January 2011
w w w. m m r m a g a z i n e . c o m
Road Warriors: Independent Reps in the 21st Century
Show Report: PASIC 2010 NAMM Buyer’s Guide: Part 1
NEW DIGITAL VERSION: www.mmrmagazine.com
KAWAI K-3 Professional Upright Piano
2010 Acoustic Piano of the Year 2009 KAWAI K-3 Professional Upright Piano Acoustic Piano of the Year
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Contents JANUARY 2011 VOL.170 NO. 1
28 Spotlight:
Road Warriors – Independent Reps in the 21st Century
Rapidly evolving technology, changing distribution networks, and heightened competition from all sides has made the task of the independent road rep radically different from what it was even as little as 10 years ago. MMR spoke with a handful of significant manufacturer’s reps about how they’re changing with the times and finding ways to continue to bring higher levels of service to their dealers, proving that the one-on-one connection still has major upside, even in the digital world. As Kathy Bender-Jones of Bender Music notes, “A good rep has our interests in mind. They don’t try to sell us things just to be selling them… They come in and educate us, and they are people you want to spend time with.” Cover design: Laurie Chesna
38 Show Report: PASIC 2010
MMR reports from Indianapolis, where numbers at the annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention were up, but concern about a shaky market amongst attendees and exhibitors remained…
54 Buyer’s Guide to New Gear at NAMM – Part 1
New and notable gear to check out in Anaheim this January.
78 2010 NAMM Exhibitor Roster
89 Webwise: You and YouTube Kevin Mitchell speaks with Danny Rocks of the Company Rocks and learns seven key points to bear in mind when creating an effective online video campaign.
92 Fresh Faces: The Music Center
Jonesboro, Arkansas’ Music Center continues to grow, opening a new, much larger retail space this past November…
In every issue: 6 8 18 22
Editorial Upfront People Anniversary Celebrations 24 Viewpoint 94 Supplier Scene 97 Classifieds 104 Advertisers’ Index
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www.mmrmagazine.com MMR Musical Merchandise Review® (ISSN 0027-4615) founded in 1879, is published monthly by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781)453-9310, publisher of School Band and Orchestra, Choral Director, Music Parents America and JazzEd. All titles are federally registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Symphony Publishing, LLC. Subscription Rates: U.S.A., US possessions, one year $32; two years $40. Canada one year $80; all other countries one year $159. Single issues $5 each. May Supplier Directory $35. Periodical-Rate Postage Paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER/SUBSCRIBERS: Send address change to Musical Merchandise Review, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853. Periodicals circulation is directed to music dealers and retailers, wholesalers and distributors, importers and exporters and manufacturers of all types of musical instruments and their accessories, related electronic sound equipment, general musical accessories, musical publications and teaching aides. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competion. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Copyright ©2011 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.
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JANUARY 2011
Flips are for kids.
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Editorial Sidney Davis
Volume 170 Number 1 January 2011
Take Your Rep to Lunch
PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com
A few years back, NAMM sponsored a regional outreach, a “town meeting” format for dealers and suppliers in various locales. To generate enthusiasm and deliver the bodies, they often turned to the person most familiar with the territory in question: the sales rep. For a New England meeting, the late Chris Ross delivered the goods; dealers from a six-state area, along with suppliers and fellow reps. He worked the room like the Father of the Bride – they were his people and the large gathering was as much a testament to the energetic and well-liked sales rep as to the power of the industry trade organization. Another rep who passed on in recent years was Bob Seidman, who delighted in reviewing our Directory of Musical Instrument Dealers and citing errors in area codes and addresses (thankfully they were few in number). He could tell you the number of stores in Atlanta proper (18) and the driving distance from his Florida home to the Georgia capitol (607 miles). As we point out in this month’s cover report on Road Warriors, the independent rep has long been the industry glue bonding the relationship between supplier and dealer. In truth, there is a special comradeship between the two, as Tim Warren, president of The Marketers points out: “There’s a connection, because essentially it’s two independent business people talking to one another.” Equally important is the personal contact that is often lost in the land of the Internet. As Bender Music’s Kathy Bender-Jones noted, “I like the face-to-face that a sales rep provides, I like talking to someone in person and see them recommend something they obviously believe in as opposed to some kid on a phone reading a script.” Last month’s ‘50 Dealer/50 State’ report noted the movement towards social networking in the retail arsenal; for the sales rep, technology has also made a difference, however it’s far less pronounced. As Marketing Concepts’ Michael Austin tells us, in the pre-cell phone era he knew every hotel in his trading area that had a large phone bank, but today, “Instant communications tools make the pace faster, however the business climate makes the commissions smaller.” The result is more time spent on the retail floor. Making the sale is more than writing the order and making sure of an on-time delivery. Ron Tunks, RTF Sales, notes the need to police merchandising displays, assist dealers in training of personnel, and the ever-present problem of employee turnover, particularly in chain outlets. Both the company and independent sales rep are an integral part of the distribution process. They wear many hats: advisor, accountant, collection agency, merchandiser, trainer, and booth-greeter to name a few and in one case (see page 29) cookie provider. Next time a rep visits your store, take him or her to lunch. And on a final note we mourn the recent passing of two industry icons, Edward Cranley and Zeb Billings. Ed Cranley was the Board chairman for the sevenunit Kentucky-based Willis Music, which continues today under the direction of his son, Kevin. As a young man he served his country in World War II and was a decorated Navy Pilot. Zeb Billings began his music career in 1956 as a piano and organ dealer in Wisconsin and later expanded into publishing with the Sight and Sound Publishing Company, creating lesson methods for organ players as well music software for home computers. His son Greg and grandson Greg continue the family business operating Steinway Piano Gallery’s in Florida and Wisconsin.
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Rick Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com EDITOR Christian Wissmuller cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Denyce Neilson dneilson@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eliahu Sussman esussman@symphonypublishing.com ADVERTISING MANAGER Iris Fox ifox@symphonypublishing.com SALES & MARKETING MANAGER Jason LaChapelle jlachapelle@symphonypublishing.com CLASSIFIED & DISPLAY AD SALES Maureen Johan mjohan@symphonypublishing.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill lguptill@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Laurie Chesna lchesna@symphonypublishing.com Andrew P. Ross aross@symphonypublishing.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@symphonypublishing.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Popi Galileos pgalileos@symphonypublishing.com SYMPHONY PUBLISHING, LLC Chairman Xen Zapis President Lee Zapis lzapis@symphonypublishing.com Chief Financial Officer Rich Bongorno rbongorno@symphonypublishing.com Corporate Headquarters 26202 Detroit Road, Suite 300, Westlake, Ohio 44145 440-871-1300 www.symphonypublishing.com PUBLISHING, SALES & EDITORIAL OFFICE: 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310 Fax: (781) 453-9389 www.mmrmagazine.com
sdavis@ symphonypublishing.com
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JANUARY 2011
See us at NAMM Booth 1648
Upfront Breedlove Joins with Two Old Hippies A merger between Two Old Hippies and Breedlove was announced in early December. The ofcial press release, presented in Two Old Hippies’ trademark “laid back” fashion, states: “Mumbling something about ‘Getting the band back together,’ Two Old Hippies founders, Tom and Molly Bedell, along with Breedlove’s Kim Breedlove and ‘Crazy’ Pete Newport have announced that they are joining forces to create ‘The World’s Coolest Guitar Company.’ This conrms Breedlove is indeed joining the Two Old Hippies family.” Based in Bend, Oregon, Breedlove will continue operations in its current
facility and will expand to create the Bedell USA Custom Shop. Kim Breedlove will continue to drive Breedlove product development, and Tom Bedell will have a workshop to further advance his Bedell and Great Divide guitar creations. “We’ve always admired Breedlove’s spark, quality, and innovations. The Breedlove Company team is also very versatile and full of potential,” says Bedell. “We will continue to operate with little to no change in the Breedlove distribution network, programs or product lines in the near future.”
Dealers interested in more information about Breedlove, Bedell Guitars, Great Divide Guitars, or Two Old Hippies Apparel and Gifts can contact Two Old Hippies Customer Service at customerservice@ twooldhippies.com or (877) 264-3356.
Lewis to Succeed Bruhn as Chairman of Yamaha Music & Wellness Institute The Board of Directors of Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute (YMWI) recently named Terry Lewis as chairman of the Board. Lewis, who retired as executive vice president of Yamaha Corporation of America in 2008, succeeds Karl T. Bruhn, the Institute’s founder and rst chairman. Bruhn passed away on Octo- Terry Lewis ber 5 following a brief illness. The Board of Directors also announced establishment of a memorial research fund to honor Bruhn’s contributions.
“The Institute is poised to play a unique and pivotal role in expanding the science of music and wellness,” noted Lewis. “I look forward to carrying on the important work of Karl Bruhn and strengthening the power of his vision through compelling and groundbreaking scientic research, even more of which will be emerging soon. Anyone who is not yet convinced that music participation improves one’s biological and emotional state will be persuaded after becoming familiar with the work of
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Pulse of the MI Nation Compared to last month, sales are now...
Down 19%
Alfred Distributing Naxos Alfred Music Publishing has partnered with Naxos, a leading classical music label, on a comprehensive multi-tier distribution agreement to include physical and digital distribution as well as future licensing and publishing projects. The Naxos catalog includes more than 6,000 recordings, from classical favorites to new music. Now Naxos’ extensive catalog of CDs and DVDs will be available
the Institute. This will translate to more active music makers.” For more information on the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute (YMWI), write to 18201 Conneaut Lake Road, Meadville, Pa. 16335; call (814) 333.5061; or visit www.yamahainstitute.org.
throughout North American print music and M.I. channels, in most cases for the very rst time. In addition to the physical and digital distribution, the companies will partner to offer educational institutions Alfred’s audio recordings for classroom use through the Naxos Music Library. To view the complete Naxos catalog available through Alfred Music Publishing, visit www.alfred.com/naxos.
Up 29%
Level 52%
Compiled from replies to MMR’s ongoing online survey of MI retailers. Visit www.mmrmagazine.com to participate...
JANUARY 2011
Upfront Hal Leonard Signs Deal with EMI Music Publishing UK Hal Leonard Corporation has announced that effective January 1, 2011, it will gain exclusive rights to represent in print the catalog of London-based EMI Music Publishing UK. Artists on the EMI Music Publishing roster include UK and US acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Beyoncé, James Blunt, Deep Purple, Duffy, Enya, JLS, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Pink, Queen, Sting, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse, to name but a few. The deal also encompasses the music of Stevie Wonder and Motown. Under the terms of the new agreement, Hal Leonard will oversee licensing, edi-
torial, production and administration of the EMI Music Publishing UK catalogue via its new ofce in the Covent Garden area of London, as well as in coordination with the company’s headquarters in Milwaukee. Distribution will be handled by Hal Leonard Europe, which is a joint venture formed in 1996 by Hal Leonard Corporation and Music Sales Ltd. The deal was completed by Hal Leonard President Larry Morton and EMI Music Publishing UK President Guy Moot, working alongside European General Counsel Antony Bebawi and Senior VP of A&R/Catalog Fran Malyan.
Mel Bay’s New Licensing Division Mel Bay has launched a new division dedicated to licensing its catalog that features thousands of songs and recordings in a range of genres. The division, headed by music business veteran, Julie Price, is anchored by a robust, webbased platform designed for music su-
MMR Now Providing Content Through Social Media
MMR is pleased to announce three new ways to keep on top of the latest MI news and to interact with industry peers.
Sign on to MMR’s new Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Group page to get timely updates and relevant discussions on current trends. Combined with the monthly magazine, Web site, and weekly enewsletter, these new portals make Musical Merchandise Review the #1 resource in the MI industry!
pervisors. The one-stop, song search and music licensing Web site, www.melbay.com/licensing, is formatted to assist music supervisors and all music users in their search for the right song by allowing them to search by genre, instrument, tempo and mood.
In addition users can take advantage of a quick and easy licensing process and assistance from a dedicated licensing staff.
RHC Holding Corp. owns and operates six separate companies including The RapcoHorizon Company, which services the Retail Music market and the Professional A/V Installation Market; and Major Custom Cable, which services the DataCom and Telecommunications industries. “No major changes to ProCo Sound or any RHC company
will be implemented at this time,” said Dale Williams, president RHC Holding Corp. “Each RHC Holding Company will champion the philosophy of providing our customers with the best value and most innovative product designs backed by the exemplar customer service to which our dealers have come to depend upon.”
RHC Purchases ProCo RHC Holding Corp, in conjunction with their nancial partners, Midwest Mezzanine Funds and Bush O’Donnell, recently announced that they have signed a de nitive sale agreement as of November 19, 2010 for the asset purchase of ProCo Sound, Inc.
Senate Blocks Tax Provision Repeal
In early December, the Senate rejected efforts to repeal a tax provision which requires nearly 40 million U.S. businesses to begin ling forms in 2012 for any vendor that sells them more than $600 in goods. As previously reported in MMR, the provision was included in the new health-care law which was passed last year… 10 MMR
Strings & Things Robbery, Assault… Memphis Police are investigating a shooting at Strings & Things in downtown Memphis in late November. The store’s founder, Chris Lovell, posted the following on his Facebook
page the day after the incident: Strings and Things was robbed at gun point yesterday and my son was shot twice. He is in good condition at this point. I appreciate everyone’s concern. Thanks for the calls and prayers. Chris JANUARY 2011
Upfront Tibaldeo Files for Chapter 11 Victor Tibaldeo, founder of Miami’s iconic Victor Pianos & Organs, has filed a personal Chapter 11 bankruptcy as he tries to reorganize his company. The store properties fell into foreclosure by Bank of America during the recession, as annual sales declined from $650,000 a year to $47,796 in scal year
2008, according to documents led with the court. Tibaldeo put his company into bankruptcy last spring, declaring $7.27 million in assets and $2.64 million in liabilities. Most of the assets were property at the store’s location, 300 N.W. 54th St. He led for personal bankruptcy Nov. 21, declaring debt and assets ranging from
$1 million to $10 million. Tibaldeo’s attorney, Joel Aresty, said the 50-year-old family business intends to surrender some assets and inventory, emerge from bankruptcy and focus more on Internet sales. In September 2008, MMR pro led Victor and discussed his then-intention to sell Victor Pianos & Organs…
Premier Builders Guild Acquires Two-Rock Amplifiers Premier Builders Guild (PBG), a boutique guitar and amplier company has announced that it has acquired the Two Rock boutique amplier brand. Two-Rock makes a full line of hand built ampliers, including signature models for John Mayer, Eric Gales and Steve Kimock. Long recognized for its higher power, full-featured amps, the
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brand recently launched the Studio Pro, a 40W, small chassis “portable” classic reverb/custom clean hybrid that delivers clean headroom, dynamics and a variety of tone shaping options. Two-Rock amps will continue to be hand built at the brand’s Rohnert Park, Calif. workshop. Co-founder and Chief Designer Bill Krinard will continue to focus on
new product design and development; cofounder Joe Mloganoski will ensure a seamless transition into the PBG family; and veteran operations manager Mac Skinner will serve as general manager, reporting to PBG president Howard Swimmer. For more information, visit www.premierbuildersguild.com and www.two-rock.com
JANUARY 2011
Wishing you love, peace and happiness througout the new year.
See us at NAMM Booth 5940
Happy new year, man.
Five-Star’s Third Annual Big Beat On November 7th, 15 Five-Star drum shops held the third annual Big Beat. A total of 1,454 drum set players and 199 hand percussionists participated, along with approximately 6,000 spectators at the 15 locations. Nearly $54,000 was raised for charity and about 6,000 pounds of food was collected. The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation will get almost $36,000 to purchase musical instruments for deserving children in Big Beat cities and the remaining $18,000 will go to children’s organizations and food pantries in
various Big Beat areas. Each location had a variety of events throughout the day, from demonstrations by drum corps groups to percussion ensembles to Brazilian samba units and some had guest appearances by majorname drummers like Kenny Aronoff, Jason Bittner, Bun E. Carlos, Rick Latham, Thomas Pridgen, Jeremy Taggart, Derico Watson and Alan White, among
others. And one lucky drummer in Minneapolis-St. Paul won the national prize, a Dream Theater replica tour bass drum head autographed by the entire band. The Five-Star Drum Shops group is a non-prot organization of independentlyowned specialty percussion stores in North America that are dedicated to advancing the art and science of drumming. For more information, visit www.vestardrumshops.com.
Correction In last month’s “America’s Top Music Chains” report, Music Go Round was incorrectly credited with an estimated annual revenue of $7mm. The correct figure is: $27mm.
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JANUARY 2011
A Sure Cure for Island Fever
Nicole Fox Miss Hawaii 2008
When you’ve been in the Islands too long, a Mahalo Ukulele is just the thing to snap you out of the doldrums. Fifteen models and a full palette of color choices will suit your every mood. It is so easy to get started and Mahalo Ukes won’t pile your budget onto a reef either. Just follow Miss Hawaii into your local music store …surf’s up!
Mahalo Ukuleles Priced from $29.95 Retail Saga Musical Instruments • P.O. Box 2841 • South San Francisco, CA 94080 • [800] BUY-SAGA sales@sagamusic.com • www.sagamusic.com • DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED! See us at NAMM Booth 5760
U-320
Upfront Arizona Guitar Store Owner Facing Felony Charges Three Phoenix police ofcers and a former patrolman were recently indicted after authorities said they pocketed thousands of dollars in an off-duty security scam at a low-income south Phoenix housing complex. azfamily.com reported that, “the company was set up by a former police ofcer. George Contreras served as an
off-duty coordinator for the Phoenix police ofcers through Raptor Services. Contreras also owns a Phoenix store called Raptor Guitars…Contreras had been with the Phoenix Police Department for nearly 20 years when he resigned in 2008. He now faces charges of felony theft, illegal control of an enterprise, and fraud.”
SLM Named Distributor for Suzuki Violins St. Louis Music (SLM) has announced that it is now the exclusive U.S. distributor of the Nagoya Suzuki violin line. “To have world-renowned Suzuki instruments in our catalog is an honor and a great benet to our dealers,” says SLM’s Jim Eaton, vice president.
St. Louis Music will exhibit the instruments at 2011 Winter NAMM and be prepared to deliver instruments from inventory in January of 2011. For more information on placing an order or becoming a Suzuki Violin dealer, e-mail info@usbandsupplies.com or call (800) 727-4512.
iMSO Gathers Food for the Hungry On Saturday, November 13, 25 iMSO members from points all over the nation hosted a “STRINGS for FOOD” event in their stores. Each customer who made a donation of food was treated to a set of strings installed on their guitar free of charge. The stores covered promotional expenses and installation labor and will present the
donated food to local food banks. Support from vendors like D’Addario and Curt Mangan Strings who both donated strings and accessories, and to MIRC, who donated guitars, made this event a huge success. Collectively, the 25 stores changed 1150 sets of strings and raised over 6,650 pounds of food for their local food banks
Kala Sponsors Music Therapy Workshops At the 60th annual American Music Therapy Association’s annual conference music therapists demonstrated the ukulele to have applications in all forms of therapy and recreational music making. The ukulele is being used in physical therapy, programs for
the mentally challenged, senior recreational music making, and rehabilitation programs. Kala Brand Music Co. sponsored the workshops which featured Grammyaward winning artists and instructors Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer.
Breaking News! Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.mmrmagazine.com 16 MMR
JANUARY 2011
People Rodgers Instruments Corporation recently announced the appointment of two veteran retail managers as regional sales managers: Sam Eberwein Elberwein and Tony Dellacroce. Eberwein has served the music industry in several management positions in retail and wholesale for 38 years. Dellacroce will focus on Roland Classic Dellacroce Series instrument sales in Rodgers’ Western Sales Division. In their new positions, Mr. Eberwein will be based in Florida while Mr. Dellacroce will be based in Texas. Yamaha Corporation of America has appointed Bonnie Barrett director of Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. Barrett will be located at the company’s Piano Salon, a 7,700-square-foot Barrett facility on the third oor of 689 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York, at 54th Street and Fifth Avenue, in the center of Midtown Manhattan. Ms. Barrett replaces James Steeber, who has left the company to pursue other interests. Casio America, Inc. has signed singer/ songwriter and blues piano protégé Josh Charles as the new national spokesperson for their Privia brand of keyboards. As part of Charles’ promotional schedule, he will be featured in Privia’s online and print advertising campaign, as well as a live performance at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show in Anaheim. Aphex has brought veteran audio sales manager Kent Dimon into the company as their new director of Licensing. Dimon, whose resume includes stints at
Altec Lansing and Bose Corporation, will look after the company’s rapidly expanding partnerships and collaborations across multiple technology sectors. The Avedis Zildjian Company has announced that three current employees will assume new roles in its sales department effective immediately. John Sorenson, who has served in various management positions over the past 15 years, joins the Sales Department in a newly created director of sales planning position. As Sorenson director of sales planning, Sorenson oversees sales program development and forecasting and is responsible for the management of all non-cymbal product categories. Steve Pappone joins the Sales Department as sales planning manager, reporting to Mr. Sorenson. Pappone’s new responsibilities include sales forecasting and planning for the cymbal category. Cady Zildjian expands her former responsibilities as business development coordinator in her new position, associate product manager-apparel and novelties. Ms. Zildjian Zildjian will focus on special sales promotions to build the Company’s apparel and novelty categories. Laura Rivera joins the Zildjian Company as director of marketing Rivera communications. David Gutierrez joins the Company as customer service administrator, after completing an internship with the Company’s Gutierrez marketing department.
Breaking News! Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.mmrmagazine.com 18 MMR See us at NAMM Booth 4811
JANUARY 2011
News Note from Joe A New Year’s Resolution for the Industry On behalf of the Board of Directors and the NAMM staff, I would like to extend our best wishes for 2011 to the 9,000 Member companies of NAMM and their employees. This New Year arrives with cautious optimism, as the global economy begins to shake off the effects of three years of turbulence. I’ve heard from a wide range of Members, and a common theme is that business seems to have stabilized but is still “offâ€? from pre-recession numbers. If there is any silver lining, it’s that these Members have done everything imaginable to trim costs and become more efďŹ cient so that any level of recovery will be a good thing. And while a consensus for the future is hard to come by, everyone appears to agree on one thing: the economic recovery is going to be a long and drawn-out affair—no quick snap back to “good times.â€? How does an industry adapt to this new reality? We either accept the fact that growth will be at in the years ahead, or we can make an industry-wide resolution to create new music makers and increase the size of the market. Creating new music makers––you know, showing a kid in your store his ďŹ rst three chords so he can strum “Twist and Shout,â€? or committing to start a Recreational Music Making program such as drum circles, group keyboard classes or Weekend Warriors. You could also volunteer to support your local school
ADVERTORIAL • JANUARY 2011
visit us online at www.namm.org music program or start an afterschool music class at your neighborhood Boys and Girls Club. There are dozens of turn-key programs from NAMM and our partners—or you can invent your own. There is no secret to this; all it takes is the willpower to begin and the understanding of why it is so important. There are some great examples of NAMM retailers who take this responsibility very seriously, but all too often we hear: It’s too difďŹ cult, I don’t have time, there’s no space in the store, we don’t have enough staff, etc. I’m guessing you’ve heard or possibly even used these excuses yourself. Many retailers I speak with tell me that parents need to get their kids started, the government needs to support the arts more, the schools need to have great music teachers, the manufacturers should support programs and NAMM needs to do a national “Got Milkâ€? campaign. It’s easy to point ďŹ ngers about how others should do more, and I personally agree that all these aspects could contribute to growing the industry. But the bottom line is we need more customers, and we can achieve that if we all work together to create programs that make it easy and fun for people to make music throughout their lives. Business has changed, markets have changed and customer expectations have changed. What hasn’t changed? The almost universal dream to play a musical instrument. We’re grateful for our current customers who shop our stores and keep pushing us to create better and better products each year. But the model for industry growth will only come from recognizing that the vast majority of those who don’t play wish they did. Millions share the dream of being able to pick up a guitar or sit down at a keyboard. They see themselves playing in a band or orchestra, or picture a family gathering where they can enjoy making music with their kids. I call on the global industry and all NAMM Members to make the commitment this year to do something–– anything––to help make these non-players’ dreams come true!
