MMR July 2009

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July 2009

California Dreamin’

MI Retailers Fight, Thrive in Especially Challenging Conditions

19th annual

Prole

of the

American Music Dealer

Neighbors can’t hear it. Parents can’t hear it. Cops can’t hear it.

But you won’t believe what the band can hear.

the silent rehearsal studio Introducing JamHub.™ Now your band can jam anywhere, anytime virtually silent to the outside world. Just pick a color section and plug in your instruments, mics and headphones. Then control your own individual mixes with new clarity and no volume wars. JamHub is also portable and affordable, with 3 models starting at only $299 street. So jam more, and get better faster.

See us at NAMM Booth 410

JamHub.com

Contents Cover design by Laurie Chesna.

JULY 2009 VOL.168 NO. 7

Features 24

Profile of the American Music Dealer Our 19th annual census of the MI industry shows the retail store count roughly level with last year’s tally.

California Dreamin’ MMR profiles the music retail industry in one of the states hardest-hit by the recent economic downturn. Through innovation and adaptation, music stores in the Golden State and finding ways to persevere.

Summer Buyer’s Guide to New Gear – Part II Our midsummer summary of new products on display at Summer NAMM and MIAC/PAL.

NAMM University Schedule

NAMM Exhibitor Listing

Fleabass

Radial Engineering

The Grammy Award-winning bass icon is behind a new venture offering young players quality basses at affordable price points.

We check in with Peter Janis, founder and CEO of Radial Engineering to learn of recent developments at the company – including a major expansion into new facilities – and future projects on the horizon.

www.MMRmagazine.com

Departments 4

Editorial

Upfront

People

Letters

At A Glance

Supplier Scene

Classifieds

Advertisers’ Index

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 ©2009 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

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Editorial

Volume 168, Number 7, July 2009 PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com

Self Reliance And Improvisation

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Rick Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com EDITOR Christian Wissmuller cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com

hy California? As a section of The Annual Profi le of the American Music Dealer (page 24), we often conduct a non-scientific sampling of a segment of the retail environment. In past years our coverage has included citywide profi les (St. Louis, Boston), Internet-only dealers, new operations, and specialty outlets, among others. In a real sense California represents a total picture of the body retail, both in size and scope. The state with the largest number of dealerships (1,020), California is home to the industry’s trade association (NAMM) and to Guitar Center and six other “chain” dealers. California was also among the first to suffer the consequences of Proposition 13, which placed fi xed tax rates on housing and restricted funding for school programs, including music and the arts, and present-day is staggering from a higher than average unemployment rate and subsequent home foreclosures. The purpose of the California report, in general terms, was to bypass the chain merchants and provide an inside view of, for lack of a better term, “mom-and-pop” one- or two-store units. Our coverage included both specialty and full line stores ranging from Petaluma to Anaheim. What we found was a voice for cautious optimism and a shift towards the service aspect of the business, with many of those polled increasing their emphasis on repairs and lessons to supplement the front of the house. While most were active on the Internet, to the extent of maintaining a Web site, they also pointed out that their efforts in cyber-space were still in its infancy in terms of sales potential. Overall inventories were slimmer and we detected an interest in broadening the mix and seeking suppliers who were less restrictive in their ordering requirements. The sampling of dealers also supported our Profi le findings that showed an increase in the number of outlets selling print music. Many of the dealers were pro-active: Ventura’s Pulse Percussion recently doubled their space and added lines; Patrick’s Music in Fresno has emphasized repairs; Watermelon Music in Davis moved heavily into print music when a nearby store closed; Cupertino’s World of Music derives a major portion of its business from its 12 lesson rooms that are in operation daily; Lessons are also an important part of San Jose’s Music Village which gives 900 lessons per week at their two outlets; The same goes for Patrick’s Music, Fresno which has 350 students, and an active repair department along with a full line of product; Lemmon Percussion in San Jose was purchased by the husband and wife team of Ryan and Leah Stohls this past year with partner Chris Trujillo. They work the store themselves, teach 100 students and are using e-bay for additional revenue. Our California story is one of self-reliance and improvisation. In a final note our State-by-State dealer count was relatively unchanged during the past year, however we would be remiss in not citing the passing of several stalwarts from the music scene, Forbes Piano (120 years) Gadsby’s (73) and Medley Music (53) among others. The old order changeth, yielding place to the new

