Installs! You have got to be kidding! Local sound companies are going out of business because some guys insist on installing great audio gear into rooms that were once empty palates that longed to be titillated by the taste of audio.
We, the denizens of the rental houses, would fill that palate with the spice of audio ingenuity, but on a day rate.
Like the installers, we would come in and put sound where sound did not belong, and on the fly, design and install a system to meet the needs of whatever room we entered. Here's the rub, though. We would take it all out until they called us again to bring it back. Get it? Repeat business.
"You Need Me"
Look, I understand, I get it. I, too, have installed systems into venues and then ingratiated myself to the owner so that I could run the room. It's like being the sound Mafia. "Look, you need me. I know the system, and without me, it may not run properly. Fuggedaboudit."
Hey, I understand. As a venue, it makes sense to have a sound system. For an office space, it's needed, and, of course, it's an important addition for all hotels.
Speaking of hotels – I was in Vegas recently and, unless I was in my room, I couldn't escape the ubiquitous sound system, which kept playing a wide variety of material I did not want to hear. It was a first-rate system though, and I admired it everywhere I went in the hotel – every floor, every elevator, on the casino floor, and in every nook and cranny of the pool area. I admired the system in the same way I have admired any work well done.
Shutting Down
A great permanent installation is a joy, and in certain cases, a much-needed tool – and as I said, I understand the benefits from the perspective of a venue. But I hate losing clients to an install.
Before they closed, we used to provide sound systems for all the record emporiums' in-store performances, and before they shut down for good, they shut us out by buying little systems of their own. Were these systems as good as what we brought in? No, but they didn't care, because they were saving money and, in some cases, even making money on the sound system.
After Tower and Virgin Records closed, it was the Apple Stores, because of iTunes, that began having promotional performances. They, too, installed a system and, while not as good as the one we brought in, it was sufficient for their needs, and it was also cheaper in the long run. Best Buy has a system of their own, and so do certain houses of worship that we once called clients.
As I said, I appreciate the concept, and I realize that most major audio houses have an install division since there is a market for the product. I also realize that, for the most part, the overlap is not that great, and that the live audio business is just a portion of the market. But I do fear that the market is shrinking due to the availability of better gear that is less expensive, easier to operate and doesn't require time and space for setup.
A Sense of Doom
I often let my feverish imagination get the best of me, but as I see more venues, churches, stores and halls installing their own systems, I wonder if it's not too far off for a company such as Live Nation, for example, which owns a good portion of the large venues around the country, to start installing racks and stacks in sheds and arenas.
After all, on a business level, it would make perfect sense for everyone involved. It would save the bands the trouble of trucking and labor, and if Live Nation makes the right deal, they could have the same system in every venue. Have an installation expert come out and design the hang for optimum coverage and be done with it. Have a couple of acceptable consoles, a snake and some top of the line wedges available, and if the band really wants to use their own console they can easily swap it out. Why not? After all, the delay stacks are usually installed in most sheds as it is, why not have the rest of the PA as well?
The New Order
If the band wants to use their own racks and stacks, then the venue will charge an exorbitant fee to strike the pre-existing rig, and, after a while, everyone will get used to the new order and way of doing things. Hell, give it time, and the venues can start charging the bands for using gear. It's a win-win situation for the venue owners, and the concept will grow on the bands in due time. It's not that I have anything against installs, and I do know that in most cases, there isn't an infringement on the live sound market. But it just seems to be slowly creeping up on us live guys that there isn't as much live sound as there used to be. Again, this may be due to other factors, such as people having less expendable income, the price of oil, the variable stock market, The President being a Socialist, too many women on the Supreme Court, too many New Yorkers on the Supreme Court, terrorism or the new airline charges for baggage.
911 certainly contributed to the slow tumble of live sound, as did the lack of cooperation in rebuilding the new World Trade Center. Car bombs in Times Square are not helping the situation, nor are the profits of most CEOs. Lazy, greedy politicians are most definitely hindering the live sound industry, and, of course, Goldman Sachs, intolerance, egocentric behavior, the price of gold, easy access to guns, the Cumberland River, tornados and when the Yankees lose ballgames are just a few of the things that can be blamed.
Did I forget to list audio installers? It would be unfair for me to blame the demise of the live audio industry on the installation side, since many live audio providers now have an installation division. But who said anything about fair? Satan isn't fair! Don't worry about us live guys, we'll pay the rent, we'll feed our kids, we will survive, and maybe we will even start to do installations as we circle the drain. That's right, just keep up the good work, 2012 is almost upon us anyway, so who cares if you do an install? Did I mention political correctness……?
