The celebrations will kick-off in Paris on April 27 with a full day of events including live performances, master classes, and discussions featuring Marcus Miller, Barbara Hendricks, and Hugh Masekela. And on April 30, a special sunrise concert will take place in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz.

On the evening of April 30, UNESCO, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations will co-sponsor a star-studded concert in the UN General Assembly Hall featuring performances by Tony Bennett, Wynton Marsalis, Esperanza Spalding, Lang Lang, Angelique Kidjo, Shankar Mahadevan, Chaka Khan, and many more. The confirmed hosts are Morgan Freeman, Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, and Quincy Jones.

Throughout the concert, jazz experts and artists including Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terence Blanchard, Ron Carter, and Jimmy Heath will participate in an interactive web chat backstage during the performances. Join the chat beginning at 23:00 UTC (7:00PM EDT) and watch the live stream of the two-hour New York concert beginning at 23:30 UTC (7:30PM EDT) at http://conx.state.gov/digital-diplomacy/. Follow the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #jazzday.

For more information about International Jazz Day, please visit UNESCO’s Jazz Day webpage – http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-days/jazz-day/ – or www.jazzday.com.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and now calling Colorado home, Gregory Alan Isakov has been traveling all his life. Songs that hone a masterful quality beyond his years, tell a story of miles and landscapes, and the search for a sense of place. His song-craft lends to the deepest lyrical masterpieces, with hints of his influences, Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen. He has been described as “strong, subtle, a lyrical genius” but the source of his writing often remains a mystery to him.

“My songs have nothing to do with me; they have a life of their own. A lot of times I won’t know what a song is about when I’m writing it. It just has a certain feeling about it,” says Isakov.

Gregory is now back in the studio recording a new album with anticipation of a release in the summer/fall of 2012.

About Grades of Green VERTE Event:
“VERTE,” which translates to green in many languages, was created to recognize environmental champions who have grown a local program in just two years to reach over 66,000 students in over 100 schools across 19 states, Canada and Australia. The event, now in its second year, will also raise money and awareness for Grades of Green’s vision to make environmental protection second nature in young minds.

Environmental advocate and former educator, Ranae DeSantis, will be honored for her unwavering support of Grades of Green and the environment. Grades of Green will also honor Wells Fargo for bringing Grades of Green’s program to numerous inner-city schools and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County for sponsoring a Trash Free Lunch Challenge that will result in 10,000 bags of trash being diverted from landfills annually.

JD Roth, executive producer of ABC Daytime’s “The Revolution,” as well as long-running television series “The Biggest Loser” and “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition,” will host the evening’s festivities. Grades of Green students and educators will provide live demonstrations at “Eco-Stations” that highlight Grades of Green key programs, such as In-Class Composting, Trash Free Lunches, and Walk to School Wednesdays, and will explain how guests can take Grades of Green’s free and easy to use templates to bring to their own schools.

“The impact Grades of Green has had on our school is profound,” stated Dawnyell Goolsby, principal of Warren Lane Elementary. “Since launching Grades of Green’s Trash Free Lunch activity, our school has reduced the number of lunch time trash bags from eight to four. Its educational activities are also teaching our students how to compost, which will reduce the number of trash bags even more!”

For more information on the event, or to purchase a ticket, go to https://gradesofgreen.ejoinme.org/?tabid=339232 .

About Grades of Green:
Grades of Green is an international nonprofit 501(c)3 that provides parents, students and educators with free instruction on its website. Anyone wanting to implement sustainability programs can register their school online – at no cost – to get tips and measure their success on reducing trash, emissions, harmful classroom chemicals, plus dozens of other ways to help the environment. Grades of Green has been honored with many awards, including the U.S. EPA’s prestigious Environmental Award. The nonprofit is growing rapidly, with over 66,000 students enrolled across 19 states and Canada and Australia, including many low-income schools.

Additionally, Grades of Green recently partnered with Republic Services to provide environmental education on recycling and composting to nearly 1,100 schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District. Grades of Green’s goal is simple – to enroll thousands of schools with millions of kids- all caring for the environment and collectively making a difference.

For more information about Grades of Green, please go to http://www.gradesofgreen.org . For more information about Isakov, visit: http://gregoryalanisakov.com .

VIDEO:

The event, attended by students from the USC Thornton School of Popular Music Performance programs, began with a brief interview conducted by Associate Dean Chris Sampson. Blackstone discussed growing up playing in church and how that, along with his jazz training, established the foundation for his musicianship. He then discussed how he broke into the profession, and shared his thoughts on what it takes to be an in-demand Musical Director.