*OE ,AMOND s .!-- 0RESIDENT #%/
NAMM is “Taking It to 11!� Check out all the new and classic show features! NAMM U Breakfast Sessions
26th Annual TEC Awards
Ukulele Circle
Idea Center Sessions
App & Technology Pavilion
Annual All-Industry Drum Circle
Best in Show
Luthier Pavilion
Generation Next Learning Lounge
H.O.T. Zone Education Sessions for Live Sound and Pro Audio
Native American Pavilion
SupportMusic Coalition Simulcast
Lounge 88—Piano Lounge
SchoolJam USA Finals
SCORE & Small Business Administration FREE Business Consultations
Icon Band Celebrity Jam—Band From TV
NAMM News
January
2011
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Anniversary Celebrations Manning Music Celebrates 25 Years with a Grand Opening
Manning Music recently celebrated its 25th year in Topeka, Kansas. The family-owned operation celebrated their anniversary on November 13 with the grand opening of their new, 6,220 square feet location. The grand opening featured live music, food, and giveaways. Ibanez, Tama, Ernie Ball, and Yamaha provided products for several drawings held throughout the day. According to owner Todd Manning, “The grand opening was a great celebration.”
Todd and his wife Deb spent over ve months renovating the building, which is more than double the size of the previous location. Todd explains, “My wife Deb, who is a high school Math teacher, and I put 220 hours of work into this building. We were here every night and weekend.” Todd chronicled the renovation and move on the store’s Web site and Facebook page. The new facility has 15 lesson rooms, a small recital area, a repair facility, a large showroom, and ofce and inventory space. The larger space has allowed Manning Music to add digital keyboards and pianos to its offerings as well as piano lessons. Prior to the move, the store was already home to 24 private music teachers giving more than 300 lessons per week. Manning Music carries band instruments along with a large selection of string instruments, Kustom ampliers, and Tama and Yamaha drum sets. Todd is the second generation Manning to run Manning Music, taking over from his parents in 1995. The store has continued to focus on supporting and growing school music programs.
Marshank Sales Celebrates 90th Anniversary
Marshank Sales is celebrating its 90th year in business in 2010. Led by Gary Marshank and Paul Hugo, Marshank Sales is a third-generation independent rep rm that was started in 1920 by Gary’s grandfather. With over 3,200 square feet of ofce and warehouse space in Tarzana, California, a satellite ofce in Phoenix, Arizona, and salespeople based as far south as San Diego and as far north as Thousand Oaks. Commenting on the anniversary, Marshank said, “We’ve been investing a lot of time and energy in order to grow the company. We currently have the best team we’ve ever had with good diversity, a lot of experience and amazing sales talent.” The company was started by Gary’s grandfather, Dave Marshank, who was a factory direct salesperson for radio parts prior to moving to Los Angeles in 1920. Dave would travel by train from New York City to what he jokingly called the “48 western states,” 26 weeks at a time. He was given the opportunity to open an ofce in California and take on other manufacturer’s products, which made him an independent rep. Gary’s father, Norm, joined the company in 1946 after serving as a pilot during World War II. Norm remained at the company for over 55 years before retiring in 2003. The company expanded its coverage of the live sound and commercial audio market when Paul Hugo became a partner three years ago. Currently, Marshank Sales distributes the following brands: Ampeg, APB DynaSonics, Audix, Auralex, BBE, Crate, EAW, Gator, Genelec, Intelix, Mackie, Martin Audio, Monster, PreSonus, Riedel and Switchcraft.
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JANUARY 2011
Viewpoint Joe Bredau
Preparation is the Key A few ideas to consider before you buy any product at NAMM 2011
“Buying is not just a skill; it is knowledge combined with instinct.”
Okay, you have had your Christmas sale, the long awaited “end of the year” clearance sale, and now it is time to prepare to attend the NAMM show. Remember, this will be the largest attended show in the history of NAMM. If it isn’t, it should be. More on this topic after the show is over and the attendance numbers are in… Preparing to attend the show is not an easy task, but you have done it year after year and will be ready to do it again. After all, it’s not all work and no play; enthusiasm will ll the air, there will be new products galore, you will get to see and meet with vendors face to face, you will be able to swap retail stories with other dealers and maybe the vendors as well. You will enjoy a few breakfasts, lunches, and dinners on someone else’s expense account and hopefully make the buys of a century, because we all know vendors have been hard hit this past year and many of them will be strongly pushing for orders; maybe, but so what? The point is, you have to be prepared to say “NO thanks,” if you nd yourself in an overstocked position on products that will be replaced by new products being introduced at NAMM; or you are overstocked on competing brands with a similar new model; or maybe you are just too overstocked in many product areas
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and it is tying up seriously needed cash ow. In a survey of 220 retail music dealers 37 percent of the dealers questioned said their inventory is well over inventory budget, 16 percent said it was a somewhat over budget, and 8 percent said it was just a little over budget. 11 percent said they were not sure if they were overstocked or not. The rest of the dealers, a mere 28 percent, said they felt they were okay. However, everyone admitted that they were concerned about non-selling inventory, no matter what you call it. So here are a few questions to consider when you are sitting in the vendor’s booth and they ask or expect an order. 1) What existing model does the new product replace? If none, does it compete with other vendor models you now offer? • What is our inventory of existing product on this model? JANUARY 2011
• What are the strengths of the new model versus the existing model? a. Expanded features/benets and how will they re-position the existing model b. Lower price or the same price point c. Better warranty d. Much better design e. Stronger marketing strategy of the new product versus the existing product 2) What is the Vendor’s inventory balance program for the purchase of new product against the sell-off and possible discounting of the existing replaced product? a. Cost down against existing inventory of replaced product(s) b. Rebate against sales of old product with valid sales receipt forwarded to vendor as proof of sale (time period may be requested by vendor re: 60/90/120 days maximum). Rebate is negotiated and is usually dependent on new purchases. Okay, let’s say you are in good shape on inventory against new products introduced at NAMM, but you still have a few questions you need to ask vendors just to support the eventual sales of these new, exciting, trend setting products. 1) What marketing support does the vendor offer to assist in selling this product? a. National advertising with the information of where ads will run, re; magazines, TV, Cable, E-Commerce site(s) and dates the advertising will appear. b. Will there be dealers listed in all ads; some ads; no ads. c. Is there a co-op advertising program available and how does it work (get a printed copy of this program) d. Will there be in-store merchandising available re; posters, signs, displays, video/DVD presentations, live demos by vendor product support teams and… will there be a JANUARY 2011
demo product purchase discount program available. (If there is get it in writing). e. Can I sell this product in multiple sales channels, re; existing retail store(s), my web site, general internet (Amazon, e-Bay, etc.), catalogs, big box “associate” distribution program such as Sam’s Club, Costco, etc. f. Can I have a list of all authorized dealers for these products g. Is there a MAP program on this product (if so, get it in writing)
2) Finance questions to consider are these: a. Are there special terms for show purchases re; any extended dating program so I can kick-start the release of the new products while clearing out the older products. b. How will the NAMM show purchases affect my oor plan program while I am moving out old inventory to make room for new the product? c. Is there an additional discount for oor/demo models which lose value since they are usually scuffed up, dirty
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a. Are there any existing products still on order b. When will the new product be available for delivery c. What is our estimation on how long it will take to sell off the old model
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and show wear after being played for three to six months on the sales oor. d. Also, an additional discount when the demo unit is replaced. 3) What products will vendor company “A” show that will be a direct competitor to vendor company “B” and “C”, etc. and will it replace any of my other vendor’s products completely? Do the comparisons so you understand which products t your market needs?
a. Review competitive sales comparisons (talk to your sales staff and consider on- hand data) b. Review GP margins available from all competitive vendors. Don’t forget to include freight cost and any nance cost as well as marketing/ advertising cost and service cost. c. Compare the popularity in your market of all brands considered. Remember, certain brand names are more popular than others, market by market. Know your market.
4) What support in sales and product training does the vendor supply or have available? a. In store sales and product training b. Off site sales and product training c. Both d. Is there any cost to the retailer e. Will vendor supply reports on employee training performance reviews f. Is there a certication program offered and does the vendor have a written program for review 5) Review if the products you are selecting meets your business strategy… or not. a. Can my present staff handle the new products or will I have to hire new people b. What training will they need and what will it cost c. Do I have adequate space to expand into new product categories and if not what will it cost d. Do I have the customers for the new products and if not how do I get them e. If I expand into new product categories what support will I ask the vendor to partner on related to the expense 6) How will I measure the success of my NAMM trip? a. You ll in this area This article is not meant to stop you from buying at NAMM. It is meant to guide you in the process of buying. Add these questions to the list you already have. Preparation is the key to making good decisions. Buying is not just a skill; it is knowledge combined with instinct. Good luck at NAMM and I hope these questions and ideas help you make better, stronger and successful decisions during your visit to the NAMM booths this 2011. After 40 years in the music business working on the retail and manufacturing arenas Joe Bredau maintains Marketing for Industry, a consulting agency with several clients in a variety of business segments. His business career ranges from a merchandising director at Grinnell Bros. to marketing vice president at Korg USA. He has spent extensive time both in Europe and Asia assisting in the development of numerous music products. He has a Master’s Degree in Management and an AMA certication in Strategic Planning. Joe can be contacted at joebredau@gmail.com.
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See us at NAMM Booth 4862
JANUARY 2011
Spotlight
Road
Independent
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JANUARY 2011
Warriors:
Reps in the 21st Century Changes abound, but not the importance of “face-to-face” time
Kathy Bender-Jones’ face lights up when one of her 11 manufacturer’s reps walk through the doors of Bender Music. She’s genuinely glad to see them. “A good rep has our interests in mind,” Bender-Jones says. “They don’t try to sell us things just to be selling them. They don’t try to dump things on us. They look at our demographics.” She says the good reps make appointments, which allows her to organize it so that her staff is available for their visits. “We have a young staff, all in their early 20s, and my boys want to learn. They come in and educate us, and they are people you want to spend time with. One of our reps even brings cookies! And that can go a long way…” she laughs. In addition to sometimes being bakers, “We’re friends, condents, advisors, consultants, sales people,” says Tim Warren, president of The Marketeers. And road reps have the endurance – and likely the stomachs – of long-haul truckers. Donn Nelson of Pro Media says his six-month old car already has 25,000 miles. “I’m on the road a lot,” he laughs. But don’t ask for a ride: “Normally my SUV is so full of samples, there’s not even room for a passenger!” cracks Warren. From guitar picks to pro audio cabinets, it’s all he can do to save himself room for a cup holder for coffee and a bag for his trash. How dynamic is the business? Warren is calling on pawnshops. “Who has money right now?” he asks (not so) rhetorically.
“I work with them on displays and promotional ideas... then we talk about grandchildren.” JANUARY 2011
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The advantages of these beasts of the byways are bountiful. “Independent reps can be at more places at the same time,” Jon Bosaw says. “The manufacturer doesn’t pay for their company benets or their insurance, and the reps’ are only paid a percentage of what they are able to sell. That function and relationship hasn’t changed much. What has changed is how the customer thinks about products.” The Process & the Politics Adamson Systems, an Ontario-based pro audio speaker manufacturer has turned to an independent rep network to expand their existing presence in the U.S. They hired Bosaw as U.S. sales manager to do it. Prior to working for Adamson, Jon worked for EAW and knows the terrain. “I’ve secured about half the reps we need so far,” he says, explaining that the U.S. is typically split up into 13 to 15 territories. “The hardest part is nding a rep who doesn’t have something else in his line that is in competition with Adamson. Since I worked at EAW, you’d think I’d rst call EAW reps, but I didn’t because a rep wouldn’t want to jeopardize what they are already doing.” But Bosaw knows a lot of other reps – some have been easy to bring on, like Meyer Marketing, Florida. As to how a company and an independent rep partner, Bosaw says it’s rst up to the rep. “The thing is the rep knows his customers the best,” he says. “He travels
the territories, and knows the dealers and who can be resistant to a certain product line, [etc.].” Most talked about the sensitivity required for this job, as naturally the manufacturer wants as much attention as possible, and any slights, real or perceived, must be handled delicately. Also what constitutes a competing line can be in the eye of the beholder. Bosaw says that even though they may see that their high-end speakers could work side-byside with speakers built for things other than arenas or big churches, that other manufacturer might not view it like that. Or, even a mic manufacturer might come up with an objection to their rep taking on a speaker line, on the basis that it will take up the rep’s bandwidth, and the competition is a retailer hearing about a speaker when he or she “should” be hearing about the mics. “There are probably very few reps that don’t have lines that overlap in some way.” But a realistic appreciation of how the rep pays his bills is what is needed. “If you really think about it, the reason you have a rep is his contacts, and what is paying for him to go around with a new product in the beginning is the other products he carries.” If he goes around as a big-brand name rep, that big brand name is actually paying for his gas to get him to dealers to talk to him about whatever new brand he’s also talking about. He’s not making money on the new brands until he makes that big sale, and “so the sympathetic thing is to under-
stand you have to exists with those other lines, and that’s benecial to you. A lot of these reps have to be pretty spread out with many manufacturers in order to stay in business.” Some, especially because of the economy, have reached beyond the MI world and are representing AV/Security products. “You see a lot of these guys are going in and putting in conferencing systems, or cameras and lighting.” Sensitivity on all levels is key. For Warren, every retailer is unique and has to be handled differently than another. “We try to nd a way to deal with each individual customer that they are comfortable with.” There’s a connection because essentially it’s two independent businesspeople talking to one another. “We have a particular affection for the independent retailer, and we try to partner with them. I know that’s a term that’s thrown around a lot, but we try to really care about their business.” “First, you have to have complimentary lines,” Ron Tunks says. But what that means is in the eyes of the beholder. Tunks of RTF Sales appreciates the client’s concerns, even if he doesn’t always agree with them. RTF represents PRS, Zoom, Samson, and Tycoon, among others. Until very recently, they represented Casio but then the opportunity to take Korg revealed itself. Casio chose to go elsewhere because they felt there was a con ict of interest. Another example, ending differently: Fender would represent a clear con ict to their guitars like PRS – but not Fender’s
Ron turks of RT Sales.
Jon Bosaw of Adamson.
Michael Austin of Marketing Concepts.
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JANUARY 2011
Passport audio products. Fender’s people were only going into guitar shops, while RT Sales went into a wider array of stores, so they represented the Passport line in full line and non-guitar specic retail operations and in the rst month put 20 new dealers into that line. “Peavey did the same thing. They have a divisional of architectural acoustic products, and their reps didn’t know about contractors who work on stadiums like we do, so we took on that and did well with it.”
retailer took them on, and is doing well with them. “I nd a lot of guys in this economy get afraid to ask for the sale, but you don’t know if you don’t ask.” Another example is a Bass Emporium in Austin, Texas, an all-bass guitar store. “They adopted TC Electronic products early on when they had a $2,000 bass rig, and did well because it was still different and unique. It’s not for everybody, but then again, neither are Mercedes, and they aren’t going away in this economy either.” Now they do well with all TC products. Tunks recalls that life in the early days was simple. He had no investment, and merely brought products to dealers, took them out to lunch, sold a few, and then “every night I’d get back to my hotel and add up commissions for the day to see if I made any money!” Also, the idea of “merchandizing” was a bit foreign to most retailers back in the old days. “Basically there were guitars on the wall, amps on the oors, some hooks for accessories, a glass display, and posters on the wall.” Tunks says. “And there were very few pro shops.” But RT Sales grew, and he added more products, people, and territory. When the company hit the $1 million mark, he knew he was onto something. A few years ago, they hit $30 million. The recent recession pulled that number back a bit, though now that they are with Korg, he suspects “we’ll build some of that back.” What has changed is the advent of chain stores. “I can’t go into them and sell them anything,” Tunks says. “Then there’s training and there’s a lot of turnover in those stores. Also the manufacturer will come up with POP and merchandising displays, but a lot of times they don’t get set up. Maybe they are slammed, so we end up going in and setting up displays. So there is a different need for them compared to an indepen-
“A lot of guys can find themselves assuming that a dealer isn’t going to be interested in something. You can’t do that.”
Yesterday and Today “It’s an everchanging business,” says Nelson of Pro Media. “It’s different today then it was ten years ago – different then two years ago.” For example, he said he had just gone into a Best Buy, and “you wouldn’t have caught me near there ve years ago!” In the pre-cellphone/e-mail dark ages, Michael Austin of Marketing Concepts said he knew every hotel in his territory that had a great phone bank and a great bathroom. Calling card in hand, he’d pull over, belly up to one of the phone banks, and call into his answering service. Fast forward to today, and he says the instant communication tools makes the pace faster, and the business climate makes the commissions smaller, so he and his brethren have to hustle more. Austin says he tells his coworkers to never assume anything, even in these trying times. “A lot of guys can nd themselves assuming that a dealer isn’t going to be interested in something. You can’t do that.” He sites as an example the K&M Stands they rep. “They are higher end stand, but made in Germany, and are a little pricy.” While it might be deemed too expensive for a certain dealer, Austin points out that said dealer is also a Taylor Guitar retailer. “Those customers who buy those guitars are willing to spend $50 on a stand to protect it.” That JANUARY 2011
See us at NAMM Booth 3604 MMR 31
Kathy Bender Jones and Kayte Doubinis.
“Whether its speakers or lights, it’s important to get into the door and show the retailer new products. When we do that, there’s always a positive response.” 32 MMR
dent store, where you sit down with the buyer and writer up an order.” Nelson says big boxes are a signicant part of the business today, though the independent dealers that are left are the strongest of the pack. Those independents that haven’t survived in the last ten years usually were under capitalized in his view, and wouldn’t always have in stock what the customer was asking for. Another trend is the big boxes having their own house brands/private labels, which is changing the environment as well. One thing that is not changing is the importance of that face-to-face time. “That’s key to our business,” Nelson says. “Whether its speakers or lights, it’s important to get into the door and show the retailer new products. When we do that, there’s always a positive response.” In his opinion, fewer dealers are going to trade shows – or if an MI retailer goes, he or she is taking two or three people with them instead of six or eight, so the independent rep getting into their door to show off new gear to all the employees is more important than ever. Otherwise, how open a retailer is to new product depends on the individual
dealer. “Even in slower times, most dealers know they need to get new products in their store, because customers are going to be asking about them. If they don’t have them in stock, they’ll lose the sale. Those things haven’t changed: People want what they want when they want it, so if something new comes out, the dealer needs to have it in inventory to get the sale.” Pro Media is actually up this year in spite of the economy. Today the organization covers six states, but it’s complicated. They don’t carry every product in every state, because every agreement with every manufacturer has its own requirements and needs. “We’re unique because we do everything from entry-level lighting to Digico Consoles.” Training is more important then ever, and some retailers do it better then others. “We’re more than happy to spend as much time training as a retailer will let us, but hey, they are busy too. Sometimes its hard to give them the training that they need.” With lighting there are other challenges too: “In a full line store, there may be only a couple of people interested in lighting, just like there are a few interested in guitars, and a few interested in JANUARY 2011
amps [etc]. So you have to target people, and make sure you get to those who are going to be waiting in the customers interested in lighting and have them be able to answer their questions.” Some things don’t change: “With independents especially, it’s still the 80/20 rule,” Nelson says. “80 percent of the business comes from 20 percent of dealers.” Bender-Jones, whose Elkton, Maryland retail operation has been around since 1995, says that generally reps have “gotten a little more ruthless.” Also, there seems to be less of them visiting her. “I like that face to face. I like talking to someone in person and see them recommend something they obviously believe in, as opposed to some kid on a phone reading something his boss wrote up for him to say.” The independent rep must embrace change, as do the dealers they serve. “The new ‘normal’ is not going to be the same as the old normal,” Warren says. “It’s a completely new world, and those who accept that are growing now.” He sites one of his clients, Guitar Gallery in Tuscaloosa, Ala., recently opened a second, bigger location. “There was an opportunity to do so, and they are doing great with products others might be scared to death to try. This is a testimonial to having a rep visit and convinces you to try something. It proved to them that there are still brands out there that are extremely protable and desirable.” Guitar Gallery co-owner Scott Smith told Warren to bring him anything else he thinks The Guitar Gallery can “make this kind of prot on, and we’ll try it.” Years ago Bosaw worked for Valley Audio in Nashville, and was a studio equipment provider dealing with Otari products. “When a customer was building a recording studio, we’d be the one that picked the brand that went in it. That’s all changed. Now the dealer has the ability to sell you practically any name brand. The customer now says I want a Yamaha hard disk recorder, Sennheiser mics, etc., and the dealer has to provide what the guy wants. So the job of the rep has changed in that he has to make sure that the product is being seen, and being asked for, by the customer.” Becoming a Road Warrior Nelson started playing in bands in high school, and then worked at Al Nalli JANUARY 2011
Music in Ann Arbor. In 1980, one of the vendors needed help, and he moved into being a rep. In 1993, he founded Pro Media Marketing. Today he reps a wide-variety of products, including American D.J., Tascam, Crown, AKG, Pignose, and Whirlwind Pedals, among others. Michael Austin started working sound for church in Lufkin, Texas, as a teenager, and when his minister, Glendon Sanders, started renting out sound gear, it grew into a little company taking Austin with it. By the time he was 24, he was a co-owner of the business. Reps would visit the small store, including Bruce Marlin of Marketing Concepts in 1984, and Austin was intrigued by the possibilities of that as a career. “I was attracted to it,” he says. “I liked them coming in, I liked talking to them, and I liked that they were the guys with the answers. But it was really hard to get a job as a rep. They typically hired older guys from larger markets, so I wasn’t really on the radar screen.” Except for Marlin, who offered him a job. Reecting on his early foray into the eld in the 1980s, he says, “It was just a different time back then. Being a rep was being at the top of the heap. Today there’s a lot more rep rms, and probably more individuals doing it, guys basically working out of their car. And there’s lots more brands now.” Marketing Concepts has gone through some changes, and today in addition to MI, they also rep for the Broadcast recording, theater, and video conferencing areas. For MI they focus on proaudio, including Adamson, and while in the past they’ve carried guitars, they’ve most recently been representing TC Electronics. “About ve years ago, they came in heavy with effect processors, and that was their foray into the MI world,” he says of TC Electronics. “Now they have a whole line of bass amps and combos that area really nice, plus a line of vintage pedals and vocal processors.” Today Warren is president of The Marketeers, a rm that reps the likes of Hanson, Tanglewood, Blackstar, DBZ, Moog, and St. Louis Music products including Alvarez, Austin, and Knilling, among others. Like many he started in music retail in 1976 and in the 1980s managed A.B. Stephens Music, a small MI chain based in Huntsville, See us at NAMM Booth 3604 MMR 33
Ala. He was tempted away from the retail registers and worked for Kaman for six years, followed by a ve-year stint at Fender. He took a break from the business to tend to an ailing mother, and then when it was time to return to the business, he realized he had always wanted to own his own rm. “At the time it didn’t seem like a bad idea!” he laughs. The year? 2008. Despite jumping in when the economy was falling off a cliff, he quickly established himself working with Mike Shellhammer of Morgan Hill Music/Boulder Creek Guitars. Today his full roster of products has allowed his company to grow 300 percent over last year.
