led to a whole set of new questions.

One of the justifications for kicking wireless mic users out of the neighborhood has been that opening up this part of the spectrum would lead to opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop new wireless technologies.

It’s fine to claim that you support entrepreneurs, but since the price bid for the 700 MHz spectrum was in excess of $19 billion dollars, we’re not talking about your garden variety start up.

Players like Google and Verizon were the real winners here and it’s unlikely that opportunities for real entrepreneurs are going to filter down from monsters like this.

The 700 MHz band may well see exciting next generation wireless services for both consumers and public agencies, but those developments won’t come from someone who simply has a good idea.  They’ll need a bag of money too!

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Might Be Time For A Password Change

January 22nd, 2010

spokesguyIf the password for your bank account is 123456, you’re in good company.  Apparently the need for difficult to guess (read, difficult to hack) passwords is lost on millions of internet users.

As more and more financial and other sensitive transactions migrate to the internet, the need for upgraded security at the user level is lagging dangerously behind.

Recent New York Times research identified about 30 passwords that tens of millions of users turn to over and over.  One of the most popular is “password”.

New tools available to hackers allow automated attacks incorporating the most popular passwords to break into supposedly secure accounts.  Increasing the pool of most popular choices from 30 to 5000 shows that a full 20% of internet users’ passwords are included.

Fast computers coupled with speedy networks give hackers the tools to go after thousands of accounts simultaneously.  Couple this capability with software that can automatically resubmit passwords over and over until access is gained, and the time consuming problem of cracking log ins is not longer an issue.

For secure passwords, always mix numbers, letters and characters and use both upper and lower case.  Use 12 character passwords to protect your most sensitive data and stay away from the most popular 30 choices.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Read about our security policy here.

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The Final Word-For Now

January 21st, 2010

mike2The FCC has issued yet another “final ruling” regarding reallocation of the 700 mHZ broadcast spectrum, that part of the spectrum used, until recently, for wireless microphones.

As reported in the New York Times (Jan. 16, 2010), the FCC is standing behind the 2008 auction of this spectrum for new users, hoping to promote the development of “a whole new generation of wireless services”.

This version of the ruling essentially changes nothing regarding the intention of the FCC to no longer allow wireless mic use in this part of the UHF spectrum. It makes the date of June 12, 2010 the final deadline for theatres, concert tours, churches and entertainment venues to give up use of any wireless equipment operating in this band.

Fortunately, by putting off the final implementation of this new ruling (yet again) the Federal Communications Commission has given the users of unlicensed wireless mics (almost all users) the better part of two years to make the transition.

Major manufacturers, including Shure, have extended their rebate offers one more time, so there are still incentives available for those how have put off making the frequency change.

The title of the FCC’s official pronouncement on this issue is titled,

OPERATION OF WIRELESS MICROPHONES IN THE 700 MHZ BAND
IS PROHIBITED AFTER JUNE 12, 2010

There is not really much need for interpretation to that sort of language.

If you are interested in the specifics of this ruling directly from the FCC, you can read it here.

If you’re not sure if your wireless mics are covered by this ruling, you can consult the FCC’s official list of offending manufacturers models here.

There is more information regarding this transition at our web site wirelessmic.net.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Click here for unbeatable deals on Shure wireless microphones.

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A Round Peg In A Square Hole

January 19th, 2010

mike2Recent responses to an older blog posting about using XLR connectors on speaker cables caught me by surprise. It  got me  thinking about how ongoing evolution in this connector system has allowed it to stay relevant through generation after generation of audio development.

The XLR connector was first developed by James Cannon at ITT and was introduced to the audio market in 1958.  Amazingly, through all the changes in connector standards and component wiring, the XLR is still the audio standard for microphone and patch cables.

One reason for its long life is that the basics of the design, much like good computer software design, have moved into the public domain.  Anyone who has a better idea can bring their own version of the XLR connector to market.

A simple innovation developed by the Switchcraft company is an example of this design concept.

Cannon’s design for the XLR was for a round connector-a good idea since it fit well to a round cable and allowed the cable to be dragged along the floor without catching and tangling.  Cannon’s concept called for both round body connectors on the cable and a round body “chassis mount” connector-the mating female connector found on the equipment or multicable box that the cable connector mated with.

A simple innovation by Switchcraft-changing the body shape of the panel mount connector from round to rectangular-meant that more connectors could be mounted side-by-side in a confined space since they could now fit edge to edge.  You can see the value of that design change today by comparing a contemporary audio mixer to one built in the 1960’s or ’70’s.

XLR_SQUARE

XLR_ROUND

Many minds contributing to the evolution of the XLR connector means that it will remain the audio industry standard for many years to come.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Our Hosa & MI cables use industry standard XLR connectors.

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Just Call Us At 1-800-We’ve-Got-No-Phone

January 14th, 2010

spokesguyI doubt if I’m the only one that finds irony in Google’s latest customer service problem.  They’re selling phones, but apparently they don’t have any of their own.

The new Nexus One cell phone was released earlier this month, but buyers, some whom have paid over $500.00 for the smartphones, find they are on their own if they have problems.

Not only does Google not provide a customer service phone number, they have announced that buyers should not expect to have emails answered for at least 48 hours.

This has the potential to give Google a real black eye before they even get started with their new hardware sales initiative.  A company with the profits and excess cash flow of Google would have had no problem in financing and developing a customer service operation to support the launch of the Nexus.