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eliahu Sussman esussman@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Denyce Neilson dneilson@symphonypublishing.com ADVERTISING SALES Iris Fox ifox@symphonypublishing.com CLASSIFIED AD SALES Maureen Johan mjohan@symphonypublishing.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill lguptill@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Andrew P. Ross aross@symphonypublishing.com Laurie Chesna lchesna@symphonypublishing.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@symphonypublishing.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Popi Galileos pgalileos@symphonypublishing.com WEBMASTER Sanford Kearns skearns@symphonypublishing.com SYMPHONY PUBLISHING, LLC Xen Zapis • Chairman Lee Zapis • President lzapis@symphonypublishing.com Rich Bongorno • Chief Financial Officer 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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JULY 2009

See us at NAMM Booth CLUB

Upfront Forbes Piano Co. to Close In 1889 Benjamin Harrison became the 23rd president of the United States, Thomas Edison showed his first motion picture, the Eiffel Tower opened to the public, and Ernest Forbes opened a small piano store in Birmingham, Alabama. Since that time, Forbes Piano has been a revered institution in the region, but as the saying goes, all good things come to an end. After 120 years, most of which have been successful for the retail outlet, the Forbes family has decided that it is the right time to move on and close the doors of their piano store. Company vice president and general manager, French Forbes III, explains, “My father and I have been running the business, and he is ready for retirement. For me, I’m looking into new opportunities. We are actually in the black; we are not in a crisis situation. I remember a few years back Henry Steinway said, ‘Every company has a lifespan.’ We feel like we’ve had many lifespans. It’s just the right time.”

The family chose to depart with a liquidation sale rather than selling the business with inventory. As French explains, “My great grandfather worked very hard to establish our name. We wanted to walk out with that name and do things on our own terms.” What the Forbes family didn’t expect, after the announcement of the closing, was the outpouring of gratitude and the sense of loss from, not only the local music community, but from a music community which spans the country. They have been inundated with phone calls, cards, and letters from people wishing them well, expressing thanks, and sharing their own personal stories of dealings with Forbes Pianos. This may be the end of an era, however E.E. Forbes & Sons, in Montgomery, Alabama, will continue operations, and will stay in the hands of the Forbes family. There is no set “closing date” for Forbes Piano Co. – when the

inventory is gone, the store will close for good.

Shure Raids in China, Seizure of Counterfeit Earphones Recently, following an investigation initiated by Shure, officials of the Baoshan Office of the Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce (AIC) conducted raids on wholesale stores and warehouses of Han Si Appliance Co., Ltd and Run Zheng Digital Ltd on Baoshan Road. Both locations are in the Zhabei District of Shanghai. “Counterfeiters are constantly working to duplicate the Shure logo and other

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product markings as well as the general appearance of the products,” said Anita Man, managing director of Shure Asia. “Due to the popularity and reputation of the Shure brand, they know that consumers are interested in an item that bears the Shure name.” In the two raids, large quantities of counterfeit Shure E2c and E4c earphones were seized as well as counterfeit earphones of other brands, including Audio-

Technica and JVC. These raids have been officially reported and published on the public website of the Shanghai AIC. The penalties to be imposed by the Shanghai AIC are still being determined. “The Shure brand carries with it a promise of quality and performance,” said Sandy LaMantia, president and CEO of Shure. “Counterfeit Shure products do not live up to that promise, and that damages the value of our brand. We are fiercely committed to working with international agencies and with other brands to fight the spread of counterfeit products and halt this kind of criminal activity.” In addition to anti-counterfeiting actions in China, Shure has also been continuing forceful efforts in other parts of Asia, Europe, South America, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States to cease intellectual property violations. JULY 2009

PRODUCT + PRESENTATION = PROFITS Introducing the new VOX merchandising solutions

Pre-order the perfect ďŹ t for your store Our new self-standing display systems add impact to your retail showroom with eye-catching graphics and the familiar VOX logo. Durable and reliable, they offer premium product positioning in a space-saving format. Generate interest, improve presentations, and maximize proďŹ ts with VOX.

