Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis says slow ticket sales in 2008 are due to terrible weather in previous years, not the choice of main headliner Jay-Z. It is the first time in recent memory that tickets have not sold out on the first day. 100,000 had sold by Sunday afternoon out of a total of 137,500. Michael Eavis said: "I think three years of mud may have taken their toll, but even so, 100,000 isn't bad." The Verve and Kings of Leon are also headlining the festival this summer, which takes place at Worthy Farm from 27-29 June.Tenor Luciano Pavarotti was miming during his last performance at the winter Olympics in Turin in 2006. Conductor Leone Magiera has revealed the singer's rendition of Nessun Dorma was pre-recorded, as a live performance would have been "too dangerous". Pavarotti, who died in September, was already suffering pain months before being dia

UK - Reproduced Sound 24 - Immersive Audio, organised by the Electroacoustics group of the Institute of Acoustics in collaboration with ABTT, AES, APRS & ISCE, takes place 21-22 November 2008 at the Barceló Brighton Old Ship Hotel.

"Following on from the very successful conference held at The Sage, Gateshead in November of last year, the Reproduced Sound Conference returns to a hotel base this year, emphasizing the comfortable networking for which it is known. Brighton has all the ingredients for a successful conference and is easy to get to," says a spokesman.

"Reproduced Sound is a great opportunity for people with an interest in electro-acoustics and pro audio to come together, share ideas, push forward new concepts and technologies and meet with fellow industry professionals and talk about subjects close to our hearts. We propose to continue the trad

The Azores - The Teatro Ribeiragrandense (Ribeira Grande town hall theatre) in the Azores island of São Miguel has recently been restored to its former glory with a little help from ETC. Portuguese dealer Luzeiro was the consultant on this project and specified a Congo jr with Master Playback Wing for the installation.

Maria Alexandra Pereira Bastos, commercial director at Luzeiro says: "We wanted a modern, uncomplicated and economical lighting system, and we immediately thought of ETC. We are so happy with the Congo jr desk, it has surpassed all expectations. Moreover, the support we have had from the ETC team has been exceptional."

The theatre opened in 1921 and for decades was the cultural centre of São Miguel, staging film screenings, musical acts, theatrical shows and operatic performances. The theatre even transformed into the Circo Equestre for the Po

USA - Leona Lewis, who first sprung to fame while winning the 2006 edition of British television's biggest talent show, The X Factor, has just completed a whistle-stop visit to North America, singing on many prestigious TV shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. And she was accompanied all the way with a Sennheiser SKM 5200 radio microphone fitted with a Neumann KK105 capsule, and Sennheiser ew 300 G2 in ear monitors.

Dave Wooster has been Leona's front of house engineer since the very beginning of her career. He was there at every step of the American adventure. "From the outset of this project the brief has always been to use the best and to accept no compromise," he says. "So we had no option other than to use the Sennheiser 5200 with the Neumann KK105 head and the G2 in-ear system. We had been using a KM

UK - A Catalyst V 4 digital media server is at the core of Paul Normandale's visual design for the 2008 James Blunt world tour. It replaces a previous digital media server and is being operated on tour by lighting director Glen Johnson, who is also running lights and overseeing all the design aspects of the show.

Normandale and Johnson have created a varied set of visual content which runs throughout the set, produced from a variety of sources including the Catalyst library, websites and selected and re-cut James Blunt videos, some of which have never been shown before.

"Using Catalyst allows daily onsite editing and scaling, and also the development of images for colour palette and the various media surfaces," says Normandale.

The tour was conceived for American arenas and has been scaled accordingly for the European section. The design had a regal theme using Blu

UK - Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons sold 175 million records worldwide - all before they were 30. And now their story is being told in Jersey Boys at London's Prince Edward Theatre, with the help of lighting designer Howell Binkley and PRG Europe.

"This was a new production of the show which joins productions currently appearing on Broadway, in Chicago and Las Vegas, and is now off to Melbourne and on tour around the US," says Binkley. "For the London show, I was pleased to be working with Loz and Alan at PRG Europe once again.

