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• NOVEMBER 2009 • WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
PRINT • ONLINE • MOBILE
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PROFESSIONAL FOR EVERYONE IN THE MI BUSINESS
Smooth
Sound
Sound Technology covers just about every aspect of MI and pro audio since its purchase of Harman Pro UK. But just how slick is its operation today? MIA AWARDS BPF YAMAHA BPM SPONGEBOB MUSIC FORCE M-AUDIO
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Introducing the latest member of the Marshall family – the Class5. A tonally rich 5 Watt all-valve combo that exclusively features true class A circuitry from input to output, plus an abundance of pure Marshall tone, feel and response. Conceived in the wake of numerous requests from both professional stadium fillers and bedroom widdlers alike, this compact yet punchy 1x10" amp is the answer to your low wattage, big tone prayers! Ideal for use at home, the studio, rehearsal or small gig, the Class5 is all-valve Marshall tone at its best – pure, audacious and inspiring!
To find out more about the Class5 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 114 NOVEMBER 2009
COVER STORY
SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • ACOUSTICS 45 Veritably bursting at the seams, the sub-£500 acoutic market has more product than you can shake a pick at
MARSHALL LAW
31
Dave Marshall has had quite a year, having to co-ordinate not only the purchase of a huge distribution business, but also relocate the whole shebang to his Letchworth operation. How has he coped?
PROFILE • SPONGEBOB MI 27 NEWS 6
JHS describes the new SpongeBob range of musical instruments as its most universally accepted, but how does one get the licence?
D’Addario UK, Reverb Leicester, Music China, Lyons’ clarinet, Yamaha pianos
DRUM NEWS 15 Zildjian deals, Barnes takes helm at Rhythm, the black side of Aquarian
RETAIL MI Pro’s unique collection of news and interviews concerning the business and work being done on MI’s front line
MIA AWARDS 14 6
Gongs galore
BPF 17 The piano market Lords it
YAMAHA 20 Yamaha pianos get all multi-layered
BPM 23
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61
62
The phattest show in town
NEWS 61
INDIE PROFILE 64 JG Windows of Newcastle
STARTER PACKS 37
The Music Show Dublin shifts into a new gear and impresses the public with a combined supplier/retailer show
Last chance before Christmas
65
FRONT LINE 65 The horrors of theft
LAG 40 Rock chic – but acoustic
MARSHALL 43 Donning a new amp
AVID 54
RETAIL WINNERS 62 Six retailers explain why they were picked out by the MIA
PRODUCTS PRINT 66
A new umbrella for some old favourites
MUSIC FORCE 56 23
When distribution is Gold
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miPRO NOVEMBER 2009 3
TEAC
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EDITORIAL
Show us the money
T
Dozens of suppliers and retailers covered the show space and not one single item of gear was bought or sold physically at the show.
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 EDITOR AT LARGE GARY COOPER gary@garycooper.biz ASSOCIATE EDITOR ROB POWER rob.power@intentmedia.co.uk DEPUTY EDITOR ROB HUGHES rob.hughes@intentmedia.co.uk ADVERTISING MANAGER DARRELL CARTER darrell.carter@intentmedia.co.uk DESIGNER CLAIRE BROCKLESBY claire.brocklesby@intentmedia.co.uk
EDITORIAL PRODUCTION MANAGER HELEN FRENCH helen.french@intentmedia.co.uk
he show season is now well and truly upon us again, with a veritable swathe of events through September and October conspiring to both inspire me and keep me away from my desk (both a treat and a horror – particularly as deadline approaches). In this issue, we ease you into the flurry of reports with a quick round-up of the jolly that is the MIA Industry Awards (page 14 – and congratulations to all the winners on the evening) and swiftly on to the British Piano Fair (page 17), at which that particular sector of the trade experienced a slightly quieter show in terms of visitor numbers, but an increase in business. As MI Pro goes to press, the BBC is announcing the official emergence of the British economy from recession. Judging by the comments from the piano suppliers, we probably could have preempted the official figures by a month. Following that, we have a report on the BPM Show (page 23) at the NEC, where the DJ industry clearly showed its own personal emergence as a corner of the business that is most definitely here to stay. Next month will see a full report on the Music China Show in Shanghai – another show that experienced a (possibly) lower turn out, but no complaints whatsoever as regards business done (there is a brief news item on the show on page 6 to tide us over). But for me, the real headline stealer was the The Music Show, Dublin – and I didn’t even get along to it (although I certainly will next year). In its sixth year, The Music Show has established itself as a ‘must-attend’ gathering for the Irish trade and for a lot of the UK, too, with organiser Hot Press promising even more international attendance next year. The beauty of the Dublin show is that there has been one rule since its inception that has remained sacrosanct: no trading on the show floor – and it has remained true to that. Dozens of suppliers and retailers covered the show space and not one single item of gear was bought or sold physically at the show. Of course, names, numbers and addresses were taken, possibly even a tasty deal done here or there, but the transactions are bound to take place in a store after the event. And the public loves it – as do the exhibitors. As Gerry Forde of Roland Ireland explained to me: “The show brings in the public and we tell the retailers, ‘there’s your public, how are you going to get them in your shops?’ Radical – and not without a spot of genius.
Andy Barrett mipro@intentmedia.co.uk
PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE ROSIE MCKEOWN rosie.mckeown@intentmedia.co.uk CIRCULATION PAUL LITTLE mipro.subscriptions@c-cms.com PUBLISHER DAVE ROBERTS dave.roberts@intentmedia.co.uk MANAGING DIRECTOR STUART DINSEY stuart.dinsey@intentmedia.co.uk
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miPRO NOVEMBER 2009 5
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NEWS
Reverb Leicester closes its doors MD cites performance and lack of long-term potential as reasons for shutting another of the chain’s shops REVERB LEICESTER shut up shop on October 16th, becoming the second store in the original chain to close, following the demise of Reverb Sheffield in September. The Reverb chain was established by former Arbiter director Andrew Landesberg,
managing director, explained the state of the company and gave his reasons why the branch had to go: “Unfortunately, the performance at this location was not in line with expectations and while various steps were taken to try and improve, it
“The decision was primarily taken on the basis of performance and the site’s long-term ability to make money.” Andrew Landesburg, Reverb following the purchase of six former Sound Control stores in April 2008. On the day that Reverb Leicester closed its doors, Landesberg, the company’s
continued to be a loss making site for the company. “As with the closure in Sheffield, the decision to close the store was primarily taken on the basis of performance and
D’Addario UK to launch in 2010
the site’s long-term ability to make money. “It is common knowledge that both these sites are freehold and the funds will be re-invested in Reverb in order to assist with the future growth of the company. While trading conditions have certainly not been at expected levels, over the course of the last three months, the remaining stores are now starting to grow again and we expect this to continue to improve. “Our target by the year end is to ensure that all areas of the business are profitable and once we can achieve and sustain that position we will then begin to think about the expansion of at least one further new store.” REVERB: 0870 067 1234
LANDESBERG: “The remaining stores are starting to grow again”
Music China comes of age Shanghai show completes its eighth year on a high – despite lower international turnout, firms are happy with domestic interest
Simon Turnbull to head up new ‘marketing and distribution leadership’ operation D’ADDARIO & COMPANY has announced the imminent launch of of D’Addario UK. The new operation has been established to assume the marketing and distribution leadership for all D’Addario accessory brands in the UK. D’Addario UK will also be opening a new distribution facility in Gateshead. “Since the mid-1970s, we’ve been fortunate to work with reputable distributors in developing a strong market presence for our accessory lines,” states John D’Addario III, the company’s executive VP. “While we’re looking forward to continuing these relationships, we need to be more of a resource to our customer base in the UK.” The new entity will be run by former Summerfield sales and marketing director, Simon Turnbull. Turnbull has 15 years’
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of experience in the distribution of accessories and played a primary role in the marketing of D’Addario in the UK market. “I’ve worked with the people at D’Addario for years and I know the products intimately”, he said. “This opportunity was too good to miss.” The new company will supplement the existing UK distribution network of D’Addario brands and dealers can continue to contact Barnes & Mullins for Rico reeds and mouthpieces, Strings & Things for D’Addario fretted instrument strings or Summerfield for D’Addario fretted and bowed strings, Evans Drumheads, Planet Waves accessories, HQ and PureSound percussion products. The planned opening date is January 2nd 2010. Find out more at the D’Addario UK website – daddario.co.uk. D’ADDARIO UK: 0845 643 6464
THE 2009 Music China show saw tens of thousands flocking to it, although international visitors were down this year as a result of continued financial pressures abroad. In China, the recession has resulted in a drop in growth to seven per cent of GDP. However, the overall picture of crammed aisles and reports from exhibitors of an awful lot of business being done gave the impression of a large Oriental shrug, asking ‘what recession?’ This year’s show, which saw a return to UK exhibitor figures of numbers not seen for around five years, is also seeing more of
a shift away from simply meeting Pacific Rim clients and instead a move towards a genuine push into the Chinese domestic market, as the infrastructure in China’s leading cities and regulations from central Chinese government grow more sophisticated and ‘user-friendly’. “Yes, there were fewer Pacific Rim customers this year,” commented Stephen Wick of Denis Wick. “This was more than made up for, however, with increased interest from the domestic market, so it was still a great show for us.”
“We had a very successful event, taking on new distributors in Turkey and South Korea and getting great response to the new products from our existing distributors who visited during the show. We were very pleased with the whole show,” added Tony Flatt of Tanglewood Guitars, which was one of many UK companies now importing into the Chinese domestic trade – which is where the bulk of business for British companies was seen this year. The next (December) issue of MI Pro will feature a full report of the show.
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NEWS
Clarinet with heart of a Lyons Salt gets Premier Successor to Lyons C model, expected to get more children playing instruments, introduced to UK and US through deals brokered by TTN
Audio specialist to distribute Premier drum products throughout the UK and Ireland
NEARLY 20 years ago, Graham Lyons introduced the Lyons C clarinet to the world – and pretty much single-handedly revolutionised the teaching world for woodwind instruments. Now, after 20 years of development, Lyons has taken the concept further with the Lyons Clarinéo Nuvo, which replaces the Lyons C. The new design virtually eliminates the need for any maintenance. The bore and mouthpiece remain the same and the only assembly required is the bell and the mouthpiece on to the main body. Tomandwill.com distribution has launched the Clarinéo in the UK, while US Band & Orchestra Supplies/St Louis Music is launching the product at the same time in America. In both cases the manufacturer of the Clarinéo, Nuvo Instrumental,
THE MANCHESTER-BASED audio specialist supplier RW Salt Communication has taken on the distribution of Premier Percussion’s drumkit product range. To accommodate this large shift in activity, RW Salt has created a new division
engaged the services of The Trust Network (TTN) to establish the distribution. “What our industry has missed out on until now has been a way to offer continuity to literally millions of recorder players who acquired the skills of blowing and fingering an instrument to produce music,” commented John Hughes-Chamberlain, MD of Tomandwill. “Now, the Clarinéo lets us keep hold of them.” “If ever there was a win-win scenario, this is it. The child wins, the dealer wins, music education wins,” added Lyons. Brendan Murray of TTN confirmed that the key to the appointment of John HughesChamberlain and his team at Tomandwill as the UK’s distributor was an understanding and vision of the impact the Clarinéo can have, as well as the investment to
high levels of customer service and technical support to our new drum and percussion customers,” said Craig Buckley, RW Salt’s managing director. For over 20 years, RW Salt has supplied customers throughout the UK with pro audio products, making this
“We will endeavour to deliver high levels of service.” Craig Buckley, RW Salt The Lyons Clarinéo Nuvo realise that vision. He said: “Look out for a concerted campaign to reach teachers, music services and parents and show how the Clarinéo can bring thousands of new six to ten-year-olds to instrumental music.” TTN: 01633 441361 TOMANDWILL: 08450 945659
responsible for the distribution of its drum and percussion products. “RW Salt is delighted to take on the distribution of Premier drum sets in the United Kingdom and Ireland and via our new dedicated drums and percussion division we will endeavour to deliver
move one that will doubtless inspire some degree of curiosity. For its part, RWS has underlined its long-term philosophy of ensuring its customers are provided with consistent levels of technical support, proven advice and outstanding customer service. RW SALT: 0844 980 8800
© 2009 FMIE
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miPRO NOVE,BER 2009 7
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NEWS
Yamaha takes piano promos to new level The firm’s latest set of promotions combine to make dealer and user appeal second to none YAMAHA USED the British Piano Fair to announce details of a new promotion in which all Silent system piano models will be shipped with a Yamaha M-430 hi-fi system free of charge. And during its dealer meeting on the evening of the first day of the show, the company announced a new ‘scrappage’ scheme that will allow end users to bring in their old pianos, acoustic or digital, in a part exchange for a new Yamaha or Kemble model. “We are giving people the opportunity to bring their old piano or digital piano and walk away with a discount on a quality acoustic,” commented Charles Bozon, Yamha’s piano product manager. ”We think this is going to be a big deal in bringing our range of pianos to a wider market.”
Yamaha's Leanne Hassan said: “We’ve created the hi-fi promotion to highlight the traditional nature of the Silent series and reinforce the fact that the instruments are 100 per cent acoustic, as well as being able to be played silently on headphones without compromising on sound or touch.” These two promotions combine with Yamaha’s zero-percent finance on its acoustic pianos, giving end users a remarkable package of added value and dealers the opportunity of stepping up the selling points during the sales process. The M430 hi-fi that is being offered with the pianos is one of Yamaha's most popular audio systems and includes CD player, DAB radio and integrated iPod dock. You can read more about the Yamaha dealer meeting at the BPF on page 20. YAMAHA: 012908 366700
BOZON: “This offer will bring our pianos to a wider market”
Yelding finds the Force EMD doubles up in China Former Marshall and Laney man to head UK’s Engl team VETERAN AMP specialist Steve Yelding has joined The Music Force Distribution to handle a dual role for the rapidly growing company. Yelding, for many years a mainstay at Marshall and later with Headstock/Laney, has been appointed area sales manager for the Midlands and Wales, representing the company’s growing portfolio of brands, including Ashton, Sparrow, Indie, Mariner, GigSkinz and Engl Amplification. He has also been appointed as national business development manager for Engl Amplification. Arthur Achard, Music Force’s director of sales, said: “This is an exciting time for our company and Steve has all the qualities, experience and personal attributes that will endear him to our retail partners, ensuring that they continue to receive the support that they deserve. It will also enable our company to build on the dramatic growth and expansion we have experienced over the past few years. “In addition to this, his knowledge and experience in the amplification sector will prove especially beneficial with the development of Engl, its customers and impressive roster of artists.” “I have been very fortunate to work for some fantastic companies and brands in my career and each one has given me a great deal in terms of personal
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Extended far eastern warehousing to include extensive quality control and reduce order waiting times
YELDING: “I will do my utmost to ensure the company continues its growth” development and experience,” said Yelding, commenting on his appointment. “Like everyone else in the industry, I have seen the impact that The Music Force has made in the UK distribution market in a short space of time, with its attention to detail, customer service and marketing support and I am excited at the prospect of contributing further to this. I will do my utmost to ensure that the company continues its growth to the mutual benefit of both The Music Force and its customers.” MUSIC FORCE: 01780 781630
FOLLOWING THE success of EMD’s warehousing operation in Foshan, China, which has seen the Brussel’s-based company providing import turnaround times second to none in the industry, the company has now announced the opening of its second warehouse in the region. The new facility is set to be operational by the end of 2009 and will provide an additional 12,300 square metres of warehouse space.
As well as the massive increase in stock availability this will bring – EMD is hoping to reduce waiting times on direct orders from China significantly – the base will also have a series of dedicated workshops for checks and quality control before shipping. EMD has told MI Pro that all Stagg products destined for Europe and the USA will pass through the new facility precisely for this purpose. EMD: 01293 862612
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UK Freephone: 0800 432 0486 email: salesuk@melbay.com
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DISTRIBUTION NEWS
UK discovers Silky Strings Chromefrets treatment is now in production after prompting from eager MI retailers CHROMEFRETS, a process for cleaning and polishing guitar strings and fretboards using liquid PTFE, also known as Teflon, is now being pushed out for general sale to MI retailers across the country, through a new company established by Richard Hinchcliff for the purpose. Chromefrets Silky Strings was launched at the July Guitarfest and to date over 20 shops are stocking it. The theory behind the product is that a guitar with polished frets will dramatically improve the look, but more importantly the feel of the instrument. Chromefret achieves this, as well as making string bending much easier and the neck ‘faster’. Hinchcliff developed the product for his own use, but very quickly other guitarists asked if he could make their guitars play as smoothly as his – and when a local music shop saw
Chromefrets: for making guitars play smoothly
the results the comment was ‘produce this commercially and we’ll stock it’. “Fret polishing has always been the preserve of luthiers,” commented Hinchcliff. “It
Musictrack takes on MXL mics
required specialist tools and was labour intensive, but now it’s a quick, safe process that any player can achieve.” Apart from polishing frets, the product also re-hydrates fret
boards and lubricates the nut and saddle, cleans the strings around 360 degrees and inhibits corrosion, which preserves tone and reduces breakages. “The music trade has been very helpful in giving me advice,” concluded Hinchcliff. “I’ve listened to what the independent retailers have said and taken their comments on board. For example, we’ve designed a demonstrator swing tag so dealers can ask customers to try out the product – it’s one way of building customer rapport and it combats internet sales.” Player reviews are on the Chromefrets website (which you can find at chromefrets.co.uk) and Hinchcliff continues to visit shops. “This is the first time I’ve said to my wife I’m going to a guitar shop and she has said: ‘Good luck, let me know how you get on’.”
Red Dog goes Livid Edinburgh indie to distribute boutique American controllers
Established mic brand now available in the UK through hi tech supplier THE MXL range of mics and mic accessories is now available in the UK via Musictrack. The MXL line is designed by veteran American professional audio and video company Marshall Electronics and the range spans mics for a large variety of applications and budgets, going from the Genesis
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tube microphone, recommended for vocals, acoustic guitar, string and piano recording and priced at £599, to highly affordable recording kits such as the 550/551R microphone ensemble. The latter includes the MXL 550 vocal condenser and the 551 ‘stick’ instrument mic, recommended for guitars, drum kits, pianos, stringed instruments and more. The mics have matching, distinctively coloured bodies and retail at £99 for the two, including carrying case and mic-stand adaptors. The MXL range as a whole, the press release says, “Offers musicians the chance to own mics that not only stand out from the crowd for their distinctive and colourful styling, but also provide professionallevel sound quality and dependable performance”. Full details of the MXL range, are available at the MXL website or direct from the company. MUSICTRACK: 01767 313447
RED DOG Music, the Edinburgh indie, which was established in the wake of the Sound Control collapse, has been appointed as exclusive UK distributor for Livid Instruments, an American manufacturer of hardware controllers for music software. Livid Instruments likens itself to a custom guitar maker for digital performance and crafts all its products from fine woods and quality metals. All of its boutique range of controllers, including the Ohm 64, are designed, manufactured and assembled entirely in-house, at the firm’s factory in Austin, Texas.
Alex Marten, the MD of Red Dog Music, commented: “In a music world dominated by computer software, it is becoming increasingly important that the one piece of hardware that musicians still use – the controller – is ergonomic, flexible, and solidly built. We believe that, with the Ohm 64, Livid Instruments is unique in bringing such a product to the market.” Red Dog Music invites both trade and retail customers to get in touch with the firm directly for pricing information. RED DOG: 0131 229 8211
Reader, Selectron marries Rochester Exclusive UK agreement for Whirlwind USA’s new range SELECTRON HAS announced that it has been appointed as the sole UK distributor of the new Rochester range of effects pedals by Whirlwind USA. The new range is named after Rochester NY (not the Charlotte Bronte hero), where the Whirlwind factory is based and where the pedals are being manufactured. Whirlwind’s history dates back to the 1960s when founder Michael Laiacona, a teenage bass/guitar player, began tinkering with electronics. By the time he was 15 years old he had, out of necessity, hand-built his first PA system complete with a mixing console, monitors, power amps and homemade speaker enclosures. It didn’t take long to go from soldering homemade gear in his garage to producing pro-grade equipment and a few years later he graduated from the garage to a small factory on Goodman Street, in Rochester NY, where he cofounded MXR. The initial vision was to build a mixing console, hence the name MXR (mixer) but ended up creating guitar effects pedals instead. For further information, email Kelly Downes at kelly@selectron-uk.co.uk. SELECTRON: 01795 419460
MICHAEL LAIACONA
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PROFILE • DISTRIBUTION
The team picking up an MIA award last year
Simon Halstead talks to MI Pro about how Focusrite and Novation stay at the forefront of the dealers’ minds... Year Established: 1989 Number of employees: Over 50 Is business up or down compared to last year? Despite the economic slow-down, business is still up on last year. How has the current economic climate affected business? We didn’t grow at the rate we would have liked to compared with other years, but we still took on more staff and had record turnover for the year. What are your bestselling lines and why do you think they perform so well? All our brands are doing well. What are your criteria for selecting new products? As both a manufacturers and distributor, we are careful to stick with a few brands that complement each other well.
