Save Tour Supply!
Donation protected
Founded in 1998 in St Paul, MN., Tour Supply began with the simple idea of supplying touring professionals with the gear they need while on the road. Throughout the years, we have expanded to locations across the country, to better facilitate our touring customers. We’ve brought products to the industry and have become an almost household name behind the scenes for major touring acts.
Larry Martin began this journey while working for a pro audio company out of Minneapolis during the Prince Revolution, where he worked alongside both young and veteran industry folk at Paisley Park. During this time he became good friends with MaGoo, and with every fresh face that worked with Prince, MaGoo would direct the crew’s needs and requests to Larry. Though as most who have worked with Prince knew, the job was rarely secure but rather a stepping off point to work with professional touring acts across the country. Before long, Larry met and helped many people who were on their way to being part of the life force that the industry is today. The pro audio business ultimately was purchased by a video company, and Larry ultimately moved on to Torps Music in 1990, which happened to be one of the first Fender dealers in the country. Larry Martin brought his pro audio and wireless knowledge with him as wireless had become affordable and accessible, and had been already selling to major touring acts. Ultimately, Larry’s experiences in pro audio, store front sales, and his relationships with touring professionals provided an opportunity to start something new. With his sight on this niche market, and a desire to work with touring professionals, Larry Martin, his then-business partner, and an old friend got together to start up Tour Supply out of a small section of a house in St Paul. It later grew to a warehouse outside of the Twin Cities, and then grew nationally from there.
Tour Supply’s goal has been and will always be to make life on the road better. Production managers, P.A.s, and various road crews are able to make one phone call to get almost anything. We’ve specialized in expendables, cases, wireless, pro audio, backline, safety, and other tools aimed to make the job on the road easier and safer. Though we are much more than your typical audio visual retail operation. We’ve sent Hostess Cupcakes to the Prince tour, while touring in Europe. A specific electronic toothbrush for the Rolling Stones. We’ve put wireless rigs on flights to ship out the same day to a show that would not have been able to go on without it. We truly appreciate everyone who has made this company the resource that it is today, by utilizing what we are willing to offer. Our loyal customers have been the lifeline of our company. These professionals work tiring hours to make the show go on, and we’re proud of supporting these crews that can often go overlooked or unappreciated in an industry that creates magic and wonder for millions of people all around the world. We're so very thankful that we've been able to grow as we have, primarily through word of mouth, and look forward to continuing these meaningful relationships.
Today, Tour Supply has served touring professionals for over 20 years, with Larry Martin’s 40 years of experience in the industry leading the way. We saw a niche within the market and made a dream come true. With the singular goal of catering to the crews that make the show go on, we’ve felt honored to be part of that experience.
However, the COVID-19 Pandemic has been a wake up call for us. As we have built ourselves our own corner in a niche market, we have found that our dependency on that market cannot be sustained while the touring industry is inactive. As many of us now know, there is a fair bit of information out there about the live event industry not coming back like other industries. Tour Supply is not exempt from this peril. We depend on the touring industry to survive, and with touring and live entertainment on hold for the rest of the year we are in need of your help. Please donate if you can and help share our plea. We hope that when the trucks load in, stages go up, and sound is checked… Tour Supply will be with you every step of the way!
Tour Supply Inc.
Serving Touring Professionals Worldwide
Larry Martin began this journey while working for a pro audio company out of Minneapolis during the Prince Revolution, where he worked alongside both young and veteran industry folk at Paisley Park. During this time he became good friends with MaGoo, and with every fresh face that worked with Prince, MaGoo would direct the crew’s needs and requests to Larry. Though as most who have worked with Prince knew, the job was rarely secure but rather a stepping off point to work with professional touring acts across the country. Before long, Larry met and helped many people who were on their way to being part of the life force that the industry is today. The pro audio business ultimately was purchased by a video company, and Larry ultimately moved on to Torps Music in 1990, which happened to be one of the first Fender dealers in the country. Larry Martin brought his pro audio and wireless knowledge with him as wireless had become affordable and accessible, and had been already selling to major touring acts. Ultimately, Larry’s experiences in pro audio, store front sales, and his relationships with touring professionals provided an opportunity to start something new. With his sight on this niche market, and a desire to work with touring professionals, Larry Martin, his then-business partner, and an old friend got together to start up Tour Supply out of a small section of a house in St Paul. It later grew to a warehouse outside of the Twin Cities, and then grew nationally from there.
Tour Supply’s goal has been and will always be to make life on the road better. Production managers, P.A.s, and various road crews are able to make one phone call to get almost anything. We’ve specialized in expendables, cases, wireless, pro audio, backline, safety, and other tools aimed to make the job on the road easier and safer. Though we are much more than your typical audio visual retail operation. We’ve sent Hostess Cupcakes to the Prince tour, while touring in Europe. A specific electronic toothbrush for the Rolling Stones. We’ve put wireless rigs on flights to ship out the same day to a show that would not have been able to go on without it. We truly appreciate everyone who has made this company the resource that it is today, by utilizing what we are willing to offer. Our loyal customers have been the lifeline of our company. These professionals work tiring hours to make the show go on, and we’re proud of supporting these crews that can often go overlooked or unappreciated in an industry that creates magic and wonder for millions of people all around the world. We're so very thankful that we've been able to grow as we have, primarily through word of mouth, and look forward to continuing these meaningful relationships.
Today, Tour Supply has served touring professionals for over 20 years, with Larry Martin’s 40 years of experience in the industry leading the way. We saw a niche within the market and made a dream come true. With the singular goal of catering to the crews that make the show go on, we’ve felt honored to be part of that experience.
However, the COVID-19 Pandemic has been a wake up call for us. As we have built ourselves our own corner in a niche market, we have found that our dependency on that market cannot be sustained while the touring industry is inactive. As many of us now know, there is a fair bit of information out there about the live event industry not coming back like other industries. Tour Supply is not exempt from this peril. We depend on the touring industry to survive, and with touring and live entertainment on hold for the rest of the year we are in need of your help. Please donate if you can and help share our plea. We hope that when the trucks load in, stages go up, and sound is checked… Tour Supply will be with you every step of the way!
Tour Supply Inc.
Serving Touring Professionals Worldwide
Organizer and beneficiary
Kevin Martin
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
Laurence Martin
Beneficiary
