Mi Pro Issue 106 March 2009

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INCORPORATING

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT ELECTRONIC DRUM KITS

Rodney Branigan: Mel Bay artist

I TRADITIONAL I HI-TECH I ROCK I CLASSICAL I EDUCATION I PRINTED MUSIC

ISSUE 106 I MARCH 2009 I WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

Mel Bay UK signs its first artist as the company goes global

CARLSBRO ARBITER LIMS MUSIKMESSE MIDEM LARIVﾃ右 FABER

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Innovation, functionality and tone – just a few words that help sum up the brand new range of solid-state MG amplifiers from Marshall.

Combining years of experience in analogue amplification with cutting-edge digital technology has resulted in the creation of an all-encompassing amplifier series, ideal for the beginner and gigging pro alike. Specially voiced digital effects, intuitive footswitching technology and four adjustable and storable channels are just a few of the features to be found in the new MG range.

From a punchy 10 Watt combo through to an effects-laden, soul-pounding 100 Watt head, this series has it all.

To find out more about the MG range contact: Marshall Amplification plc Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK1 1DQ or visit the official Marshall website: www.marshallamps.com

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ISSUE 106 MARCH 2009

IN THIS ISSUE

COVER STORY

ELECTRONIC DRUMS

29

Few would argue that E-drums have been the growth product sector of the past five years, but can you earn good money from it?

THE DOCK OF THE BAY

25

Mel Bay in the UK has signed its first artist, taking the American publisher’s overseas growth another step towards its goal of establishing itself as a global player

NEWS 6 Carlsbro in administration, Arbiter closes, LIMS announces extensive marketing campaign

DRUM NEWS 15 Mikedolbear.com announces Ultimate Drummer Weekend, Bill Bruford retires

6

DISTRIBUTION 10 Where the Arbiter lines have landed, profile on Ashton Music UK

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • GUITARS 35 While turnover is never going to hit the same heights as electric guitars in the mid-priced sector, high-end guitars certainly promise a lot of margin – and a lot of variety, too

RETAIL

MI Pro’s unique collection of news and interviews concerning the business and work being done on MI’s front line

MUSIKMESSE 17 Organiser bullish after successful shows in other industries

MIDEM REPORT 22 Record companies look for new revenue streams in digital age

15

LARRIVÉE 33 How Sound Technology looks to push Canadian guitar brand into the top slot

FABER MUSIC 41 A new warehouse picking system takes the print distributor into the 21st century

DAVE BURRLUCK 46 Our intrepid reporter begins to doubt the benefits of his vocation

17

10 Years soundly insuring the UK Music Industry

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49

52

54

NEWS 49 Little Feat Festival, JG Windows buys Gateshead store, New drum shop in Hemel

INDIE PROFILE 52 Strings in Ryde on the Isle of Wight

LOCATION REPORT 54 Special edition from Amsterdam

PRODUCTS BACKLINE 57 BASS & GUITAR 59 DRUMS 60 RECORDING 62

t: 0121-327-1977 f: 0121-327-5139 info@covernotes.co.uk / www.covernotes.co.uk Authorised & Regulated by the Financial Services Authority

miPRO MARCH 2009 3

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EDITORIAL

The last hurrah

T

MEMBER

Those spending the most in January were strapped for cash and using the sales to get the best deals possible in a kind of ‘last hurrah’.

LATEST NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE Bookmark us in your phone:

MOBILE.MI-PRO.CO.UK

MI PRO CONTACTS MANAGING EDITOR ANDY BARRETT mipro@intentmedia.co.uk

DESIGNER REBECCA ALMOND rebecca.almond@intentmedia.co.uk

EDITOR AT LARGE GARY COOPER gary@garycooper.biz

DESIGN ASSISTANT CLAIRE BROCKLESBY claire.brocklesby@intentmedia.co.uk

ASSOCIATE EDITOR ROB POWER rob.power@intentmedia.co.uk

CIRCULATION PAUL LITTLE mipro.subscriptions@c-cms.com

STAFF WRITER ROB HUGHES rob.hughes@intentmedia.co.uk

CONSULTANT GRAHAM BUTTERWORTH buttsie@mbmediagroup.co.uk

ADVERTISING MANAGER DARRELL CARTER darrell.carter@intentmedia.co.uk

PUBLISHER DAVE ROBERTS dave.roberts@intentmedia.co.uk

PRODUCTION MANAGER HELEN FRENCH helen.french@intentmedia.co.uk

MANAGING DIRECTOR STUART DINSEY stuart.dinsey@intentmedia.co.uk

PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE ROSIE MCKEOWN rosie.mckeown@intentmedia.co.uk

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here was an article in The Guardian recently, one retailer pointed out to me, that looked at the generally successful month January had been on the High Street. Good news, it said, but then added a word of caution as it pointed out that the signs were that those spending were among the most cash-strapped and were using January to get the best deals possible in a kind of ‘last hurrah’ before austerity began to kick in.

Sure enough, as January drew to a close, so did a name that had graced the MI business – and not just in the UK, let it be said – for over 50 years.

Page seven of this month’s mag covers the few details that are in the public domain regarding the closure of Arbiter, a company that almost single handedly established what we now consider the staples of the rock n roll business in this country.

Whatever the full story is and whatever opinions people have as to why this happened, no-one can deny that it is a sad day when a name so closely associated with our industry for half a century becomes no more.

Two weeks later, another established British name, Carlsbro, was forced to go into administration. The latest news regarding this sad tale can be seen on page six and again, whatever feelings people are harbouring, it is an unpleasant fact that this historic British brand has effectively lost its link with its heritage and been the cause of everyday people losing their jobs at a time when employment and income have become the most valuable of possessions.

It has taken some time to hit home, but the recession is surely, finally, upon us, which leaves everyone in MI in a position where he or she must fight or fail.

Or does it? Economists have been talking about ‘seven year cycles’ of growth and collapse in the macroeconomy and however deep this recession is said to be, the signs are that the banks are moving (or rather, being dragged kicking and screaming) towards stabilising the lending culture for small businesses again.

Could it be that the treasuries and banks of the world have succeeded in shielding the majority from the kind of disaster that gripped us in the early 1930s?

It seems possible, although no-one will ever be able to view their own survival when looking back at this period and not feel for the businesses that have not survived.

Arbiter is gone, but Carlsbro will most likely be back with us again before too long – in what guise, we do not know – but spare a thought for those that will always look upon these names with no little pain.

Andy Barrett mipro@intentmedia.co.uk

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NEWS

Carlsbro in administration Amp manufacturer finally concedes, but former employees and agents express anger at ‘not being paid their dues’ ANDREW BISHOP informed MI Pro on February 13th that Carlsbro had been put into administration, saying that the privately funded company had nowhere left to turn.

Bishop and Adrian Brookes, boss of the recently appointed distributor, Litestructures, had been at the NAMM show in January looking to generate business for the brand.

“There are lots of reasons for the closure,” said Bishop.

“Primarily it was down to nothing materialising from the bank, leaving me with no working capital. I have nowhere else to turn and I have been forced to put the company into administration.”

It is believed that Litestructures is in the bidding for the brand as MI Pro goes to press.

Immediately after the announcement on the MI Pro website, former employees of the company and a freelance export agent decided to go on the record to question the series of events that led to the closure.

Former Carlsbro logistics manager Graham North claimed that he and six other members of staff had been trying to obtain wages and clarification for many weeks prior to the closure, while an export specialist said that he had been owed some £8,000 for work delivered and invoiced many months ago.

North was bitter at the way workers had been treated. "We were paid by Litestructures in December. When it got to January we asked Andrew Bishop how we were going to be paid.

All we got was evasion.”

“Primarily it was down to the credit crunch and the fact that nothing materialised from the bank.”

Meanwhile export consultant Dave Martin was scathing about his treatment. “I’m owed several thousand pounds in commission for orders that I took to Carlsbro.

At the LIMS show Andrew Bishop promised I would receive every

penny. Ever since I have been chasing him for it. It’s not the credit crunch that’s the problem, it was years of mistakes."

Confusion increased when Andrew Bishop sent out an email to prospective distributors and customers, inviting them to meet with him on the Carlsbro stand at Musikmesse.

The Carslbro administrator, Charles Escott of PFK in Leeds, told MI Pro that Bishop had no right to be doing business under the Carlsbro Electronics moniker, but accepted it was a mistake.

“I am dealing with eight interested parties in the Carlsbro

case,” commented Escott and he encouraged all genuinely interested parties to contact him and express that interest.

Escott went on to explain exactly what was for sale as far as Carlsbro is concerned.

“Carlsbro had the majority of its manufacturing overseas and all it had in the UK was stock in the warehouse, spares and the leasehold offices, so it exists as a design and brand name, rather than as a manufacturer. The major elements for sale are the name, the trademarks and the product designs.”

PKF: 0113 228 0000

Sound Control victim gets new gear UK suppliers Headstock and Marshall step in to aid disabled veteran after losing instruments he ordered A DISABLED army veteran, Tim Grinold, has been given an amp and cab by Marshall and a guitar

by Ibanez after having lost his original instruments as a result of the Sound Control closure in April last year.

Grinold, disabled after serving with the British Army in Iraq, decided that picking up the guitar again would help his recovery. “Instead of sitting there in my front room, moping about how useless I felt, I turned my attention back to playing the guitar,” he said. “I saved up from my war pension until I was able to afford an Ibanez JS1000, a Marshall JCM800 and a Marshall extension cabinet.”

Grinold’s house was burgled soon after, but his insurance company paid-up. Only for disaster to strike once again.

“I was advised to return to Sound Control, as the company would be able to supply all the replacement items. I did as I was told and placed my order with Sound Control in Birmingham, as this is where I bought the original items from. I was asked to pay £1,599, in order for Sound Control to be able to 6 miPRO MARCH 2009

place these items on a special order for me.

“A week later, I received a telephone call from Sound Control in Birmingham, advising me that although my goods had now arrived in their store, I would be unable to take possession of

“In a world that seems fuelled by hate, war and hypocrisy, there are still people who give a damn.” them, because the firm had just gone into receivership.

“I spent hours on the telephone talking to Sound Control and the administrators, Deloitte & Touche, but I got nowhere with either of them.”

Grinold was finally sent a letter several weeks later, informing him that he had lost everything he’d ordered at Sound Control, as there were insufficient funds available to repay the unsecured creditors.

James Laney (right) presented Tim Grinold with the sought-after Ibanez

Following the intervention of a neighbour, Paul Marshall personally looked into the matter and arranged for a brand new Marshall head and cab to be supplied free of charge.

Then Headstock stepped in too, as marketing manager Simon Fraser-Clark explained: “Tim came down to Headstock, had a guided tour and got to see what goes on behind the scenes of a MI distribution company.

“Tim is a very genuine person who has been dealt a raw deal in life and as such is was a humbling experience to meet him and a real pleasure to be able to offer him some genuine help.”

This help included a replacement Ibanez, presented by James Laney.

“I am so grateful to you all, for everything you have been able to do for me,” said Grinold. “In a world that seems to be fuelled on so much hate, war and hypocrisy, you have shown that there are still people in this world who actually do still give a damn.”

MARSHALL: 01908 375411.

HEADSTOCK: 0121 508 6666

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NEWS

Arbiter closes its doors End of an era as prestigious name shuts after exhausting all options THE ARBITER GROUP closed on January 30th, following reports that staff had received letters notifying them that they had been made redundant from managing director, Andrew Landesberg.

Rumours surrounding the company had been circulating since the NAMM show in California earlier in January and many reports had been given to MI Pro of Landesberg meeting with banks and administrators to find a way of keeping the company going, but in the end all other options were exhausted.

The news followed in quick succession from Sabian (January 29th) handing exclusive UK distribution rights for its cymbal brand to Westside and also Remo announcing shared UK distribution with EMD two days before that.

Other Arbiter brands have since moved to various other UK distributors, including Vic Firth sticks and mallets (to Korg UK), Schecter Guitars (also to Westside) and Moog (to Source Distribution). Full details of these arrangements can be seen on the distribution news page (page 10).

The software developer Native Instruments is still working on its new UK

arrangements, but in the meantime has set up a special UK dealer email address at retailUK@native-instruments.de.

Native Instruments’ future arrangements for UK trade sales will be announced in due course.

Landesberg was reported to be ‘very disappointed with this outcome’ but it seems that there were no further options for the company to take.

This leaves the Arbiter boss with his six Reverb retail outlets, to which he and, it is believed, several Arbiter staff have transferred.

The Reverb set-up, as promised by Landesberg when the chain was established, following the demise of Sound Control, maintained a completely separate existence, which means it is unaffected by the closure of Arbiter.

Strong brand for Strings & Things Herculese added to company’s portfolio THE INNOVATIVE Hercules instrument stands are now available in the UK through Strings & Things. Hercules has established its brand in the market through providing support solutions that address the specific needs and problems faced by today's active musician.

The stands are manufactured at an ISO9001 certified facility located in Tianjin, China and includes the recently launched i-Stand, a compact, gigbag friendly guitar stand that folds into a smooth, round, lightweight disc that will not

cause damage to anything around it through sharp edges.

All the ranges of lightweight, foldable instrument stands hold a swathe of patents.

Other news from Strings & Things is that the new Music Man Sterling range of guitars and basses is now available. There are five series within the Sterling range, including the Ax, Silo and JP guitars and the SB and Ray series basses, all with the distinctive Music Man look.

STRINGS & THINGS: 01273 440442

Blondie drummer looks at game benefits Clem Burke launches initiative to find health positives from interactive music games such as Activision’s Guitar Hero BLONDIE DRUMMER Clem Burke is teaming up with researchers to launch a new initiative which will investigate the potential health and mental benefits of playing drumming-based interactive computer games.

The research project, launched at the University of Chichester, is a collaboration between the Clem Burke Drumming Project (CBDP) and Activision (the publisher of Guitar Hero World Tour) and will explore what effects popular games can have on various conditions.

Investigations will also centre on whether interactive video games can release stress and improve productivity in the workplace.

The Clem Burke Drumming Project is a unique collaboration between Clem Burke, the University of Chichester and University of Gloucestershire and was set up in July 2008. Burke is flying into the UK for this event and will be performing live at the University of Chichester to launch this new research initiative.

Dr Marcus Smith, principal lecturer in exercise physiology at the University of Chichester,

explained: “We are interested in finding out how interactive video games, such as Guitar Hero, can improve the health and mental well-being of people.

“Despite a global recession, sales of interactive video games remain high.

Clem Burke will help examine how music games can improve people’s health

“We are interested in examining the effects of playing Guitar Hero on obesity, autism and stroke patients.”

As researchers we are interested in understanding why such games are so appealing and how they may be used to investigate specific research questions. We are particularly interested in examining the effects of playing Guitar Hero on child and adult obesity, autism, stroke patients, disengaged communities, and health and mental well-being in the workplace.”

Ian McClellan, senior brand manager at Activision, said: “We hope this collaboration will show the benefits of drumming, either on Guitar Hero’s drum kit controller or a full kit, and prove a physiological route between the two. We fully expect some of the next generation of drummers to have graduated from Guitar Hero and hope this research

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project encourages more videogamers to progress to the real instruments.”

Dr Steve Draper, the cofounder of the CBDP and a principal lecturer in exercise physiology at the University of Gloucestershire, concluded: “Our research has shown that accomplished pop and rock drummers do expend a large

amount of energy during practice and performance, the difficulty may be in how quickly the necessary skills and coordination may be acquired to allow someone to work at this level. Drumming video games may provide an enjoyable and effective means to acquire the complex motor skills required to play on any drum kit.”

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NEWS

LIMS links with Stuff magazine • Organiser calls for product innovation nominations from exhibitors Links revealed with other major consumer mags DAVID PHILLIPS, the LIMS 2009 marketing manager, has negotiated a promotion with Stuff magazine, which will see a stand for the publication at the show featuring, Phillips told MI Pro, “some of the most state-ofthe-art, coolest and exciting products that the music world has to offer”.

A major component of this stand will be products submitted to the magazine, which will then, together with the LIMS management and the MIA, draw up a shortlist of all the products that will be featured.

On top of this, the publication will run a series of columns, entitled My Gadget Life, each month, which will consist of music celebrities being interviewed about the gadgets

and equipment that feature in their lives. If MI Pro readers have any endorsers or celebrity contacts they would like to put forward, as well as any innovative products for

The Stuff stand will feature the coolest, most exciting products the music world has to offer. consideration, they should contact Phillips as soon as possible so that he can put the names forward to Stuff.

The magazine will also produce a special show preview (June 09 issue, on sale in early May) covering the most exciting products at the show, particularly

Inaugural MPG awards honours hit makers Guild hoping event will become integral part of industry calendar THE MUSIC Producers’ Guild held its first ever awards ceremony on February 12th at the Café de Paris in London’s West End, with the great and the good from the UK’s music production industry all at hand to share in what everyone concerned hopes will be an increasingly important event.

Commenting on the shindig, Mike Howlett, the chairman of the MPG, said: “We hope that this event will become an integral part of the music industry calendar for many years to come. In launching these awards our aim has always been to bring about greater awareness, both within the music industry and among the wider public, of the skills and talent involved in making great records. Audio professionals are positioned at the very heart of the music industry – we make the content that is the industry’s product – and it is important that we are acknowledged as vital and key contributors.”

It was an impressive beginning with names as close

8 miPRO MARCH 2009

Duffy congratulates her producer, Bernard Butler, as she presents his award to household as producers can get, attending as nominees, winners or simply to enjoy the occasion, including Marcus Dravs, James Towler and Calvin Harris, as well as the chart topping bombshell, Duffy (who picked up three Brit awards a week later), who presented her producer, Bernard Butler, with the Producer of the Year award (coupled with the reinstated Brit of the same name).

if they are being shown for the first time or it’s their debut in the UK. Over the next six to eight weeks, Phillips again asks exhibitors to forward any

suggestions for inclusion in this feature to him. “Only the most newsworthy products will be featured and the deadline is 27th March,” he explained.

Finally, Stuff has agreed to run a full-page competition connected to the show, again calling for contributions from exhibitorsto be put forward.

High profile competitions have also been agreed with Q magazine, Metal Hammer and Kerrang, with more to come.

Stuff has a database of some 50,000 people in the UK and has offered to send out an email competition to these people, as well, so further prizes will be needed from suppliers and manufacturers to feature in this mail shot. Phillips can be contacted on 01604 762361.

Music for Youth regional festivals begin First pop event kicks off local performances THE MUSIC for Youth nationwide spring series of 65 regional festivals opened on February 14th with the aim being to provide 45,000 young musicians with the opportunity to further their experience through performance.

The opening event was also the first ever Rock, Pop & Urban Festival of Music for Youth, which is being run in collaboration with The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance and was held at the Luminaire, Kilburn with 16 bands from across London and the South East performing.

“By expanding the Regional Festivals to incorporate specific Rock, Pop & Urban Music Festivals, we offer free and open access opportunities for the

maximum number of bands regardless of ability or standard,” commented Lincoln Abbotts, the chief executive at MfY. At the end of each day the bands will leave the Luminaire and head down the road to The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, where they will attend performance workshops.

Alongside two festivals in London the other Rock, Pop & Urban Festivals will be held in Stocktonon-Tees, Birmingham and Cardiff.

