“The people in our industry are what makes it special. If you
take a good look at any manufacturer, distributor, or retailer that
has lasted 25 years or more in our industry, they all have one thing
in common: good people. Richard and Eric Lasnier are good
people – honest people that make their customers partners in
what they do. They are the keys to ADI’s success.
I’m proud to say that we here at Steve’s Music have contrib-
uted to that success as they have to ours. Happy 25 th anniversary
Richard, Eric, and everyone at ADI from everyone at Steve’s Music.
Here’s hoping for another 25 years of continued success!”
-Matthew Chafe, Purchaser, Steve’s Music Stores
RICHARD LASNIER, LOUIS-PHILIPPE BOITEAU & ERIC LASNIER
low man on a three-person team, I’ve pretty
much done it all, which is actually a great ad-
vantage,” continues Eric, listing his responsi-
bilities over the years, including shipping, re-
ceiving, deliveries, price lists, inventory, web
development, product specialist, service,
order desk, inventory management, market-
ing, and sales. “Having this broad experience
under my belt is a great asset because I can
clearly understand each position and the
relationship that exists between them.”
This has also positioned him well for the
future as the multi-year transition has begun
that will see Eric eventually take over for his
father as CEO.
The first exclusive line that ADI picked up –
and one that remains a key part of its port-
folio today – was Rode Microphones. Led
by Peter Freedman, Rode, of course, has
become a major global player in the studio,
home, and mobile recording market, but
in the early 1990s, it was a little-known
Australian company with just one serious
product to its name, the NT2 studio micro-
phone, and little-to-no market penetration
in North America.
“The infamous Hall E of The NAMM
Show! That’s where it all began. That’s when
I met the guys from Rode – Peter Freedman
and Colin Hill, may he rest in peace,” says
Richard. “We got off to a great start and we’ve
been like family ever since. Rode is in our
blood.”
The feeling is certainly mutual. When
CMT spoke to Freedman last year for his
company’s own 50 th anniversary, the Rode
founder was eager to speak about his love for
Canada and his Canadian distributor.
“Richard and Eric at ADI, they’re repre-
sentatives of us but they’re also our friends
and have been for a very long time and we’re
very, very loyal to people … They’re part of
the family and I love them. It’s great and you
can’t beat having known somebody for 20
years or more. It’s pretty special,” Freedman
shared over the phone from Australia. “The
other thing is, and [Canada is] bigger than us,
but you’re still not like the U.S.; you’re smaller
so it’s harder. If you make it in Canada, you’re
good, because it’s tough. It’s fewer people
and you’re sitting on the doorstep of an abso-
lute monster. The retailers or anybody in any
industry that does well in Canada is spectacu-
larly good at it.”
While Rode has been
in the ADI portfolio from the
beginning and continues to
be a valuable partner, both
professionally and person-
ally, for the Lasniers, other
brands have come and
gone for various reasons,
as is the case with any dis-
tributor. And through that
process, Richard says he has
learned a lot about the busi-
ness of taking on lines.
“There has definitely been a shift in our
selection process. In the very beginning,
when you are building a small company,
you tend to be less ‘selective’ when taking
on lines,” he explains. “As we’ve now reached
a fair size and have built an infrastructure
to accommodate further growth, we are
definitely more careful with our choices. We
gravitate towards long-term relationships with
forward-thinking brands that we can grow
with in the long run.”
That lineup of partners on the audio
side now includes, among others, studio
monitor and recording equipment compa-
nies Auratone, Blue Sky, Event Electronics,
Palmer Audio, Mc2, Galaxy Audio, and Ry-
cote, as well as mobile audio/video brands
like Beachtek and iOgrapher.
In 2013, Richard went back to his roots
by creating ADI’s MI division. “I think the right
answer is because I could,” he laughs, think-
ing about the decision. “It’s a passion. I’ve
always had a love affair with music and being
a veteran musician myself, I’ve always felt the
call to be part of this segment of the indus-
try. With our pro division doing very well un-
der the supervision of Eric and with the help
of our sales manager, Louis-Philippe Boiteau,
I had the opportunity to divert some of my
attention to fuelling my passion for musical
instruments while using my extensive expe-
rience to select the right products and drive
ADI’s further growth.”
Richard says the move into MI was
obvious because, even beyond his own love
of guitars and his 25 years of experience in
MI retail, ADI was already doing business
with a lot of MI dealers who carry their audio
brands, like Rode and Galaxy Audio, and who
have pro audio departments for PAs and
other gear.
ERIC & RICHARD LASNIER IN THE LATE ‘90s
CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE • 25