Because the industry/manufacturers, etc are forcing us to accept what we can't change and most of it makes no sense. HDMI still causes problems, there's no "OK, that takes care of everything" and they continue to try to make that format operate with more data requirements which make previous cabling obsolete, even though it worked very well before the latest update. That can make replacement uneconically unfeasible and costomers/clients don't want that forced down their throats, nor do we want to tell them what they don't want to hear even if they can easily afford it.

Then, there's the bad stuff.

It's funny how similar everyone's story is about the decline of the industry. I always wonder if it's just me. I really feel like I'm just a TV installer these days - putting in soundbars here and there. I used to be able to differentiate myself drastically from others by providing slick control systems with programming that was really unique. I hardly get to use those skills today. And I feel like if am to create an a user interface for all the systems in a home, it's me against gang of engineers from Googles, Apples and Amazons of the world. I might be able to create a better interface than Sonos though LOL

Speaking of Sonos, I've always thought that a custom AV company has to be able to truly compete with their ability to integrate zone control and music control within a single interface, with the customer being able to add services themselves. So far that industry has failed in at least the last 10 years and that is a big reason why a lot off people have "surrendered" to selling Sonos.

There are alternatives to Sonos but it is just more of the same. Bijou 5,3,2.1 are a natural choice but BlueSound and Wiim allow for better quality audio than Sonos in some cases.
How many Audio switches do I have in the shop that died? 10 right now and it is the full gamut from Triad, Autopatch, Savant, Episode, and a few others and they either have dead channels or burnt out power supplies.

For true automation it is maybe 4-5 jobs a year.

I've been out and enjoyed some HVAC BMS and industrial stuff. Now I'm half back in but the smaller half. I don't miss it. It's a business that is fundamentally about selling things even though it says it's about design and experience. The acquisition of Snap4 by Honeywell was a harbinger of things to come. And they have.

This biz is controlled by manufacturers and the salesmen. Thick with fanbois and posers. FB forums are thick with supposed pros that make it seem like AVS.

Happier being an electrician that does a little AV/IT/Security here and there. Less Firmware Fridays. Though we do PV and monitoring, every bit as fuqutastic as the AV business.

+1000%

I moved into the healthcare/commercial side of the business about 15 years ago. Residential is dead and has been for a long time.

Hmmm, a 30 year old son of a family friend wants to contact me about getting into this industry.

Besides telling him that he might be 20 years too late, what would be some hope or optimistic things I could give him on how he could adapt to the new landscape and have a decent career?

Focus on becoming proficient in setting up networks properly, then think about surveillance/security/Access control, lighting and shades. The AV stuff will come from these but don't expect it to be what gets him in the door.

This thread is kind of laughable.  The industry is far from dead, it is just reaching maturity.  To many, that looks like stagnation.  To me, it looks like stability.

My business is doing quite well, and I'm dealing with far fewer headaches than at any point in the past.  The key is focusing on solid products and software platforms, and working within their design parameters while also charging adequately for all of your time.

The truth is that there are a decreasing number of people who actually know how to do things, and our value continues to increase in the marketplace.

Hope to get back to your side of the world to say hello again. Everything is still going well with AV here on my side with more depth of work to do. Hope to someday to do a clean exit and turn the reigns over. Hope all is well with your Fam.

I dropped in looking for some experience that can’t be found on the social media groups and saw this thread.

Coming up on 8 years ago I left the small shop where I started and move to a larger company that’s been around for 50 years. They survived the recession, covid, and the curse of the CEPro cover. Three years ago I moved from the field to the office.

Most of our clients are second homes. Lately I’ve seen a resurgence of the “I don’t want all that shit again”. Customers are as tired of service calls as we all are. We still install control systems, but only on jobs that warrant it or when a client asks for it. We sell more Sonos Arcs now than AVRs. But our lighting game has stepped up (Lite Touch systems built the company). We now have a lighting designer in house. Fixtures are awesome because they are a new revenue stream that don’t require more labor. Sparky put them in. We sell more Lutron systems and shades too.

The best part about lighting is it rarely gets Saturday night phone calls.