To dress your store for success, contact your VOX DSM, or simply call us at 1-800-872-5674

See us at NAMM Booth CLUB

Upfront Gemstone to Distribute Paesold Strings Gemstone Musical Instruments announced its plans to distribute Roderich Paesold stringed instruments and bows to North America. The Germany-based Paesold, established in 1848, produces high-quality handmade stringed instruments and bows. “Paesold is an important addition for Gemstone,” says Dr. Gerardo Discepolo, president and CEO of Gemstone. “Artisan Strings and Paesold, with its long history of high-end instrument craftsmanship, fits seamlessly together with their product profi les and dealer bases. We’re

confident that these lines will work very well together and perfectly position our Strings Division as a comprehensive source for high-value instruments. In addition, we have created a new strings specialist sales position to further support the development of Gemstone’s strings division.” Kevin Rouch, director of Gemstone’s Strings Division, echoes Discepolo’s

sentiment. “This is a great partnership for us,” he says. “Paesold provides handmade instruments and we provide a shop with the skills to work with these instruments and deliver the fi nest possible product to dealers.” For further information contact strings sales specialist Carolyn Manley or strings division director Kevin Rouch, P.O. Box 788, Elkhart, Indiana 46515, phone: (574) 2955280.

Peavey Delivers Commencement Address to Miss. Univ. for Women During her two keynote commencement addresses to the Mississippi University for Women’s class of 2009, business leader and education advocate Mary Peavey encouraged the graduates to recognize their unique gifts and talents, develop them relentlessly and give back to the world. Peavey also shared her experiences in business and life and the inspiring story of Peavey Electronics—one of the world’s largest manufacturers of musical instru-

ments and professional sound equipment, founded by her husband, Hartley Peavey, and still based in Meridian under the original ownership. During the ceremony, Peavey accepted the Medal of Excellence from MUW president Dr. Claudia Limbert, and presented her with a one-of-a-kind Peavey Custom Shop guitar designed with the university seal to commemorate the event.

2009-10 NAMM Foundation Grant Recipients NAMM recently announced the 31 recipients of the NAMM Foundation’s 2009-2010 grants program, allocating $848,807 in funding to support community music-making programs, scientific research on the effects of making music, and music programs for seniors, college students and school-aged children. The Foundation reaffirmed it will offer scholarships for the study of music education and business in the year ahead. The new grants, while only a small portion of NAMM’s overall annual multimillion-dollar-reinvestment into the 8 MMR

music products industry, serve an important function by enabling worthy organizations to operate programs designed to increase interest and participation in making music, as well as helping leading universities better understand the outcomes of making music for people of all ages. This important music-brain research continues to help the industry strengthen its marketing messages for why more people should play music. For a full listing of grant recipients, visit www.namm.org. For more infor-

mation about the NAMM Foundation’s grants and scholarships, please e-mail grants@namm.org. The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit organization with the mission of advancing active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs from the international music products industry. For more information about the NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org. JULY 2009

See us at NAMM Booth 810

Upfront PAS Receives NAMM Grant NAMM has announced that the Percussive Arts Society is a recipient of a NAMM Foundation Program Grant for the program Recreational Drumming: Celebrating Health and Wellness, a world-wide, two week event celebrating and recognizing the health benefits of recreational drumming. The grant will provide financial support to build awareness of the enjoyment and health benefits of recreational drumming programs. “The Percussive Arts Society is honored to receive a 2009 NAMM Foundation Program Grant,” states Percussive Arts Society executive director Michael Kenyon. “Building on the momentum and overwhelmingly positive responses of our pilot program completed last year, this funding will allow us to reach new communities; raising awareness of the positive health benefits and enjoyment of recreational drumming.”

The Percussive Arts Society will recruit and coordinate experienced recreational drum facilitators to produce innovative community based music learning programs for people of all ages and abilities later this summer. Facilitators will then lead programs in diverse settings such as hospitals, schools, and community centers to share the health benefits of providing fun, recreational or educational percussion activities. Local chapters of the Percussive Arts Society will build awareness of the events at the local level. Recreational Drumming: Celebrating Health and Wellness events will provide broader exposure to recreational drumming and the role it can play in health

and wellness, bring recreational drumming events to a variety of settings, and create new opportunities for youth and adults to experience the positive benefits and enjoyment of making music. Last year’s pilot program produced 24 recreational drumming events in 15 states and three countries that served over 1,600 participants. The celebration also added new facilitator opportunities, created new relationships between community organizations, and established new programs in schools and healthcare facilities around the world. For more information about the Percussive Arts Society, visit its Web site at www.pas.org or call (317) 974-4488.

