LOUD Audio sells EAW to RCF Group
The parent company of the Mackie brand, LOUD Audio, LLC has concluded the sale of Eastern Acoustics Works to the Italian company.
LOUD Audio has sold the EAW business from its portfolio of pro audio and MI businesses to Italian company RCF Group.
The deal is the third and final divestiture by LOUD parent company Transom aimed at enabling LOUD to narrow its focus to the Mackie brand.
“While I have truly enjoyed working with all of the brands in the LOUD legacy, now it’s time for us to turn the page and to be entirely focused on building the Mackie brand”, said Alex Nelson, Mackie’s president. “Our companies have long lived in a conglomeration of brands and I believe going forward all the brands are going to benefit from new found focus, alignment and investment. This last divestiture marks a particularly exciting time for Mackie employees worldwide who are now about to embark on a journey of re-invention and re-vitalisation.”
TJ Smith, president of EAW, added: “Having grown up with the EAW and Mackie brands, I can truly say that this is an exciting moment. Both brands are now in a significantly stronger position to support their unique partners and customers. I look forward to the continued development of Mackie and EAW under new and more focused ownership.”
Ty Schultz, managing partner at Transom Capital Group, concluded: “Simplifying the LOUD business to focus on high quality audio delivery from consumers to professionals has always been the focus of our thesis. We are very happy to have found a great new owner for the EAW brand and wish everyone involved much success going forward.”
EAW and LOUD say they will be working together over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition for all customers, dealers, and distributors.
In May, LOUD sold its Ampeg brand to Yamaha, with Alex Nelson, president and managing director of LOUD’s retail brands, stating: “While saying goodbye to the Ampeg brand is like saying goodbye to an old friend, we are really excited by the prospect of returning to our audio roots and feel proud to have been able to contribute to this amazing brand’s market strength and legacy over the past several years Ampeg has been loved and respected by both customers and by our LOUD employees alike, so we are happy to see it move into the hands of a company like Yamaha. We are confident that we have found Ampeg the best possible home.”
Source: mi-pro.co.uk
