Clair Data Services (CDS) is a testament to Clair’s commitment to delivering exceptional experiences. This month, the Clair Global Archives looks at how Clair’s team of problem solvers paved the way for a critical service that transcends audio.
In 1994, Roy Clair and Ron Borthwick were awarded a patent for an Enhanced Concert Audio System. Branded Concert Sonics, it enhanced the fan experience by delivering supplemental audio to listeners' headphones via FM transmission to custom receivers. While costs and logistics were prohibitive, the technology performed well when tested at select shows, including U2’s PopMart.
By 2010, concertgoers could supply their own receivers - smartphones. That year, Jim Meyer applied for, and later received, a patent for a delay-finding algorithm that optimized the experience at every location in the venue. Concert Sonics relaunched as Aermonix under Andrea Shirk (current CEO of Rock Lititz), utilizing Wi-Fi to transmit encoded audio to a proprietary app. Despite limitations of early smartphone technology, Clair’s team made major improvements to high-density Wi-Fi and supporting high-speed networks, which quickly became critical to live events.
Harry Witz, whose Chicago-based dB Sound was acquired in 2008, was tasked with further developing Clair’s networking brand. Witz and his team advanced connectivity solutions like powering transactions, facilitating access control, and delivering internet for production teams. Experience with large-scale system deployment, gained from 50+ years of touring and production, proved a major advantage.
The big break came in 2015, when a major festival hired Clair to provide Wi-Fi for its VIP lounge. After the festival's primary network provider experienced a system failure, the CDS team reconfigured its setup to support site-wide critical services like point of sale. Since then, Clair has delivered solutions that optimize workflows and enable seamless communication across the world’s top events. Since Safari Solutions joined in 2025, CDS and Safari have seen strong momentum across live entertainment, including major sports projects in championship auto racing and international golf competitions.