According to TTA's sales and marketing manager, Flemming S°rensen, the move made sense for all parties concerned. "Scandinavia is a small market, so it's very common for companies to collaborate between countries. Drammen Lyd and Alfa Audio already knew each other very well, and Alfa Audio is in fact owned by Arva Trading in Sweden, so the link there is clear. The result for TTA is a strong foothold in three Scandinavian countries - Denmark, Norway and Sweden - with companies who can support each other mutually and for whom TTA is an ideal fit."
Alfa Audio MD, Lars Frederiksen, adds, "All three companies carry high-end products for the theatre market - in fact, where possible, we try to carry the same brands - and of course, because we operate in small territories, we also handle systems contracting as well as distribution. It is therefore in our interest to carry the products we like to specify in our jobs, and TTA with their Stagetracker FX product falls into that category.
"Arva Trading had already proved to us that it was an excellent complement to their portfolio, so we decided that it was about time we took on the product range for Denmark, and Drammen Lyd for Norway! Fortunately for us, Flemming agreed, and so here we are."
"Lars and Rasmus [Rasmus Eide of Drammen Lyd] were very persuasive," said S°rensen. "I had been handling those markets myself as I am based in Denmark, but the synergy between the three companies is undeniable, as indeed is the synergy between TTA and the brands they already represent. I couldn't possibly refuse."
In addition to the growing list of prestigious venues that have already invested in a Stagetracker FX system (the Norwegian National Opera House, the Royal Danish Playhouse in Copenhagen, the Svenske Theatre in Helsinki, the Kolarac Concert Hall in Belgrade, Serbia, and most recently the Malm° Opera House in Sweden), Lars Frederiksen sees the possibility of a wide range of applications beyond installed live sound.
"TTA have made their Stagetracker system so easy to deploy, why not take it on tour? I see this as a great product for rental companies for major tours and Broadway-style touring shows, and for the rental business in general to make the product more accessible for mid-sized venues that aren't able to invest in a system for themselves, but could certainly rent one for certain shows. I'm delighted to be part of the TTA family now, and looking forward to doing good business with the product."
(Jim Evans)
