When Is a Company No Longer the Same Company?
- Thread starter mep
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If you don't want to loose the rights to use your own name then don't name the company after yourself.Running a successful company is tough. All good things come to an end eventually.
Maybe it's better to loose the rights than to lose the rights to your name.
Damn spelling police.
Nope, not when the word you use is really a word and spelled correctly! Here, hear, their, and there are common words that will get you in trouble. Insure and ensure are two other words that get screwed up all the time.
An established old guy in audio told me that every time Bob got a divorce the ex got the company, so he just started another one. I never forgot that, although I don't know how much truth there is to the story.
Sometimes the legacy of a former owner isn't from the expected product. A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Dave Fletcher. If you don't know who he is, he started SOTA turntables, Sumiko, and three other successful companies. I can't recall their names right now. Anyway, he said he was more proud of the Sumiko headshell than anything else he had ever designed, although he never expected it would survive as long it has. After thinking about it, he's right; it's a classic that defines him as a designer. Some things are destined for greatness even when they seem to be inconsequential little tweaks or accessories at the time. Will any current or future owner of a Fletcher started company design anything as timeless and useful as that relatively inexpensive headshell?
Hello, Mark. Lightstar was actually a vision for an amplifier that Bob was working on while still at Carver Corp. that was still an unfinished design. After the board booted him out, one or two head engineers completed the unfinished design for the no holds barred SS amplifier/pre. Not many made it into the production line. IIRC, less than 300 total LS pre-amplifiers and amplifiers ever saw the light of day but they do sound and look unlike any other Carver SS amplifier out there.
What you were trying to think of was Sunfire, not Lightstar. That was the company he started after the Carver Corporation.
Tom
You know guys, I was feeling just fine about my speakers until five minutes ago. . . .
I do agree though.
http://www.bobcarver.com/
Taters, he owns [or possibly co-owns with Bob Farinelli] the company linked above, they do use his name and he is the designer with some occasional help with the designs from others.
Tom
Taters, he owns [or possibly co-owns with Bob Farinelli] the company linked above, they do use his name and he is the designer with some occasional help with the designs from others.
Tom
A company is a company. To my mind it's the strength of the original identity and if what's done over time enhances or changes it. There are some examples of companies that have gone in totally different directions even under the same lead designer/ owner. Bel Canto comes immediately to mind. There are companies that still cling strongly to their founder's philosophies. One of them even brought their names back (Bowers and Wilkins). Quad also still clings strongly as does McIntosh.
When I look at our product line up, I'd be lying if I said I never thought about the eventualities of key men retiring or passing. Some of them aren't spring chickens anymore. When that time comes, the question will be if they were as good as teachers as they were designers. I think David Manley was a heck of a teacher. Seems Dan has been a good one to Brett this early on. The brands may or not survive but often times the legacies flourish. To see this, look east. How many great products come from guys who are Luxman, Micro Seiki, Koetsu alumni. That's just scratching the surface.
When I look at our product line up, I'd be lying if I said I never thought about the eventualities of key men retiring or passing. Some of them aren't spring chickens anymore. When that time comes, the question will be if they were as good as teachers as they were designers. I think David Manley was a heck of a teacher. Seems Dan has been a good one to Brett this early on. The brands may or not survive but often times the legacies flourish. To see this, look east. How many great products come from guys who are Luxman, Micro Seiki, Koetsu alumni. That's just scratching the surface.
They brought back the name, I'm not so sure they maintain the philosophy of John Bowers. For example, he didn't much care for reviewers and this changed to a more pro-active stance towards the press during my time there. Since I left (2001), ISTM the philosophy has moved even further from what JB stood for but then I never met the man himself so only knew of him by repute.
If I were to sum up my perspective of the change I'd say it gradually has moved from the goal of 'excellence in sound reproduction' to that of 'what will sell well in the current market'.
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Oh if you mean the styling design philosophies, those are probably the result of using the same agencies for industrial design. When I was there it was Pentagram (the illustrious Kenneth Grange) and Native (headed by Morten V. Warren). I think they're still using Morten's design skills nowadays not sure about Mr Grange.
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