VME, based in the north of England and headed by brothers Dio and Andrew Davie, has announced a major commitment with a significant investment in Martin Audio MLA in becoming the manufacturer’s largest global rental partner of the loudspeaker system platform.
After lockdown, the Davie brothers noted that the live events industry rebounded at such pace and velocity that inventories were quickly running dry. As part of the MLA network, they took a dynamic approach by repositioning themselves as dry hire specialists. The latest order for 475 cabinets is split into the following products: 179 x MLA; 24 x MLD; 80 x MLX; 40 x DSX; and 152 x MLA Compact.
Noting that they now hold in excess of 600 Martin Audio enclosures in total, VME operations manager Aaron Harvey-Holt says, “Dry hire has gone massive across the UK with everyone being short of kit.” He adds that the company had already been deliberating over acquiring another system: “It needed to be something that would fit with what we already had and be used on our own gigs but at the same time it needed to have a dry hire value — because there are some systems out there that people don’t really dry hire.”
A meeting in London with Martin Audio managing director Dom Harter moved the scenario forward and the deal was done, with Harvey-Holt explaining, “We had been desperately short of kit for dry hire this summer. This will not only ensure we don’t run short of stock again but will enable us to look at new sectors we can get into over the coming years. The long-term plan is to get back on the touring scene.”
One of the doors he predicts may open is the corporate world, largely due to the fact that part of the consignment is more than 150 of the smaller MLA Compact enclosures: “This is strategically designed to place us in the market for small, medium and large-scale gigs.”
Dion Davie adds, “There isn’t a system on the market that does what MLA does — it’s untouchable and nothing comes near it. As for the MLA Compact it really packs a punch for such a small box.”
VME has also invested in TORUS and is now in the process of becoming a Martin Audio house “right across the range.”
