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Royalties Record - Musicians in the UK earned £665.7m in royalties last year, according to PRS for Music. The organisation, which pays musicians when their songs are played on radio, or in concert, said revenues had increased 3.7% in the last year.

A rise in international demand for UK television shows and streaming services helped 2013's increase in revenue across Europe, North America and Australia. Online revenues reached £61.2m in 2013, an increase of 18.3%, which was helped by new and renewed deals with the likes of Deezer and YouTube.

The Last Time - The final Monty Python reunion show at the O2 Arena in London on 20 July will be "the last time we'll be working together", Michael Palin has said. The comedy troupe will not go on tour and will go their separate ways after 10 London performances, he said. Palin told the BBC, "20 July will b

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UK - The First Night Riders charity motorbike and classic car tour of British theatres, which raises money for The Theatrical Guild's (TTG) vital work, has launched its 2014 event with a call for participants and sponsors.

This year marks the fifth year that some of the theatre industry's biggest movers and shakers zoom together for a weekend aimed at raising awareness and much-needed funds to help TTG support backstage workers in need. Established in 1891, TTG is dedicated to looking after theatre personnel who, due to a variety of circumstances, need educational sponsorship, counselling, or welfare advice, in order for them to regain employment in the theatre industry.

The charity has many supporters in the industry, including the actors Simon Russell Beale and Keira Knightley, who are patrons.

Taking place between 20-23 June, this year's route starts from the ROH workshop

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UK - 12 gigs in 19 days is hectic by any measure; arena productions and their schedules don't just fall together. Yet front of house engineer Mark Kennedy was his usual self, completely at ease, following the opening shows of Tinie Tempah's latest tour. "We just played two nights at Wolverhampton Civic and it was great. Most of the venues we play are ten thousand plus capacity, but these first two, Wolverhampton and Manchester Apollo are smaller so we are playing two nights in each.

"Britrow have given me L-Acoustics K1 for the arenas but I must admit I was surprised when they turned up with K2 for these first two; I thought I'd be getting V-dosc, that's what I'd spec'd."

"We were always going to provide the smaller K2 for side hangs at the larger venues," explained Britannia Row Productions' client liaison, Lez Dwight. "Putting them on the truck

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UK - Congratulations to the winners of the Lighting, Sound and Set Design categories at this year's Olivier Awards, which were presented at The Royal Opera House last night. The White Light Award for Best Lighting was won jointly by two lighting design teams - Paul Pyant and Jon Driscoll for Charlie & the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and Tim Lutkin and Finn Ross for Chimerica at the Almeida Theatre and the Harold Pinter Theatre.

The Best Sound Design Award also saw two winners - Carolyn Downing for Chimerica and Gareth Owen (on his third Olivier nomination) for Merrily We Roll Along at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

For the XL Video Award for Best Set Design, Es Devlin collected her second Olivier Award, for Chimerica.

Congratulations also to lighting designer Michael Hulls who was awarded for Outstanding Achievement in Da

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Voices Off - Kylie Minogue has quit The Voice after one series. The singer joined the BBC talent show last year, replacing Jessie J, and was credited with boosting viewing figures during the first few episodes. However, she said touring commitments meant she would be unable to return for a second series. "Due to timing of my tour I won't be back next season for The Voice UK," she wrote on Twitter. "Thanks to all who supported!"

Common People - The Pulp hit Common People has been voted the top Britpop anthem by listeners of BBC Radio 6 Music, beating Oasis, Blur and Suede to take the title. DJ Steve Lamacq revealed the top 30 as part of a week-long celebration to mark the 20th birthday of Britpop. More than 30,000 people voted, with The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony second and Oasis tracks Don't Look Back in Anger and Wonde

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UK - It's that time of the year again - the 7th Knight of Illumination (KOI) Awards has launched and already the entries are flying in. 2014 will see yet another celebration of talented international lighting and digital content designers that have worked in the UK in the sectors of TV, Theatre and Concert Touring and Events.

Not only that, the guest list is open to all who might wish to attend, ensuring that KOI continues to establish itself as a pan industry event. Durham Marenghi, an award-winning lighting designer in his own right and coordinator for the Knight of Illumination Awards, explains: "In just seven years KOI has established itself as a much coveted lighting and video industry award, respected for truly celebrating the art and creativity of lighting, video and show design. In fact so successful has the event been that it was recently referred to in the Guardia

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UK - EarPeace is changing the way people consider their hearing health and the dangers of noise induced hearing loss and raising money for The Amy Winehouse Foundation.