What distinguishes you from the competition? We spend a lot of money designing and making good products and choose carefully, so we only distribute fantastic brands. How do you maintain a good relationship with retailers? Our sales team has worked the UK for many years and has built up a good rapport with retailers. Retailers are basically our lifeblood and it’s vitally important to show them some appreciation and develop good relationships with them. What would you say is the biggest challenge facing the industry today? Maintaining the highest quality while all the time taking into consideration the pressure to meet price points. What are your aims for the next 12 months? To continue bringing great products to market at the right price.
“As a manufacturer and a distributor, we are careful to stick with brands that complement each other.” Simon Halstead
CONTACT DETAILS Address: Windsor House, Turnpike Road, High Wycombe, Bucks HP12 3FX Phone: 01494 462246 Fax: 01494 459920 Email: pr@focusrite.com Contacts: Marketing: Simon Halstead, Sales: Steve Beeston
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DRUM NEWS
Two years of cover with Zildjian New warranty, plus introduction of new special offers from Yamaha Music UK while stocks last THE AVEDIS Zildjian company has announced that a new twoyear warranty is now in effect, covering every Zildjian cymbal purchased as of now. Zildjian CEO Craigie Zildjian commented: “We are moving from our old warranty of one year to the new two-year policy because, quite simply, the consistency and quality of our cymbals continues to improve due to our recent capital investment program in the factory.” The change will be implemented through Zildjian dealers and distributors worldwide, effective immediately. In a separate announcement, Yamaha Music UK is launching added value incentives for Zildjian products to ‘increase consumer exploration’ and offer savings across the cymbal and drumstick range until the end of 2009. As part of the deal, a ten-inch ZHT China splash worth £79 can be claimed free of charge for
Grab handfuls of drumsticks with the Zildjian offers
Black is back Aquarian offers cosmetic option for heads THE US drum head manufacturer Aquarian has announced all-black versions of some its drum heads. The Z-100 black coating is available on Response-2 heads, Hi-Velocity snare heads and Superkick III bassdrum heads – with no increase in price over the traditional equivalents.
Retailer celebrates its new offering
CEO Craigie Zildjian purchases of six pairs of Zildjian sticks through to December 31st. “This is not only an exceptional offer,” the announcement explained, “but also a great way to explore Zildjian’s range of products and add to your collection of equipment.” After purchasing six pairs of Zildjian drumsticks, end users should fill out the application
The UK distributor, The Music Shipping Company (MSC), explained that the new black coating offers the same durability, resonance and projection as the standard, white Z-100 Aquarian coating. MSC pointed out that these twin-ply heads are used on snares and toms, generally for heavier playing styles, and deliver great attack and a full sound. Finally, Aquarian’s Superkick III black heads, featuring a patented muffling system, are reportedly easily miked, with no extra external or internal muffling necessary. Aquarian black heads are available immediately throughout the UK. MSC: 01562 827666
Drum City becomes DW main dealer
form in-store and send copies of proof of purchase into Yamaha Music UK, which will post the free cymbal directly. Zildjian also has an offer on some limited edition drumstick packs – the purchase of three pairs of sticks includes a fourth pair free of charge. It’s available on six styles, including the new Travis Barker Black signature stick.
Yamaha is running a promotion on the Avedis, Armand, A Custom, ZHT, ZXT and ZBT cymbal sets. Available in stores now, these special promotional box sets include an additional free crash cymbal up to 18 inches. All of the above added value offers run while stocks last. YAMAHA: 01908 366700
DRUM CITY, the recently launched drum specialist retailer in Romford, Essex has announced that DW Drums will now be available in store from November 7th. To celebrate this, the shop will be holding a DW Drums and PDP Drums launch day with a selection of high profile special guests. These include: Mark Heaney (Gang Of Four), Adam Bushell (Faithless/Sheryl Crow) and David ‘Scully’ Sullivan of Razorlight. The store has also promised that there will be some special launch-day offers for customers attending. DRUM CITY: 01708 747700
Chris Barnes appointed Rhythm editor Barnes replaces Phil Ascott at the helm of Future’s monthly drumming magazine CHRIS BARNES (pictured) has been appointed editor of Rhythm magazine, Future’s monthly drumming magazine publication. Working on Rhythm since 2004, Barnes joined Future to become staff writer on the title. Developing his role on the magazine, he has worked his way through the editorial ranks, becoming features editor in 2006 and was promoted to deputy editor in 2008. As editor, Barnes reports directly to Rhythm’s associate publisher, Rob Last, and is briefed to continue building on Rhythm’s successful redesign, working closely with the industry to attract new drummers. Barnes will hope to sharpen Rhythm’s editorial focus on core drumming topics, while ensuring
Rhythm strengthens its links with Future’s online network for musicians, MusicRadar.com. Barnes, who replaces Phil Ascott, announced his appointment in a letter to the trade: “I’m honoured to be taking the helm of a magazine I have worked on for more than five years and I’m looking forward to developing Rhythm’s reputation as a first class magazine for drummers,” he commented. “Thank you for your continued support of Rhythm and I look forward to working with you all in the near future.” FUTURE: 01225 442244
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EVENT REVIEW • MIA AWARDS
THE WINNERS IN FULL
BEST AMPLIFIER Marshall JVM410
BEST BRASSWIND PRODUCT Yamaha YAS275e sax
BEST METAL GUITAR Ibanez S320 (Headstock)
BEST WOODWIND Jupiter 511ESSC flute (Korg)
PRINTED MUSIC PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR Faber Music
CONTRIBUTION TO THE PIANO INDUSTY Brian Kemble MBE BEST CLASSICAL PUBLICATION ABRSM songbook (Ross Campbell, Robert Forbes, Lilija Zobens) OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC EDUCATION Howard Goodall LIFETIME CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC Andrew Kemble INNOVATION IN PRINTED MUSIC PUBLISHING Notecrackers (Music Sales) BEST EDUCATION PUBLICATION Stringpops series by Peter Wilson (Faber) RETAILERS AWARD FOR DISTINCTION IN PRINTED MUSIC PUBLISHING Johnny Brading (Music Sales) BEST EXPORT INNOVATION World Rhythm Percussion ROB WILLIAMS BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AWARD Nevada Music INDUSTRY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Denny Jacobs BEST NEW PRODUCT Korg Nano series BEST COMPUTER MUSIC PRODUCT Akai APC40 HOME STUDIO PRODUCT OF THE YEAR M-Audio Axiom keyboard BEST ACOUSTIC GUITAR Martin 1 series (Westside) BEST ELECTRIC GUITAR UNDER £600 Fender Squire Classic Vibe Stratocaster 60s BEST ELECTRIC GUITAR OVER £600 Fender Road Worn series BEST PERCUSSION PRODUCT Tama Starclassic Performer bubinga/birch kit (Headstock)
14 miPRO NOVEMBER 2009
BEST SUPPLIER (MEDIUM) Barnes & Mullins BEST SUPPLIER (LARGE) Roland
Andrew Kemble (left) picking up the Lifetime Achievement Award
PRINTED MUSIC RETAILER Lynne Ackerman (Ackerman Music)
Brian Kemble MBE
TAKE IT AWAY RETAILER OF THE YEAR Symphony Music and Technology Centre BEST POP PUBLICATION Music Sales BEST SPECIALIST RETAILER Guitar Village BEST RETAILER (INDEPENDENT) Red Dog Music BEST RETAILER (MULTIPLE) PMT
Roland’s Simon Griffiths and John Booth
The B&M team with co-MDs Bruce Perrin (far left) and Brian Cleary
Thanking mum The 2009 MIA Music Awards was once again a gala bash for all the great and the good in the industry. MI Pro was there to pick out the victors and join in the celebration…
O
ctober 7th saw hundreds of guests gather in the Park Lane Sheraton Ballroom to witness the 2009 MIA Awards and some 28 prizes handed out. Of note, as ever, were the retailer awards (see pages 62-63 in the retail
Andrew Kemble, receiving a lifetime achievement award. Andrew Kemble also presented another lifetime achievement award to his father, Robert’s partner in establishing Yamaha in the UK, Denny Jacobs. Acknowledging the lateness of the award (Jacobs retired from
It was a good day for the Kembles, with Brian Kemble picking up a special award for contribution to the piano industry and his brother, Andrew Kemble, receiving a lifetime achievement award. section for more information) and the suppliers, where Barnes & Mullins picked up the gong for best supplier (medium) and Roland for the best supplier (large). It was also a very good day for the Kemble family, with Brian Kemble picking up a special award for his contribution to the piano industry and his brother,
the business in the 1980s), Andrew Kemble pointed out that it was no less deserved for that – just a little overdue. There was a new prize for contribution to education, which went to one of the evening’s special guests, Howard Goodall – and was presented by another, the radio DJ Simon Bates.
Bates singing Goodall’s praises
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MIA AWARDS • EVENT REVIEW
Howard Goodall (left) – an outstanding contribution
The Headstock team ( James Laney, centre) – very metal
Future’s Neville Marten and Westside’s Jonny van der Schoot
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Denny Jacobs (left) and that ‘long overdue’ award for his contribution
Best amp? There can be only one winner: Marshall, of course
David Atkinson (left) and Ken Dewar pick up M-Audio’s gong
miPRO NOVEMBER 2009 15
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Yamaha’s three-pronged attack
0%
INTEREST FREE FINANCE ON SELECTED YAMAHA PIANOS
Difficult trading conditions call for positive action. That’s why Yamaha is putting millions of pounds into a series of initiatives designed to stimulate the piano market. In addition to our already popular interest free finance offer, we’re giving away an award-winning stereo with every new Silent Piano purchased and encouraging trade-ins of both acoustic and digital pianos with the Yamaha Upgrade Bonus scheme. Call your Regional Manager today for more details.
www.yamahapianos.co.uk
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BRITISH PIANO FAIR • SHOW REVIEW
EVENT: British Piano Fair DATE: September 20th and 21st VENUE: Nursery Pavilion, Lords Cricket Ground EXHIBITORS: 15 VISITORS: 152 (79 retail outlets represented) VERDICT: For the third year running, the BPF has shown that the piano market is a different beast from the rest of MI and needs its own space. With the piano sector missing out on Musikmesse this year, the show gave the (fewer) retailers that came along a unique chance to get face to face with suppliers and prove that business is still going pretty well.
Hat trick The British Piano Fair made it three out of three this year with a successful, albeit moderately quieter show at Lords Cricket Ground. Andy Barrett gets bowled over by the news that pianos are doing very well, thanks very much‌
T
he British Piano Fair did not so much rise from the ashes of the old BMF as sprang, mushroom like, into the space left by the uprooted old show in 2007. Back then, the news that the BMF was to shift to a September date was greeted by the piano suppliers and dealers in the country with considerable approval. The rest of MI was less willing to embrace the idea and so Colin Holdsworth, eagerly prompted by Brian Kemble, hastily rented the Pillar Hall at Olympia, hired out the space to eight or so suppliers – and the piano dealers gladly attended. A year later and with more companies wanting to take advantage of the laid-back, quieter environment of a
“I don’t think it was even so much the bad economic climate that kept people away this year,� explains Holdsworth. “I think it was more the unusually good weather and the fact that the Jubillee Line was not running that tipped the balance for a few who were wondering whether to come or not. “In the end, the exhibitors were all very satisfied with those who came, the visitors were extremely pleased with the quality of the show and I simply could not be happier with the result.� The show saw three new exhibitors this year – Scalerail, Broughton Pianos and Roland – three very different companies to say the least.
“The exhibitors were all very satisfied with those who came and the visitors were extremely pleased with the quality of the show.� Colin Holdsworth, British Piano Fair piano-only show, Holdsworth moved the show to the Nursery Pavilion at Lords – to even more murmurs of approval. Third time lucky – and back at Lords – this year’s show proved a tad quieter in terms of visitor numbers, but no less approval was forthcoming. In fact, when dealing with such small numbers, the ten or so dealers that didn’t come this year barely impacted upon the overall feel of the show, with the buzz added to instead by the increase in educators and technicians visiting.
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Broughton Pianos is a West Midlands retail operation that also imports a select range of acoustics. Roland, of course, brings a ‘digital-only’ flash of colour to the proceedings and Scalerail adds an entirely new dimension to the show. The brainchild of Jeremy Russell of the Royal College of Music (RCM), Scalerail is an educational aid that eliminates bad posture habits from the word go. Essentially a rail with two sliding wrist rests, the learner places his or her wrists on the contraption and is in the ideal
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miPRO NOVEMBER 2009 17
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SHOW REVIEW • BRITISH PIANO FAIR
position for playing the entire length of the keyboard. The product was first shown at Winter NAMM this year, following two years of development. The new company has only now found the right manufacturer for it and should be shipping as this issue of MI Pro hits the streets. “Obviously, it is crucial to get the teachers taking notice,” explains Russell. “Our first task is to get it in front of them. I think the best route will be to get some good endorsements in the UK from teachers at the RCM and other top schools. The reaction has been very good, so we’re hopeful.” Roland dipped its toes into the event’s shallow waters for the first time and had just three pianos on show this year – the new F-110 (launched through the recent Roland Connect online initiative), the DP-990 and the LX-10, the latter aimed to ease acoustic-only retailers into the digital market. The LX has user-adjustable hammer, escapement, resonance and tuning configurations and looks at a glance like a traditional upright acoustic. “We went to talk to dealers we don’t know – although we met some we know very well, of course and that was just fine,” says Roland UK’s keyboard product manager, Sean Montgomery. “We’ll definitely do this again. We found some strong leads, it was of minimal cost and turned out to be a really effective way to reach out to piano dealers. “Some dealers immediately saw that the pianos could work alongside their usual stock and not upset their acoustic business. This is the real bonus of the show. The cost to see these dealers individually, with samples and so on, is clearly impractical or if not, hugely expensive. We’ll definitely do this again.” Also doing some pretty good business with digitals was Intermusic, currently
18 miPRO NOVEMBER 2009
pretty chuffed with the response to its Bentley branded models, which doubled up in the acoustic market, too. Some of these models were doing well as ‘unbranded’ sales, on to which dealers can add their own branding. There were also the new Hoffman and Petrof models on display. “We did incredibly well at the show,” says Richard Webb. “There weren’t that many dealers there, but the ones that showed up placed big orders – particularly on the Monday. It reminded me of the early days of Intermusic – big orders across the brands, so I was very pleased.
It is all change at the Piano Warehouse this year – well, in terms of its models, anyway. The company was showing the new Steinmeyer 127 Pro mk II (replacing the old 126) and a quite delightful new Gors & Kallman Bauhaus upright, an art deco style cabinet – it’s very attractive, with chrome and striking angles. Weber has recently been employing the services of the US piano guru Ralph Andrew, who went along with some new models for Yeung Chang, the manufacturer. The 112 and 114 (taking over from the 109 and 110) will be available from January and, the UK
news pages), all on the one stand, there was a lot of business to be done and some good magnets to draw the dealers in. Dr Robin Loat of Forsyths held court at the show with a passionate discussion about Schimmel and how he believes the brand is a genuine alternative to established concert grands. “A lot of the established brands are, in relative terms, quite brash and miss a lot of the most subtle nuances,” he explained. “The Schimmels are full of colour and warmth, but not at the expense of achieving a cutting brightness as well. A lot depends on how you play, but again, Schimmel
Simon Pegg (left) popped by as a surprise visitor, seen here with John Beckingham
HOLDSWORTH: “Could not be happier”
“I think a lot of dealers are concerned that there is no longer a British manufacturer, so a lot of people came specifically to look at the new Hoffmans and Petrofs. It was also good to see a large number of educators at the event. We have garnered considerable interest with some schools and conservatoires in the Bechstein Model B. I think there will have been some good business done there as a result.” Once again the busiest stand at the show was that of HJ Fletcher & Newman, with the technicians checking out all of the bits and pieces essential to their trade. Some nice, eye-catching accessories were also on show. “Business has been pretty slow recently and everybody is going through some tough times, but shows like this are really good for meeting up with your customers, getting to know them a bit better, putting a face to a name and inspiring a bit of a push on sales,” says the company’s director, Emma Ford. “It’s really great, so we were hopeful that we would get a lot out of the show – and so it has proved to be.”
wins on that front as it puts the control of the tone in the hands of the player.” If you want to know where the trends are in terms of the acoustic market, there is probably no better place to go than Barry Caradine. The renowned piano restorer sees just about any new flavour of the month before anybody else – and the word is that black is back. “Most definitely back – but possibly because it is the cheapest finish,” he says. “A lot of manufacturers are looking to go a cheaper route and black polyester covers (literally) a multitude of sins.” Caradines showed off its new retro-fit pianola system, Live Performance LX, which is being touted as the world’s first high definition player system that can be fitted to any piano. While something of a luxury – it costs around £5,000 to fit – Caradine points out that there are good dealer mark-ups available and comments: “The system is a lot more accurate than MIDI. It can tell where the pedal has been used to within one-tenth of a millimetre.” From Scalerail, through digital, to the Live Performance LX – who said the piano market wasn’t very dynamic?
suppliers tell us, hit a new level of quality for Chinese-made pianos. They use allimported components, such as UK felt, German strings, US sound boards and the company is taking orders now. “We saw more dealers than we expected, although numbers seemed overall much the same as last year,” Howard Martyn points out. “Initial orders at the show were actually down, but the following week we had a massive, phenomenal response from those that had come. The show had a really good vibe, the retailers seemed very buoyant, the new models created a good response – altogether, it was very good. Three hits out of three as far as we are concerned.” Much of the show was quiet on the Yamaha stand on the Sunday as the company prepared for its big meet regarding its piano dealerships for Yamaha, Kemble and Bösendorfer (see report on pages 20-21). Nevertheless, for a company that could offer a selection of B-pianos up to a smart grand, all with silent function, all available on zero per cent finance, a new scrappage scheme and a free hi fi system thrown in for good measure (see
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Piano Warehouse
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COMPANY PROFILE • YAMAHA
One roof Tying together a company the size of Yamaha over a territory as varied as Europe is a task of Herculean proportions. That said, success has never come from shying away from a challenge. Andy Barrett has a look at Yamaha’s piano business…
I
t’s difficult to have any sympathy for corporates. They pervade our lives daily, whether on the High Street, in the office or on the internet, their messages to us are as relentless as British summer rain and yet our recourse to them is nothing if not knotty. Coupled to that, they have a tendency to merge and consume – rather like bacteria in reverse. Fancy a Bacardi and Coke? Well, if you want to spread the wealth a bit, you’d better mix that brand of white rum with a Pepsi, otherwise the same people are profiting from both measures. All the while, we are painfully aware that they exist for one purpose only: the bottom line. As I said, it’s difficult to feel good about them. This is one reason why we are lucky in the MI business. Corporates that dominate the business are fairly numerous (certainly in comparison to the food, drink and pharmaceutical industries) and tend to be given a good run for their money by the plethora of wannabes that sprout like mushrooms. The personal touch remains vital to our industry and the corporates have to maintain some sort of amenable access to the predominantly independent nature of their customers – the retailers. Hats off, then, to the biggest of them all, Yamaha, which has managed to simultaneously pull off a pan-European rationalisation of its business, produce a degree of certainty as regards pricing and generally make some decisions that other companies would have turned into a political nightmare.
