Three former Air Company associates – Bob Johnston, Tim Tickner and Robert Armes – are getting together again in an expansion of Armes’ commercial music production company.

Johnston joins Armes Music as director of marketing and sales, and Tickner, who now lives in San Francisco, is opening a new company there in a joint venture with Armes.

Also, Armes is about to open a new studio facility in his east end Toronto office. The studio is also a joint venture, involving music and radio production associates Rick Shurman and Terry O’Reilly.

The studio will feature conventional 24-track and digital disc formats as well as fiber optic voice-patch capability.

Armes says these recent developments at his company reflect a general trend in the commercial music production business, in which small companies are opening their own studios to become more cost-efficient. Also, the arrival of Johnston on a full-time basis means Armes will be exploring markets outside of Toronto and the narrowing commercial niche more aggressively.

Armes completed a major project last year when he handled all the music for the CTV Television Network’s Winter Olympics.

And with midi machines, modems and the improvement in courier services, a hookup between Armes and Tickner a continent apart becomes feasible.

Johnston, who attempted to open American markets when he worked at The Air Company, says it’s crucial to have a physical presence in a market to get business. The tie-in with Tickner, under the company name Alleged Music, could open up the West Coast to Armes, and it will also mean that Tickner’s services will become more readily available to the Toronto market.

‘We are looking to grow in new directions and to service our existing clients in the best way we can,’ says Armes.

Also joining Armes Music as new production co-ordinator is Jane Rowan.