General

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14 March 2016

Backstage Academy's training for the live events production and entertainment industries includes courses on Apple based software such as Logic and Final Cut.

Jigsaw Systems has been working with Backstage Academy as it has developed its course portfolio and invested in new technologies over the past two years. The two companies have now formalised their relationship, with Backstage Academy becoming Jigsaw's official training partner for their UK-wide business and professional customers.

Backstage Academy's Apple courses, which currently include Logic 101, Logic 301, Final Cut Pro 101, Final Cut Express 101, Final Cut Pro 300, Final Cut Pro X, Motion 101, Colour Correction 101, DVD Studio Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Intro to Apple Macs and iLife, will be d

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14 March 2016

It joins an already rich brand portfolio of globally-recognised sound and lighting companies - which includes SGM's parent company, RCF - and will be managed under Prosound's Theatre & Architectural Lighting (T&A Lighting) subsidiary.

T&A Lighting general manager Ian Blair stated, "We were particularly keen on SGM's newly-developed LED range, for both the architectural and entertainment markets; this will fill a gap in the product portfolio and at the same time offers great value for a highly professional range. With Peter Johansen heading up the R&D initiative at SGM we foresee some interesting times ahead."

With operational bases throughout South Africa, Prosound is no stranger to the Italian lighting company's catalogue. Set up

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14 March 2016

Lawrence Marchington, director of Robert Lawrence commented, "Our clients expect the highest level of quality and finish not only in appearance but also in sound. We have been using Outline equipment for over 10 years and it provides the reliability we need and an unparalleled audio quality. Our investment in a Mantas and Butterfly system was a logical addition to our already extensive range of Outline equipment, and one that will ensure we continue to offer the highest level of audio quality to o

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14 March 2016

This year's event sets the scene for a strong return to Earls Court in 2012. Events Manager Sophie Atkinson commented: "Exhibitors have been enthusing about the high quality of visitors and the rate of sales enquiries, and with hundreds of new products being launched, there has been a great return on investment for them. We expect to see many back here at Earls Court next year."

Visitors also relished being first to get their hands on some of the industry's hottest new products. Over 500 products were launched at the show, including major new d

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14 March 2016

This year's event sets the scene for a strong return to Earls Court in 2012. Events manager Sophie Atkinson commented: "Exhibitors have been enthusing about the high quality of visitors and the rate of sales enquiries, and with hundreds of new products being launched, there has been a great return on investment for them. We expect to see many back here at Earls Court next year."

Visitors also relished being first to get their hands on some of the industry's hottest new products. Over 500 products were launched at the show, including major new

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14 March 2016

Coldplay's drummer Will Champion told 6 Music playing festivals gave the band "a chance to win people over". He added, "There's also a strong possibility that people have already made their mind up about you - and no matter how well you play they're not going to be happy about it." Glastonbury, which also saw U2 and Beyonce play headline slots in June, is taking a fallow year in 2012.

In The Saleroom - The Beatles showed their support for the US civil rights movement by refusing to play in front of segr

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14 March 2016

At PLASA 2011, Delwiche presented Light Relief trustee Rick Fisher with a cheque for £12,458, collected over the previous 12 months. A similar amount of money will be presented to Behind the Scenes at the LDI show in October this year. These two cheques bring the total raised by the sale of the iRFR application to a staggering $86,000.

Delwiche was obviously delighted that his idea has paid off so handsomely, while CEO Fred Foster said,"One of the nicest aspects is that each individual who has found our iRFR to be a useful tool has helped raise this money. Chris

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14 March 2016

Moray worked with many of rock's greatest acts over the past three decades, including Black Sabbath, Saxon, Ozzy Osbourne's solo outings, Motorhead, Dio, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Whitesnake - culminating in a 10-year spell as Deep Purple's front-of-house engineer.

An advocate of line array technology, Moray became one of the first certified V-DOSC engineers in the UK, and later, through the company's links with Deep Purple, he assisted German manufacturer HK Audio in the development of its COHEDRA system. Moray took the decision to leave his life on the road in 2004 and took a sales role with the HK

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14 March 2016

Other speakers will include Free Trade Agency boss Paul Boswell, HMV/MAMA Group's Daryl Robinson and Academy Music Group's Carl Bathgate.

One particularly lively part of the conference programme will undoubtedly be the ticketing session, Selling The Show, following eBay-owned US resale giant StubHub's announcement that it's about to enter the UK, and the surprise takeover of See Tickets by French media conglomerate Vivendi.

"StubHub's arrival will significantly increase activity in the resale sector, especially in the battle for hearts and minds, and general endorsement of the concept," says Summit producer and Audience managing

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14 March 2016

Olympic Countdown - The London Philharmonic Orchestra has finished recording more than 200 national anthems for the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year. The epic challenge took 52 recording hours at Abbey Road Studios and finished with Zimbabwe on Sunday. The orchestra had on

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14 March 2016

The first year of trading has been "phenomenal", says the company. The bespoke in-house workshop has already been extended and the team has expandedsignificantly to meet ongoing demand for the Walling Systems product.

Hawthorn Walling Systems uses a patented tensioned fabric on an aluminium frame system to create seamless high resolution panels for the events and exhibition industry. The product is lightweight, modular, quick to build and easily re-brandable for road shows, multiple brands/languages and also helps clients to reduce their transport costs and enhance their eco credentials.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Townshend said he was "honoured" to be asked to deliver the address, adding that the former BBC Radio 1 DJ had introduced him to bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Undertones before they had signed record deals. "John didn't just listen to music, he played it on air and let his audience decide," the 66-year-old guitarist said. In his lecture, Townshend will pose the question: "C

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14 March 2016

The month-long ballot, in which over 1,000 members participate, will decide places on PLASA's European and North American Regional Boards, together with a single seat on its over-arching Governing Body.