The second half of the class was more interactive. Blackstone discussed the realities of being a bass player in the studio and in performance, touching upon the need to be equally adept at synth bass and regular bass lines, as well as having a familiarity with the right tools. He drove this point home by demonstrating his skills on Korg M3 and M50 Music Workstations.

Interested in hearing the students perform, he pulled two volunteers on stage to form a bass, drum and piano trio. They demonstrated how a rhythm section can work together and really “lock” by making us of a basic technique of matching the bass line with the kick drum pattern.

In closing, Blackstone encouraged one of the students to play an original song, and offered positive feedback about the importance of a proper arrangement for the ultimate type of performance that will be given.

About the USC Thornton School of Music:
The USC Thornton School of Music brings together a stellar faculty chosen from a broad spectrum of the music profession and musically gifted students from around the globe. Founded in 1884, and today the oldest continually operating cultural institution in Los Angeles, the Thornton School consistently ranks among the nation’s top music schools and conservatories. Graduates of the school attain positions with major orchestras, ensembles, recording studios and music industry firms and perform on stages and in studios around the world.

Blending the rigors of a traditional conservatory-style education with the benefits of studying at a leading research university, the Thornton School offers students a thorough music education in a real-world context. Located at the center of Los Angeles, the school is the collegiate partner of choice for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the GRAMMY Foundation, to name a few.

Highlighting this superb list of additions are Ryan Tedder (front man of OneRepublic, who has penned hits like Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love,” Beyonce’s “Halo” and Adele’s “Rumour Has It”) and legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb (“Wichita Lineman,” “Macarthur Park”), who is on the ASCAP Board of Directors and serves as Chairman of the Board for the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The songwriter, composers and producers signing on for the EXPO are Eric Bellinger (Songwriter), DJ Camper (Producer), First Born (“Super Bass”), JT Harding (Songwriter), Kool Kojak (“Right Round”), Michelle Lewis (Songwriter), Mick Boogie (DJ/Remixer), Lee Ritenour (Jazz Guitarist), Shea Taylor (“Best I Never Had”), and Wendy Waldman (“Save The Best For Last”).

Panelist 2 From the Film and TV realm, we have added Michael Frick, Anna Granucci, Jeff Gray (Pesci), Ron Goldberg, Shane Hutton, Rachel Komar, Patty Macmillan, Josh Marcy, Jonathan McHugh, Andrew Robbins, Chris Saranec, Jerome Spence, Joey Singer, Jojo Villanueva, Andrea von Foerster and Nikki Walsh.

Our newly confirmed music publishers are James Cheney, Stephen Culbertson, Suzan Koc, Peter Lloyd, Ben Maddahi, Monti Olson Greg Sowders, Danny Strick, and Jeff Vaughn.

Additional new panelists include: attorney Guy Blake, Esq.; Sennheiser’s Ben Escobedo; LiveNation’s Ethan Kaplan; Topspin’s Bob Moczydlowsky; United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s John Morton; Theatre Producer Ted Rawlins; and managers Dominique Dunn, Fabienne Leys, Allison Shaw, and Larry Wade.

These additions join the impressive roster already announced, including: Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine of The Smeezingtons, Carly Simon, Peter Frampton, Jared Leto, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin from The Go-Go’s, Desmond Child, Allen Shamblin, Mark Isham, Don Felder (Formerly of The Eagles), Andraé Crouch, Jonny Lang, George Duke, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Walter Afanasieff, D.A. Wallach, and dozens more.

More information: http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/events/expo/2012/panelists.aspx .

Each “The Art of Music” showcase features musical masters performing genres that are generally under the radar, but are nevertheless lend themselves to adding more depth and persona to video-based projects. Spotlights on lesser known Cuban, Mexican and Chinese music genres; Delta and pre-depression blues; and 1930′s period music are just some of what you can expect from this lively series, which occurs three times a year at the Bleicher Art Gallery in Santa Monica.

Join us March 25 for |Sounds like Music| for an approach to media scoring that will challenge your sense of what’s possible. Featured artists include premier sound composer Diego Stocco, whose music has been heard on Sherlock Holmes, Transformers, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and Revelations, The Tudors, C.S.I., Cold Case and The Daily Show as well as countless trailers such as Tron: Legacy, Terminator Salvation, 2012 and Spiderman Shattered Universe.

