Digital Rebellion has an excellent must read article on AMA practices with Media Composer.

I realized I hadn't linked to this Studio Daily Article on the reductions at AVID.By the third quarter AVID will be down to about 1500 after losing more than 350 more employees, and hasn't said which facilities it will be closing.I still say if AVID doesn't really push there opportunity here they are fools. Look at what Autodesk has done with Smoke. I think it should be cheaper than $4000 ($3500 and $500 a year for upgrades and support), but it has moved into Media Composer Range, and it can do all Media Composer can and much more.

Personally I think AVID should have bit the bullet and pulled the price of Media Composer to $1000 to fight Premiere Pro (I don't think they need to fight FCP X) and gain market share back. The $1000 that Apple charged for FCP 7 was really a sweat spot and other apps have gone bellow that).And have made the cross grade even $500 from FInal Cut Pro, and make symphony a plug in that costs another $300-$500 (Or really just roll it in to Media Composer completely to have a unified product line). Now there sales for this year might be down (though they might have gone up do to the amount of sales they would have made), and there customer bass would have grown back to what it used to be, and they would make a ton of money in the future.They need to focus on less products and make them less expensive. They have already been making Media Composer so much better, so they don't have to worry about that, but it is there business decisions that seem iffy.

An interesting article at Doddle news on how the foundering AVID (which just sold it's consumer division including M-Audio, Pinacle and even the new iPad app) and cut another 20% of it's work force after previously losing 10% not too long ago.Some interesting ideas, though other than doubling down on protools and moving to the cloud like Adobe CS6, I don't see them trying any of them.

Check the video out at Videoguys.