New for 2014, EarPeace have produced exclusive AWF branded EarPeace earplugs and will promote the long-term hearing health of fans via these custom earplugs. 50% of all profit from sales will be donated to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which supports and runs various projects that aim to support the personal development of disadvantaged young people through music.

"Amy was an exceptional talent and the Foundation has worked hard to not only keep her music and spirit alive, but to also help young people. We are honoured to be supporting such a worthy cause and look forward to educating fans on the importance of protecting their hearing,"

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UK - Following the tenth series of the hit ITV show The X Factor, the final eight contestants got ready for the X Factor Live Tour, which started in UK arenas in February 2014.

Whilst they prepared themselves for their first real taste of popstar life, the team at Production North were making preparations for rehearsals at LS-Live in Wakefield.

The Leeds-based concert tour and event production company is a long-term client of LS-Live's and has used the facility for the X Factor Live Tour rehearsals for many consecutive years.

Said LS-Live's Bullet, "We've had a longstanding relationship with Ian Whitehead at Production North and he knows that we will do our best to accommodate anything they need on site."

Production North booked the 17,664 sq ft arena rehearsal space from 8-13 February, in addition to five of the en-suite bedrooms on the top

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The Show Goes On - AC/DC have said they will not retire following news that guitarist and founding member Malcolm Young is taking a break "due to ill health". It had been rumoured the Australian band would split after a career spanning more than 40 years. However, a statement on AC/DC's website confirmed: "The band will continue to make music."

The band are one of the highest-grossing rock acts of all time, selling more than 200m albums. A message on the band's website confirmed that Young would be taking a break after "forty years of life dedicated to AC/DC", but did not reveal details of his illness.

On Tape - One in 10 young people has bought a music cassette tape in the last month, a new survey done to coincide with Record Store Day suggests. The research suggests that physical formats are still more popular than digital downloads. In t

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UK - As PLASA Focus: Leeds 2014 fast approaches, exhibitors are preparing to fill the show floor with the latest entertainment technology. Having grown its reputation over the last five years, the north of England edition of PLASA Focus has cemented its importance in the industry as a platform for building relationships and showcasing new products.

Chris Toulmin, director of PLASA Events, comments, "We're looking forward to welcoming exhibitors and visitors to both exhibition halls, as well as to the extensive seminar programme. The show is known for its vibrant atmosphere and with such a strong line-up of exhibitors, showcasing so many innovative products, we're certain that legacy will continue."

On Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 April, The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, UK will come alive with the latest audio, lighting, video and rigging technologies. With the sho

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Germany - Sommer Cable is adding new family members in their popular Sysboxx product line. The Sysboxx system is one of the most widespread modular housing systems in the installation and entertainment sector and already in use in a great many installations and on many of the world's stages. The free scalability in all three dimensions opens up virtually endless combination options.

Over 50 different sheet steel modules for various connectors and many connector modules with quick connection technology for AF, AES/EBU, DMX and network signals may be used in all models of the line.

"No more drilling or milling, no more expensive custom-made articles, never again long and unpredictable delivery times - these are the customer statements on our Sysboxx system", says Peter Rieck, key account & distribution manager with Sommer Cable. "And the user can also draw on a co

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UK / USA - Raising money for industry charities both sides of the Atlantic, By Design Day returns this year supported by a galaxy of well-known champions.

Neil Austin; Gregg Barnes; Ken Billington; Paule Constable; Rick Fisher; Wendall Harrington; Howard Harrison; Don Holder; David Korins; Rob Milburn & Michael Bodeen; Ken Posner; Jennifer Tipton; and Hugh Vanstone have all put their name behind the one day in the year when our industry gets together to raise money for Light Relief in the UK and Behind The Scenes in North America.

To date Light Relief has awarded more than £60,000 in grants to help lighting professionals and their families, while Behind the Scenes has issued over $450,000 in grants to professionals working in all disciplines. And calls for our assistance are increasing on a daily basis. Without your support, our work would not be possible.