He has also contributed to the multi award-winning Spectrasonics sound library, which is used by almost every post production studio on the planet. Diego will offer a rare glimpse behind the curtain to explain techniques he uses to create his unique “musical sounds”. Equally fascinating are the sublime soundpoems of composer Nat Evans, who will be sharing a special performance synchronized to the sunset at 7:14pm. Nat’s soundscapes are like extremely artful musical reveries, blending the very best of real instruments, natural sounds and processing effects to create an artform that is in a league of its own.

Production teams from dozens of features and documentaries currently seeking innovative sound design-inspired music for cues will be invited, as well as music departments from The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Raising Hope, Damages, Breaking Bad, Cinema Verite, Homeland and Red Faction.

This event is a MUST for anyone with an interest in adventurous scoring and placement for film, TV, video games, web content and apps.

Beyond the showcases, attendees get a free music bundle courtesy of RapidShare, which includes dozens of tracks — all unreleased and clearance-ready. Attendees will also get a copy of the |Sounds like Music| handbook with industry contact info and resources, plus a chance to win raffle prizes including Sonoma Wire Works’ FourTrack iphone recording app, a GuitarJack high-quality iphone interface, a copy of the new Film and TV Music Guide and more.

Further info: www.artofmusicla.com
Time: 6-9pm Sunday, March 25, 2012.
Location: Bleicher/Golightly Gallery, 1431 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401.

This event will probably be photographed and/or filmed. We expect news coverage and perhaps an interactive film crew to document performances, which may also be used for promotional purposes. If you do not wish to be filmed, kindly contact event producer Peter Petro directly at peter@artofmusicla.com and we can make special arrangements.

Pre-order online tickets typically sell out, and tickets are very limited due to space.

For additional info, media passes and interviews contact: Peter Petro / peter@mandevillestudios.com / 310.430.5096.

Twelve American musical groups chosen for their musical excellence and educational capability will visit more than 40 countries to present original American music through public concerts, master classes, workshops, jam sessions with local musicians and media outreach. They were selected following a live round of auditions held in New York, St. Louis and San Francisco.

More than 270 musical ensembles from over 40 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands competed to take part in this season’s program.

The selected groups include:
Act of Congress (Americana/Acoustic Rock, Alabama)
Audiopharmacy (Hip Hop/Dub, California)
Boston Boys (Soul/Country, Massachusetts)
Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer with Barbara Lamb (Folk/Roots, Maryland)
The Clinton Curtis Band (Rock/Blues, New York)
Della Mae (Bluegrass, Massachusetts)
Keola Beamer & Jeff Peterson, with Moanalani Beamer (Hawaiian Slack Guitar/Hula, Hawaii)
Kyle Dillingham and Horseshoe Road (Heartland Acoustic, Oklahoma)
Mahogany Jones (Hip Hop/Soul, Michigan)
Matuto (Americana, New York)
PROJECT Trio (Jazz/Classical/Hip Hop, New York)
Real Vocal String Quartet (Crossover/Chamber Jazz, California).

Ensembles will travel around the globe for approximately one month each between May 2012 and May 2013. During their respective tours, each ensemble will visit four to six countries. American Music Abroad activities focus on younger and underserved audiences in countries with little or no access to live American performances.

American Music Abroad builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “smart power” diplomacy, embracing the use of a full range of diplomatic tools – in this case music – to bring people together and foster greater understanding.

For more information, please visit http://exchanges.state.gov/cultural/ama.html and http://amvoices.org/ama/ .

While in London the group will be featured at four music acquisition sessions for global brand and advertising campaigns, and meet with music organizations and government agencies, including the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the Association of Independent Music (AIM) and the Music Publisher’s Association (MPA), which work to promote and strengthen the protection of Intellectual property rights.

NARIP brings music supervisors from two leading multi-national advertising agencies, Ryan Fitch (Music Producer for Saatchi & Saatchi North America) and Jessica Dierauer (Executive Producer of Music and Creative Content for Young & Rubicam), to London to conduct a series of educational programs for the British music industry. These programs create an opportunity to develop relationships and encourage the use of British music in American national and global advertising campaigns.

Last year’s London sessions with Hollywood music supervisors Andrea von Foerster (Grey’s Anatomy, Chronicle, 500 Days of Summer) and Chris Mollere (Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars) sold out.

Seeking Music For Global Advertising Campaigns:
Fitch and Dierauer actively seek music for current advertising campaigns, and music publishers, record company executives, personal managers and others will present to them in London for consideration. Such music placements generate licensing fees and public performance royalties to their creators and owners, stimulate CD and digital sales, increase consumer awareness and media interest, and can provide an important vehicle for developing new artists to recognition and success.