The traditional series of festivals, run in collaboration with the ABRSM, began on February 23rd at Morley College, Lambeth. The festivals will run through to April 5th. There will be 65 festivals in all.

MFY: 020 8870 9624

Of note for many was the Joe Meek Award for Innovation, which went to Brian Eno, who also proved that music producers can be more than capable of public speaking, as he outlined exactly what a producer is and how recorded music has changed the very nature of music itsel,f as much as the introduction of the symphony orchestra had in the 18th century.

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DBT

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DISTRIBUTION • NEWS

Remo to EMD for the UK Brussels distributor now secures British market for drum head and percussion brand after 12 years handling the line across Europe FOLLOWING THE demise of the Arbiter Group, there has been a rush of distribution announcements as brands handled by the former supplier rushed to find new third party handlers in the UK. Of these, Remo, the drum head and percussion manufacturer was among the first, announcing, much like Sabian a few months ago, the distribution would be shared before the North London supplier went bust.

Remo appointed EMD as its co-distributor on January 28th, two days before Arbiter closed.

In a letter to Leonardo Baldocci (EMD’s CEO), Brock Kaericher, the president of Remo, appointed EMD and went on to explain his reasons.

“Building upon our longstanding relationship, involving distribution in various countries in Europe, we look forward to EMD bringing its logistical and marketing expertise to the forefront in presenting Remo

UK supplier adds significant drumstick and mallet brand to its drum department

products to the UK market,” he wrote.

“I am certain this distribution agreement will prove beneficial to EMD, Remo, the UK dealer network and, most importantly, the end consumer who wishes to make music.”

EMD has been handling the Remo heads and percussion in France and the Benelux region exclusively since 1997.

Kaericher concluded by saying that he looked forward to moving on a positive path with regard to Remo distribution in the British Isles.

At the time, a spokesperson for Remo told MI Pro that the deal was not exclusive and the situation with various Remo sub-distributors was still being considered. EMD: 01293 862612

THE UK DISTRIBUTOR for Mapex and Paiste drums and cymbals, Korg UK, has been appointed exclusive UK distributor for Vic Firth, widely recognised as the world's largest manufacturer of drumsticks and mallets.

“We are very proud to have been chosen by Vic Firth to represent this important brand in the UK,” commented Rob Castle, MD of Korg UK. “This will complement our Mapex and Paiste business perfectly and we will work hard to offer our dealers a great service. We are ready to take orders now as stock has been available since the week of the February 9th.”

Sales and marketing director of the stick maker, Mark Dyke, stated: “Vic Firth has a long history of supplying the UK market with the highest quality sticks and mallets

Schecter develops strategies with Westside Second former Arbiter line for Glasgow supplier SCHECTER GUITARS has agreed a partnership with Westside Distribution for the exclusive supply of its guitars and basses for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

“We feel we have found the perfect match in Westside,” commented Ryan Martin, the director of international sales for Schecter. “We now have a company that understands the growth potential for Schecter in the UK and has the

10 miPRO MARCH 2009

Vic Firth joins Korg’s UK portfolio

ability to bring that potential to fruition for us.”

Schecter had been imported for the last eight years by Sound Control and then continued with Arbiter after Reverb acquired the six remaining stores of the erstwhile MI retail giant.

At this point in time it became apparent to Schecter that, with the demise of Arbiter, a more detailed distribution arrangement was needed and that Westside fitted the bill and was in the right place at the right time.

Schecter’s statement concluded by saying that the company looked forward to a long and prosperous partnership with Jonny X, Phil Hay and the team at Westside.

WESTSIDE DISTRIBUTION: 0141 248 4812

available. Dealers have come to expect our products to be immediately available as required to service our mutual customers in the country.

“With Korg’s strong focus on drum and percussion products, as well as education initiatives, we believe this new partnership will combine our programmes, where the sum of our joint projects will be more valuable to the artists as we continue to help percussionists of all levels to enjoy making their music.”

KORG UK: 01908 857100

Source picks up Moog after Arbiter First 100 per cent musical instrument line for established pro audio wholesale company

SOURCE DISTRIBUTION has announced its appointment as the new distributor for the Moog brand for the territories of the UK and Ireland. Effective immediately, Source will supply all Moog products to the market.

Moog has become one of the most iconic names in music because of Bob Moog’s synthesis innovations, which began with him constructing a Theremin with his father back in the 1950s. Always a pioneer, Moog is credited in particular with revolutionising the sound of 60s and 70s rock.

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Commenting on the appointment, Source’s director of distributed brands, Howard Jones, said: “We’ve always greatly admired Moog and are absolutely thrilled to be working with the Moog team.

“For Source, this is an important step in our development, as the Moog range of products represents our first 100 per cent, out-and-out musical instrument line, but one that dovetails perfectly with our existing pro audio brands.”

SOURCE DISTRIBUTION: 020 8962 5080

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PROFILE • DISTRIBUTION

Ashton Music is going from strength to strength at the moment, as MI Pro found out when it put some questions to the company...

Date the business was established: July 2007 (as Ashton Music UK) Number of employees: 89 Is business up or down compared to this time last year?

We had a very successful year last year and the business saw significant growth as more and more retailers recognised that Ashton presented them with the potential for maximum profits, through quality products that delivered unprecedented value for money for their customers.

This also allowed us to expand our business into a more general distribution company with the addition of Mariner Guitars and Sparrow Guitars, and their initial success has also helped increase our business, especially in areas of the market where we were previously unrepresented with Ashton.

Which are your best selling lines?

Due to the huge variety, value and quality at Ashton we have a number of best sellers. But our acoustic guitars, classical and electric starter packs always sell through. Plus our AWM wireless systems are another big favourite with retailers and consumers alike.

Apart from your products, what are your strengths as a distributor?

We have a small, but vibrant and dedicated team that is passionate about what it does and together we have managed to put the Ashton name firmly on the UK MI map in a very short space of time.

We pride ourselves on developing good relationships with each of our retail partners, working with them beyond the point of sale to help

support and grow their businesses, especially when they have issues or things go wrong. The core Ashton team has many years of industry experience both in distribution and retail and so we pride ourselves in having empathy with our partners.

Do you think it’s been a particularly tough year for retailers?

Without a doubt, but it is also a time of opportunity and the retailers who are proactive and prepare to embrace change while working closely with their distributors to enhance their offering will prevail.

Too many retailers are focused solely on price at the expense of a workable profit, quality environment and customer experience and while price is obviously important, it shouldn’t be the sole purpose of your business.

Is the internet the biggest challenge facing the industry today?

Whether we like it or not the internet is here to stay and in reality it has enhanced and improved the way we do business. Yes, the downside is that it gives everyone a chance to price match and discount and has no doubt been the cause of some of the industry casualties we have seen. However, lessons are

being learned all the time and I envisage this becoming less of a problem in future.

The upside is that it improves communication and opens up everyone’s business to bigger markets and potential customers – you just have to invest the time to make it work for your business.

In a perfect world, what product lines would you add to your portfolio?

We seemed to have found a niche in working with new exciting brands like Ashton, Sparrow and Mariner to establish them as industry favourites that will make a difference to both the retailer and the consumer.

We now see ourselves as an allround distributor with an infrastructure that can handle additional non-conflicting brands and to this end we always have an eye open for new partners and opportunities, although the chance to work with an established brand would be nice.

What are your aims for the next 12 months?

To build on the success and partnerships we have already established, whilst increasing our existing portfolio of brands to ensure that Ashton becomes a firmly established distributor in the UK MI sector.

CONTACT DETAILS Address: Ashton Music, Unit 19, Kings Cliffe Industrial Estate, Wansford, Peterborough Phone: 01780 781630 Email: info@ashtonmusic.co.uk Contact: Jon Gold, John Moore, Dawn Richards, James Dove

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PIANO NEWS

Piano Pie served in Brighton New music group presents work by living composers from the Sussex region for St Valentine’s Day celebrations THE SHOPPING area, The Lanes, in Brighton was treated to a series of piano recitals on February 14th, organised by New Music Brighton, a collective of living composers and musicians based in Sussex, the Shoreham Herald reported.

The ‘coffee and cake performance’ at the Friends Meeting House in Ship Street saw Adam Swayne, a local concert pianist, performed solo pieces by Patrick Harrex (Piano Pie), Julia Broughton (Sonata Across Four Elements), Barry Mill (Three Pieces for Piano), John Alexander (is will be was) and Jonathan Clark (Sonatina for Piano) among others.

The St Valentine’s Day performance was well received by the audience, which included passing shoppers buying tickets on impulse and settling in to listen to the entire show. It was the first time New Music Brighton had put on a show for some time, although the group does tend to present works four or five times per year, including recitals at the prestigious Brighton Festival Fringe.

The typical New Music Brighton programme consists mainly of first performances of new works, as with this concert, although the group has a policy of also including repeat performances and, very

Estonia’s birthday gift for Euro Parliament THE REPUBLIC of Estonia presented an Estonia brand piano to the European Parliament on the occasion of the republic's 90th anniversary, according to the country’s broadcasting company, LETA. The gift represents the end of a series of musical presents, devised within the framework of top-level Estonian musical groups performing new Estonian works across five European Union countries.

The presentation was made to the President of the European Parliament, HansGert Pöttering, by Estonia’s minister of culture, Laine Jänes.

Jänes stated that the piano was a good symbol for enhancing

the image of the Estonian state in Europe, not least because it is the only country that has pianos named after itself.

Estonia has presented musical instruments to Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Britain and Denmark, as all of these countries have a special part in Republic of Estonia becoming independent.

Celebrations of the 90th anniversary also included awarding guitarist Robert Fripp with the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (IVth Grade) for his contribution to building cultural bridges with the country. The award was presented by Ambassador Margus Laidre.

occasionally, including works by other contemporary composers.

New Music Brighton has established itself as a significant force in new music in the Sussex area, including close working relationships with a number of other organisations, including Brighton & Hove Music and Performing Arts Service and the Brighton Early Music Festival.

The group has recently released its first CD of its members’ music.

The Valentine’s Day concert ended with an unusual encore, where Swayne performed the Chopin Nocturne in Eb, (referenced in Harrex’s Piano Pie).

Clearly the food of love.

EPTA adds to youths awards THE EUROPEAN Piano Teachers Association (EPTA) has added a new trophy to the annual Ripon Young Musicians of the Year competition, awarding the most deserving pianist at the event.

The EPTA is a European body that supports piano teachers through running workshops and lectures and other services and this award has been presented by the association’s North Yorkshire chapter.

“We wanted to show our support for the Ripon Young Musicians of the Year competition and for young pianists in particular, “ said Bronwen Brindley, a member of EPTA’s management committee in the UK. “We

hope that the new cup will encourage participants both to enter the competition and to take their piano playing on to even higher levels.”

The Ripon Young Musicians of the Year competition was started eight years ago by a local musician, David Winpenny. “We are delighted and encouraged by the support that the EPTA has given to the young musicians of the Ripon

area by donating this cup,” he said. “We are looking forward to seeing which of our pianists will be awarded it.”

The 2009 Ripon Young Musicians of the Year competition takes place on Saturday, April 25th, at Holy Trinity Church. in Ripon and the new award will be presented by local musician, John Thorne.

EPTA YOUNG ARTISTS: 0161 427 6706

New Weber upright shipping THE PIANO WAREHOUSE has announced the launch of a new Weber upright, the Millennium.

The instrument is described as having a new, minimalist, traditional styling, and has a 116-centimetre frame, a spruce soundboard, vacuum processed cast iron plate, Japanese hammers and twin wheeled rubber castors for ease of movement.

12 miPRO MARCH 2009

The new piano is available from the Piano Warehouse, effective immediately, in a black polished finish only and will retail at £2,885. PIANO WAREHOUSE: 020 7267 9229

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DRUM NEWS

Ultimate drum weekend Drum website launches intensive course for advanced drummers with interactive workshops and advice clinics MIKEDOLBEAR.COM, in association with Vic Firth drumsticks and mallets and Drummer magazine, has announced the Ultimate Drum Weekend, a course of tuition and practice tailored for advanced drummers.

Despite the course’s moniker, the event will take place from Monday to Friday, July 27th to 31st 2009, and will feature top drum clinicians, including Steve Smith, Ralph Salmins and Craig Blundell, supported by various special guest teachers including Jason Bowld, Vic Firth, Geoff Nichols and Mike Dolbear.

The week will feature

interactive workshops, seminars, advice clinics, Q&A sessions and opportunities to observe professionals in action and even the opportunity of ‘sitting-in’.

Seminars will include world drumming, electronic drumming, the session drummer, tuning and business skills, all aimed at taking the drummer’s playing to the next level.

Places are limited and the week is strictly for the serious teacher/player over the age of 16. Workshops and classes will run from 10am to 5pm every day with a maximum of 15 students per class, amounting to over seven hours of tuition with

L to R: Mike Dolbear and Gerry McDonnell run the MikeDolbear.com website together

each residential teacher.

There will also be informal evening events, including clinics and a jam night. The venue is situated close to the M1 and M25 and accommodation is available at the venue in a top class hotel with leisure facilities or at alternative hotels nearby.

Each student will receive a Vic Firth goodie bag and a course certificate.

The website advises prospects to book early to guarantee a space, due to limited numbers available. For booking details, go to mikedolbeardrumschool.com or email mike@mike dolbeardrumschool.com.

Bruford retires Morico signs fixed drum deal AFTER A 41-year career with Yes, King Crimson and Earthworks, drummer Bill Bruford has announced his retirement from public performance as of January 1st 2009. Claiming that “41 years is enough of me for anybody – including me,” Bruford stressed that he would continue to record, run his two record labels, Summerfold and Winterfold Records, and give talks on “the perils and pleasures of playing percussion”.

The news came after Bruford completed his autobiography (available via his website) where he writes in the foreword that his aim had always been to push the art of drumming forward, if only a step.

He began his professional career with Yes in 1968 and saw the prog rock monster through its formative years, culminating with the classic Close to the Edge album. Then, just as Yes were launching into superstardom and the prog excesses of Tales from Topographic Oceans, Bruford quit the band to join up with

BASKEY, the British accessory manufacturer, has signed an exclusive deal with Morico to distribute its range of innovative drum fixing products across the UK and Ireland.

Baskey was launched at the Drummer Live show in 2006, originally selling directly online at baskey.com and soon signed an

the perennially unstable King Crimson in 1972. In this lineup, Bruford found himself working alongside percussionist Jamie Muir, whose avant garde approach was to have a lasting effect on him.

When Robert Fripp broke up Crimson in 1974, Bruford continued to work with bassist John Wetton in bands such as UK and Asia, as well as stints with Genesis and his own jazz fusion project, Bruford.

He was then part of the reformed King Crimson from 1981 to 94 and after a handful of gigs with the Crimson ProjeKcts, walked away from “that noisy stuff” to concentrate on his own jazz formation.

impressive array of endorsers.

Baskey’s boss, Ian Baskerville, said: “We already have over 100 fantastic endorsers and we are adding more all the time.

“The company has seen consistent growth over the last few years, which has allowed us to invest in overseas mass production and the partnership

with Morico will bring Baskey products into the best shops throughout the British Isles.”

Baskey’s Ruggluggs joins Morico’s roster of products including DW Drums, DW hardware and pedals, PDP Drums, Gon Bop Percussion and TRX cymbals.

MORICO: 01992 461089

New drum websites for all D’Addario ranges D’ADDARIO HAS launched new websites for all of its brands, including Evans Drumheads, HQ Percussion and Puresound Percussion.

With a ‘fresh new look and design’, all sites feature expanded usability and content, including product news and information, artist and teaching videos, promotions and sweepstakes, articles, community forums, networking and additional artist features.

The sites also incorporate built-in purchasing options fulfilled by local retailers (a feature of all D’Addario websites for some years now), plus international catalogues

and consumer buying options.

The new sites are up and running and can be found at evansdrumheads.com, hqpercussion.com and puresoundpercussion.com.

THIS PAGE IS SPONSORED BY MIKEDOLBEAR.COM, THE LEADING ONLINE RESOURCE FOR EVERYTHING DRUMS.

VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS. WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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MUSIKMESSE • SHOW PREVIEW

EVENT: Musikmesse VENUE: Frankfurt Messe DATE: April 1st to 4th 2009 OPENING TIMES: 09.00 to 18.00 TRADE ADMISSION PRICES DAY TICKET: (in advance and online) €27.00 (on arrival) €40.00 SEASON TICKET: (in advance and online) €43.00 (on arrival) €63.00

Fighting talk This year’s Musikmesse comes amid the doom and gloom of the global financial crisis, but with MI still bucking the trends, the organiser believes the show will be as good as ever. Are you going to be there...? ith Easter falling at a more usual date this year, Musikmesse finds itself positioned nearly three months after January’s NAMM show, which combined with the breakneck pace the world’s economies are hurtling along at means there has been plenty of time to re-group and re-plan for Europe’s MI and pro audio showcase.

There is also the fact that Europe’s economies, generally, are faring somewhat better than the US’. As a result of all of this Musikmesse’s director, Cordelia von Gymnich, is looking forward to a good show, with the uncertainty in the world of finance adding to the need for visitors to attend.

“It’s going to be great,” she says, somewhat predictably, but then adds some substance behind the wishful thinking. “There are good reasons for this.

We have held three shows so far this year

W

www.mi-pro.co.uk

– technical and consumer goods exhibitions – and all of them have performed way above our expectations.

It’s difficult to say why, exactly, but I can say it has been unexpected and very encouraging at the same time.

“The NAMM show was good, with great attendance, and the US market has more problems than many others around the world. Also, both German suppliers and dealers are saying that 2009 has been a good year so far. This means that, despite everything in the news, private consumption is up – in Germany at least – and the shops will want to come to keep this momentum going.”

This matches reports from many in the UK business, as well. Many will be quick to point out notable exceptions, of course, although the big hits in the UK have been on the supply side as the crunch begins to bite, with retailers reporting a good

Christmas and a largely excellent January.

This goes towards making the show organiser pretty optimistic about European attendance generally.

WHERE ARE THE PIANOS? Of the major issues at this year’s show, the main one will probably be the absence of a dedicated piano hall. This follows the news from last October that the German federation of piano suppliers decided that a biennial presence would be sufficient and so cut back considerably on the amount of piano companies exhibiting.

Rather than killing off pianos for the show this year, however, many piano makers have seen this as an opportunity to capitalise on a more exclusive presence.

“Some people have made the mistake of thinking there will be no pianos at the show,” explains von Gymnich. “We will have some 22 piano manufacturers there,

including one traditional German maker, so pianos will be well represented – it’s just that there are not enough to have a dedicated hall for pianos as usual.”

Those wishing to source pianos should look them out in Halls 1, 3 and 5.

The second ‘no show’ this year will be the proposed ‘buying’ sector, which was announced in 2008. Unfortunately, this ‘business only’ hall has not yet had sufficient time to impress itself upon the consciousness of exhibitors and won’t be happening this year, although Musikmesse is keen to stress that the concept is alive and well and hopes that 2010’s event will feature this.

The idea was to have a whole exhibition hall devoted to smaller booths and offices, with only buyers allowed to meet up with suppliers in their secluded stands, away from the hustle and bustle of the show floor. “The idea became too difficult to miPRO MARCH 2009 17

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SHOW PREVIEW • MUSIKMESSE

explain in the time allowed,” comments von Gymnich. “We need more time, so this will be a definite feature of next year’s show.”

