Volume 13, Issue 9 — May 8, 2020

RaveEd — Volume 13, Issue 9 — May 8, 2020

May 8, 2020 | Volume: 13 | Issue: 9

The pandemic has brought a lot of things to a halt, but this newsletter is proof that the news is not one of them! We are jam-packed with news about pretty much everything in the AV education sector.

I think I might take a page out of rAVe copy editor Leah McCann’s book, and organize the highlights for you in a nice little list. It’s the small things that are keeping us all sane right now:

New Product Releases/Upgrades/Offerings: Panasonic, Zoom, Hitachi, Extron, ClearOne, AVer, Lumens Digital Optics, ShowMeCables, Facebook, Blackmagic — and there’s a lot more. The point is A TON of manufacturers are releasing stuff right now.
Partnerships: AVI Systems is now the USA Partner for GPA — which Gary Kayye says is a win-win move.
Management Changes: Steve Durkee is the new pres of Legrand | AV.
General Industry News: Almo’s E4 Experience is going to be a virtual boi later this month.

Yes, obviously, AV continues to hit the ground running. Fellas (and by fellas I mean everyone), go tell those manufacturers what you’re looking for as we transition to whatever the hell this next school year is going to look like. It’s up to y’all.

For today’s featured ~weird tweet about pop culture~: Film production company A24 is auctioning off iconic props from different films to raise $$$ for COVID-19 relief. One of those items is the crystal-encrusted Furby from Uncut Gems. People really will buy anything these days.

— Steph Beckett

COLUMNS

+ COVID-19 and Higher Ed: An Update [Scott Tiner]

Most places, for various reasons, are going to have some tough budget decisions to make due to COVID-19. Here’s what I know: The general principle right now is that if a purchase order has not been cut, or a project is not actively being worked on, all other money is frozen. Our institutions are looking at two situations. There are some differences in how funds will be spent, depending on how each case pans out.

+ How Will Installation Verticals Weather the Storm of COVID-19? [James Kirby]

Before the outbreak, installation was the fastest-growing segment across professional audio. This was driven by an increased emphasis placed on audio as a tool for engagement, but also by a switch to in-house equipment sales rather than rental. Everything has changed – dramatically.

+ Updated: How Zoom’s Recent Success Has Put Them Square in the Security Spotlight [Paul Konikowski]

Does the old saying, “There’s no such thing as bad press,” hold true for Zoom? I think it does. Zoom (ZM) closed at $159.38 per share on Friday April 24, 2020, about 4% down from its all-time high of $164.94 per share put in on March 23, only five weeks ago. Zoom will continue to receive criticism and there will certainly be some selling pressure. But once Zoom breaks the $165 price level, I would expect it to continue higher, just like it continues to take market share from other videoconference providers.

+ How Sports (Mostly Esports) Have Capitalized on the Quarantine [Morgan Alley]

With most of our industry cooped up at home in quarantine, it feels like we hear about video games every single day. If you’re working from home with kids, you’ve probably heard them talk about a sweet new Minecraft build, the new League of Legends meta or some co-worker smack talk about 3v3 gunfight in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. While traditional entertainment experiences are closed down, online esports tournaments are exploding in popularity.

+ The Not So Selfish Gene [Julian Philips]

It would appear that the “selfish gene” is not so selfish after all. Although it remains true that survival and reproduction are ultimately the intended outcomes, our genes are being carried by a highly intelligent and adaptable species that realizes that mutual dependency and cooperation is a much more effective strategy than “every man and woman for themselves”; in other words, collaboration is hardwired into our DNA.