“We have created a new access point that wasn’t available before,” says Tess Taylor President of NARIP and creator of its Music Supervisor Sessions. “Our sessions have sold out in four cities and yielded multiple placements for participants including in the #1 box office film Chronicle, True Blood, Dexter, Don’t Trust The B—- In Apt. 23! and more.”

Two of NARIP’s Music Supervisor Sessions in London next week are SOLD OUT, more dates added:
- Feb 27 with Fitch – JUST ADDED;
- Feb 27 with Dierauer – JUST ADDED;
- Feb 28 with Dierauer – SOLD OUT;
- Fen 28 with Fitch – SOLD OUT.

“British music has always enthralled me,” says Fitch. “From Led Zeppelin and the Who to Dubstep, I always try to be aware of new music trends from the Mother Country before they become mainstream here in the States. I look forward to meeting people in London who can help me discover new sounds for my projects!”

“England has always been a musical goldmine,” says Dierauer. “The best bands hail from there, and I always keep my ear open to what’s going on across the pond. Current favorites include Metronomy, PJ Harvey, SBTRKT, Summer Camp, Still Corners and WU LYF.”

Get More Info, Executive Profiles, Logos, Photos and Register Here NOW: http://www.narip.com or http://bit.ly/NARIP-UK .

About NARIP:
NARIP promotes education, career advancement and good will among record executives. Based in Los Angeles, NARIP has chapters in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, Phoenix, Houston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and London, and reaches 100,000+ people in the music industries globally.

The basic concept is quaint. Imagine you are a mom-and-pop music store on Main St., USA. By this I do not necessarily mean a mother and father own your store, and your street could be named something else. My point is that you are a small music equipment retailer. You are in a quandary as to what items you should buy to stock as inventory. All of the major music equipment manufacturers have an exhibit booth at NAMM. So you go to the convention to see what you ought to buy to sell to your customers.

This template has been obsolete for at least a quarter of a century. Large mega-retailers like Guitar Center (and its mail-order counterpart, Musician’s Friend) dominate the music equipment market. They in turn are known for squeezing usurious margins out of manufacturers. In this cutthroat corporate environment, only the largest companies can succeed. Guitar Center does not want to expend the time, effort and energy required to deal with a bunch of small vendors. Essentially they are relegated to marginal boutique status, living a hard existence with high production costs, impaired distribution channels, niche markets and a host of other undesirable infirmities.

It is hard to see how some of these firms make financial sense. I mean, a business devoted solely to making guitar picks? What are the economies of scale? How many guitar picks do you have to sell even to afford a plane ticket to the convention (much less parking)? Another huge problem for manufacturers is the secondary market. Before they became commodified, companies like Fender and Gibson made products that were so durable, they survive to the present day. There must be hundreds of Fender amps and Gibson guitars available for repurchase on any given day of the week. Older instruments frequently are alleged to have more desirable qualities than newer ones. This secondary market for their own equipment is the manufacturer’s greatest enemy.

There used to be a sharp distinction between “pro” audio and “consumer” audio. The Audio Engineering Society (AES) represented the former and NAMM represented the latter. While AES still holds a convention, it is a shadow of its former self. The reason why is that the pro audio market – comprising primarily expensive recording studios – has collapsed. The democratization of technology began with the Mackie Mixer and the Alesis ADAT. Now it best is represented by digital audio workstations such as Logic and ProTools. It has brought machinery and equipment to the masses, which now assiduously records, promotes, markets and distributes their aesthetic output, free from the sphincter-like shackles of record production the way it was as recently as the 1990s. Instead of spending $250 thousand, or $100 thousand to record an album, now you can do it for $5 thousand, or even less. Of course the songs and performances still may be crap, but hey, that could be (and often is) equally true of projects that are far more costly.

Now, anybody with a garage and an urge to express themselves can hit the ground running. This has been a positive development for NAMM, because formerly “pro” equipment manufacturers have gravitated to it as a more plausible venue to hawk their wares. In a way, AES now is in a position analogous to that of the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, which now has been abandoned both by Apple and Microsoft – the two companies which should be their biggest exhibitors. As a parallel development, many of the NAMM attendees now are retail consumers of musical equipment – actual users – who view the convention as a kind of carnival to hang out and see what’s new on the scene.