By Design Da

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UK - A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) Ltd. will be on hand at PLASA Focus, Leeds 2014 (stand N-E01) to discuss how they can provide bespoke integrated solutions of lighting, audio and AV equipment to the performance, architectural, educational, corporate and retail sectors - including the very latest technologies showcased on the adjacent stand of their sister company (AC-ET, stand N-E02).

The company's highly experienced Project Managers can handle all aspects of a project and have a diverse portfolio of previous client examples ranging from theatres to nightclubs and bars, restaurants, schools, houses of worship, cruise ships and live performance venues.

With access to over 200 leading brands, ACSP can cater for any size of installation from a simple six circuit lighting bar with dimming and control, to a full blown multi-media theatre system.

Staff will be happy to discuss th

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UK - Live entertainment sustainability consultancy Entertaining Sustainability will be joined by energy monitoring partner MeasureMyEnergy at PLASA Focus Leeds, which begins at Leeds Royal Armouries on Tuesday 29 April 2014.

Visitors to the entertainment technology show will have the opportunity to receive a full introduction to the sophisticated near-real time logging system, which allows venues and distributors to accurately measure consumption of electricity, water and gas. Live data can be accessed securely over the internet, including via an optimised iOS web interface.

With customisable alerts available by SMS and email to building or facilities managers to highlight excess usage, anecdotal savings of at least 10% are easily achievable, while the easy-to-use software can readily provide reports, grouping consumption by building, use-type (e.g. 'all front-of-house lightin

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UK - Black Light has announced that it has achieved certification for the ISO9001, ISO14001 and OHSAS 18001 quality, environmental and health and safety management standards. The company reached these milestones in March after a comprehensive process of auditing and assessment.

"These certification awards mean a great deal to us," says Barclay Dakers, who leads the integrated management team at Black Light. "They prove that we have the systems in place to deliver internationally-recognised levels of management in the areas covered by the standards."

"I never thought we would need to have ISO accreditation within Black Light and actually thought it would hurt us. Well I was wrong," says Black Light's managing director, Gavin Stewart. "Without it we would not be able to offer the same quality and personal service we used to provide when we were

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UK - Chroma-Q's award-winning lighting products deliver premium performance for - and have been adopted by leading users in - some of today's most demanding and prestigious lighting applications, including opera, theatre, film & TV, venues, touring, events, retail, houses of worship, and others.

The latest Chroma-Q product range will be showcased at PLASA Focus 2014, Leeds on the stand of UK dealer, A.C. Entertainment Technologies (stand N-E02).

Highlights include key models from the latest generation LED lighting range illuminating various surfaces to demonstrate the products' meticulous colour accuracy and consistency, and precise theatrical grade dimming - features which together are designed to deliver the highest performance levels from a lighting instrument.

Making its PLASA Focus debut is the new Inspire Mini RGBW LED house light - a super compact version of the award

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Qatar - Showforce has won a prestigious four-year contract with leading event agency, Sports & Entertainment Solutions FZ LLC, the company licensed by Feld Entertainment for the next five years to deliver Disney Live! and Disney On Ice in the Middle East.

The relationship began with Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival in February and March in which Showforce supplied a host of event staff, crew and skilled labour to the exciting new stage show.

The hugely successful Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival featured an all-star line-up of more than 25 Disney character and featured video projection of the frenzy backstage which spilled onto the stage before Mickey Mouse welcomed guests to the concert tour and a range of entertainment including hip hop and reggae beats, acrobatics, flying carpets and magical transformations and underwater displays.

With

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Short Run - The West End musical based on The X Factor is to close after just two months. Co-written by Harry Hill, I Can't Sing! pokes fun at the talent show and its creator Simon Cowell. The show, which opened to glowing reviews at the London Palladium in March, will close on 10 May.

Rebecca Quigley, chief executive of producer Stage Entertainment UK, said the show had been well received "but it seems that isn't always enough...The West End can be an unpredictable place as the closure of a number of high profile productions recently has shown."

Announcing the closure, Nigel Hall of Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment, said: "Alongside Stage Entertainment we'd like to thank the cast and crew who have worked so hard on this show. To everyone at Really Useful Theatres and the ever supportive staff at the London Palladium, and everyone inv

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UK - Le Mark have produced their professional tour labels for the Production Office Ltd for the Gary Barlow Since I saw you last Arena Tour 2014.

"Thinking about design is hard but not thinking about it can be a disaster," wrote Ralp Caplan. The Production Office Ltd is one of the world's leading concert tour & event production companies with offices in London & New York proving how important this statement is.

