Canadian Music Trade - October / November 2019 | Page 16

Tech 21 Celebrates Its 30 th Anniversary NEWS Tech 21 has been celebrating its 30 th anniversary throughout 2019. Founded in 1989 by B. Andrew Barta, the original SansAmp (later dubbed the Classic) is credited for helping pioneer tube amplifier emulation and the direct recording movement. Barta says he didn’t intend to become a man- ufacturer, but after trying to sell his technology to major manufacturers and being consistently turned down, he formed Tech 21 and set out on his own. Over the years, he has con- tinued to come up with new designs. Most recent- ly, in 2014, the success of Fly Rig 5 spawned an en- tire line of Fly Rigs, as well as signature artist models for Richie Kotzen and Paul B. ANDREW BARTA (LEFT) & DALE KREVENS Landers of Rammstein. “It’s hard to believe the company is 30 years old,” says Tech 21 VP Dale Krevens. “And I’m amazed how long we’ve had partnerships with our dis- tributors and artists, some being 20 years or more. It’s even more amazing how so many grew into true friendships. We are also fortunate to have a very low turnover of employees. A handful that started early on eventually retired from here. We are so thankful for having such incredible long-term relationships.” For more information, contact Tech 21: 973-777-6996, [email protected], www.tech21nyc.com. 16 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE The Music People Names New Director of Operations & Marketing Manager The Music People, parent compa- ny of On-Stage and TMP-Pro, has announced the appointments of Andrea Christiano as its new director of operations and Eric Palonen as its new marketing manager. Christiano joins TMP from lifestyle accessory brand BigMouth Inc. where she served as sales director of e-commerce. During her tenure, Christiano held multiple roles ranging from accounting and ANDREA CHRISTIANO customer service to sales operations and account management. Palonen also joins TMP from Big- Mouth Inc. where he held the position of marketing manager, developing the brand’s growth through key influencer marketing, web development, and trade events. Palonen has previously served as marketing manager and brand manager at inMusic Brands where he focused on the music producer and DJ market. He also held ERIC PALONEN positions at Sennheiser where he de- veloped marketing programs for Sennheiser’s headphone business unit. For more information, contact The Music People: 800-289-8889, www.musicpeopleinc.com.