So I spent the afternoon aimlessly wandering the gargantuan exhibit halls, every now and then running into friends and acquaintances. New product offerings were sparse. As an aficionado of analog synthesis, I was intrigued by some of the new modules on display at the Analogue Haven, Big City Music and Noisebug booths. It was nice to chat with Dave Smith and Don Buchla, both intrepid pioneers in the field who still run successful businesses. I was impressed with John Bowen’s new Solaris, and a monstrous synth designed and built by Stefan Schmidt, reported to cost $25 thousand euros. Oh well, all Greece and Italy have to do is default on their debt, which will bring the euro back into parity with the dollar, so the more affluent among us may view this as a viable purchase.

Moog Music was exhibiting a new bass synthesizer called the Minitaur (a play on words of their former pedal bass synth called the Taurus), a new effects device called the Cluster Flux (get it?) and an interesting new filter in the increasingly popular API 500 format. Jürgen Michaelis and Jomox have a new filter called the Moonwind, and if their former and existing product line is any indication, it should be amazing. As usual Zachary Vex and Zvex had the wackiest collection of effects pedals around. There were a few other pedals released this year of note, such as the Ravish Sitar from ElectroHarmonix and the Space from Eventide. The Ravish Sitar sounds nothing like a sitar, but it does do some really cool sh*t. And the Space has just about every weird reverb and modulation effect you’d ever want to hear. My apologies if I’m leaving anybody out to whom I said “hi.” There seemed to be a proliferation of ukuleles and tubas, the latter a fortunate development in view of the recently reported spate of tuba thefts in Los Angeles.

But the rest – several thousand exhibitors in all – remain a mystery. How many different varieties of drums, cymbals, amplifiers, violins, saxophones etc. really are capable of mounting an effective U.S. marketing campaign? I used to have 500 or so guitar effects pedals. I was you might say promiscuous, unable to settle on a sound that I liked. It was what the Danish proto-existentialist Søren Kierkegaard might have called the “despair of too much possibility.” A library of sounds, to which I could refer. Over the years, there came a time when I realized what I liked, and what I no longer required. So I got rid of the rest. I mean, how many overdrive or fuzz pedals does one really need? The same thing was true with amplifiers, guitars, synthesizers, literally every musical tool I ever had used. Now I feel as creative as ever, though with a much-reduced armamentarium. With the possible exception of some Lincoln-head pennies in elementary school, I never have been a “collector” of anything.

A collection implies regarding an object qua object; as Martin Heidegger might have characterized, as a thing that is present-at-hand, there to be regarded, observed and inspected. Like something in a museum. Rather, for me, musical instruments always have been tools to realize an aesthetic concept – a means to an end, ready-to-hand, not an end in and of themselves. This is how I conceptualize the predicament of the prolix product offerings at NAMM. Who needs it?

Then there is the strange situation of spatial location. How come the violin manufacturers are located immediately adjacent to the drum manufacturers? I felt sorry for the former, desperately trying to demonstrate their instruments over the raucous din created by aspiring percussionists, bass players and guitar players. I have to go on record as saying that the Stanley Clarke-style of bass playing, where one “pops” the strings with one’s fingers, is extraordinarily annoying.

Another puzzle is the phenomenon of endorsers. In an attempt to build rapport with their potential audience, manufacturers scurry about and try to sign influential musicians, or at least musicians perceived to be influential, to use their guitars/amplifiers/keyboards whatevers. It is with deep regret that I must report I did not know who any of these people were. Given the current state of pop music, it is difficult to see where, on margin, the reputation curve of the endorser intersects with the demand curve of the consumer. If the endorser is too big, then they won’t endorse the small boutique instrument. After all, they might be able to get more money from somebody who was bigger. Even after they endorse it, they don’t bother to use it, preferring instead to stick with what they find familiar. Conversely, if the endorser is too small, then the manufacturer has no use for the endorser. Where are the members of Blue Oyster Cult when I need them? At least back then matters were less ambiguous. Of course it must have been a shock for the BOC to go from playing arenas and stadiums (stadia?) to micro venues like the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, which is where I last saw them. Their endorsement value went from massive to zero.

The point of advertising is not to sell products. Products are sold by word-of-mouth among satisfied consumers. Rather, it is to reduce cognitive dissonance; to reassure people who already have bought the item that their purchase was a wise one. Over-the-hill endorsers won’t accomplish this objective. I lament the expectation cost of all of the bands who started out with such hope and promise, with a large retinue of agents, managers, lawyers, accountants, groupies, hangers-on, etc., only to vanish in thin air like a wisp of smoke. I particularly was disturbed by large posters of Taylor Swift, which seemed to be everywhere. Is it just I, or do her eyes seem too close together?