“This summer we joined forces with another company, Rockin’ C Marketing,” he says. That company’s owner, Scott Cowen, is also a St. Louis Music alum. “We sat down and quickly realized if we joined forces, we’d have the opportunity to compete for some lines we might not be considered for otherwise.” The team has been able to double their territory, covering nearly a dozen southeast and southwest states plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A mere 41 years ago, when he was 20, Tunks of RTF Sales started a music store with a couple of band mates in Fort Lauderdale. “I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” he declares, explaining that in 1969 when he was playing local clubs,
Joey Laycock, GM of Guitar Gallery, discussing Austin guitars with rep Tim Warren. 34 MMR
there was only one MI shop and the prices took advantage of the fact they were the only game in town. So by scrapping together some coins and getting a small loan from the drummer’s dad, they took their $1,800 and opened a shop. “We basically put our band equipment in it to make it look like we had more gear then we had,” he laughs. “If someone wanted to buy something that was ours, we just told them it was sold and then got them something similar!” The store was called Modern Music – and still exists. He recalls with pride that he sold Jaco Pastorius his rst Acoustic 360 Bass Amp. Yet a year later, he had an opportunity to play bass with a touring group and ten years later the rise of DJs made playing in the type of band he was playing less protable and appealing. Recalling his dealings with reps when he was in retail, he thought it was a job he could do. “My rst year out on the road, I only made $8,000,” he tells, but since he was still playing some gigs, it worked out. But he made a name for himself as a guy who did well with hard-to-sell products, and started getting calls. His rst big one was from G&L, and working with the likes of Leo Fender was a great experience. Unfortunately, the line never took off quite like he thought and attened out for him after about two years. Lately RTF Sales has been busy, and as evidence of the topsy-turvy world of an independent rep, they just took on Korg, newly divorced from Marshall. In marks a different direction for the venerable keyboard company, and Tunks and associates are looking forward to the work ahead. “Right now, there’s a lot of ramping up,” he said. The Korg deal came about when in the process of reworking their business plan, hiring reps gave way to the advantages of independent reps. “It’s real simple: We pay all our own expenses, they pay commission only on what we sell.” Korg originally had one guy in four states, while RT Sales had seven in those states. “So when they introduce a new product, how long would it take one guy to get to all those stores versus what we can do with seven? Maybe he can open three dealers in one day if he’s lucky. But we could open 20 with our seven.” People with the Answers Manufacturers who go back and forth as to whether to use reps may want to JANUARY 2011
take heed of what Bender-Jones has to say: “I know for a fact that we do more business with the reps we see then those that just call. We like those guys, too, but we can forget about [what they are selling]. It’s like, are you going to pay a bill you don’t receive,” or are you going to do business with the person who is right in front of you? And it goes both ways, as she adds if she’s on the fence about an order but knows it’ll help one of her favorite reps to reach his goal, she’ll go through with it. And she looks to them on advice for merchandising and much more. Bender-Jones says the really great reps go so far as to suggest products that someone else reps (think Santa in Miracle on 34th Street). “And none of them are pushy.” But while all those spoken to like their work, it doesn’t always like them. Reps can be beloved by a manufacturer on Tuesday, and then on Thursday be shown the door. Tim Warren started his rm The Marketeers with a company who he is not currently representing (though both are still on extremely good terms). “That’s the nature of being an independent rep,” he says. “Sometimes your contract is basically 30 days long. We all reserve the right to hire and re each other for no particularly reason!” he laughs. For Tunks, “I have no idea!” he answers to the question as to what makes him good at his job. “As a kid I would get excited about a movie, and retell it. I love to tell stories, and I love showing new products. Showing new products is a form of story telling.” Otherwise, he too enjoys the face-to-face he gets, but not always. “If you have someone new, and they think they know more
than you … well, I don’t enjoy that! I’m here to help, but they have to be open to it.” Warren is adamant about what he does. Some try to take pity on him, for starting a business at “the wrong time,” but “I can’t say yes to that. I believe that some opportunities that have presented themselves are because of the economic downturn. Many companies are relying on independents, companies like St. Louis Music. They have an internal staff, but also elected to go with independent reps. There are companies who are looking for ways to trim overhead right now, and we offer a solution to help them become lean and mean.” In addition, because of deals on hotels and restaurants, it allows them to pinch every penny and stay on the road as much as possible. As to the retailers they serve: “People who have been through the tough times need our support. So we make sure they see all the latest stuff, and I work with them on displays and promotional ideas ... then we talk about grandchildren,” he laughs, adding: “I still think that faceto-face time is still important. You just don’t get the level of trust and commitment without it. I believe the people who come out on the other side of this, those who embrace the technology, the video conferencing, but also maintain the face-to-face time with clients, are going to do well. I just want to help the industry.” After all these years, Austin is still enjoying his gig. “I like being the guy with the answers,” he says. “I don’t want to sit and collect a check. It’s not in my DNA. I want to be the guy that earns it. I have always wanted to be one of the guys that made things happen.”
“I like talking to someone in person and see them recommend something they obviously believe in, as opposed to some kid on a phone reading something his boss wrote up for him to say.”
JANUARY 2011
See us at NAMM Booth 3604 MMR 35
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Show Report: PASIC 2010
Percussionists bang on Remo’s NSL (Not So Loud) drums
PASIC 2010:
The Beat of the Market The 2010 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana was a reassuring bellwether for many in the percussion market. Of the over-120 exhibitors, there were at least a few who prominently expanded their booths and visible product offerings at The International Drum and Percussion Expo, in comparison to last year, and the total number of displaying companies was up, as well. However, in spite of a solid showing on the expo oor and another year of increased attendance – with over 5,000 attendees representing six continents and many corners of the U.S. there for the many competitions, performances, clinics, product demonstrations, and percussion-oriented workshops – an air of caution persisted among manufacturers and distributors on the show oor. The general consensus was that most areas of the percussion market have at worst stabilized from the throes of the recession, 38 MMR
but success moving forward is contingent upon increased exibility, creativity, and outreach from manufacturers, retailers, and suppliers alike. For a closer look at how the percussion market is holding up, both in terms of specic companies and in general, as well as what retailers, suppliers, and manufacturers need too be doing to help boost the economic outlook in this segment of the industry moving forward, MMR caught up with a number of exhibitors on the show oor…
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Garwood Whaley Meredith Music I can only hope that everything is positive and we’re on an uptrend. The percussion market is no different from the auto industry or the clothing industry; we’ve all been hurt by the economy. But as far as Meredith Music is concerned, we’re up in sales for the year. Last year we were down slightly, but I think we were ahead of the industry. Last year was the rst time we were down in our 32-year history, and this year, so far, sales are up, so I’m hoping we’re on an upswing. We are in a specialized niche market and we have a quality product, so that helps us. We have a new publication every month and we’re blessed with some of the nest authors and composers out there. In general, I think the economy is coming around, so hopefully that will help the entire percussion industry. Karl Dustman Percussion Marketing Council This year, 2010 is the time of sorting out the survivors from the non-survivors. 2009 was unprecedented in the industry at all levels. Those companies that made it through 2009 are happy to be here and
now it’s just a matter of thinking positively and building momentum after the storm. The new product innovations will now rekindle customer interest as the market starts to turn itself around, dollars change hands, and the industry reinvests in itself. The real benet of that will be that the consumer is now going to get more new products, competitively priced, and it was really a survival of the ttest. Even the icons and pillars of our industry took a major hit and shakeout during 2009. Jobs, new product technology, advertising and promotional materials – they all got cut, across the board. In my case, representing the Percussion Marketing Council, we’re encouraged that all of our members have stayed on, and they’ve all survived 2009. And we think that this will help grow our entire industry for the next decade to come. We also hope that what we’ve seen in the past few years never repeats itself! Moving forward, I see the industry turning to more of a customized approach from the buyer – the consumer – whether that’s a student, a teacher, or a player or artist. The mass merchandising isn’t going to t this mold of doing business. It’s going to have to be more
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personalized and customized, with more listening to what the market is asking for and delivering that, whether that’s in technology of instruments, software, music for competition, and so on. What I expect to see is really a more grassroots, customized approach that entails listening to whatever the market is asking for and then delivering it, as opposed to the old notion of one shoe ts all – those days are over. Dave Jewell Yamaha Fortunately, we’re up from last year, so that’s a good thing. But it’s still very challenging, to say the least. Looking at where to promote and where to advertise, that whole landscape is changing, between social media and how to launch stuff on Twitter and Facebook, and the timing of it all. The dynamics of how to approach the market are changing, and they’re changing every day. We’re trying to adapt to those changes, just like everyone else. Between quicker product development – because people want instant gratication – to becoming more efcient in our inventory and production, there are a lot of factors that have to play into the scheme in order
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3. Brian Swinehart, Marilyn Fleenor, Derek Byrne, Hal Leonard. 4. Victor Filonovich and Joe Mazza of Toca Percussion/KMC Music Corporation. 5. Rich Lackowski, Karissa Read, and Michael Finkelstein of Alfred Music Publishing with Michele Parker of MusicTime, Inc. 6. Andrew Swift, EMD Music, Inc. 7. Bill Youhass, Fall Creek Marimbas. 8. Mike Berg, Humes & Berg. 9. Joe Capello, Capello Music Co. 10. Jason Barth, Drum Workshop, Inc. 11. Dave Hill, Supernatural Percussion. JANUARY 2011
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to make it successful. We’re doing the best we can, but it’s a challenge. You see the stock market right now, and it’s creeping up, but one of the challenges we have is with our Japanese products, which is all of our high end stuff. Our Absolute, Oak, and PHX series are all hand-made in Japan. Right now the Yen and the dollar, well, it’s very unfavorable for the dollar. I saw a recent quote that the dollar was buying 81 Yen, when two-anda-half years ago, the dollar was buying 120. That drastically changes our competitiveness and other aspects of how we approach our high-end products. It really makes it yet another challenge to get our products out there in the marketplace. One of the things that we’re trying to do [to help facilitate recovery] is to try to reach out to the consumer more than ever. Obviously our dealers are really important and we’re trying to reach them, but you have to almost go beyond that and get in touch with the consumer via Facebook, Twitter, and our Web site. We need to get to those people because they’re inuential. I read a recent report that a signicant percentage of consumers are taking advice from friends on social networks before making purchases. And even more than that are doing research online before they buy. It’s an ever-changing marketplace and you have to be versatile.
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7 1. Craigie Zildjian, Horacio Hernandez, Leon Chiapinni, Paul Francis, Debbie Zildjian, John King, and John DeCristopher, Avedis Zildjian. 2. John Toomey, Johnny Rabb, and Bridget Lynch, Johnny Rabb Drumsticks. 3. Neal Graham, Bruce Schneider, Ken Fuente, Gator Cases. 4. Mike Gotschall and Mike Dorfman, Trick Percussion Products. 5. Dominick Gagliano and Tommy Maras, Amedia Cymbals. 6. Neil & Elliot Grover, Grover Pro Percussion. 7. Rick Hanby, Gary Devore, Bob Henry, Jim Catalano, Bob Melville, and Grant Henry, Ludwig/Musser. 40 MMR
Bobby Wantuch Woodwind & Brasswind Basically, marching and concert programs are still going and schools are still buying. We’ve increased our whole focus on that, and consequently we’re way up on school marketing. Gradually, we’re hearing on the phone that people are buying combo items, too. I think we’re looking at the growth here that we’ve been looking for. To keep the customer satised, we need to focus on pricing. We need to keep costs at a basic price, have good advertising, and work with dealers around the country to do anything we can as far as training, coming to the store with specials, and other similar incentives. Jim Catalano Ludwig/Musser There are really two sections to this market: what I’d call the consumer part JANUARY 2011
The Indiana State Capitol
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of the market and then the school side. Last year, 2009, was tough everywhere, but the consumer side of the market has actually come back in 2010. It’s been much stronger for us in terms of drum sets, snare drums, hardware, and other products of those types. What’s been more challenging in 2010 has actually been the school market and that’s because the budgets that were set in 2008 for 2009 were all set pre-recession. So the budget cuts at the school level really took a much stronger hold in 2010. The selling of mallet instruments, tympani, and those types of instruments have been much more challenging in 2010. Where is it going? Well, we think things are improving. One thing we’ve noticed is that normally, our highest intake order time for school instruments is August/September. October and November were the new high this year, so I think a lot of orders were delayed, school buying was delayed, and it is all coming back in the nal part of the year. It’s not
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1 1. Steve Armstrong, Sho Imatomi, Jerry Golderson, Mike Farriss and Mark Terek, Pearl Corp. 2. Greg Crane, Dave Jewell, and Jim Haler, Yamaha. 3. Joe Kenny, Craviotto Drum Company. 4. Ron Vaughn, Ron Vaughn Percussion. 5. Pat Brown, Kevin Radomski, and Don Click, Pro-Mark. 6. Andy Krol and Angelo Arimborgo, Latin Percussion/KMC.
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quite back to where it was and it probably won’t be for a more years, but we’re starting to see some life out there. So many things on the school side of the business depend on tax rates, and other things of that nature which we just can’t control. We just have to continue to make the best quality product that we can, and make sure it has a serviceability to it. And that’s one thing that Ludwig and Musser are known for: We can make products that will last three decades in a school, and you can get parts for them, even three decades later. Selling that message to the music educator is important for us. Another issue is that the music educator is turning over, also. There are constantly new people coming in to this activity at the teaching level, so there is constantly a new market that we have to service and educate. We’ve been doing things like band director summits at Conn Selmer and Ludwig. We’ve been doing dealer summits. We’re trying to do a major educational campaign to impress our products on the market and to the people that make the buying decisions on
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instruments. We’re trying to educate on percussion instruments in general, and that’s what our Conn Selmer Institute is all about. I do a major presentation there on teaching percussion instruments because 95 percent of band directors are not percussionists. They don’t know, necessarily, which items are the right ones to buy. It is our job to train them and teach them about that. As for what the percussion market can do better, the issue is really about the media. There’s so much information out there. And the people who are least media savvy are probably the everyday school music dealer. The big box dealers that sell school music products are very media savvy, but it seems like there are still a lot of things that the general school music service dealer needs to get more involved in to outreach to their market through electronic media. Pat Brown Pro-Mark The last few months have actually been exceptionally strong for us, both domestically and on the foreign side. I don’t
See us at NAMM Booth 4131
know that I’m optimistic enough to say that we’re turning a corner yet, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how strong the market has been over the last few months. I wish I had a crystal ball about what we could do to keep things moving forward. I was talking to somebody recently about how several years ago, we could track our sales on a predictable annual basis, knowing which times of year would be busy and which times would be slow, and while the curves from year to year may not lay on top of one another, they’re even from a relative standpoint. That’s not true anymore. Times that have historically been very strong are not doing as well, and times that are historically weak might be doing so well that I say, “Wow, where’d that come from?” Brian LaRue Dream Cymbals To be honest, we noticed some sales trends slowing down at different points,
JANUARY 2011
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but we’ve always been pretty successful in sales because we’re pricepoint friendly to the consumer and marginfriendly to the dealers. The dealers get more points per product than you usually nd in the industry, and the consumer gets a cymbal that’s made as well as any of the other high-end cymbals from the big name companies for a third of the cost. I see a lot of expansion coming in the next few years. Everyone had their downside and the two years of crash. Now everyone is trying to nd ways around business to be more competitive without damaging the brand and what they’ve built up in years past for their products. I think people are being more creative. Manufacturers need to keep in mind what the customers actually want. It’s not a matter of what they feel like producing or what someone in sales and marketing or the R&D team decides is going to sell. You need to take a look
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at the products that are actually being requested by the stores. Look at price points. Take into account that the job layoffs all over the country have affected the market, how much money people have, and what products they’re looking at. It is up to the manufacturers to take a look at what’s being offered that didn’t work, and then to create new variations that are either more cost effective or add more value to the product for the consumer. What makes it different and better? What makes it easier for the dealer to sell? What makes the consumer want to buy that instead of something else? It’s not just competition in the music industry – video games and other leisure activities have cut into our sales by taking up a chunk of the Christmas budgets. Finding a way to compete in the market and make yourself relevant in the marketplace is difcult. There are so many other products out there, you have to give the consumer a reason to look at you: What do they get from your products, and what do the dealers get for selling your products?
Steve Armstrong Pearl Drums 2010 has been a very interesting year for everybody. The economic recovery has been slower than everybody would have liked, but I think we’re starting see good movement within the market. We’ve had consistent orders for our products. 2010 was the year that Pearl introduced electronic drums back into our product mix, so that’s been exciting for us and a real boost to our sales numbers. We’re anticipating this holiday season that parents are going to be getting back to work and people are again going to be investing in musical instruments for their kids again. It’s been a tough year for the school market. A lot of school bids have been cut, and it’s incurred some tragic situations there. Hopefully we’ll start to see that recover. School bids are slower to recover, because you work on a bid year, and then it’s not until the following year that you see the effects of some of that recovery.
See us at NAMM Booth 3590
JANUARY 2011
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3 1. Chris Labriola and John Norris, Peterson Electro-Musical Products. 2. Tom Johnson and Robert Grifa, SmartMusic/ Finale. 3. Russ Miller clinic. 4. Robert Mason and Nick Petrella, Sabian. 5. Chad Brandolini and Alan Vater, Vater Percussion, Inc.
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Manufacturers have all cut back on their manufacturing facilities. About a year ago, what you saw was every manufacturer got caught with their warehouses full. That created tons of price slashing and everyone was just trying to get products out. We were in a situation where we didn’t have to do that as aggressively as a lot of other companies, but what happens when you do that is you train dealers who buy the products and then sell them on to the end user to shop only for deals. By training them to only look for deals, it has a very negative effect on the gross margin level of the manufacturer. Now that everyone’s inventory levels are back in line – and you’re seeing this in the automobile segment and every other area of manufacturing – companies are a lot healthier because they don’t have to liquidate inventory. We have to have condence in the recovery that’s taking place to make sure that we’re stocking heavily in our warehouses and putting people back to work in our manufacturing facilities.
into the holiday season. We’re slowly coming out of this. I just sat through the PAS board meeting, and everyone’s struggling. But coming forward with new products and giving people a reason to buy new offerings is going to be key. We’re coming up with something called Gen 16, which will be a bigger launch at NAMM, and that will up our toe into the electronic realm with the digital vault, which we’ve already been selling for several months. I don’t think it’s right to hunker down. That hasn’t been our strategy. We’ve actually reinvested in the business during this hard time. We continue to do things in the factory and we continue to come up with new products and try to expand our business so that once we do come out of this, all the work we’ve put into building the foundation will serve us well.
Craigie Zildjian Avedis Zildjian We do see an uptick right now, but that’s seasonal because we’re heading
Neil Grover Grover Pro Percussion/ Silverfox At the very worst, things have stabi-
lized. It doesn’t seem to be getting any worse. We see a small uptick in professional sales and sales to individual students. Our institutional sales are challenging. Because the institutional sales budget a year or two ahead of time, we’re experiencing now the real serious cutbacks they did to the budgets last year. So that will be a lagging indicator, I believe. It’s nothing to get excited about, but I think there’s a little light shining through the tunnel. Like all companies, we’re operating lean. I think that’s the name of the game today. We’re using a lot of resources for social networking marketing, which is very cost effective. It’s very difcult to nd concrete metrics [of its effectiveness], but we have faith in that. We’re watching our expenses and making sure we hit our revenue projections. I see that there’s a lot of good efforts by the PMC and some of the members there. One of the challenges for our retailers is the inventory of products. I understand that they want to reduce inventory levels.
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Unfortunately, some of their expectations are for us to produce immediately, and as manufacturers, we can’t always do that. I think there can be better communication between retailers and manufactures as to projecting what they might want, and working strategically together so retailers don’t have to carry heavy inventory and manufacturers might know what to expect in terms of orders. Consumers have so much information at their ngertips now that they’re very well informed about product specications. They look for sound les on the Internet, they’re looking for product demonstrations in videos. We’re doing a lot of posting of product demos on our YouTube channel. Consumers are very savvy with the Internet. That puts a lot of pressure on pricing right now. We’re dealing with a very, very educated consumer right now. Ultimately, that is a good thing. I’m not sure if Internet sales is a good thing – I’m not sure how that trend is going to play out. For us, because we’re in the business of high quality products and we don’t sell on price point, it’s always been an education game, as why to why someone should spend ve times as much for a tambourine, for example. If they don’t understand what the benets are, they’re just going to go with a lower-cost product, especially with prices dropping on low cost products due to imported goods. We just stick to quality. If you’re worried about price, we shouldn’t 50 MMR
be the ones you’re looking at. So for us, having an educated consumer is a good thing. Dr. Nick Patrella Sabian I’m really optimistic for 2011. As far as band and orchestral, which is what I do here, we’ve had a pretty positive year and I think we’re leaning into a positive 2011. It’s tough out there, though. Everybody’s trying something and the key is to nd out whatever works for you. One of the things that I like to try to do is reach out to the end user. You’ve got to prove relevancy and value. In a difcult economy, one of the rst things that people do is try to knock down prices. The danger in that is that you run the risk of devaluing the brand. It’s a tough question. One way we’re being proactive is by engaging in projects on the Internet, with social media and videos. We’re going to continue doing those things and ramp them up even more. The effect of that increased access to information is that creates a more sophisticated clientele, and that creates pressure to keep the quality up. It elevates everything. When one company puts out a certain type of information, another company sees it says, “Boy, that’s good, we should do that, too,” and the end user
benets. It’s certainly an interesting time as far as business goes. Vic Firth Vic Firth If you’re talking about how the percussion world in general is doing, it’s one answer, and if you’re talking about Vic Firth, it’s another. In general, we’ve reached a level where we’re done going down and things will start working in the other direction. However, I think it’ll be slow. Vic Firth makes bread and butter, salt and pepper, and we haven’t been so adversely affected by these recessions. Our sales have been strong since day one, and we have never had a year where we went down. We’ve only been at twice in the history of the company, so we are lucky, by virtue of what we sell. Should manufacturers and retailers be doing anything different now that we’re on the other side of the recession? I can answer that in one word: Everything. In the last ve years, there’s been such a dramatic change in nancial and market situations and people’s thoughts on how they’re going to spend their money. Manufacturers and retailers shouldn’t try to solve new problems with old solutions. We’ve got to nd new directions to go in and continue to be so innovative. As far as I’m concerned, the best two recent things to happen to music are JANUARY 2011
See us at NAMM Booth 4610
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1. Scott Kettner presents a clinic on adapting Brazilian Rhythms to drumset. 2. Mark Schaefer and Mark Reynolds, Dynasty/DEG Music Products. 3. Jeff Huffman, Chops Percussion. 4. Clarence Barber, Ludwig Masters Publications. 5. Jim Rupp, Justin McGruder, Joel Stewart, and Andy Robbins, Columbus Pro.
5 Guitar Center and the recession. Those events have made people wake up. The good ones get their acts together, and the other ones, unfortunately, go down. It may sound ruthless and heartless, but that’s the reality. Alan Vater Vater, Inc. Percussion is coming back a bit. Obviously, a lot of companies have had difculty since 2008, to say the least. As far as a company like ours, accessories have been okay. We’ve actually had increases in the business over the last two years, which is good. I’m also seeing signs that some of the major drum companies are seeing things get better. The new playbook is the Web. People are getting more information from Web sites of companies than they are from print advertising. The amount of Kindles that have been bought is going crazy. Everyone’s in love with their phone now. We’re actually working on a Vater app 52 MMR
for the iPhone and we just introduced a brand new vater.com Web site. The Web is really the way to show your best foot forward these days. The percussion market is always driven by the kids. I’ve talked to so many people that say, “Oh, I used to play the drums when I was a kid.” It’s the young kids up to 18 that are really driving the market, as I see it. People need to pay attention to those medias, absolutely. If you look at drum lines and marching bands, it’s way more prevalent than it was 25 years ago. Right across the street here, we have the Bands of America National Championships, there are a ton of high schools, and it’s become like a sport. That’s great to see because a lot of these groups have such great camaraderie, and it’s a great experience that it just helps lift the whole drumming experience. That’s a great thing. Mike Balter Mike Balter Mallets What’s changed because of the economy is that the manufacturer now has become the back room. Retailers don’t
want to carry inventory, and they tend to order products when they get the orders. What happens with this is that the retailer needs to educate the consumer that if they don’t have something in stock, they can get it in a couple of days. We have a lot of quick ship orders, where a student has a Friday night football game, and we’ll get a call Wednesday that they’ll need something and it needs to arrive less than 48 hours later. As long as the consumer knows that these products are still available, then the retailer will be good. If the consumer gets the sense that their particular retailer is not stocking items, they might start to think, “Why should I go there? They’re not going to have it, anyway.” Then they’ll call mail order, go online or go somewhere else. Smaller market retailers need to educate their consumers on that so their patrons will have condence that the local retailers will continue to be able to supply them. JANUARY 2011
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Buyers Guide to New Gear
MMR takes a look at new products showcased at the 2011 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim.
