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John Corrigan

Senior Journalist & News Editor

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Record Remix Cashes In On Vinyl’s Resurgence

It’s 6 a.m. and a line of eager music lovers has already wrapped around the parking lot.

The doors to the record store won’t open for another four hours, but teenagers, college students, their parents and even grandparents don’t want to miss out on the limited addition titles available, such as Thin Lizzy’s “Live and Dangerous” and Cheech & Chong’s “Up In Smoke.”

This isn’t some hazy memory from the 1970s – this is what Deon Borchard, co-owner of The Long Ear, anticipates this Saturday, April
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Promo Pros Struggle With Student Loan Debt

Danielle Olszewski, e-commerce business development manager at Phoenix-based Zing Manufacturing (PPAI 517185, S7), is one of more than 40 million Americans who must resume their student loan payments this month after a three-and-a-half-year reprieve.

Although President Joe Biden has extended the payment freeze several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a provision in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 codified the plan to end the pause at the end of August. Interest on federal student loans
PPAI - Promotional Products Association Internatio •

Tribute Band Merch: Sincerest Form Of Flattery Or Trademark Infringement?

Satisfaction/The International Rolling Stones Tribute Show has been rocking around the world for nearly a quarter century.

Like a pack of wild horses, the tribute band hits the road for up to 150 performances a year. Although most of the group’s revenue comes from touring, as it does for nearly all musical acts after the internet decimated record sales, branded merchandise accounts for 10%-20% of Satisfaction’s annual income, according to executive producer Chris LeGrand.

“We’re impersonating
PPAI - Promotional Products Association Internatio •

Nice Guys Finish First: How Radar Promotions Has Grown 900% Since 2020

Every distributor has heard that you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket.

But when that basket is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the United States, with more than 2,600 branches across the country, Ryan Paules can’t help but load up.

The CEO and “Chief Swag Officer” of Los Angeles-based Radar Promotions (PPAI 500797, Silver) says that two-thirds of the firm’s business comes from that one client. Even riskier, Paules nearly bit the hand that fed him by recruiting the buyer

Stu Saks Says Goodbye To PWI – The Wrestling Estate

Stu Saks is a real person.


That may surprise longtime readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated under the impression the staff is comprised of Matt Brock, Liz Hunter and other fictitious characters. But rest assured, PWI’s longtime editor and publisher is made of flesh and blood. And modesty.


Saks and a couple staffers were invited to participate in 80’s Wrestling Con last year, revealing the three greatest covers from the magazine’s golden years. “People would come over and chat and after fi

Puppy Power: Pet Products Can Boost Q1 Sales

Aside from my brothers, we didn’t really have animals in the house growing up. Pets seemed like a lot of work, and I had enough responsibilities: wrestling, basketball, Dunkaroos, etc. Conversely, my girlfriend adores dogs. Her heart has never quite healed from losing Studlee, her black boxer from childhood. When we bought a house last April, she quickly became acquainted with our neighbors’ dogs and stressed how spacious our yard is. It was only a matter of time before she wore me down.

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Does HR need ground rules for ChatGPT?

ChatGPT gives HR leaders new capabilities, but some worry about losing the “human” in Human Resources. As the AI-powered technology rapidly infiltrates business, HR leaders who spoke with HRD are optimistic about its ability to streamlines tasks, such as recruitment, communication and engagement. But they’re also cautious about its potential to strip away ethics, accuracy and personalization. “If we can validate whether ChatGPT was used to create something, will we accept someone’s resume that w

Hot Trend in Promo: Nostalgia

Walking through the door felt like stepping into a time warp. Shelves of VHS tapes. The smell of popcorn. The iconic ripped ticket logo.

Blockbuster Video was back – at least for one week, resurrected as a pop-up store in New York City by pop culture-infused apparel brand Dumbgood.

There were at one time nearly 4,500 stores in the U.S., but now there’s only one actual Blockbuster left in existence (located in Oregon), making the pop-up a rare chance for East Coast Gen Xers and millennials to r

The Untold Stories Of ‘Heroes Of Wrestling’ – The Wrestling Estate

The promoter of Heroes of Wrestling was Billy Stone, former president of Virginia-based Fosstone Productions and current executive producer at CBS Sports. During the ‘90s, his company produced several pay-per-views featuring combat sports. With pro wrestling’s popularity exploding, an executive at pay-per-view provider iN DEMAND suggested that Stone tap into the market.

With a knack for getting something to air for a reasonable amount of money, Stone saw great potential and limited financial ri

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