One thing that hasn’t changed is attendance by a coterie of audaciously attired wanna-be rock grrrls. This year’s fashion seems to be (from the bottom up) fringy boots, fishnet stockings, short skirt and spandex top. Come to think of it, that was the attire 10 years ago, too. Disconcertingly, they seemed not to have aged; that is, I keep getting older, which makes them keep getting younger. I was concerned for the fate of those (my contemporaries) who no longer were present; how shocking was it to see Pattie Boyd, ex of George Harrison and Eric Clapton, on the recent HBO special re: the former?

Where are the vixens of vinyl, the swingin’ chicks of the 60s, the drive-in dream girls, the femme fatales, minxes, sirens and foxes of yesteryear? Young girls are coming to the canyon, indeed. Evidently, all of them left. I was comforted to think, however, that most of the new crop really were molecular biologists in disguise. Strangely, many of the guys didn’t seem to have changed (albeit with less hair and larger torsos). We’ll see what condition their condition is in next year.

Article is Copr. © 2012 by David Kronemyer, and originally published on MusicIndustryNewswire.com – all commercial rights reserved.

“We are extremely excited about the support of Voices.com!” say James R. Alburger and Penny Abshire, Executive Producers of VOICE. “Partnering with this leader in the voiceover industry is a tremendous opportunity for us. We know that all those in attendance will greatly benefit from this joint effort.”

“Voices.com is thrilled to sponsor VOICE 2012, an event unlike any other, drawing voice actors and experts from around the world. We look forward to the privilege of being among our customers, industry personalities and the voice over community as a whole. Those representing our team are eager to bring the Voices.com experience to VOICE attendees, to share our unique knowledge and inspire everyone we meet,” Stephanie Ciccarelli, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Voices.com, said.

The conference takes place June 13 through June 16, 2012 with the VOICE Red Carpet Reception kicking off the conference on the evening of June 12. To learn more about VOICE 2012, visit: http://www.voices.com/voice2012 .

VOICE began as an idea to bring the fragmented world of voiceover talent together and has developed into the world’s largest and only international voiceover convention – The VoiceOver International Creative Experience. VOICE focuses on a three-tiered theme for its attendees: Education in both the performing craft and the business of voiceover; Technology knowledge for voice recording and home studios; and building a Community of like-minded professionals.

Voices (http://Voices.com) is the industry leading website that connects businesses with professional voice talents. Small businesses and Fortune 500 companies rely upon the Voices.com marketplace to search for, audition and hire voice actors with the assistance of Voices.com‘s innovative SurePay(TM) payment service and award-winning Web application. Voices has a global network of over 75,000 voice actors in over 100 languages and currently serves 163,694 members online. Clients include Microsoft, Cisco, Nintendo, The Los Angeles Times, Glam Media, The Make-a-Wish Foundation, US Army and tens of thousands more.

Technologies for digital audio networking first appeared nearly two decades ago, but only recently have we began to witness a seismic shift away from traditional analogue networking and towards digital networking. A key driver for this is the rapid convergence of AV and IT, underpinned by the adoption of high performance AV networking technologies, such as Dante, based on the same underlying standards that are used in IT.

The 2012 AV Networking Congress will be a multi-session panel-based event, covering a wide range of installation application topics, including Voice Alarm and Evacuation systems, Stadia and large venues, digital media in Theatres and an introduction to the OCA (Open Control Architecture) Alliance – as well as a look at the evolution of digital audio transport, presented by Audinate’s CTO Aidan Williams.

Among the panel of leading independent consultants to take part in the panel discussions will be Sam Wise of Arup (UK), Richard Northwood of COMS (UK) and Martin Wunderlich (Wunderton) as well as key specialists in their field such as Peter Cox of Thames Audio and Scott George of Autograph Sound. This broad-spectrum of expertise, coupled with leading representatives from the manufacturers, should ensure a well-informed and educational day’s debate for all attending delegates.

This was re-affirmed by Richard Northwood, commenting “The combination of ISE and the AV Networking Congress is a winner for keeping up to date with the latest in AV and how to implement it in a robust manner.”

“I’m looking forward to participating in a wide ranging event without manufacturer bias, that stimulates open discussion on the future of networked audio and control – which are fundamental topics for so many systems we do today.”

For further details on registering to attend, and the day’s schedule, please visit www.avnetworkingcongress.com .