While the entertainment industry continues to evolve with increasingly sophisticated audio, lighting and video systems, one aspect remains virtually invisible to the audience, yet is critical to every production: connectivity infrastructure.
From Iquique, in northern Chile, CYV Music, the official distributor of LINK, is driving a project that goes far beyond the commercialization of connectors. Its goal is to develop customized solutions, reduce setup times and move toward the standardization of multipin systems to optimize the operation of large-scale productions throughout the region.
When one artist finishes performing at a festival and another takes the stage just minutes later, the audience can hardly imagine the technical complexity behind that transition. As the lights go down and the music continues, dozens of professionals work against the clock to reconnect complete audio, lighting, video and intercom systems, knowing that every second can make the difference between a flawless transition and a problem during a live broadcast.
For years, technological evolution focused on large sound systems, consoles, video and lighting. However, one area continued to be handled differently by every company: connectivity.
That is precisely where Carlos Lantadilla, founder and director of CYV Music Ltda., decided to focus his efforts.
“Audio systems, consoles and the major brands were already fairly standardized. But when you looked at how each company handled its multipin connections, you found completely different solutions. That’s where we saw an opportunity to contribute something different,” he explains.
A company built for the professional market
Located in the Iquique Free Trade Zone (SOFRI)—a strategic position that facilitates distribution to different Latin American markets—CYV Music was founded thirteen years ago with a very clear objective: to focus exclusively on the professional market.
“We’re not looking to sell products to fill store shelves. Our focus has always been on the people who produce events and need reliable equipment. We make our living from the professional market, and we fully understand its needs,” says Lantadilla.
That philosophy also defines the company’s portfolio. Brands such as B&C Speakers, HK Audio, Marani, Montarbo, SoundTools, and more recently LINK, are part of an ecosystem designed to provide complete solutions rather than simply individual products.
“All the brands we represent share the same philosophy. We don’t add names just for the sake of it. Each one provides a specific solution, and together they allow us to solve our customers’ real needs,” he says.
LINK as the starting point for a much bigger idea
Bringing the Italian brand into the portfolio was not simply about finding a new connector supplier.
For several years, Lantadilla closely followed the Italian company before finally securing its representation.
“I pursued it for a long time because I saw there was a need that still wasn’t being met in South America. Many customers had to import these kinds of solutions directly from Europe or the United States. We wanted to bring that technology closer to the region, but we also wanted to do something more with it,” he recalls.
That “something more” ultimately became one of CYV Music’s most ambitious projects.
Together with Ale Jara, head of WiringHCS, they began developing fully customized multipin systems for each customer.
“We don’t manufacture a standard product. We analyze how each company operates and design a tailor-made solution. It’s literally a custom-made suit for every operation,” he says.
Every fan-out, splitter, multipin rack and distribution system is specifically designed for the operational reality of each production.
And there is one non-negotiable condition.
“Everything is built using LINK components. We don’t mix brands. To guarantee the level of quality and certification we’re aiming for, all of our solutions are based on LINK, LK Connectors and Eurocable.”
Not selling cables. Selling efficiency
If there is one phrase that summarizes CYV Music’s philosophy, it is probably the one Lantadilla repeats throughout the conversation.
“We don’t sell cables. We sell efficiency.”
The difference may seem subtle, but it completely changes the way a project is approached.
Instead of focusing only on connectors, the company analyzes setup times, staffing requirements, operational risks and future expansion possibilities.
The goal is to simplify processes.
One example is the ability to carry up to twelve DMX universes over a single CAT5 cable, significantly reducing the amount of cabling required for a production.
“Many customers still work with one cable per universe. We show them they can accomplish exactly the same thing using a single infrastructure, with faster setup times and much better organization,” he explains.
The benefits go beyond saving time.
They also reduce cable crossings, connection errors, potential points of failure and maintenance requirements.
When broadcast changes the rules
The growing number of festivals broadcast on television and digital platforms has further accelerated this need.
In broadcast productions, where artist changeovers must be completed in a matter of seconds, connectivity infrastructure has evolved from a technical detail into a mission-critical element.
“Today, almost every major festival is broadcast live. We’re no longer talking only about audio for the audience—we’re also talking about television and streaming. That’s where timing becomes even more demanding,” says Lantadilla.
One of the projects developed by CYV Music for TVN Chile proved exactly that.
After implementing a customized solution, the technical team itself highlighted the stability and signal quality achieved during pre-broadcast testing.
“They wrote to us saying how pleased they were because the signal was perfect. That kind of feedback confirms that we’re on the right track,” he says.
The company also develops solutions for businesses involved in major productions such as the Viña del Mar International Song Festival, where response speed is essential to the operational success of every show.
Demonstrating instead of convincing
Rather than relying solely on commercial arguments, Lantadilla prefers to let the results speak for themselves.
“Many times we do a very simple demonstration. We tell the customer, ‘You set it up using your system, and we’ll do it with ours.’ Then we compare setup times. Usually, that’s the end of any doubts,” he says with a smile.
This approach has also helped introduce these solutions to companies producing corporate events, conventions and smaller-scale productions.
“We want the tools currently used by major festivals to also reach companies producing smaller events. Efficiency shouldn’t depend on the size of the show.”
A vision that is beginning to expand
The model has already begun spreading beyond Chile.
Companies in Bolivia have incorporated these solutions into their daily operations, while new projects are moving forward in Peru, Colombia and Argentina.
One of the most representative cases involves a Bolivian rental company that significantly reduced both setup and teardown times.
“They gained more than an hour on every event. That allowed them to increase the number of productions they can complete each week. That’s when you realize you’re no longer talking only about connectors—you’re helping improve a company’s profitability,” Lantadilla explains.
Although CYV Music consists of just seven people, that lean structure is part of its own philosophy.
“We also strive to be efficient. You don’t need to be a huge company to develop high-level solutions when the entire team shares the same vision,” he says.
An invisible infrastructure that can transform the industry
While much of the market continues to associate innovation with new equipment or greater power, CYV Music proposes looking at an aspect that rarely makes headlines but supports every production from the very first minute: the infrastructure that connects every system.
From that perspective, the partnership with LINK goes far beyond distributing components. It becomes a platform for developing solutions tailored to each production, optimizing resources and responding to the growing demands of live entertainment and broadcast.
Because for Carlos Lantadilla, the industry’s true evolution is not always measured by what the audience sees on stage.
More often, it begins much earlier, in those invisible details that allow everything to work with precision. And when infrastructure is designed to make the job simpler, faster and more reliable, technology becomes the greatest ally of the professionals who make every show possible.