"In addition to some 400 Source Fours, we used L&E and Altman MR11 strip lights under the show deck to illuminate the set pieces and Altman PAR 40 strips specifically to give a period feel to the 1950s scenes. We also used Philips ColorBlast and ColorBlaze LED luminaires for wash lighting, and over 75 ColorBlast 6 luminair

Turkey - Selected as Europe's 'coolest' hotel by The Times newspaper in London, the Adam and Eve hotel in Belek in the southern Turkish province of Antalya, has just been bestowed with yet another award, that of World's Leading Design Hotel from WTA (World Travel Awards), considered the Oscars of the travel industry. It also boasts interior architect, Eren Talu's signature all-white composition and minimalist interior along with the world's largest pool and longest bar plus conference halls, restaurants, theatre, nightclub and poolside entertainment facilities.

Not surprisingly, the technical installations including the hotel-wide audio system, had to meet the exacting specifications demanded by such a prestigious venue. Crest Audio distributors, Telesine Sound & Lighting Systems A.S., who were involved with the project from the beginning, specified and installed a Crest

Europe - Following the success of last year's Jands dealer conference, the lighting manufacturer is extending an invitation to a series of Vista open days organised in association with its European dealer network.

The open house days will provide the chance for visitors to receive a hands-on demonstration of the console, or spend more time familiarising themselves with it, as a step towards becoming one of the growing number of Vista people, says the company.

Taking place in relaxed environment, representatives from both the local Vista dealer as well as Jands product manager, Neil Vann, will be on hand to answer questions and provide demonstrations, including the latest addition to the range - the I3.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - In 2008, for the third year running, the ADAC Group Berlin-Brandenburg held its gala ball in the Maritim Hotel. Whilst the 4,000 guests could also dance in the foyer and corridors, the organizers laid on a lavish programme of entertainment in the hotel's exquisitely decorated halls, featuring stars such as Echo award winner Roger Cicero and TV presenter Ulla Kock am Brink.

Berlin-based sound company TSE AG was responsible for the technical side of the event, deploying equipment from Electro-Voice.. For TSE's managing director, Marcel Fery, the choice was based primarily upon the high intelligibility and extreme reliability of EV systems. The team lead by project manager Adrian Carlin installed eight EV XLD line array elements to the right and left of the stage in the main hall of the hotel, with four more in the centre of the stage. The whole ensemble was driven by EV

UK - Audio consultancy and equipment supplier KMR Audio has announced its Audio for Education service with a dedicated brochure and department within the company aimed at serving the educational community whether teachers, music colleges, universities or even primary schools.

KMR sales manager Keith Malin said, "We are regularly approached to provide music technology equipment for schools and colleges. These institutions often require a dedicated service to advise and organize the installation and training on the equipment so we have decided to ensure that we are prepared to deal with all enquiries in a totally professional manner."

KMR has taken on Gavin Beckwith, who has previously held various positions within the audio industry, as well as being a part time music technology teacher and running his own studio to head up the new department.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Rock & Republic is an American fashion brand featuring a couture line of clothing/accessories that includes high-end denim and handbags. Among the pinnacle of designer fashion, the progressive brand holds several fashion presentations each year, including fashion week in New York and Los Angeles to introduce their upcoming lines.

The Spring 2008 collection was modeled in early February in New York City. Lighting designer for the fashion show was Scott Chmielewski of Digital Media Designs who worked closely to implement the designs and concepts of the show's producer and production designer Matt Stoelt of Stoelt Productions.

"Rock & Republic is one of the most progressive fashion labels out there," Chmielewski states. "They are continually trying to push the technological envelope and aren't afraid to use the latest cutting edge equipment. Rock & Republic e

The Netherlands - Midas Consoles Benelux has sold the fourth Midas XL8 Live Performance System into the region, together with its first Klark Teknik DN9696 hard disk recorder for the live market. Both went to Dutch rental company Triple Showtechniek, based in Purmerend near Amsterdam.

The day after Triple Showtechniek received the XL8 it was deployed on its first gig for Dutch band the Three J's, with FOH engineer with Marc Pardon at the helm. "We are responsible for some of the major Dutch artists like the Three J's, Jan Smit and Nick and Simon, says Triple Showtechniek owner, Rene Tielen. "These artists are highly critical of their own performance and expect the highest levels from us, so that's why we only invest in industry leaders like Midas."

