Sound Art
Sound Art is a privately held Canadian professional audio services company founded in 1981 that rents, tours, installs and sells professional sound, lighting and mobile-stage equipment for live events, touring artists, festivals, sports venues and houses of worship across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersWinnipeg, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sound Art does
Sound Art is a privately held Canadian professional audio services company founded in 1981 in Winnipeg by Dave Cousins, who remains President and owner. The company provides equipment rentals, touring production, permanent installations, lighting rentals, mobile staging and retail/used-gear sales from three operational locations — Winnipeg (headquarters at 588 Bernat Road), Calgary (6027 - 79th Avenue SE), and Toronto (Sound Art Touring) — and serves touring artists, live-event producers, festivals, sports venues, houses of worship, casinos and educational institutions across Canada, the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and Southeast Asia through a worldwide affiliated-company network.
The core offering rests on a $10M+ rental inventory that includes 280 Electro-Voice line array elements (X-Line, XLC-DVX, XLD), d&b audiotechnik J-Series systems (J8, J12, J-Sub, J-Infra, Q7, M2), and the latest digital and analog consoles from Midas, Avid, DiGiCo, Yamaha, Soundcraft and Allen & Heath, complemented by wireless microphone, in-ear monitor and intercom systems from Shure, Sennheiser and Telex. Value is delivered by a 40+-person staff of full-time engineers whose tenure — many from the company's founding cohort — supports turnkey show delivery from system design through execution, with cross-discipline packages that integrate lighting (Martin, Clay Paky, Ayrton, Chauvet), Stageline hydraulic mobile stages under an exclusive Canadian operator agreement, and permanent installation work.
Sound Art monetizes through five streams: (1) audio equipment rentals — its anchor revenue line — billed by event/show; (2) touring production services for national and international acts; (3) permanent audio system installations (consultation, design, deployment) for venues; (4) retail sales of new equipment from premier manufacturers via shop.soundart.com; and (5) used-equipment resale through a dedicated online storefront. Pricing is quote-based across all channels, targeting enterprise clients. The company holds the 2007 Parnelli Award for Regional Sound Company of the Year, is an FOH Hometown Hero Canada winner, and has been the audio provider for the Juno Awards, Calgary Stampede grandstand shows and similar marquee engagements. Legal entities are Sound Art Winnipeg Inc. (Manitoba) and Sound Art Calgary Inc. (Alberta); Sound Art Touring operates the Toronto division.
Sound Art firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sound Art
- Legal name
- Sound Art Winnipeg Inc.
- Website
- https://soundart.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sound Art is a privately held Canadian professional audio services company founded in 1981 that rents, tours, installs and sells professional sound, lighting and mobile-stage equipment for live events, touring artists, festivals, sports venues and houses of worship across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sound Art industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Audio Equipment Rental
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Sound & Stage Equipment (PA Systems, Amplification, Monitoring) (MPAIAJAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Pro Audio Equipment (Mics, Interfaces, Mixers, Studio Monitors) (MPAIAJAB)
Keywords
Where Sound Art is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Winnipeg
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Sound Art business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Audio Equipment Rentals: Rental of professional audio equipment including line arrays, point source systems, digital and analog consoles, wireless microphones, in-ear monitors, and intercom systems for concerts and events
- Equipment Sales: Retail sales of new professional audio equipment including consoles, speakers, processing, amplification, microphones, recording equipment from major manufacturers
- Audio Installations: Complete consultation, design, and installation services for permanent audio systems in venues including houses of worship, arenas, educational institutions, and entertainment facilities
- Touring Production Services: Sound reinforcement services for touring artists including system design, equipment provision, and engineering for national and international tours
- Used Equipment Sales: Sale of pre-owned professional audio equipment through the company's used gear store
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Sound Art product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sound Art is a Winnipeg-based professional audio equipment rental and services company founded in 1981 that supplies audio and lighting equipment rentals, mobile stages, pro audio and lighting retail sales (including new and used gear), and permanent installation services to touring artists, live-event producers, and venue operators across Canada.
Product overview
Sound Art is a premier international professional sound rental company offering comprehensive audio services from facilities in Calgary and Winnipeg, with a worldwide network of affiliated companies. The company provides state-of-the-art audio equipment hire, audio expertise through dedicated engineers, equipment sales, installations, and mobile staging services. The product portfolio centers on audio equipment rentals (digital and analog consoles, line arrays, point source systems, wireless mics/in-ear monitors/intercom), lighting equipment rentals, mobile stage rentals, equipment sales, and permanent installation services. The company operates with over 40 full-time engineers and maintains rental inventory exceeding $10 million including 280+ Electro-Voice line array elements and consoles from Midas, Avid, DiGiCo, and Yamaha.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pro Audio Equipment Rental Rental of professional audio systems, consoles, and backline for touring artists, concerts, and live events.
