Rock in Rio Lisboa with Martin Audio MLA loudspeakers
Loud Audio, LLC, a portfolio company of Transom Capital Group, announces the sale of Martin Audio from its portfolio of Pro Audio and MI businesses to UK-based mid-market private equity investor LDC, saying the move will allow Loud to narrow its focus and deliver a better experience to its customers.
"I've truly enjoyed being able to participate in the legacy of this much-lauded brand," says Mark Graham, CEO of Loud. "Bringing some of the technical and operational expertise of the Loud enterprise to Martin Audio and drawing on Martin's fanatical passion around sound quality created a nice marriage of capabilities. While we are sad to see them go, we believe this change will benefit both businesses by allowing for simplicity and focus. We wish the brand and all the Martin employees the very best of luck."
Martin Audio’s Managing Director Dom Harter says, "Our success to date has been underpinned by providing equipment of the utmost quality to help deliver an unforgettable listening experience to people across the globe. The next phase of our journey will benefit from an investment partner like LDC. LDC has demonstrated a shared vision with a focus on developing our product line even further, and ensuring we have a rock-solid infrastructure in place to extend our global reach and drive market share."
As part of the deal, LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, has invested £12m for a significant stake in the company. A company release says the investment will enable the business to further develop its product range, improve its sales and marketing capabilities through the extension of its global distribution network and enhance its digital infrastructure through software development.
Troy Harris-Speid, investment director at LDC in London, says, “Martin Audio has been on a fascinating growth journey since Dom joined. The business has a world class brand, history of innovative products and a management team with the ambition to build on a solid foundation to accelerate its expansion.
“Our investment and support will provide a step change for the business, injecting capital into key growth areas and bringing on board additional expertise to help guide its strategy.”
Martin Audio, founded in the 1970s by legendary sound engineer Dave Martin, now employs more than 60 people. The British company is enjoying strong growth on the back of new product releases and continuing success in the touring market.
James Oh, Partner at Transom Capital Group, says, "Reducing the complexity of the Loud business and re-focusing 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 owner for the Martin business and wish everyone involved much success in their pursuits."
Martin and Loud will be working together over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition for all customers, dealers, and distributors.