Fretted Madarozzo’s MadRose Electric Guitar solid alder body; 15mm solid The full collection of Madaroamed maple top; ebony ngerzzo electric guitars and basses board; 23 medium frets; custom is now available in North Auerswald aluminum hardware; America. The collection is Madarozzo locking tuners; Aucomprised of the MadRose, erswald custom designed bridge; MadRose Flamed Maple Top, string through body design; Auand MadChilli bass guitar. All erswald designed single coil; and Madarozzo instruments are Auerswald designed electronics. true custom boutique instruThe MadRose Flamed Maments designed top to bottom ple has a single coil pickup in the by luthier and guitar builder neck position and a humbucker Jerry Auerswald. in the bridge position. There is Madarozzo’s agship is the a six position rotary switch that MadRose Flamed Maple solid creates a wide range of sounds top electric guitar. It is availto modify the bridge pickup. able in red, black, blue, brown, There are ve variations in pickup wiring and gold stain, incorporating Madarozzo’s associated with the selector with positions Advanced Guitar Architecture designed by one and six being duplicates. Jerry Auerswald. The MadRose www.madarozzo.com features set neck construction; NAMM Exhibit # 4498 one piece maple neck, 25.5” scale;
Deering Eagle II Banjo The Eagle II features a new Deering patent-pending tone ring design created from a special brass alloy. The traditional Deering ange design has been replaced with a shoe and plate style ange with the Eagle hole pattern, 54 MMR
which is a owing six-pointed ribbon pattern evenly spaced throughout the nickel plating. The maple wood of the neck and resonator are stained in a rich brown with a high gloss nish. The Eagle II retails for $2399. www.deeringbanjos.com NAMM Exhibit # 1513
Kohala Ukuleles & Starter Packs Focusing on price points under $110 MAP, the rst two Kohala ukulele product series will consist of the Kohala Original series featuring the four main ukulele sizes in full- color retail packaging, complete with instruction booklets and the Kanikapila Series, which features the four main ukulele sizes bundled into packs complete with gig bag, clip on ukulele tuner, and instruction booklet in full color retail packaging. Kohala’s Ukulele Basics for Dummies Starter Pack features a mahogany body ukulele, book, CD, Kohala ukulele bag, digital tuner, and picks. Kohala’s Violin For Dummies Starter Pack features a full-size violin, extra “E” strings, ne tuners, rosin and bow, hardshell case, music stand with carrying bag, digital tuner, shoulder rest, and book with CD. www.mmwholesale.com NAMM Exhibit #4358
JANUARY 2011
Parker NiteFly Radial Series Parker has created three enhanced NiteFly Radial Series models, including the RF522, RF622, and RF722. The revitalized series doesn’t stray far from the originals as they are all crafted in the y body style. While the original NiteFly had a at body, these new models include a carved mahogany body with a satin, gloss, or gloss ame top nish. Additionally, the
new models feature a maple, radial neck joint, allowing for easier upper fret access. The RF522, RF622, and RF722 include an ebony fretboard with 22 stainless steel frets, Parker trem bridge, Sperzel tuners ,and a dual humbucker con guration with Seymour Duncan Jazz and
JB pickups. The new Parker NiteFly Series is available in a variety of colors, such as black, black burst, black cherry, and galaxy grey. The new models come complete with a hard shell case and will run for $2,129 $2,799 retail. www.parkerguitars.com NAMM Exhibit # 5244
Nu-X Amps & Effects Now Available from Morgan Hill Music Nu-X Combo Amps and oor effect pedals are now available in the USA from Morgan Hill Music. The combo amps feature built-in digital effects, and on-board tuners. The nu-X-07 Modeling Guitar Effects Processor has a total of 56 on-board effects, 12 amplier models, and 11 switchable cabinet models. It also has 128 patches, 64 preset patches, and 64 user patches. The MFX-10 features many of the same
JANUARY 2011
features and also includes 20 seconds of phrase loop and a built-in drum machine with CD quality PCM sounds. The PG-1 Prtable Guitar Effects Processor features a built-in tuner, three amp sounds, built in effects, and an MP3 input for practice on the go. The PT-5 Digital pedal tuner is made for hard road use and is also fully chromatic. www.morganhillmusic.com
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Randall Preamp Modules Randall has added the Plexi-Plus and the Judge George Lynch Signature preamp modules to their line of MTS modular all tube ampliers. The Plexi-Plus is Randall’s spin on the classic Plexi preamp circuit. A gain boost and mid scoop option allows the module to reach nearly any Plexi based tone from classic to modern.. Like all MTS series modules the Plexi-Plus is equipped with a three band EQ, gain control, master level, and two 12AX7 preamp tubes. The Judge is a high gain preamp module with gain control and three band EQ. The Judge features a “bright” switch
Known for pure tone, played for pure pleasure.
that allows for a wide range of tones and a “mode” switch. Like all MTS Series modules, The Judge comes with two 12AX7 Ruby high grade preamp tubes. www.randallampliers.com NAMM Exhibit # 5244
www.pantheonguitars.com or call 410.254.4433
See us at NAMM Booth 1413
The Strumstick The Strumstick was designed by Bob McNally, designer of the Backpacker Guitar. The Strumstick combines three strings and a diatonic scale. The Strumstick is suitable for beginners and advanced musicians, whether playing for relaxation, inspiration, or recreation. The Strumstick comes with a detailed instruction book and an audio CD, and is available in the keys of G and D (tunable to other keys) as well as a chromatic Ukulele model. www.strumstick.com
Band & Orchestra Saga’s Golden Gate Capo & New Cremona Saga’s GC-50 Golden Gate guitar capo is made of rugged aluminum and is available in six different colors. It’s light in weight and easy to handle. The spring tension is said to be just the right amount to hold the strings securely without buzz-
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JANUARY 2011
Smart & Pretty
Elida Dakoli
PianoDisc/Mason & Hamlin artist
& The Intelligent Player System See us at NAMM Booth 205A
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(916) 567-9999
Buyers Guide to New Gear ing, while not too much to press the strings out of tune. The Golden Gate GC-50 is available in red, white, blue, black, gold, and silver. The new Cremona SVE-100 is a lightweight, ergonomically-designed electric violin. The SVE100 features Skyinbow electronics. There is a nine-volt battery concealed in the body, and the output jack is mounted to allow the cord to pass over the shoulder for comfort and convenience. The violin is trimmed in ebony, and has black gloss nish. www.sagamusic.com NAMM Exhibit # 5760 Anthem’s Step-up Trumpets Anthem Musical Instruments’ A-5000 and A-7000 intermediate level trumpets feature: a 460” bore and a 4 7/8” onepiece, hand-hammered bell, reverse lead pipe, hex shaped caps, and hand-lapped stainless steel pistons. Both models have a silver plate nish and come with the Anthem Deja-Blue backpack style case. The A-7000 model further features a sterling silver reverse lead pipe, with gold plated trim and abalone pearls. www.antheminstruments.com NAMM Exhibit #3604
factured in Trossingen, Germany. Named after the blues instrumental “Blue Midnight” by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member “Little Walter” Jacobs, this new model is val-
Meeting the Needs of Students for More Than 30 Years ... Our Best-Selling SV-175 Cremona Violin! Cremona bowed instruments have set the pace for the vibrant student and rental markets for over 30 years. Strict adherence to international sizing requirements, domestic educational set-up standards and continuous quality improvement have made Cremona Violins, Violas, Basses and Cellos proven sales leaders. Our best-selling, ebony fitted SV-175 Cremona Premier Violin Outfit has recently been upgraded to include the J.LaSalle LB-13 Octagonal Bow and the TL-33 deluxe rectangular Travelite case.
Airwave Harmonica by Suzuki The new Airwave Harmonica by Suzuki has a modern design with no metal screws on the outside of the instrument like traditional harmonicas, and the holes are spaced widely apart. The Airwave features high quality resin and pro quality reeds, and includes a full- color instruction booklet with access to on line demos and lessons. www.suzukimusic.com NAMM Exhibit # 6200 Hohner’s Blue Midnight Harmonica Hohner’s Blue Midnight is the latest addition to the MS series of 10hole diatonic harmonicas manuJANUARY 2011
ue-priced between the Big River and the Blues Harp. Stainless steel cover plates with wide open back ends and closed side vents similar to the Blues Harp covers allow for maximum volume and a tone. Assembled with two single screws, the cover plates are easily removable for customization of reed gapping and set up. Available January 31, 2011, the Blue Midnight comes in seven keys (A, Bb, C, D, E, F, and G)
Cremona SV-175 Violin Outfit: •All-solid carved, graduated construction •Seven sizes from 4⁄4 to 1⁄16 •Long lasting ebony fittings •Finetuner tailpiece for precise, easy tuning •Rugged TL-33 Travelite case •Well-balanced J.LaSalle LB-13 bow with ebony frog
249
$
Suggested Retail
SV-175
See us at NAMM Booth 5760
[800] BUY-SAGA www.sagamusic.com Dealer inquiries invited.
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Buyers Guide to New Gear and will be priced at $37.00 MSRP with a MAP of $27.99. www.hohnerusa.com NAMM Exhibit # 3240 RS Berkeley’s Stan Getz Legend Series Mouthpiece RS Berkeley and Drake Mouthpieces have collaborated on the Stan Getz Legend Series Mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is an exact reproduction of the one Stan
art technology with hand nishing tradition. www.rsberkeley.com NAMM Exhibit # 3404 played exclusively. While it is an exact replica of Stan’s original vintage mouthpiece, right down to the teeth marks, the dynamics of the mouthpiece have been improved throughout. The Legend Series Mouthpieces are handmade in the USA by Drake and combine state of the
Keyboard Yamaha Arius Digital Piano Yamaha’s 88-note graded hammer action Arius YDP-161B digital piano features AWM Dynamic Sampled piano voices and comes in a new black walnut nish. Providing true piano touch and tone, the YDP-161B is suitable for beginners and experienced pianists alike. The half-damper effect gives players expressive control over sustained sounds when pedaling for a more realistic acoustic piano experience. The two-track song recorder is ideal for using built-in recordings of standard piano repertoire during practice. Another feature is the ability to mute either hand of the 50 preset songs, letting players practice each hand independently at their own tempo until they’re ready to put the two parts together. Dual headphone jacks allow two people to sit at the instrument and play, practice or teach in privacy without making a sound out of the speaker system. www.yamaha.com NAMM Exhibit # 6528 Sculpturra Digital Designer Styled Piano Line Sculpturra’s lead model, the X2, has the outward appearance of a contemporary dining/console table measuring 25”x 63”, but the front portion of the unit folds down to reveal a full 88-key piano in a slide-out panel. There are also ten other models in sizes up to a full nine feet concert grand including a limited edition six feet designer grand. All Sculpturra models are designed in-house by Tom Van Rijn, who was trained in design and architecture in his native Holland. The retail price starts at $2,495. www.sculpturra.com NAMM Exhibit #1236
60 MMR
See us at NAMM Booth 4912
Casio Privia PX-330 Casio’s Privia PX-330 digital piano features all new grand piano samples and a new Tri-Sensor 88-note scaled hammer action keyboard and weighs only 26 pounds. Four dynamic layers of stereo JANUARY 2011
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Buyers Guide to New Gear
piano samples are integrated with Casio’s proprietary Linear Morphing System, for a grand piano sound with seamless transitions and a dynamic range. For added realism, the PX-330 simulates the sound of the open strings when the dampers are raised by the pedal using Acoustic Resonance DSP. The PX-330 also has 128-note polyphony, enough horsepower for the most demanding musical passages and the ability to layer sounds and use the damper pedal without worry of dropped notes. Utilizing the PX-330’s 250 on-board sounds and 180 rhythms, up to 16 tracks can be recorded. Accepting SD memory, songs can be saved and loaded to standard MIDI les from the Internet. The PX-330 features a built-in metronome and a pitch bend wheel. www.casio.com NAMM Exhibit # 6776
Korg’s microKEY Korg’s microKEY USB Powered Keyboard and MIDI Controller offers a way to create a compact and customized MIDI command center. The microKEY features a built-in two-port hub to connect other controllers, computer peripherals or Korg nanoSERIES controllers for added exibility and control of all the users software. Free editing software and a number of included software bundle licenses and discount coupons are also offered. The microKEY features 37 velocitysensing mini keys, using the same Natural Touch keybed found on the Korg
Introducing a whole new uke from The Magic Fluke Company
microKORG XL and microSTATION. This keybed has been designed with attention to the touch and feel: the proportions of the black keys and white waterfall keys have been adjusted for optimal playability, and the key touch makes it easy to play chords, glissandos and rapid re phrases. The Octave Shift buttons extend the range of the microKEY by four octaves in either direction up or down. The Key Transpose function allows users to play in any key instantly. Used together, these two features provide access to the entire MIDI note range. For adding expression to performance, the microKEY is also equipped with both a Pitch Bend wheel and a Modulation wheel. The microKEY serves double-duty as a USB hub. The two USB ports (Type A) allow users to expand their custom control center by adding on a Korg nanoPAD or nanoKONTROL, or any other USB device. The microKEY is compatible with Mac OSX 10.4 or later, along with Windows XP SP3 (32-bit), Windows
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The Magic Fluke Company, LLC 292 S. Main Street, Sheffield MA 01257 413-229-8536 • Magicfluke.com Toll-free in the U.S.: 800-459-5558 JANUARY 2011
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Buyers Guide to New Gear Vista SP2 (32-bit, 64-bit) and Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit). Users can download the free Korg KONTROL Editor software, available from the Korg Web site, and customize the microKEY for their production or performance system. With the editor
software, users can set the keyboard to respond to one of eight distinct velocity curves, or set a xed velocity value. In addition, the range of the modulation wheel can be customized by setting minimum and maximum control change values. Weighing only 2.21 lbs, measuring
(W x D x H): 22.24” x 5.47” x 2.13” and running on USB power, the microKEY is well suited for the laptop musician as well. www.korg.com NAMM Exhibit # 6440 ThinkGeek’s Synth Shirt ThinkGeek’s Electronic Music Synthesizer Shirt is a real playable music synthesizer on a t-shirt. Like ThinkGeek’s other playable electronic t-shirts, this fully playable t-shirt gives professional level sounds in a unique format. With the addition of the Synthesizer shirt, ThinkGeek completes the whole band that can include the Electronic Guitar Shirt, Electronic Drum Shirt, and the Personal Soundtrack Shirt, which can have a mic added to the auxiliary port. The synth shirt boasts high-quality pre-recorded sample sounds that are ready to play. Each of the 25 playable keys represents a different note played in one of the ve designated styles. The shirt’s intricate functionality allows for eight keys to be played at once, giving it an eight-voice capability. The included wearable retro style mini amp box attaches to any belt or pant pocket. The amp requires four AAA batteries (not included) and features an adjustable tone and volume knob. www.thinkgeek.com
Percussion ® visit us at NAMM Booth #1406
Guitar Humidifier
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Remo’s Tablatone & Katsugi Okedaiko The Tablatone Frame Drum utilizes “loaded head” technology found in the Tabla drums of India. Skyndeep drumheads, Acousticon drum shells, and the Tablatone Dot are said to deliver warm and focused fundamental tones and crisp edge tones. Tablatone Frame Drums are key-tunable and are suitable for a wide variety of uses from professional to recreational. Remo was inspired by the Tabla drum of India which is used in Hindustani classical, devotional and popular musical styles. Central to their design is a weighted dot applied directly to the drumhead. JANUARY 2011
EMD invites you to discover a world of instruments and accessories at the best prices. In business we expect maximum choice. At EMD this is taken seriously. EMD offers the widest range of musical products under one roof, tailored for all ages, tastes and budgets. With a proven track record of high profitabilty for you, the Dealer, we pride ourselves on being your first port of call for all musical instruments and accessories. Our experienced and dedicated team are committed to providing fast, efficient, friendly service before and after the sale. Attractive deals, most favorable terms and utmost integrity are ubiquitous in all our transactions. EMD. Experience the standard.
EMD Music, Inc. - usa@emdmusic.com - 866 871 5800 Toll Free - 877 231 6653 Toll Free Fax
See us at NAMM Booth 5951
This dot, called the gob or syahi, focuses the tone of the drumhead to produce a clear fundamental pitch and a variety of tonal possibilities. Remo’s new Katsugi Okedaiko drum is inspired by Japanese percussionist, Hiroyuki Hayashida. The Katsugi Okedaiko is manufactured with Remo’s patented lightweight Acousticon drum shells and Skyndeep Natural drumheads with a calf skin graphic. The word Katsugi means to carry, and Remo’s lightweight Katsugi Okedaiko is easily slung over the shoulder and played using two bachi sticks. www.remo.com NAMM Exhibit # 3440 Yamaha Drums’ GigMaker Yamaha’s entry-level series of GigMaker drum sets feature Yamaha hardware with hex tom ball joints along with ďƒžve new glitter wrap ďƒžnishes. In addition to the matching wood snare drum and Yamaha’s double-braced hardware, the GigMaker drum sets include matching wood bass drum hoops and come in 20â€? and 22â€? conďƒžgurations. The new kits, constructed with basswood and poplar shells, are available as shell packs, complete conďƒžgurations with hardware, or packaged complete with Paiste 101 cymbals. www.yamaha.com NAMM Exhibit # 6528 Vater’s Artist Models The new Vater artist model comes from Coheed and Cambria drummer Chris Pennie. It measures out at just over a 5B in the grip, but has a slight double taper, meaning that it gets a little thicker towards the middle of the stick than in the grip. This gives the stick added throw and durability in the rim shot area. The smaller sized acorn tip is said to give articulate ride cymbal sounds that cut through in louder music. The retail price is $16.49. The Big Mike Clemons model design comes from the drummer for Israel Houghton and New Breed, Big Mike Clemons. Mike’s design measures JANUARY 2011
out just under a 5B in the grip with an extra 1/2â€? in length for added reach around the kit. With a quick taper and a classic acorn style tip for full drum and cymbal tones, the model was designed to be durable and responsive. Mike’s model also features Vater’s Nude Series ďƒžnish for a un-lacquered grip. www.vater.com NAMM Exhibit # 3072 Vic Firth Russ Miller “Hi-Defâ€? Stick Vic Firth’s Russ Miller “Hi-Defâ€? signature stick is made with a thin hickory shaft and a “half acornâ€? wood tip. The oval logo at the nodal point allows for cross-stick tone. The Russ Miller stick is 16â€? in length and .535â€? in diameter. The retail price is $16. www.vicďƒž rth.com NAMM Exhibit # 3040 New from Zildjian Zildjian has added two new cymbals to its Z3 line, 19â€? and 21â€? Ultra Hammered Chinas, as well as a new, improved 22â€? A Zildjian Swish Knocker. The two China models feature new inverted “volcanoâ€? bells and extensive hammering, producing a sound that is said to be trashier than their 18â€? and 20â€? Z3 China counterparts. Zildjian’s newly designed 22â€? A Zildjian Swish Knocker, which features a smoother “knock,â€? was inspired by the model Mel Lewis and his orchestra made famous at the Village Vanguard. The new A Zildjian Swish Knocker, which replaces the original model, has a slightly higher proďƒž le and a less curved cup. It also features 20 rivets and a Zildjian traditional ďƒž nish. Zildjian has also added a new line of specialty drumsticks: the Super 7A, 5A Blue, 5B Blue, and the Dennis Chambers Signature Artist Series with a new nylon tip. Longer than the traditional 7A series, the Super 7A’s balance and round wood or nylon tips are sais to deliver bright cymbal tones. The new 5A and 5B Blue feature a new ďƒžnish on two of Zildjian’s most popular drumsticks. All three sticks are made with 100 percent American hickory and come with wood or nylon tips. Expanding on his wood tip model, Zildjian has introduced a new Dennis Chambers stick featuring a mini round nylon tip with a brilliant black ďƒžnish. Like the original tip
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Buyers Guide to New Gear model, the new Dennis Chambers stick is made of 100 percent hickory. www.zildjian.com NAMM Exhibit # 2940
Print Hal Leonard Releases Tangled Hal Leonard has released piano/vocal/guitar matching folio for the latest Disney animated feature Tangled, a retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale. The soundtrack matches the adventure of the ď&#x192;&#x17E; lm, with original songs and score from eight-time Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken and Tony and Grammy nominee Glenn Slater. www.halleonard.com NAMM Exhibit # 4318 Two New Books from Sher Music Randy Vincentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second Sher Music Co. book, Three-Note Voicings and Beyond, cov-
ers every aspect of the crucial threenote voicings every guitarist needs to know. The book is suitable for newcomers, intermediate, and advanced players. Some of the topics covered include: threenote â&#x20AC;&#x153;shellâ&#x20AC;? voicings and special derived comp voicings; compete triad review including all close and open inversions on all strings; a section on developing â&#x20AC;&#x153;walkingâ&#x20AC;? guitar voicings; sections on triad applications such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;slashâ&#x20AC;? chords, upper structures, hexatonic triad-pairs, and special â&#x20AC;&#x153;hybridâ&#x20AC;? voicings; and a complete method to develop a realistic simulation of Shearing-style block-chord voicings on guitar. The list price is $28. Essential Grooves for Writing, Performing, and Producing Contemporary Music by Berklee College professors Dan Moretti, Matthew Nicholl, and Oscar Stagnaro, presents 41 different grooves covering all the important styles that have inď&#x192;&#x;uenced contemporary music, each performed by live players -- soul, Motown, funk, rock, hip hop, jazz, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban styles, reggae and more. The book provides historical background, and license-free audio examples can be used
to create custom play-alongs and original music. The list price is $24. www.shermusic.com Gibsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Learn & Master Guitar Gibsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Learn & Master Guitar offers step-by-step video guitar lessons that can start at a low skill level and go through advanced skills training, or the user can just skip through the basics and jump into the more advanced training. Learn & Master Guitar features over 40 hours of instruction on 20 DVDs produced in high deď&#x192;&#x17E; nition. The accompanying lesson book contains all of the songs and exercises demonstrated in the video lessons, as well as several more. The ď&#x192;&#x17E;ve â&#x20AC;&#x153;jam alongâ&#x20AC;? CDs allow the user to jam with an actual band, using the very same songs from the lessons. Once Learn & Master Guitar is purchased, the user can access Gibsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s student support and community Web sites. Steve Krenz, the author of Gibsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Learn & Master Guitar, is online regularly, answering questions and offering encouragement, as are other students. Students can ZZZ -DP+XE FRP -$0 +8%6
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Intervallic Ear Training for Musicians From Kendor Steve Prosser’s Intervallic Ear Training for Musicians is the product of 35 years studying and teaching interval awareness in music. The text provides a step-by-step method for assimilation of, as well as graded exercises for, each interval. Each chapter concludes with mastery exercises and etudes. After adequate study of the text, the student will be able to hear, recognize, read, and write music through the use of musical intervals. This skill is particularly helpful in dealing with music that is extremely chromatic, tonally ambiguous, or rapidly modulating. www.kendormusic.com
large LCD displays a non-linear analog meter as well as the pitch, string number, tuning modes, and a battery strength meter. To help with intonation training, the WST-910 includes Sound Cue which emits a standard tone (between A0 ~ C8) after it detects any tone that is close to the standard tone. The WST-910 features an analog needle meter and Sharp and Flat LED indicators, Slow, Mid and Fast tuning speeds and detection accuracy of
±0.5 cents. The WST-920 has 6.3mm (1/4”) Input and Output jacks. www.cherubtechnology.com NAMM Exhibit # 2928 Levy’s Regal Leather Guitar Straps Levy’s expands its Platinum Collection guitar strap line for 2011. One of this year’s models is fashioned with a
Carl Fischers My First Clarke for the Developing Trumpet Student Carl Fischer Music’s My First Clarke for the Developing Trumpet Student introduces players to the famous and fundamental Herbert L. Clarke trumpet method. Compiled and edited by Sean O’Loughlin, these exercises are reorganized by key signature for easier use, and new minor key versions have been composed especially for this edition. My First Clarke features over 150 exercises for exibility in teaching and learning trumpet technique, and is structured to build up strength and endurance without strain or injury to the embouchure. www.carlscher.com NAMM Exhibit # 5410
Accessories Cherub’s WST-910 Universal Tuner Cherub Technology has enhanced their top line tuner line with the introduction of the WST-910 Universal Orchestra Tuner. The WST-910 features similar functions as its predecessor, the WST920 in a more traditional desktop style. A JANUARY 2011
See us at NAMM Booth 508
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Buyers Guide to New Gear premium metallic leather called Regal, and features foam padding with soft leather backing. www.levysleathers.com NAMM Exhibit # 4658 Noteworthy’s Horn Flush Noteworthy Music Products has re-released their Horn Flush -- the professional do-it-yourself cleaning system. After a few small hardware improvements, Horn Flush still uses the same formula. Components include Horn Flush Concentrate, available in multiple rell sizes and the exclusive Horn Blaster, the multiple directional high pressure sprayer used to blast away dirt and grime featuring ve independent jets. Horn Flush system retail price is $49.99. Rells start at $19.99. Horn Flush also offers complete Tune-Up Kits
72 MMR
featuring genuine manufacturer parts for popular name brand brass instruments. The retail price starts at $21.99. www.noteworthymusicproducts.com
cess battery door, two year warranty, and are made in the USA. www.morleypedals.com NAMM Exhibit # 4382
Morley’s Mini Wahs Morley’s newest pedals, the Mini Wah Volume and Maverick (Mini Switchless Wah), are mini versions of two of their wahs, measuring just 6.75” in length, 4.5” in width and 2.75” in height. Both the Mini Wah Volume and Maverick are equipped with Electro-Optical circuitry so there are no pots to wear out like typical wah and volume pedals. The Mini Wah Volume has a traditional wah tone combined with a smooth audio taper volume. The Maverick is a switchless wah with a hybrid vintage/modern wah tone. Like all Morley products, both minis are housed in durable cold rolled steel, equipped with LED indication, easy ac-
Pedal Range from Guitar Tech John Hornby Skewes & Co, Ltd., worldwide distributors of Guitar Tech products, have released the new range of Guitar Tech guitar pedals. The Classic Distortion pedal features a simple layout of Level, Gain, and Hi and Lo tone controls, along with a bypass function to eliminate signal loss and unwanted noise. The Guitar Tech Analog Delay’s three-way Time, Mix and Repeat control system provides a wide range of classic delay sounds, from 50s slapback all the way up to 440ms of delay. The Vin-
See us at NAMM Booth 3505
JANUARY 2011
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1957
Be A Part Of Our Next Successful 50 YEARS!
