UK-based Studiomaster has appointed Italian Speaker Imports (ISI) as its exclusive US distributor.
In a deal cemented at this year’s Namm show, the British company’s audio mixing consoles, amplifier products and loudspeakers have joineda roster of brands that includes FBT, JTS and Bespeco, as complementing the existing portfolio and positioning ISI as a ‘one-stop-shop’ and an end-to-end supplier of live sound equipment.
‘The partnership represents the combination of high-quality products and outstanding service and integrity,’ says ISI owner and President, John Krupa. ‘A significant aspect of ISI’s mission is to work with premium global brands in the audio industry and bring outstanding quality products to the US market. Studiomaster offers superior products that are held to the highest standards of quality control, resulting in a range of sound mixers, amplifiers, and loudspeakers that are highly competitive, including with brands typically offered at a higher price point.’
‘It is a partnership in which our respective company values are totally aligned,’ adds Studiomaster, General Manager Patrick Almond. ‘John and his team are dedicated to providing an exceptional customer experience, and his team includes several partners with previous involvement with and extensive knowledge of the Studiomaster brand, making the partnership an obvious one. We are confident that this deal will bring the brand back into prominence in the US market.’
With the world going into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the agreement, it could have been unfortunate timing, however Studiomaster/Carlsbro rapidly reshaped itself to the prevailing conditions of the crisis and convinced parent corporation Soundking to facilitate its continuing to trade its way through the pandemic and not go into lockdown. As part of that arrangement the UK operation supported Studiomaster/Carlsbro’s international markets via its distribution partners, promoting a positive attitude with new ideas and new products, and ways to help them work through their particular local issues.
‘We already had the experience of China being in lockdown for six weeks,’ says Almond. ‘That had produced a significant downturn in supply from China immediately ahead of the UK going into lockdown. As the UK went into lockdown supplies from China were starting to come back fully on-stream. We understood that the only way to ensure the company survived in the UK was to take the decision to trade our way through the crisis. We introduced measure to drastically reduce the number of people onsite in the offices and warehouse to alternating rosters of just three people at any time, and with everybody otherwise working from home. We managed an almost instant transition to a virtual Teams based sales operation, which has proven highly effective and, perhaps more surprisingly, highly efficient.
‘By correspondingly skewing our stock holding to the demands of markets, as worldwide, these changed virtually overnight, we have proven the wisdom of our strategy, not only surviving the economic consequences of the crisis but actually increasing our business significantly over the same period last year.
‘In the US, ISI has negotiated the patchwork of various state-wide shutdowns and re-openings over the extended period of the spread of the pandemic. Over these months it has been focused on attracting a growing number of tenders for Studiomaster market products, especially for our USB enabled micro mixer series and portable PA and it is now rapidly shipping these as orders.’
