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SAN FRANCISCO — At a gala dinner last night in San Francisco, CDSA founder Larry Finley was posthumously inducted into the prestigious Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame. Finley was among an induction class of 12 industry leaders who were honored for helping found the CE industry as we now know it.

“This elite group of leaders has laid the foundation that our industry continues to build upon,” said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. “Their vision, drive to excel and enthusiasm have helped to create the innovative CE products and services that have improved the lives of consumers worldwide. It is a pleasure to recognize this prestigious group.”

In the acceptance speech, Finley’s grandson and CDSA’s executive director Guy Finley explained: “Entertainment Matters. And it isn’t just the title of a conference I’m participating in at International CES in just a few months, it also explains that entertainment is and always has been a driving force behind all forms of new technologies. And it is a slogan that could very much define the
career of my grandfather and one of the CE industry’s founding fathers, Larry Finley, whose relationships with leading Hollywood figures connected hardware with software well before Steve Jobs saw the importance of this synergy.” In his introduction, CEA’s Shapiro accentuated last night the significance of Finley’s many contributions in the formative years of the industry as the basis for the entire packaged home video industry.

CDSA was originally founded by Finley as the International Tape Association (ITA) in 1970 at the dawn of the audio cassette. Finley, a concert promoter in San Diego and partner with the Dorsey Brothers, later became a pioneer in TV broadcast as a late-night TV host in Los Angeles. This was followed by his pioneering work as owner of the International Tape Cartridge Corporation (ITCC), which produced and distributed eight-track cassettes on behalf of per 50 record labels worldwide. The non-profit association he later formed played a leadership role in the roll out of tape-based consumer entertainment, first in audio and then in video. Renamed the International Recording Media Association (IRMA), the association’s membership was deeply involved in the manufacturing development of the Compact Disc, DVD and then Blu-ray. As the Content Delivery & Security Association (CDSA) the group now exclusively focuses on protecting the intellectual property and copyrights of content holders worldwide.

“Over 40 years later Larry’s association still exists, working to protect the intellectual property of those entertainers he respected and loved,” his grandson Guy Finley explained at last night’s induction ceremony.