On the positive side, the Musicbiz hall will be taking place for the third year, showcasing the marketing of music, labels and publishing products, as well as professional training for musicians, knowhow transfer in relation to self-marketing, and a first studio-recording session or a label and publishing deal. The high degree of internationality on both the exhibitor and visitor sides will offer, the organiser believes, the best chances of making new contacts with manufacturers, dealers and consumers during the fair.

Also keeping the banner flying for music makers this year will be the Frankfurt Music Prize for special achievements in interpretation, composing, musicology and music teaching. The winner of the 2009 award, which was founded by the Federal Association of German Musical Instrument Manufacturers (Bundesverband der Deutschen Musikinstrumenten-Hersteller e.V. - BDMH) and Messe Frankfurt, will be a personality from the field of ‘serious’ music.

Back with musical instruments and equipment, the prestigious Musikmesse International Press Award (MIPA) is touted as the Grammy of the musical instrument and pro-audio sector and will be presented for the tenth time. Trade journalists from over 100 music magazines worldwide select the best products for the award in over 40 categories.

Admission tickets can be purchased quickly and easily on the Musikmesse website and can be printed out on the spot, which saves visitors the need to queue at the box offices at the fair. Online tickets are personalised and authorise the holder to travel to and from the fair using local public-transport services operated by the RMV public-transport authority.

Additionally, online ticket buyers benefit from lower advance booking prices.

MEANWHILE, ON THE SHOW FLOOR… As MI Pro goes to press, there has been extremely limited information forthcoming from suppliers and manufacturers as to exactly what will be making an appearance at the show, which means the ‘show issue’ (April 2009) of MI Pro will be dedicating its Musikmesse pages to a much more detailed run through of the important and interesting items being launched.

Of course, all of the NAMM launches from this year’s January show will be on hand, to enjoy the platform of a European launch, but rest assured that the Frankfurt show will still have huge swathes of new products in every hall. In the meantime, here is a quick glimpse at the information 18 miPRO MARCH 2009

Hall by hall HALL 1.1: WIND Brass and woodwind instruments, accessories HALL 1.2: BOWED String instruments, accessories HALL 3.0: BEAT Percussion and accessories, ensemble (full-range companies) Forte Pianos, grand pianos, historical keyboard instruments, accessories HALL 3.1: TAB Acoustic and semi-acoustic guitars, harmonica and accordions Nota Sheet music, specialist literature HALLS 4.0 & 4.2: PICKUP Electric guitars, electric basses, amplifiers, accessories

“It’s going to be great. We have held three shows so far this year and all of them have performed way above our expectations.”

Cordelia von Gymnich, Musikmesse we have been sent to date to whet the appetitite before you get there.

systems, bringing the V-Mixing system mixer and snake to a wider audience.

ROLAND Roland had some 19 new products of all shapes and sizes at NAMM, but with the Japanese corporation deliberately timing new product launches to coincide with major shows, there will still be a lot of new stuff happening on the company’s various stands.

It is probable that nothing will quite top the innovative V-Piano, however, which will be enjoying further coverage at Musikmesse. Roland UK will holding a UK launch on March 4th in Bristol (contact the company for details), but anyone still without a first-hand view of this remarkable instrument by the time the show comes around should go along and have a look.

On the Pro Light + Sound front, Roland Systems Solutions will be extending its live, all-digital stage sound and FOH control offering with new personal mixing

TANGLEWOOD Tanglewood guitars will be on three booths at this year’s event. The first is in Hall 4.0 H44, where staff will be meeting UK customers and international distribution partners. On show will be all six acoustic ranges of Tanglewood, a representation of the new Signature by Tanglewood electric range (to be launched in the summer of 2009) and an expanded Cove Creek and Union series folk section, with new models across all ranges.

The second stand is in Hall 3.1 H65A and is dedicated solely to the display of the Tanglewood Master Design by Sanden models. Michael Sanden will personally attend this booth along with Tanglewood representatives and there will be live demonstrations of both Master Design and the hand-made Sanden guitars on this booth for the duration of the show.

Third is the Musik Meyer Distribution

HALL 5.0: REMIX DJ equipment, accessories Midi Keyboards, digital pianos, church organs, accessories, ensemble (fullrange companies) Forte Pianos, grand pianos, historical keyboard instruments, accessories HALL 5.1: DATA Computer software & hardware

and Marketing Group stand in Hall 3.00 B78, where Musik Meyer will be exhibiting the full range of Tanglewood guitars, dedicated to the domestic German and Austrian markets.

ALLEN & HEATH After the launching of the new Xone:22 two-channel analog DJ mixer at NAMM, which will also get a Euro-airing, Allen & Heath will display additions to the high-end, pro audio iLive mixing system (which can now interface with popular networking standards such as Ethersound, ADAT and Aviom) and a new broadcast console (the first from the Cornwall company for 15 years), a direct evolution from the small format Zed series of USB mixers.

The increasingly popular Zed-R16 Firewire recording mixer will also be generating interest, as well as mixers from the whole Xone DJ range being on show, including the D series of MIDI controllers, and there will be a cross section of mixers from the Zed,

www.mi-pro.co.uk

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MUSIKMESSE • SHOW PREVIEW

Travel and accommodation at the show TRAVEL

BY PLANE: From Frankfurt Airport, take suburban trains S8 or S9, which run to the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) every 15 minutes (journey time: approx 11 minutes). From there, you can continue by trains S3-S6 or tram (see below).

BY TRAIN: Suburban trains S3, S4, S5 and S6 run straight from the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) to the Exhibition Centre, Torhaus Entrance. You can also take tram 16 or a taxi from the Main Railway Station to the City Entrance. By foot, you will need about ten minutes.

The U4 underground train from the Main Railway Station takes you to the Exhibition Centre, City Entrance, in less than five minutes. The new Messe/ Festhalle underground station is a great improvement to local transport in the area. On workdays and during fairs, trains

run every five to eight minutes from the Main Railway Station to the fair; on weekends, every ten to 20 minutes.

COMBINATION TICKET: Messe Frankfurt services for exhibitors and visitors, whereby day tickets, season tickets and press tickets entitle the holder to free use of suburban train, underground and trams services in the entire area served by the RMV local public-transport authority applies as usual. For tickets purchased in advance, this applies to the journey to the fair and back afterwards. Naturally, if the ticket is purchased on arrival at the exhibition centre, this applies to the return journey only.

BY CAR: Signs to ‘Messe Frankfurt’ on all motorways take visitors straight to the Rebstock multi-storey car park where there is a free shuttle-bus service to and from the exhibition centre.

BY TAXI: Taxi stands are located at the City and Galleria entrances. The taxi telephone numbers are: +49 69 230001, 250001 or 230033.

HOTELS: The Messe Frankfurt Hotel Guide rates all hotels in and around Frankfurt by trade-fair specific criteria (distance from the fair, price to the fair,

connections to the fair and price category). The ‘Rhine Main Hotel Guide’ costs €4.40 and is available from Messe Frankfurt Medien und Service on +49 69 7575 6083 or bettina.iverstiffee@messefrankfurt.com The complete Rhine-Main Hotel Guide can also be found on the internet at www.hotelguide-rheinmain.de

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SHOW REPORT • MIDEM

This, of course, is not why Chris Underwood went to Cannes

Fighting recession on the Cote D’Azur e may be in the midst of a global recession, but you’d never have suspected it one temperate Tuesday evening in Cannes.

While the clear blue water lapped at the beach and the clinking of yacht masts and the buzz of passing scooters filled the town square, the familiar sounds of Mediterranean Europe were punctuated by a thumping bass line which echoed across the bay. It was party night at Midem, the international music industry’s annual shindig, and in the iconic Palais Des Festivals the big bash of the week took place, featuring a limitless supply of free bubbly and the DJ skills of Groove Armada.

But the harsh reality is that the music industry is in crisis, with record sales now increasingly less likely to keep it in the style to which it’s accustomed. It’s hardly surprising therefore that the main topics of debate in the huge seminar rooms and undoubtedly over coffees and croissants in the tiny street cafés as well, were twofold.

How can the music industry survive in the digital landscape? And with hard sales going rapidly down the pan, what other channels of revenue are there to exploit?

One seminar was given by Jakob Lusensky, the CEO of a Swedish company called Heartbeats International, a global business which develops mutually beneficial deals between name brands and the music industry.

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22 miPRO MARCH 2009

Lusensky argued a strong case for deriving publishing revenue from catchy songs by marrying them inseparably to specific brands or products. This is a practice that has been going on for years (think Stiltskin and Levis or Justin Timberlake and McDonalds), but now it’s more relevant than ever. Yet despite a convincing presentation, opinion was divided between delegates – those inspired by the rich stream of publishing revenue such business represents and those who can foresee a bleak future where popular music serves no other purpose than to provide jingles to shift burgers.

Another excellent panel, sparking some of the liveliest debate, was titled Indies in the Digital Landscape. Following on from Myspace music president Courtney Holt’s keynote speech, Bob Frank, president of the influential American independent Koch Records and Horst Weidenmüller, founder of the German !K7 label group, seemed visibly riled, arguing that the deals struck with the digital stores and the labels are always in favour of the majors.

“I’m not going to drop my pants and take whatever deals are put on the table,” Frank barked, while Weidenmüller made the point that although it was the smaller labels that made portals like Myspace and Napster successful, they have turned their backs on those same small labels in favour of juicy deals with the big guns.

Digital marketeers including Amazon and The Orchard were emphatic that there was no favouritism, but it seems that the internet has proved to be something of a double-edged sword.

The last seminar of the whole event was a listening session for the gaming phenomenon Guitar Hero. Labels, managers and artists were asked to pop CDs into a drop box near the main entrance to the Palais, with the game manufacturers choosing one song from the box to add to the next edition of the game and then announcing it in the hall.

Despite the staggering quality of the

The record industry is looking under every stone for ways of creating new revenue for lost. Chris Underwood braved the Riviera elements to discover there was no shortage of ideas…

short-listed final seven or eight entries, it rapidly became clear that this was little more than a cunning marketing exercise; the winners Attack! Attack! already seem to have quite a bit of industry weight behind them. It’s perhaps even more telling that the closing event at the world’s biggest music industry gettogether was hosted by a company which makes computer games that allow players to fantasise about performing in bands.

All of this seems to send out a very clear signal about the music industry in the last year of the 21st Century’s first decade: the landscape is changing on all levels.

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MEL BAY • COVER FEATURE

Business at

BAY

Probably the big success story of the past two years has been Mel Bay’s establishment as a standalone publisher and distributor in the UK. Now the British operation has taken the next step of signing its first artist, as Gary Cooper discovers, while Andy Barrett finds out from Bryndon Bay what makes the global business tick… el Bay is a company on a mission.

Long associated with tuition, educational music books and associated material, recent years have seen it steadily growing in prominence in the UK to the extent, reveals Mel Bay Music’s UK managing director, Chris Statham, that recession or no recession, the company is experiencing a boom in sales.

Since 1947, when Mel Bay himself launched his music tuition publishing business, the company has been at the forefront of this market sector – not least because of its willingness to concentrate on the guitar and related instruments, which are consistently popular and reliable sellers for music retailers around the world.

But fashions change and publishers need to keep an eye open for new trends and developments, which is where the first

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UK-based artist signing by Statham comes in – the virtuoso acoustic guitarist Rodney Branigan. If you haven’t yet seen or heard him, watch this space. Branigan, a Texan now based in the UK, plays two guitars simultaneously as his party piece – a feat that has seen him also being picked-up by Yamaha as an endorser for its LL series acoustic guitars.

“It was back in 2007 at the Frankfurt Musikmesse when I was first approached to take a look at this particular artist,” says Statham. “At the time the main focus of my business was to raise awareness that the Mel Bay catalogue was now selling direct to trade throughout the UK and Europe and not being distributed any longer. While it was something I was always going to be very keen to become involved in – signing artists, developing

new products and opening new markets – I couldn’t quite commit to offering Rodney Branigan a deal there and then.

SELLING THE CONCEPT “Fast forward to the NAMM show in 2008 and I had my opportunity at selling the concept/project to Mel Bay’s then president, William Bay. Bill Bay, being a guitarist himself and head of all the editorial and artistic decisions, obviously saw something in my presentation and passion and also in meeting with the artist and his manager. We started the ball rolling in setting up a deal to sign him up and get to work on publishing his works and performances.

“For anyone in the business this is the tedious part. This is where both parties open up negotiations and fire the first

shots at getting the best deal possible for both artist and publisher. I am not very patient when it comes down to the dotting of the ‘i’s and the crossing of the ‘t’s – once I have shaken hands I really want to see the product published, marketed and out there getting sold as soon as physically possible. I guess that’s the salesman in me.

“So here we are, over a year on and about to launch the first of many projects we have lined up with Rodney, which timing-wise could not have been better with the major promotion and marketing tool of the Frankfurt Musikmesse 2009 looming large. This first live performance DVD really will get my trade customers enthusiastic and from here I hope we can ramp up some educational products, which I know Rodney is very keen to do.”

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COVER FEATURE • MEL BAY

Choosing your first artist (even if only in the UK) is a crucial decision and can influence perceptions of the publisher for many years after the fact, so it was important for Statham and Mel Bay to get this one absolutely spot on.

“There are so many reasons why I wanted to sign Rodney,” continues Statham. “First, he is an amazing artist that people will remember forever and he seemed so tailor-made for the Mel Bay brand. Not only is he unique in the way he plays, strums and taps two guitars at the very same time, but he comes with an unbelievable talent for singing, songwriting and live performance.”

Of course, while Rodney Branigan has been the first signing of 2009 coming from the Mel Bay Music UK offices, he joins a global brand within a publishing house that has a stable of talented guitarists and artists such as Chet Atkins, Juan Martin, Johnny Hiland, Juan Serrano and Tommy Emmanuel.

PLANNING PROMOTION Mel Bay’s plans for promoting Branigan include helping him find a spot on a forthcoming Jools Holland programme and kicking-off his career with a live concert DVD, filmed in Bombay, which will later be followed by the first of what Statham feels could be a string of educational titles benefiting from the stir Branigan is already creating with his live performances. It’s not just the artist that is new, either.

Starting with a live DVD marks something of a change in the way the company is promoting its new signings.

“It’s a slightly different direction,” Statham says. “We signed Rodney up first and foremost on the strength of his performance and other material that we can publish for him, which is why we are leading with a live performance DVD straight away. This is the first UK-based Mel Bay signing, but we believe that it’s the start, both in terms of the artist concerned, but also in terms of some other very exciting things.”

Chris Statham, Mel Bay’s UK MD, and Maria Evangelou, his assistant, believe in their products...

“This exciting launch will keep dealers talking about Mel Bay and, with my plans for a new issue programme being one of the most flexible and generous in the industry, there should be no reason why you wouldn’t want to deal with Mel Bay Music. Also, I have trimmed down our new releases to be more focused on our high-quality mix of sellers.

My trade accounts have always told me that there are just too many new products each week being launched, so the books and DVDs that are being produced and released from Mel Bay in 2009 are handpicked with volume and margins in mind for our dealers.”

With Statham admitting to fewer UK

“The books and DVDs that are being produced and released from Mel Bay in 2009 are hand-picked with volume and margins in mind for our dealers.”

Chris Statham, Mel Bay The Branigan signing and promotion comes against the background of a business which has been going from strength to strength, Statham reveals. “I really think that for sheet music and for the industry in general, we could have a great 2009 and already we have had a strong January, which doesn’t match up with such a low presence at the NAMM show of many UK and European dealers.

26 miPRO MARCH 2009

retailers at NAMM, it must be seen as something of a phenomenon that he is experiencing a surge in sales. This January would appear to have seen a shift in dealer habits, Statham thinks, judging by where he now anticipates writing orders: “I certainly felt in January that there was a sudden upsurge in people coming direct to me and I don’t want to take anything away from the wholesale business, or the jobbers

or rackers out there, but I think quite a few accounts are looking to come direct for the better terms, the better discounts and better service and an immediate response to their business. I’m hoping it also had a lot to do with a certain wall-planner and advertising I did with MI Pro that raised our profile in the industry.”

MATERIAL MARGINS Flattering though that thought may be, there is also the question of the margins to be made on printed material – something the smartest retailers have long realised and which, in these marginstrapped times, increasing numbers are starting to see the attractions of.

“I’ve been banging on for something like ten years about this – about how attractive the margins are,” Statham says.

“The message is finally getting through and there are certainly a lot more accounts now that would never have touched print before and who are coming directly to us to see how they can start and develop.”

If any reader is beginning to think they would like to share in this booming sector, but is uncertain how, Statham says Mel Bay is only too happy to help retailers into the printed sector. “If you think of a print spinner, it is barely a foot in diameter. It looks attractive, it draws attention to an

area where you might not even have turned a light on in the past or it can be stuck in the window and bring people through the door.

“The way we’ve managed to expand our stock and range means I think we should be taken as a third option in the market now. If a retailer doesn’t want to deal with a lot of different publishers, there is Mel Bay, which offers a very personal touch, a phenomenal service and great material. I really think we are getting there now and being seen as a major sheet music publisher.”

The emphasis may still be on paper, but publishing is, like every other aspect of the music industry, caught in a technological revolution and it’s one Statham is well aware of. Launching a new signing with a live DVD is just the tip of the iceberg, though. The company is also looking set to move into areas such as online tuition and downloading. “Yes, very much so,” he comments. “Within the next six to 12 months, we hope to be offering a fully downloadable service whereby we partnerup with our trade accounts and they can offer their customers downloadable books and products from Mel Bay. They take the money and get the discount on the product downloaded and that is definitely on the way.”

MEL BAY MUSIC: 020 8323 8010

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MEL BAY • COVER FEATURE

Bryndon Bay takes Mel Bay global Chris Statham has undoubtedly made a significant impact on the sheet music market in the UK, taking on what some see as a quite parochial American catalogue and bigging it up in front of dealers, knowing that these are the people who impact upon the buying habits and decisions of the public more than anyone. His full-on marketing policies have seen, in under three years, the establishment of an enviable dealer network and Mel Bay’s titles punching their corner along with the established heavyweights in the business.

All of this, of course, costs money and needs more than one head to set the course and keep it there and Statham has been lucky in having a boss who sees exactly where the ideas are coming from and going to. Enter Bryndon Bay (pictured, right), the grandson of Mel Bay and, since the new year, the president of the global operation.

“Chris was a major factor in us establishing an office in the UK,” explains Bay. “He was very much the right man at the right time and he has really taken the bull by the horns.”

Bryndon Bay took the day-to-day running of the publishing house in January this year from his father, William (pictured, left), with the latter now chairman of the board and continuing his work with artist relations and project development. Bryndon is in charge of the publisher’s manufacturing operation (which takes in the whole publishing process from writing and editing, through to pre-press, printing and binding) to the business development strategies that have resulted in partners in Hong Kong, India and Dubai, as well as Statham’s UK business.

“The first year, I was in the UK about 18 times,” recalls Bay. “By the second year, it was down to six times. Chris is a guy you can trust to get the job done.”

“Our partners come back with suggestions and we work with them. They often know better than us what sells in their markets.”