Petrof Liability in Geneva Lawsuit A federal district court sitting in Chicago has entered an order establishing that Petrof, spol., s.r.o. is liable to Geneva International Corporation for anticipatory breach of the contract under which

New Musser Web Site Goes Live Conn-Selmer announced that a new Web site for Musser percussion instruments, www.musser-mallets.com, went live on the Internet in May. The new Web site will be the clearinghouse for all information regarding the complete line of Musser “American Made Mallet Instruments”, including Marimbas, Xylophones, Vibes, Bells, & Chimes. As the site continues to develop, more information about the complete line will be added. 10 MMR

Petrof granted Geneva an exclusive license to use the PETROF® trademark in the United States until 2013. The order, issued April 14, 2009, in a lawsuit Geneva fi led against Petrof in 2007, also said that “Plaintiff [Geneva] has demonstrated that it suffered damage as a result of defendant’s [Petrof’s] breach after it announced it would begin selling pianos under the PETROF® trademark in the United States.”

The court said the amount of Geneva’s damage remains to be determined at a trial on that issue which has not yet been scheduled. Geneva’s president, Earl R. Matzkin, said, “We are very pleased with the Court’s ruling in our favor in this case on the issue of Petrof’s liability for breach of our license agreement. We look forward to providing the Court with evidence of the substantial damages we suffered and obtaining a judgment against Petrof for those amounts.”

KMC Music Relocates KMC Music, Inc., a subsidiary of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, recently signed a long-term, full building office lease at Griffin Center at 55 Griffin Road South in Bloomfield, Conn. “Once we were acquired by FMIC, it became obvious that we would need to

move off the Kaman campus,” said Ed Miller, president of KMC. “It was imperative that we find a facility within close proximity of our current office, so it would not put a strain on our employees’ commute.” For more information visit www.kmcmusic.com. JULY 2009

Upfront Trillium Updates Web Site Trillium Amplifiers’ new site, www.trilliumamps.com, offers a more user-friendly interface and highlights existing models with new information and media. The Indianapolis-based company was formed by brothers Steve and Scott Campbell and currently offers four levels of cabinetry lines: The Archetype, Signature, Custom and

Standard Series. All of the cabinetry is individually hand-made to order using only select hardwood and veneers. Custom cabinetry is also available on request. All Trillium amplifiers feature a seven-watt class-A tube amp that produces an audiophile-quality signal-tonoise ratio of -60db. Its flexible-bias circuitry is capable of utilizing a variety of preamp and power tubes without any adjustment.

Independent Audit Confirms Attendance at CES The International CES® recently released an independent audit, performed by VERIS Consulting LLC, that confirmed that the 2009 International CES drew 113,085 in-

dustry professionals during the tradeshow’s four-day run in Las Vegas, Nev., January 8-11. The audit confirms and exceeds the onsite-released estimate of 110,000.

Milestone Acquires Raxxess Milestone AV Technologies, a leading designer and manufacturer of Chief® and Sanus Systems® audiovisual mounting equipment, recently announced the acquisition of the assets of Raxxess Metalsmiths, Inc. Raxxess is a leading supplier of rack-mount solutions, furniture and related accessories for commercial and residential applications sold primarily to Pro Audio Dealers, Music Retailers, and System Integrators. Hyman Peller, Raxxess

president and founder, has joined the Milestone team as part of the acquisition. Scott Gill, Milestone president and CEO says, “The acquisition of Raxxess expands our customer base, broadens our product line, and is a natural fit for our existing Sanus Systems® and Chief® brand business. I’m excited to add the innovative Raxxess product line to our existing offerings, and would also like to welcome Hyman Peller to the Milestone team.”

Mardak Presented with Dorothy Award at RPMDA A highlight of every RPMDA Convention is the announcement of the recipient of the Dorothy Award, given for a lifetime of service and achievement in the music industry, at the closing banquet. It is the highest honor bestowed by RPMDA. This year’s honoree was Keith Mardak, CEO of the Hal Leonard Corporation. He is pictured (to the right) with RPMDA’s 2009 Sandy Feldstein Service Award honoree Dan Del Fiorentino, historian for NAMM and curator of NAMM’s Oral History Project. All Raxxess operations have been moved from the former headquarters in New Jersey to Milestone’s facility in Savage, Minnesota. Shipping from Minnesota begins June 8, 2009 to existing customers. For more information, visit www.milestone.com