20 miPRO NOVEMBER 2009
The new ‘European model’ of Yamaha is taking shape and that was illustrated to its most detailed degree so far at a dealer meeting held on the evening of the first day of the British Piano Fair. The reason given for the shindig was, of course, the closure of the Kemble & Co factory at the end of October and the introduction of the new Kemble pianos to be made at Yamaha’s Indonesian factory. The evening was opened by the managing director of Yamaha Music UK, Mike Matsamoto, who spoke of the One Yamaha scheme, which he announced will be fully operational by April 2010 (one year after it was first announced at 2009’s Musikmesse). It represents the biggest change in Yamaha’s operations in Europe since the company first began here in the 1960s and Matsamoto sees his company as being the first to operate on the Old Continent under a single corporate umbrella. It’s pretty clear that he recognises what is going on in people’s minds, though: “I’m well aware of the concerns people have that we might ignore local needs. All I can say is that this is wrong. We understand better than anybody the importance of regional differences.” Matsamoto concluded by reminding those present that every company has to change to survive, but that should never mean that Yamaha and its dealers stop growing. Yamaha’s European president, Masato Oike, took the podium next to talk more about the One Yamaha initiative. He explained that changes in the European
market, from the perspective of end-user behaviour, lifestyle and way of thinking, had been ongoing for the past ten years in particular and it was from this that the ‘new’ European Yamaha structure had grown. “One Yamaha means we can respond and make make decisions much faster,” said Oike. “Second, with the support of a common policy, we can deepen our local marketing efforts. Finally, a
manufacturer, which means we need to have strong products to sell. We have to recognise all local markets. We have changed the business framework, but not the philosophy of making more music.” In terms of pianos, the new structure boils down to one key phrase: multi-brand, which, much like any dominant business, gives consumers recognised brands across the market – in Yamaha’s case, its own
Yamaha UK’s piano sales manager Charles Bozon (left) and MD Mike Matsamoto (right) unified European business will lead to operational excellence.” He also underlined the importance of regional input for the centralised organisation. “It would be a mistake to think we are making some sort of monotone business,” he explained. “The German office will not be responsible for all key decisions – all decisions will include local input and involvement. Furthermore, there will be no consolidation of all local functions in Europe. Yamaha is a
Yamaha brand, the prestigious Bösendorfer, and Kemble. And it was what was going to happen to Kemble that interested most of the assembled guests, so the introduction of Brian Kemble to the stage was met with no little trepidation. There is undoubted sadness in the UK at the news that a 100year-old manufacturer is finally to close its doors for the last time and this was ably expressed by the company’s co-managing director, although not with any saccharin,
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YAMAHA • COMPANY PROFILE
Brian Kemble (left), next to Yamaha’s European president, Masato Oike (right) but through cheerful anecdotes and the grateful recognition that, had it not been for Yamaha, Kemble & Co would have closed in 1981. In the end, Kemble explained, it boils down to economies of scale and he reiterated Oike’s outline that with Yamaha manufacturing in Japan and Indonesia (and Bösendorfer in Austria), the company can compete on large-scale, high-volume manufacturing, producing the highest quality instruments like the heavyweight it is. Brian Kemble related how he had been to Yamaha’s Indonesian factory, where the new Kemble pianos will be made: “I was very impressed, not only with the quality of the pianos, but at how they listened to everything I said. I can confirm that the sound is Kemble’s. I found some problems with the cabinets and with the colours. The walnut satin was too dull, for example. All of this was taken on board. I am delighted with the UK mahogany, which is light and thoroughly unlike the darker, Asian mahogany finishes.
“The key to all of this is the multi-brand scheme,” he said. “Yamaha is now covering all sectors and prices in the piano market. In much the same way as the VW Audi group took on companies such as Skoda – and vastly improved it – Yamaha in Europe now has a piano to cover every quality requirement from the customer.” He explained that while the Kemble and Yamaha offerings had been streamlined somewhat, the fact that all three brands (Yamaha, Kemble and Bösendorfer) are available from the single source of Yamaha means the offering to dealers has increased in real terms. To keep the automotive metaphor going a little longer, Bozon also announced that Yamaha was introducing a ‘scrappage’ scheme (which you can read about in more detail on page eight). Talking to Bozon afterwards, he stressed the importance to him and Yamaha that the company wants to work with and not against the dealer: “Kemble dealers have an emotional attachment to the brand,” he said. “With the help of Brian Kemble, who is a primary source of that emotion, we believe we are
“The key to all of this is the multi-brand scheme. Yamaha in Europe now has a piano to cover every requirement.” Charles Bozon, Yamaha Music UK “As this was an opportunity to improve the piano, I insisted upon a new hammer and one embellishment proffered by Yamaha I rejected. I am very pleased with the pianos – and I am delighted with the sound. Because of the economies of scale, Yamaha can spend much longer on the voicing of the pianos than we could have in the UK for the price – it’s bettered what we could do here. “Yamaha understands the importance of sound, as we know from the Kemble grand, which Yamaha has always made. It’s essentially a Yamaha, but it has a different sound. The new Kembles sound slightly different again – but they sound really good. It is the unmistakable, mellow Kemble sound. I genuinely believe Kemble pianos are getting better.” After Harold Kinsky’s presentation on behalf of Bösendorfer, taking in the manufacturer’s impressive 200-year history and its status as one the most prestigious brands in the world, Yamaha Music UK’s piano sales manager, Charles Bozon, had the unenviable job of pulling together all the strands and outlining what all of this means to the UK piano dealer. In essence, little changes. The currency-driven price hikes are over and the dealer agreements are in place – and Kemble dealers will retain their agreements and margins as before. But what has changed as a result of the multi-brand policy is the degree of choice available to the country’s piano sellers.
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cherishing and maintaining the characteristics of the brand. I think it’s also important to point out that Kemble and Yamaha have been competing products until now, but from here we are all in the same house – with Bösendorfer there as well. Yamaha can put the huge marketing clout behind these brands and put them in the mainstream.” Some may wonder if, once it has re-established Kemble as its own brand, Yamaha could then absorb the range into its general portfolio, or even see it disappear. Bozon strongly refutes this: “This has to be a long-term plan. Kemble dealers are listening to us and they will make their own judgments. Yamaha realises that loyalty can’t be bought – it has to be earned.” Bozon also pointed out that the key to the success of the ‘new’ Kemble pianos lies in the hands of the UK dealer. “This really is all about the UK dealer as far as Kemble is concerned and I know the UK dealers will let us know whether we are doing things right or wrong.” Which brings us back to the starting point again and the fact that Yamaha behaves a lot more like a musical instrument company than a global corporate. Many of the decisions it makes are typical, hardhatted corporate decisions, but they are made with a frankness (and a degree of planning) that has to be admired. And it aims to be accessible, unlike many companies a fraction of its size. YAMAHA: 01908 366700
miPRO NOVEMBER 2009 21
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BPM • EVENT REVIEW
Up to
scratch
EVENT: BPM DATE: October 3rd to 4th VENUE: NEC, Birmingham EXHIBITORS: 70-plus firms representing over 100 brands VISITORS: 3,897 VERDICT: A packed and vibrant event. With 50 per cent more visitors than last year, it has a promising future ahead.
Graduating to the vast halls of the NEC for its third birthday, the 2009 BPM show was the best yet – by some margin. Rob Hughes grabbed his cans and headed to Birmingham for a slice of the action…
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EVENT REVIEW • BPM
DJ Richie Don took to the decks on Adam Hall’s stand at this year’s BPM
I
t was, quite literally, all hands on decks at the National Exhibition Centre early last month and I’m not just talking about the mass of dance music enthusiasts who made their annual pilgrimage to sample the latest offerings of DJ jiggery pokery. As I stepped onto the show floor at this year’s BPM, it was immediately apparent that everyone involved had pulled together and got behind the event with more enthusiasm than the animated ‘turntablist’ who greeted visitors at the entrance. So awestruck was I at the levels of production that had gone into the show that I accidentally ignored the poor lady who was desperately trying to check my ticket, as I sauntered absent-mindedly towards the glowing lights and warm swells of bass that were beckoning me in. It wasn’t until I felt a sturdy head teacherlike prod in my arm that she got what she was after and walked off shaking her head and muttering. But the NEC’s surly staff couldn’t distract me from what was, visually and sonically, the most impressive show I’ve walked into in some time. Market-leader Pioneer was an instant draw, with what looked like a custom BPM booth and a huge crowd, which had gathered to watch
a superhuman performance by James Zabiela, rightly one of the world’s most high-profile DJs and an ambassador for the company. His presence alone was testament to the pace that the show is gathering, even in its infancy. On my way to Birmingham I was excited about getting to grips with the numerous bits of kit being debuted at the show, but I wasn’t expecting this much live entertainment. I thought the sound levels at the show would be harshly controlled but, happily this was not the case and conversations could still easily be had. TOPICAL PRESENTATIONS The educational aspect of the show also proved very successful, with seminars covering all aspects of DJing as a career and panel presentations tackling topics as wide-ranging as music production, promoting and club and mobile DJing. All this came as a pleasant surprise, which I think was shared by my fellow visitors: the fact that the show had exceeded expectations was written on their faces. And not only were visitors impressed, they also seemed to be in the mood for spending cash and that meant the exhibitors were equally as thrilled with the show.
Novation’s Launchpad was a big attraction at the show and pulled in the crowds 24 miPRO NOVEMBER 2009
After stopping by the Pioneer booth I followed my ears to the next loudest stand, which turned out to be that of Adam Hall, which was hosting Pimp My Ride DJ Richie Don, who played through an assortment of the firm’s popular PA gear, of which they had shifted a great deal. A CRACKING SHOW Adam Hall’s David Brown commented: “It was a cracking show for us; the mix of trade and consumer visitors was fantastic and even though we had one of the smaller booths, it was one of the busiest at the show. Having Richie performing on the stand no doubt helped – he really pulled in a crowd and we sold nearly all the gear, which was great for two reasons: the business, of course, but also because it meant that there was very little left to put in the van once the show was over. “The portable PA systems got a lot of attention from retailers who tended to say: ‘why have I not got these in my shop?’ The show gave us the chance to demonstrate just how good they sound. It was also a fine opportunity to show off the new LD Premium lines, particularly the VA-4 mini line array, which got a great response.” A favourite with pro jocks for its Xone series of mixers, Allen & Heath celebrated
the tenth anniversary of the range at the BPM show and added yet another model, the Xone:DX, a new plug 'n' play DJ controller that was launched on the first day of the event. The result of close collaboration between A&H and Serato, Xone:DX is a 20-channel USB soundcard and features total integration of the brand new four-deck Serato Itch software. “Serato has always been an admirer of Allen & Heath’s DJ hardware and we’ve watched the development of the Xone:D series of controllers with keen interest. In our opinion, Allen & Heath designs some of the best music production software controllers in the professional field,” explained Serato MD Steve West. “Rather than a partnership to simply bundle our products, we wanted to collaborate with A&H at the drawing board stage, and design a product that would fully manipulate the new version of Itch.” Another highly anticipated controller to be unveiled at the show was Novation’s Launchpad – billed as offering the most interactive experience possible in Ableton Live. Launchpad communicates bi-directionally with the software to give users real-time session feedback. It has been jointly designed by Novation and Ableton and is based around an 8x8 grid
Distributor 2Twenty2’s stand had lots of gear to show off WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
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BPM • EVENT REVIEW
Trantec was racked and ready for custom of backlit buttons that address a multitude of functions, with the help of mode selectors that transport the user around the Live interface. Its primary function, however, is launch and stop clips in Live’s session view. INCREDIBLE RECEPTION Focusrite’s Simon Halstead commented: “BPM was the first public outing of the Novation Launchpad which, together with Ableton, places us firmly in the consciousness of DJs. We knew this product was going to generate interest, but the reception we had prior to and at the show was absolutely incredible." On the M-Audio stand, Avid, with its new DJ gear distributor, New Horizons, showcased tools based around its Torq software, which allows computer DJs to mix, effect and otherwise manipulate digital music files – and produce their own sounds – using hardware controllers or standard decks, either vinyl or CD. The latest version of the software, Torq 1.5, was being used to great effect by the DJs present and among the hardware highlights was the Torq Xponent performance/production system, which combines a full-size controller, designed specifically for Torq, with an audio
Kam lights lit up the NEC, shining on the crowds of DJs and audio professionals that were visiting interface and it even comes with the software for complete hardware/software integration. AVSL, owner of the ever-popular DJ brand Citronic, was also present with a host of new gear including the slim line Par64 led par can, LS-Aqua laser, MPSD-2 USB/dual SD card, mp3 player/mixer and the SMFX-200 two-channel mixer with USB and DSP.
succeeded in both aspects of this and hope to see this positive response continue over the following months. The choice of venue, the NEC, was definitely a positive move; our stand had a constant and heavy footfall throughout the weekend. The DJ and lighting areas in particular seemed to be a hit with the crowds and featured many of our new and bestselling lines.”
“BPM 2009 was a resounding success, with each of the different aspects of the event running smoothly throughout the weekend. Moving to the NEC was a big step, but the right decision.” Eddie Short, BPM “The BPM show was a great success for the AVSL Group,” noted the firm’s marketing manager, Becky Stanton. “We showcased a wide variety of products from our Citronic, QTX Light and QTX Sound ranges, covering many aspects of the sound, light and DJ industry. Our main objectives were to sell our products to the trade sector and create brand awareness within the public sector. I feel we
The word from the organisers following the show has been overwhelmingly positive – not surprising, since their figures demonstrate that the show was a resounding success in terms of numbers, with a record number of visitors. Footfall was 50 per cent higher than last year, with a total of 3,897 delegates from all corners of the UK attending the event over the weekend. Some made the trip from
mainland Europe and even further afield. Visitors from the US and Nigeria were recorded, too. “BPM 2009 was a resounding success, with each of the different aspects of the event running smoothly throughout the weekend,” said BPM marketing director Eddie Short. “Making the move to the NEC was a big step for us, but it was definitely the right decision – we've received lots of positive feedback from visitors, panelists and speakers. We're already planning to return to the NEC for next year's event, which is set to be even bigger and better.” In fact, Short and sales director Mark Walsh have deemed the show to have been such a triumph, that they have planned to add an extra day to next year's event. BPM 2010 has already been booked in the diary, and will take place from Saturday October 2nd to Monday October 4th, extending beyond the weekend for the first time. In order to plan for this event, the organisers are carrying out a visitor's survey, which they hope as many people as possible will complete. The survey can be accessed on the show website. “Electronic music seems to be enjoying a revival,” added an exhausted but enthused Mark Walsh. “The guitar is dead, and DJs are the new kings of the music world.”
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SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS • BRAND SPOTLIGHT
The year of the
Sponge JHS has been making a fair bit of noise about its SpongeBob SquarePants branded range of musical instruments for a couple of years now, but when the company won an innovation award for the line, Andy Barrett felt a peek below the waves was due…
W
hen I suggested to Dennis Drumm, JHS’ MD, that it would be worthwhile to take a peek at the SpongeBob SquarePants phenomenon, his response was unequivocal: “A peek? I would think it’s worth a massive article.” What followed was three pages of some of the most enthusiastic pitching I have ever seen. I was intrigued. Speaking to those involved in Nickelodeon’s licensing department (which holds the copyright for SpongeBob), I quickly realised that their enthusiasm for being involved in the musical instrument market equalled that of Drumm’s for being involved with the cartoon character. Something of a marriage made in heaven, then. “We are really proud of this range – it is a perfect balance between the product and the image and as these are real musical instruments and not toys, it makes for a stand-out range,” explains Clare Piggott, Nickelodeon’s VP of consumer products. “Both sides recognised immediately that this could work and the combination of desire and the real enthusiasm that we both brought to the project meant that things were able to happen very quickly. “We developed the relationship, starting in mid-07 when the deal was first negotiated, and then the first products were out in November 07 – that is a cracking pace. JHS has grabbed hold of this and taken it forward really well. “The fact that this has culminated in the Product Innovation Award at the Licensing Awards is a nice pat on all of our backs and shows what can happen when the product and the brand work well together, as well as the teams that represent them.” Indeed – and this indicates considerable desire to make the licence work. It turns
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out that it was JHS that made the first move in this particular case, but what is important here is that once the relationship and the branding had been established, the scheme took off under an energy all of its own. This very much falls in the lap of The Sponge himself, it would appear. “SpongeBob is interesting as a character as he works in areas where such brands haven’t worked before,” says Piggott. “He manages to be both eclectic and mainstream. He’s fairly unique… I know, that is a terrible way to say that – how can anything be ‘fairly unique’? But in the case of SpongeBob, he’s a cartoon character that is able to stretch the boundaries of expected audiences. He is so optimistic and accepting. He’s just very likeable.” Drumm concurs with this: “The demographic involved is important – and of course SpongeBob SquarePants is gender neutral, in the way that, say, Hannah Montana and Daisy Rock are not. Make a product aimed at girls, and you cut your market in half. “Talk to girls who want to play a musical instrument, especially guitar, and you’ll discover that they want to ‘rock’ and you’ll find that a lot of them do not want to be pigeon-holed with ‘girly’ products; they want to play something they see people playing on stages and on TV. SpongeBob’s appeal transcends this whole issue, because it’s just such fun, with a truly ubiquitous appeal. Yes, the seven to tenyear-olds love it – and these are the kids who will carry on to play
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BRAND SPOTLIGHT • SPONGBOB SQUAREPANTS
seriously in the future – but also he appeals to 30-year-olds and way beyond to the parents and grandparents who are buying for kids and also love the character.” I had had experience of this, in fact, when Intent Media’s chief designer caught sight of the SpongeBob drum kit in an issue of MI Pro. To say he was excited at the prospect of getting his hands on one is something of an understatement. “That is exactly the reaction we are getting the world over,” says Drumm. “Yes, pester power is very important. Kids see SpongeBob on the instruments and want one – all the products are priced competitively enough to be an impulse buy in their various sectors – and don’t ever forget, every one sold is still another instrument in a child’s hands – but parents love them, too, and will see a serious instrument with appeal for their children when they look at a SpongeBob guitar or drum kit.
who would have thought a sponge living under the sea in a pineapple would ever have been so popular?” Piggott points out. “That said, who would have thought a mouse beating up a cat would last half a century or more? “In the end, though, licensing is not a science. Our job is to capitalise on that which is popular. The fact that SpongeBob has the magic dust – and it is syndicated in over 45 markets now – just makes our job that bit easier.” Not a science? Some might disagree. First you need the brand, then you need to seek (or be sought for) an application for that brand, then there is the artwork, which can come either from the licensor or licensee – and in between all of that, there is the negotiation for the licence itself. This can result in a single fee or in a royalty based on unit sales (or both), before the fun of actually marketing a range of products to a public keen on parting with its money.