The NEMC AfďŹ liate Program Offers:
A No Fee Licensed AfďŹ liate Rental Program. Rental agreements that are customized to the speciďŹ c laws of the AfďŹ liateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state. State licensing and/or registration of the AfďŹ liateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rental program at NEMCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expense. Only one quality level of name brand instruments in New and Like-New condition only. The restoration of all rental returns to Like-New condition at NEMCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s service facility. Multi-colored Promotional & Educational handouts provided. Motivational mailings to the AfďŹ liateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customers. No inventory investment and all normal freight costs are paid by NEMC. One of the largest staffs of skilled repair technicians dedicated only to rental instrument service. Hands-on repair training in our NJ repair center with one-on-one private instruction (FREE). Billing and collecting rental fees for the AfďŹ liateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accounts. Ability to review customer accounts 24/7 through a dedicated web site. The NEMC Calling Plan for collections. Working for the AfďŹ liates from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Plus:
The Platinum Plan Plus - to increase commission percentage. The Annual Rental Bonus Plan - for an additional cash bonus.
Each AfďŹ liate is able to create a Custom, Competitive, and ProďŹ table price schedule for the
Business is promoted into the AfďŹ liateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s retail store, not onto the Internet. NEMC does not AfďŹ liateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s individual marketplace. NEMC does not post rental prices on the Internet.
An AfďŹ liateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s territory is protected. NEMC does not own any retail stores. compete against its own AfďŹ liates by renting â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;On-Lineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.
For Complete Information: Call Toll Free (800) 526-4593 Ext. 240
Ask For Gene Garb
NEMC
See Us At NAMM Booth 4221
National Educational Music Company 1181 Route 22, Box 1130 Mountainside, New Jersey 07092
www.nemc.com
Made for Performance, y Engineered for Econom Drum kits don’t get better than this. Solid and reliable 5-piece, 6-ply shells, these kits are complete with Remo™ heads and heavy-duty hardware. Why pay more?
7im series
320 322 620 622
See us at NAMM Booth 3282
www.staggmusic.com
Distributed by EMD Music. • For further information, please contact EMD Music, Inc. - usa@emdmusic.com • 866 871 5800 Toll Free • 877 231 6653 Toll Free Fax
Buyers Guide to New Gear tage Chorus pedal features Speed, Mix, and Depth controls and is equipped with a true bypass function. The Active Volume Pedal features a foot operated volume control and customizable Minimum and Maximum volume controls. It can be used as a kill switch or as a boost for soloing, or to increase gain while on drive settings. The pedals all come housed in sturdy metal cases and all can be powered by nine volt batteries or through a power supply unit. www.jhs.co.uk NAMM Exhibit # 1212
Cases & Bags Cymbag Drumset Pre-Pack The new Drumset Pre-Pack from Cymbag includes one 20, one 16 and two 14 Cymbags in a reusable, recyclable cloth carrying case. The package features Cymbag’s most popular sizes and is recommended for basic cymbal set-ups as well as an add-on for standard cymbal packs and cymbal bags without dividers.
Cymbags are made from an advanced microber material and designed to help keep cymbals clean by protecting them
from ngerprints and dirt during set-up, pack-up, storage, and travel. The sleeve slips on and off the cymbal quickly while it’s still on the stand and ts into any hard or soft case. Cymbags can be used for drumset, concert, marching, and world percussion, every cymbal size and shape, and every drumming style and situation. www.cymbag.com NAMM Exhibit # 2375
and “DynaZip” multi-directional zipper along with the “DX-Core” internal padding system. Employing Revolution’s patented “TruForm” design, the shape of each case corresponds to the “true” shape of the drum plus its mounting hardware. The universal, teardrop design allows a much snugger drum t. It also allows dealers to reduce their inventory by eliminating the need to double-stock separate bags for tom-toms with and without suspension mounts and bass drums with and without tom mounts. The patented “DynaZip” zipping system combines a cutaway design with a zipper that travels along the diameter
Ahead Armor Drum Cases Ahead and Big Bang Distribution’s new line of Armor drum cases feature the patented “TruForm” teardrop shape
Choice.
NEW CAJONS FROM TYCOON PERCUSSION
Vertex Series
Vertex Series Zebrano/White Ash
Acrylic Series
Legacy Series
E-Cajon Series
Tycoon Percussion’s new Cajons offer a wide selection of models—from the exotic wood Legacy and uniquely-shaped Vertex to the advanced E-Cajon and innovative Acrylic series— all with one grade of craftsmanship, sound and performance that can only be summed up by one word: choice. Contact your Tycoon Percussion sales representative today or go online to TycoonPercussion.com.
JANUARY 2011
See us at NAMM Booth 3570
Hear what the world is talking about.
MMR 75
Buyers Guide to New Gear of the case as well as down both sides of the cutout. The Armor cases incorporate Ahead’s exclusive “DX-Core”. The drum-hugging DX-Core provides the security of two layers of high-impact foam padding plus the softness of premium-grade eece lining. The interior is complemented by the strength and durability of a, weather-resistant, water-proof, double-stitched, 600-denier, polyester fabric exterior. www.bigbangdist.com NAMM Exhibit #3564
Light & Sound Fitness Audio Mic Upgrade Fitness Audio has upgraded their agship line of sweat resistant microphones for tness centers, health clubs, universities, and aquatic centers. The Aeromic and Cyclemic have now been upgraded with a new AM-11 Super Mesh Capsule Design, considered to be a 50 percent durability improvement over the previous capsule design. The Aeromic and Cyclemic both have warranties to 50 classes per week for two years against sweat death. www.tnessaudiodistributors.com NAMM Exhibit #1825 Gemini DJ’s Portable Sound Systems Gemini DJ’s MS-POD and MS-USB Portable Sound Systems can be used for speeches, small gigs, tness studios, backyard parties, schools, and houses of worship. They’re lightweight, have built-in wheels, and a telescoping handle for easy transport, and run on rechargeable battery or AC. Both can accommodate a wide variety of sound sources, including mic input, musical instrument, output from a CD or cassette player, and have dedicated docks for digital media. A handheld wired mic is included with both units. The MS-POD is an amplied, one-piece sound system with a two-way speaker system and 50W of power that can project up to 150 feet of sound. It has a built-in iPod dock, plus two inputs for mic/instrument/other audio sources (accommodating ¼”, XLR, and RCA AUX), and a front panel mixer section allowing for control over the vol76 MMR
ume levels of the individual sources. Its built-in rechargeable battery lasts over 12 hours, or it can be run on AC power. The MS-USB has inputs for a USB key drive or device, as well as an SD card slot, to play music off those sources directly. The large backlit LCD display provides control over the music on the sources, and a top panel gives you control over Track/Folder Search, FF, REW, Cue, Loop/Reloop, Pitch (slider or buttons), Reverse Playback, Repeat, and Track ID and Time display. Its speaker system, power rating, and mixer section are the same as the MS-POD. Both MS Portable Sound Systems carry a retail price of $299.95. www.gci-technologies.com NAMM Exhibit # 5700 DigiTech’s Live 5 Vocal Harmony and Effects Processor DigiTech has introduced the newest addition to the Vocalist product line, the Live 5 processor. The Live 5 combines
studio-quality audio performance, stateof-the-art vocal processing, and an easyto-use control interface to add up to four independent voices of harmony to a lead vocal to create a full ve-part harmony. The Live 5 has Gender Control that gives each harmonizing voice a masculine or feminine sound. Users can customize the natural sound of the harmonizing voices from loose to tight by adjusting the Humanize setting. The new Vocalist Live 5 allows the user to set up and personalize multi-part vocal harmony by automatically following vocals and chord progression using patented musIQ technology. MusIQ eliminates the need to pre-program the songs’ key or key changes to create accurate harmonies. There are different vocal effects available to help give the vocals a high-quality, professional-grade studio sound.
These effects include preamp, compressor/gate, lead effects, harmony, reverb, level effects, and echo/delay. There are three different room settings for reverb and ve separate delay settings for vocals. The Live 5 also has guitar effects, reverb, chorus, and ange as well as 100 presets to save vocal effects and harmony setting. www.harman.com NAMM Exhibit # 7800 Spark from Blue Microphones Blue Microphones’ Spark is a cardioid, solid-state condenser microphone, with fully discrete components and Focus control offering two sonic signatures. Spark has the ability to capture a wide range of recording situations comes with a custom shockmount and pop lter in a professional wooden case. www.bluemic.com NAMM Exhibit # 6428 Marshall’s Major Headphones The Major headphones from Marshall feature a headband that is made out of the same vinyl used in Marshall Ampliers and bears the original Marshall texture. The coil cord refers to vintage style guitar cables and the plug is a 3.5 millimetre replica of a classic tele plug, which can be used with the included 6.3 mm adapter for plugging in to a stereo. The Major headphones are foldable for easy storage and transportation. www.marshallheadphones.com NAMM Exhibit # 6866 Ernie Ball’s Gigbag Amp Ernie Ball Gig Bag Ampli er is powered by Marshall. This compact, lightweight battery- powered amp features two channels with independent gain, tone, and volume controls. The plug and play portability and transformable gigbag stand makes for an easy set-up. The Ampli er also features an MP3/ IPOD input, and a 1/8” headphone jack allows for private practice when needed. Retail pricing on the Gigbag Amp has been set at $199. www.ernieball.com JANUARY 2011
See us at NAMM Booth 205B
Trade Show
2011 NAMM Show Anaheim Convention Center & Anaheim Marriott
The following list of exhibiting companies appearing in Anaheim this January was provided by NAMM and is current, as of December 3. For the most up-todate information, attendees are advised to pick up the 2011 Show Directory, available throughout the convention facilities beginning January 13th.
Exhibitor Booth# 10-32 Guitars 1219 3RD POWER Amplification 2984 65Amps 3392 A & S Case Company, Inc. 6288 A+D Gitarrentechnologie GmbH 1359 A-Designs 6280 Abbatron 2493 Absara Audio LLC 5218 Access Music Electronics GmbH 6900 Ace Musical Instruments Co., Ltd 4696 Ace Products 5979 Acesonic USA Inc 1448 Acorn Instruments 6007 acouStaCorp 6899 Acoustic Guitar Magazine 5226 Acoustica Inc. 6328 Acoutin Custom 2965 ADAM Audio 7111 Adamas Guitars 5720 Adams Musical Instruments 2648, 2638 Advanced Plating, Inc 1209 AEA (Audio Engineering Associates) 7106 AER Audio Electric Research 5467 Aerial7 7108 Agile Partners AG2-A, AG2-C, AG2-D Aguilar Amplification LLC 5956 Ahead Armor Cases 3564 AHEAD Drumsticks 3564 AIM Gifts 4223 AirTurn, Inc. 1571 Aiweidy Lighting USA 5794 Akai Professional LLC 6400 AKG Acoustics GmbH 7800 Albion 3190 Alchemy 2592 Alesis LLC 6400 Alfred Music Publishing 4822 ALGAM S.A.S. 6440
78 MMR
Exhibitor Allegro Acceptance Allen & Heath, LTD Allen Organ Company LLC Alleva-Coppolo Basses & Guitars Alliance Rubber Company Allparts Alto Professional AMA Verlag Amati USA Inc Amedia Cymbals USA Amer. String Teachers Assoc. Amer. String Teachers Assoc. American Audio American DJ American Music & Sound American PR Musical Instruments, Inc. American Recorder Technologies, Inc. American Way Marketing LLC Amis Co., Ltd (Guangzhou) Ampeg Amphenol Australia Amptweaker, LLC AMV Sales & Consultation LLC Anadolu Muzik Alt. San ve Tic Ltd. Sti Analog Devices Analysis Plus AnaMod LLC Anderson Group International, LLC Anderson International Trading Angels Musical Instruments, Inc. Anthem Musical Instruments Antigua Fabrica de Guitarras Antigua Winds, Inc Antoine Courtois Paris Antonio Hermosa Anvil Cases, Inc AP International APC Instruments Aphex API Apogee Electronics Applied Acoustics Systems Applied Microphone Technology Applied Research and Technology Aquarian Aquilina Basses ArchWave AG Armadillo Enterprises Aroma Music Co., Ltd. Art Strings Publishing Art Vista Productions Arts Schools Network Arturia Ashdown Design and Marketing ASK Video Asterope, LLC Aubert Lutherie Audio Innovate Audio Media Audio Plus Services Audio-Technica U.S., Inc. Audio2000’S® Audiobro Audionova Inc Audiostar Electronics Co., Ltd Audix Corporation
Booth# 817 6464 509 1558 3202 5882 6400 3032 4610 2865 2004 2004 6330 5774 6464 206A 1677 4301 1530 209AB 6699 1580 3084 3264 7801 3583 6254 1303 2875 4015 3604 4853 4912 4300 5476 4849 4862 1219 5696 6411 6500 6728 6242 6555 3546 1253 1159 4272 1243 4618 6427 2004 6314 4778 6224 2486 3001 5477 5307 6998 6740 6390 4907 4143 1853 6976
Exhibitor Booth# Auralex Acoustics 6698 Aurora 4796 Automated Processes, Inc. 6411 AV-Leader Corporation 1865 Avalon Design 6955 Avedis Zildjian Company 2940, 3050, AG1-C Avian Guitars 2383 Avid 6700 Aviom, Inc. 7119 Avlex Corporation 6810 Axis Percussion 3478 AXL Guitars 5476 AXL Musical Instruments 5476 B & C Speakers 4786 B & S GmbH 4614 B-52 Professional 5952 B-Band, Inc. 3385 B.C. Rich 4884 Backun Musical Services Ltd. 2914 Bad Cat Amplifier Co., Inc. 2991 BAE - Brent Averill Enterprises 1872 Baer Amplification 3283 Bag End Loudspeakers 5995 Bam France 3100 Barcus-Berry 5420 Bari Woodwind Supplies, LLC 3515 Bartolini Pickups & Electronics, LLC 5872 Bass Player 5307 Battlefield Drums 2352 Bazhou Basix Musical Inst. Co. Ltd 4468 Bazhou Luan Yu Musical Instruments Co., LTD 3329 BBS Prosound Limited 1837 Beamz Interactive, Inc. 6110 Becker Stringed Instruments 5720 Beechler Mouthpieces 4410 Behringer USA, Inc. 6756 Beijing 797 Audio Co., Ltd. 6805 Beijing Dual Joy Musical Instrument Co., Ltd 2821 Beijing FuYun International Industrial Trade Co. Ltd 3320 Beijing Hsinghai Piano Group Limited 620 Beijing Huadong Musical Instrument Corp., Ltd 2903 Beijing Huilin Meiyi Musical Instruments Co., Ltd. 2931 Beijing J&N Pearl Shell Products Co., Ltd. 1313 Beijing Opus Musical Instruments Co., Ltd. 2912 Beijing Yishengyuan 2809 Beijing Yiyuan Musical Instruments Co., Ltd. 3524 Belcat Co. Ltd. 3484 Benchmark Media Systems, Inc 6928 Benchworld 415 Bends Instrumentos Musicais Ltda 1780 Berklee Press 5301 Berkley Integrated Audio Software 6424 Berndt Woods 3447 BES Audio LLC 1642 Besson 4300 BEST BRASS Corporation 3109 Better Audio Technologies, Inc. 3398 beyerdynamic 6464 Beyond (Tianjin) Musical Instrument Manufacture Co., Ltd. 2349 BG Franck Bichon 4305 BI Technologies 1659 Big Bang Distribution 3564 Big City Music 6735
JANUARY 2011
NAMM Exhibitors List Exhibitor
Booth#
Big Dipper Laser Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 5598 Big Dog Hardware 3564 Big Fish Audio, Inc. 6514 Big Island Ukulele Co. 1318 Big River Enterprises Inc. 2996 BigHeart Slide Company 4176 BigsbyÂŽ 3540 Black Crow Arts 1801 Black Diamond Strings LLC 3513 Black Tusq XL 5920 Blackbird Guitars 1706 Blackheart 209AB Blackstar Amplification 2890 Blue Microphones 6428 BlueBook OnLine 5400 BLY Musical Instruments Co., Ltd 2828 Bob Professional Audio Co., Ltd. 1343 Bogner Amplification 5821 Bohemia Piano America, Inc. 508 BooHeung Precision Machinery Co., Ltd. 3295 Borsini Accordions USA, LLC 3024 Bosch Security Systems, Inc. 6569 Bosphorus Cymbals 2971 BOSS U.S. 7400 Boulder Creek Guitars 3590 Bourgeois Guitars 1413 Bourns, Inc. 2992 Brace Audio Corporation 5894 Brady Drum Company 3379 BRANCHER 3108 Breedlove Guitar Company 1802 Breezy Ridge Instruments, Ltd 6230 Brian Tochilin 2342 Bricasti Design Ltd 6898 Bridgecraft USA 2700, 4596 Brodmann GmbH 520 Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guitar Factory 3383 Brush Wellman Inc. 1766 BSS Audio 7800 BSWA Technology Co., Ltd 1870 Buffet Crampon USA 4300 Burkart-Phelan, Inc 3200 Burriss Amps & Effects Pedals 5899 Business Resources and Information 160 C.A. Seydel SĂśhne 3031 C.F. Martin & Co. Inc. 5454 C.S.G. Guitars LLC 2487 CAD Audio 6632 Cakewalk 7400 California Music Educators Assoc. 2004 Calzone Case Company 4849 Cannonball Musical Instruments 4426 CANOPUS Co., Ltd 2964 Carl Fischer Music 5410 CarolBrass 3209 Carr Amplifiers 3583 Cartec Audio Ltd. 1643 Carver Holdings Group Limited 1658 Carvin Corp 4490 Casio America, Inc. 6776 Caster Tray Ampcart 2799 Caster Tray Inc 2799 Castiv Inc 4618 CAVS USA Inc. 1573 CBI Professional Wiring Systems 4268 CE Distribution, LLC 4893 Cecilio Musical Instruments 3212 Cedar Creek Custom Case Shoppe 4450 Celestion 4278 Central Music Co. 6012 Century Guitars 4180 Century Strings Inc. 2813 Chairman Instruments Trading Limited 3111 Chameleon Labs 6945 Chandler Limited 6254 Changle Yiqun Musical Instrument Co., LTD. 1242 Charites Strings, Inc. 3204 Charles Dumont & Son, Inc. 4418 CharterOak 1845 Chauvet Lighting 5581 Cherry Lane Music 4618 Cherry Music Technology Co., Ltd. 3025 Cherub Technology Co. Ltd. 2928 Chesbro Music Co 4430 Chevalets Despiau 3009 Chiayo Electronics Co., Ltd. 5928
JANUARY 2011
Exhibitor
Booth#
China Beijing Lanyao Huihao Musical Instrument Co., LTD 1572 Chonwoo Corp 4136 Chosen Fat Co., Ltd. 2859 Chris Campbell Custom Guitars 5996 CIEC Overseas Exhibition Co., Ltd. 1430, 1530, 1826, 1827, 1829, 2349, 2350, 2715, 2805, 2828, 2912, 6805, 825 Cipex International 6796 Circle K Strings 1219 Civilized World, Inc. 5996 Classical Strings Inc. 3227 Claude Lakey Mouthpieces 3210 ClearSonic Manufacturing Inc. 3265 Cliff Electronic Components, Inc. 4196 Cliff Inc 5785 Cloud Microphones 6324
Exhibitor
Booth#
CN Music 1253 CodaBow International, Ltd 3505 Coffin Case 4130 Cole Clark Guitars 2279 Coleman Audio LLC 6897 Collings Guitars 1724 Community Professional Loudspeakers 6940 Concepta KVB AG 4326 Concert Musical Instrument Factory 1414 Concord International Group, Inc. 3221 Conn-Selmer Inc. 4224, 4310, 4600 Connolly Music Company 3500, 6220 ConventionTV@NAMM 5400 Coopercopia LLC 1402 Cora & Peter Kuo, Inc. 3165 CĂłrdoba Guitars 5300 Core One 5499
#C 536.1&54 t $ 536.1&54 t #C " 1*$$0-0 536.1&54 '-6(&-)03/4 t 10$,&5 536.1&54
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SAXOPHONES AS EXTRAORDINARY AS OUR FULL LINE OF ALTOS/ TENORS/SOPRANOS AND BARITONES....CAN BE YOURS...BUT ONLY IF YOU ARE READY TO BE ASTONISHED, IMPRESSED AND PREPARED TO EXPERIENCE A TRULY THRILLING PERFORMANCE.