Bryndon Bay, Mel Bay USA Bay describes his takeover of the company as a ‘gradual evolution’ having taken some ten months working together with his father to learn the ropes, culminating in his appointment as president. That gradual evolution is something that has been at the core of Mel Bay since the very beginning, with the eponymous founder building the catalogue based on his own Modern Guitar Method tutorials and introducing the first elements of the production operation, his son William establishing the facility in Pacific, Missouri through the ‘70s and ‘80s, to Bryndon’s own efforts in turning the company global since the turn of the century.

Talking of business development and international expansion is, of course, far easier said than done and Bryndon Bay has used the template of slow and

steady growth to establish relations and partners around the world.

“When I rejoined the business five years ago, the company was still almost completely US-centric,” explains Bay. “Yes, we had been regularly at the Frankfurt show, but that was it. I started looking at the Far East and Australian markets and developing relationships and taking trips out to meet up with people.

They were essentially ‘meet and greets’ and we have enjoyed slow and steady growth in those markets. It takes time.”

Having established partners in the countries mentioned and the products becoming available, there then followed a circle of feedback that resulted in adapting established Mel Bay titles for more local instruments, such as the ud.

“Our partners come back with these suggestions and we work with that.

They will often provide artists and so on – they know better than us what sells in their markets.”

All of that said, the UK operation has not needed to be quite so radical, with the UK market generally accepting the Mel Bay catalogue as it is. “The past two years have seen us building our market share and a wider audience getting to know our products. Our specialist niches, such as accordion, banjo and ukulele, are proving tremendously popular.”

At this point interviews would normally focus on plans for expansion and what the future holds, but in the current recession no-one knows what the future holds. “Generally, our customers are asking for fewer new titles, so we have cut back on new releases from about 20 per month to five and we are concentrating on tried and trusted business areas, key artists and the specialist niches we have built over the years,” explains Bay. “We are also looking at where we want to go with our digital and online content.

“One of the good things about the economic situation at the moment is that, as we shore up, we become more cautious and this gives us the chance to look at what we can do better.”

Bay goes on to explain that the current crisis is the first in his company’s experience to have shown an immediate impact on sales, which, taking into account printed music’s tendency to ride out slumps with little or no impact, is news in itself, but with books sitting firmly in the ‘affordable entertainment’ and education categories, there is little sign of any alarm as yet.

“We’re moving steadily,” says Bay, “but what is happening is so different from anything we’ve seen before, we’re remaining guarded and cautious and concentrating on the titles that the dealers want to pick up.”

Rodney Branigan – the new Mel Bay signing Originating from Amarillo, Texas, Rodney Branigan is now based in the UK and, following an extensive period spent playing in the Far East, has been busily building a following here – no doubt about to be enhanced by his signing with Mel Bay. But how had that come about? What had made him decide to approach Mel Bay in particular?

“A part of it was that it had experience with artists using some of the techniques that I use,” he says. “Its best-selling live DVD, I believe, is by Tommy Emmanuel and I use a lot of similar techniques to him. Dealing with Mel Bay was really easy – one of the easiest deals I’ve ever done, in fact.

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“As for promotion, I’m also working with Yamaha, endorsing its new LL series of guitars, so between Yamaha and Mel Bay there are going to be a lot of clinics, I hope.

The schedule at the moment is that I should be touring the UK and Europe during the summertime, and then the States, from September to mid-October, and Asia from then until December.”

Catalogue Number: MB21982DVD Title: Rodney Branigan – Live In India DVD Release Date: April 1st 2009

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ELECTRONIC DRUMS • SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

E’s are good As electronic drums head lower and lower in the price range, we are beginning to see something of a Pot Noodle phenomenon (a product that creates a niche, but fails to impact other markets). As more and more hobbyists take up the challenge of beating the crap out of synth and sample triggering drum pads, Andy Barrett takes a look at a burgeoning bandwagon… t’s probably fair to say that there has been nothing like the recent boom in electronic drum kits of the past five years since the explosion of electronic keyboards in the 1980s. The advance of sampling and synthesis technology, combined with increasingly sensitive and complex triggers has meant that – as with the keyboard’s successor, the digital piano – an instrument whose sound and playability depends upon the acoustic structures achieved through traditional manufacturing methods can now be imitated very closely by synthetic means.

The electronic development of musical instruments has led to three significant selling points: noise levels, size and price.

Nowadays would-be players can buy a drum kit for well under £400, pop it in the corner of a bedroom without having to do more than clear a small space, plug in the headphones and start learning.

Those in the know will already be reaching for their ‘Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells’ letter templates. Acoustic drum kits have long been as compact as electronic kits, of course, with practice pads readily available to silence a kit and entry-level kits have only recently been matched by electronic ones for price – and have a better mark up.

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MAKING A MARK (UP) As with the keyboards of the ‘80s and, to a lesser degree, digital pianos, e-drums have slipped easily into the ‘hi tech’ retail category, which can translate into as little as 15 to 20 per cent mark up. One drum retailer I spoke to, who has enjoyed a very successful 2008, told me that while e-kits have grown to 20 per cent of his turnover, that comes through as a mere seven per cent of his gross profit. Add to this the fact that while an acoustic drum kit customer will need all manner of add-ons (such as those practice pads – not to mention the sticks, skins, pedals, new cymbals and snares and hardware) there is little value the drum dealer can add to an e-kit sale other than the hope that the customer will be back to upgrade or make the leap to an acoustic kit.

With prices now moving below the £500 mark – some even below £300 – there are now signs that youngsters starting out on an electronic kit are beginning to come back to the stores looking for an acoustic kit. It is a recent development, but one that bodes well.

The boom in electronic kits is also a healthy sign that the market is still growing. A look at the major suppliers’

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sales figures makes for interesting reading, where growth in the entry-level particularly seems to be proving that accessibility in terms of space and low noise is all many need to inspire that move to buying a drum kit.

E-drums have also brought the drumming fraternity (or rather aspirants) into the mom and pop stores, which has been very much welcomed by said outlets, while rankling a bit with the specialists.

This is not so much to do with any ‘stay out of my territory’ attitude as with a

concern that the back-to-front entry into the market has brought about an interesting phenomenon. Coming into the market on the back of e-drums and the inherent low margins has led some to assume that starter acoustic kits can function on lower margins, too. This is having the effect of pushing prices and margins down for all, including those that make their bread and butter from drums and percussion.

Despite that, there is a lot of opportunity for ‘simple’ sales (compared

to full scale acoustic kits) and thus for non-specialists to take full advantage of a product range that appears to have captured the public’s imagination.

It wasn’t that long ago that a drum kit in a home was unusual. A few more years and it will be positively normal.

What follows, then, is, as ever, far from a comprehensive run through of electronic drums, but it should be enough to give those pondering the possibility of getting into e-drums a bit of inspiration as to where to go for advice and supplies…

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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • ELECTRONIC DRUMS

ROLAND The rise of Roland in the drum world over the past six or seven years has been nothing short of phenomenal and the Japanese hi tech developer has forged a path that has enabled an increasing number of minor manufacturers and suppliers to follow on with ease.

Roland’s latest offering came at the recent NAMM show: the TD-4K kit, a midto-high price range kit with a new TD-4 sound module, which has upgraded drum and percussion sounds, as well as new ambience effects, optimised for drums. As well as the familiar rubber drum pads, cymbals and proprietary multi-layer, mesh snare head, it has a newly-designed fourlegged drum stand that allows flexible and solid positioning of the pads and places the TD-4 module in the centre for easy access. The Rhythm Coach and Quick Record functions complete the package, offering excellent tuition capabilities.

The TD-4K, which clocks in at a sub£1,000 price tag, is a typical example of Roland’s ongoing trickle down of technology from last year’s TD-9K kit, which retails at around £1,300. The TD-9 introduced an upgraded triggering system and came in two versions, the familiar rubber pads (as with the TD-4) or with complete mesh heads throughout on the TD-9KX for an extra £300.

Roland tells us that an increasing number of acoustic drummers are incorporating triggering into their performance as a bridge between the conventional playing they know and love and the adjustable and stable output of a sound module.

Another route for the ‘established’ drummer unsure about the benefits of going the whole hog with an electronic kit is the drum pad unit. Roland’s SPD-S sampling pad is becoming a familiar sight amid professionals’ acoustic set-ups, enabling eight sounds using six rubber pads and three edge triggers. The beauty is in the simplicity: record a sound, assign it to a pad and go. Up to 12 minutes of sampling is provided in ‘Long’ mode, along with the editing features of Truncate and Trigger Mode. Roland is seeing considerable growth with this product, too – and at a roughly £400 retail price, it needn’t be the exclusive sphere of the pro drummer.

way for the beginner to dip a toe into the genre without blowing a year’s savings.

ASHTON New to the e-drum market (although in relative terms, Ashton is, of course, pretty new to everything) the Australian entry-level brand has also gone down the drum pad route with the EDP420 drum unit.

Targeting the home market or incidental studio work, this Far Eastern-manufactured drum pad unit has seven pads, two pedals (hi-hat and bass drum), 25 preset kits, five user programmable kits, 250 percussion and 128 MIDI voices, USB port, single track recording, metronome and the all-important headphone output. As well as a set of sticks, the EDP unit also benefits from Ashton’s now familiar POS packaging. At £189 it is a good

Consumers might want a whole kit or just a drum pad unit

SESSION PRO P&R Howard has been enjoying considerable success with the Session Pro DD505 since its introduction to the market just under two years ago. Sold predominantly to general or mom and pop stores, the Scottish supplier was blown away with the response. The 505 hit straight into the entry level market, retailing with a sub £400 tag, while offering four drum pads, three cymbals, hihat and kick drum, together with 215 voices, 20 preset kits, ten user kits, tempo, tap and voice tuning, as well as reverb and gain control.

It is now introducing the DD508 to the UK. The 508 stretches out into the mid-priced market at £849 and this could prove a big mover over the next year or so.

The 508 has the same pad, trigger and cymbal layout of the 505, but upgrades to 307 voices, 30 user kits, multiple triggers, including rim shot, cymbal bell and edge, cymbal choke, MIDI and USB – in short, a pro kit that will doubtless turn the head of those intermediates looking to upgrade and gain access to some of the acoustic techniques, but on an electric kit.

Well worth a look.

GET YOUR MESSAGE OUT THERE

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ELECTRONIC DRUMS • SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

Alesis (left) and Yamaha (right) both have topquality e-drum kits

PP DRUMS The new PP900E from Performance Percussion (now referred to as PP Drums) features all the equipment laid out as you’d expect: four drum pads, kick drum and pedal, two cymbal pads and a hi-hat cymbal pad with control pedal. Also as expected, the kit is supplied with a fully adjustable frame, three cymbal booms, all connecting cables, power supply, drumsticks and instructions.

The mountable sound module offers a choice of 215 voices, along with 20 preset kit sounds. And while the unit’s memory lets you save your favourite settings, ten ‘user defined’ kit voices are also available with an additional 50 preset songs to play along with, as well as a click track and metronome facility. Via the module, the player has control over these settings, plus straightforward volume, tempo and tap controls, which can be monitored visually on the LED display.

The PP900E module offers a MIDI out facility, with normal outputs for hooking up to a PA, desk or monitor/amp. Then a headphone output (of course) and an aux input for audio from an external source. A lot of bang for buck on this model with a retail price of £479.

PINTECH Pintech is unusual in that the manufacturer focuses on the kit itself, while leaving the hi tech wizards to supply the sound module. The Road Pro kit, for example, comes standard with all the

extras, designed specifically for the Roland TD-20 drum module and comes in at a few hundred quid less. This six-piece kit is the top of the line in every respect – two ten-inch and 12-inch Concert Cast Black EZ Tune mesh pads and a 14-inch Black Piccolo mesh snare. It features the Visu Lite line of cymbals (available in 12 colours), has super accurate triggering and a feel that is as close to acoustic as electronic cymbals have yet come.

Top it all off with American-made, hand-soldered CBI cables, with Neutrik connectors, Silen Trim on all pads for quiet rim playing and you have a kit that has the pros drooling. Pintech also recommends the Roland TD-12 for this kit.

ALESIS Like Roland, Alesis began life with synthesizers and keyboards and as such had access to a lot of technology ideal for the manufacture of electronic drums. The addition of Akai and its sampling technology to the Numark family, however, opened up even more doors, but still the company hung back from the plunge, while Roland and Yamaha stole the show. When the company did finally come into the market, it was with something of a splash – literally.

Alesis’ USB Pro drum kit is the world's first drum set designed for use with a Mac or PC as the sound module. The logic is that a computer has more processing power than any hardware drum module and combined with the touch of tunable,

mylar drum heads and the natural feel of brass-alloy Surge cymbals (by Sabian), creates an acoustic-feeling, great-sounding drumming experience. The heart of the USB Pro is the Trigger/IO interface and the FXpansion BFD Lite software, which opens up the world of DAWs and plugins, such as BFD, Toontrack and Reason to drummers and producers looking for realistic drum performances.

The drum pads are built around eightinch mylar drumheads and acousticdampening foam. The snare and tom pads are dual-zone, enabling rimshot or rimclick sounds on the snare and additional sounds such as wind chimes, cymbals, gongs, and cowbells on the tom rims.

When they wear out, the drumheads can be replaced with any model you choose from any manufacturer.

The Surge cymbals on the USB Pro are 12-inch hi-hats, 13-inch crash and 16-inch ride – the crash and ride both having a choke function, while the ride has a dual zone for bell sounds.

YAMAHA Yamaha has done as much as anyone to establish e-drums as a viable alternative to ‘the real thing’, as well as helping to open up the hobbyist and home market.

As with digital pianos, the MI giant has had its own top quality products in the acoustic arena to examine, sample and emulate, which means the ‘learning curve’ of gradual sound quality improvement has proved an easier nut to crack.

Whether in the studio or live, Yamaha’s DTXtreme tops the DTX range and gives the drummer everything he (or she) needs thanks to the powerful Motif synth engine.

The kit also has value for the student and helps teach any style, as well as allowing the users to track the accuracy of their playing. There are also a lot of uploaded songs on the kit for the player to get to grips with.

As ever, the technology trickle down has allowed Yamaha to introduce much of these features in the mid-priced DTXpress and the DTXplorer beginner kit.

CONTACTS ROLAND .....................................................................................01792 702701 ASHTON .....................................................................................01780 781630 P&R HOWARD (SESSION PRO)...............................................01355 236621 JHS (PP DRUMS) .....................................................................0113 286 5381 PINTECH...................................................................................0141 432 2469 NUMARK (ALESIS) ..................................................................01252 341400 YAMAHA ...................................................................................01908 366700

G Print Edition G Digital Edition G Mobile Edition G Online Leader Contact Darrell.Carter@intentmedia.co.uk for more details on the exciting opportunities ME can offer.

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LARRIVÉE • COMPANY PROFILE

Larrivée has arrived Since being taken on by distributor Sound Technology, Larrivée has gone from strength to strength, making quite an impact on the market. Gary Cooper investigates exactly how this has happened… ecently the subject of some debate on the MI Pro website, the role of distributors in the MI market has rarely been so open to question. But if someone was looking for an example of how transformational a good distributor can be, the blossoming of the Canadian and US acoustic guitar brand, Larrivée, under the wing of Sound Technology, offers the perfect case study.

It was Sound Technology that took Taylor to a position where it had become a serious challenger to CF Martin as the UK’s premium acoustic brand. It had taken the Letchworth distributor a lot of money and over ten years to achieve, so the unexpected loss of Taylor, as part of its international deal with Fender last year,

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must have felt like a body blow. A lesser outfit might have walked away from the acoustic business in disgust. Instead, Sound Technology made a bold bid for Larrivée and in under a year has transformed its market position.

Charged with getting Larrivée on track were Sound Technology’s sales director Greg Niven (pictured right) and marketing director Ian Cullen (pictured far right). They admit that establishing Larrivée might have looked like a hard task but, eight months on, everything is going according to plan. “Larrivée has been something of a success story so far,” says Niven. “We’ve met our expectations and put the brand on the radar of everyone involved in the high-end acoustic guitar market.

IN THE BEGINNING – BELIEF “First of all we had utmost faith in the product. Jean Larrivée and his guitars had received universal support from others in the guitar industry. We took on the line with confidence in the guitars.

Frequently we hear that we took on Larrivée to replace Taylor, but we were under no illusions that this was going to happen any time soon. It took over a decade to get Taylor to grow to the levels it was when we left it. From the Sound Technology business perspective, our Taylor turnover had been made up with the securement of other lines earlier in the process – predominantly Propellerhead software. It was the in-house expertise and experience that led us to take on another high-end acoustic line, following Taylor’s departure. We believed Larrivée to be an under-performing brand that we could do a job with.

“You could identify dealer coverage and marketing support as the two key factors. There was also a lot of misunderstanding around the brand itself. The existing dealer network we inherited was knowledgeable, but somewhat limited in geographical coverage and presence in the market. No chains were involved. This is a comfortable model, but to really grow a brand to the next level you need to take a leap. We hope we’re building a network now that combines the speciality dealers with mainstream that the brand deserves.

As a proposition for dealers we’ve built in margin and marketing support. The stock

Sound Technology made a bold bid for Larrivée and in under a year the distributor has transformed its market position. commitment was, of course, much lower than other brands were asking for.

“The common misconceptions were that Larrivée was a boutique guitar builder and that they were all built in Canada,” adds Niven. “In reality, Larrivée builds 50 to 100 guitars a day and every guitar except the -03 series comes from California.”

“I suppose there was some reluctance,” admits Cullen. “But we’ve got the history to show that we do grow brands. On the marketing side, we’d clearly learnt a lot about the acoustic guitar market, but Larrivée did need a different approach – it’s a very different style of company to Taylor. It’s a family run business, extremely talented at what it does, but without the marketing dollars.

“We looked to find a specific focus to start our brand building of the line. The obvious standout feature was Jean Larrivée’s personal involvement in the sourcing of timber. No other high-end guitar manufacturer is as directly involved in travelling the globe to source wood as Larrivée. This results in Larrivée having first pick of the best tonewood available.

“Take the £999 L03 model: the quality of the spruce top is superb and wouldn’t be out of place on a guitar costing three times as much. So it was this simple, focused message we took to the market.

All our ads and in-store point of sale centred around this concept.

“And then we set about creating a

barrage of reviews. Again, being all about the guitars, we wanted to get them into as many experts’ hands as possible. We’ve done this very successfully and you can see the results on our website. This has been very powerful not only in promoting the brand to the end user, but also in our approaches to retailers,” Cullen says.

“From here, we’ll be more directly driving consumers to retailers in the coming months. Plus an artist program is in place, with Razorlight using the guitars and more artists are to follow.”

“We plan further expansion of the dealer network,” adds Niven, “and currently there is no mid-price Larrivée our prices start at £999. The £500-£1,000 price point is vitally important for delivering high turnover. If we could get some of Larrivée’s quality in that price we’d be very happy – and this is not beyond the realms of possibility. It’s worth noting too that Larrivée’s own business is growing. They say the brand-building work we have done in the UK over the past eight months has allowed them to sign up big hitting distributors in Europe such as Algam in France.”

Where Larrivée goes from here in a recessionary market is, of course, anyone’s guess – but if there are people who doubt the influence a top-class distributor can have, even in the trickiest of marketing circumstances, they should bear this success story in mind.

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Electric Avenue

There are plenty of reasons to get excited about what’s going on in the electric guitar market at the moment, especially for those with a few shillings to burn. Rob Power goes electric to find out more… here comes a time in every guitarist’s playing career when the moment they have been waiting for finally comes. Some have to wait years, a lucky few not so long, but when it arrives, hell, it’s enough to make the hardest rocker alive misty eyed. That moment is when, after years toiling away on everything from cheesecutter Chinese knock-offs all the way up to mid-range workhorses, the guitarist buys his first genuinely great quality guitar.

Breaking the £700 barrier is a big moment, one that should be celebrated as much as any birthday. It says a few things; primarily, that the player is finally making enough money to actually acquire a guitar that has been coveted for some time, itself no mean feat, but there’s much more. It means that a dream – maybe a small dream to the casual observer, but a dream nonetheless – has been achieved, and the gleaming guitar that has been drooled over and saved up for can be finally taken home. It means a certain amount of appreciation and love for the instrument itself has been gained. You join a club on the day you buy your first truly beautiful guitar and it’s really quite a feeling.

With the market as busy and full of new models and updates on old favourites as it ever has been, there’s plenty to choose from out there. For the retailer, there has never been so much choice, and with the economy in such a fragile state making the correct stock choices has never been more crucial. Thankfully, MI Pro is on hand to help sort the six-string wheat from the chaff…

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Breaking the £700 barrier is a big moment, one that should be celebrated as much as any birthday.

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FENDER As one of the most high profile recent entries into the £700-plus section of the market, Fender’s Road Worn series is certainly causing many an eyebrow to raise. Taking the trend for pre-aged instruments to its next logical conclusion, Fender has bridged the gap between extreme high-end USA custom shop relics and entry-level approximations with these great looking and feeling guitars.

The high quality of instruments coming out of Fender’s Mexican factories

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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • ELECTRIC GUITARS

nowadays, combined with the company’s obvious expertise in the area of roughing up new guitars to give them an aged look, means that these instruments pack a serious bang for your average Joe’s hard earned buck.

There is obvious appeal here for guitar slingers looking for the vintage vibe on slightly less of a budget than custom shop specials might allow and be in no doubt that these are excellent guitars. The ageing feels realistic, the necks have been beautifully sanded to make them feel like they’ve been played a thousand times, and there’s a good spread of 50s and 60s style Strats and Teles. This is a range that looks set to do some serious business for Fender in the UK, so don’t miss out on giving customers a chance to get their hands on at least one.

GIBSON With the reaction to Gibson’s unique Robot guitars so far a positive one, and anticipation high for the arrival of orders of the Dark Fire Les Paul on these shores, the boundaries of what the electric guitar can be capable of are being well and truly pushed. The astonishment on the face of players who have never seen a self-tuning guitar before really speaks for itself and that these innovations are not priced out of reach from the man on the street means that we are going to be seeing the technology spread a lot quicker than it might have done had it been three times as expensive – surely a good thing.

Combining the best of the modern with that which Gibson has always done well means that the Robot guitars, available in Les Paul or SG shapes in a variety of ultra modern or more traditional colours, look set to buck the trend for ‘out there’ electric guitar designs. With the selftuning system affordable to install, unobtrusive in design and, crucially, very good at its job, you really can expect to be seeing these guitars around for some time yet and in the hands of an increasingly diverse range of players.

It’s not just Gibson which is making the most of this area of the market though.

Long-term sister brand Epiphone also has plenty to shout about. Although more usually found in the sub-£700 area of the market, Epiphone’s latest offering is a corker of a guitar that marks a rare outing for the brand into the higher end of the market. The 1962 Wilshire Custom is without doubt a beauty. Manufactured in the US and aiming to capture the essence of one of Epiphone’s most easily recognisable solid bodies, it features a mahogany body, three-a-side Epiphone headstock with vintage tuners, a set of P90s and a set of goodies including a hard case, leather strap, certificate of authenticity and a vintage looking curly

36 miPRO MARCH 2009

Epiphone, Larivée, Martyn Booth and Schecter – a top notch guitar for any taste

lead. With the likes of Pete Doherty playing similar Epiphones recently, as well as the obvious heritage of the model, this is a guitar that will be sought after by a keen fanbase of Epi lovers.

WESTSIDE Home to a number of brands that deserve a look-in at this price point, first up from Westside is Duesenberg, which has been steadily building a name for itself for some time now among guitarists looking for distinctive, retro-styled instruments that ooze class. There are plenty of guitars to choose from in the Duesy range that might catch the eye of an upgrading guitarist, from the likes of the hollow body Imperial through to the solid body 49er, a beautiful instrument that with its ‘50s style chrome and modern hardware combines the best of two worlds.

Another big name in this area of the market for Westside is Tom Anderson’s Guitarworks, the American manufacturer that has shown the rest of the world how to really hot rod a guitar. Restlessly innovative and with a growing army of fans worldwide, you only need to look at something like the Drop Top Classic to get an idea of what this company is capable of achieving. A super strat manufacturer by hand and with the

highest possible quality of components, a lot of Tom Anderson players are almost religious about these guitars, making them well worth a look.

The recent addition of Schecter to the Westside stable means there is a third brand for the company in this area of the market. Popular with name players for many years now, these hand-crafted US built guitars have often been favoured by heavy rockers – the 2009 Blackjack ATX C1 is a great example of what the company does best. With rockist looks, mahogany body and loaded with a set of active Seymour Duncan active Black Out pickups, this is nothing short of a mighty guitar.

MARTYN BOOTH Established by ex-Gibson and Yamaha man Martyn Booth in the Suffolk countryside with the intention of bringing the luthier’s no-compromise, high quality and handmade approach to guitar building to the UK market, the company has gone from strength to strength. One need only take a glance at the Martyn Booth Classic to see what it is all about: classic lines, handbuilt in the UK to exacting specifications, with a huge variety of options available for customers looking for something that little bit special, these are the instruments that are flying the flag for UK manufacturing at the moment.

Having expanded greatly since the company was established in 2002, it has started to expand its dealer network and is currently looking for more retailers to take on what are without doubt beautifully constructed, great looking instruments.

The Fret King range has gone from strength to strength since its launch. www.mi-pro.co.uk

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ELECTRIC GUITARS • SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

craftsmanship and quality components, really does make its presence felt on the shop floor. The RS4 has an extra thick Canadian flamed maple top, Schaller M6 Tuners and straplocks, Tonepros bridge and stoptail, Switchcraft toggle and end pin jack and Luxe bumblebee capacitors.

LOTS ON OFFER As the electric guitar market continues to expand and fill up with more guitars by the day, it is refreshing to see that key companies are still pulling out the stops to provide guitarists with something genuinely new – be that a shape, a technology or a sound.

YAMAHA While better known for its affordable electric guitars, Yamaha’s high-end models, exclusively made in the company’s Japanese workshops, are well regarded among players and dealers alike thanks to unique designs, quality components and high level construction methods.

Leading the pack is the company’s longest-running electric guitar, the SG2000. Originally designed in the late 1970s by Carlos Santana, the SG2000’s through-neck and brass sustain block were designed to maximise sustain, while the versatility afforded by custom coil-tapped humbuckers went a long way towards the designer’s goal to build the ultimate electric guitar.

Joined by the set-neck SG1000 and the flagship SG3000 models (only available in Japan until very recently and featuring custom finishes and upgraded cosmetics), the latest SGs combine the heritage of the range with up to date guitar-building technology – new SGs feature Yamaha’s Initial Response Acceleration, designed to eliminate the physical stresses between components of a guitar and produce a response much closer to that of a guitar played on for years.

Along with the popular SG range, a handful of signature models pepper the upper reaches of Yamaha’s catalogue, including the unique CV820WB, designed by Wes Borland of the recently reformed Limp Bizkit, and featuring ‘Takumi-Kazuri’ semi-hollow construction and exclusive custom hardware and pickups. It makes for a distinctive looking guitar for a player never shy about standing out from the crowd, and especially pertinent now the leading exponents of nu metal are back with a vengeance.

www.mi-pro.co.uk

JHS The Trev Wilkinson-designed Fret King series has been performing very well for JHS at the higher end of the market, as might be expected from a distributor that has had a track record of delivering excellent guitars in recent years.

All of Wilkinson’s UK-produced Green Label series instruments, assembled and finished by Wilkinson himself in his Southport workshops, fall into the £700plus price category, and are proving to be very popular among players looking for instruments that lie slightly outside of the norm, yet look and perform just as well as the best the US has to offer.

The S-type inspired Corona guitars, the T-type Country Squires (including the great looking Yardbird), the twin-cutaway Elan models, the Firebird-esque lines of the Esprit models, and the intriguing ‘Back Into The Future’ vibe and looks of the excellent Ventura 60 and 80 versions are all popular choices in the Fret King range, which has gone from strength to strength since its launch last year.

Economically times are tough in the UK and indeed across the world at the moment, but there is still a market for these instruments, and not simply among pros or older players with a bit more spare cash in their pockets. These are aspirational instruments that every 12 year-old battering away at his Squier Strat dreams of owning and one day will. It’s vital that they are in the market, giving guitarists a reason to move up the ladder into the realms of the high end. It’s as important now as it ever has been that high quality instruments make their mark on the High Street and show the guitar slinging public just how far their money can go.

CONTACTS FENDER ......................................................................................01342 331700 GIBSON (EPIPHONE) ..................................................................GIBSON.COM WESTSIDE...................................................................................0141 2484812 MARTYN BOOTH........................................................................01787 370192 YAMAHA...................................................................................0870 4445575 JHS ..............................................................................................0113 2865381 SOUND TECHNOLOGY............................................................01462 480000

SOUND TECHNOLOGY First up from Sound Technology and now shipping in the UK for the first time are the much sought-after Washburn Idol Chicago Custom Shop models. These include the WI568, featuring a premium-grade maple top, USA Seymour Duncan Pickups and Tone Pros hardware, and the WI566, which features all of the above but is powered

by EMG 85 and 81 active humbuckers.

The Idol range has also recently been bolstered by models in the Washburn Heavy Metal Series.

The WI50V Pro E includes star inlays, a licensed Floyd Rose tremolo, EMG active humbuckers and a 6-a-side reverse headstock.

Also from Sound Technology is the Larrivée RS4, a new addition which, with a combination of excellent

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Mel Bay

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Mel Bay

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Mel Bay distributes to the world!

Office 2.05, Argentum • 2 Queen Caroline Street • Hammersmith, LONDON W6 9DX Telephone No: 020 8323 8010 • Fax Number: 020 8323 8306 UK Sales Freephone: 0800 432 0486 E-mail: salesuk@melbay.com

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FABER MUSIC DISTRIBUTION • COMPANY PROFILE

Giving voice Faber Music Distribution has invested heavily in a new warehouse picking system and the company's managing director, John Hepworth, took Andy Barrett around to show how MI retail will benefit... hen you have 177,000 separate products on your catalogue and are turning over in the region of 4,500 orders per month, to say that you need a good warehouse system is much like saying if you have a car you need a set of four wheels to make it work properly. If you are Faber Music Distribution, the company whose warehouse enjoys precisely these figures quoted, then now you not only have a car with wheels, but one with super alloy wheels and custom Bridgestones fitted.

It is easy to forget the value of the warehouse and its staff, but for someone like John Hepworth, FMD’s managing director, it is the very nerve centre of his operation, which is why he has spent the past two years planning and implementing a picking system that has brought Faber Music’s wholly-owned sales and marketing subsidiary firmly into the 21st century.

“In fact, the first objective was to bring us into the 20th century,” explains Hepworth. “Then, for phase two, I wanted to bring us into the 21st. I looked at a lot of options and at their cost, but in the end

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I decided to go down the most expensive route of a voice recognition system.”

Phase one was the introduction of computerised handsets for stock arrival recording and this could have been expanded into phase two as well, but Hepworth decided to go a step further.

“The handheld devices cost about £1,600 each, which is quite an investment and we could have developed that to cover the whole process, but I thought it better to go straight to the voice picking system.”

ON TRIAL FMD had been using Solarsoft’s warehouse management system software for some time before launching into the new set-up with the Vocollect Talkman wireless headset and beltpack units and the 3iV voice recognition software (supplied by Zetes). Solarsoft customised its software to work with the Zetes system and the custom package began trials in September 2008. Full implementation began in January.

The installation saw immediate results within a week. Previously, warehouse staff had been able to pick between 60 to 70

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COMPANY PROFILE • FABER MUSIC DISTRIBUTION

The new voice recognition system has vastly improved order picking times in the warehouse

order lines per hour, but with the voice recognition system this has climbed to an average of 200 lines per hour.

Hepworth points out that it is possible to pick up to 300 lines per hour when the pressure is really on. Another benefit of the system is that new staff can have

importantly – I have a satisified workforce.

They wouldn’t like to go back to the paper-based system.”

Zetes has also been excited by having a so-called SME (small to medium-sized enterprise) take up its package. For this company, the FMD project opens up whole new territories of potential customers.

“Voice picking has traditionally been seen as the preserve of large companies running very high throughput warehouse operations,” points out James Hannay, Zetes UK’s managing director. “This implementation for Faber Music demonstrates the flexibility of voice directed working and proves that SMEs can see an immediate efficiency and productivity return when they make the switch.”

saying a unique check digit, confirms the title or code and quantity into the headset mic and moves on to the next item. We asked Llewellyn to read the wrong code into the mic and then to select the incorrect quantity. The computer’s voice corrected him and would not let him

“People are usually quite cautious when it comes to change, but this has changed over seamlessly.”

John Hepworth, Faber Music Distribution their voices uploaded into the program in around 20 minutes. Another 40 minutes of training and they are ready to go it alone.

“I’ve got a wide age spread here, ranging from 20 to 60 year-olds and everyone has taken to it really well,” says Hepworth. “People are usually quite cautious when it comes to change, but this has changed over pretty seamlessly – in fact the oldest guy here has had one of the best responses of everyone.”

At the warehouse, Hepworth showed me around its innards and we followed Dave Llewellyn up and down the aisles as he picked out an order.

The order is in the system and assigned to a picker, who is then instructed to select according to instructions, ‘copy’ for a book, CD, DVD and so on. Unusual titles, such as foreign language titles, are given code words or numbers. The picker confirms they’re at the correct location by

42 miPRO MARCH 2009

proceed until the correct selection had been made.

For retailers, this gives the obvious benefits of reduced returns and, at present, something in the region of 90 to 95 per cent of orders going out the same day. Hepworth is aiming for 100 per cent.

On top of that, the system has drastically reduced the need for overtime and made the onerous task of stock keeping massively easier. Adding this to the increased productivity of the warehouse, Hepworth expects the new system to pay for itself in around 13 months. Because of the timescales involved in planning and implementing the system, there has been no need to make any enforced redundancies, either. Natural wastage has seen the moderate reduction in staff necessary to achieve optimum productivity without pain and the eight pickers and one dispatch manager appear

HEPWORTH: “The objective was to bring us into the 21st century” to be handling the global distribution of this vast array of product with extreme ease.

Voice picking systems tend to be the province of large-scale businesses and, Hepworth admits, Zetes was not convinced that Faber would go the whole hog. “I looked at the Superdrug warehouse, where they have 190 people on each of three shifts around the clock,” he explains.

“For companies such as this, voice recognition is now all but essential, but I saw the benefits for Faber instantly. On top of everything else, we have gone from an almost entirely paper-based system to a completely paperless one and – most

A NEW PATTERN EMERGES Looking over downturns and recessions that have taken place in previous decades, something approaching a pattern has emerged that while new players buying into the MI market reduces, those already playing seem to reinvigorate their efforts.

This doesn’t lead to any increase in instrument or equipment sales, but does maintain profits from accessories and sheet music.

FMD’s timing, therefore (while totally unassociated), has been pretty perfect.

Just at a time when MI dealers will be looking to emphasise sheet music sales, the Harlow-based company can provide a delivery second to none and more than capable of coping with any increase in turnaround that such efforts might inspire.

I’m certain a lot of dealers will delight in putting this to the test.

FABER MUSIC DISTRIBUTION: 01279 828900

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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PROFILE

I WOKE UP THIS MORNING DAVID RUSHWORTH Director, Musical Instruments, Intermusic

David Rushworth likes to plan ahead – but not to make appointments. We find out how he helps shops and what his busy working week for Intermusic involves... ’m usually up at around 7 o’clock in the morning, and I spend Monday at home planning. It really does take an inordinate amount of time to plan where you’re going in order to make the most efficient use of the day.

The day is short, as shops only open at around 10:00 and you can’t really call much past 16:30. I don’t make appointments – I used to very carefully make them, but one of about four things would always happen: I’d either be held up on the motorway and arrive stressed, there would be a customer in the shop and I’d have to wait for two hours, the shopkeeper would have to go out to deal with a query or follow up a sale or, finally, they’d ever so tactfully have forgotten I was coming.

I

Because of my background, in retail and at Intermusic, I can give the shops some sort of comfort in these worrying times that what is happening to them is not their fault.

So now I take on as much as I can do and I get through it all with no problem. What I do find is that because of my background – I spent a long time in retail and now I work for Intermusic, where we are all ex-retail and it’s a small company, so it’s all hands to the pump – I can give the shops some sort of comfort in these worrying times that what is happening to them in their town is not their fault. The comfort is that their cash flow is as bad as everybody else’s and they’re not doing anything wrong. That doesn’t help pay bills, but it lets them know they’re doing nothing wrong.

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If I can help, I do. I put people in touch with others if they’re having trouble sourcing stock, things like that and it’s all part of the back-up service that we provide.

Similarly, we’re lucky – being a small company there’s no protocol, no endless box ticking, so if there is a problem I have been given the responsibility and I can sort it out. I can take some quite major decisions without having to refer back – if you’re running a shop and you have a query, you aren’t going to want to have to wait a week for an answer while someone fills in a bit of paper. I can deal with it and get problems sorted, which makes it easier for everyone and allows us to quickly move on.

I’m very lucky to be working at Intermusic, as they are super people to work for. We all get on very well together and are all singing from the same hymn sheet.

It makes us all so much more proactive. We can do deals and sort things out, which is especially useful at a time when prices are screaming up and getting out of control.

People are thinking more about doing own branding and having specialist lines – and we have the versatility to be able to deal with that.

I always plan where I’m going to be at least a week in advance, although I like to be flexible. I cover the whole of the UK, which means I can go wherever I need to go and get there in a matter of days. I do about 1,000 miles a week and you learn very quickly where the population densities are. I always make the point of getting to see all the dealers, even the ones that are far removed from major cities. It makes a difference to have a personal touch with dealers and I think shops like to have the physical presence. If there’s ever a panic or a problem, I can be there.

I’ve been at Intermusic for nine years now and before that I spent 40 years in retail. It’s a huge strength, as you can empathise with the retailers and think about the problems they have and help them solve them.

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DAVE BURRLUCK

Dave Burrluck is the Gear Reviews Editor of Guitarist magazine.