“Licensing is not a science. Our job is to capitalise on what is popular. The fact that SpongeBob has the magic dust – and it is syndicated over 45 markets now – just makes our job that bit easier.” Clare Piggott, Nickelodeon “The response from the education sector bears this out, where we know that teachers are seeing kids coming to learn the guitar with a SpongeBob instrument, which was bought because it had SpongeBob on it” Are you tempted yet? Find a good brand, get it plastered on your gear and away you go. Well, perhaps you ought to hold on a bit before you dive for the Cbeebies channel and google the respective licence holders. The Sponge would appear to be more standout than his simple appeal across the genders and the generations. “This is the tenth year now of SpongeBob SquarePants in the States, and in the UK and Europe we are a few months behind, but SpongeBob has really gone from strength to strength,” says Piggott. “One third of the UK population watched him on TV last year and his popularity is still growing. We have had Johnny Depp putting his voice to one of the characters and there are a lot more well-known voices coming to the show soon – these are seen as good opportunities for the celebrities, too.” It might seem to many as if we are looking at something approaching the iconic status of The Simpsons or even Tom and Jerry. “Well, it’s very early days to be talking about icons, but then again,
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“The costing is a very analytical process,” Piggot explains. “We look at the range and try to work out the potential of the products in the market they are in and then we make conservative, but realistic sales projections and the licence fee depends on the results of that – I suppose this is the one bit of science we utilise, to contradict what I said before. The payments that result depend on the conclusions we come to regarding the sales projections. There is always a minimum guarantee payment, much like a deposit, but after that we tend to earn as the product sells.” On top of that, while one can hopefully cash in on a licensing deal, there are other markets and industries all looking to use the same branding. It is something of a tightrope for anyone, but particularly for a licence holder such as Nickelodeon. “In terms of the development of a brand, we have to bear in mind that you mustn’t over-proliferate,” says Piggott. “We want a good life-cycle from our brands and SpongeBob Squarepants, like anything else, needs very specific branding and we have to have compelling product. Nickelodeon never looks to double licence – and that is not true of all licensing companies. I’m not saying that in a negative way. Some companies look to carve up categories among a number of competing licensees,
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SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS • BRAND SPOTLIGHT
but we prefer to have long-term relationships.” But would Nickelodeon consider making musical toys with another company, which could conflict with JHS’s real instruments? After all, we in the MI trade take our instruments seriously and tend to look upon toys as a no-go area. “We might, but the John Hornby Skewes range is very aspirational, sitting firmly in the real musical instruments category and at a price point commensurate with its status. It is a standalone range that we would not replicate for the toy arena. While we would consider licensing our properties to create alternative ranges of musical toys that would be aimed at a toy price point, instruments such as guitars would not be a part of this offering.” For JHS, however, the message is very much ‘full steam ahead’. “Our leap of faith in creating the real musical instruments category and acquiring the rights to licence SpongeBob SquarePants is turning into a massive success for JHS, domestically and in a growing number of export markets,” says Drumm. (The SpongeBob real musical instruments range is now on sale in Austria, Australia, Benelux, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand and Switzerland, with some very serious, late-stage negotiations going on
at the moment – due to come to fruition in early 2010.) “This is quite possibly the most fun we've ever had with a range and the combined power of JHS, a truly terrific licensed character and the worldwide reach of Nickelodeon, MTVN and SpongeBob is almost irresistible.” So, where to next for the Garforth Sponge? (That’s Bob, not Dennis, in case you were wondering, although the two are becoming almost inextricably linked.) “This is the third season for SpongeBob with us and looking at the way the ranges have taken off, the speed with which people have taken to it, this is an exceptionally successful line with a terrific future. Of course, we wouldn’t go into these negotiations without an idea of what might be demanded of us, and we have always had a plan in place to maximise the return, globally, from our licence. The good thing is that distributors and dealers know this isn’t a ‘here today-gone tomorrow product’ and dealers recognise they can make good money here.” Drumm also points out that, perhaps obviously, the branding is working well in the education markets. “The branding is really becoming big with education – it is starting to drive the market. We are rolling out new educational percussion
JHS’ Alan Smith (centre) picking up the Innovation Award for its SpongeBob licence
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products in November, so that’s going to continue, too. “But for now we are very much in a period of consolidation. After the expansion the range has gone through over the first two years – culminating in those percussion products – any growth from here will be improving sales abroad.” For the hardened, axe-wielding, gigging musician/retailer, however, Drumm must surely have received no end of derisive snorts of disapproval and disdain. “You would think so, wouldn’t you?” he says. “Oddly that is not the case – we have had virtually no negative reactions at all. In fact, I could go so far as to say this is the most universally accepted product we have ever had. The price points are key – as are the product specs – the reaction has been heartwarming. I’ve been in this business for 35 years, and I have never experienced acceptance like this and honestly, I just cannot think of a single reason any reseller would not want to enjoy and benefit from selling SpongeBob kit, unless maybe they’re just congenitally miserable, but I don’t know anyone like that in this industry.” But who, then, is earning the money? The bottom line still remains the most important thing. JHS has always made much of the fact that its customers, the
MI retailers, are making money from them. Is it making money from Nickelodeon? “It really is a win/win for us and the licensees,” concludes Piggott. “We’re a royalty-led business and so for us it is great to see a product line growing as we earn more from that, but we are only earning more if the product is earning more, which means the licensee is, too. We are very careful about how we price things to ensure there is a good balance.” For Dennis Drumm, the phrase ‘win/win’ is not far away, either. “Everything is overseen by the same designers and made by the same factories that are responsible for all of our other highly successful guitar brands and we put a lot of focus on the ‘real musical instruments’ tag because that’s what they are – and I am determined to get a great response from dealers, teachers, experienced players, the press and the first-time players who make up our audience,” he enthuses. “We have deliberately avoided compromising on quality, which I believe is the mistake made with other licensed character musical instruments, some of which have already come and gone. Show me another product that makes everyone smile in the way this does. How much fun can you have and stay sane?” JHS: 0113 286 5381
Nickelodeon’s Clare Piggott
Dennis Drumm – now a SpongeBob fan miPRO NOVEMBER 2009 29
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SOUND TECHNOLOGY • COVER FEATURE
A Sound offering Gary Cooper chats to Sound Technology’s managing director, Dave Marshall, about the state of the industry and the company’s place within it after taking over Harman UK’s distribution last year...
T
here is no league table showing which is Britain’s biggest MI distributor and even if such an idea were ever mooted, it would be hard to devise. Do the giant Japanese companies which also distribute other manufacturers’ products count? Would you include firms with a pro audio element? But however you call it, there’s no escaping the fact that Sound Technology, having taken over Harman’s UK distribution in May 2008, leapfrogged over many competitors during that year to become one of the biggest in the industry. And why that matters particularly now is because Sound Technology is a perfect barometer of how the industry is doing. Sound Tech may not offer traditional strings, drums, brass or woodwind – but just about everything else is there in the range. Which was why the first question we asked managing director Dave
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Marshall was how he sees the current state of the industry. “I’d be lying if I said it had been a breeze this summer, but at the moment we’re seeing some signs of recovery – particularly on the pro side – though the
professional audio products, budgets for major projects began to be cut. Had that been an issue for them? “It had, but certainly from PLASA this year, we’ve seen an upturn in the number of projects being specified in the public
“We’ve seen in an upturn in the number of projects being specified in the public and private sector and that gives us some cause for optimism.” Dave Marshall, Sound Technology MI side is still pretty flat,” he says with a refreshing candour. That upturn in the sales of pro equipment must come as a relief to Marshall and the Sound Tech team, because almost as soon as the company absorbed the huge Harman catalogue of
and private sector and that gives us some cause for optimism.” At the time of the Harman take-over, industry Cassandras had opined that the company had bitten off more than it could possibly chew in attempting to assimilate such a diverse operation. But
the Cassandras have been proved wrong as the Harman portfolio seems to have settled smoothly into the Sound Tech family, to the extent that if you weren’t paying attention, you might not even realise it had happened. And, given the size of the task at hand, that’s perhaps the biggest compliment you could pay Sound Tech’s chairman Robert Wilson and his team. But has it actually been as painless as it has seemed from the outside? And has the process of assimilating Harman now been completed? “Yes, most definitely. Once we had made the physical move from Potters Bar to Letchworth, that was when it really started to fall into place – and that happened last August. Everyone has now gone native to Sound Technology and it is one company – one team, with many sectors and many vertical markets, but it’s one company.”
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COVER FEATURE • SOUND TECHNOLOGY
Had the problems at the top-end of the pro market been as bad as rumour had it? “That market – the engineered sound market we call it, was always private sector-led, historically, for Harman Pro, with football stadiums, shopping centres, that sort of thing, and there has been a lull in there. There wasn’t much, apart from some projects we inherited, until Burnley got promoted from the Championship to the Premier League in May and that created our first big project, which was to give it a new sound system. It was handled by a company called AMS, which was the audio consultant. It was a Crown, BSS and JBL install and was undertaken in conjunction with AMS and ETA Sound.” If this seems a bit rarefied for MI, well, it is – but it is also very important for Sound Technology, because it represents such a large potential part of the business it does with Harman. STREAMLINED LINES Another aspect of the Harman take-over was that it meant Sound Technology’s portfolio of MI brands underwent a modest degree of streamlining, prompted by the need not to clash with Harman’s own family. For example, as a consequence of this, Samson moved across to Korg. But the line-up has remained very stable since then, the only recent interest coming in August, when Rudy Schlacher sold his US music business to Canada’s Jam Music. Of particular interest here were US Music brands, Washburn and Randall. Will it mean further changes? “There’s not really much I can tell you, because the impact on us has been relatively small. When you’re dealing with a brand like Washburn or Randall, you’re buying months ahead, so in terms of what effects it might have on products or pricing, it’s too early to tell.” Which brings one to another of Sound Technology’s MI brands with an interesting story – US/Canadian Larrivée guitars. Sound Technology’s surprise loss of Taylor, which came about when the Californian guitar maker negotiated a worldwide distribution deal with Fender, must have been a bitter pill for the UK company, which had done what is universally regarded as a fine job promoting and establishing Taylor in this country. When it snapped up Larrivée as a replacement, there were those who wondered how Sound Tech could possibly do it all over again, but Larrivée has quickly made inroads into territory which had once been Taylor’s. But how is that market for premier acoustic guitars looking now, as the recession bites? “We got off to a flying start with Larrivée and we did very well with it, but I
32 miPRO NOVEMBER 2009
Nord keyboards have a lot of synthesis power
think there’s no getting away from the fact that high-end acoustic guitar sales have seen a bit of a drop and we’re certainly seeing that in the UK market. That’s down to market conditions and we’re in a process of putting together some ideas and projects to counter it. “We’ve a very good demonstrator called Pete Smith who has been out in stores during the summer, doing Saturday and evening workshops, so we’ve kept the name out there. It’s a question now of building on our core of good Larrivée dealers and finding more dealers in those
“One difference between Larrivée and Taylor that we’ve noticed is that Larrivée puts all its efforts into making the guitars and they are quite often understated – there’s not a lot of bling on a Larrivée and it’s not a marketing organisation. Taylor is fantastic at marketing and it’s always understood the importance of that – it’s always created very good marketing. So our challenge with Larrivée is that we are having to do the marketing completely ourselves and that inevitably takes a bit longer and requires more thought processes from our end. We’re not afraid
“There’s no getting away from the fact that high-end acoustic guitar sales have seen a bit of a drop. That’s down to market conditions and we’re putting ideas together to counter it.” Dave Marshall, Sound Technology towns and cities where we’re not already covered.” But isn’t the acoustic guitar market currently overcrowded? Marshall believes there is room for opportunity: “It’s a market that has recently seen very good growth and I think people look at it and say ‘I’ll have a bit of that’. But Larrivée, we believe, is actually the third biggest highend acoustic guitar manufacturer in the States after Martin and Taylor, so it’s a major player in that market. But there’s certainly a lot of work to be done.
of doing that, but it does take longer. That is where we’ve found it harder. There’s no doubt the guitars are extremely good – more than a match for Taylor and Martin – it’s the marketing side that we need to create.” Leaving guitars aside and moving to the rich upland pastures of keyboards, Sound Technology’s offerings here are particularly distinctive – Nord and Kurzweil. In a market traditionally dominated by the big three Japanese makers, it may have seemed unlikely that
anyone else could have created elbow room, but Nord, in particular, seems to have done just that. What can Marshall tell us about that side of the business? KEYBOARDS WITH POTENTIAL “Nord and Kurzweil are very interesting lines, not in the big league yet, and we see them as quite different. For example, Kurzweil has quite a few keyboards that are more aimed at the home market, whereas the Nords are very much more studio/live – particularly live. “With Nord you get a lot more in terms of more traditional synthesis power, where Kurzweils are particularly well known for their sample libraries – their orchestral libraries in particular. They’re the keyboard of choice in a lot of the West End shows because they can mimic so many different instruments and do it so well – so they actually sit together quite nicely and we don’t find there’s a conflict there. “Nord has been a revelation for us in many ways. We’ve been doing it for just about a year now. The previous distributor had done a very good job, but with a small number of dealers and we have extended that number and have grown the business considerably as a result. “Kurzweil has been a slow grower for us, on the other hand, but year on year it has grown and this year it will again.” Which takes us on to that vast stock of products from the Harman acquisition – ranging from the veteran Austrian mic maker AKG, through Soundcraft, JBL, Crown – too big a group to break down
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Westside
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COVER FEATURE • SOUND TECHNOLOGY
individually. So what are the highlights from an MI point of view? “Well with JBL, the Eon range was basically renewed a year ago – they’re great sounding, great looking, incredibly light, powered boxes and they’ve started to sell through very nicely. With some of the other JBL PA products in the MI range, there is some international price adjusting going on to get them into the right areas and we’re starting to see the benefits of that. With AKG, business is strong but it is a product line where margins are tight. That’s something we’re always aware of – sometimes due to
ever-present subject of margins. He had raised the issue when talking about microphone sales (which has long been a notorious area in this regard), so does he see any signs that the long-awaited return to reality is beginning to set in as the economy tightens? “In the early part of the summer I definitely detected an improvement in attitude towards margins – we could actually see them improving, but I think the last couple of months have been so tough for so many, that there has been an element of it returning to the old ways. It’s understandable, but that is the danger. One thing I’m absolutely sure of is that
“The industry can’t continue down the road it has been on, with margins continually being whittled away. Everybody’s responsible.” Dave Marshall, Sound Technology competitive products, sometimes under pressure form other European markets, or from within our own market. It is a challenge to make sure the dealers can make a margin there.” THE BIGGER PICTURE Looked at as a whole, Sound Technology is not only big – it has one of the widest spreads of products. Marshall says the company deals with this diversity by not having every person trying to specialise in every product. There are divisions within the business, even down to the three man marketing team. So what about at director level – does he personally find it hard to manage a business which is spread across so much territory? “Yes... but it certainly makes for an interesting life. It’s great to be able to talk to an acoustician about a stadium project one day and the next day go and see an MI retailer. You hear things that are very similar and things that are very different – so it keeps it all very fresh. If I was looking for a challenge about 18 months ago, Mr Wilson certainly gave it to me. “It’s fascinating and there’s still a huge amount to learn, whether it’s for me, or Greg Niven, our sales director, or Ian Cullen, our marketing director – we’ve all had a huge amount to learn, not least about different vertical markets. All three of us understand that we don't know everything, but we also have people within the company we can call on who will do.” Having – albeit sketchily – asked Marshall about some of the numerous lines Sound Tech offers, we returned to the
the industry can’t continue down the road it has been on, with margins continually being whittled away. I know retailers tend to point the finger at distributors and say it’s their fault, and vice versa, but the truth of the matter is that everybody is responsible for it in some shape or form. Our margins are being eroded and the dealers' margins are being eroded and it can’t continue indefinitely.” Asked how he would sum-up Sound Technology’s offering to retailers, Marshall says: “I don’t think there’s any one reason why people should talk to us, but some of the many reasons are the brands we have – we’ve got years of experience and years of high quality with every single line that we do. There’s the fact that, for mainline product, there aren’t many suppliers where you can get a high quality guitar line and a high quality microphone and a PA and so on. I also think we’re good to do business with and we support our customers through excellent marketing, support and service. We don’t always get things right, but when things do go wrong we work hard to put them right.” STEERING THE SHIP It’s not, perhaps, the snappiest sales pitch you’d hear but it is a reassuring and very honest one – qualities which come across whenever you talk with Dave Marshall, a man who has taken on a tremendous challenge and who seems to have defied the sceptics and doom-mongers by steering Sound Technology to a position no one could have predicted a few years ago, as one of the UK’s most important distributors. And, it must be said, one of the most consistently interesting. SOUND TECHNOLOGY: 01462 480000
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STOCK UP FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
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Multifunctional
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STARTER PACKS • SECTOR SPOTLIGHT
Start as you mean to go on With Christmas on the horizon, dealers are filling up their storerooms with anything and everything that will shift during the festive season. Andy Barrett takes a whirlwind spin around the kind of boxed quality that is now available with an amp and assorted accessories…
W
ith about as much space to cover this enormous subject as can be found in a retailer’s stockroom in December, it’s important to keep the flannel to a minimum and get straight down to business. First, as if you didn’t know, the quality available in the most entry level of entry levels continues to reach ever higher standards, while the price, by and large, remains static. The issues that arise from starter packs – namely, that online has killed the market and discounting makes it not worthwhile – become less and less true the more sophisticated these instruments (and their amplifiers, where necessary) become. Despite the price, these packs sell best when the best people sell them. It’s important to have someone who can talk the beginner (and/or their parents) through the pros and cons, alert them to what they can expect and advise on the ‘essential’ upgrade a year down the line. Dealers that turn their collective back on starter packs could well be doing the same on new relationships and new customers. The wise are already stocked up.
FENDER SQUIER I’m not sure whether Fender’s Squier brand started the starter pack, but it is the name in most people’s minds when they think of them. Squier has pretty much made its reputation on being a quality,
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affordable way to start playing the electric guitar, so when amps and other odds and ends get thrown into the bundle, your punters are on to a winner. The Affinity pack, for example, contains a guitar that can (and does) fulfil its role on stage for years beyond similarly priced axes, with its agathis body and maple neck and all the Strat pickup and tone controls one would expect. Add to that the Fender G-Dec Junior 15-Watt amp, chromatic tuner, gigbag, cable, strap and plectrum and everything the learner needs is there. The G-Dec amp is also an item that will remain useful throughout the early part of any player’s career, making the £269.99 retail price well worth it – although the street price will reduce this figure significantly. Other Squier packs are available at considerably cheaper prices with smaller amps involved. Then, of course, there are the bass packs and again these are a quality instrument that will keep the learner more than happy for years. ARIA Always a solid choice for any player at any level, Aria comes in strong in the starter market with the EGP (yes, that’s ‘electric guitar pack’). The pack contains a great lightweight, highly playable guitar that comes complete with everything you need to get started – ten-Watt amp, lead,
plectrums, gigbag, strap, instructional DVD and tuner. These retail at £199 and come in a choice of four colours. There is also the Aria acoustic pack for £119, and a variation on the theme: the classical pack, which contains a footstool and music stand. ASHTON Ashton has, of course, made its name by making and selling starter packs – it’s what the brand is and jolly well it has done out of it. The Australian designed, Chinese-made range contains everything from guitars and basses, through drums (electric and acoustic) brass and woodwind – with a ukulele starter pack thrown in for good measure. Part of the beauty of the Ashton brand is that (through The Music Force in the UK) it is only supplied to indie stores and thus does not suffer from the online and mega-store discounts that many others are subject to. It offers dealers a branded, well packaged alternative to the bigger names and appears to be still on the up.
Beginners who buy starter packs will come back for upgrades in the years to come
miPRO NOVEMBER 2009 37
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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • STARTER PACKS
YAMAHA While Squier claims the ‘original starter pack’ label, it was undoubtedly the Yamaha Pacifica that brought the word ‘quality’ to the phrase ‘entry-level guitar’. The Pacifica took the double-horn look of its major competitor and created a more solid, cleaner sounding instrument, which set the standard for those that had been at the game since the beginning. With a GA-20 amp and all the usual accessories and DVDs, the Pacifica starter pack has the 012 version of the Pacifica, with the punch that comes from a bridgeposition humbucker plus two clear-toned single-coil pickups, a vibrato bridge and a quality bridge. AVSL The Manchester-based supplier of… Well, pretty much everything you care to think of, really. Included in the company’s extensive warehousing are a couple of handy starter packs – one bass and one guitar. The guitar pack is a complete set, featuring a classic shaped six-string guitar with three single coil pickups. The amp has a six-inch speaker and features all the necessary controls and a headphone output to keep your neighbours happy. On top of this you get a guitar bag, strap, leads, tuning pipe and a spare set of strings. The bass pack follows a similar format, with a dedicated amp, of course and is everything the starter needs to – well, start.
P&R HOWARD P&R Howard’s Boston Electric pack consists of an S-type guitar with a tenWatt amp, electronic tuner, bag, strap, strings and picks. As you would expect. The pack is available with a black or sunburst finished guitar and retails at £119. The company is also doing a Westfield three-quarter electric pack this year to retail at £99. This will come in four colours (black, sunburst, red and pink, no less). It ships with a mini-battery amp, bag, strap and picks. JHS You want starter packs? The lads and lassies in Garforth have pretty much anything you could wish for. Much could be made of the Spongebob Squarepants packs, of course, and these are bound to be huge sellers this Christmas, but with three pages of this mag already given over to The Sponge, we’ll move swiftly on… Among the Encore Blaster starter packs, the E6 Blaster option now has even more value thanks to the inclusion of a graffittistyled Facelift re-usable guitar body overlay. The latest version of the Encore E6 Blaster has been upgraded by Trev Wilkinson to be as comfortable, ergonomic and balanced as possible with a sculpted wuton tonewood body, which is light, resonant and easy to wear – ideal for the novice player. The E6 pack also includes a BB Blaster ten-Watt combo, GYC guitar lead, Kinsman guitar stand, Kinsman guitar
carry bag, Qwik Tune tuner, Guitar Tech guitar strap, spare set of Encore Strings, plectrum, Encore tutorial DVD for electric, acoustic and bass guitar and tutor listing. All this for £185.00. Encore Blaster packs are available in E375 (three-quarter), E2, E4, E5, E6 and E99 electric guitar formats. IBANEZ Ibanez (courtesy of Headstock) has a pleasing spread of starter packs for both acoustic or electric wannabes. On the acoustic front there is the V50JRGB (in natural finish for £89) a three-quarter size dreadnought that ships with an electronic tuner, gigbag, strap, picks and accessories pouch or the full-sized V50JP (in natural or black and retailing at £119). On the electric side there is the GRX70DXJE in black or ‘jewel blue’ for £225, as the acoustic packs but with, of course, a ten-Watt combo amp. Bassists can delight in the GSR190J in black or ‘trans red at £265. MEL BAY Since its emergence on the MI scene as a standalone business, Mel Bay has dipped its toes into areas of the market previously untouched by publishers, particularly in this important sector. This year sees the company come up with three new starter packs, aimed very much at the infant education market. My First Recorder takes the classic first instrument, a soprano recorder in C and
adds a easy-to-read and easy-tofollow music book (Little Recorder Method) that makes learning and playing easily accessible to kids and enables them to start playing straight away. Similarly, the My First Harmonica pack contains a blues harp in C and the Little Harmonica Method book, again enabling the aspiring wee blues player to get blowing straight away. Both of these are for six-year-olds and above. Targeting the even younger beginner – from four years – the My First Glockenspiel pack contains a colour-coded glockenspiel and the method book. The book places even more emphasis on making playing fun and easy, with the coloured notes used to ease the toddler into playing correctly. SUTHERLAND Sutherland’s starter packs ship under the Cruzer label (recently re-named – or rather re-spelt – to ‘internationalise’ and standardise the brand). The ST-120 sells for a recommended £199 while the ST-80 sells for £164 and it is the ST-80 that is worthy of special mention. The ST-80 package contains an ST-type guitar, a ten-Watt amp, carry bag, strap, plectrums and lead, all contained in a single rectangular carton, making it as compact as possible to maximise storage. The box is functional, with a carry handle, but without frills, allowing the maximum value to be spent on the guitar, which Sutherland says is excellent quality at that price level.
