audio talk

[jack]

..Jack you are out of date, the world is changing, just look at this from Goldman Sachs...

Not sure I'm out of date at all - I've spent my whole career so far in hugely dynamic and changing environments, normally with small enterprises (100 employees or less but some far larger) I've co-owned and/or been a director of, and latterly with companies truely on the bleeding edge of technology.

I am also a realist - for the vast bulk of artisans, life is often full of satisfaction, but hard. There are exceptions, of course, however they are few and far between.

There is a fundamental need for artisans - no disagreement there -they are the differentiator between the norm and the possible.

However, I give GS' words little credence - they are a long way from any business or moral ethic I respect (and I have close relatives who are very senior in GS) - I simply speak from a long career in owning and running businesses both small and reasonably large.

You are, of course, entitled to your own opinion.

[Scottmoose]

Despise GS though I do, I think there's some truth in what they say re the rise of artisanal product. It's here, it's increasing, and given that the country has stepped toward a more isolationist stance (or potentially so), the UK may need to capitalise on it. I have several friends in the US who have made a living with their small audio businesses, although they have a larger home-market of course. Which isn't to underestimate the challenges of course.

[Nick]

I am also a realist - for the vast bulk of artisans, life is often full of satisfaction, but hard. There are exceptions, of course, however they are few and far between.

But for the vast majority of people life is often devoid of satisfaction, and hard, so it seems like a worthwhile target.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

The basic ethos is don't pursue money, pursue excellence, if achieved then money will happen as a by product.

[shane]

I'm ignorant. GS??

[ed]

loads of stuff to think about here.....

when I started the artisan bit in the atelier nearly 10 years ago now I had one thing in mind.....'don't mix the diy with the professional side of it' .. I stuck to this religiously having witnessed what diy communities said about members who had tried their hand at selling stuff in the diy community.....

a couple of things were quickly learned:

1) there isn't the market for HiFi equipment that one imagines at first
2) artisan and marketing prowess are not usual bedfellows
3) turning ones hobby into a business is a very risky undertaking from the viewpoint of enjoyment value
4) striking the middle ground between no work and too much work is trixy

I took a lot of advice and some money from the European Enterprise Initiative and to a man they said I would be banging my head against a brick wall if I wanted to turn it into a serious business...still I traded under the guise of doing the market research......I'm still here but the pickings are are getting slimmer and slimmer..

As a hobby I've been cabinet making, speaker making, and playing music for over 40 years and starting the artisan thing damn near put me off the whole lot.....

just one perspective, YMMV

[Cressy Snr]

I'm ignorant. GS??

Goldman Sachs.

[jack]

I am also a realist - for the vast bulk of artisans, life is often full of satisfaction, but hard. There are exceptions, of course, however they are few and far between.

But for the vast majority of people life is often devoid of satisfaction, and hard, so it seems like a worthwhile target.

Completely agree - I did that too for a few years whilst my children were at primary school. It can be enormously rewarding and also extremely tough. If you're a one man band with low cash flow requirements, good. However being an idealist or pursuing a dream doesn't always pay the bills, and as the kids grew older, I had to be more practical...

Artisans of all flavours have always been there and always will be.

[ed]

Congratulations on your decade. BUT IMO it is time for you to spread your wings, your input and (mostly) intelligent members are fresh air compared with most of the rest of the forums, but stepping out of your cosy little huddle of accepted ideas is needed exampled in valves, open baffles, full range drivers. Don't get me wrong (yet again) there is nothing wrong with these things, but there are many other concepts to explore, don't limit yourselves. I see others projects happening both solid state and digital so the foundation is there.

A tad unfair RD. Many of us here are pursuing stuff way outside your list, e.g class D, Walsh type speakers, radialstrahler type speakers, active LR filters...

I'm sure loads more will come to light in the fullness of time

[Daniel Quinn]

I'm ignorant. GS??

Goldman Sachs.

I was write with my first guess then Golden Shower, for they truly have pissed on us all .

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

loads of stuff to think about here.....

when I started the artisan bit in the atelier nearly 10 years ago now I had one thing in mind.....'don't mix the diy with the professional side of it' .. I stuck to this religiously having witnessed what diy communities said about members who had tried their hand at selling stuff in the diy community.....

a couple of things were quickly learned:

1) there isn't the market for HiFi equipment that one imagines at first
2) artisan and marketing prowess are not usual bedfellows
3) turning ones hobby into a business is a very risky undertaking from the viewpoint of enjoyment value
4) striking the middle ground between no work and too much work is trixy

I took a lot of advice and some money from the European Enterprise Initiative and to a man they said I would be banging my head against a brick wall if I wanted to turn it into a serious business...still I traded under the guise of doing the market research......I'm still here but the pickings are are getting slimmer and slimmer..

As a hobby I've been cabinet making, speaker making, and playing music for over 40 years and starting the artisan thing damn near put me off the whole lot.....

just one perspective, YMMV

Its a different world now.

[Ray P]

From what I've seen a large proportion of the Audio-Talk membership are artisans.

Owston will provide plenty of evidence.

Ray

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

They are hobbyists. I gave the definition are you challenging it. An artisan is making your living at least in part from your work. Originally that was patronism, often tied to a Lord of some sort, that slowly moved to financial and then we had the industrial revolution and capitalism.

Again seeing as it has not registered on some https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artisan

[Greg]

I think I got what you were getting at, Ray. Yes, plenty of artisans, getting more artisany as the night wears on

[Ray P]

Dr. Bunsen, I have no interest in arguing the toss over hobbyist vs artisan or the definition of artisan so let me just say that I have been an active member of this forum for considerably longer than you and I probably know the capabilities and achievements of people here better than you; I didn't say everyone was an artisan I said a large proportion (large being relative and in this context undefined) and, I can list in my head now quite a few members I know meet the general description of an artisan.

I was simply presenting a positive perspective on the forthcoming 10th anniversary - end of.