Guitarist, the UK’s leading magazine for serious players, is published by Future Publishing – 01225 442244

Blue Monday A day in the life of our guitar-toting scribe. Which side of the bed has he got out of this month..? t’s barely gone 9am on a February Monday morning and my phone is ringing. It’s what I call ‘Fuck-Up Day’: the day that the latest issue of Guitarist magazine lands on most people’s doormats. It’s also the day – one of (at least) 13 each year – that I wonder why the flippin’ heck I do such a stupid job.

The caller is, verbally, throwing all his toys out of the pram. I am blissfully unaware of his issues because my copy of Guitarist hasn’t arrived. But you can’t be in my line of work and not expect the occasional rant. You might consider yourself good at your job, an ‘expert’ or

I

of things I still have to do. After all time is money, isn’t it?

I was recently invited to attend a ‘discussion group’ by one of our leading distributors to discuss their intended new designs and so on. Travel would be paid for and lunch. Now a free lunch… ah, you say there’s no such thing. I suspected a conflict of interest. What if I suggested a design or feature that the company put into production and sent into us for review. I could hardly say that’s rubbish if I’d thought of it, could I? So, I suggested that I was happy to attend but as a freelance consultant and expected to be

The caller is, verbally, throwing all his toys out of the pram. You can’t be in my line of work and not expect occasional rants. In minutes, long-term, mutually beneficial relationships can dissolve. whatever tag you want to apply, but when you or your publication messes up – however rarely – you still feel like the antiChrist. In minutes, long-term, mutually beneficial relationships can dissolve in a heart-felt, justified or not, rant. Oh dear. I decide I need a coffee but before I can leave my desk there’s another call and another (unrelated to the last) problem.

I try and sort out the mess(es) but because FUD falls about halfway through the production of our next issue, time is running out to submit my various parts of the magazine and mess-clearing isn’t exactly diminishing the unfeasibly long list 46 miPRO MARCH 2009

paid, an offer declined by said company.

So here’s a company that would like the benefit of my ‘expert’ knowledge and experience but doesn’t want to pay for it.

Sometimes I think I should get MUG tattooed on my forehead, along with many other journalists. I’m sure we’re perceived simply as conduits for words and pages that are basically free ‘adverts’ for products that, especially with a brand as big as Guitarist behind them, will be helped out of a store with the resounding thud of the cash register.

Last year I heard from a British guitar maker that there was going to be a major

exhibition of hand-made British guitars.

No-one contacted us. Eventually I did the contacting and the organisers were very keen for us to feature the exhibition. A little while later I headed off to sort through over 40 guitars awaiting placement in it. I had to select 12 or so to shoot, balancing well-known names with lesser, but wellmade guitars, and create a mixture of electric and acoustic in as many styles as possible. With the help of the aforementioned guitar-maker and our photographer we got the job done and this free advert for the makers concerned eventually ran over six or so pages in the magazine. But just one maker called – Chris Eccleshall – to say thanks for the free ad.

Grow up, I hear you say, that’s your job.

It is, but people being people, some can’t help taking the piss. Last year we ran a feature on hot-rodding your guitar: a way to get a lot of editorial plugs for spare parts that normally are hard to get into the mag. It was a very successful feature but obviously we requested lots of add-on products and then had to fit them to the guitars. So to say I was surprised to receive an invoice for said nuts and tuners (£27) from a company who’d received an endorsement from us is an understatement.

After all, for many of our readers, ‘if it’s good enough for those

guys at Guitarist, it’s good enough for me’.

Did I hear that resounding clunk of the cash register again?

There are no more problem calls for a while. But there aren’t any, ‘nice issue, thanks for the review/feature’ calls either. I guess that’s why it’s called Fuck-Up Day and not Thank You Very Much For Potentially Improving My Business Day. Ho-hum.

What manufacturers see when a journalist comes into view

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PERSONNEL

Arbiter drum manager joins Soar Valley Darran Bramley becomes sales manager for percussion expert SOAR VALLEY Music has appointed Darran Bramley as its new sales manager following hiss redundancy from the now defunct Arbiter Group.

Bramley brings over 20 years’ experience of working for Arbiter, heading up the famous supplier’s drum and percussion team. Soar Valley’s director, David Ledsam, commented: “I have known Darran for many years and have always admired his efficiency, drive and commitment. His input into Soar Valley will be invaluable.”

“I am delighted to be working for such a successful and forward-thinking company,” said Bramley of his new position. “Soar Valley Music has built up an excellent reputation for fast, efficient, friendly service over the years in both the education and MI retail markets and I look forward to using the experience gained from my years at Arbiter to help further the company’s growth.”

The announcement also said that Soar Valley has a new catalogue and hinted that “major percussion lines” would come soon.

Bramley added that he is looking forward to hearing from customers old and new.

SOAR VALLEY: 01509 269629

Longbottom heads to MSC Former Arbiter man to take national accounts role THE MUSIC Shipping Co. (MSC) has announced that Matt Longbottom, fresh from a two-year stint with Arbiter, has joined the company as national account manager.

Longbottom, who was formerly Arbiter’s northern percussion sales manager, will be handling MSC’s full range of percussion products.

Longbottom is a drummer who will already be well known to northern drum stores and brings with him a lot of professional expertise.

“We’re really delighted that Matt is joining us at such an important point in our history,” said MSC’s Craig Fenney.

“With Aquarian and our other distributed lines going from strength to strength, we are now increasing the presence of the British brands we own, including Natal and Shaw, to the point where they are demanding even more attention, which Matt will provide.”

Fenney concluded by pointing out that Longbottom will be contacting customers old and new in the next few weeks and in the meantime he can be reached at matt@musicshipping.co.uk.

MSC: 01562 827666

Broadcast man for DK Harrison brings peerless experience to Danish manufacturer DANISH PRO audio firm DK Technologies has appointed Peter Harrison as regional sales manager, with responsibility for the US and the Far East.

Harrison has worked in broadcast since the 1970s, when he joined Border TV. This experience is set against his pure engineering background – in 1980 he joined the Rupert Neve-founded mixer company. His commercial background was later broadened by working with Amek as director of engineering.

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

After some years of self employed consultancy, he joined Calrec Audio in 2004 as US regional sales manager and his international experience is invaluable for DK Technologies.

He is also an erstwhile contributor to MI Pro’s sister publication, Audio Pro International, where he discussed broadcast audio issues.

Richard Kelly, sales and marketing director for DK Technologies, added: “Peter’s experience in the broadcast market, combined with his engineering and system design skills, makes him a valuable asset for the company.

We are delighted to have him on board.”

DK TECHNOLOGIES: 023 9259 6100

miPRO MARCH 2009 47

Lims Advert

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Bringing the UK MI Industry together Register now for the 2009 show at

www.lims09registration.com 11th June 2009 • Trade Day 12th – 14th June • Public Days

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RETAIL NEWS, OPINION, DATA

INDIE PROFILE

NEWS JG Windows to acquire Dolphin’s Gateshead store

LOCATION REPORT Strings of the Isle of Wight contemplates the pros and cons of island life

Our roving reporter discovers Dirk Witte’s store in Amsterdam and finds it very special

Tanglewood hits the Caribbean The Music Stop presents parlour guitar and supports children’s foundation in Jamaica with blues legends, Little Feat CHRIS HARGRAVE of The Music Stop in Cockfosters, Hertfordshire took some time out from his store in January to attend the seventh annual Little Feat Festival in Negril, Jamaica.

Before setting off, Hargrave (pictured, centre, with Little Feats’ Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett) decided to arm himself with a Tanglewood TW73VS parlour guitar on the off chance he might be able to get up close and personal with the band and get them to have a play on it.

“All the guys in the band were fantastically open and accessible,” said Hargrave. “Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett – Little Feat’s guitarists – were gracious enough to try the guitar and were both

The Little Feat Festival raises funds for the band’s foundation, Deep Blue Ripple, that helps underprivileged kids in Jamaica. genuinely impressed with the design, build and quality of the instrument. Barrere remarked that it was ‘one sweet sounding guitar’ and was taken aback at the price, and was expecting it to be a much more expensive instrument.”

The purpose of the Little Feat Festival is to raise funds for the band’s foundation, Deep Blue Ripple International, that helps underprivileged kids in Jamaica. There is usually a raffle and an auction of items donated by band members and guests.

Hargrave thought it would be a nice gesture to donate the guitar for this cause, so all the members of Little Feat signed it

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

and it was duly put up for auction, where it helped to raise over six thousand dollars for the charity.

The blues rockers regularly organise events for Deep Blue Ripple, which often involves gigs, raffles and auctions and sees musicians, artists, therapists, educators, teenagers and other kind hearted folks volunteering at their own expense for a week of working with the children of various homes for orphans, the needy and disabled. Money raised usually goes towards educational materials, art supplies, recreational equipment, musical instruments and transportation costs.

Ongoing projects include The Friends of The West End Kids Fair, which celebrates community and life through laughter, art,

Little Feat getting down n dirty on stage at the Little Feat Festival music and fun and the West Haven Children’s Home for the Disabled, which cares for mentally and physically handicapped children in Jamaica. Almost all the children living there are wards of the state, with some 80 residents currently living at the home, ranging from

ages four to 38. Most of the residents spend their entire lives at West Haven once they are brought there.

For more info on Little Feat in Jamaica and the Deep Blue Ripple International foundation, visit the band’s website at littlefeat.net or deepblueripple.org.

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RETAIL • NEWS

JG Windows acquires Gateshead store Dolphin recognises branch doesn’t fit with future plans as traditional Newcastle retailer jumps at the chance of expansion JG WINDOWS has announced that it is to take over the 3,500 square foot store currently occupied by Dolphin Music in Gateshead’s Metro Centre within the next few months.

The takeover will add only the second retail outlet to the company's portfolio, which, in 2008, celebrated a century of trading in the centre of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

JG Windows is the North East’s largest music store (pictured), selling musical instruments, printed music, CDs and DVDs and hi fi equipment across three floors.

“When we purchased the city centre store from the Windows family in 2006 and with my background at Roland, not least in running the digital piano concessions within department stores, we knew that at some point we must take our business well and truly to the consumer market,” explained Rupert Bradbury, the Newcastle store’s managing director.

“The Metro Centre has always been in our sights as it is only 15 minutes from our city centre store and has 23 million visitors a year, of which many do not shop in Newcastle’s city centre.

“We approached Rob Williams and Jason Tavaria from Dolphin in October last year and realised that there would be a clear benefit to both of our businesses by taking this plan forward.

“For Dolphin, largely down to it’s geographical location, being in Liverpool the Gateshead store does not exactly fit with their future plans.

“For Windows, it fits perfectly into our future plans. Clearly there are many benefits of having two similar, but different stores so close to each other.”

JG WINDOWS: 0191 261 2406 DOLPHIN: 0870 840 9060

Fretz Music creates Drum Zone CONFIDENT IN MI’s apparent ability to buck the trend in the current economic climate, Fretz Music Store has announced the opening of Drum Zone, its dedicated drum shop in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

The space for Drum Zone became available when Fretz Music moved to larger premises, but the store’s owners, Baz and Theresa Garvin, decided to keep hold of the old store and turn it into a drum emporium. The drum store is staffed and managed by a friendly professional drummer with over 20 years experience.

The management invites customers to drop in – apparently the store even offers a decent cup of coffee.

Drum Zone aims to cater for all drummers, offering top facilities, including a sound proof booth for the prospective

punters who need to check out gear. The store is also offering promotional free lessons.

The drum retailer is aiming to stock most major brands, as well as a selection of ‘interesting and unique’ gear and is negotiating becoming the sole agent for Fulmine custom made drum shoes (fulminedrummershoes.it).

Drum Zone’s owners said: “We’re excited about our two stores in Hemel Hempstead.

Drum Zone is a classic old town shop and we take pride in our customer service and aim to do great deals.”

The store can be found at 42 High Street, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3AE. FRETZ MUSIC: 01442 260004

Indie festival to benefit retailers THE INDIE Guitar Company has come up with an unusual promotion, aimed at helping sales of its guitars and increasing awareness of its festival, unsurprisingly named the Indie Guitar Music Festival, which will take place at The Wichwoods in the Cotswolds in Oxfordshire on July 24th to 26th this year.

The promotion takes the form of a draw, with the Indie Guitar team pulling a serial number of a guitar sold during the preceding

50 miPRO MARCH 2009

month and awarding the dealer that sold that guitar with 20 tickets to the festival. The draw will take place each month from March through to July, with the winners being announced in MI Pro and on the MI Pro website.

The festival has already confirmed bands including The Holloways, British Sea Power and Counting Crows. There are also other bands lined up awaiting confirmation including the Pigeon Detectives and Babyshambles.

Dealers wishing to participate in the promotion (and benefit from the chance of getting tickets) should contact the Indie Guitar Company.

INDIE GUITARS: 01635 579300

B&M launches online trade area BARNES & MULLINS has launched an online trade area, designed to be an invaluable resource for all MI retailers at barnesandmullins.co.uk.

When logged in to the area, retailers can keep their details up to date, upload store logos and pictures, find detailed B&M staff contact information, see all new products, downloads, artists and news stories since their last visit, check the latest B&M trade only news, list themselves as stockists of appropriate brands and more.

B&M’s Alex Mew explained the reasoning behind the project: “We needed a way to communicate efficiently with our trade customers and keep them up to date with new developments and product additions. Sending physical paper updates is just too time consuming, expensive and largely inefficient.

“Having completed the online catalogue and storefinder in December, we were conscious that more specific information had to flow more easily to the trade.

“As an example, the February 2009 price updates are now available in the trade only download section in a format that is both readable in

a regular sense and also useful to those with EPOS or webbased sales systems.”

B&M has also added a simple but useful stock image download function. With this new feature, the retailer can simply select all the brands that they want pictures for, and download a single zip file of multi-sized, correctly labelled images.

In addition, for retailers that need it, there is also a function to download the fully categorised and descriptionrich web database itself, to save webmasters from having to retype all B&M products into a spreadsheet and so on.

Stage two of the project is due for completion in 2010.

Full details on how to log in are available from B&M area sales managers.

BARNES & MULLINS: 01691 652449

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SEE US AT FRANKFURT MUSIK MESSE HALLE 4 BOOTH C70

RETAIL • INDIE PROFILE

STRINGS GUITAR CENTRE, ISLE OF WIGHT

Nexus Bass (Black Polymer Coated)

Available in 2 popular gauges NXB40 40 - 100 NXB45 45 - 105 Plus single Low B - 130 Trade £14.95 Retail £29.95

Nexus Acoustic (Clear Polymer Coated Wound, Gold Series Plain Strings)

Available NXA10 NXA11 NXA12

in 3 popular gauges 10 - 50 11 - 52 12 - 54

Trade £6.95 Retail £14.95

Nexus Electric (Black Polymer Coated Wound, Gold Series Plain Strings)

Available in 2 popular gauges NXE9 9 - 42w NXE10 10 - 46w

Is business up or down compared to last year?

Down, unfortunately. The general economic climate hasn’t helped and we’ve definitely seen fewer people through the door. We also run a PA hire side to the business and that has dropped off as promoters have stopped putting on as many nights.

Do you advertise locally?

Yes, we do. We use a number of different approaches, including local papers, free ads and White Bay, which is a local version of Ebay that's free to advertise on. We also use conventional routes such as the Yellow Pages and things like that.

Trade £5.95 Retail £12.95 SPECIAL LIMITED INTRODUCTORY OFFER

FREE ROTOSOUND KEYRING WITH EVERY SET PURCHASED

Do you have a web presence?

Yes we do, it can be found at stringsguitarcentre.com. We mainly use it as an advertising tool and we do some mail order from it. We don’t do a lot though as it is very expensive to ship goods off the island. The Solent is a very expensive bit of water to cross.

What is your main strength?

We're a good old fashioned rock n roll shop with lots of experience and plenty of in-house knowledge and enthusiasm. We’re the best stockist of electric, acoustic and bass guitars on the island and we have an eclectic and wide ranging mix of stock. We also bring in a fair bit of vintage and rare product, so we have lots to offer.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned during your time in the business?

Keep your ear to the market and listen to your customers.

FACTS & FIGURES

into the music www.rotosound.com

Address: 106 Monkton Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 IJN Owner: Ian Davison Established: 1977 Employees: Two

What’s the biggest challenge facing you today?

It’s keeping people coming in the door – and cash flow. We have a loyal customer base, which is great and as we’re on the Isle of Wight we have a bit of a protected market.

However, most of the population here are 50 plus, which doesn’t help matters, so it can be a bit limiting being on an island and being far away from a major city.

Given the power, what’s the one thing you would change about the industry?

I would like to see retail pricing standardised across the board, get it the same between everybody. It’ll never happen, but it would be a huge boost if it could. If a product’s RRP is £249 and everybody was selling it at £249, we’d all really feel the benefit.

www.myspace.com/rotosoundmusicstrings

52 miPRO MARCH 2009

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A complete range of dedicated bass effects pedals, plus an affordable powered pedal board with carrying bag.

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Astonishing power and features in a compact bass amp head.

Little Giant 1000 Watts £379 Little Giant 350 Watts £279 Little Giant gigbag £18

GET YOUR SLICE OF THE ACTION WITH BRITAIN’S HOTTEST BASS AMP BRAND

Visit: www.ashdownmusic.com / Call: 01245 441155

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RETAIL • LOCATION REPORT - SPECIAL

AMSTERDAM

Dirk Witte’s Perhaps more famous for its liberal laws than its music shops, all it took was one store to show our roving location reporter how it should be done. Rob Power dons his finest clogs and investigates…

WHILE wandering around the streets of Amsterdam, it would be easy to forget that there is more to the place than vice and bewildered stoners. However, a bit of gentle investigation and ten minutes well spent with a map can lead you to 55 Vijzelstraat and a small slice of retail nirvana. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Dirk Witte’s, the finest purveyor or musical instruments in Amsterdam.

DIRK WITTE’S WOWS It makes one hell of an impression – the shop is squeezed into a busy city street in that inimitable old European way of building houses that looks like they’ve taken a normal row of shops and squeezed them all together so that they’re all incredibly tall and thin. From the outside this is a store that looks tiny, but it immediately oozes class.

A window packed full of guitars clearly chosen to demonstrate the good taste and broad stocking options of the owners beckons you in so smoothly that it feels like a guitar-based tractor beam has a hold of you. It reeks of old-school European cool, with its arch-top instruments and wooden panelling, like the sort of shop you might imagine a young Paul McCartney buying his famous Höfner from while in Hamburg.

Once you manage to stop staring at the instruments in the window, the fun really begins. Unlike so many stores that promise so much from the outside but deliver so little once you’re in, it is immediately apparent that Dirk Witte’s is a treasure trove. The first sight upon entrance is two walls packed full of a beautiful array of arch-top Ibanez and Aria electrics and, thrillingly for a huge fan who has never seen more than a couple in any music shop he has ever visited, a huge selection of Rickenbackers.

The ground level is a mere taster for what is to come. Arranged on the wall are various examples of beautiful vintage instruments, pre-war Martins, late ‘50s Gibsons, the sort of thing to give any world weary muso a tingle down the spine, while a large area in front of a ridiculously well stocked accessories area is left clear for casual chatting and standard music shop banter.

