Audio Distributors International Marks
Celebrating a Quarter-Century of Family & Music
Audio Distributors International ( ADI )
1275 Newton , # 6 Boucherville , QC J4B 5H2 450-449-8177 , FAX 450-449-8180 info @ adi-online . net www . adimi . ca , www . adipro . ca
By Michael Raine
Twenty-five years – a quarter of a century – is a long time . A lot can change in the world , in a life , in an industry , and in a company over such a span of time .
But 25 years can also seem like no time at all when you spend it pursuing a passion , and sharing that pursuit with those you love . That is the case with Audio Distributors International ( ADI ), the Lasnier family ’ s Quebec-based business and one of Canada ’ s premier midsized audio and MI distributors . But as is the case with many companies , ADI ’ s history stretches back much further than its establishment in 1993 .
“ As a teenager in the ‘ 60s , I was pretty good with a guitar and so I managed to get lots of recording gigs as a hired gun ,” begins ADI Founder and CEO Richard Lasnier , taking Canadian Music Trade back to his roots in the industry . “ I also played with a succession of somewhat popular regional bands . In my spare time , I bought , refurbished , resold , and collected used guitars , which eventually led to my opening my first business in 1970 , a music store called Richard ’ s Music Shop .”
As Richard recalls , when the home recording craze began in the mid- ‘ 70s ,
Richard ’ s Music Shop began to sell Tascam ’ s first cassette-based multi-track home studio recorders along with other related products . “ This quickly outgrew the musical instrument part of the business and in the early ‘ 80s , I changed the name to Richard Audio , which eventually became a leading and well-known pro audio retailer in Montreal ,” he continues . Having become the leading dealer in the country for Soundcraft recording equipment , Richard was given the Canadian distribution rights to the brand and Soundcraft Canada was born in 1981 . Their union was happy and fruitful for nearly a decade , though in 1990 , after Harman Industries had purchased Soundcraft , the new parent company gave Richard “ an offer [ he ] could not refuse ” for his shares in the company .
“ In the following years , I decided that I still wanted to be in the distribution business , so I founded Audio Distributors International [ in 1993 ] as a means to separate retail from distribution ,” he explains . By 1995 , the retail business hit hard times but the distribution business was picking up , so he made the decision to focus solely on distribution and ADI has been growing steadily ever since .
Since the beginning , Richard ’ s son Eric has been a key part of ADI ’ s development and success . “ I ’ ve always loved music but never had the ‘ musician gene ,’” says Eric . “ In the early years , when my father had his retail store , my involvement began as a summer job doing deliveries . When I finished my schooling , I was offered the entry level shipper / receiver position within my father ’ s store , which was vacant at the time , so I took it . As I worked closer and closer with the gear and the people , my path became clearer along with the desire to dedicate myself to my career in the family business .”
From the start , ADI has been a family affair . In the early years , it was just a three-person team , with Richard handling sales and administration , his wife and Eric ’ s mom , Diane , overseeing accounting , and Eric “ basically doing everything else the company needed from [ him ], including taking various specific courses to acquire necessary skills – product specialist , web design , etc .”
“ I was so proud and so happy when Eric decided to join the family business . I knew right then and there that we were going to do some nice mileage together ,” Richard happily recalls .
“ Since I essentially began as the
24 • CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE