Prompted by the unfortunate demise of Spicer Hallfield, which was once the UK’s foremost album manufacturer, I emailed our list in the UK yesterday. The gist of my message was that their ex customers should think twice before choosing a replacement supplier – especially if their gut reaction was to look for someone offering a similar product at a similar price. My email generated quite a lot of enquiries for Sonya's team, plus some feedback that I thought I'd discuss over the next few days. But let me start with the tough one... Someone called my email an "unbelievable bit of ambulance chasing". To View More >>

Sad as it is, it's no secret that one or two of the traditional album manufacturers in the USA and UK have had serious problems, and not just because of "the economy". It's hard for everyone when a company struggles, hard for their staff, hard for their suppliers. Harder still when you know the people involved. Hard for their customers too, who've spent a lot of time getting to know their people, understanding their systems and foibles, making bookings with couples who will expect one of their albums... So why have they been in trouble? Because companies like Queensberry started eating their lunch. To View More >>

If you're finding this year tough, and you've said, or thought, what's wrong, I'm not doing anything different... right there may be your problem. Just as things changed when you switched from film to digital, or PC to Mac, or Nikon to Canon, things have changed with the end of the party economy... Have you heard how much the Las Vegas convention industry is suffering because it's not a good look for corporations to go there to "party" when times are tough? This is probably not the best time to be selling party souvenirs. Your work needs to be significant, worthwhile, to survive the end of the To View More >>