54 miPRO MARCH 2009

A quick jump up the stairs reveals a staggeringly well-stocked acoustic, electric and bass guitar room. Fender and Gibson can be found here in force and a thorough showing from Martin, Taylor and Yamaha, among myriad other manufacturers, make the acoustic section one of the best these eyes have ever seen. Further exploration of the store reveals excellent selections of amplifiers, effects, keyboards, microphones, pro audio gear and a whole host of other goodies.

The single most striking aspect of this feast for the musician’s eyes and ears though, is that every manufacturer you can think of is represented – and not in a half-hearted manner, but thoroughly and representatively. The sheer weight of stock is frankly astonishing and enough to make anyone with a musical bone in their body put their hands in their pocket. This is a shop that allows the musicians of Amsterdam access to every bit of kit they can think of, with no waiting around for orders, no awkward ‘we don’t stock that’ moments and ultimately no hassle.

Dirk Witte’s wonder shop leads the way as an example of what all good music shops should aspire to

THE PERFECT EXAMPLE You may be wondering by now why a music shop in Amsterdam is in any way relevant to the UK. Well, here’s why: Dirk Witte’s is not a cheap shop to buy gear in, nor is it a huge internet retailer. It simply does what a music shop should do – it inspires musicians to make music by giving them a chance to actually touch and play the gear they have seen in the magazines and on the websites and lust after every day. It gives them a reason to save their pennies for the next guitar, because they know they’ll be able to get it.

A crowd of hugely knowledgeable and friendly staff and a well planned and laidout store make shopping there a pleasure.

It’s the sort of place that days could be spent in, not to mention thousands of pounds. Frankly, it’s a travesty there isn’t a store like this in every city. And for those of you who are doubting that a shop of this scale could work, bear this in mind – for the four days this reporter spent in Amsterdam, visiting the shop every day, it was never anything less than packed out with paying customers. Something, surely, to think on…

www.mi-pro.co.uk

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Your trade body needs you A message from the MIA president, Jon Gold of Ashton Music: consider how you can support LIMS this year... he current economic climate is impacting greatly on our industry and I am now getting regular calls from retailers and suppliers in relation to what the MIA is doing to help.

I have been delighted with the genuinely supportive and constructive ideas you are offering, helping us all through these difficult times. Many existing members will be aware that the association is doing a great deal to support your businesses and help preserve the jobs and the skill sets that are the fundamental foundation of our industry.

It seems clear you are glad the industry has a central body to lobby government, produce statistics, put on industry shows (such as LIMS), work with educationalists and negotiate

T

and provide additional support and benefits for your businesses.

This is not always met with a desire to pay the membership fee and actually be part of this body – which is a shame.

The more members, the easier it becomes to lobby and present the case for our great industry.

It is harder when we only represent parts of the industry, for all the reasons you can imagine – especially in the current climate.

A successful LIMS this June will be a great boost for the industry and will encourage more people to take up playing an instrument

or to buy another new one.

We need you all to consider how you can support the event, whether you are exhibiting as a supplier, retailing or visiting the show in person. How can you help us to get as many people to the show as possible? We need to give the customers every reason to make a purchase in these difficult times, not just at the show, but from your store and LIMS is aiming to do just that.

We will also be working with Music for Youth, the biggest music charity in the world, as our Education Partner at the show. It has a database of millions of young musicians and we want them all at LIMS. Another positive aspect of increased MIA membership is the bargaining power it gives us when negotiating the wide range

of benefits we can provide for your businesses.

Our powers to influence government, the record industry, regional development agencies and the Charities Commission are dependant on us being representative of all the retailers and suppliers in our industry.

Everybody has opinions and ideas, but unless we harness and act on these democratically and collectively, we will never move forward. There is still far too much apathy and negativity in the industry. There has never been a more important time for you to be part of our association, so join us and let’s make a difference.

MIA: 01372 750600 For membership details go to mia.org.uk or contact Jon at jongold@ashtonmusic.co.uk.

Preferential Electronic Card Processing Terms Make the most of the connections you already have

Pick up the phone and call HSBC Merchant Services!

Call: 0800 731 8921* (new customers) Call: 0845 702 3344** (existing customers)

Important notes HSBC Merchant Services reserves the right not to open a card processing facility subject to our card processing Terms and Conditions. *Textphone 1800 10800 0283 516. Lines are open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays). **Every day (except Christmas day) 8am to 11pm Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm Sundays, 10am to 4pm public holidays. To help us continually improve our service and in the interests of security, we may record your communications with us.

AC13075 Issued by HSBC Merchant Services LLP

www.mi-pro.co.uk

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NEW PRODUCTS BACKLINE & FX • NEW PRODUCTS

BOSS ME-70 MULTI-EFFECTS £269 They say: A friendly design and unprecedented tone creation capabilities – an essential performance unit.

For: Guitarists Range: Boss multi-effects Spec: Four effects banks (overdrive/distortion, modulation, delay & comp/FX), expression pedal, COSM preamp engine derived from GT-10, EZ Tone, phrase loop.

From: Roland 01792 702701

STAGG 250 GAR 212 UK COMBO £369 They say: All the power and quality at the most competitive of prices.

For: Guitarists Range: Stagg guitar combos Spec: 250W, 2x 12” combo, two channels, 3band eq, reverb, FX loop, jack and balanced XLR outputs, Speakon extension speaker output, steel pull-out handles.

From: EMD 01293 862612

HAYDEN PETITE 2 COMBO £399 They say: Hand wired, point-to-point, like it was in the pioneering days of amplifier design.

For: Guitarists Range: Hayden amps Spec: Two-Watt combo, ECC83 preamp valve, 6V6 power amp valve, volume and tone knobs, three-position gain switch (standard, crunch and overdrive), Celestion G10 Greenback 10" speaker.

From: Hayden 01245 441155

VOX AC4TV HEAD & COMBO £218 They say: Based on the popular AC4 from the 1960s.

For: Guitarists Range: Vox amps Spec: Four-Watt, Class A valve amp, single 12AX7 preamp valve and EL84 power valve, 1-Watt and 1⁄2-Watt switch, 16-Ohm speaker output. Combo with Celestion 10-inch speaker.

From: Korg 01908 857100

DANELECTRO HODAD MINI GUITAR AMP £39.99 They say: Will rock your world – no matter where or what the occasion.

For: Guitarists Range: Dano amps Spec: Classic ‘triangular’ design table-top amp, on/off/volume knob, gain & tone controls, adjustable echo & tremolo effects.

From: JHS 0113 286 5381

PEAVEY VYPYR TUBE 120H £TBC

MARSHALL MG 4 SERIES AMPS £POA They say: The renovated MG series provides maximum versatility.

For: Guitarists Range: Marshall MG4 Spec: Analog tone, digital control, digital effects, proprietary Stompware technology, 12-inch speaker, four channels. Eight models in series: MG10 (two channels, 8” speaker), 15 (two channels, 10”), 15FX, 30FX, 50FX. 101FX, 102FX (2x 12”), 100HFX head.

From: Marshall 01908 375411

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

They say: The most technologically advanced guitar modeling amplifiers available.

For: Guitarists Range: Peavey Vypyr Spec: 120W head, 32-bit, floating-point Sharc processing, 24 amp models, 11 editable preamp effects and 11 post-amp effects with dual-parameter control, reverb, delay, 3-band eq, USB 2.0 output.

From: Peavey 01536 461234

Mini to maxi: The diminutive Hodad (above) and Peavey’s monster Vypyr (left)

miPRO MARCH 2009 57

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1 – 4. 4. 2009 live for the music

The world of music is coming to Frankfurt am Main again in 2009. Visit the Musikmesse show from 1 – 4 April to find out about the most important product innovations and new developments in the industry. Musikmesse is the leading international trade fair for musical instruments, music software, computer hardware, sheet music and accessories.

With a complete range of musical instruments from the classical spectrum through to electric guitars, keyboards, brass instruments and electronic equipment, our exhibitors give retailers, trade visitors and music fans alike an insight into the latest trends. Make valuable contacts and successful business links here. Discover the most recent technical innovations and try out the latest instruments. Plus, there are professional product presentations from famous musicians to enjoy at this top insider event.

Tel. +44 (0) 17 84 41 59 50 info@uk.messefrankfurt.com www.musikmesse.com

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BASS & GUITAR • NEW PRODUCTS

TAKAMINE LTD 2009 £1,529.99

They say: Aimed at the bassist who wants a versatile workhorse that will deliver the goods in every department night after night.

For: Bassists Range: Aria AVB basses Spec: Alder body with quilted maple top, bolt-on neck, double octave fingerboard, chrome satin hardware, closed tuners, two Seymour Duncan alnico JB-101 pickups, pickup blend control, active bass & treble.

From: Aria 01483 238720

They say: Offers performers timeless beauty and unparalleled, classic tone.

For: Guitarists Range: Takamine limited editions Spec: NEX small jumbo body, solid spruce top, solid mahogany back & sides, ebony fretboard, mahogany neck and rosewood pin bridge, CTP-2 Cool Tube preamp. Sunburst finish, ships with deluxe hard shell case.

From: Fender 01342 331700

Just a smattering of the colossal amount of new guitars launched at this year’s NAMM show

ARIA AVB77 BASS GUITAR £399

ENCORE BLASTER SERIES ELECTRICS FROM £125

YAMAHA LLX6A ELECTROACOUSTIC £816

PEAVEY HP SPECIAL STOPTAIL SERIES GUITARS £POA

They say: Whatever guitar or bass style you want to start playing, we’ve got it covered.

For: Guitarists, bassists Range: Encore electrics Spec: Six models in range, variety of finishes, E6 S-type, E99 L-type, E2 T-type, E69 twin horn, E4 P-type bass and E20 7/8 sized bass, Wilkinson designed guitars with Wilkinson hardware.

From: JHS 0113 286 5381

They say: The perfect combination of ultra-traditional styling and cutting edge performance.

For: Guitarists Range: Yamaha LL series Spec: Engelmann spruce top, rosewood back and sides, 3-ply mahogany/rosewood/mahogany neck, System 57 3-way ART preamp, 3-band eq, independent volume control for each of three pickups, chromatic tuner.

From: Yamaha 01908 366700

They say: Originally offered as a custom upgrade, but now available as a stock model.

For: Guitarists Range: Peavey HP Special Spec: Fixed bridge, Dual Compression string-thru-body design, two HP Special humbuckers, push-pull coil taps, basswood body, available as carved maple top and flat top versions, maple neck.

From: Peavey 01536 461234

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

MARINER DX-6N DREADNOUGHT £835 They say: A most elegant, handcrafted guitar.

For: Guitarists Range: Mariner Masthead Spec: Solid mahogany back and sides, sitka spruce top. maple and rosewood bindings, abalone inlays. Grover Sta-Tite tuners. Ships with deluxe shaped plush-lined hard case.

From: Ashton 01780 781630

STAGG AB203CE-N LH LEFTIE ELCTRO-ACOUSTIC BASS £299 They say: Niche market? No problem, Stagg has the instrument to fit any need.

For: Bassists Range: Stagg basses Spec: Spruce top, rosewood back & sides, nato neck, rosewood bridge & fingerboard, diecast nickel machineheads, bridge piezo pickup with compensated saddle, natural high gloss finish.

From: EMD 01293 862612

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DRUMS & PERCUSSION • NEW PRODUCTS

MAPEX MERIDIAN MAPLE SERIES They say: Bright and resonant shells in a wide selection of lacquered and covered finishes.

For: Drummers Range: Mapex Meridian Spec: 9-ply all maple, 5.8mm toms and snares, 7.2mm bass drum, isolated tom mount system, 2.3mm steel Powerhoops, new lug, spring-cushioned floor tom legs, new bass drum tom mount (with adapter for boom arm), low-profile, recessed bass drum claws with cushioning gasket, Remo UT heads.

From: Korg 01908 857100

MAPEX OCEAN WAVE LTD EDITION They say: Beautiful wood with a deep, hand rubbed finish shells that deliver precise tone and perfect resonance.

For: Drummers Range: Mapex Orion Spec: Six-piece kit with 22 x 18 bass, 10 x 8 and 12 x 9 toms, 14 x 14 and 16 x 16 floor toms, 14 x 5.5 snare drum, all-maple Orion shells, black chrome hardware, white coated front bass drum head, burl veneer.

From: Korg 01908 857100

ROLAND TD-4 SOUND MODULE They say: Brings advanced V-Drums technology to an affordable price point.

For: V-Drummers Range: Roland V-Drum sound modules Spec: New drum and percussion sounds, ambience effects, Rhythm Coach and Quick Record functions.

From: Roland 01792 702701

MAPEX LIMITED EDITION ELM BURL SNARE

ROLAND TD-4K ELECTRONIC KIT

MAPEX MERIDIAN BIRCH SERIES

They say: Upgraded sounds, enhanced functionality and a cool new design.

For: Drummers Range: Roland V-Drums Spec: TD-4 percussion module, multi-layer mesh snare pad, fourleg drum stand, natural playing cymbals, hi-hat control, Rhythm Coach and Quick Record functions, expands with an optional pad or 3way trigger V-Cymbal.

From: Roland 01792 702701

They say: Ushers in a new level of quality and functionality in the mid-level.

For: Drummers Range: Mapex Meridian Spec: 6-ply all birch, 7.2mm shells, isolated tom mount, 2.3mm steel Powerhoops, new lug, springcushioned floor tom legs, new bass drum tom mount, low-profile, recessed bass drum claws with cushion gasket, Remo UT heads.

From: Korg 01908 857100

They say: Beautiful exterior on a thin shell. with an enhanced focus and a more controlled sound.

For: Drummers Range: Mapex limited editions Spec: Elm burl on thin ply maple shell, reinforcing ring, 14-inch by 5.5-inch, black chrome die-cast hoop, ships with free snare bag.

From: Korg 01908 857100

ROLAND DT-HD1 DRUM TUTORIAL They say: Integrates seamlessly with the Roland HD-1 V-Drums Lite electronic drum kit.

For: HD-1 users Range: Roland tutorials Spec: Introductory drum patterns and techniques for beginners, USB-MIDI interface, audio cable, notation screen with ‘bouncing ball’ guide, computer ‘game’ style guide, tempo control.

From: Roland 01792 702701

THIS PAGE IS SPONSORED BY MIKEDOLBEAR.COM, THE LEADING ONLINE RESOURCE FOR EVERYTHING DRUMS.

VISIT WWW.MIKEDOLBEAR.COM FOR MORE DETAILS. 60 MARCH 2009 miPRO

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

MS 704 MI Pro HLE Advert 315x230:Layout 1

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INCREASE SALES AND N E W! BOOST PROFITS!

SEE MANY TITLES AT MORE NEW MUSIKMES SE HALL

STAND D32.17

GET THE BEST DEAL ON THESE NEW HAL LEONARD PUBLICATIONS AND MORE BY VISITING THE MUSIC SALES STAND AT FRANKFURT MUSIKMESSE 1ST-4TH APRIL (HALL 3.1, STAND D27) MUSIC SALES TRADE SALES HOTLINE: +44 (0)1284 705050 EMAIL: ORDERS@MUSICSALES.CO.UK

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NEW PRODUCTS • RECORDING & HI TECH

Microkorg continues its development for all musicians and producers

AKAI EWI USB WIND INSTRUMENT/CONTROLLER £299.99

KORG MICROKORG XL £436 They say: Offering a variety of tools for performers, producers, computer musicians and beginners alike.

For: Synth & keyboard players Range: MicroKorg Spec: Radias synth engine, 128 sounds, intuitive genre and sound categorisation system, 17 Kaoss effects, virtual user patch mode, 16band vocoder, gooseneck mic, USB & MIDI I/O, 37 keys.

From: Korg 01908 857100

SAMSON GO MIC USB CONDENSER £TBC They say: A versatile computer-based miking and recording solution.

For: General, podcast, voice recognition Range: Samson USB mics Spec: Portable USB condenser mic, Mac & PC compatible, no drivers needed, laptop clip holder, pressure gradient with USB digital output, 20Hz to 18kHz frequency response.

From: Korg 01908 857100

ALESIS MASTER CONTROL AUDIO INTERFACE £899.99 They say: Contains a broad swath of connectivity to connect nearly any source.

For: Producers, musicians Range: Alesis interfaces Spec: 44.1/192 audio quality, two XLR & six TRS inputs, phantom power, 26 simultaneous inputs, S/PDIF and dual S/MUX ADAT Lightpipe inputs, six analog outs for surround sound, Eight 360-degree assignable virtual potentiometers.

From: Numark Alesis 01252 341400

One of NAMM’s best in show (left) the handy Samson USB mic

They say: Gives anyone the expressive capabilities of wind instruments.

For: Woodwind players Range: Akai controllers Spec: New Aria operating system, USB interface, five-octave range, breath modulation with adjustable threshold, pitch bend, adjustable vibrato, transposition, octave shifting, multiple fingering modes, saxophone, flute, oboe and trumpet.

From: Numark Alesis 01252 341400

ROLAND AX-SYNTH £949 They say: Allows keyboard players to connect with their audience as guitarists and singers do.

For: Keyboard players Range: Roland synths Spec: Modulation bar, D Beam, assignable knob controllers, 49 velocity-sensitive keys, 28-voice with 256 tones, MIDI I/O, V-Link visual control.

From: Roland 01792 702701

JBL LSR2300 SERIES STUDIO MONITORS FROM £399 They say: Delivers professional performance at price points within reach of any studio.

For: Studios Range: JBL monitors Spec: Three in range. LSR2328P: 160W bi-amped eight-inch monitor.s LSR2325P bi-amped five-inch.

LSR2310SP powered ten-inch subwoofer with 180W amp.

From: Sound Tech 01462 480000

62 miPRO MARCH 2009

ROLAND VP-770 VOCAL & ENSEMBLE KEYBOARD £1,649 They say: Expressive onboard sounds across a vast array of genres.

For: Keyboard players Range: Roland keyboards Spec: Solid wood construction, metal chassis, Super Natural sound technology, high-resolution vocoder modelling, interactive, real-time backing chorus.

From: Roland 01792 702701

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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MI MARKETPLACE

THE PLACE FOR BUSINESS

MI MARKETPLACE TO ADVERTISE ON THESE PAGES CALL DARRELL CARTER ON 01992 535647 A ALLPARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0870 442 3336 B BILL LEWINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01268 413366 BARNES & MULLINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01691 652 449 C COVERNOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0121 327 1977 F FOCUS MERCHANDISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8245 9035 FCN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01892 603730 FUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 3200 304 G GHANA GOODS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0117 955 8668 GUITARRAS DE ESPAÑA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0117 973 3214 H HERGA MUSIC SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8861 1590 HOT ROX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0115 987 3163 L LEED REPRESENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01243 378050 M MADAROZZO™/CBAC LTD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8816 8368 MARSHALL AMPLIFICATIONS . . . WWW.MARSHALLAMPS.COM MCELLAND/GREMLIN MUSIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01273 491333 MELBAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0)20 8382 8010 MIDI (IRELAND) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 003531 6779004 MUSIC EXCHANGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0161 946 1234 MUSIC SHIPPING CO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01562 827666 O OCARINA WORKSHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01536 485963 ORANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0208 905 2828 P PIANO LOGISTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0208 561 4321 R ROBERT MORLEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8318 5838 ROTHWELL AUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01204 366133 S SOAR VALLEY MUSIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 230 4926 STAINER & BELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8343 3303 V TOM & WILL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08450 945 659 V VARSITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0131 557 4310 W WIND PLUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 243 1698

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT

MARKETPLACE INDEX

Here come the girls usion made an entrance into the music industry at Music China, Shanghai in October 2008. Its presence certainly attracted attention, resulting in the company partnering with established distributors worldwide.