Chief technical officer Marco Hovius adds: "I am responsible for these shows running smoothly and the Midas XL

UK - Lighting designer Dan Hardiman used over 80sq.m of Chroma-Q Color Web 125 LED panels to provide the core element of his show design for the recent sold-out UB40 UK arena tour.

Hardiman and his company, THC Design, began their long association with UB40 at the band's 21st Anniversary show in their hometown of Birmingham, and have since gone on to design the show elements for the band's last four successive international tours.

The central point of Hardiman's design was a series of moving trusses providing the rig lighting positions, which he also wanted to make a scenic feature of, so decided this could be an interesting application for a video truss border.

Hardiman chose the Chroma-Q Color Web 125 LED display system after being impressed by its modular and lightweight design, and the band approved after seeing the results of his rendered fly throughs showing the panels

USA - NSCA's slate of regional project management classes - including Project Management for Owners, Estimating of Systems Projects, and Advanced Project Management - will be taught in Anaheim, California, late April and early May 2008.

"We have been very impressed by NSCA's resources. We didn't have anyone with project management skills," said Dan Boylan, president of Southern Business Communications. "We were very impressed with Nadim. We contracted through NSCA to have him come down (and do training) and we tailored it to our business."

"Our project management classes are always popular," says senior director of professional development Norah Hammond. "You come away with skills you can put to immediate use, saving you precious company time and money."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Independent event health and safety consultancy Stagesafe has issued a reminder to companies in the entertainment end events sector that two major pieces of legislation came into effect on 6 April. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 applies to employers involved in the provision of live or recorded music in restaurants, bars, nightclubs etc.

Other sectors have had to comply with the regulations for the last two years, but this sector was given a two-year transitional period, which expired on 6 April. Employers will have a new responsibility to protect their employees' hearing and should consider conducting a noise risk assessment, taking steps to reduce noise where necessary and ensure the legal limits on noise exposure are not exceeded.

Employees must be informed of the changes and provided with hearing protection and checks where necessary. Employers may also

USA - A Renkus-Heinz Iconyx digitally steerable array system, matched to a high resolution plasma display matrix, is providing a unique integrated solution for a newly transformed, but acoustically challenging, indoor space at one of the US's largest diversified energy companies, DTE Energy.

DTE Energy has constructed a large new glass-roofed terrace space at the heart of its 'Town Square' at its Detroit, Michigan headquarters. The Town Square doubles as a cafeteria and corporate meeting area, and features 'green' technology throughout including cutlery and plates made from fully compostable materials. A compact but high power, high quality audio and video system was required to deliver presentations in the busy, daylit space.

The space is 140ft x 100ft (43m x 30m) with a sloping ceiling that starts at 40ft (12m) and goes down to 18ft (5.5m), and has three walls of brick and g

Norway - Sarner, renowned for creating visitor attractions and engineering AV systems around the globe, has just completed another major commission in Norway. 'Our Fragile Climate' is a new visitor attraction at the Norwegian Glacier Museum in Fjaerland.

Sarner produced a powerful design concept aimed at visually communicating the effects of climate change on our environment. Michael Bennett, lead designer and creative director at Sarner, commented on the scale of the project: "Our brief was to provide a unique experience to the visitor, highlighting the current issues of global warming. We have delivered a highly creative solution, supported by the latest technological advances, to portray the full story of how our climate has changed - from the creation of earth through to the potential hazards we may be facing in the future."

Sarner's educational showpiece deliver

UK - Milos UK has announced an Open Week on 21-25 April to celebrate the expansion of its Design & Distribution centre near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, which has seen an extra 8,000sq.ft of warehouse space added.

The extra space enables a dramatic increase to the standard stock inventory of trussing and roof systems, ensuring even quicker and more immediate delivery throughout the UK sales network. Milos is renowned for its fast deliveries worldwide in the entertainment business.

The Milos Group portfolio has increased immensely over the past 12-18 months, and "too much space is never enough," says Glen Brown, UK sales and marketing director.