It’s hard to know if they were being arrogant, or just naive, but they would have had no difficulty in understanding what sort of customer support would be required to support a new cell phone.  Just visit a Verizon store.

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Monster Cable Says “Thank You” But “No, You’re Not Invited”

January 13th, 2010

mike2We sell speaker cables.  Lots of cables.  They are intended for the pro audio market and and work great in high end concert  and audio visual production.  They’re fairly priced   and come with a solid guarantee.

I’m always amazed at how much black magic is applied to the science of selling cables.  No one excels at this as well as Monster Cable, a manufacturer of high end cables marketed both to the pro and the home market.

Believe it or not, Monster sells a HDMI hi definition video cable for as much as $1000.00.  That’s not the price for the television.  Just the cable!

An article in Monday’s New York Times shed a little light on why Monster wires are so incredibly expensive.  Chalk it up (mark it up?)to a very special sort of high end marketing.

At this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Monster sponsored an invitation-only concert featuring John Legend and Stevie Wonder.  A Monster party featured Dr. Dre and Diddy, along with Monster CEO  Noel Lee riding a Segway scooter trimmed in flames.

A Monster press conference featured Lady Gaga, who was in Las Vegas to introduce a new line of Monster headphones.

Talent like this doesn’t come cheap.

Study after study has shown that most of  Monster’s claims regarding the superiority of their cables is mostly hype.  One of our favorite  tests even compared their speaker cables to coat hanger wire and claimed to hear no difference in audio quality between the two.

Did I mention, the Las Vegas events were not for Monster customers, they were for Monster Cable dealers, the sellers who share in the astronomical markups sales of these cables genterate.  Those heaping plates of shrimp and the flowing champagne at the event hosted by Diddy and Dr. Dre were paid for by you,  if you’re a purchaser of Monster Cables.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

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No Wonder Google Wants To Sell Hardware

January 11th, 2010

ted_headThe ongoing battle between the Google mobile operating system for cell phones and Apple’s IPhone was accelerated last week with the release of the Nexus One, a smart phone that is actually branded as a Google device.

There has been lots of speculation as to why Google was interested in getting into the hardware business, as they are primarily a search engine driven advertising company.

This article in Forbes makes it clear why Google has such a keen interest in this market.  The profit potential is amazing.

The Nexus One is sold directly from Google (web sales only) and can be purchased in one of two ways.  You can purchase a subsidized phone along with a two year contract for service from T-Mobile.  The price of the phone is $179.00.

Or, you can purchase the phone outright-unlocked (no service contract) for $529.00 and make a deal with your own choice of service providers.

Forbes estimates that the actual cost of manufacturing the phone is $174.15.  That means that Google’s gross profit on every phone is  $354.85, a whopping $204% markup.

If Google is successful in getting a phone to market that people will buy without a contract, then it might force cell carriers to open up their market and be more competitive when it comes to pricing.

Google’s decision to price the Nexus One at such a ridiculously high price means that this probably won’t happen any time soon.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

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This Thing Is Too Smart To Be Called A Phone

January 7th, 2010

JEFF_SIGNATURE_SMALLLast Saturday I attended a women’s basketball game at UNC Chapel Hill, my alma mater.  A major multi-million dollar renovation of Carmichael Auditorium was being unveiled and I was anxious to see the upgrades to the building where I worked my first concert, 40 years ago.

Carmichael has always been an acoustical nightmare, and I was skeptical as to whether ceiling treatment and a new sound system might actually improve the building.

I was really impressed!

The building looks great, and I was able to understand every word the announcer said.  Congratulations, UNC.

One of our former employees, Wes Hardison, is serving as the sound person for women’s basketball this season, and that’s where my phone story begins.

I have written before about the Motorola Droid, my new cell phone, and on Saturday I learned some great new tricks.

I was able to download a couple of applications (free, no less) for the phone while sitting in the stands watching the game and listening to the new sound system.

One was a SPL meter (sound level meter).  The other was a frequency spectrum analyzer.

I was able to roam all around the arena, take acoustical readings directly on the phone, and then text message Wes quantitative information regarding what I was hearing.   He could then make adjustments from his position beside the playing floor, based on what I was hearing in the stands.  All as simple as a phone call!

Have you got an interesing smart phone story?  Share it with our readers.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. 

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How We Treat Our Best Customers

January 6th, 2010

spokesguyI rarely go to the grocery store during the week, but I was out of the office this morning and stopped by to pick up something for lunch.

I grabbed a couple of items and jumped in the express line.  To my right, each of the next three lanes had at least two young mothers with one or more children in tow.  My items cost less than six dollars, but their overflowing carts suggested that they would spend a hundred dollars or more by the time they left the store.

What sort of thinking would lead the store management to allow me to jump in a quick serve line, but force these loyal high dollar customers to line up one behind the other and wait to be served while they attempted to keep their kids entertained?

Seems backwards to me.

Why not have a “moms only” line, one where the store would provide a little extra service while assuring that these valued customers were able to get in and out with as little complication as possible?

Parents purchasing for the family will be back to the store over and over again, yet grocery stores continue to serve the lowest dollar customers with the highest level of service while they buy items that they may not purchase again for weeks.

Just something to think about.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Share your insights on customer service with our readers.

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