THE PHAETON TRUMPET COMPANY www.pjlamusic.com/phaeton.htm
THE SAX DAKOTA COMPANY www.pjlamusic.com/saxdakota.htm
22159N PEPPER ROAD, PO BOX 550, BARRINGTON, IL, 60011 USA 5PMM 'SFF r 1I r 'BY r F NBJM QKMBCJ[ !BPM DPN
See us at NAMM Booth 3416
MMR 79
NAMM Exhibitors List Exhibitor Cort USA Cortex Couch Guitar Straps Countryman Associates, Inc. Crafter USA, Inc. Crane Song Ltd Crate Craviotto Drum Company Crescent Group International, Inc. Crest Audio Crown International Crush Drums and Percussion Cruztools, Inc. CTS Corporation Curt Mangan Inc. Custom In-Ear Monitors CyberStep, Inc. Cymbag International, S.A. De C.V. D Allen Pickups D’Addario D’Addario Canada D’Andrea Inc. D-TAR D.B. Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. Dae Hung International Co., Ltd. Dae Hung Precision Co., Ltd Daisy Rock Girl Guitars Dana B. Goods Danelectro Dangerous Music, Inc DANSR inc Dark Matter Audio DAS Audio DAS Audio of America Dave Smith Instruments David Gage String Instruments Day’s Corporation DB dbx Professional Products DBZ Guitars LLC DC Voltage Ddrum De Rosa Dean Guitars Dean Markley Strings, Inc Deering Banjo Company DEG Music Products, Inc Delano Pickup Systems Demeter Amplification Denis Wick - London Denon Electronics Der Jung Enterprise Co., Ltd DH Electronics Co., Ltd. Diamond Amplification Diamond Pedals Diffusion Audio Digidesign (See Avid) Digitech DiMarzio Inc. Dino Baffetti Di Baffetti G & C. SNC Direct Music Supply, Inc. Dixon Drums
80 MMR
Booth# 4468 5700 2896 6691 1324 6280 209AB 3065 2482 5740 7800 2454 4823 1351 4172 4152 1570 2375 2996 4834 4852 4858 5561 2792 1760 1271 4818 5868 4790 6916 3110 1670 7101 7101 5900 3505 1465 2792 7800 3290 5935 5466 2700, 4596 5466 5710 1513 4218 2986 4388 3110 4242 1354 1758 3290 3492 2587 6700 212A 5830 4819 2578 5720, 5420
Exhibitor Booth# DJ Tech Limited 6714 DJ Times 5400 DMI Labs LLC 2682 Doerfler GmbH 3224 Dogal di Cella & C. SNC 4819 Dongguan Shijie Kezheng Electronics Factory 1843 DownBeat Magazine 4319 DPA Microphones, Inc. 6996 DR Handmade Strings 4184 Drake Mouthpieces LLC 3208 Dramastic Audio Corp. 6498 Dream Cymbals and Gongs 3279 Drum Craft 4310 Drum Foundry 2371 Drum Workshop, Inc. 2654 DRUM! 3541 Drumdial 3564 Duesenberg USA 3491 Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. 4768, C4861 Dusty Strings Co. 1708 DV Mark 2782 DWC Aphex LLC 5696 Dynamicx Drums 2371 Dynaudio Acoustics 5932 E and E Exports Inc. 6949 E. & O. Mari, Inc 5729 E.W.S. 5250 Earfilters 1344 Early Bird International Inc. 1119 Earthworks, Inc. 6290 East International Exhibition Co., Ltd 1230, 1242, 1343, 1842, 1843, 1848, 2925, 3025, 5598, 5798 Eastman Strings, Inc 4001, 5110 Eastwood Guitars 3394 EBS Sweden AB 5391 Ebtech 4382 Eden & Eden, Inc. 1472 Eden Electronics 5244 Egnater Amplification 5952 Eko Music Group SPA 4897 Elation Lighting Inc. 5767 Eleca International Inc. 1648 Electro-Harmonix 5396 Electroswitch 5973 Elektron Music Machines MAV AB 7222 Elite Core Audio 1637 Eliton, LLC 2812 Elixir® Strings 5000 EMD Music Inc 3282 eMedia Music 6504 Emerson Karaoke 1863, 2694 Emery & Webb Inc 1301 EMG Inc. 4850 Eminence Speaker LLC 4334 Emperor Band Instruments 4468 Empire Wholesale, Inc. 6620 Empirical Labs Inc 6324 Empress Effects 2588 Engl Marketing & Sales GmbH 5824 Eno Music Co., Ltd. 1631 Enping Aobao Electronic Factory 1343 Enping Jes Audio Co., Ltd 1849
See us at NAMM Booth 4590
Exhibitor Booth# Enping Karsect Electronics Co., Ltd. 1826 Enping Oksn Electronics Technology Co., Ltd. 1343 Enping Sange Electronic Co., Ltd 1826 Enping Yike Electronic Pty. LTD. 1848 Enrique Keller, S.A. 3313 Epifani Custom Sound Systems, Inc. 4396 Epilog Laser 1331 EQ 5307 Equipson SA 6989 Ernie Ball, Inc 5440 ESI Audiotechnik GmbH 6832 ESP Guitar Company 213D Essential Sound Products, Inc. 5725 Eternal Musical Instrument Corp. (Beijing) 2820 ETI Sound Systems, Inc. 5952 Etymotic Research, Inc. 1319 Euphonix (See Avid) 6700 Evamar Sound Design 2665 Evans Drumheads 4834 Eventide 5791 Everly Music Co. 4750 EverTune 4227 Evets Corporation 4790 Evidence Audio, Inc. 4143 EWI 1774 Excel USA Corporation 1577 Exotic Woods Co. Inc. 5927 EZ Dupe 6951 EZ Key Publishing 1307 F Bass 1559 F Group Industries 1439 F.E. Olds and Son, Inc. 3416 Faber Piano Adventures 4618 Fairlight Instruments 1252 Faital PRO 6894 Fat Cat Snappy Snares 3564 Fazioli Pianoforti SRL 609 FBT Elettronica S.P.A. 6840 FBT USA, Inc. 6840 Fender Musical Instruments Corporation 300, 304BCD Fender Starcaster Guitars 5720, 5420 Fender Strings, Parts & Accessories 5720, 5420 Fernandes Guitars 5690 Ferree’s Tools, Inc 4233 Fibenare Guitars Co. 3395 Fiberreed 3032 Fidock Handcrafted Drums 2478 Finale 6114 First National Merchant Solutions 150 Fishman 4158, 4258 Fit - Ear 1458 Fitness Audio, LLC 1825 Flavoreeds 4900 Flaxwood USA, Inc. 3496 Flea Market Music, Inc 1715 Fleabass 5476 Floyd Rose Marketing 4862 Focal Professional 6998 Focusrite 6464 Fodera Guitar Partners, LLC 5286 Ford Drum Company 3555 Forestone Japan Lars Heuseler 3012 Fossalite 5920 Fostex, USA 6464 fotoh LLC AG1-A Fotos By Folletts 2954 Francisco Domingo 5476 Francisco Esteve Guitars 1600 Fret Daddy 2485 Fretted Americana 2386 Fuchs Audio Technology 4130 Full Contact Hardware 5720 Furman 6874 Fuselli Manifatture 5861 Fusion Products Company Limited 3026 FXpansion 6912 Fzone Technology Co., Ltd. 1258 G & B Pickup Co., Ltd 4894 G Sharp Instruments AS 1566 G-Vox 6628 G7th Ltd 1424 Gaai Drums & Co. 2958 Galaxy Audio B5955 Galileo Music 615 Gallien Technology 4284 Gallien-Krueger 4284
JANUARY 2011
NAMM Exhibitors List Exhibitor Booth# GAMA-Teaching Guitar Workshops 2004 Garren Langford AG1-D Garritan 6820 Gatchell Violins Co., Inc 2900 Gator Cases, Inc. 5100 GCI Technologies Corp. 5700 GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance 409 GE Money 150 Gem Sound 5761 Gemeinhardt Co., LLC 3312 Gemini 5700 Gen-16 AG1-C Genz-Benz Amplification 5720 Geo Woo Musical Instrument 1367 George L’s 5820 George Lowden Guitars LTD 1612 German American Trading Co., Inc. 508 Get’m Get’m Wear 4194 Getzen Company, Inc. 4412 GH Electronics US 1561 ghost 5920 GHS Strings 4684 Giannini S/A 1471 Gibraltar Hardware 5720 Gig Gear International 3086 Gig-FX, Inc. 4398 Gioco Corporation 2878 Glen Burton 4596 Global Music Supply, LLC 3101 Global Truss 5767 GMS Drum Co. Inc 2464 Godin Guitars 211A Godlyke, Inc. 1576 Gold Tone, Inc. 1407 Golden West Technology 1455 Goldfish Guitars 4796 Gon Bops Inc 3464 Goodall Guitars 1713 Gotoh 4140 Grand Illusion Piano Shells 417 Graph Tech Guitar Labs 5920 Greatmind Instrument Manufacturing Co 3422 Gretsch Co. 3540 Gretsch Drums 5720 GretschGear.com 3540 Grip Studios 3082 GRK Manufacturing 809 Grosh Guitars 4877 Grotrian Piano Company GmbH 614 Grover Musical Products 5315 Grund Audio Design 6337 Grundorf Corporation 6337 Gruv Gear 1155 Guangzhou Cremona Violins (GCV) 2800 Guangzhou Dema Electronics and Sound Ltd. 1848 Guangzhou Desam Audio Co., Ltd 3482 Guangzhou Eastman Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. 1530 Guangzhou Jisheng Musical Instruments Manufacturing Ltd 1358 Guangzhou Kapok Guitar Company Limited 1524 Guangzhou Lang Qing Development Corp., Ltd. 1264 Guangzhou Nightsun Pro Lighting Equipment Co., Ltd 5796 Guangzhou Pearl River Piano Group Co., Ltd. 206A Guangzhou Romance Musical Instruments Co., Ltd. 1364 Guangzhou Sunpost Musical Instruments Co., Ltd 4250 Guangzhou Ya Ge Lai Lighting & Audio Co., Ltd. 5798 Guardian Cases 5476 Guerilla Guitars Inc 5828 Guisama, SL 1600 Guitar Addict 5996 Guitar Edge 4318 Guitar Hands 1419 Guitar Player 5307 Guitarlink 5996 Guitarparts Co., Ltd 1543 Guitarras Antonio Aparicio 1306 Guitarras Gracia 4853 Guitarras Manuel Rodriguez and Sons, S.L. 5258 Guitars in the Classroom 2004
JANUARY 2011
Exhibitor Guptill Music GWW Group Inc. H & F Technologies, Inc. H.E.A.R. - Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers, Inc. H.G. Leach Guitars Hagstrom Guitars Hailun USA Hal Leonard Corporation Hall Crystal Flutes Hallet, Davis & Co. Pianos Hamer Guitars Hamilton Metalcraft Inc. Hamilton Stands Hammerax Hammond Suzuki USA Inc. Hand Guitars
Booth# 1609 1719 6390 2005 1401 5244 205B 4318, 4618 3534 615 5720 4166 3110 2430 5800 2282
Exhibitor Booth# Hangzhou Aierke Electronic Co., Ltd. 3025 Hangzhou Direct Electronics Co., Ltd 1377 Hangzhou Start Musical Instrument Co., LTD 1128 Hangzhou Worlde Music Electronic Co., Ltd 5806 Hannabach GmbH 3220 Hannay Reels Inc 6695 Hanser Music Group 4878, 4884 Hanson Musical Instruments, Ltd 5496 Harbor Conservatory 2004 Hardman Pianos 615 Harman 7800 Harmony Guitars 4468 Harris Musical Products, Inc. 4827, 4831 Harry Hartmann 3032 Hayden Amps 4778 Heil Sound, Ltd. 7018 Heintzman Distributors Ltd 715
See us at NAMM Booth 4178
MMR 81
NAMM Exhibitors List Exhibitor Henman Guitars Henri Selmer Paris Hercules Stands Hermes International Hermes Music SA de CV HH Electronics HHb Hidrau Model S.L. High Tech Lighting Inc Hill Guitar Company Hipshot Products Hiscox Cases Hobgoblin Music Hodge Products, Inc. Hohner, Inc. Holloway Holloway Harp Guitars HollywoodWinds Homespun Tapes Ltd Hong Kong Vitoos Technology Co. Hosa Technology, Inc. HOSCO Inc. Hoshino USA Inc. House Band LLC House Ear Institute House of Troy Howard Core Company, LLC HOYER Guitars Est. 1874 Hudson Music Hughes & Kettner Humes & Berg Mfg. Co., Inc. Hunan Changsha Saiyinuo Arts & Crafts Hunan Changsha Yale Arts & Crafts Co., Ltd Hunter Music Instrument Inc. Huntington Musical Instruments Huss & Dalton Guitar Co., Inc. HW Products, Inc. I.C.E. - Infinite Creative Enterprise, Inc. i3 S.R.L. IAG Group Ltd
Booth# 1118 3106 5420 5114 5114 4350 6579 498 1781 1418 5735 5467 1115 3434 3240 1504 1504 4406 4618 1833 5590 1619 4634 B5955 1292 807 3220 4498 4618 6555 4400 2803 2803 3000 4596 1408 5406 1861 6903 3190
Exhibitor Booth# Ibanez 4634 IBC Trading Ltd 1424 IBMA 2004 Ibrahim Diril Cymbals 3449 Iconic Metal 2393 iConnectivity 1673 Ideas In 3D 1205 IEC-Berlin 3032, 3132, 3224 iHawk Systems 2485 IK Multimedia Production 6520 IK Multimedia US LLC 6520 IKEY-Audio 5700 ILIO 6728 IndĂşstria e ComĂŠrcio Rouxinol Ltda. 1321 Infinite Response, Inc. 5908 Innovative Percussion, Inc. 2765 Inspired Instruments Inc 5266, AG3-D Intelli Co. LTD 4894 Intune Technologies LLC 4227 ION Audio LLC 6400 ISP Technologies, LLC 5863 Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals 2870 Istanbul Zil ve Muzik Aletleri San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. 2870 Istanbul Zilciler Muzik Alet. Imal. San. Ve Tic. Ltd Sti 2854 iZotope, Inc. 109, 6920 J & H Technology Co., Ltd. 1831 J & L ToneWoods, LLC 1607 J-Won Music 2823 J. J. Babbitt Co., Inc. 4322 J.D. Calato Mfg. Co., Inc. 3441 J.I. Strings, Inc. 2804 JAC Musical Instruments Inc. 1558 Jack Deville Electronics 1564 Jaguar Amplification 3582 James Trussart 4883 James Tyler Guitars 2387 JamHub, LLC 5811 Jammit AG3-C
Exhibitor Booth# Jarrell Guitars LTD 1371 Jay Turser Guitars 5244 JBL Professional 7800 JBovier Stringed Instruments 5467 JC Guitars 1113 JCLEON International Electronic, Ltd. 1230 Jensen Speakers 4893 Jerzy Drozd 2998 Jet City Amplification 5947 Jiangmen Boway Sound Equipment Co., Ltd. 1826 Jiangsu Swan Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. 2925 Jiangyin Goldencup Angels Musical Instruments Co., LTD. 3612 Jiangyin Jiyang Musical Instrument Co., Ltd 3610 Jiashan Tomorrow Audio Manufacturing Inc. 1343 Jiaxing Jinlida Electron Co., Ltd. 1848 Jiaxing Meisheng Electronics Co., Ltd 1826 Jiaxing Xinghui Electronic Co., Ltd 1826 Jinho Instrument Co., Ltd 1271 Jinming Musical Instruments Co., Ltd 2824 JJ Electronic 5397 JJ Guitars 1432 Jocavi - Acoustic Panels 2987 Jodi Head 4162 JodyJazz Inc. 3317 JoeCo 6598 John Bowen Synth Design 5912 John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd. 1212 John PearseÂŽ Strings 6230 Johnson 5476 Jones Double Reed Products, LLC 3105 Jordan Electric Violins 5317 Joyo Technology Co., Ltd 2828 JP Guitars 1365 JR Music Supply 3330 JTS Professional Co. Ltd. 6966 Juan Hernandez Guitars 1600 Jupiter Band Instruments, Inc. 4800 JZ Microphones 6946 K and S Music Inc. 3309
April 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9, 2011 Frankfurt, Germany NJTTJPO GPS NVTJD Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany is definitely the place to be for anyone involved in the music and musical instrument business. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the largest music show in the world and attracts exhibitors, visitors and musicians from all corners of the globe. More than 30,000 musical instruments, innovations and product ideas will be on display from electric guitars and digital music software to classical stringed instruments. For further information and registration visit: XXX NVTJLNFTTF DPN info@usa.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +1.770.984.8016
82 MMR
See us at NAMM Booth 5904
JANUARY 2011
NAMM Exhibitors List Exhibitor Booth# K.H.S. Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. 4800 K2 CNC 2384 Kahler International Inc. 5727 KaiFat Ningbo Electronic Co., Ltd 4368 Kaino Music Co. 624 Kala Brand Music Co. 1330 Kamaka Hawaii, Inc. 1508 Kamoa Ukulele Company 1201 Kanile’a ‘Ukulele 1149 Kanstul Musical Instruments, Inc. 4510 Kasza Cymbals 3564 Kawai America Corp. 207A Kaysound Imports Inc 6809 Keilwerth 4300 Keith McMillen Instruments 6227 Kelin Violin Shop 3424 Kelly Concepts, LLC 2634 Kemper Digital GmbH 6900 Keyboard 5307 Keyfax Newmedia 6531 KEYS Program 2004 KharmaDesign LLC 6985 KHL Corp 2997 Ki-Sound Industrial Co., Ltd 1480 KickPort International LLC 2871 Kimex Trading 1314 Kingstar Int’l Enterprise Ltd. 1376 Kirlin Industries Inc 1770 Kiwaya USA 1716 Klark Teknik 6464 KMC Music Inc. 5720 KMS Shokai Co., Ltd. 4140 Knowledge Of Music Inc. 1108 Knuckle Guitar Works, LLC 1219 Ko’olau Guitar & Ukulele 1309 Koala Music Publications 5311 Koch Guitar Electronics 4143 Koloa 5476 König & Meyer GmbH & Co. KG 3224, 3500, 6220 Korg USA, Inc. 6440 Krank Amplification 3584 Kremona - Bulgaria 3321 Kremona Inc. 3321 Kupo Industrial Corp 5475 Kurzweil USA 6464 Kush Audio 6324 Kustom Amplification 4878 Kyser Musical Products Inc. 5951 Lace Music Products 4699 LAG 6440 Lakewood Guitars 1215 Lakland Guitars, LLC 5496 Lakota Leathers 1617 Lamb Drum Co. 2366 Lampifier Company 1581 Laney Amplification 4350 Latin Percussion 5720 Laughing Budda 5282 Laul Estonia Piano Factory 709 Lectrosonics, Inc. 6329 Lee Jackson Designs 2283 Lee Oskar Harmonicas 5720 Leem Products Co., Ltd. 1537 Legacy Learning Systems, Inc. 4902 Legere Reeds 3016 Lehle Gitarrentechnik 2982 Levy’s Leathers Limited 4658 LEWITT GmbH 6995 Lexicon 7800 Line 6 210D Link To Learn Music 1200, AG3-A Little Kids Rock 2004 Little Labs 6254 Littlite 7002 LM Products, Inc. 4287 Lodestone Guitars 4778 Logitech 4152 Looperlative Audio Products 6244 Los Cabos Drumsticks 3364 LOUD Technologies Inc. 209AB Louis Renner GmbH & Co. KG 814 LowEnd 5270 Lowrey 515 LPD Music International 4758 LR Baggs Corp. 5252 LSL Instruments 4910
JANUARY 2011
Exhibitor Luna Guitars Luthier Music Corp lynda.com, Inc. Lynx Studio Technology M & M Distributing M & M Merchandisers Inc M-Audio (See Avid) M.V. Pedulla Guitars, Inc. M/S. Bhargava & Co. Mackie macProVideo.com Macro Appreciation Pty Ltd Mad Professor Amplification Ltd MADAROZZO Maderas Barber, SL Magic Parts Company MAGIX
Booth# 4272 1421 4807 6527 3412 4358 6700 5964 2816 209AB 6104 1459 4285 4498 1600 5890 7002
Exhibitor MakeMusic, Inc. Manhasset Specialty Co. Manley Labs Mano Percussion Manufacturas Alhambra, S.L. Mapex USA MARATHON Mari Strings, Inc. Markbass Marleaux Bass Guitars Marlo Plastic Products, Inc Marshall Amplification USA Division Marshall Amplification/Natal Drums Marshall Electronics Martin Blust Martin Roland Corp MARUE Co., Ltd.
Booth# 6114 3431 6286 5244 1512 4808 6510, 6714 5941 2782 2986 5404 4558 2664 6866 4299 4146 1465
remo.com Joey Jordison
Virgil Donati
Alex Gonzalez
NEWControlled
Sound®X
Inspired by one of Remo’s best selling snare heads, the Coated Controlled Sound®, Remo introduces the new Controlled Sound® X. The Controlled Sound® X is constructed with coated 12-mil lm and a 5-mil reverse dot, featuring 20% more durability and tone control. The Controlled Sound® X is ideal for live and recording applications. Available in sizes 10”, 12”, 13” and 14” See us at NAMM Booth 3440
MMR 83
NAMM Exhibitors List Exhibitor Booth# Mason & Hamlin Piano Company 205A Matchless 4877 Matt Raines Music 1454 Maxtone Musical Instrument Mfg. Co., Ltd 3120 Mayas Music Publishing, Inc. 5814 Mayones Guitars USA 5996 MBT Lighting 5420 McDSP 6405 McNally Instruments 1718 McPherson Inc. 1517 Meadowbrook Insurance Group 150 Medina Artigas S.A. 4853, 4855 Medosan Musical Instruments Co. Ltd. 3010 MEINL 3454 Meinl USA L.C. 3454 Mel Bay Publications, Inc. 5008 MENC: The National Assoc. for Music Educ. 2004 Mendelssohn Piano GmbH 820 Merano Musical Instruments 3521 Merit School of Music 2004 Merlin 5 Products, Inc. 1437 Mesa Boogie Ltd / Mesa Engineering 5390 Meteoro Amplifiers 2686 Metrophone Headphones 3564 Mey CHAIR SYSTEMS GmbH 1443 Meyer Sound Laboratories, Inc. 212B Mi-Si Electronics Design, Inc. 3535 Miami Parts Import 6987 Michael Kelly Guitar Company 4878 Microtech Gefell GmbH 6948 Mid-East Mfg., Inc. 2814 Midas Consoles North America 6464 Midi Player 2.0 For the iPhone AG1-D Mighty Bright 1525 Mighty Mite 4468 Mike Lull Guitar Works 5999 Miktek 5894 Milbert Inc. 5935 Minarik Guitars 1022 Ministar 5244
Exhibitor Booth# Mipro Electronics Co., Ltd. 6814 Miraphone e.G. 3132 Misa Digital Instruments (HK) Limited 1636 MixSensei LLC 7021 MixVibes 6510 Mixware 4496 Modern Drummer Publications 3543 Modkitsdiy.com 4893 Modular Technical Service Inc 3333 Modulus Guitars 5995 Mogami Cable 6866 Mojave Audio 6979 Mollard Conducting Batons 3509 Mono Cases LLC 3382 Monster 4868 Moog Music Inc 6100 Moollon 1367 Moon Wha S.O.G. Co., Ltd 1213 Morgan Hill Music 3590 Moridaira USA, Inc 1712 Morley 4382 Moses, Inc. 5286 MOTU 6410 Movek 6981 MPR Enterprises 4822 Mr. DJ Inc 5574 MTD Kingston Basses 5868 MTD Michael Tobias Design LLC 5868 Muse Inc 5860 Muse Research & Development 6729 Music Dealer Web Kit 1200, AG3-A Music Distributors Association 2007 Music for All, Inc. 2004 Music Garage Chicago, LLC 2492 Music Inc Magazine 4319 Music Industries Association of Canada 2008 Music Magazine Publishers Association 4822 Music Maker Publications 5416 Music Marketing Inc. 6825 Music Player Network 5307
Exhibitor Booth# Music Products Group 5299 Music Sales Corporation 4618 Music Sales Ltd. 4801 Music Teachers National Association 2004 Musica & Mercado 5810 Musical Distributors Group 1212, 6909 Musical Merchandise Review 5305 MusiCares 4905 Musicians Institute Press 4291 MusicMags 4822 MusicMedic.com 3014 Musicorp 5420 MusicReader AG2-B Musikmesse 5904 Musiquip Inc. 5266, 5467 MV Pro Audio 6624 MXL Microphones 6866 My Tech Development AS 3582 Nadir Ibrahimoglu e.K. 3032 Nady Systems, Inc. 4650 NAGMIM National Association of German Musical Instrument Manufacturers 3224 Nalu Ukulele Company 1500 NAMM Endorsed Business Providers 150 NAMM Foundation Pavilion 2004 Nanjing Aileen Trading Co., Ltd 3523 Narita Industrial Co., Ltd. 2924 National Association of School Music Dealers 2007 National Bench Co. 516 National Guild for Community Arts Education 2004 National Piano Foundation 2007 National Reso-Phonic Guitars, Inc. 1624 National String Project Consortium 2004 Native Music Rocks 2004 NEMC 4221 Neotech, a division of OP/TECH USA 3430 Neumann USA 6579 Neutrik 6320 New Horizons International Music Association 2004
Special Show Deals Get FREE Rotosound instrument cables with any order over $300! Get a FREE string display with any order over $500! Order BIG and get ten free boxes of strings! FREE freight on all qualifying orders!
