It turned out badly with sound and light - Newspaper Kommersant No. 185 (7386) dated 10/06/2022

It turned out badly with sound and light - Newspaper Kommersant No. 185 (7386) dated 10/06/2022



Sellers and distributors of equipment for organizing concerts and shows are faced with a shortage of equipment. Up to 70% of sound and light systems were produced by American and European manufacturers, and official deliveries of this equipment have practically ceased. In addition, specialists working with this technique often now leave the country or are subject to partial mobilization.

The organizers of concerts and entertainment events told Kommersant that they are facing difficulties in the supply of technical support equipment. We are talking about studio equipment, sound and light control panels, radio systems, microphones and headphones. According to Yuri Kholodok, owner of the DJStore group of companies, after the start of the military operation and the imposition of Western sanctions, supplies to Russia of European and American equipment for organizing concerts, which accounted for 70% of the total pool of equipment purchases, practically ceased.

The share of purchases of equipment from the USA and Europe decreased several times, almost all musical systems were in short supply (Pioneer, Native Instruments equipment, Arturia studio equipment, Sennheiser microphones and headphones, Allen Heath digital and analog mixers, Shure microphones and radio systems, etc.). etc.), a member of the Association of Event DJs Olivia Chistova confirms the trend.

The head of promotion and production at MTS Entertainment, Yanina Tataritska, says that “at the moment” there is no shortage of equipment for organizing concerts (lamps, speakers, consoles): “Our requests for equipment for events have been worked out by companies that provide it for rent.” However, she notes that prices for technical support for concerts have increased by 20-30% since the beginning of the military operation, and equipment for large projects and shows must be ordered in advance, which is why delivery times and the cost of the rental itself have increased.

Solving the problem with the help of parallel imports is only partially possible. Small distributors have started importing equipment for concerts, says Yury Kholodok, but they don't have warranty service and pricing is becoming "chaotic". According to him, the average cost of Western equipment, such as microphones and mixers, has increased from 30 thousand to 120-140 thousand rubles. The increased cost, as well as the increased delivery time, often makes working with parallel imports unprofitable for the event industry, which is already in stagnation, Ms. Chistova adds.

As a result, equipment from Europe and the USA is washed out of the Russian market by Chinese counterparts. About 90% of the total volume of purchases is occupied by Chinese equipment, says Mr. Kholodok. But, firstly, products from China cover far from all needs. “Among the most scarce positions are wireless radio systems,” Mr. Kholodok points out. And secondly, according to Olivia Chistova, quality problems remain: “Cheaper element base, immature engineering solutions, as well as a misunderstanding of the very concept of sound also affect. The price is lower than for equipment from the US and the EU, but in proportion to the quality.” Interest in domestic equipment is also growing, but so far few people produce it (ProTone from Krasnodar, Senzar from Chuvash, TDA Audio from Omsk, Universal Acoustics from Moscow).

After the beginning of partial mobilization in Russia, the shortage of equipment in the field of maintenance of events was supplemented by a shortage of personnel. According to the interlocutor of "Kommersant" in the market of lighting and sound equipment, in recent days a number of companies have lost specialists. “Some were mobilized, others decided to leave the country. If mobilization continues to gain momentum, then we will have to abandon 30% of our orders, since there will be no one to fulfill them, ”says the interlocutor of Kommersant.

Timofey Kornev



Source link