CONTACTS FENDER ...................................................................................01342 331700 ARIA ........................................................................................01483 238725 MUSIC FORCE (ASHTON) .....................................................01780 781630 YAMAHA ................................................................................01908 366700 AVSL .......................................................................................0845 270 2411 JHS ..........................................................................................0113 286 5381 HEADSTOCK (IBANEZ) .......................................................0121 508 6666 MEL BAY ................................................................................020 8214 1222 SUTHERLAND .....................................................................029 2088 7333
38 miPRO NOVEMBER 2009
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John Hornby Skewes winner of ‘The Innovation Award 2009’ for SpongeBob SquarePants
FOR INFORMATION ON STOCKING THE AWARD WINNING SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS RANGE OF INSTRUMENTS AND ACCESSORIES CONTACT YOUR JHS ASM OR OUR SALES OFFICE ON:
0113 2866 411
Worldwide Trade Distributors
www.jhs.co.uk
© 2009 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. Created by
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COMPANY PROFILE • LAG
Vive la France Bringing a touch of French style to the market, Barnes & Mullin’s work with Lag has done wonders to establish the brand on British soil. Rob Power investigates…
I
t’s far from easy, bringing a new brand to the guitar market. It’s a crowded place, where the big boys fight it out with myriad smaller manufacturers to guarantee a piece of the pie. For Barnes & Mullins, the decision to introduce Lag – a French manufacturer with no track record in the UK – into the market a few years ago was perhaps a risky decision, but one that has gone on to pay serious dividends. “There’s no denying it; introducing a new guitar brand into a market as competitive and educated as the UK was no mean feat,” says B&M’s Alex Mew. “But we knew that there was something special in Lag. We jumped at the chance to establish the brand in the UK back in 2005 and, aside from a few teething problems, we haven’t looked back since.” “Michel Chavarria began producing hand-built electric guitars in his Bedarieux workshop nearly 30 years ago, offering a uniquely French aesthetic to a handful of professional musicians who could afford his expertise. Having come from this kind of exclusivity, it’s even more exciting for us to be able to offer Michel’s vision to a wider audience via the more affordable acoustic guitar ranges of the Four Seasons and Tramontane.” Representing a step towards affordable quality that retains the essential French flair of the higher-end models, the range’s combination of stylish design and exacting build quality has led to an excellent performance at retail. “A real strength of the whole Lag ethos is the ability to reinvent what could so easily be just another bunch of guitars,” continues Mew. “Great time has been spent trying various combinations of tone woods, bracing designs, pickup techniques and final touches, such as binding and soundhole decoration. “When the Four Seasons acoustic collection was launched it was the first for many years to offer something so eyecatching. The Four Seasons have a clear design direction with each model range reflecting the temperate implication of that season, as well as having a unique soundhole rosette also representing them. The Spring models are the first step on the journey with spruce and mahogany; the
40 miPRO NOVEMBER 2009
Summer range has a warmer looking and sounding solid spruce top; the Autumn range uses solid red cedar to impart a tonal contrast that is more mellow and reflective; and the Winter models are crisp and clear with a sparkling tone produced by very blonde solid sitka spruce. “ “Within each season, there are a selection of electro models which use Shadow’s Nanoflex undersadddle pickup matched to an exclusive Lag/Shadow preamp – the Studio Lag. This Studio Lag system is the first of its kind as it basically
Michel Chavarria: uniquely French offers the five essential sounds you would ever need. By using professional studio multi-band eqs – rather than acoustic modelling – these five tones have been lovingly created and are a true reflection of the sounds necessary for natural folk, blues, studio rhythm, fingerstyle, and jazz.” Most recently, Lag has also introduced the new Tramontane range of acoustics. These models sit alongside the Four Seasons without causing any conflict, offering a unique take on a different area of the market. “The new Tramontane are just very cool,” says Mew. “Michel has once again worked his design magic. Taking the visual cues from the new Imperator electric models, these acoustics are stunning. There is a clear concept running from beginning to end, which I know will make the job of selling them that bit easier. It’s all too easy for anyone to get a guitar of whatever design and spec, then stick their brand on it. Lag – much like the car industry – understands
that all models of whatever budget should all contain the DNA of the designer. This is essential to a maintaining a true brand.” One of the most striking features is the headstock. Clad in natural finished Ebony with a contoured, stepped centre strip, the Tramontanes are sure to stand out among the crowd. There are three ranges currently available – the 111, 222 and 333 – all with a selection of natural and black finishes and retail from £215 to £550. “It’s important that products speak for themselves,” adds Mew, “and I believe that all Lag products do. I know from experience that Lag acoustics – both the existing Four Seasons and the new Tramontane models – catch the eye when hanging on the wall of a store, and that’s half the battle for any guitar. If a product can attract attention to itself without the need for neon lights and shouting, then that’s a great offering for anyone.” Another big development for Lag is the impending involvement of the USA market. “This is great news for every retailer involved with Lag. From 2010, Lag acoustic guitars will be distributed in the USA. With a market as artist-led and demanding as the USA, it goes without saying that the benefits will very quickly become evident to the UK retailer as the increased global presence builds upon our ongoing work in Europe.” BARNES & MULLINS: 01691 652449
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MARSHALL MA • PRODUCT LAUNCH
Ample sound The MK Dons’ stadium was the perfect place to show off the new MA range of amps and combos from Marshall, with a live event that really put the gear through its paces. Andy Barrett reports…
H
aving launched more amps this year than you could shake the most unwieldy of sticks at, the summer launch of the impressive Class 5 combo by Marshall on July 28th would probably have been the icing on the cake for most companies. Not for Marshall. The Bletchley manufacturer had a cherry for on top as well, which came to pass in the remarkable surroundings of the MK Dons’ stadium – a futuristic edifice that rises up above the green banks, hypermarkets and shopping centres of downtown Milton Keynes like something from a science fiction movie – on October 2nd.
The event was an unusual one, essentially a live gig for up-and-comers Kids in Glass Houses, supported by In Case of Fire and local MK rockers Primal Device, in front of a ticket-buying audience (who, combined, went a long way to reminding me just how old I actually am), but the whole event was staged by Marshall and in support of its own new act: the MA series of amps and combos. The thing that makes the MA different is that Marshall has now gone down the road of introducing a genuine budget range, but valve driven from top to toe. The easy route to take is usually to make
solid state or hybrid amps in the Far East, but with the MA, Marshall has stuck its neck out. Well, cranked up on stage at the MK Dons’ home, they certainly didn’t sound like budget amps. They were loud and bold and very clear. Lots of colour in the crunch and generally very professional sounding black boxes. There are two heads, a 50-Watt and a 100-Watt, and two combos, a two-by-12, 100-Watt and a single 12-inch 50-Watt, all comfortably snuggling ECC83 preamp and EL34 power amp valves, dual, clean and crunch channels, independent eq sections and each with the same feature-set.
This variety is made possible by the MA’s ‘crunch balance control’. This works by increasing the crunch balance, which moves the normal overdrive sound closer to that of the ‘boosted’ tone. Alternatively, backing off the crunch balance decreases the amount of gain and volume in your unboosted overdrive tone only, allowing the jump from, say, crunch to metal instantly, via either the front panel or the (included) two-way footswitch. Used this way, the crunch balance has the ability to create a pseudo third channel from the boost function, further increasing the MA series’ tonal spectrum and versatility. And that’s just on the channel controls. The master section gives the user
“Cranked up on stage at the MK Dons’ home, they certainly didn’t sound like budget amps. They were loud and bold and very clear. Generally, very professional sounding black boxes.” The combos feature the recently developed Marshall AX-75 speakers, custom voiced to match the Marshall MAs. The AX-75s also feature in the specially designed M412A (angled) and M412B four by 12-inch cabs. The result is an exceptional spread of tones, from the brightest and cleanest of tones, right through to the hardest of overdriven rock and pretty much everything in between. For the soloist looking to go a step further, there is also a boost function for what the company describes as ‘pounding metal madness and fret burning solos’.
presence, resonance and reverb control, as well as the obligatory FX loop. For a nice little flourish, the heads are fitted with semi-transparent baffles and an illuminated chassis, meaning that these amps will genuinely shine in performance. In all, this is a no-nonsense, functional, while extremely versatile little collection of amps, but with the 50-Watt head starting the bidding at £439.99 and climbing to the £599 100-Watt combo, these are yet more Marshall amps that will be on a stage near you very soon – or rather, on many stages near you. WWW.MARSHALLAMPS.COM
miPRO NOVEMBER 2009 43
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ACOUSTIC GUITARS • SECTOR SPOTLIGHT
Crowded house
The acoustic guitar market is big – very big. As an illustration of just how big, we asked suppliers to send info on models under £500 and promptly extended this article to five pages. Rob Power struggles under the weight…
M
ore crowded than the underground at rush hour, manufacturers need to have all their wits about them to make any impact at all in the acoustic market these days. From old established names to new upand-comers, one man outfits and mass manufactured Far-Eastern chancers, getting your acoustic into the hands of the customer has never been tougher. Thankfully, MI Pro is at hand to provide a sane guide through the bun fight that is the acoustic guitar market. Keeping things affordable in the run up to Christmas, the focus here is purely on the sub-£500 price band. Have no fear, it might well be a jungle out there for retailers looking for quality acoustics, but we’ve got a great big machete to chop out a path and lead you to unplugged nirvana. Onward!
WESTSIDE There’s no shortage of products on offer from Westside in this area, with both Recording King and Martin having plenty of guitars available under £500. Recording King, with the classic Series 1 and Series 2 has a mouthwatering selection of 1930s style instruments with many vintage style features including bevelled pick guards, classic butterbean tuners, and (unusually for this price point) forward shifted scalloped bracing for greater strength and tonal balance. Series 1 features a solid Engelmann spruce top, laminated mahogany back and sides dreadnaught with a mahogany neck with
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‘damask’ pattern mother of pearl headstock inlay and abalone snowflake position markers at £249. The Series 2 has an Engelmann spruce top, this time with solid mahogany (£369) or rosewood (£449) back and sides, one piece mahogany neck with traditional style diamond volute, Recording King crown mother of pearl inlay and abalone snowflake position markings. The popular Little Martin series continues to sell well, thanks to its compact guitars which sound – well, as you would expect a Martin to sound. The LXM model (£369) features HPL spruce effect top and mahogany effect back and sides, while for a little more the LX1 (£399) adds a solid spruce top. BARNES & MULLINS Barnes & Mullins is making its presence well and truly felt with a number of different brands in the acoustic sector. Brunswick Guitars have been a staple B&M house brand for nearly 15 years now, and starts with the spruce topped BD200 dreadnought. Retailing around at £100, the BD200 is available in natural (lefthanded too), black and sunburst, as well as a natural and sunburst 12-string variant. Similarly priced are the folk-sized BF200 (£103) models. Again available in natural, sunburst and black, these little beauties are incredibly popular, having great projection with little bulk. Lag remains an important brand for Barnes & Mullins, and the Four Seasons
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Tanglewood DPS
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Tanglewood DPS
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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • ACOUSTIC GUITARS
were the first of Lag’s acoustic ranges, comprising of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter collections. Each specific season uses specific woods types and finish types to bring home the essence of the time of year. Each season features a classic dreadnought, with the staple being the GLA4S100D (£175) Spring dreadnought. Spruce topped with mahogany back and sides, it also features a unique sound hole decoration relevant to the spring theme. Within each of the ranges there are also jumbo cutaway, baby jumbo and nylon offerings. Lag‘s recently unveiled second collection, Tramontane, is quite a visual departure from the Four Seasons. The entry model is the GLAT111D (£265), which is a standard dreadnought shape with a spruce top and mahogany back and sides. The 111 series is available in either natural or black finishes. The 222 series, which feature auditorium or dreadnought shapes, has solid red cedar tops and mahogany back and sides and a black finish. The budget pick of the bunch here is the GLAT222D (£375). SUTHERLAND Sutherland’s Stonebridge brand, handmade in the Czech Republic, features a number of models in the Durango series which just scrape into this price range at £499. The DS-40-CM and GS-40-CM are dreadnought and grand auditorium models respectively, with solid cedar tops and mahogany backs and sides. A novel feature is the dished back which removes the necessity for back bracing, making the
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instruments very loud as well as economical to make. This dished back technology is also used in Crafter’s Age series, another popular brand in the Sutherland stable. The AGE400SP/VTG, the latest addition to the Age series, has a solid spruce top with maple back and sides and a vintage sunburst finish. A very attractive looking and sounding guitar for a recommended £429. Crafter’s current bestsellers of the moment are the TC-035 electro cutaway and the T-035, its full-bodied acoustic brother. Both feature solid Engelmann spruce tops with rosewood backs and sides and represent good value for money at £429 and £309 respectively.
sides, which comes in at an extremely tempting £179.95. ARIA First up from Aria is the AP standard, a solid cedar topped treat with mahogany back and sides that has a recommended retail price of £229. Both this and the AD28 follow Aria’s tradition for simple, well crafted guitars that let the tone do the talking. This emminently playable sitka topped dreadnought comes in at £289. At the very top of the pile in this price bracket sits the AD35 at £349, a tonally sweet and beautifully built acoustic that would make any unplugged troubadour feel quite at home.
More crowded than the underground at rush hour, manufacturers need to have their wits about them to make any impact at all on the acoustic guitar market these days. FREESTLYE Bringing the retro stylings of the Italian Eko brand to a market that is always on the lookout for something with a tangible link to the past, there are a number of affordable options in across the range, including the reissue of the classic Ranger 6, which retails at £179.95 and features adjustable bridge, eye catching binding and a laminated spruce top. The Jumbo TJ7C gives Eko fans a fullbodied option, with similar laminated spruce tops and mahogany backs and
JHS Falcon Acoustics make an entrance at the budget end of the scale from JHS, with the FG100 series giving beginners a chance to get their hands on a well made full-size dreadnought for under £100. Available in four different finishes with a left-handed option also available, the range also includes the folk-bodied F300 and the 36inch F200 acoustic at £69.99. A ¾-size, the FL34PK, completes the Falcon range. Vintage continues to go from strength to strength, and there is plenty of variety
to be found across the range, from travel acoustics to slot-head parlour guitars, as well as a great many dreadnought tonewood and finish options. A great example of Vintage doing what it does best is the elegant, abalone trimmed V1800N parlour model, a winner of the Best Acoustic Guitar Under £500 award in Guitar & Bass Magazine. YAMAHA Yamaha is predictably strong in the sub£500 acoustic market, with the likes of the ever-popular FG range – the company’s first foray into steel-string acoustics in 1966 – still going strong. With models ranging from £185 to £359, the current FG range offers Yamaha’s own modified dreadnought body design, tasteful cosmetics and thoughtful details that make a difference. Alongside the more obvious specifications that include a solid sitka spruce top and a choice of nato, rosewood or sycamore back and sides, FGs feature something Yamaha calls ‘3T construction’. The ‘T’ in 3T stands for ‘thinner finish’ (less than 0.25mm thick – the same as some US boutique makers), ‘thinner neck’ (slimmed at the edges for playability and comfort) and ‘thinner back and sides’ (2.5mm total thickness down from the previous FG range’s 2.8mm) – all things designed to maximise the resonance of the guitar and get the most open and natural tone possible. Yamaha’s flagship L-series guitars also creep in just under £500 with the 6 series models carrying an retail price of £489.
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ACOUSTIC GUITARS • SECTOR SPOTLIGHT Available in a choice of body styles (the modified dreadnought LL, the folk-size LS or the mini-jumbo LJ) the 6-series guitars feature a solid Engelmann spruce top (chosen for its paler colour and rich, mature tone), rosewood back and sides and Yamaha’s usual smattering of subtle construction features, making them well worth a look. PEAVEY The JD-AG1 Jack Daniel’s guitar by Peavey (£154) is fast acquiring a cult following among hard-drinking acoustic players who fully appreciate the link between whisky and a bit of old school guitar pickin’. These exclusively licensed guitars are designed by luthiers in the USbased Peavey Custom Shop and feature the famous Jack Daniel’s artwork on the headstock. Each Jack Daniel’s acoustic is put together with materials including mahogany back and sides and a spruce top finished in a high gloss black. Slightly pricier options are available in the form of the Jack Daniel’s JD-AG2 (£390) and AG3 (£390), combining a vintage dreadnought-style body with traditional X-bracing, a cedar top, mahogany back, neck and sides and custom Jack Daniel’s-approved artwork.
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MUSIC FORCE Ashton’s D300SEQ fits nicely into this price bracket at £349 and demonstrates the brand’s ability to bring a broad range of instruments to the market. Featuring an AA-grade solid sitka spruce top and allsolid sapele back and sides, this guitar has features beyond its price range, from the bone saddle all the way to the deluxe machine heads. Elsewhere at Music Force, new brand Mariner is making its presence felt with the Masthead range. The updated series builds on the original designs while keeping recommended retail prices under £500. The DX-6N dreadnought and AX-6N auditorium styled models have a suggested selling price of just £475, quite a feat considering their impressive specs: mahogany bodies are topped with solid sitka spruce tops, while the one-piece mahogany neck shaft and headstock construction is mated to the body with the unique Mariner Locktail joint that marries a traditional dovetail joint with twin wood locking keys for enhanced strength and sustain. TANGLEWOOD Treble chart toppers of the MI Pro retailer survey for its acoustics, Tanglewood is a big player in this area of the market nowadays and its broad selection of
guitars reflects that. From £129 to £299, the Evolution series offers the most popular body shapes from super jumbo to auditorium and dreadnought guitars, with six left-hand variants also available. Almost every Evolution model has a solid Canadian red cedar top, offering a distinct alternative to the majority of competing entry level products, which tend to use spruce. Stand out models include the TW28CSN at £219, a great looker and a steady seller. Further up the price scale is the Premier series, with prices from £269 to £469, which features guitars that are almost exclusively satin finished with solid tops, backs and sides. There are a plethora of well appointed models worth taking a look at in what is quickly becoming a flagship line for Tanglewood. EMD Neligan is fast becoming a key brand for EMD in the acoustic sector, thanks to its wide range of body shapes and sizes and a spread of guitars priced from £165 all the way up to £465. The NA57J super jumbo at £240 is a pretty good representation of the range, a good looking and well appointed acoustic that has plenty of class about it. Elsewhere at EMD, the Art & Lutherie range has gone from strength to strength, as you might expect from a company that
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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT • ACOUSTIC GUITARS has already brought the likes of Seagull and Simon & Patrick to the market. Handmade in the village of La Patrie, Quebec, these guitars sport the same high quality materials as their well known cousins, while remaining aimed at the mid-priced market, with models such as the AMI starting from £395. FRESHMAN Continuing its impressive inroads into the acoustic realm, Freshman has introduced a number of new guitars for the end of 2009 that keep costs low, but build quality as high as the market has come to expect from the Scottish brand. The FA1DN, FA1DTSB, FA1FTSB and FA1FN, coming in at £199.95, are great examples of Freshman’s high quality control and dedication to the best possible tonal results at affordable prices. Available in folk and dreadnought sizes, the new models are sure to further cement the name of Freshman in the minds of dealers and players across the country. ADAM HALL An acoustic that immediately catches the eye in the Adam Hall line up is the VM20CENAT, or if you’re after a snappier title, the Ventures acoustic, which brings a slice of the retro appeal of the Ventures electric guitar line into the unplugged arena. Featuring the same distinctive headstock as its electric brothers, a curvy scratchplate and mahogany back and sides, at £225 it certainly offers something different from the rest of the market. P&R HOWARD The Sheridan range of acoustics has been performing well for flourishing Scottish distributor P&R Howard since its introduction in 2008. Models such at the BF 180 make it easy to see why. Easy on the eye with some nice rosette work round the soundhole and a nicely
contoured body shape, while its solid spruce top and rosewood back and sides give this grand auditorium sized guitar a nicely rounded tone. Westfield is another brand that has maintained a solid performance for the company in the starter market and the B200 dreadnought, which combines a slim neck profile for easy fretting alongside a range of colour options to suit any style of player, continues to sell through well. HC DISTRIBUTION The Ireland-based distributor has been doing some sterling work with the Cort brand and 2009 has seen it go from strength to strength. The likes of the Earth 200 have done Cort the world of good, thanks to a canny combination of striking design, top-notch build quality and genuinely great sounding guitars. The L500C is another good example of Cort’s strong points – a nicely puttogether, concert-sized guitar that has the look and feel of an instrument with twice the amount on the price tag. It’s worth noting that Cort guitars are made in the same far-eastern factory as a good number of high-profile brand names you could easily mention. GEAR 4 MUSIC Bringing Alvarez to the masses is the fast growing online retailer Gear4Music. Kicking things off with the PD311AV, just about making it into this price point at £499, this is clearly a brand worth taking a closer look at. Solid tops, an eye catching satin antique violin finish and some nice inlay and binding work all make for rather a pretty package with plenty of attention to detail and all the right boxes ticked. Other highlights in the Alvarez range include the AJ417 jumbo, which carries on the pattern of nicely crafted, pretty looking instruments with some style and a reasonable £379 asking price.