The two Regional Boards are still a relatively new concept for PLASA, having been formally launched at the start of 2011. Their role is to represent the interests of members affiliated to those regions, ensuring that PLASA offers strong on the ground support to members.

Both the North American and European Regional Boards are looking to fill a number of places for 2012. Following the death of the European Chair Rob Lingfield earlier this year, Ed Pagett of Panalux, who served as Vice Chair, is standing for the position of Chair. A number of representative positi

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14 March 2016

Their President, Gary Crawford, is well known for his work as a Special Effects Coordinator, and has worked on such movies as E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, 2010, Poltergeist, Halloween III, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and many more well known films, his first being Camelot. He is also the recipient of the 1997 LDI award for Best Atmospheric Effects for SnoBiz biodegradable snow. They offer a comprehensive selection of products including the popular Dream Teams which encompass larger areas for audience-participation.

Their most popular, the Little Blizzard Dream Team, was the original and first of its kind. It sends snow over a 24m X 15m area, and includ

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14 March 2016

The arts council's director of theatre, Barbara Matthews, told The Stage, "We're sort of saying 'thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to this, it might

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14 March 2016

Join them from 5.30pm in the StageSide bar for an evening of informal networking and the opportunity to discuss topics including:

- How the Skills Academy can benefit you

- How the NSA can support Birmingham's creative and cultural industry

- What opportunities are available with existing Skills Academy Members in the West Midlands

- The backstage training centre

- Future projects and potential opportunities

CCS Skills are particularly interested in talking to freelancers about the new freelance membership of the Skills Academy which will be rolled out in the next few mo

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14 March 2016

In making the announcement, Jim Anderson remarked, "The AES has always drawn major artists including Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, Jackson Browne and Mick Fleetwood. But they are generally focused on visiting the Exhibits or working with specific manufacturers. This year's show has attracted a trio of superstar participants, Tony Bennett, Ben Folds and now Judy Collins. We are extremely fortunate to provide their insights to our attendees."

Olympic Countdown - The National Youth Theatre is to welcome athletes to t

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14 March 2016

Adele's Rolling in the Deep was picked out as the best track of 2011 ahead of her ubiquitous hit Someone Like You, which was also nominated. The singer's victory comes just a fortnight after she was forced to shelve a US tour due to problems with her throat. The ceremony also saw Queen entered into Q's Hall Of Fame and Siouxsie Sioux awarded for her outstanding contribution to

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14 March 2016

The talk, held as part of the Radio Festival, will become an annual event given by a different music figure every year. Held at The Lowry theatre in Salford, it is intended to be the music industry's equivalent of the annual MacTaggart Lecture, which is given by a leading media executive at the Edinburgh International Television Festival every

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14 March 2016

The Alliance's first project is a new website www.igtalliance.com which will go live in December 2011 and provide an entry point for international practitioners seeking information and resources on environmentally sustainable best practice in the arts. The website will introduce the extensive sustainability programmes of alliance members and direct users to international resources and support networks.

Alliance members will be working together on a range of proj

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14 March 2016

Key brands that have signed up for the first time include Midas, d&b audiotechnik, on the back of their participation at PLASA 2011, ShowTex, Topdeck Stage Systems and Smoke Factory, whose team visited the event in 2011 and were keen to have a stand presence in 2012. More exhibitors will be announced in the coming weeks.

Packed aisles and major new product launches have now firmly established PLASA Focus as an unmissable industry event for the north of England, but organisers PLASA Events insist they are far from resting on their laurels.

Event manager Sophie Atkinson said, "The last show was a real success with exhibitors and visitors, and while it's great to see its popularity gro

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14 March 2016

Companies and individuals from across PLASA's worldwide membership voted in the elections which were conducted via a secure online poll.

Four positions were up for election on the European Regional Board. Ed Pagett of Panalux, who took the helm part-way through 2011, was overwhelmingly voted in to serve a further three-year term as Chair of the Board. Malcolm Burlow of Highlite was re-elected as the Dealer/Retailer Representative, while Ed Manwaring also secured re-election as the Individual Representative. Peter James of Shure Distribution UK becomes the new Distributor Representative.

Three positions were up for election on the North American Regional Board: having been asked to

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14 March 2016

Lady Gaga dominated the proceedings, collecting four gongs. The singer gained awards for best song, best video, best female and biggest fans at the ceremony, in the Odyssey Arena. Teen star Justin Bieber and R&B singer Bruno Mars were the other big winners, receiving two prizes each. Other winners were Katy Perry, who received the best live act accolade, Eminem, who won best hip-hop and Linkin Park, who beat Coldplay to take home best rock. Queen received the global icon award, with band members Brian May and Roger Taylor picking up their honour on the night.

At the same time as

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14 March 2016

JAMES will be expanding its scheme to music performance courses throughout late 2011/12 and BASCA will assist this process by providing professional songwriters to help with the assessment of song writing modules.

It has been confirmed that professional songwriters/composers Tim Fraser, Megg Nicol and David Stoll - all of whom sit on BASCA executive boards - will take part in the scheme.

BASCA COO Vick Bain says, "Working with JAMES on accreditation is just the sort of