No matter what side of political spectrum you fall into, you must admit that this year’s presidential contest has at least has been entertaining and has taken a few unexpected turns. On the bright side, every time some candidate utters a single syllable, there’s a mic there to pick it up, and probably a system set up by some sound company to make those gems of wisdom even louder. Hey, it’s a campaign cost — spread the wealth.
Good News, Good News
In terms of upcoming elections, there’s a lot more work for the industry coming up in the months to come. With tight races on both sides, my political prediction is that from the primaries on up to the big kahuna (the general election on Nov. 8), the requirements for event support are gonna be massive. Meanwhile, the Republicans and Democrats will be staging their respective showdowns on back-to-back weeks in July at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
The move to these earlier convention dates is more good news for the live sound industry, as it lengthens the campaign season, with more opportunities to host rallies, fundraisers and local promotional stops from Hawaii to Maine. And besides the presidential bids, thousands of other races — from state and national posts to local city council candidates — are happening concurrently, so from the sound company standpoint, 2016 holds plenty of opportunities, at least through November.
The Jobs Thing
One key point brought up in nearly every political speech is jobs, both creating employment and cutting down on outsourcing. Now, whether these office-seekers actually care about the topic — or are simply using that rhetoric as a means to pique voter interest — is another issue. Fortunately, we exist in a service industry, and live sound providers are relatively safe in that regard.
Even given the rate of technological change, it’s highly unlikely that someone would turn to China, Indonesia or some other remote locale to outsource a couple techs and the gear to do everyday bread-and-butter sound system setups, such as high school graduations or for the opening of a new car wash on Main Street. Meanwhile, we can all breathe a deep sign of relief on that issue.
The Global Economy
It’s often been said that the world continues shrinking, and as a reminder of that, see the spotlight on the Rolling Stones’ historic concert in Cuba (page 18) or go to page 26 for our in-depth coverage of this month’s Prolight+Sound/Musikmesse show in Frankfurt. That expo is a key marketplace to present new audio production and music technologies. It’s a two-way street where North American companies can present their wares to distributors and potential customers in Europe and the rest of the world, and vice-versa, where international exhibitors can extend their reach well across the pond.
But that show truly represents the microcosm of Pro Audio Planet Earth. Without much effort, it would be possible to equip a full-on concert or installation rig entirely with products made in the good ol’ USA. But sometimes, without a bit of research, it can be tough to predict the exact country of origin.
In the automotive world — to which everyone can relate— you might want to pump your patriotic spirit with a domestic buy, but that Ford or Cadillac on your list might be made in Mexico, while that “red blooded American” Dodge Charger or Chevy Camaro was probably made in Canada. On the flip side, an increasing number of “foreign” cars are made right here in the USA in plants churning out BMW (South Carolina); Honda (Ohio, Alabama, Indiana); Hyundai (Alabama); Kia (Georgia); Mercedes-Benz (Alabama, South Carolina); Nissan (Tennessee, Mississippi); Subaru (Indiana); Toyota (Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, Mississippi); and Volkswagen (Tennessee).
With either cars or pro audio gear, the “American made” tag may be further clouded by products that may be assembled here from circuit boards and/or component parts made elsewhere. Alternatively, I might select a Sennheiser wireless system made right here in Albuquerque, NM or an Apple computer made in Ireland. The market also places intense economic pressures on companies to stay competitive by looking to manufacturer outside of our borders.
An interesting example here is the venerable Shure SM58, which is made in Mexico. While the prices of other products have continued to rise over the years, it seems that the SM58 has retained its $99 street price almost since the early days when cave dwellers discovered fire. Yet at the same time, Shure has maintained a consistent quality of the product to the point where there is no market for “pre-Mexico” SM58’s in the same way that collectors seek out “pre-CBS” Fender instruments.
My one caveat? Some companies that outsource manufacturing need to pay more attention to quality control (both in terms of components and completed assemblies), however, with tight QC procedures, it can work. Finally, whether I am mixing on a British console, with American, Japanese, Austrian and Danish mics, Canadian direct boxes, Italian mains, German monitors, Swedish amplifiers and Israeli plug-ins, I’m not alone in appreciating a diversity of products from the global market. And that’s a good thing!
For George Petersen’s introduction to the April 2016 issue of FRONT OF HOUSE Magazine, go to:
