New York, NY (April 22, 2021)—Vincent “Vinny” Testa, founder of MI and audio trade publisher Testa Communications, died Monday, April 19, from complications due to Alzheimer’s Disease. A commanding presence in the field for decades, Testa was an original co-founder of Pro Sound News in 1978.
Born June 15, 1944, Testa made his mark early on in music, writing and producing tracks in the late 1960s and early 1970s as president of Infinity Productions. There, he worked with acts like The Off Set, The Zig Zag People, Pookah and Detroit cult legends Frijid Pink; the company additionally provided music for commercials.
Building on inroads made within the industry, Testa teamed with his cousin, Paul Gallo, to found Recording Institute of America, a weekend school that taught aspiring producers and engineers how to record at home. With a mailing list of graduates in hand, they soon turned to publishing, creating the first magazine aimed at home recording. As Gallo told PSN in 2018, they “started Modern Recording magazine in 1974. He and I did that for a couple of years, then I went off to my own business. In 1978, he and I met in his living room and decided the industry was taking off. He co-founded Pro Sound News with me. He was never on the masthead, but he remained a collaborator.”
In 1984, Testa founded his namesake Testa Communications, which grew over the ensuing decades to become an integrated media company that may have trade brands such as Music & Sound Retailer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times as its foundation, but also includes long-running events such as DJ Expo, and ConventionTV, a mainstay of convention hall lobbies with its nightly news-style coverage of trade shows.
According to Testa Communications, Testa is survived by his wife, Maria, three daughters, seven grandchildren, a sister and a brother. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made in his name to the Alzheimer’s Association, while remembrances can be left here.
