With a wealth of experience spanning two decades working for esteemed brands, Mike van Velzen joined Artsound with a strategic vision to expand the brand’s presence in export markets and cater to a broader consumer base. Proficient in both consumer and project sectors, Mike brings a seasoned professionalism to his role. In an exclusive interview with Smart Home World, Mike van Velzen sheds light on the latest product range and unveils plans for Artsound’s venture into the Indian Market

Artsound has been in the industry for around a decade, tell us about your journey so far. 

Artsound was established based on a deep understanding of customer needs. As the parent company distributed various brands across Europe, valuable feedback from dealers and end customers drove the inception of Artsound. Thus, 25 years ago, we embarked on the journey of designing and manufacturing our own speakers and electronics under the Artsound brand. With a philosophy that emphasizes the seamless integration of sound into everyday life, our products accompany consumers throughout their daily routines. Over the past 25 years, Artsound has evolved from a niche player to a comprehensive solutions provider. Today, our motto “We speak sound” reflects our commitment to developing devices that enable users to enjoy music at home, in the office, factory, or while on the move.

What potential opportunities do you foresee for Artsound in the Indian market, given your extensive industry experience?

With Artsound, we bring a wealth of audio expertise and innovation to India, tapping into the country’s rapid societal evolution and vast opportunities. Our collaboration with MZ presents a compelling proposition for our shared customers. Operating across three key sectors—Residential, Professional, and Industrial—we offer European-designed products renowned for their exceptional Price/Quality ratio. You don’t need a hefty budget to experience superior sound quality. Moreover, Artsound’s extensive range caters to diverse customer requirements, providing solutions for various settings including home, work, leisure, and on-the-go. Our flexibility ensures adaptation to the unique needs of the Indian market, delivering exceptional audio experiences wherever you go.

How do you plan to leverage your partnership with MZ to launch and establish Artsound’s presence in India?

We believe that the strong presence and experience of MZ in India, together with the extensive product range of Artsound will offer a multitude of solutions for Indian consumers and businesses. MZ has a proven track record, and holds tone of the DNA pillars of ArtSound: `listen before you talk’. Base your activities on what a consumer need. Be it in a home setting, offering attractive multiroom/multizone solutions, or in a business offering a relaxed atmosphere to both employees and customers. We are very happy with the partnership and 27 years of experience in India that MZ brings to the table. 

Can you elaborate on the range of audio products that Artsound intends to introduce in India through the partnership with MZ?

Artsound is committed to introducing products tailored to meet the demands of the Indian market. Currently, our focus lies on traditional installation solutions, particularly consumer home products such as our popular Happi 525 in-ceiling speaker. Additionally, we plan to unveil outdoor speakers suitable for both consumer and professional markets, catering to establishments like restaurants and sports clubs. Our 100V line of audio products holds significance for commercial installations, including hotels, shopping spaces, and restaurants. Artsound also provides mixing amplifiers and zone players to complement these solutions. Collaboratively, MZ and Artsound will meticulously assess the market to determine the best-suited products for India, potentially expanding our current offerings accordingly.

What are the unique selling points (USPs) of Artsound’s audio solutions, and how do you plan to differentiate them in the Indian market?

When designing products, Artsound always considers its intrinsic values. The product must deliver excellent value for money, be easy to install and use, and exceed the customers’ expectations, in whatever situation the product is used. We will not launch the most exclusive product in the world, but we will offer the best possible solution. The music needs to be enjoyed, wherever you are. Next to that we also support MZ with our 25 year history, we will train and support our distributors so they can do the same with their customers.  We will make sure the end customer receives the best option available to them at a reasonable price.  

Could you provide insights into Artsound’s multiroom Solutions and how they cater to apartments of various sizes and budget categories in the Indian context? 

Artsound offers various solutions for both residential and commercial. One of our most popular products is the Smart Hyde/Smart Stream. A small footprint amp that has a linkplay module built in and additional connectivity features. This will allow an installer or even an end consumer to easily create a music zone in the apartment. Depending on the network structures available in the structure, this can be expanded to more than enough zones for 99% of the jobs. Artsound also has a 4-zone amplifier and streamer that can be expanded and built into a rackmount. 

