The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) is dedicated to its mission to promote awareness and appreciation of high-quality professional audio through market leadership, communication and education. That dedication is exemplified by a fascinating series of online events that are archived at www.pamalliance.org/events as a valuable resource for audio professionals and students. Highlights of virtual events to date include:
“The Challenges and Wonders of Preserving Legacy Recordings” August 18
Kelly Pribble, Iron Mountain Entertainment Services Director of Media Recovery Technology, addressed the challenges encountered in preserving master recordings, the monetization of archived recordings and how technology can help. Original master recordings from well-known artists and labels like Bob Dylan, RUSH, Mariah Carey and SUN Records face a myriad of natural degradation and storage-related issues that are threatening irreplaceable analog recording archives. Pribble discussed what he encountered in preserving master recordings to avoid the possible permanent loss of these legendary resources.
“Scaling to Entertainment Production Workflow Pivots” June 16
The term “pivot” encompasses a variety of situations in work and life. In the live entertainment production workflow, there has been a disruptive, pandemic-induced pivot in the previously structured environment that broadcast production professionals were accustomed to. Michael Abbott, an award-winning broadcast audio expert who provides his engineering, consulting, and project management expertise to entertainers, major network television broadcasts, venues, and large-scale live events like the GRAMMY® Awards and television shows like American Idol, The Voice and Shark Tank, presented various situations he has encountered over the years and how a skilled and creative workforce adapts and changes to meet these challenges.
“The Changing Landscape of Spatial Audio and New Technologies and Live Events” May 19
Duncan Bell, industry consultant and Director at immersive audio consultancy Sonosphere, discussed the growing drivers behind immersive experiences, how technology has caught up to help deliver the creative vision and how exploring 5G technology can help change the shape of events, as shown by the 5G Festival.
“The Digital Storytelling Dilemma – Why Tech Companies Struggle to Make Their Propositions Stick!” March 24
IdeaCloud CEO Jeff Day shared ideas on how companies can sell their brands to audiences that generally want to make buying decisions without talking to salespeople. Day covered topics and trends that included how customers are using digital first (the web) to learn about products and services before they even talk to a human; new channels and routes to market which are precipitated by the cloud; marketing technology revolution (how we reach the customer); and digital sales transformation opportunities – how to take advantage of these major shifts and bring them to life in a compelling way.
“Career Opportunities in the Professional Audio Industry” March 3 and April 28
Working closely with moderator and KMD Productions principal Karen Dunn, PAMA held two panels for students that specifically discussed career opportunities in the professional audio industry, including how to navigate the job search process and tips for excelling during a virtual interview. These included a session for the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (March 3) with guest panelists from PAMA companies RF Venue, Sennheiser and Shure, followed by a session for CSU Northridge (April 28) with guest panelists from PAMA companies d&b audiotechnik, RF Venue, Sennheiser and Shure.
“Where Did All The People Go?” February 24
Dr. Paul Furey discussed how the pandemic has required humanity at large to adapt at a speed and completeness that was unforeseen and unprecedented. He outlined how there have been many successes during this difficult period, but noted one aspect that is being left behind, in many cases – the ability to retain people in the workplace. Dr. Furey discusses some of the root causes of unexpected departures, hard times employers have, and understaffing.
“Our ongoing series of virtual events continues to be embraced by the audio community,” stated Chris Regan, Chair of PAMA’s Board of Directors. “To date, we’ve seen a wide variety of industry topics discussed and this series continues to support PAMA’s mission of promoting of high-quality professional audio through market leadership, communication and education.”
For more information, please go to https://www.pamalliance.org/events.