A repeat performance took place at NAMM 2009. Its booth resembled bees round a honey pot, drawing in the crowds on all four days.

So what is the attraction of this newcomer?

Fusion designs and manufactures four ranges of high quality gig bags that offer a choice in style, colour and construction and have a concept where a selection of accessory bags can be attached across the ranges.

The company also has passion and vision.

It has the vision to design and produce these innovative bags and the passion in the team is the drive and heartbeat behind Fusion.

The all-woman team consists of four experienced and determined individuals.

F

Amanda Wheatley, a leading UK product designer, started her career in the sports and leisure industry. This experience, coupled with the fact that she is an accomplished musician, led her to transfer this knowledge into the music industry.

For the last 12 years she has designed gig bags for major brand names in MI and in 2008 decided to form Fusion with Nicole Szekeres, Wendy Caldwell and Theli Renwick.

These ladies offer a strong base with experience in marketing, sales, logistics and administration.

This is only the beginning for Fusion, which is sure to inject a large shot of excitement into the future of the gig bag world.

At present it provides excellent bags for guitar, cello, keyboard, brass and woodwind instruments, but there will be plenty more to come.

You can visit the team at Musikmesse, Frankfurt Hall 3.1, booth F64, and experience these bags first hand. You will see why they are more than just a gig bag. www.fusion-bags.com

CLASSIFIEDS: MINIMUM 12 MONTHS - ONE ANNUAL CHARGE QUARTER PAGE £1,295 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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ABROAD REPRESENTATION

ACCESSORIES & GIFTWARE

AMPLIFICATION

CLASSICAL GUITARS

To find out more about the JVM Series and other Marshall products contact: Marshall Amplification plc Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK11DQ www.marshallamps.com

64 miPRO MARCH 2009

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MI MARKETPLACE

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

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MI MARKETPLACE

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DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

ETHNIC AND FOLK

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MI MARKETPLACE GUITAR PARTS

The UK’s Premier Guitar & Bass Parts Supplier

Pick a part ...bridges, necks, bodies, electronics, frets, inlay dots, pickups, knobs, switches, pickguards, tools scratchplates, strings, screws, nuts, saddles, tailpieces ...and much more!!!

ABM, Badass, Bartolini, Bigsby, CRL, CTS, Danelectro, Earvana, Electrosocket, Fender, Gotoh, Graphtech, Hipshot, Hofner, Jim Dunlop, Lace, Leo Quan, Moses, Razor, Schaller, Sperzel, Sprague, Switchcraft & Wilkinson.

To order call 0870 442 3336 Low call rate 0845 345 5951

Order online or find a local dealer @:

www.allparts.uk.com or email us: info@allparts.uk.com DISTRIBUTION

ETHNIC AND FOLK

GHANA GOODS …more than just a gig bag!

Visit us during the Musikmesse: Hall 3.1 Booth F64 or online www.fusion-bags.com

WEST AFRICAN PERCUSSION WHOLESALE AND RETAIL PO Box 95, Fishponds Bristol, BS16 1AG Tel: 0117 9354132 ghanagoods@clara.net

www.ghanagoods.com

AM” E T G NIN N I EW “TH WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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MI MARKETPLACE GUITAR ACCESSORIES

ETHNIC AND FOLK

BRITAIN'S FINEST BOUTIQUE EFFECTS Rothwell effects pedals are truly hand-made here in the uk and built to the highest standards. The cases are hand polished and the electronics carefully assembled by skilled uk workers. The circuit design is innovative and original (we don't do clones, repros or mods) and the sound is the sound of classic rock guitar - pure tone.

Our pedals are quickly gaining a reputation for superb quality and are being played on some of the world's biggest stages. The Hellbender (overdrive) and Switchblade (distortion) are currently being heard by thousands of fans on Justin Timberlake's world tour, played by Mike Scott (also Prince's main guitarist), who says "you make truly great, great pedals".

Why not join our growing list of uk and international dealers and stock Britain's finest boutique effects pedals.

WWW.ROTHWELLAUDIOPRODUCTS.CO.UK 01204 366133 INSURANCE BUSINESS

MUSIC PUBLISHERS

Excellence in Music

s 3UPERB RANGE OF 1UALITY 0RODUCTS s %XCELLENT 3ERVICE s 'ENEROUS $EALER -ARGINS s #ONTACT US ./7

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68 miPRO MARCH 2009

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MI MARKETPLACE MUSIC PUBLISHERS

PIANOS AND HARPSICORDS

Ro

t ber

MORLEY Co Lt d

020•8318•5838

Grand & Upright Pianos by Elysian, Grotrian-Steinweg, Bechstein, Monington & Weston and other famous makers John Morley Clavichords, Spinets, Harpsichords, Virginals & Celestes

Antique, Modern & New, Rental, Repairs, Sales lists & colour brochures on request.

34

EN

Robert MORLEY & Co Ltd. Piano & Harpsichord Makers Established 1881

G AT

H 37 1 E S E S t. L O NDON

A

www.morleypianos.com MUSIC PUBLISHERS

OCARINAS

tel: 01536 485 963 fax: 01536 485 051 email: sales@ocarina.co.uk

Making Music in Schools Since 1983 UK made rainbow ocarinas from Ocarina Workshop are easy to play and great fun to teach with.

These pocket-sized instruments are popular with kids & well-tuned.

Together with 'Play your Ocarina' music books, they are the key to successful music-making in many schools around the country.

Make sure school ocarinas are on your counter-top and available when customers request them!

Quote ‘MI Pro’ when you order 12 Ocarinas & 12 Books and be amazed at the ocarina’s potential...

Trade orders are sent by return: free delivery & no minimum order

www.ocarina.co.uk WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

miPRO MARCH 2009 69

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MI MARKETPLACE PERCUSSION AND DRUMS

PROMOTIONAL MERCHANDISE

MSC ONLINE www.musicshipping.co.uk

Extensive Product Information Secure Dealer Only Section Public & DEALER Forums Online Ordering

THE MUSIC SHIPPING CO.

Drum and Percussion Accesories

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NEXT DAY DELIVERY

01562 827666 sales@musicshipping.co.uk www.musicshipping.co.uk PIANO MOVERS

70 miPRO MARCH 2009

REPAIRS

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MI MARKETPLACE WHOLESALERS

ADVERTISERS INDEX

Advertiser

Page

Adam Hall..................................................................34 Anglo Spanish Guitar ................................................5

TOP 10 BEST SELLERS NASHVILLE ACOUSTIC GUITARS . . . . . . . . . . . . £50.00 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £27.50 trade ex vat NASHVILLE ELECTRIC GUITARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . £99.95 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £54.97 trade ex vat ARK HEAVY DUTY MUSIC STAND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . £18.50 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £10.18 trade ex vat DOLMETSCH DESCANT RECORDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . £6.99 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £3.84 trade ex vat STEINHOFF 108B UPRIGHT PIANO . . . . . . . . . . £1795.00 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £987.25 trade ex vat RAVEN STUDENT TRUMPET OUTFIT . . . . . . . . . £140.00 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £77 trade ex vat NASHVILLE ELECTRO ACOUSTIC BASS . . . . . . . £125.00 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £68.75 trade ex vat STERN VIOLIN OUTFIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £75.00 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £41.25 trade ex vat MAXTONE BONGOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £29.95 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £16.47 trade ex vat NASHVILLE 5 STRING BANJO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £99.95 retail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £54.97 trade ex vat

Aria ...............................................................................5 Ashdown..............................................................44,52 Barnes & Mullins ................................................24,43 DBT ...............................................................................9 EMD.............................................................................75 Freestyle ......................................................................4 House Music .............................................................45 HSBC ..........................................................................55 Indie Guitar ................................................................21 JHS .............................................................................23 Lesiuretec .................................................................20 Lims............................................................................48 Marshall........................................................................2 Martyn Booth............................................................37 MB Media...................................................................56 Mcelland .....................................................................18 Mel Bay ............................................................38 & 39

WIND INSTRUMENTS

Music Sales ................................................................61 Music Shipping ..........................................................14 Numark ......................................................................32 Palme (IIR) ................................................................40 P&R Howard..............................................................28 Peavey.........................................................................51 Piano Warehouse ......................................................13 Retail Up! .....................................................................5 Roland ........................................................................76 Rotosound .................................................................52 S.Johnson ....................................................................3 Sherwood ..................................................................58 Sound Technology .......................................................1 Summerfield .............................................................43 Westside ............................................................11,19,47

TO ADVERTISE IN MIPRO CALL DARRELL CARTER ON 01992 535 647

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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N WITH IN ASSOCIATIO

PRO THE LAST WORD IN MI MI Pro prides itself on bringing you hard-hitting news and analysis, but, we reckon you’d also enjoy seeing your peers in their more ‘off duty’ moments. So, we’ve expanded CODA to include a permanent pictorial spread of the month’s social highlights. If you have any snaps from an event you’d like us to include, please send them to mipro@intentmedia.co.uk...

RETRO

RECORDING AT MAIDA VALE STUDIOS WITH JOE BONAMASSA

MARCH 2002 Cover Stars: Sennheiser UK. John Steven reveals plans to turn the UK subsidiary of the German microphone giant into a £25 million operation.

News: Denon and Marantz merge to create D&M Professional, Peavey takes Crest back in house, PRS sells 100 £23,000 Dragon guitars in a day, Zenon Schoepe launches Resolution magazine, Guitar Buyer woos Mick Taylor from Future.

Features: Sounds Expo, Martin Guitars, Sound Technology, Horizon cables, Gremlin, Nightfire Products: Fender American Deluxe, Grand series acoustics, Ashdown Peacemaker, Boss OD-20, Laney TT-50 amp & combo, Line 6 Vetta, Peavey Wolfgang Special, Yamaha Silent Guitar & violin.

Number one singles: Enrique Iglesias – Hero, Westlife – World Of Our Own, Will Young – Anything Is Possible/Evergreen, Gareth Gates – Unchained Melody Number one albums: Sting / The Police – The Very Best Of Sting and The Police, Barbra Streisand – The Essential Barbra Streisand, Nickelback – Silver Side Up

72 miPRO MARCH 2009

The popularity of Joe Bonamassa can’t have escaped the attention of anyone recently. He has already sold out the Albert Hall for May 4th within days of tickets going on sale – way to go Joe. In the meantime he is keeping up that momentum with a visit to the Maida Vale Studios where we were lucky enough to catch up with him (above) recording a song from his latest album alongside Jools Holland.

Bonamassa used the Marshall 50 Watt Vintage Modern in the studio and said afterwards what a great sounding amp it was. Marshall has also sent a 100 Watt Vintage Modern head out to his studio.

THE ANSWER: FROM MADISON SQUARE GARDEN TO DINGWALLS The Answer (left) was back in Britain recently, this time taking a short break from a successful tour with AC/DC. The band swapped the large stages it’s becoming accustomed to for the small stage at Dingwalls in Camden Lock, London to launch the album, Everyday Demons. The Answer really delivers its music with the swagger of a band enjoying the success it deserves. At Dingwalls, the audience clearly enjoyed being close to the action and they often became part of it as they fell into the monitors and onto the stage, while Cormac surfed the crowd.

Everyday Demons is available in the UK from March 2nd, but can be pre-ordered through the website.

Paul uses an array of Marshall amps on the new album including the Vintage Modern, the JTM45 and the TSL100.

SEND YOUR PICTURES TO CODA@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Page 2

THE LAST WORD IN MI PRO

MARSHALL LAUNCHES CHARITY AMP WITH PAUL WELLER Since Marshall presented Paul Weller with a remake of his classic Lead & Bass 50 for his birthday, the company has been quietly working behind the scenes to make the amp available to the masses, launching a limited number with all profits going to the Childline charity in the hope that this will enable even more children to have somewhere to turn and be heard when they find themselves in trouble and in need of help.

Weller has been using the Lead & Bass 50 for years (yes, even back in The Jam days) and when he has been asked in the past if he would like to try out a new amp, he has always maintained that if the tone isn’t broken why fix it.

Marshall has gone to great lengths to produce this UK-made, 2x 12-inch combo very affordable and it retails at only £999, so if you are in the market for a new combo and want to support a very worthwhile cause, get down to your local Marshall dealer and order one now.

MI Pro publisher Dave Roberts is, to our tremendous surprise, ‘running’ the Bath Half Marathon on 15th March, all in aid of MacMillan Nurses. If you would like to contribute and put a little more pressure on him to finish, go to www.justgiving.com/daveroberts2

MI ICON o the untrained eye, it looks like nothing more than a big, boring wooden box, but although it might be pretty uninteresting to look at, the Leslie speaker cabinet produces a sound that music fans across the world will instantly recognise the second they hear it.

Which is pretty impressive for a plain brown cuboid.

Designed by Don Leslie for use with Hammond organs way back in 1941, it was with jazz musicians that the speakers originally came to prominence, their distinctive tone appealing to ears across the US. Coming to define the sound of the Hammond, the appeal of the Leslie cabinets was never in direct sound reproduction from the organ, but rather in what it did to the sound, creating a distinctive, warbling vibrato that is both immensely soulful and gritty at the same time.

The sound is achieved by the rotating of the bass and treble speaker horns within the cabinet itself, designed to ‘throw out’ the sound. The adjustable vibrato that can be heard

T

Leslie speaker cabinet as a result has coloured so many huge hit records it’s almost unbelievable.

Once the 60s really hit home and musicians realised that these beautiful

old cabinets could be used with instruments other than the organ, the fun really began. Guitarists began to experiment with it and before long vocalists were also giving it a go.

Counting the Beatles as leading fans, the Leslie tone became synonomous with the Fab Four’s studio based experimentation.

Used on John Lennon’s voice for Tomorrow Never Knows, it also became an important part of George Harrison’s set up, debuting on tracks throughout Hard Days Night before being used on such masterpieces as Let It Be and Something.

Outside of the Beatles experimentation, the Leslie became prevalent in all forms of pychedelia and went on to be used by a staggering range of artists, including Eric Clapton (on Layla no less), Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix and many other 60s and 70s popsters and rockers.

LATEST NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR MOBILE Bookmark us in your phone:

MOBILE.MI-PRO.CO.UK

SEND YOUR PICTURES TO CODA@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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IN ASSOCIATION W ITH

MI SPACE

Craig Fenney Company / Job Title: The Music Shipping Company, MD Years in the industry: Over 30 years.

First single bought: Very hard to remember. It was the Beatles, Please Please Me – I was only two.

MUSIC PRODUCER’S GUILD AWARDS February 12th saw the MPG presenting its inaugural awards ceremony, with anyone and everyone who has anything to do with producing records turning up to celebrate the best of British music over the past year. The Shure team (top) of Paul Cognale, Paul Nash, Mike Gibson and Kirsty Lamport is never one to miss a party. Far right sees those lovely people from Digidesign enjoying the bubbly, and below them, Richard Eastwood of Cream Studios and Malcolm Atkin added to the prestige of the event.

To the immediate right, Brian Eno gives his acceptance speech after being presented with the Joe Meek Award for Innovation. “Recorded music has changed our perceptions to the extent that we can hardly call it music any more,” he said. “But we do, so that musicians can still feel they are making a valuable contribution.”

S E IK L A D N U O S THE ENEMY

Favourite Album: To be honest, Black Market by Weather Report.

With a new album about to hit the shelves, Coventry aggro-poppers The ir Enemy have built a reputation for the e Jam-lite social commentary, fierce prid in their roots and dedicated fanbase. h...

Here’s what they make their racket wit

Currently listening to: I like loads of different things, but in the car I’ve got an album by Gretchen Wilson, which is a country album, a bit of Jeff Beck and Greg Matheson – an LA keyboard player.

Favourite musician: It should be a drummer really, as we sell drums, but it’ll have to be Jeff Beck, not just for his playing, but for his personality as well, the way he doesn’t care about the music industry and does what he likes.

Green Fender Tom Clark (guitar and vocals): Mint Hiwatt 4x12 and Telecaster, Hiwatt Hi Gain 100 head cab, Faith acoustics er Precision bass, Andy Hopkins (bass and vocals): Fend Ampeg SVT head and cab

What instruments do you play?

I play bass.

e Starclassic Liam Wattts (drums): Tama violet shad ,16"x16" Tom Tom 8" Maple: 22"x16" Bass Drum, 12"x l, Iron Peda Drum e Glid er Floor Tom, Iron Cobra Pow Throne, Drum r Chai 1st d, Stan at Hi-H e Cobra Lever Glid Zildjian cymbals

Are you in a band? I was pro for a while and I still play with some guys.

I do a lot of soul stuff and support Motown acts when they’re over.

We’ve got the Detroit Spinners soon, and we did the Impressions recently.

SUBSCRIPTIONS MI Pro has a monthly circulation of well over 6,000. It is distributed to all MI retailers and industry professionals plus carefully selected pro audio executives and resellers.

74 miPRO MARCH 2009

UK: £50 EUROPE: £60 REST OF WORLD: £90

miPRO is published 12 times a year by Intent Media ~ Saxon House, 6A St. Andrew Street, Hertford, Herts SG14 1JA, UK

To order your subscription: call: 01580 883848 or email: mipro.subscriptions@c-cms.com. Please note that this is a controlled circulation title and subscription criteria will be strictly adhered to.

miPRO is a member of the PPA © Intent Media 2009 No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owners. Printed by The Manson Group, AL3 6PZ

ISSN 1750-4198 Enquiries to Mi Pro, Intent Media, Saxon House 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1JA. Tel: 01992 535646 (Editorial) Tel: 01992 535647 (Advertising) Fax: 01992 535648

NEXT MONTH

A complete Musikmesse ‘Live’ issue will feature all the important launches forthcoming at the show – and, of course, a major manufacturer on the cover. Sector spotlights cover all things bass guitar.

EDITORIAL: ANDY BARRETT mipro@intentmedia.co.uk ADVERTISING: DARRELL CARTER darrell.carter@intentmedia.co.uk WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

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ORDER ALL REMO PRODUCTS FROM EMD, YOUR NEW UK DISTRIBUTOR FOR REMO

EMD are delighted to announce that they are now the sole distributor for the complete Remo catalog in the UK. With long standing experience as a distribution partner with Remo in Europe, as well as an established UK team, EMD can offer you, the dealer, the very best service and support for this market leading brand.

We encourage you to visit our dealer website www.emdmusic.com for all stock, availability, prices and more. If you are a new customer requiring a login and password for this service, please do not hesitate to contact our UK customer helpdesk.

EMD Music UK

remo.com

Unit 1, South Lodge Court - Ironsbottom, Reigate - RH2 8QG SURREY - Tel: 01293 862612 - Fax: 01293 863665

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A contemporary approach to a timeless classic Beautiful, elegant and different: introducing the new LX-10 digital upright piano. Roland’s engineers have redefined the upright piano, creating a bold new instrument combining pure piano performance with contemporary style and convenience. The LX-10 is a piano with the looks, sound and feel of a classic. Call your area manager for more information. www.roland.co.uk

w w w.roland.co.uk