Special Show Guests Duff McKagan - Saturday 15th Jan at 1.00pm Billy Sheehan – Saturday 15th Jan at 2.00pm Ratt – Saturday 15th Jan at 4.00pm
world famous music strings
www.rotosound.com • toll free 1 800 675 2501 84 MMR
JANUARY 2011
NAMM Exhibitors List Exhibitor Booth# NewBay Media, LLC 5307 Nik Huber Guitars 4143 Ningbo Apextone Electronics Co., Ltd. 1674 Ningbo Emmya Electronic Co., Ltd. 1848 Ningbo Hailun Musical Instruments Co Ltd 205B Ningbo LK Electronics Co., Ltd. 1370 Ningbo Polinata Electronics Co., Ltd. 1343 Ningbo Rixing Electronics Co., Ltd. 1842 Ningbo Tiansheng Jiahua Plastic Co., Ltd 1826 Ningbo Yinzhou Alctron Electronics Co., Ltd 1759 Ningbo Yinzhou Yonggang Electronic Component Factory 1730 Ningbo Zhenhai Leilei Acoustic Equipment Factory 1855 Noble & Cooley Company 2579 Noguera 1253 Noisebug 6005 Nord USA 6464 Nordstrand Guitars 3283 Normandy Guitars 2797 Norris-Whitney Communications Inc. 2898 North American Music Inc 615 North American Wood Products LLC 1249 Noteflight 6829 Nova Strings 3425 Novation 6464 NS Design 5864 Numark 6310, 6400 O Mio Strings 2801 Oasis, Inc 1406 Octagon 2857 Odyssey Innovative Designs 6210 OEM, LLC 1101, AG3-C Offworld Percussion Inc 3579 Ohana Music, Inc. 1206 Oktava 6630 Old Jersey Music Lab 2373 Oliver Musica USA Inc. 2901 Olympia 4894 Olympus Imaging America, Inc. 6909 OME Banjos 1402 OmniSistem 5691 On Point Audio, Inc. 1664 On-Stage Stands 6854 OnBoard Research Corp. 4131 Onori Entertainment Inc. 3190 Onori International 3190 Orange Music Electronic Company, Inc. 4674 Orkestra Zilleri San. Ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. 2758 Oscar Schmidt, Division of Washburn International 5244 Otto Musica Corp. 3207 Ovation Guitars 5720 Overton 2583 P. Audio System Co., Ltd. 6790 P. Mauriat 4514 P.R. Sounds 1342 P3 5935 Pablo Chou International Company LTD. 3305 PageFlip Inc. 4618 Paiste America, Inc. 3270 Pantheon Guitars, LLC 1413 Panyard, Inc 3589 Paramount Extrusions Co. 4698 Paratuss 1404 Parker Guitars 5244 Parsek SRL 2782 PartnerShip 150 Parts Express 1630 Pat Wilkins Custom Guitars 5996 Paul L. Jansen and Son, Inc 815 Paul Lairat 3287 Paul Reed Smith Guitars 210B, 5320 Paul Shelden Global Productions, Inc. 3233 Pavel Musical Instruments 1151 PAXPHIL Corporation 4295 Peace Musical 3470 Peace Musical Co LLC 3470 Peak Music Stands 3020 Pearl Corporation 2438, 2638, 2648 Pearl Flutes 2438, 2638, 2648 Peavey Electronics 5740 Peerless Guitars Co., Ltd. 1464 Penn-Elcom, Inc. 5997 Penton Media 5715 Percussion Marketing Council 2004
JANUARY 2011
Exhibitor Booth# Percussion Plus 5420 Perri’s Leathers Ltd 5960 Perry’s Music 1415 Perzina Pianos 720 Peterson Electro-Musical Products, Inc. 5990 Petrof, spol. s.r.o. 816 PG Music Inc. 6820 Phil Jones Bass 3596 Phonic Corporation 6878, 5244 Piano Technicians Guild 823 PianoDisc 205A Pick Guy, Inc. 2897 Pick-Smith, Inc. 2692 Pioneer Electronics 110, 119, 211B PJLA Music Sales/Marketing 3416 Planet Waves 4834 Platinum Samples 6912
Exhibitor Players Music Accessories PMC USA (The Professional Monitor Company USA) PMI Audio Group Pocket Labworks Polyblend Systems Incorporated Pork Pie Percussion Inc Posse Audio POWER Wrist Builders Prat Basses LLC Premier Builders Guild Premier Guitar PreSonus Audio Electronics Prestige Guitars Prestini International Inc. Primera Technology Prince Electronics Co.
Booth# 3614 7019 6890 AG1-B 3492 3378 1248 3064 3398 2882, 2883 4318 6800 4198 4231 2483 1736
“The Sound”
as requested by you.
You asked for the playability and sound of the early Otto Links. We listened. With structural changes both inside and out, “the sound” of yesteryear has been recaptured.
Otto Link Vintage for tenor sax.
www.jjbabbitt.com
MOUTHPIECES FOR CLARINETS AND SAXOPHONES
See us at NAMM Booth 4322
MMR 85
NAMM Exhibitors List Exhibitor Prism Media Products Inc. Pro Audio Review Pro Co Sound, Inc. Pro Cymbal, Inc Pro Sound News Pro Stage Gear Pro-Active Websites Pro-Mark Corp. Proel SpA Profile Prosound Communications Inc. Protec Protection Racket Cases Prudencio Saez By Guisama PRV Audio Brazil PSPaudioware.com s.c. PureSound Pyle Audio Q Lighting Qingdao Far East music9 Co., Ltd. QRS Music Technologies Inc QSC Audio Products, LLC. Quantum Audio Designs Inc Quest International Ltd. Quik Lok Qwik Tune Radial Engineering Radian Audio Engineering, INC. Radikal Technologies Raimundo Guitars Raimundo Guitars USA Raimundo Y Aparicio, S.A. RainSong Graphite Guitars Randall Amplification Randall May International, Inc. Rane Corporation Raw Vintage Raxxess RCF USA RCF USA/ dB Technologies
86 MMR
Booth# 7120 5307 6949 3581 5307 4283 4323 3056 A6260 5244 5250 5711 5720 1600 5797 6903 4834 3391 5899 2350 208B 6750 6226 4140 4835 4790 6959 6847 6108 1600 5996 1600 1618 5244 2550 6958 5250 6246 6563 6563
Exhibitor Booth# Reactable Systems 1100 Real De Los Reyes, S.A. De C.V. 5490 Realitone 6525 Recording King 5476 Red Monkey 2582 Red Star Distribution 1567 Red Witch Analog Ltd 3392 Rees Harps Inc. 1720 Reference Laboratory S.r.l. 6853 Regal Tip 3441 Reliable Hardware Company 4394 Remlé Musical Products, Inc 4410 Remo, Inc. 3440 Renaissance Guitar Co., Inc. 1124 Renkus-Heinz 6420 Rental and Staging Systems 5307 Residential Systems 5307 Retail Print Music Dealers Association 2007 Retail Up! 4811 Reunion Blues 5968 Reverend Guitars 3090 Rhodes Music Corporation 5807 Rhythm Band Instruments LLC 1803 Rhythm Earth 1601 Rhythm Tech Inc. 2970 Rickenbacker International Corp. 5306 Rico Reeds 4834 Riedel Communications Inc. 6296 Rigotti 3108 RimRiser 2764 Ringway Tech (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. 6007 Riptide Ukuleles 3590 Ritter Designer Bags & Cases 4326 Ritter Europe Ltd. 4498 Ritter Instruments 4182 Ritter USA LLC 4498 Rivera Amplification Inc. 4890 Rixing (Tianjin) International Trade Co., Ltd 3544 RJM Music Technology, Inc. 1613 RMV Instrumentos Musicais 2534
Exhibitor Rob Papen Roc-N-Soc, Inc. Roché-Thomas Corp. Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls Rock House Rock It Inc Rock N Roll GangStar, Inc. Rock On Audio Rock School Scholarship Fund Rockbox Electronics Rocket Shells Rockett Drum Works, Inc. Rockford Carving Company RocknRoller® Multi-cart® ROCKTRON Rodgers Instruments Corporation ROHO, Inc Rokkomann, Inc. Roland Corporation U.S. Roland Musical Instruments Roland Pianos and Organs Roland Systems Group Roselynn Percussion Rotekdrums LLC Rotosound Royer Labs RS Berkeley RSL Trade SIA RSQ/Mediasync Rupert Neve Designs Ruppert Musical Instruments SA Rycote Microphone Windshields S-Hoop Drum Hoops S.I.T. Strings Co., Inc. Sabian Ltd Sabine, Inc. Sabre Guitars Ltd. SAE Co., Ltd Safety-Ease N.A. Saga Musical Instruments
Booth# 6729 2960 1300 2004 4618 1773 2586 1671 2004 5996 2967 3164 1207 5979 4684 7400 2373 1418 7400, 7804 7400 7400 7400 2354 2451 5596 6975 3404 1531 7123 6399 2982 1744 3564 5976 3254 6274 2489 1548 205-1 5760
JANUARY 2011
NAMM Exhibitors List Exhibitor Booth# Sakae Rhythm Musical Instrument Ltd. 2877 Salebug.com, LLC 6910 Sam’s Strings, LLC 2922 Samick Music Corporation 210-1, 210A, 4690 Samson Technologies Corp 5940 Samwoo Manufacturing Co., Ltd 1348 Santa Barbara Guitar Partners 2392 Santa Cruz Guitar 1700 Sanyo North America Corporation 7013 Sara-Trans Export Corporation 5931 Sauter USA 205-1 Savannah 5476 Savarez 3001 Schaller Electronic GmbH 3132 Schecter Guitar Research 4290 Schertler USA 1412 Schilke Music Products 4332 Schimmel Piano Corporation 208A Schoen Guitars 1461 Schreiber 4300 Schulze Pollmann Pianos 615 SCORE 160 SCORE Mktg. 1145 Scott Cao Violins Inc. 3324 Sculpturra Pianos 1236 SE Electronics 6399 Seapower Worldwide Dist Inc 2684 Seikaku Technical Group Ltd. 6772 Seiko Tuners & Metronomes 5420, 5720 Selenium 7800 Sennheiser 6579 Sensaphonics Hearing Conservation Inc. 6950 Serato Audio Research 7007 Seymour Duncan 5561 Shadow Elektroakustik 4011 Shandong Taishan Wind Instruments Manufacture Co., Ltd 2805 Shanghai Lansheng Grand Luck Imp/ Exp. Co., Ltd. 3231 Shanghai Max Precision Instrument 3020 Shanghai NO. 1 National Musical Instruments Factory 2828 Shanghai Seiwin Electronic Co., Ltd 6012 Shanghai Silver Flute Sound Co., Ltd 1851 Shenzhen Bao Ye Heng 1748 Shenzhen Flanger Musical Instruments Co., Ltd 1649 Shenzhen Mooer Audio Co. , Ltd. 1827 Shenzhen Ran Musical Instruments Co., LTD 2925 Shenzhen Rowin Music Co., Ltd. 2825 Shenzhen Yuyin Electronic Co., LTD 1752 Shine Drums 2977 SHS International 1648 Shubb Capos 6240 Shure Incorporated 6541, 6848 SICA Speakers 4893 Sierra Guitars 5420 SJC Drums 3070 SKB Corporation 4210 Skjold Design Guitars LLC 3283 SLATE Digital 6921 SLATE Pro Audio 6921 Sleishman Drum Co. 2365 SLS Audio 5222 Smarvo Electronics Inc. 1836 Smokey Amplifiers 5218 SMPRO Audio 6809 Snark 4790 SnowSea Company 1237 Softwind Instruments 6434 Soh Electronics Co., Ltd 6907 Soho Acoustics Ltd. 1502 Solid Cables 3392 Solid State Logic 6904 Sonatina Strings Inc. 3520 Sonic Core GmbH 5912 Sonic Distribution USA LLC 2382 Sonic Network, Inc. 6828 SONiVOX 6828 Sonnox LTD 6278 Sonodyne Technologies 6945 Sonoma Wire Works 6225 Sonomax Technologies Inc 7004 Sonora International 1204 Sony Electronics, Inc. 6214 Souldier 4168 Soultone Cymbals 2979
JANUARY 2011
Exhibitor Sound & Communications Sound Around Inc. Sound Back Sound Barrier Sound Enhancement Products, Inc. Sound On Sound Sound Plug Electronic Co., LTD Soundcraft Soundking Group Co. LTD SoundToys, Inc. Soundtrack USA LLC Soundwear Dimbath e.K. Source Audio Spaceman LLC Spanish Guitar Master Craftsman’s Guild Spaun Drum Company Inc Spector Spectrasonics Sperzel SPHK Corp. SPL Spontuneous Games, Inc. St. Louis Music Stagetrix Standback Stanton Magnetics Inc Steavens Custom Amplification Steinberg North America Stellar International Stentor Music Co. Ltd Stentor Stringed Instruments Steph Accessories Steph Accessories Inc. Steve Clayton, Inc. Steven Fryette Design, Inc. Steven Slate Drums Sticks n Skins Stokyo Co., Ltd. StoneWorks Strandberg Guitarworks Strictly 7 Guitars String Letter Publishing String Saver String Swing Inc Strings by Aurora Strings Magazine Strum-N-Comfort Picking Systems Strunal CZ as
Booth# 5400 3391 4410 6990 4382 6321 7020 7800 6000 6524 7010 3600 5599 2797 1600 3549 5856 6720 6234 1470 6849 1452 4000 5977 5935 B5963 2783 6528 1380 4219 5720 5467 4390 4590 5921 6921 2954 1554 1000 1219 2999 5226 5920 4378 4796 5226 4176 4610
Exhibitor Booth# Stuart Spector Design 5856 Studio Depot 1655 Studio Devil 6901 Studiologic 6464 Sugi Musical Instruments Ltd. 1349 Sung-IL HiTech Co., LTD 1312 Sunlite Industrial Corp. 3576 Super-Sensitive Musical String Co 3515 Superior Vocal Health 2593 Supernatural Percussion Inc. 2746 Supro Guitars & Amps 5218 SurfCity Music 2449 Suzuki Music 6200 Syndyne Corporation 1018 Synful 6227 Synthax Inc. 6913, 7000 Systems Contractor News 5307 T-Rex Engineering 5467 Taesung Precision Co., Ltd. 2592 Taiwan Alpha Electronic Co., Ltd. 1565 Taiwan Carol Electronics Co., Ltd 1665 Taixing Fengling Musical Instruments Co., Ltd 2902 Taixing Shenyun Stringed Instruments Co. Ltd. 3400 Takamine Guitars 5720 Talwar Brothers (P) Ltd. 5815 Tama 4634 Tanglewood Guitar Company UK 5467 Tannoy 5932 TASCAM 6491 Taye Drums 3554 Taylor Guitars 213ABC TC Electronic 5932 TC Group Americas 5932 TC-Helicon 5932 TEAC America 6491 Teachlogic, Inc. 1764 Tech 21 5982 Technical Pro 6924 Teenage Engineering 6409 TEI Electronics Inc. 5790, 5924 Telefunken USA 1874 Tempus Consulting, Inc. 150 Tenon Industrial Co., Ltd. 3300 Testa Communications 5400 The Case Brace Company 5494 The Davitt & Hanser Music Co. 4878 The DJ Expo 5400
MMR 87
NAMM Exhibitors List Exhibitor Booth# The Guitar Hanger 3499 The Keyboard Corp. 821 The Loar 5476 The Magic Fluke Co., LLC 1715 The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation 2004 The Music & Sound Retailer 5400 The Music Link 5476 The Music People!, Inc. 6854 The Musician Network 5004 The RapcoHorizon Co. 4568 The Recording Academy 5701 The Rock Lock Company 1143 Theo Wanne Classic Mouthpieces 3325 Theodor Nagel GmbH 3224 THG Knobs 3283 Thomastik-Infeld 3500 Thunderball Marketing 6714 TI:ME (Technology Institute For Music Education) 2004 Tianjin FLEET International Trade Co., Ltd 2379 Tianjin Huayun Musical Instrument (Group) Co., Ltd 2468 Tianjin Jinbao Musical Instruments Co., Ltd. 3278 Tianjin Jiuyue Technology Co., Ltd. 2828 Tianjin JYJ Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. 2785 Tianjin Longxing (Group) Imp & Exp Co., Ltd 3306 Tianjin Master Import & Export Co., Ltd 2810 Tianjin Parrot Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. 2468 Tianjin SanJin International Trade Co., Ltd. 3421 Tianjin Sile International Trade Co., Ltd. 2911 Tianjin Triumph Music Imp. and Exp. Co., Ltd. 3427 Tianjin Zhong Tian Qi Jian Imp & Exp Co., LTD 3329 Tianyue Audio Technology 1740 Timber Tones 4827, 4831 TKL Products Corp. 4450 TM1 1680 TMNtv 5004 TMP Pro Distribution 6854
America’s Premier Guitar & Bass Parts Supplier
Delta Series by GOTOH 1:21 ratio
AVAILABLE IN A VARIETY OF FINISHES & STYLES
Send $4 US for COLOR CATALOG 13027 Brittmoore Park Drive, Houston, Texas 77041
88 MMR See us at NAMM Booth 5882
Exhibitor Booth# ToadWorks USA 1365 Toca Percussion 5720 Todaro’s Music 5941 Tolito Musique Sarl 2983 Tom Anderson Guitarworks 1518 Tone Americana LLC 2386 Tone Weal 2696 ToneGear 4178 TonePros 3392 Tong’s Violin Shop 3301 Tonoch Audio Co., Ltd. 1771 Tornavoz Music 5300 Toru Nittono Guitars 5996 Trace Elliot 5278 TransAudio Group 6945 Traveler Guitar 5262 TreeWorks Chimes 3265 Trevor James Flutes 4311 Tri-Technical Systems, Inc. 1300 Triad Products, Inc. 5935 Trick Percussion Products 2864 TrigAudio 1859 Trinity Audio Group Inc. 6799 Tropical Music & Pro Audio 5765 Truth Custom Drums Inc. 3066 TRX Cymbal Co. 2448 TSI Distributing 3397 TSS Fortune Co., Ltd. 2915 Turbosound 6464 Turkish Cymbals 2758 Tusq 5920 TV Jones, Inc. 5829 Two Old Hippies 4840 Tycoon Percussion 3570 Tyler Net, Inc. 1400 U.S. Commercial Service 160 U.S. Department of Commerce 160 U.S. Small Business Administration 160 UFIP SRL 2372 Ultimate Ears 4152 Ultimate Ears by Logitech 4152 Ultimate Products Corp 1315 Ultimate Support Systems 6690 Ultracase Corp 5991 Ultrasone Inc. 5894 Ultrasound Amplifiers 5705 UNISON 2924 United States Patent & Trademark Office 160 Universal Audio Inc. 7005, 7802 Universal Champion Electroacoustic Technology Company 1864 Universal Fit Earphones 4152 Universal Percussion, Inc. 2752 Unsung Musical Instruments Co. Ltd. 1336 UpBeat Daily 4319 URBANBOARDS 2364 US Music Corp 4558, 4835, 5244 Usta Isi (Masterwork) Zil Ve Muz. Alt. San. Ltd. 2678 Valuetone Musical Supply Inc. 3520 Van Orman Guitars 1450 Vandoren S.A.S. 3110 Vater Percussion Inc 3072 Vee Strap 2899 Veillette Guitars 5276 Vellum Head Company 2480 Veritas Instrument Rental 3501 Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc. 3512 Vestax Corporation 6464, A6252 VH1 Save The Music Foundation 2004 VHT Amplification 5476 Vic Firth Educational Percussion 5720 Vic Firth Inc. 3040 Vigier Guitars 4762 Viki Exports Pvt Ltd, (india) 1857 Vinnie Vincent Model Guitar 1680 Vintage Vibe 5805 Violet Musical Instrument Factory 1255 Viscount Church Products USA 615 Visual Sound LLC 5820, 5825 Vivo USA Corp. 3426 VNewsletter 5400
Exhibitor Booth# VocalBooth.Com, Inc. 4334 VocoPro 5876 Von Saint Design 1439 Voodoo Lab 5914 Votaw Tool Company 4231 VOVOX Cables 6998 Vox Amplification 6440 Voyage Air Guitar, Inc 1401 W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. 5000 Waldorf 6624 Walter Piano Transport, Inc. 514 Wanne Inc 3325 Warrior Guitar 5398 Warwick 4578 Washburn International 5244 Watson Guitars 1219 Watson Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co., Ltd. 1224 WattGrinder Engineering 3096 Wave Distribution 6324 Wave Violins 3400 WaveMachine Labs, Inc. 6905 Waves Inc 6425 Wechter Guitars 5498 Wedgie Pick & Accessories 3590 Welkin Sound Inc 721 Wells Company 2899 Wessell, Nickel & Gross 525 West Coast String Instruments 3004 Westone Laboratories, Inc. 6824 Wexler Music Co. (David Wexler & Co.) 3333 Wharfedale Pro 6464 Whirlwind 6930 Whotune Pty Ltd 3483 Wilkinson ATD LTD. 1212 Willis Music Company 4618 Wilmington Fibre Specialty Company 5989 Windcraft Ltd 2820 WITTNER GmbH & Co. KG 3032 Women’s Audio Mission 2004 Women’s Audio Mission 2004 Wood Violins 4881 Woodnote Music Inc. 3124 Woosung Chorus Industries 1536 Worldbeating Products Ltd 3366 WorldMax International 2740 WorldMax USA 2740 Worldwide Music Services, LLC 1304 Worship Musician Magazine 5698 Wristies Inc 1714 Wuhan Silken Musical Instrument Manufacture Co., Ltd 2855 Wyn Guitars 1355 Xi’An Far East Import & Export Co., Ltd 5272 Xinyingke Electroacoustic Technology Co., Ltd. 1343 XM Enterprise USA Co. 2344 Xotic Guitars & Effects 5250 Xstream Music Products 3209 Yamaha Corporation of America 100 Marriott, 102 Marriott, 6528 Yankee Veneer Corp 1352 Yellow Jackets 4893 Yellow Matter Entertainment 6921 Yiwu Bandao Commodity Co., Ltd. 1829 Yorkville Sound Inc. 6555 Young Chang North America 207-2, 207C Young Heung Chemical Co., Ltd 2910 Yuesen Musical Instruments Factory China 1430 Yurae Music Corporation 2976 Zaolla Silverline 5590 Zhang Zhou Elise Musical Instrument Co., Ltd 2715 Zhejiang Huangyan Yongguo Artcrafts Co., Ltd. 2535 Zhejiang Youyi Electronic Co., Ltd. 825 Zhengwei Industry (HK) Co., Limited 1826 Zinky Electronics, LLC 5218 Zomax Associates & Co. Ltd. 1775 Zon Guitars 5943 ZT Amplifiers 5975 ZVEX Effects 4134
JANUARY 2011
Webwise Kevin M. Mitchell
You and YouTube:
The Seven Key Points in Creating an Online Video Presence It’s easier and more important than other – what manufacturers and retailers should know
“Your customers like to watch YouTube videos,” declares Danny Rocks. “Online, customers prefer it four to ve times higher then those who prefer traditional articles.” Whether you’re a manufacturer or a MI retailer, the opportunities to exploit YouTube to demonstrate, engage, build a community, and be a source of information is increasingly critical to branding and sales. And here’s the good news: using this social network tool has never been easier. Danny Rocks of The Company Rocks, a training company, has just nished a DVD-ROM called Getting Started with Social Media. One of the things he covers on it is YouTube, which he says if done effectively, can do everything to promoting band awareness to providing customer support. (Prior to launching his company a few years ago, Rocks was a music industry executive for 29 years and there’s likely no one else who has spent more time in more music instrument stores than he.) Most of us have seen the Reunion Blues video where they put a guitar in one of their cases and throw it off a roof. Not only did the soft shell case protect it, but also it was JANUARY 2011
still in tune. Then they did it again, all to fun background music. After the second one a “Don’t try this at home” title card ashes evoking even more humor. But what is not funny is the many views it received, nor how it continues a life of its own. [see sidebar] On the retail side, an example of clever effective use of YouTube is Cris Barris of Salt Lake City’s Summerhays Music. “He does a ‘Facebook Friday’ feature, and his humorous approach ends up selling product,” Rocks says. One example is he compared the power of a step-up trumpet to a beginning one by placing marshmallows in both and blowing … the superior one sent the spongy white puffs of tastiness signicantly further. Other video topics covered include “Clarinet Bowling with Pumpkins” the Yamaha Silent String Quartet’s version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Rocks outlines seven important points to increasing visibility and sales via YouTube.