CONTACTS WESTSIDE ...............................................................................0141 2484812 BARNES AND MULLINS ........................................................01691652449 SUTHERLAND .....................................................................029 2088 7333 FREESTYLE .........................................................................(0)1924 455414 ARIA .......................................................................................01483 238720 JHS ...........................................................................................0113 2865381 YAMAHA ................................................................................01908 366700 PEAVEY ....................................................................................01536 461234 MUSIC FORCE ........................................................................01780 781630 TANGLEWOOD ..........................................................................01937 841122 EMD ..........................................................................................01293 862612 FRESHMAN ............................................................................01355 228028 ADAM HALL ............................................................................01702 613922 P&R HOWARD .........................................................................01355 236621 HC DISTRIBUTION .........................................................+353 59 913 4268 GEAR4MUSIC.COM GREMLIN ...............................................................................01903 203044 SOUND TECHNOLOGY .........................................................01462 480000 FENDER .....................................................................................01342 331711 FCN ..........................................................................................01892 603733 TOON ......................................................................................01242 224985
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ACOUSTICS • SECTOR SPOTLIGHT GREMLIN Front line folky Gremlin has plenty to shout about, not least with its Blueridge range, which brings a vintage style flavour to proceedings. The BG140 for example, coming in at £449, features a rather attractive slope shoulder design, an old-school sunburst finish, low profile neck, bone nut and saddle and some open back tuners for additional vibe. Certainly worth checking out for something a little bit different in the acoustic section.
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visit www.gear4music.com AJ417 Jumbo Body Acoustic
SOUND TECHNOLOGY One need look no further than the infinitely popular – and with good reason – Washburn D10s to understand why Sound Technology has been onto a winner with Washburn from day one. Full of character, this is a guitar that is both instantly recognisable and utterly its own beast. Distinctive looks plus tone to die for make a guitar that will doubtlessly continue to sell by the bucket load for some time to come.
RRP
£379.00
RD4102CSB Cutaway Electro Acoustic RRP
£319.00
THEY ALSO SERVED... With such a crowded market, there was never going to be enough space for everyone, but there are plenty of other brands worth a look aside from those mentioned. Fender’s California range of lovely looking Sonorans have proved popular thanks to distinctive Strat style headstocks and laid back vibe. FCN’s work with Walden is going well, with the Supernatura series in particular demonstrating just what the fine little maker is capable of, while Toon Guitars continues to turn out spotless hand-built in the UK instruments – check out its nylon strung parlour acoustic. While no-one can squeeze everything in, there is certainly something for everyone – just pick up the phone and order.
PJ311CDVS Cutaway Jumbo Electro Acoustic
RRP
£599.00
tel:0843 155 0800 email:trade@gear4music.com
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COMPANY PROFILE • AVID
Avidly integrating AV firm Avid has brought its brands together under one umbrella: One Avid, in fact. Gary Cooper talks to Ken Dewar about what this means and discovers all the benefits integration has to offer your every-day multi-national…
T
he brand, according to marketing theory, is the key. Corporations spend billions establishing, maintaining and fighting to preserve their reputation, ascribing to them an almost mythical status. Which is why it was surprising when the audio-visual giant Avid recently announced it is going to start drawing its disparate family of component brands together as part of what it is calling the ‘One Avid’ programme. Avid has what what some would consider to be the crown jewels in its chosen markets, with products from Digidesign, M-Audio, Pinnacle Systems and Sibelius. So why would you want to tinker with such a championship line-up? The answer, according to Avid, is for the sake of integration and it will come as a relief to retailers to learn that while everything is being grouped under the
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Avid umbrella, none of these major brands is losing its identity. In fact, according to Avid’s own FAQ: “One Avid makes Avid stronger than it was as five separate parts. By pulling together all its categorycreating technologies under one roof, Avid
doing is integrating not just the separate companies it has accumulated through a series of take-overs, but the products, too. Readers will no doubt recall the strategy has been successfully applied before by Harman, which got its brands’ products
“The raison d’être was to create a new brand that benefited from the sum of the strength of five individual brands.” Ken Dewar, Avid is in a unique position to provide its customers with the integrated, interoperable, and open audio and video offerings they are looking for.” They key word there could turn out to be ‘interoperable’, because what Avid is
talking and working together as an integrated system. Avid, it seems, has a similar idea in mind. Ken Dewar, Avid retail sales manager, Northern Region-EMEA, offered to guide us through the changes and what they will
mean to retailers. So what underpins this One Avid drive? “A number of things. Avid was a collection after the acquisition of several brands and it took quite a long time for the company to engage in a complete consolidation. The raison d’être was to create a new brand that benefited from the sum of the strength of five individual brands.” The immediate thought here is that Avid runs the risk of harming its own considerable brand image. “Well, the risk of dilution is always there, but you could equally ask, conversely, can you afford to stand still and not take advantage of the opportunities? So it cuts both ways. I think our new leadership has an ‘onwards and upwards’ approach and has made some logical and rational decisions about how to take things.”
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AVID • COMPANY PROFILE
Of relevance to Dewar, therefore (and us) is how the set-up works for the European market and the UK. “In the new operating structure, Europe has been divided into four regions, based around four hub offices. We are based in Pinewood, in the UK and there are others in Munich, Paris and Dubai. The Northern region is the UK and Ireland, Benelux and the Nordic countries. What we are doing now is handling more brands, but in a tighter space,” Dewar explains. “The UK is unaffected by the changes in many respects, because we still have our offices in Pinewood and Pinewood is still the HQ for the whole of EMEA.” Another reassuring lack of change, Dewar reveals, is that Avid’s UK sales team remains largely unaffected, so retailers will mostly be dealing with familiar faces. It’s probably safe to say that shops already selling Avid brands such as Digidesign, M-Audio and Sibelius, will likely feel quite comfortable with the company and whatever changes it makes. But how will the changes affect stores which are not dedicated to this product area and, indeed, do the changes generate opportunities for those that are still prodding at high-tech with a stick and aren’t sure how they can integrate it? “I think we’re an interesting organisation in so much as we differ from a musical instrument creation company, because we’re also partly a technology and IT company, which gives us a certain bandwidth and an ability to cover different markets. From a music store point of view, they would look at a company like Avid and say ‘yes, its products are selling’, but does Avid marry to their business model? Where do they think they’re going with their business? If they really see themselves as a traditional musical instrument retailer, they might find us an uncomfortable company to deal with, because we are computer-centric. But if they have a technology leaning, I think they might find us very interesting.” Nonetheless, it isn’t hard to imagine a shop that could find a space for M-Audio, or Digidesign, but for which, say, Pinnacle was a bit of a stretch. So is it going to be possible for retailers to pick and choose between the brands?
DEWAR: “Take advantage of us and our sales force. Explore the possiblity of a fit” “We’re in the process right now of redrawing our contracts, so that’s changing at the end of this year. We’re going make sure we have a boilerplate contract for different product groups and that would make it a lot easier for a company to pick the part of our range that it wanted to deal with. It takes quite a long time to align all the back end stuff to the front end stuff, but that’s what we’re working on now.” Once a retailer’s decided which parts of Avid’s portfolio it wants to sell, what about the integration and interoperability which the company says is one of its goals? “That’s where it starts to get really exciting. If you think about the brands we have, most of them were developed in isolation and as that comes together, there’s definitely a set of goals in terms of the products we will be bringing to market – so the headline, on the pro side in particular, is interoperability, making sure products are designed to be included in workflows for professional facilities or for average musicians. So if I was working in
my bedroom, doing music for the internet, we’d like to create a set of tools – hardware and software – that would enable me to do everything. Scaling that up to a higher level, if you’re in a postproduction facility you want to work seamlessly with Pro Tools, mix on an Icon board and then have that work in a smooth way with Media Composer. There’s a roadmap ahead of us in terms of bringing more emphasis to workflows and interoperability.” This brings us nicely on to the question of how all this can be pitched to MI Pro’s retailer readers? “Take advantage of us and our sales force and the people that are in the company can come and talk to you and explore the possibility of a fit. And make sure you understand what Avid is, because we’re not a traditional musical instrument supplier. I do think, however, that we have an awful lot to offer the music part of the industry and I think if they come to that discussion with an open mind and they’re looking for opportunities to plan their
businesses and grow for the next four or five years, we’d probably be one of the companies that would have a unique offering for them. There aren’t many firms that can offer the product ranges and the coverage that we can. It’s all about getting the fit right – and we will make an effort to help them.” Still, there will be plenty of readers concerned by a steep learning curve on products that rapidly go out of date. Above all, the need to learn about new technologies that can seem quite alien from what they signed up for as music retailers. Avid is more than able to help dealers in that position. “We have lots and lots of training opportunities, particularly if you’re looking at MI or the audio part of the business. On the higher end, it’s absolutely 100 per cent of the package – part of the responsibility of the dealer is to provide trained staff to handle the product – but at the lower end it’s up to the dealer to decide if that’s what their staff needs. On one hand the products are complicated, but on the other they are class-compliant USB devices – no more complicated than installing a printer. All of our sales guys play or have been involved in the business for a long time – most of them have ten years or more of MI sales experience, so they can offer a lot. Beyond that, there’s a package on offer, based on what’s done in the US, which we are currently planning to deploy in 2010.” In its new incarnation, Avid promises to be a very big fish – and Dewar reveals that it is already bigger than many imagine – Avid included. “What’s been interesting to me has been when we’ve gone to see some of the biggest companies and we’ve looked at the sum of Avid business that they do, as opposed to just the M-Audio business, or the Digidesign business. For many of the big high-tech retailers we are now their number one or number two supplier and we were quite surprised by that, because we’d never actually summed the business up. For that kind of dealer, it has changed its perspective of Avid and we hope other people will become more aware of it, too. It’s really quite a shopping list for a retailer.” WWW.AVID.CO.UK
Now available from Gem
For more information contact your Gem account manager for more information or visit www.gem.co.uk
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COMPANY PROFILE • THE MUSIC FORCE
Force of Music A name change can be a risky proposition for any company. Gary Cooper talks to Jon Gold and finds out how Music Force managed to sail through the stormy seas of a rebrand…
I
n June this year, Ashton Music UK did one of the trickiest things a thriving business can do – it changed its name. Bigger outfits than Ashton have got tangled-up in the requisite nifty footwork (anyone remember the Post Office trying to change its name to Consignia?), so three months on we thought it was time to ask MD Jon Gold how the company, now reincarnated as The Music Force Distribution, had managed the change and what the future might hold for the company’s customers and suppliers. But first, why change the name at all? Ashton had rapidly established itself in an interesting niche in the UK market, following former Peavey UK boss Ken Achard’s decision to bring the Australian company to these shores. Ashton had grown to become just what Achard had predicted – a house-brand for independent stores and, following the purchase of the business from owners Australis Music, by Jon Gold and his business partner Roger Seekings, it seemed to have been going from strength to strength, gaining some distinctive new lines.
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That, apparently, was the problem, Gold says: “When Ashton was launched in the UK, it was obviously a subsidiary of Australis Music and when my partner Roger Seekings and I bought the business from them, in July 2007, the whole business plan was geared to the company evolving into a full-blown distributor. We continued to build the Ashton brand, but then we looked
described what we were about as a business – but that’s easier said than done. Anything with the word ‘music’ in the name is registered these days and even if you can register the name, you’ll find the website domain name has gone.” After taking soundings around the trade, Gold and Seekings eventually settled on The Music Force Distribution.
“The timing was perfect, because we did it to coincide with LIMS, so we were able to harness the media and retailers together.” Jon Gold, The Music Force Distribution for other brands to complement that offering and this began with Sparrow Guitars, with the other new lines following. Yet it was clear that, though we were and are very proud of Ashton, using that as our name was a deterrent to other brands coming on board. “We needed to restructure and find a name that best complemented and
“If we’d let it go on any longer, it would have been even harder,” Gold says. “But as it turned out the transition was absolutely seamless. The timing was perfect, because we did it to coincide with the London International Music Show, so we were able to harness the media and retailers together and I have to say it went incredibly well.”
One other aspect of the metamorphosis, and one not to be underestimated, is arranging the complex backroom business that is the hidden stuff of name changes. “It’s not just changing your name, as your readers will appreciate,” Gold comments. “It’s all the stuff that goes with it – all the behind the scenes things: invoicing, VAT, websites, stationery; the list is endless. I have to say, our team was immense in helping us get through all that. But it was amazing. It was absolutely painless, which was a surprise to me, I must say.” However, changing its name wasn’t the company’s only bombshell this summer. Just a few weeks later, it announced it had signed the prestigious German amp maker Engl to the Music Force roster and then reinforced that acquisition with the addition of former Marshall and Laney amp guru Steve Yelding to the team. In the right circles, where Engl needs to be seen, Yelding’s name is highly influential and his appointment is seen as a particularly astute move on Gold’s part.
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THE MUSIC FORCE • COMPANY PROFILE
The addition of Engl delivered the proverbial ‘win-win’ for The Music Force. It put Engl back on the map in the UK and it took Music Force into a new arena. “Engl was a brand I’d coveted for years and had had a lot of experience with when I was with Academy of Sound, when it was one of our strongest brands,” Gold says. “Since then I’d noted that, despite the fact it had taken off worldwide, it seemed to have gone backwards in the UK. It’s a fabulously well-made product and to the rock and metal fraternity it has become the ‘must-have’ amp.” Engl has scored particularly well by signing a list of endorsers that includes many guitar icons – from old guard warriors like Tony Iommi and Ritchie Blackmore, to Duff McKagan (more on him later), Cradle of Filth’s Paul Allender, Megadeath’s Chris Broderick and enough metal heroes to staff a foundry. This won Gold over: “It has secured partnerships with grade one, A-list endorsers – it reads like the who’s who of metal and rock. And that was the point. I’d seen that going on around the world, but not in the UK, so I was over the moon that we were able to secure Engl.” But had that helped increase sales for his other brands, such as Sparrow, Mariner and Ashton itself? “Very much so. Part of the marketing with Ashton was that it was an entry-level product and some people quickly made their minds up that it wasn’t for them. However, there’s much more to Ashton than that. The quality and value for money endears it to a much wider market and what adding the more obviously upmarket brands has done for us, is open people’s eyes to that side of Ashton. They’re saying things like ‘I didn’t know it was that good’ and ‘I didn’t know you could make that much profit from Ashton’, so yes, one has definitely helped the other.” Where Music Force goes from here is going to be fascinating to see. Jon Gold is perfectly frank that he and his team are
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hungry for success and are very keen to talk to companies looking for higher profile distribution in the UK. He is reluctant to set any limits as to the type of brands or products he could be interested in – though he says he thinks hi tech is unlikely. But I wonder whether he’d be interested in another major guitar line to ride alongside Engl? His eyes light up at the prospect.
office and a credit control team, which we didn’t have fully before – so we’ve invested heavily in human resources, as well.” One of the areas the company has moved into is artist relations, which flows directly from its partnership with Engl, and it has already secured a major scalp. While supporting former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Duff McKagan for Engl when his band was on tour in the UK, it scored a valuable second goal.
“It’s been a momentous year for us. We’ve grown in a year when the economy has been going backwards and I know there are other business out there that have been making progress, too – distributors and retailers. It’s tough out there, undoubtedly, but we do see progress being made. “People still want to play music and people still want to buy product. It may not be such expensive product, but they
Duff McKagan (left) and Mike Squires (right), from Duff McKagan’s Loaded, with their Sparrow Rat Rods and Engl Fireball Amp
Music Force’s Jon Gold, who’s also the MIA president, pictured here at the MIA awards
“One of the things that came out of the change of name was that we didn’t just rename the company, we invested in better back-of-house systems – better customer service systems and a heavy investment in IT. This means we’re able to give great customer service beyond the point of sale. “Our job doesn’t stop when we’ve sold the product to the dealer. We need to be there if there are any issues; we need to support them with marketing, for example, so we’ve invested to do that. We’ve now got more staff in the office, we’ve got a dedicated marketing person, there is a dedicated sales team in the
still want to buy something and, of course, that’s particularly good for a great value brand like Ashton.” So where does Music Force go from here? “We’re young, we’re passionate, we’re hungry and we care. The brands we’ve got still have great potential in them – there’s a lot more growth in all of them. I want to consolidate what we have and there’s loads of work to do with Engl, which has potentially great growth in the UK. Beyond that? Our infrastructure is such now that we are on the lookout for other lines that complement and will add value to our existing lines. We’re looking to grow.” MUSIC FORCE: 01780 781630
“Duff is one of the world’s biggest rock stars and could play anything, but he saw the Sparrow Guitars while he was with us and asked if he could try them. We prepared three for him and the band are using them now. It’s a great coup for both Sparrow and us – he loves them. “As everyone knows, this has been an extremely difficult year for the trade as a whole, but the feeling I’m getting suggests that there are opportunities out there. You’ve got to be flexible and change your business model quickly if you need to and that’s something we are able to do. If we wake up tomorrow morning and find we need to turn right, then we can do that.
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PROFILE
TONY ROBERTS Production Manager, Picato Strings
I WOKE UP THIS MORNING
MI Pro chats to Picato Strings’ Tony Roberts about the art of manufacturing strings and keeping the workflow going...
I
get up at 7:15 in the morning, then it’s breakfast and the five minute walk to work – we’re based in Treorchy in Rhondda. I get into work at about 8:30, have a cup of tea with my colleague, then sort a few things out before we start work at around quarter to nine. I’ll check everything is all right on the factory floor and running smoothly, and iron any problems out with the supervisor. I’ll work on the machines as well when it’s busy, mainly working on double bass strings – I don’t sit in the office all day; I couldn’t do that. I’ve been in this industry since 1961 – a good few years now. As production manager it’s up to me to make sure everything runs properly and that everyone has their work set out for the day.
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Any special orders that come in, I sort those out as soon as possible, but basically it’s my job to keep everyone working and sort out any problems there might be straight away. There are only 14 of us in total here, so we’re a small company, but we do a lot of stuff. We make strings that other companies don’t, as they’re only doing big production runs, whereas ours are all done by hand spinning. We manufacture all sorts of strings, from electric and acoustic guitar through to all of the bowed instruments strings and double bass strings. We get people asking for special gauges as well as special lengths, which we can do for them with no problem. It’s been a very busy year; the recession hasn’t really hit us
up here. I think it’s down to quality strings and because we’re not a big company – we’ve ridden it better than a lot of people have. Our big thing at the moment is a brand that we do called Innovation – double bass strings – and it’s been taking off recently, in the States especially.
These are more specialised than anything, as there are only three of us that make them. We’re been here for 26 years in these premises. Picato was originally a brand name of General Music Strings, which was based in South Wales, and Rod Bradley, who is the director of this company, bought it out
down there and moved it here. The original company started in the 1930s and was started by a Jewish gentleman by the name of Stein who came over here before the second world war. There’s a lot of heritage here. For me, there’s too much stuff being imported these days and people seem to think American products are better, even though we all buy our raw materials from the same suppliers, which is odd. I finish work at quarter to five, and head home. I can’t play a note and I’ve never been tempted. I think being around strings all the time has put me off. I love working here though – out of the 14 that started work here 26 years ago, there are six who are still here, so there’s a lot of loyalty at Picato Strings.