The Open Week will enable customers to visit the new facilities and see a whole range of Milos products close-up, including the latest specification MR1 curved Roof System, the MT1 and MRT1 PA Towers, plus various other products

Denmark - TC Group (the specialist provider of sound processing, amplification, computer recording and speakers and owner of brands including Lab.gruppen and Tannoy) and Gibson Guitar have announced that they have discontinued discussions regarding a potential merger between the two companies.

The decision followed an intensive effort by both parties to consummate the deal within the targeted timeline, but a number of issues remained unresolved, and both Gibson and TC agreed that it was best that the merger proceedings not continue.

A statement reveals that TC Group's goal is to "continue to produce and distribute innovative and respected high-performance audio products for business partners around the world," adding that "Gibson Guitar remains loyal to its many customers and will continue to dedicate its future to producing the best musical instruments in the w

UK - Lighting designer Matt Arthur used a Jands Vista T2 console to provide lighting control for the recent Mark Ronson UK tour. The Brit award-winning solo artist returned with his formidable live show for a string of UK dates, with an array of special guests performing against the backdrop of a 10-piece band.

LD Matt Arthur had been impressed by the Jands Vista's capabilities after seeing it used for last year's Keane arena tour, so decided to try it out for himself on the Mark Ronson tour. Production meetings led to the idea of re-creating a 60s style TV show set, so the band were placed on a series of risers in a V shape, ranging in height from 0.6m to 1.5m. To give the lighting a suitably retro feel, Matt's design incorporated some 5K Fresnels retro fitted with LED fixtures inside. The set also featured all red drapes, legs and swagged borders to give it an 'old school' fee

UK - As part of the master plan for the Greater Ashford Area, Ray Dolby of Control Lighting Ltd was asked to provide a lighting solution to enhance the riverside walkway, linking the new Stour Centre Leisure Centre and Ashford International Railway Station.

Dolby designed the lighting scheme according to the remit; provision of new exterior luminaires which would be fixed onto seven new street lighting columns positioned in the same location as the old columns, and with no extra resources for cabling or additional installation. The exterior luminaires had to be high brightness LEDs, colour changing, provide directional light, and be waterproof and vandal proof. A total of 28 LED luminaires (four per lighting column) were installed and each LED cluster individually controlled by the sophisticated lighting control system.

The new LED luminaires were focused on the walkway to pro

UK - The judging panel for the Hire Association Europe's (HAE) Hire Awards of Excellence 2008 will this year include a key player from the Audio Visual industry. Ruth Rossington, executive director at PLASA Ltd, will be joining fellow professionals from across the hire industry to judge the prestigious awards prior to the presentations in May.

As a judge, Ruth will be looking for evidence that HAE member companies have demonstrated the highest standards or quality and professionalism. There are 14 categories in total ranging from 'Hire Person of the Year' to 'Best Contribution to Health and Safety'.

Ruth said: "I'm looking for companies that are committed to developing their teams and who have invested time and money in building their skills and levels of customer service to set themselves apart from others.

"Many companies have the right intentions or a range of p

UK - Harman Pro UK, distributor in the British Isles for Soundcraft and the other manufacturing companies in the Harman Pro Group, have announced another training day for up to 20 live sound engineers who wish to improve their knowledge of the Soundcraft Vi6 digital live sound console. Harman have organised regular training sessions on the digital console since its launch in 2006, and the latest is to be held on May 2nd, 2008, at the Camden live music venue Koko, where two Vi6 consoles have been installed since early last year.

Two training sessions will be held on the day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, each catering for up to 10 engineers. At each session, following an initial technical presentation, the 10 will be divided into two groups of five, each with access to their own Vi6, so that every attendee is assured of some properly supervised hands-on time with t

UK / Italy - UK manufacturer Turbosound has confirmed the appointment of Eurosell SpA to handle the distribution of its range of professional loudspeakers to the Italian market. The appointment coincides with the release of two new Turbosound product ranges to the European market.

"Eurosell is extremely strong in the Italian installation market, where much of the core of Turbosound's business has been for the last five years," says Turbosound's European sales manager, Chris Hinds. "The addition of Turbosound to its product line gives the opportunity to use this installation channel as a base to forge links both in the touring market and into the MI chain, thus increasing market potential."

"The decision to move the Italian distribution to Eurosell is endorsed by all involved," adds Fabrizio Sorbi, Chairman of Proel. "It is based on current ma

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