“ You have to provide content that people can grab and go.”
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Five Points • Look before YouLeap. Before delving in, take the time to develop a strategy. For those developing a good social media strategy, Rocks says spend time on other sites, and even offer substantial comments and see what the reaction is. Also learn from others: notice the production quality,
the topics, the length, how they do their titles, etc. • What it is. It’s a destination. When people go online, they are searching for something specic. “You have to provide content that people can grab and go.” We know that people like watching videos on their own time, and even if you have videos on your
Analysis of a Successful YouTube Video in Five Acts Reunion Blues, owned by Kaces, garnered over 100,000 impressions with their versions of their throwing-the-guitar-in-their-case-off-a-roof trick. Details of the story – and how it continues to this day – is worth a study, and illustrates many of the points Rocks’ makes. Act I. “Alan Poster [president of Kaces] is the most creative person I ever met,” says John Maher, director of marketing and advertising explaining that it was his idea to do the stunt. Completed in August 2009, they were pleased with it and posted it on their Web site. Act II. Meanwhile, Maher noticed a related video going viral: Songwriter Dave Carroll had his guitar broken in transit on a United Airlines flight. He wrote and filmed a funny song about it and it “was going through the roof” on YouTube. So Maher re-titled his to be similar in to the title of Carroll’s. People would go to Carroll’s and then see Reunion Blues’ pop up too. Over 78,000 impressions later, they decided to do more. Act III. They made other versions with different titles that were similar to other related hits. “Eventually we had six versions of the video, which drove our hits to about 100,000,” Maher tells. “Dealers should be doing these kinds of things.” But many dealers did in fact take it and put it on their site, and it continues to get viewings. Act IV. As Rocks says, the idea is to “start a conversation” and that includes naysayers. Laughing, Maher tells that then a MI retailer did a “Reunion Blues for Truth” where they put a bass guitar in one of their cases and threw it harder and further, and the instrument broke. Maher says, “Isn’t it interesting that we’re getting a ‘disser’ from a guy who could be making money on this?” And it didn’t end there: a sales rep who was let go showed his displeasure by doing one that showed the guitar broken clean in two… but the shot was that obviously edited. “That is the key to the success of ours – the camera never leaves the guitar.” Act V? Lawsuits? Counterclaims? Nah, just more videos. Instead of a onepiece Strat they did in the original, the worked with a Les Paul, which has a glued neck on it and “that can snap just falling over on stage.” They threw it off a one-story building, then a two, then a three. “It survived all three.” Thus illustrating the ultimate goal: this continues to take on a life of its own.
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own site (and you should), you should be on YouTube as well. Rocks says even with his videos he gets many more viewers from being on YouTube than he does of the same video on his site. The appeal is easy to understand: YouTube “makes it so easy to download a video to the iPhone or any portable device” – easy for someone to take it with them on the a ight or to the park with their guitar to practice. • What it’s not. “YouTube is not a commercial, but a place to start a conversation,” Rocks says. Focus on how your customers can benet from the product. Demonstrate it in an engaging way. While you want to borrow some of the “informercial” techniques, if it’s too much of a hard sell, the customer will quickly scurry away. “You do want a call to action, though it’s best at the end of an engaging, informative, and/or entertaining piece.” • Share-ability. Perhaps YouTube’s greatest benet is it’s easy to share videos. “Viewers can easily pass on the videos that they enjoy to their friends.” And for those offering lessons or specic tips, customers who choose to can be automatically notied on their LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook sites when you upload a new YouTube video lesson. • Insight. YouTube offers free analytic tools that are critical to gauging how successful the video is. You can also analyze that “level of engagement” of your videos as it shows the level of interest. If too many viewers seem to be tuning out and dropping off of your ve minute video demonstration of different guitar strings, you might want to re-edit so it’s half the length – or re-shoot so that its more engaging. Rocks says in his own business he was surprised he found his target age was 40 to 55 year olds. “You tend to think that because it’s technology-driven that it would be mostly 20 to 30-year-olds, but it was quite a revelation.” • Up close and personal. “I encourage MI store owners to show their staff along with their instruments,” Rocks says. Letting people get to know you, those who work at your store is key to building a community. But aren’t you supposed to be selling? “Show you’re JANUARY 2011
a real personâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re an expert with a passion ď&#x192;&#x17E; rst, but then make sure you give them directions to take that next step in the form of a call to action.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;˘ Searchable. Understand the basics of how search engines work, and then understand how you title, describe, and categorize your videos with â&#x20AC;&#x153;tagsâ&#x20AC;? and keywords. Take advantage of the power of Google Search that is built into YouTube. Be sure to include your contact information and a URL for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Landing Pageâ&#x20AC;? in your YouTube video description.
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Making it Happen For those technophobes, Rocks maintains, â&#x20AC;&#x153;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so simple now.â&#x20AC;? Many of the reasonably priced ď&#x192;&#x; ip cameras need only to be plugged into a USB port, and many software programs (often already on newer computers) can read it and ask if you want it uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, etc. That said, quality lighting and audio has a direct correlation to how engaging your video is. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re demonstrating some new keyboard and the sound is bad â&#x20AC;&#x201C; well, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not doing anyone any good. Invest in good lighting and a good microphone with a windscreen is important (and those are likely around your store anyway!). Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a visual-driven society, and if a message is put on video form, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a higher likelihood of engagement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get from print what you can get with video.â&#x20AC;? JANUARY 2011
See us at NAMM Booth 1424
MMR 91
Fresh Faces: The Music Center Expands and Expands Again
Business has been hearty at the Music Center in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In November, owners Keith Ford and Perry Ivy celebrated the opening of their new, much larger, retail space. Now in their second location and third expansion, the Music Center has grown out of its 900 square feet space at the previous location into its current one of 4,000 square feet. They are expanding even more, taking on additional space from an adjacent store front. According to Ivy, “We’ve already started to knock the walls down and should be in there by early 2011.”
Jonesboro has a population of about 70,000 and is not too far from Memphis. The Music Center’s customer base is, as Ivy puts it, “Mostly older people.” They are a full line store, but the best selling products are keyboards – Yamaha, Nord, and Kurzweil. How have they managed to do so well in a market that has not been thriving? Ivy laughs and responds, “It depends on how you demo it. We’ve done very well. Just this week, we’ve sold three professional-level keyboards. I’ve done some ads on radio and television, but to be honest, the best advertising comes from the meet and greets. I go to music 92 MMR
clubs, go around and pass out cards, all kinds of things. Tonight, I’m playing with a gospel group from a neighboring town. I’m not being paid for it, but I’m helping them and, as a result, they come in and buy all of the gear at the store.” Prior to opening the Music Center in 2009 with Ford, Perry Ivy was a salesman of sorts. He bought and sold cars, motorcycles, real estate, and anything else that he could put a price tag on. While Ford, at the time, was managing two music stores. Ivy had recently earned some extra cash and Ford was ready to move on. With Ivy’s $3,000 and Ford’s MI experi-
ence, they opened the Music Center. It has proved to be a successful venture. Ivy and Ford have no employees and run all of the business operations. As Ivy explains, “Where Keith has weaknesses, I have strengths and vice versa. We put in systems to compensate for weaknesses. It’s all about planning. If you have a plan in place, the business will succeed.” Ford and Ivy’s backgrounds and styles seem to help balance things out. “Keith knows about the old school way of doing business, which is good because that’s they way people do business in this town. I’m more new school,” says Ivy. “Technology JANUARY 2011
has changed the world and has changed the way people do business. I’m exposing Keith to that, and he exposes me to the old school way.” For Ivy, opportunities for success are endless. “We are going to have an incredible 2011 because we’ve got momentum. We’ve come through a recession. We opened during a bad economic time, and we were
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pulling in some serious numbers. There we were, with $3,000 worth of equipment, in a small building, in the slums of the town, everything was against us. We had to hustle. I was on eBay all the time; we had to keep selling to stay in business. Now we don’t rely on the Internet as much, but we are doing a new Web site with a shopping cart.” Another boost for the Music Center was the closing of ve other MI stores in the area. The oldest MI store in town will also be closing their doors this year, which will leave the Music Center along with one other store in town. Ivy’s thoughts on that, “We’re going to explode.” JANUARY 2011
See us at NAMM Booth 5315
MMR 93
Supplier Scene Schimmel Pianos Garner Awards Schimmel pianos have been awarded the Diapason d’Or and the iF design award. The company received the iF design award in 2010 for the upright piano, the C 116 Modern Cubus. The “sister model” C 116 Modern has been awarded with the red dot product design award in Germany as well as with the Good Design Award in the United States. Furthermore, it was nominated for the Deutscher Designpreis 2009 (German Design Award 2009). The Schimme’sl Konzert upright, K 125 Tradition, was also awarded the French Diapason d‘Or for its musical qualities. To nd out more, visit www.schimmel-piano.de James Hill to Appear At Kala Booth Ukulele virtuoso and educator James Hill will perform at the Kala booth and will provide mini workshops featuring his Ukulele in The Classroom education method. James will also lead the rst ever NAMM Wanna Play? Uke Circle presented by Kala. James will be appearing daily at the Kala booth. Namm’s Wanna Play Uke Circle will begin on Sunday afternoon, in front of the convention center. Kala will provide ukuleles to those that want to join in the circle. Participants are also invited to bring their own instruments. For more information, visit www.kalaukulele.com. John Hornby Skewes & Co Awarded for Sponge Bob Square Pants John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd., worldwide trade distributors of SpongeBob SquarePants has been awarded the Rob Williams Business Enterprise Award at the recent Music Industries Association Music Awards 2010, held at the Landmark Hotel, London. From a standing start in 2008, the SBSP RMI range now covers some 40 SKUs, ranging from ukuleles to acoustic and electric guitars, plectrums, 94 MMR
drum kits, percussion kits, and the very latest addition, the SpongeBob automatic clip on tuner. In addition to this award, SBSP RMI has also won the the Licensing Awards’ The Innovation Award 2009, and rst prize for new product trends at the Toy Fair in Paris 2010. To nd out more, visit www.jhs.co.uk. Prestige Guitars’ Eclipse Series Prestige Guitars are showcasing their new Eclipse series of acoustic guitars. Eclipse acoustic guitars are limited to 100 pieces per year and feature the highest grade of exotic wood. For more information, visit www.prestigeguitars.com. Samick Music Makes Donation to Crestline Creative Arts Foundation Samick Music donated a Greg Bennett-designed model OM8CE N acoustic guitar to the Lake Gregory Jam Fest 2010, an event hosted by the Crestline Creative Arts Foundation, which features live music. The guitar was presented to foundation president Gigi Bannister, wife of Samick artist Reggie Bannister, as the festival’s rafe prize. The festival took place in Crestine, Calif. and included vendors, food, arts & crafts, games, contests, magic shows, face painting, a parade, and more. For more information, visit www.smcmusic.com International Musical Instruments Seminar The Tonal Innovation Center (TONIC), an EU funded project for developing business opportunities with natural ber composites, hosted the rst annual International Musical Instruments Seminar, November 18th – 19th 2010 in Joensuu, Finland. The seminar brought together inuential members of the musical instrument industry, including Fender, Maderas Barber, Martin Guitars, and RS Berkeley Musical Instruments. There was a consensus of opinion that the industry is working hard to comply with both legislative and consumer pressure for making socially responsible instruments. It is becoming more environmentally friendly with sustainable forestation, reduction in waste, and the use of alternative materials. The Tonal Innovation Center project leader, Heikki Koivurova, introduced the concept of using natural ber alternatives and new production methods such as injection molding. Advantages include the readiness of supply, use of recycled or sustainable wood bers and the variety of attributes that can be developed such as stiffness and color. Jukka Pekka Karppinen of Flaxwood Guitars, further highlighted the excellent properties of natural ber composite mateJANUARY 2011
rials such as the tonal quality, consistency, and uniformity, along with cost, time, and reduced waste advantages. Neil Lilien, Sales and Marketing Director of RS Berkeley Musical Instruments and board member of NAMM suggested that a music industry coalition be formed for conservation, cooperation and planning. Antonio Minguez of Maderas Barber, one of the largest suppliers of Tonewoods, explained their commitment to conservation and sourcing alternative materials. Michael Dickinson from Martin Guitars discussed old traditions being converged with sustainable and alternative materials. Martin is taking proactive steps with the Forest Stewardship Council and Greenpeace MusicWood Campaign For more information and to register for future seminars, visit www.tonal. Josh Charles Joins Casio Casio America has signed singer/songwriter and blues piano protégé Josh Charles as a new national spokesperson for its Privia brand of digital pianos. As part of Charles’ promotional schedule, he will be featured in Privia’s online and print advertising campaign, as well as live performances at the NAMM show. Charles will be using the new Privia PX-3 on tour and will also be creating several Privia instructional videos throughout the year. For more information on Casio’s Privia line visit www.priviapiano.com.
Kawai Celebrates Use of Composite Materials Kawai is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its use of composite materials in acoustic pianos. The company, founded in 1927, was the rst to utilize a durable material called ABS to replace wood for selected parts in its piano actions. The rst Kawai upright pianos with ABS action parts were introduced in 1971. Today, in addition to its use in Kawai pianos, ABS is found in products as varied as telephones, computers, cars, and commercial aircraft. The use of composites has grown dramatically at Kawai. Though wood is still used for action parts that directly inuence tone, the majority of the moving parts in modern-day Kawai piano actions are made of composite materials. The company’s newest innovations, the Millennium III Grand and Upright piano actions feature many action parts made of ABS carbon, a Kawai-developed composite that combines ABS with long carbon bers. To nd out more, visit www.kawaius.com. Audio-Technica Opens New Facility in Japan Audio-Technica recently opened the doors on a new facility, Technica Fukui. Located in Echizen City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, Technica Fukui integrates the three pre-existing A-T Fukuoka branches into one location, consolidating and streamlining design efforts with increased collaboration among A-T’s global design
Roland Piano Festival In their continuing mission to promote the hobby of piano playing, Roland Corporation U.S. held their rst annual Piano Festival, which culminated in a nal showcase of piano talent from across the country in the National Finals on November 13, 2010, at Roland U.S. Headquarters in Los Angeles, California. Regional Roland Piano Festival events were held at select Roland piano dealers across the country in the spring and summer of 2010. Dealers hosted these local events in their community, giving hobbyist, players, and students the opportunity to share their musical talents. Competitors participated in one of four different divisions: Youth 1, Youth 2, Youth 3 and Adult Hobbyist. The top winners in each category advanced to the National Finals in Los Angeles. Finalists performed on the Roland RM-700 Digital Piano in front of a live audience of family and friends. They were then critiqued by a panel of judges including concert pianist Yana Reznik, musical director, keyboardist, and composer Paul Mirkovich, and Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist David Benoit. The afternoon included a special live performance from David Benoit. For more information on becoming a participant or hosting a regional event for the 2011 Piano Festival, visit www.rolandpianofestival.com. JANUARY 2011
See us at NAMM Booth 1708
MMR 95
Supplier Scene
See us at NAMM Booth 6230
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teams. The new facility is equipped with a dedicated acoustic lab and an advanceddesign anechoic chamber specially designed for audio testing. An emphasis has been placed on further advancing wireless technologies with research and product development. Technica Fukui is designed to streamline Audio-Technica’s product development process with emphasis on innovation, accuracy, and efciency. For more information, visit www.audio-technica.com.
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Print Music
PORCHBOARD BASS The UCL-S PorchBoard Bass offers analog, clean bass rhythm with the tap of a foot. Durable passive magnetic sensor system and 3-way frequency response switch eliminates low-end feedback and delay. Features both 1/4 inch and XLR outputs. No batteries, wall worts or external power supply required. Includes carry bag. $299.95. www.porchboard.com (608) 752-2229 MMR 101
Merchandise
Repair Tools
FAST TURN-AROUND ON STOCK REPAIRS NATIONWIDE NAPBIRT member, 28 Years Experience Contact: Dan Rieck, 801-733-4243 dan@utahwoodwindrepair.com
Guitar Show Operators
Promote your show dates and reach every guitar dealer in the US through the classified pages of MMR. Call Maureen 800-964-5150 ext 34 102 MMR
JANUARY 2011
Repair Tools
MOVING?
BOW REHAIRING
Don’t miss a single issue of MMR...
Expert Bow Service
Order forms,Pricing and Shipping label at: Violin bows as low as $10.00 per bow in quantity incl. shipping (see website for details.) Large inventory of replacement parts both new and vintage. IRA B. KRAEMER & Co. Wholesale Services Division
“An industry leader since 1967” 467 Grant Avenue, Scotch Plains, N.J. 07076 Tel: 908-322-4469 Fax: 908 322-8613 e mail: info@bowrehairing.com
Seeking Employment
Wanted To Buy
Sales Rep Seeks Position Experienced MI sales rep for territory sales in NE US and/or Canada. (F/T preferred). Woodwind+guitar specialist. e: BostonSax@AOL.com mobile tel. 1-978-973-7654
WE, BUY, SELL, TRADE and ship worldwide. Written APPRAISALS available. GRUHN GUITARS, 400 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 256-2033
fax (615) 255-2021
www.gruhn.com
Services
SHIPPING YOUR PIANO
with Lone Wolf Trucking
is a “grand” idea!
An independent, long-distance Mover specializing in coast-to-coast residential Relocation.
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www.lonewolftrucking.com Alamogordo, New Mexico. 88310
ICC MC-256289
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www.mmrmagazine.com JANUARY 2011
PASTE OLD LABEL HERE!
Let us know 6-8 weeks before your move so we can continue to send your magazine without interruption.
www.bowrehairing.com
NEW ADDRESS HERE! Name ___________________________
Wanted USED TUBAS
Address _________________________
ANY CONDITION-CASH PAID
_______________________________
THE TUBA EXCHANGE 1825 CHAPEL HILL RD. DURHAM, NC 27707 1-800-869-8822 WWW.TUBAEXCHANGE.COM
City ____________________________
Vintage Instruments
State ____________Zip ____________
21 Highland Circle, Suite 1 Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310
Guitar Show Operators Promote your show dates and reach every guitar dealer in the US through the classified pages of MMR. Call Maureen 800-964-5150 ext 34 MMR 103
Ad Index COMPANY NAME
E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS
PAGE
A Al Cass Allparts Amati’s Fine Instruments American DJ Supply Inc. American Way Marketing LLC American Way Marketing LLC Anthem Music Group Anthem Music Group Anthem Music Group Antigua Winds, Inc.
www.Amatis.uscom www.americandj.com info@americanwaymktg.com info@americanwaymktg.com www.antheminstruments.com www.antheminstruments.com www.antheminstruments.com www.antiguawinds.com
www.jjbabbitt.com www.bigbends.com www.bohemiapiano.cz www.pantheonguitars.com www.jpstrings.com
85 43 71 56 96
C Casio America, Inc Chesbro Music Co. Chord Buddy
www.casiousa.com www.chesbromusic.com www.chord buddy.com
37 55 93
D Dana B. Goods David Gage String Instrument David Gage String Instrument Dean Markley Strings Direct Sound Headphones Dusty Strings
www.danabgoods.com www.davidgage.com www.davidgage.com www.deanmarkley.com www.extremeheadphones.com www.dustystrings.com
61 72 46 70 91 95
www.staggmusic.com www.staggmusic.com
74 65
www.fitaud.com www.floydrose.com www.frenchamericanreeds.com
48 26 63
E EMD Music Inc. EMD Music Inc.
F Fitness Audio LLC Floyd Rose Marketing French American Reed Mfg. Co.
G Gemini Giannini S.A. Giannini S.A. Grover
www.gci-technologies.com www.giannini.com.br www.giannini.com.br www.grotro.com
14 17 19 93
www.hailun-pianos.com www.halleonard.com www.huntermusical.com
77 4-5 43
www.ibctrading.com www.jackrabbittech.com www.JamHub.com.com
91 96 68
H Hailun USA Hal Leonard Hunter Music Instrument Inc.
I/J IBC Trading Ltd. Jack Rabbit Technologies JamHub
104 MMR
PAGE
Levy’s Leathers Ltd. M&M Merchandisers Inc. McNally Instruments Miami Audio Music Corp. Morgan Hill Music Messe Frankfurt Inc.
www.levysleathers.com www.mmwholesale.com info@strumstik.com www.miamiaudiomusic.com www.morganhillmusic.com www.messefrankfurt.com
62 64 68 12 46 82
N NAMM National Educational Music Co. Noteworthy Music, Inc.
www.namm.com www.nemc.com
20-21 73 48
O Oasis Olympia OnBoard Research Corp.
www.oasishumidifiers.com www.olympiakorea.com www.tuners.com
64 42 44
www.pianodisc.com www.pjlamusc.com www.prestigeguitars.com
58 79 45
www.remo.com www.retailup.com www.rotosound.com
83 18 84
www.sabian.com www.sagamusic.com www.sagamusic.com www.samsontech.com www.samsontech.com www.schimmel-piano.de www.sculpturra.com.de www.shsint.net www.shubb.com www.skbcases.com www.stedmancorp.com www.steveclayton.com www.cavanaughcompany.com www.suzukimusic.com
11 59 15 13 3 49 25 7 96 53
www.tanglewoodguitars.com www.magicfluke.com www.tkl.com www.theStringCleaner.com www.technology4retailers.com www.tycoonpercussion.com
9 63 1 81 47 75
P PianoDisc PJLA Music Products Prestige Guitars Ltd
R Remo Inc. Retail Up Rotosound Inc.
S Sabian Ltd. Saga Musical Instruments Saga Musical Instruments Samson Technologies Corp. Samson Technologies Corp. Schimmel Sculpturra Pianos. SHS International Shubb Capos SKB Corp. Stedman Corporation Steve Clayton Inc. Super-Sensitive Musical String Co. Suzuki Music
80 67 69
T Tanglewood Guitars The Magic Fluke Co., LLC TKL Products Corp. ToneGear Tri-Technical Systems, Inc. Tycoon Percussion
U/V U.S. Band & Orchestra Supplies Visual Sound
www.usbandsupplies.com www.visualsound.net
86 cov 4
W/Y
K Kawai America Corp. Kyser Musical Products Inc.
E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS
L/M 87 88 51 23 41 57 31 35 33 60
B J.J. Babbitt Co. Inc. Big Bends LLC Bohemia Piano Bourgeois Guitars Breezy Ridge Instruments Ltd.
COMPANY NAME
www.kawiausl.com www.kysermusical.com
cov 2 66
W.D. Music Products Inc. West Music Yamaha Corp. of America
www.wdmusic.com www.tjflutes.com www.yamaha.com
56 16 27
JANUARY 2011
Save The Date! In the immortal words of one of jazz’ most notable innovators, LOUIS Satchmo Armstrong…
To Jazz or not to Jazz… There is no question! Call it what you want, but by chance, through karma, serendipity, destiny, fate, providence, or luck…we are proud to announce the Third Annual JEN Conference in yet another city with LOUIS in the title... LOUISville, Kentucky… We think Three’s a CHARM! Come experience all Louisville has to offer, as we will be collectively…
JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK
Developing Tomorrow’s Jazz Audiences Today! Louisville, Kentucky January 4-7, 2012
The Jazz Education Network
is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences. For complete membership information/benefits please visit us at: www.JazzEdNet.org
See us at NAMM Booth 5820, 5825