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MIA NEWS an update from your industry trade association
MIA call to retailers The Association’s retail committee members, Lee Anderton, Paul Blease, Noel Sheehan and Jason Tavaria, make the case for retailers to have a voice... ‘What did the MIA ever do for me?’ Despite having had a trade association for over 125 years, many retailers don’t really know what the MIA does. The MIA has one goal – to encourage more people to make music. The more people who make music, the more customers our industry has and the more successful we all are. There are many ideas and projects that the MIA wants to launch, but these can only be put into action if we have sufficient membership numbers and subscriptions to fund their activity. Without an increase in the membership, many of these great ideas to create more musicians will simply not come to fruition. So, we say: Retailers – the MIA needs you. ‘But I get all these benefits whether I’m a member or not...’ Yes, this is true. Whether or not you’re a paid up MIA member you’re getting the benefit of all the hard work the MIA does to create more musicians. There just isn’t a workable way for the MIA to channel the new customers they create exclusively to
MIA members. All the MIA can do is appeal to retailers to look at the bigger picture and realise that the relatively small amount it costs to be an MIA member is an essential investment for the future. ‘What if I saved money on my stock purchases by being an MIA member?’ Ah ha! The golden ticket. What if by being an MIA member you could get exclusive supplier discounts that could well deliver you an annual saving well in excess of your MIA membership fee? This is an idea that was first voiced about a year ago when the MIA retail committee said suppliers could do more to incentivise retailers to join up. Some suppliers have answered the call and more will shortly follow now that the first ones have made a move. We will be encouraging all MIA retail members to stay in close contact with MIA supplier members as the offers are rolled out. These new product savings are on top of the existing money saving benefits available to MIA members, such as free
business and legal help-lines, discounted insurance, reduced credit card transactions, special foreign currency rates and so on. ‘I have some ideas of my own. Can I get involved in the MIA?’ Absolutely, yes. We need your ideas, input and energy. The more retailers are involved, the more music makers we can create and the stronger the voice of retail will be in the organisation. Join one of the many working parties or email paulmc@mia.org.uk. ‘OK, I’m interested – how much does it cost to be a member?’ Subscriptions are based on annual turnover, but any shop can join for an introductory first year at ÂŁ150 plus VAT. This can even be paid via quarterly direct debit instalments. It’s a small amount to pay to ensure that our industry continues its united approach to creating more musicians. Go to mia.org.uk and click on ‘Join the MIA’ to see all the details and apply on-line. MIA: 01372 750600
Lee Anderton
Noel Sheehan
Making the most of the connections you already have. New customers
Call 0800 731 8921* Existing customers
Call 0845 702 3344**
Benefits to you Preferential card processing rates No set up fee Free authorisation calls via your terminal No refund fee
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RETAIL NEWS, OPINION, DATA BEHIND THE COUNTER
RETAIL AWARDS The industry’s annual big night out saw no fewer than six retailers picking up awards, from printed music to large multiples. We look at why they won and what the award means to them
The grief caused by thieves – our own secret retailer describes the feeling of loss
INDIE PROFILE How has JG Windows carved such a chunk of the north east’s business
Irish show confirms status The Music Show Dublin, organised by Hot Press, has proved itself once and for all to be a show of significance beyond the Irish market – and all this while keeping show floor trading down to zero. Could there be lessons to be learnt?
THE SIXTH Music Show Ireland took place on the weekend of October 3rd and 4th and achieved something of a coup for the republic’s MI trade and musicians, increasing visitor attendance by some 17 per cent (11,822), representing all of the country’s major suppliers and offering new product launches and a wide range of MI gear for an enthusiastic public. On top of that, the island’s music retailers were much in evidence as exhibitors (including Perfect Pitch, XMusic, The Sound Shop and Kilkenny Vintage Guitars among others) or as trade visitors to the show. As well as increasing the show floor space by some 15 per cent, the seminar programme was up by a third on 2008 and Hot Press, the show’s organiser, doubled the space used for themed exhibitions and installations, including the Rory Gallagher Guitar Exhibition and the Irish Rock Photography installation. “There was agreement among the exhibitors that the crowd was really interested in the gear,” said Niall Stokes, Hot Press magazine’s editor. “There were
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more band members, pros and semi-pros in attendance than ever before.” Tanglewood had Ireland’s country rock diva, Imelda May, called to the Tanglewood Ireland stand to collect her new TSB49 guitar and draw a good crowd there, as well as to the live stage for her performance. “Despite the economy, which has been very bad in Ireland, the public mood seems generally upbeat, and we
whether KMI could afford to take part in the show,” said Kane. “In retrospect, I know that we couldn’t afford not to. The show is open to the public with no trade-only time and trying to get the formula right to encourage dealers to visit and take part has taken the six years that the show has existed to get it right. It’s not perfect, but the Irish Music Show has come a long way since Irish Music Live 2004.
“We have found a new demographic for this show, which has been a real eye-opener for the retailers.” Gerry Forde, Roland Ireland have had a lot of interest in our new products on display here, plus positive feedback,” commented Tanglewood Ireland’s MD, John Halnon. “In terms of the cost of being at this show versus business written, that’s tough to quantify, but our outlook is positive.” Exhibiting for the first time was Lesley Kane’s new operation, KMI Distribution. “As a start-up company I questioned
“The difference between this show and the others that exist in the British Isles is most definitely the atmosphere. There is a tangible, excited buzz. It’s noisy, it’s exhausting and it’s great fun.” “There’s been a really fantastic crowd coming through our stand compared to previous years,” said Adam Leddy of The Sound Shop, Drogheda. “We’ve collected a lot of names for our mailing list and for
the competitions we’ve been running. We’re all a bit exhausted – but it’s all good as far as I’m concerned.” This last comment is pretty crucial, as The Music Show allows no sales whatsoever from the show floor. For Roland, the show has extra significance, as Roland Ireland’s Gerry Forde has been heavily involved in the event from the beginning. “We have found a whole new demographic for this show and this has been an eye-opener for the retailers,” he said. “The chance to see top names, such as Imelda May, see master classes from successful artists – the mix is just about perfect.” Hot Press’ ambition now is to cement the show firmly on the international music calendar, with a continued increase in the number of international exhibitors, delegates and visitors. “The Music Show will refine its specialist offerings to increase its attractiveness to industry professionals, with more emphasis on the MI and pro audio end of the business,” concluded Stokes. “We aim to make it even more of a pleasure for everyone.”
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RETAIL • AWARDS
Best of the best The MIA awards this year saw no fewer than six awards going to companies that really count – retailers. Rob Power and Rob Hughes take the opportunity to get a few words from the best of British MI retail… ROB WILLIAMS BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AWARD NEVADA MUSIC (MIKE DEVEREUX)
PRINTED MUSIC RETAILER OF THE YEAR ACKERMAN MUSIC (LYNNE ACKERMAN)
Lynne Ackerman (centre) picks up her second award THE PRINTED music award was once again scooped up by last year’s winner Lynne Ackerman of Ackerman Music, a small chain with a sterling reputation for customer service and a printed music division that puts most retailers to shame. “To win two years in a row, I was over the moon,” says Ackerman. “I really wasn't expecting it and was absolutely shocked when it happened. I thought it was lovely to be invited to the awards, but didn't think for a second we'd win two years In a row. “It's been a hard year – sheet music is one of our core items, so it's fairly steady throughout. We try to provide a really good service on it, get it in from the publishers and back out to the
customers, schools and teachers as quickly as possible, which is what they all want. It's been a bit harder on the instrument side this year, but we've been happy with sheet music and we're growing all the time with more titles and choice for people.” Proving that hard work and attention to the finer details can really lift a business, Ackerman puts her success down to the way the chain is run. “I try to be fairly hands on and go round the three shops as often as possible. We have an area manager and managers in the shops as well, so it's quite a handson business. We take time and care to sort the little things out which I think makes all the difference.”
A NEW award for this year, the Rob Williams Business Enterprise award, in memory of the co-founder of Dolphin Music, whose tragic death earlier this year sent shockwaves throughout the industry, was won by Portsmouth’s enterprising Nevada Music. “It’s quite poignant really,” commented Nevada managing director Mike Devereux on the win. “Jason (Tavaria, Dolphin co-founder) actually presented it to us. We’d always seen them as a major competitor and looked up to them and, of course, when Rob died it was a shock for everyone. You can imagine how we felt with them being the ones to present it to us. “Any award is special, but this one even more so. Jason was very impressed with our website – he said to me afterwards that they had watched competitors come along and they’d usually copy one another or present some form of what already existed. He said that what blew them out of the water was that our site came up and it was totally new with fresh concepts on it. He, of all people, coming from a web-based company, could appreciate what we had done so it was really nice to have somebody acknowledge that.” As a well established presence on the south coast, Nevada has managed to keep itself at the cutting edge of online retailing opportunities thanks to a team that is constantly on the look out for
Mike Devereux (second right) new and innovative schemes to drive internet sales. “We’ve got a great team – the other thing Jason said was that they didn’t expect an old company to do this. We’re 40 years old this year, and I’d never thought about that as managing director, but we’ve got such a good team here of both software developers and musicians and they are giving us some leading edge products.”
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AWARDS • RETAIL TAKE IT AWAY RETAILER OF THE YEAR SYMPHONY MUSIC AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRE (DAVE BAMFORD)
THIS YEAR’S prize for the best Take It Away dealer was won by the hardworking and relentlessly pro-active Wigan-based retailer Symphony Music and Technology Centre. A family-run shop that has been at the heart of its local music scene for some time, its championing of the Arts Council scheme has been a runaway success. “It’s the second time we’ve been nominated and, to give you some background, we’re a tiny little family shop, so for us it’s the biggest night we’ve ever had,” comments managing director Dave Bamford. “It was a really big thing for us – we went last year with no expectations, and we weren’t disappointed we didn’t win as it was great to be in the top three, but this has blown us away.”
The shop’s approach to promotion locally, including sponsoring local festivals, alongside its approach to oneon-one sales, has seen the Take It Away scheme turn into a roaring success. “All of the customers think it’s a great scheme. It’s a bit of a no-brainer as it makes things so much easier to purchase,” continues Bamford. “What makes this year a bit more special is that rather than the Arts Council nominating, as they did last year, they actually received nominations, so this year’s award was based solely on the feedback they got from customers. “It made it more special and it told us we’re doing something right in the way that we’re operating, the way we’re selling the instruments and the way we’re promoting it as a scheme.”
BEST RETAILER (INDEPENDENT) RED DOG MUSIC (ALEX MARTEN) "THIS AWARD is a huge honour for us, particularly considering we only opened our doors just over a year ago. It is also a tremendous morale boost for the staff, who in May last year were facing the prospect of the store closing and the loss of their jobs. It’s a testament to their hard work and determination that we have turned the business around and achieved so much in such a short time. “I'd also like to offer a huge thanks to the suppliers, who had faith in us at the beginning and helped get Red Dog off to a flying start. “The award is decided by votes on ‘the best presented and staffed shops, with the best customer service’. I think this embodies what we do; we’ve focused on presenting a friendly face to trade and customers. We’ve got around 5,000 square feet of floor space that we try to fill with forward thinking products, including computer music and recording equipment, alongside the more traditional guitars and keyboards. “I don't claim to be in a position to offer advice, but our guiding principle from the start has been to treat all setbacks as opportunities. When Sound Control went bust and I was made redundant, I tried to treat it as an opportunity. It’s important to realise
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BEST SPECIALIST RETAILER GUITAR VILLAGE (DEREK EYRE-WALKER) “I’M OVER the moon, ecstatic. “For years, reps have been coming and telling us how great they thought the shop was and we thought we’d put it to the test to see how well we would do at the MIA Awards. It worked well. “There are a few reasons why we won. First, two years ago we bought the rest of the building we’ve been trading in for 20 years, which has resulted in a large, period building, dating back to the 15th century, full of guitar gear. We really took a punt – a million quid’s worth of building, which then needed to be renovated and stocked – It was a real risk, but, touch wood, it’s all working great. “We specialise in guitars and we’ve got an awful lot of rare, hard-to-find and vintage guitars. “We only shut four days of the year and we’ve got a good online situation, whereby we photograph every individual guitar. If you sit at home in Cornwall looking at a guitar on our site, we will have it in stock – if it’s out of stock it will say so. “While it’s very easy to say that the market is depressed, or complain about the competition, the best idea is to get behind the industry and work with other people within it. We bought a load of specialist guitars recently that have now sold out, but we work with
Guitar Village: million dollar baby another shop, Guitar Guitar, so we mention them to customers. You should get behind things in a positive fashion and, when the reps come, try to buy as much as you can reasonably afford, so the customer sees a good range. Shops should get behind each other so that everyone is trying to push forward.”
BEST RETAILER (MULTIPLE) PROFESSIONAL MUSIC TECHNOLOGY (SIMON GILSON & TERRY HOPE) Once, twice, four times a winner
Red Dog: life after Sound Control that however bad things may seem, there is always some way out. “There are a lot of people who are afraid of the internet, but from our point of view the internet represents another opportunity. Without it we are limited to the local market; with it, the whole world is our market.”
“ABSOLUTELY AND totally delighted. It’s our fourth one now and nobody else has won more than two. Now we need to get a fifth because it’s our 20th anniversary in 2010 so we’ll be putting the thumbscrews on the industry for next year. But we’re absolutely delighted; it’s a great honour. “I’d like to think we’ve got the best retail stores in the country. When you look at stores like Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, there’s nothing to touch them and that’s not because they’re ours, it’s because it’s the truth. I would even hold them against stores all over Europe and the US. There are bigger ones, sure, but when you look at what else there is (and there are not that many multiples anymore), I think we’re well ahead of the rest.
“We’re not resting on our laurels, though. Next year we’ll have some very strong competition. “Is there anybody else actively promoting our industry? Is there anybody else putting on events like Stick it to MS? Are there other multiple retailers in partnership with schools, promoting music? That’s what makes us the UK’s number one. “Do something that promotes music in your area, something that makes people want to play, then back it up. Look after the teachers in the area and get involved with schools. “Our first store was 1,000 square foot. It’s pathetic compared to now, but that was a fantastic store with four people in it everyday who loved what they did and wanted to help.”
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INDIE PROFILE • RETAIL
JG WINDOWS, NEWCASTLE Rob Hughes talks to Rupert Bradbury, managing director of JG Windows, about the state of MI retail in Newcastle... How is business compared to this time last year? Having acquired a second shop six months ago, overall it’s significantly up. If you’d asked me a month or two ago I’d have said it was down. We’re continually doing more and more stuff to try and be on the ball. We evaluate what we’re doing and change or react accordingly. The day that a rep comes in and doesn’t say: ‘you’ve changed this around’, will be the day that figures stop going up. How do you market the shop? We’ve just taken on Paul Donaldson as commercial manager to really get stuck into marketing. At the moment, if I’m honest, we rely so heavily on being a well-known set-up that we don’t have to do very
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much, but we are at the point of wanting to do a lot more. Having said that, from September through to December 24th we do run a TV campaign on ITV, with ads going out two to three times a day. How do you compete with the online competition? Internet business and shop business are two completely different ways of life. While we’re about to give our website a complete overhaul, we’ve spent all our time since we took over from the Windows family focusing on the bricks and mortar business. So while we’re not necessarily as cheap as the web – although in some areas we definitely are – the experience that people get when they come in the shop helps us compete.
What are your main strengths and weaknesses? Our name is a massive strength and also the fact that we’ve now got two shops within ten minutes of each other on the bus or in a car, but covering two completely different sets of customers. We’ve pretty much got the north east covered in terms of MI retail for the products that we sell. If someone wants to buy a digital piano, there’s a 99 per cent chance they’ll buy it from us. How do you ensure a good level of customer service? Two weeks ago we sent almost every staff member on a customer service training course. I’m in the business all the time, so I’m in touch with what goes
on every day and I’m also very hands-on. We stay aware of what’s happening and we talk about any issues we have. What’s the one product that you couldn’t live without? That’s a question and a half! My lunch is one product that I couldn’t do without... We have a very strong relationship with Roland and we do very well with electronic drum kits too, particularly at Christmas.
How can the industry do more to support retail? Become more professional. My biggest frustration – and this would be angled at some distributors and some retailers – is that we all need to run professional businesses rather than operating like a cottage industry. There are some absolute basics that some of the distributors don’t have in place and certainly the same would apply to many retailers.
FACTS & FIGURES Address: Central Arcade, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 5BP Phone: 0191 232 1356 Managing director: Rupert Bradbury Established: 1908 Established: 35 Bestselling lines: Roland Microcubes and pianos
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BEHIND THE COUNTER • RETAIL
The terrible tale of the six-string swiper Our undercover retail reporter comes back from holiday only to find an expensive guitar has gone missing...
I
t’s not been the best of months for our store. The gods have turned against us and sent nothing but waves of misfortune our way. Upon returning from a week spent sunning myself away from the hustle and bustle of the shop floor, I was greeted by a sullen fellow shop-hand whose slumped shoulders and deathly pallor told me that all was not well on our happy little ship. When he pointed to our wall of high-end guitars, I immediately noticed a sizeable gap. Surely a good thing, I thought; the sale of such bigticket guitars can’t be bad. Alas, I was
to throw accusations around willy nilly after the event, taking the ‘how the hell didn’t you see that’ line, or to bewail our store’s trusting policy of not having every guitar in the shop rigged up to an alarm system, but ultimately the gear is gone, and we will probably never see it again. As the details emerge, it would seem that we are destined not to catch the swine who made off with our precious six string. Our CCTV system, usually so dependable, had thrown a strop and chosen not to work that day, while cameras in the surrounding area caught barely a half decent shot of the
Theories abound as to how they managed it, but the thieves got it out the shop and well away before anyone noticed. mistaken. A few days before I had made my way back to Blighty’s sunny shores, a couple of lads had made their way into the shop, sidled up to our prized wall of top-notch six strings, and made off with prime guitar goodness worth nearly two grand. Theories abound as to how they managed this, especially as the instrument in question was no more than ten feet from the staffer manning the counter at the time, but the fact remains that they got it out of the shop and well away before anyone noticed what had happened. It’s a kick in the guts for anyone to lose such an expensive item, especially in the testing retail environment that we’re currently in. It is, of course, easy
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dastardly bastards who ruined our week. Of course, these things happen in any retail environment, but knowing that does little to sugar the pill. On the upside, the kids are back to school and lapping up new instruments at an alarming rate. Such is the demand that we can barely keep up, but we’re bravely doing our bit and ensuring the superstars of tomorrow are given their chance to start on the long road to musical success. And now the inevitable march to Christmas is beginning, which has us all both rubbing our hands in delight and trembling in our boots at the prospect of a thousand confused mothers playing Santa...
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NEW PRODUCTS • PRINT
BOOK OF THE MONTH Author: Tony Bacon The Les Paul Guitar Book Target: General, guitarists Comment: Doubtless hurried into a new edition after the death of Les Paul a few months ago, the questionable ethics of publishers do not, thankfully, detract from what is an excellent book written by arguably the world’s leading authority on guitar history. The book covers the history of the guitar, arising from the career and engineering experiments of Les Paul and
EDUCATION Author: Opgenoorth & Bessler (Voggenreiter) Guitar Chords
the Gibson corporation at the time under Ted McCarty. The result is the guitar that stood at the very centre of rock music for the next 20 years and is still seen as a must-have for millions of guitarists. The book looks at each innovation in the guitar’s development (the invention of the humbucking pickup, the ‘mystical’ 1959 Goldtop, the glamour of the golden era of the 1970s) and the many stars that have linked their image to that of the guitar.