In March Artsound will also introduce the Smart Evo and Smart Single. Both are based on the same platform, the versatile Evo can be placed with a TV as it has HDMI ARC built in, so directly becomes a go-to product for any room with a TV that requires a small form factor product. From a living room to a board room. The single is an active in-ceiling speaker that has multiroom functionality built into it. Just connect it to power, if needed expand it with a second speaker, and you have your zone. 

How does Artsound ensure scalability and customization options for multiroom setups to meet diverse consumer needs?

ArtSound is built by passionate people. Which includes a personal follow-up, very fast reactivity, and absolute flexibility.  Flexibility is in our DNA. We are a great little small team that works together with our customers in providing solutions. You can start with one and don’t require a central hub. You can expand that to the number you need. Either, by multiple at the time, or in singles. The only limit is the quality of your network. 

I understand that Smart EVO, Smart In Set, Smart Zone, 4 AMP, and Smart Hyde are some of your popular product ranges. Could you elaborate on each of these and their USP? 

ArtSound is a family, and so is the Smart range. It means, everything connects with every device, whatever the architecture is. And they remain an open window on all the streaming devices of this world. Everywhere, anytime. They all work with a streaming solution that is available to a multitude of bigger and smaller manufacturers. This means the consumer has the flexibility to choose different products that can work together. It also means that with a larger installed base, you will have the advantage of faster and better updates. The products are also easy to install and reasonably priced compared to others in the industry. Also, control is easily done. Either via the app or via KNX systems if the total system is more complicated. 

Which streaming protocols are Artsound’s Audio Systems compatible with, and how will it enhance the user experience in Indian homes?

Artsound’s streaming protocols are Spotify Connect, AirPlay 1 or 2, Tidal Connect, DLNA, UPnP, Qplay, Internet Radio, Qobuz, Napster, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, vTuner, SoundMachine, RadioParadise, Calm Radio, QQ music, and QQ Fm. Either via Wi-Fi or a wired network. You can also use a Bluetooth connection. These can be controlled via apps on Android or iOS.    

How does Artsound ensure seamless connectivity and integration with various smart home ecosystems prevalent in India?

So currently our products support the Linkplay platform, as do many other manufacturers. We also support the KNX ecosystem. We will work together with our partners to expand the number of ecosystems that we will support, and course closely monitor the developments of new platforms like Matter. 

Does Artsound accommodate customization orders from clients in India, and if so, how do you manage such requests while maintaining efficiency?

Artsound has very good ties with the supply chain and can cater to that. If there is a client-specific requirement that can be fulfilled by adapting our current offering then we can do that if it makes sense to all the partners involved in the supply chain. Artsound can develop and produce smaller production runs. As we have done for a hospital in Belgium. 

In your opinion, how will advancements in IoT, AI, and cloud computing impact the evolution of consumer audio technologies in the Indian market, and how is Artsound preparing to stay ahead of these trends?

We will need to manage all these new technologies and keep a close look at these developments. But we will do it in a ‘safe mode’. What I mean is that the second mouse eats the cheese. Not the first one. With early adapters, you can create some press audience, but with a reliable, well-thought-out and tested approach, you create loyal clients. It is certain that connected products, that we also supply, will be parts of a bigger scheme and could be addressed. So. AI will help in the design of new products and consumer preferences, as long as it adds value to our customers we will follow these trends closely. 

Could you share Artsound’s long-term vision and objectives for its presence in the Indian market, including any milestones or targets set for the coming years?

India holds significant importance as a market for us, driven not only by macroeconomic factors but also by the demands of its young population. As this demographic enjoys increasing spending power, there is a growing need for solutions that cater to their needs and preferences. By offering products across various price brackets, we aim to ensure accessibility and cater to a wider consumer base. We firmly believe that MZ is the ideal partner to help us expand our presence in India, spanning both consumer and commercial segments. Together, we are poised to meet the diverse needs of Indian consumers and businesses effectively.

