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1. Freqport’s Mikael Dahlgaard. 2. Native Instruments’Simon Cross and Akai Professional’s Joe Richardson celebrate their new partnership. 3. Radial’s Jim Rhodes, Ben Chudyk and Roc Bubel. 4. Yamaha’s Preston Gray. 5. AlphaTheta’s Jay Bran- nan (DJ Jay), DJ Spark and Prianjoni Villaflor. 6. QSC’s Christophe Anet, Chris Brouelette and Ray van Straten with the new KC12 column loudspeaker. 7. Ear Trumpet Labs’Philip and Malachi Graham. 8. Gig Gear’s Danny and Jacob Shatzkes.
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ALL GEARED UP Innovation was king when it came to this year’s buzzy new gear releases, including QSC’s KC12 Active 3-Way Column Loud- speaker. The new speaker caught the at- tention of both NAMM’s Best in Show judges and our Editors’ Choice Awards committee for its innovative integration of subwoofer technology into a portable loudspeaker designed for DJs and musi- cians — expanding beyond QSC’s typical target audience. “The products that are in the current col- umn category have all been leaving the custom- ers wanting more performance,” explained Chris Brouelette, QSC’s product manager for
also touched on the partnership. “Martin and I have been friends for many, many years, and when this opportunity oc- curred, I was very thrilled,” Hvidt Nielsen said, adding that while the brand’s work in partnership, Austrian Audio will continue to develop and manufacture audio products under its own name in its native Vienna. Native Instruments and inMusic’s Akai Professional announced a major collabora- tion during this year’s show, with Akai’s hardware lineup now integrating seam- lessly with Native Instruments’ creative platform, offering a complete toolkit for musicians, producers and audio creators. RAD Distribution also announced a
collaboration with Music Tribe, striking a U.S. distribution deal that brings Music Tribe’s brands — including Behringer, TC Electronic, TC Helicon and Lab.Grup- pen, among others — within reach of all U.S. dealers. “This partnership ensures all retail- ers — big and small — can access Music Tribe’s innovative products,” said Uli Behringer in a statement released at the show. “For years, smaller retailers faced challenges accessing our vast lineup, but that changes today. RAD Distribution is breaking down barriers, expanding oppor- tunities and helping us forge meaningful connections with retailers nationwide.”
APRIL 2025 I MUSIC INC. I 49
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