The latest edition brings the timeline up to date with the latest models introduced and the appearance of a certain Joe Bonamassa – almost certainly the standard bearer of the guitar as it travels towards the completion of its sixth decade in production. Great pics and flowing text – all-in-all this is a book that sits easily on any muso’s coffee table. BACKBEAT: 020 7720 3581
Author: David Barrett Blues Harmonica Accompaniment Playing Series: School of Blues Target: Harmonica Comment: The School of Blues series covers harmonica, guitar, keys, bass and drums and is designed to pass on the love of blues of the list of authors used. In this edition, Barrett (who is co-author on all the titles) begins with intermediate level players and takes them through various blues techniques, recommending various recordings along the way. The difference for this book is its focus on accompanying others – something a little alien to many players, but a must for those serious about ensemble playing. MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
Target: Guitar Comment: Voggenreiter’s take on the chord listings that are essential for any guitarist’s book shelf. Over 4,000 chord voicings are included in this brightly coloured edition. It’s been designed for the studying guitarist with its slant on the voicings in rock, pop and jazz. Additional chapters have been included on playing techniques, chord synonyms and power and ‘slash’ chords. MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
David Courtney & Srinivas Koumounduri Learning the Sitar Target: Beginner Sitar players Comment: While this reviewer is certain there have been other beginner books for the sitar, this is the first one he has come across and, with over 30 pages before the first note is plucked, he surmises that the instrument is as difficult to learn as has been rumoured. Whole aspects of Indian music need to be taken into consideration, as well as Indian terminology for the music theory. That said, this book is an excellent grounding in the basics of playing this most iconic of instruments. MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
POPULAR Artist: Various (arr Juchem) Pop Ballads Series: Schott Saxophone Lounge Target: Alto saxophone Comment: Famous pop ballads (16 in all), arranged by Dirko Juchem for alto sax with piano accompaniment, taking in a wide spectrum of pop classics, whether initially intended for sax playing (Baker Street) or not (A Whiter Shade of Pale). Juchem makes them relevant and decidedly easy to play. SCHOTT: 020 7534 0744 66 miPRO NOVEMBER 2009
DVD Marshall Wilborn (with Murphy Henry) Slap Bass Series: The Murphy Method Target: Double bass Comment: This may be a niche market in the UK, but there is a good deal here for aspiring players. On this DVD, Wilborn takes players through the single, double and triple slaps, boogie woogie playing with single slap and a couple of traditional songs to illustrate the application thereof. MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
Artist: Abby Newton Castles, Kirks and Caves Target: Cello Comment: A delightful collection of traditional Scottish music from the 18th century, originally compiled by Newton in 2000 for a CD of the music. As a cellist, Newton was intrigued by tunes that were actually written for the instrument. The book is separated out into ‘Tunes’, ‘Sets’ and ‘Duos’ and each piece has suggested bowings and chords. Newton suggests players familiarise themselves with the tunes before learning to play them – which is a nice way to get people to her CD, available from her website… MEL BAY: 020 8214 1222
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NEW PRODUCTS • PRINT
Author: Matthias Philipzen Cajon: A box full of rhythm Target: Percussionists Comment: Philipzen takes the learner through the fundamentals of playing the Cajon and a variety of playing techniques. He then takes the learner on an extensive tour of solo and ensemble pieces. This is guaranteed to last a player a lifetime, from learning the basics to dipping into as a hardened pro for reminders and tips. VOGGENREITER (MEL BAY): 020 8323 8010
Author: Phillipp Moehrke Voicing Concepts: Jazz Piano Series: Jazz Workbooks Target: Piano, musician Comment: A spectacularly good book that takes as its premise the understanding and interpreting of chord symbols as a fundamental requirement of playing jazz. While mainly targeting the piano as the easiest way to get an overview of harmonic structures, the book recognises that the exercises contained within make up an important aid for any musician. Simply and clearly structured, the book leads the student to explore improvisation in typical and complex ways. VERLAG (MEL BAY): 020 8323 8010
GENERAL
Author: Peter Blecha Sonic Boom
Author: Mixerman The Daily Adventures of Mixerman
Target: General Comment: Not to be confused with John Alderman’s excellent analysis of the Napster and MP3 boom, which also has the same title, in this book Blecha takes the unusual step of looking at the musical heritage of a particular region, the north west of the US, most notably Seattle. From Louie Louie to Smells Like Teen Spirit, taking in the fledgling Jimi Hendrix in between, Blecha’s research is extensive and his style fluid. An interesting history. BACKBEAT: 020 7720 3581
Target: General Comment: In an attempt to bring the ‘truth’ to an area of the rock business that wallows in the realm of apocryphal anecdote (the recording session) this anonymous author spews up his own apocrypha, with all names changed. The book is the result of a series of blogs posted during a major-label album production. While it offers nothing in terms of revelation, this guy obviously knows his recording and clearly has a great imagination. A hoot. BACKBEAT: 020 7720 3581
POPULAR Artist: Metallica The Complete Lyrics Series: Schott Discovering/Improvising series Target: General Comment: An unusual book and one normally reserved for the likes of Bob Dylan or Paul Simon. With nothing but the words, the words need to be able to stand on their own. With Dylan and Simon, they do. With Metallica they certainly don’t. Fans will like this – no one else. HAL LEONARD (MUSIC SALES): 01284 702600
DVDS Artist: Tommy Emmanuel Emmanuel Labor Target: Guitar Comment: There are three selections of songs from Emmanuel’s albums, Only, Endless Road and The Mystery, which he performs before talking the learner through the structure and techniques of each piece. Emmanuel has a fluid fingerstyle method and this DVD will give any guitarist a lot to think about and practice. Nice tunes, too. MEL BAY: 020 8323 8010
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Artistr: Various (Weeks arr) The Piano Sessions: Contemporary Ballads Target: Piano Comment: Within the pages of this book are a dozen popular tunes – but not so popular that you would be sick of them – arranged for piano with considerable aplomb and delicacy in a smooth jazz style – and with the guitar chords thrown in for good measure. This is not going to be a massive seller, but pianists will appreciate it as a recommendation from the more discerning shopkeepers out there. FABER: 01279 828989
Artist: Kibisi Douglas African Bass Bible Series: The Boosey Voice Coach Target: Bass guitar Comment: Kibisi Douglas is a pretty big name in African music circles and is frequently on tour around the world with the likes of Kanda Bongo Man (as seen on Jools Holland’s Later show). While the patient and dedicated will doubtless gain much from this DVD, it is hard going with sometimes quite poor sound, but it illustrates Douglas’ delicate technique when playing rumba or soukouos. MEL BAY: 020 8323 8010
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THE PLACE FOR BUSINESS
MI MARKETPLACE TO ADVERTISE ON THESE PAGES CALL DARRELL CARTER ON 01992 535647 440 DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01132 589599 A ALLPARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0870 442 3336 B BILL LEWINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01268 413366 C COVERNOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0121 327 1977 F FOCUS MERCHANDISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8245 9035 FCN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01892 603730 FUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0113 320 0304 G GHANA GOODS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0117 955 8668 GUITARRAS DE ESPAÑA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0117 973 3214 H HC DISTRIBUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00 353 5991 34268 HERGA MUSIC SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8861 1590 HOT ROX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0115 987 3163 J JAM PERCUSSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0151 494 1492 L LEED REPRESENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01243 378050 LEISURETEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01525 850085 M MARSHALL AMPLIFICATIONS . . . WWW.MARSHALLAMPS.COM MCELLAND/GREMLIN MUSIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01273 491333 MELBAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +44 (0)20 8382 8010 MUSIC SHIPPING CO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01562 827666 O OCARINA WORKSHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01536 485963 ORANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8905 2828 R ROBERT MORLEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020 8318 5838 ROTHWELL AUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01204 366133 S SAXOPHONE UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01892 662 533 SOAR VALLEY MUSIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 230 4926 STEVE CLINKSCALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01573 225 885 T TEAC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01923 438 880 TOM & WILL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08450 945 659 W WIND PLUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 243 1698 WORLD RYTHM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01242 282 191
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
MARKETPLACE INDEX
JAM – it’s packed with percussion Tony Lucas and Graham Johns talk us through the USPs their company has to offer the UK retailers…
T
wo heads are better than one… That was the idea behind the formation, seven years ago, of Johns and Mushroom Percussion (known as JAM Percussion) from two small businesses already active in the world of percussion retail. The founder members of JAM Percussion, Tony Lucas and Graham Johns, joined forces and have quickly become one of the UK's leading percussion retailers. “We were sharing the same customers, so it seemed a natural step to put our two businesses under one roof,” explains Graham Johns. His co-director, Tony Lucas, took the decision to up-sticks and move north from Essex in 2002. “I was looking for a change from my professional playing career in London and this opportunity presented itself at exactly the right time,” he says. JAM began in 2003 with a couple of desks and computers in a rented office. It now owns a newly built office and warehouse space in South Liverpool, just down the road from Liverpool's John Lennon Airport. “The move in 2007 was a catalyst in our development,” says Lucas. “From here, we have been able to increase our stock of Adams percussion (JAM is the
UK and Ireland distributor for the Dutch timpani and percussion brand) and also take on the distribution for Grover Pro-Percussion in the UK. We’ve also been able to take on more lines on our retail side.” JAM tries to ensure that a large amount of the most popular lines are in stock and prides itself on ‘next-day’ availability. Percussion is often an after-thought for some retailers and customers sometimes need, for example, a xylophone for a concert by the end of the week. The customer's delight at being told 'you will have it tomorrow' is what gives the guys at JAM the buzz of job-satisfaction. “Expert knowledge is a key thing for us,” says Johns. “At JAM, we are all trained, active professional percussionists, which brings a lot of experience that we can pass on to customers. We can take an instrument off the shelf and play it. It’s an invaluable sales tool.” For any further information about Adams Timpani and Percussion, Grover Pro-Percussion and Mushroom Covers get in touch: 0151 494 1492 mail@jampercussion.com www.jampercussion.com
CLASSIFIEDS: MINIMUM 12 MONTHS - ONE ANNUAL CHARGE QUARTER PAGE £1,295 70 NOVEMBER 2009 miPRO
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MI MARKETPLACE ABROAD REPRESENTATION
ACESSORIES AND GIFTWARE
ACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTION
AMPLIFICATION
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
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MI MARKETPLACE CLASSICAL GUITARS
DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
…more than just a gig bag!
Quality! Visit us online at www.fusion-bags.com Distributed by + 44 (0)1483 238720
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MI MARKETPLACE DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
Your Box
Ready to Snatch 01525 850085
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Sound • Lighting • Special Effects - Established 1990 - Distribution Power Squared DISTRIBUTION
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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
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MI MARKETPLACE DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
GHANA GOODS WEST AFRICAN PERCUSSION WHOLESALE AND RETAIL PO Box 95, Fishponds Bristol, BS16 1AG Tel: 0117 9354132 ghanagoods@clara.net
www.ghanagoods.com
Call Tom Harrison on 01132 589599 or email - tom@440distribution.com GUITAR ACCESSORIES
INSURANCE AND BUSINESS
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 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
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MI MARKETPLACE MUSIC PUBLISHERS
OCARINAS
OCARINAS
PIANO MOVERS
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
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MI MARKETPLACE PERCUSSION AND DRUMS
Ro
t ber
PERCUSSION
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
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7H 3 1 E
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PROMOTIONAL
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MI MARKETPLACE REPAIRS
SAXOPHONES
WIND INSTRUMENT
MI MARKETPLACE GREAT ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES
CONTACT DARRELL CARTER +44 (0)1992 535647
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MI MARKETPLACE
RECRUITMENT
RECRUITMENT
®
GBI MARKETING MANAGER I<>@FE8C J8C<J D8E8><IJ Efik_ Jflk_ I\^`fej ;Ë8[[Xi`f :fdgXep# k_\ nfic[Ëj cXi^\jk dXel]XZkli\i f] D@ XZZ\jjfi`\j# `j kf fg\e `kj LB jlYj`[`Xip# ;Ë8[[Xi`f LB j_fikcp% N\ Xi\ cffb`e^ ]fi knf gif]\jj`feXc jXc\j i\gi\j\ekXk`m\j kf [\m\cfg fli LB Ylj`e\jj% Nfib`e^ n`k_ pfli @ek\ieXc JXc\j DXeX^\i# pfl n`cc Y\ i\jgfej`Yc\ ]fi XZ_`\m`e^ jXc\j kXi^\kj ]fi pfli i\^`fe XZifjj k_\ ;Ë8[[Xi`f LB gfik]fc`f f] ]i\kk\[ Yfn\[ jki`e^j# GcXe\k NXm\j XZZ\jjfi`\j# <mXej ;ild_\X[j# ?H G\iZljj`fe Xe[ Gli\Jfle[ G\iZljj`fe% Pfl n`cc Y\ \og\i`\eZ\[# _`^_cp fi^Xe`j\[# Xe[ Zfdglk\i c`k\iXk\ n`k_ X [\dfejkiXYc\ XY`c`kp kf gcXe Xe[ dXeX^\ k_\ jXc\j jkiXk\^p ]fi pfli i\^`fe% N\ Xi\ f]]\i`e^ X Zfdg\k`k`m\ jXcXip&Yfelj gXZbX^\ Xe[ ZXi% @] pfl _Xm\ k_\ jb`ccj# g\ijfeXc`kp Xe[ gif]\jj`feXc`jd kf i\gi\j\ek k_\ nfic[Ëj c\X[`e^ D@ XZZ\jjfip ZfdgXep k_\e gc\Xj\ j\e[ X Zfgp f] pfli :M kf1 J`dfe KlieYlcc# DXeX^`e^ ;`i\Zkfi# ;Ë8[[Xi`f LB Ck[ j`dfe%klieYlcc7[X[[Xi`f%Zf%lb%
When most people think of Fender® guitars & amplifiers, they think of our rich history and legacy, after all the Spirit of Rock and Roll is our Company motto. For us at Fender® it’s all about the future. We need to work hard today to MAKE HISTORY tomorrow. Would you like to be part of our future legacy? An exciting opportunity has become available for an experienced marketeer to join the Fender GBI (Great Britain and Ireland) Marketing Team. Reporting to the General Manager you will lead your team in successfully executing all marketing activities across the UK and Republic of Ireland whilst supporting and contributing to the strategic direction of our global organisation. To be successful in this role you will have proven experience in a marketing position with a genuine interest in the music industry and knowledge of Fender’s brand profile.You will be an excellent communicator with strong planning skills and the ability to establish credibility in this highly competitive and fast moving market. If you wish to find out more or apply for this exciting opportunity then please contact: Suzie Richardson Office Services Manager Fender GBI Robert Denholm House Bletchingley Road Nutfield Surrey RH1 4HW Tel: 01342 331730
m`j`k nnn%[X[[Xi`f%Zf%lb ]fi dfi\
Email: srichardson@fender.com The closing date for applications is 13th November 2009
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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
NOVEMBER 2006 Cover Stars: MIA industry awards with a big haul for Roland and a lifetime achievement for John Skewes, it was hailed as the best the MIA had pulled together – ever News: Ashton Music nicks Jon Gold from Carlsbro, Arbiter revamps website, Clapton Strat re-issued, Cliff Cooper collects Queen’s award from Buckingham Palace
GONG-TASTIC The MI trade gathered once again to celebrate itself – and why not? Far too little celebration going on as far as we are concerned. At the tables this year (clockwise from above) Alun Hughes advises John Rogers to go to Specsavers. Terry Hope gets perhaps a little too smoochy with John Booth. Bob Wilson tries to get a little smoochy with Future’s Mia Walter – the thought of which is just a little too much for Headstock’s Lindsay Harvey. Chris Butler of Music Sales, however, remains far too dignified to get involved in such shenanigans, but rather democratically awards the awards a satisfactory seven out of ten.
Features: Korg Italy dealer event, Christmas gifts, the DJ market, Lick Library (you still owe me, Kim), Dolphin Music, Tim Richards and Schott, Neumann Products: Parker P30, Ozark electros, Vintage V6 Icon, Phonic Helix 24, Samson VR88 ribbon mic, AKG Perception 400 Audio Technica ATM 650, Digigdesign M-Box 2, Korg PA800, Yamaha PSRS500, Scarlatti English concertinas Number one singles: Westlife – The Rose, Akon (featuring Eminem) – Smack That Number one albums: Girls Aloud – The Sound of Girls Aloud, Jamiroquai – High Times: Singles 1992-2006, George Michael – Twenty Five
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THE LAST WORD IN MI PRO
MI LUVVIES (Clockwise from top) Jealous at the relationship between John Booth and Terry Hope, Simon Gilson makes a move on Tim Walter. Another lovely couple, Active’s Paul Hagen (please note the spelling) and wife Jo. On the Music Force table, John Moore was looking a little uncomfortable without his West Brom shirt, but Dawn Richards was in her element among the glamour. Likewise, Mr and Mrs Jacobs after Denny had picked up his long overdue lifetime achievement award. M-Audio’s David Atkinson was not so Avid about the dress code, although his table was obviously very pleased with the evening, giving it a massive 25 out of ten.
MI ICON
O
ne of the few MI Icons ever to have graced these pages that has had a song named after it – see REM's Ebow the Letter – there can be little doubt that the Ebow has changed the way many guitarists approach their instrument and found itself a place amongst the great musical innovations. First patented in 1969 by Greg Heet, the Ebow has become a vital addition to the arsenal of effects available to guitarists, thanks to the intriguing and often beautiful sounds that it produces. Hand held and battery powered, it's a small and inauspicious little unit that is capable of punching way above its weight. Used as an alternative to fingers or plectrums when playing the guitar, instead of physically touching the strings it creates an electromagnetic field that vibrates the string and
Ebow creates a sound with infinite sustain that is not unlike a bow. Achieving something that few effects are able to do, the Ebow gives players access to a whole new bunch of tricks on their instrument, tricks that are not available on guitars played in a conventional manner. The colossal sustain alongside the ability to fade in and out of notes has made this little beast hugely popular and it is a steady seller to this day. The ingenius little black wedge has appeared on any number of records by artists such as Led Zeppelin, Big Country, Pink Floyd and more recently Bon Iver on the highly acclaimed For Emma, Forever Ago where the Ebow is prominent.
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IN ASSOCIATION W ITH
MI SPACE
Alan Townsend Company/job title: Sutherland Trading – marketing manager Years in the industry? 38 (Boosey & Hawkes, Peavey, Roland, Hohner & Sutherland) First single bought? Jackie Wilson – Reet Petite. Actually my cousin bought it and I didn’t have a record player, but I’d go to his house and play this record as loud as it would go Favourite album? Gary Moore, After Hours. I keep coming back to this one. Gary Moore at his best
SMILES ALL ROUND One final swoop around the tables at the MIA Industry Awards on October 7th revealed Charles Bozon and Mike Ketley of Yamaha, clearly more than happy with the quality of the wine (above), but what exactly has Peavey’s Clive Roberts got on his mobile phone? Some things, I guess, we will never know...
S E IK L A D N U SO E NOAH AND THE WHAL With a second album and accompanying film now out, Noah and the Whale have gone from advert music fodder to bone fide indie superstars. Here's what they use...
Currently listening to? Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band, Live in Dublin. Real music Favourite musician? It has to be Ray Charles. I used to see Joe Cocker every Wednesday in the Sheffield pubs. He was heavily influenced by Ray Charles. That’s when I found Ray Charles and his music has stayed with me ever since. One unforgettable moment was ‘meeting’ Ray Charles in the car park outside the Sheffield Fiesta. I asked him for his autograph, only to be told he didn’t write!
er Jaguar, 1963 Charlie Fink - vocals, guitar:1963 Fend , Marshall 1x12 Amp DC3 ie Boog Mesa , Fender Telecaster 6 Digital Line rb, Reve xe Guitar Cab, Fender 1965 Delu moth Pedal, Mam ly Woo Vex Z t, Boos MXR l, Delay Peda Ibanez AD9 Analog Little Big Muff, Ibanez Tube Screamer, ro Harmonix POG, Delay, Keeley Compressor Pedal, Elect rtron Digitech Electro Harmonix Holy Grail, ZVEX Disto Loop Pedal e oyster finish kit, Doug Fink - drums: Ludwig silver/whit 966), Floor Tom 22" Kick Drum (1966), Rack Tom 13"(1 ts, 13" Hi-hats, Hi-ha 14" Ride, 21" an 16" (1970) Zildji ty Snare Beau Black 16" Crash, 17" Crash Ludwig
Which instruments do you play? I’ve played a bunch of things over the years, but I still play keyboard and uke
own), Tom Hobden - fiddle: Violin (make unkn me stand, Roland 88 Note Stage Piano and x-fra electric toothbrush
Are you currently in a band? Piano in The Real Swing (four-piece swing band) and ukulele in the Porthcawl Ukulele Strummers Society
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82 miPRO NOVEMBER 2009
Fender P-Bass, Matt ‘Urby Whale’ Owens – bass: 1966 cab 2x10 own Ashd , B-15 ed Vox F-Hole Bass, Amp 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
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The fullest of full Music China reports ever, a sneak look at what will be happening at the NAMM Show, the portable PA market and up close and personal with db Technologies. EDITORIAL: ANDY BARRETT mipro@intentmedia.co.uk ADVERTISING: DARRELL CARTER darrell.carter@intentmedia.co.uk WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
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NEW, EXTREMELY PROFITABLE AND IN STOCK NOW ! FAB-20/22 Best Price £128.77
EUK Electric Ukes Best Price £56.22 Angel Lopez EC3000 Best Price £107.87
EX B8 Bronze Cymbal Set Best Price £ 57.21
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New Straps from £2.18 to £53.96 SSAB-A Sax Bag Best Price £15.30 Remo Festival Djembes Best Price £44.73
PSU-9V1AR-UK Pedal Power Supply £7.19
For the best prices speak to your area manager or call Kandy on 01293 862 612 More special offers and news at emdmusic.com Stagg Buying Plan Trade Price.
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Thanks to you
Thanks to all the music retailers who voted Roland Best Large Supplier in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MIA Awards. We couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it without you.
www.roland.co.uk