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RTI has added the MS-1 Music Streamer to its line of music control products. Unveiled at ISE 2022 in Barcelona, the RTI MS-1 Music Streamer supports high-res audio, popular streaming services, and locally stored music files. It is intended to be a single-stream solution for RTI control systems in residential or commercial settings, but it can also be used to add a stream to an existing RTI Music system. The MS-1, like the three-stream MS-3, delivers high-resolution audio (24bit/192kHz) from the most popular streaming music services or a local NAS to any room with the push of a button.

“Music is a touchpoint of life, whether you’re at home or at a business, and we want to make it easy and enjoyable to access music playlists and streaming services from within the RTI control experience,” said Neal Ellsworth, Director of Project Management, RTI. “The MS-1 delivers a single-stream option with all the integrator and user benefits of the RTI Music system. Together, the MS-1 and the three-stream MS-3 give the integrator options to cost-effectively get the right number of streams into a project.”

The RTI MS-1 Music Streamer supports lossless audio (FLAC and ALAC) and can connect to popular streaming services or a client’s personal music collection on a local NAS drive or computer. Users can browse playlists and search for favorite songs, artists, and albums on their preferred services via the control app, which is integrated with RTI control and RTI Music.

AirPlay allows any user, including visitors who have Apple Music, to play music from their preferred platform on any Apple device. The Music Queue function allows you to create a music queue on the fly by selecting “play now,” “play later,” or “play soon.” Favorite playlists can include tracks from a variety of sources, including online services and local devices.

RTI Music works with a variety of streaming services, including Pandora, Spotify, SiriusXM, iHeart, TuneIn, and RTI Music. Apple Music and Amazon Music can be streamed using AirPlay. BBC Sounds and Qobuz are two new services that have been added. It also works with SiriusXM For Business and SoundMachine, two commercial music streaming services with whom RTI just collaborated.

SoundMachine’s fully licensed, cloud-based music service for businesses provides recurring monthly revenue opportunities for integrators implementing the RTI Music streaming audio system. RTI dealers can deliver and monetize fully licensed music services (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SOCAN, RE-SOUND, and Global Music Rights) in restaurants, bars, hotels, and other commercial applications using this solution as a service.

The MS-1 will be available to distributors and integrators globally in early June.

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RTI has partnered with SoundMachine, a leading business music subscription service, to provide integrators deploying the RTI Music streaming audio system, recurring monthly revenue opportunities using SoundMachine’s fully-licenced, cloud-based music service.RTI dealers can use this solution to sell and monetize fully licensed music services (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SOCAN, RE-SOUND, and Global Music Rights) in restaurants, bars, hotels, and other commercial settings.

“Music is an integral part of the business atmosphere, engaging customers in a meaningful way and encouraging repeat visits,” said Neal Ellsworth, Director of Product Management, RTI. “The RTI Music integration with SoundMachine makes it easy for integrators to create memorable customer experiences with a trusted, cloud-based licensed music service and then participate in the ongoing revenue stream”, added Ellsworth.

SoundMachine makes it simple to play fully-licenced music to engage customers in retail, restaurants, hospitality, and other settings. The Business Plan and the Business Premium plan are two service tiers that RTI dealers can provide to their customers. Over 100 playlists with a variety of style settings, pre-programmed personalised announcements, various sources within one location, several locations with one central account, and an annual prepaid subscription with discounts and no contracts are all available with the Business Plan.

The Business Premium package includes over 500 playlists and is able to import playlists from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and other services. RTI dealers will receive 10% of service subscription fees, allowing the dealers to generate recurring revenue for their businesses.

RTI Music combines music streaming control with TV, lighting, shades, climate, security directly from the control and automation system environment. This seamless integration eliminates the need to leave the control app to find music or navigate a playlist. As a result, employees can concentrate on the customer experience rather than the technology. RTI Music’s various continuous streams allow different areas of the business to stream distinct playlists, all of which are fully licenced through SoundMachine.

“Ultimately, our goal is to create the best possible user experience for businesses and their customers,” said SoundMachine CEO Matteo Luppi. “The RTI control integration does precisely that while providing RTI dealers with a new recurring revenue stream”, added Luppi.

For More Information Visit: https://www.rticontrol.com/ & https://sound-machine.com/  

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