Georgie King contacted Le Mark's Linda Gibbons with a brief to produce a clear, durable and position specific labelling system. This would be used on all the road cased equipment destined for the tour.

Le Mark's tried and tested Tour Labels were chosen. This enabled TPO to select Le Mark's multi colour digital printing option. Enabling 12 sector specific designs to be produced running consecutively 1 to 12. This provided a simple but very effective 12

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UK - Now in its third consecutive year, the 25th of April saw the return of the hugely successful PLASA charity golf day. Since its inaugural competition in 2012, the popularity of this event has snowballed, drawing in suppliers and manufacturers from all over the UK to the leafy suburbs of Surrey where giants of the theatre and events industry do battle to become PLASA golf champions. With more teams competing than ever before, this year's competition raised a phenomenal £7,500.00 for Behind the Scenes - a charity which provides support to entertainment technology industry professionals when they fall upon hard times.

Teams were entered from Autograph, Sennheiser, Shure, d&b Audiotechnik, PSCO, Blitz, Sound By Design, Delta Sound, ATG, White Light, Martin Audio, Meyer Sound, Entec, CSE Cables, PLASA, Philips, Crewsaders, Creative Technology, and Stage Technologies.

With

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UK - Over £2.5 million in seed finance has been released to fund approximately 400 new start-up businesses in London over the next 12 months. The cash, available through Start Up Direct, a direct delivery partner of the Government's Start Up Loans scheme, will help make the dreams of budding entrepreneurs in the capital a reality in 2014, as the hiatus in bank lending continues. The scheme is targeting the TV and Events sectors.

Start Up Direct, which has recently established a base in the heart of London's Tech City, is targeting talented individuals who wish to start a business but lack the capital and often the experience to make it happen. As well as offering loans of up to £15,000, Start Up Direct matches every entrepreneur with a mentor who will be on hand to help and guide them as they develop their business over the first year. Entrepreneurs also have access

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UK - Each April teams representing the two oldest universities in England, Oxford and Cambridge, meet on the Thames for one of the toughest challenges in rowing. A very popular event, this year's race, which was covered by BBC Sport, saw Oxford claim an emphatic 11-length victory over their old rivals. Hire company Presteigne provided all the RF and special camera facilities, and enabled comprehensive coverage by implementing a new wireless mesh technology to route a large number of differing sources over one RF network.

The course, from Putney to Mortlake, stretches along 6.8km of the river in west London, and crowds pack both riverbanks to watch the action. CTV was the outside broadcast company charged with this year's television coverage, and needed to get fixed camera positions along the length of the course, plus a number of mobile cameras, back to the production vehicles n

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USA - The second in a series of three training DVDs presented by ETCP Recognised Trainer Richard Cadena is now available at http://bit.ly/EEonVid2. Entertainment Electrics on DVD Part 2 is a series of 22 video modules with a 10- to 15-minute presentation covering a single topic related to live event production electrics, followed by a short quiz to test your knowledge and retention.

Part 2 covers electrical safety and practical aspects of power distribution for the live event industry. It covers topics that are listed as being in the content outline for the ETCP Entertainment Electrician Certification Exam. ETCP Certified Electricians and ETCP Recognized Riggers can get recertification points for taking this video course.

"I honestly thought producing this series of videos would be a three-month project, and now, nine months later, we're only releasing the second o

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UK - The Health and Safety Executive has recently held a briefing meeting for interested parties within the entertainment industry to layout the changes to the 2007 Construction, Design and Management Regulations and their decision to include the entertainment industry within the scope of the new Regulations. The meeting coincided with the release of the 10 week consultation document which started at the beginning of April and closes on 6 June (D- Day!!!).

Please take a moment to read through this report and decide if this applies to you and your undertaking. The PLASA Technical Resources cannot stress how important it is that those who will be affected, read the consultation and comment on the proposals. If you do any work that sees you installing equipment within live events, theatre, exhibitions, conferences etc. CDM 2015 will apply to you and your work will fall under the sc

  1. The Week in Lighting & Sound
  2. The Technical Department expands
  3. Christie Lites moves to expanded Las Vegas base
  4. The Week in Lighting & Sound
  5. Backstage students seek summer work placements
  6. The Week in Lighting & Sound
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