- Professional Lighting Equipment Rental Rental of professional lighting fixtures, consoles, and rigging for concerts, tours, and live events.
- Mobile Stage Rental Rental of mobile staging systems for outdoor events, festivals, and touring productions.
- Pro Audio & Lighting Retail Sales (New and Used Gear Store) Retail sale of new and used professional audio and lighting equipment to customers purchasing their own gear.
- Permanent Audio, Lighting & Staging Installation Design, supply, and installation of fixed audio, lighting, and staging systems in permanent entertainment, worship, and institutional venues.
Companies that use Sound Art
Customer profileNamed customers28 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sound Art technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Sound Art partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Stageline Mobile StagescoreExclusive reseller and operator of Stageline mobile stages for the Canadian market, offering hydraulic mobile stage systems for events requiring temporary stage infrastructure.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sound Art competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Production Resource Group (PRG): Global provider of entertainment and event technology solutions including audio, video, lighting, and rigging. Overlaps with Sound Art on audio rental and live event production but at a much broader scale and across many more geographies and event types.
- Encore (formerly PSAV): Large-scale provider of event technology and production services for hotels, venues, and corporate events. Comparable to Sound Art's installation and event-services business but oriented toward in-house venue and hospitality customers with a much larger service portfolio.
- d&b audiotechnik: German-based manufacturer of professional audio systems with a strong presence in the rental and installation market. Directly comparable as a key brand Sound Art carries (J-Series) and competes with on premium line array deployments, but as an OEM rather than a rental competitor.
Others
- Stageline Mobile Stages: Canadian-based manufacturer of hydraulic mobile stage systems and Sound Art's exclusive Canadian reseller/operator partner. Comparable not as a direct competitor but as a strategic supply and distribution partner that extends Sound Art's event infrastructure offering.
Direct peers
- AVL Media Group: Canadian-based distributor and rental provider of pro audio, lighting, and video equipment. Comparable to Sound Art in Canadian market presence and premium-brand equipment focus, though stronger on distribution/retail and lighter on full touring production.
- Eighth Day Sound: US-based touring audio provider offering large-format line array systems and front-of-house engineering for arena and stadium tours. Direct peer in the high-end touring sound reinforcement segment with overlapping premium inventory (e.g., d&b, L-Acoustics) and artist clients.
- Solotech: Canadian-headquartered provider of audio, video, lighting, and rigging rentals for live events and permanent installations. Directly comparable to Sound Art in core offering, customer base (touring artists, festivals, venues), and Canadian market footprint, but operates at significantly larger scale.
- Clair Brothers: US-based live sound reinforcement rental and touring company with a long history serving major artists on arena and stadium tours. Closely comparable to Sound Art in inventory depth, premium-brand positioning, and tour-engineering service model, though geographically focused on the US market.
- Rat Sound Systems: US-based touring sound reinforcement and festival audio provider with deep roots in rock and alternative touring. Comparable to Sound Art in the line array rental, festival sound, and tour production services it delivers to headlining artists.
- Sound Image: US-based touring audio rental and production company serving major music acts and corporate events. Comparable to Sound Art in core pro audio rental inventory, system-engineering services, and customer profile (headline touring artists).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sound Art social profiles
Digital presenceSound Art financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sound Art leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Sound Art funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sound Art M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sound Art
What does Sound Art do?
Sound Art is a Winnipeg-based professional audio equipment rental and services company founded in 1981 that supplies audio and lighting equipment rentals, mobile stages, pro audio and lighting retail sales (including new and used gear), and permanent installation services to touring artists, live-event producers, and venue operators across Canada.
Is Sound Art a public or private company?
Sound Art is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Sound Art founded?
Sound Art was founded in 1981. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sound Art based?
Sound Art is headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Sound Art make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Audio Equipment Rentals are the primary driver. The others are equipment Sales, audio Installations, touring Production Services and used Equipment Sales.
Who are Sound Art's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Production Resource Group (PRG), Encore (formerly PSAV) and d&b audiotechnik. Stageline Mobile Stages is listed as an others. Direct peers are AVL Media Group, Eighth Day Sound, Solotech, Clair Brothers, Rat Sound Systems and Sound Image.
Does Sound Art have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sound Art.
What industry is Sound Art in?
Sound Art's product category is Professional Audio Equipment Rental. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAJAD, Live Sound & Stage Equipment (PA Systems, Amplification, Monitoring), with a secondary code of MPAIAJAB, Pro Audio Equipment (Mics, Interfaces, Mixers, Studio Monitors). Its NAICS code is 512.