Hal Leonard and Premier Guitar Re-Launch Guitar Edge Hal Leonard Corporation and Premier Guitar have joined forces to form Guitar Edge LLC, a new joint venture company created to expand and enhance Guitar Edge magazine as a multimedia resource for guitarists. The announcement came from Jeff Schroedl, VP of pop and standard publications for Hal Leonard, and Premier Guitar CEO Peter Sprague. The more robust Guitar Edge will make its debut with the September 2009 issue. The new Guitar Edge will attract readers via the four-platform multimedia model pioneered by Premier Guitar. This 12 MMR

forward-thinking strategy – featuring a print magazine supported by a free online magazine, website and weekly e-newsletter — has gained Premier Guitar a devoted and deeply engaged international audience. Together, Guitar Edge and Premier Guitar expect to reach the largest audience of guitarists of all ages and abilities, serving both companies’ enormous number of readers and customers. Guitar Edge will benefit from collaboration between the editorial staffs at both companies. The magazine’s exclusive content will reach a greatly increased

audience via Premier Guitar’s digital distribution resources and Hal Leonard’s distribution network of music retailers and consumers. Current subscribers to both magazines can opt-in for the new, free-of-charge Guitar Edge digital content, as can any interested guitarist who responds to offers to do so. Guitar Edge’s digital platforms will contain interactive links to Hal Leonard sister sites such as GuitarInstructor.com, the company’s highly successful website for downloading guitar tab, lessons, and video instruction. JULY 2009

HAL LEONARD

Not a lot of ﬂoor space? Not a huge budget? No matter what your circumstances are, Hal Leonard has a program that will work for your store. The Hal Leonard Rack n Roll programs help you turn print into proﬁt without risk or hassles.

t Custom Product Selection t Exchangeability to guarantee sales t Prompt Notiﬁcation of Hot New Releases t FREE Displays!

DVD PROGRAM REFERENCE BOOKS AND SOFTWARE PROGRAM

SONGBOOKS PROGRAM

Call the Hal Leonard E-Z Order Line at 1-800-554-0626 to talk with a sales rep about the best mix for your store, or visit us at NAMM Booth 1018.

Upfront Lon T. Palmer Music Education Fund Lon T. Palmer, founder of Palmer Music Center and Music School in Belrose, N.Y. and the owner of Freeport Music in Long Island passed away on December 12 of last year. The Lon T. Palmer Music Education Fund was founded to offer fi nancial aid and assistance to public school music programs. Contributions may be made to: The Lon T. Palmer Music Education Fund at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, c/o Financial Manager, 6 W 48th St., NYC 10036

iMSO ‘Open House’ in Nashville iMSO (Independent Music Store Owners) will be holding an “Open House” in meeting room #208, floor two of the Nashville Convention Center on Friday, July 17th and Saturday, July 18th, 2009 from 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM each day. All independent dealers are invited to attend. Topics like membership, group buying, group importing, et cetera, will be presented daily.

Trade Regrets: George Lewis The founder of George L’s Cables, a driving force behind Sho-Bud and the pedal steel guitar, George Lewis passed away on May 22, 2009. His passion for the guitar led to his steel pedal designs and his love of creating pickups and bodies for a host of musicians in Nashville and around the world. 14 MMR

See us at NAMM Booth 1429

JULY 2009

See us at NAMM Booth CLUB

Hear more at sabian.com

Vintage Dark

B20 BRONZE

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Modern Bright

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First it was the HH Raw Bell Dry Ride… the world’s best selling hand hammered cymbal. Then the AA Raw Bell Dry Ride, another huge seller. With the addition of the new AAX and HHX you can double your sales opportunities. Why? Because the Raw Bell Dry Ride is possibly the most versatile and effective ride cymbal you’ve ever sold. It’s also one of the most popular, so you can sell fast and easy… every time, all the time.

Selling SABIAN Has Never Been Easier

THE RAW BELL DRY RIDE

People Neutrik USA, Inc. has appointed Thomas Chudyk as distribution manager as of June 9th, 2009. Before joining Neutrik, Thomas (Tom) Chudyk had been responsible as regional Chudyk sales manager of Panasonic Industrial (Centennial, Colo.). Prior to that, he served multiple roles for 14 years at Arrow Electronics and most recently as business segment manager of their Military and Industrial Connector Segment. American Music & Sound has announced the appointment of Chris Griffiths as division manager of Musical Instruments. Griffiths has been working in the MI business since 1993 when he started his first business at the age of 19 – a specialized guitar custom shop and retail store. He later started Garrison Guitars in 2000 which he sold to Gibson Guitar in 2007 and remained on as the General Manager of Gibson Guitar Canada until recently finishing his transitional term. Ace Products Group (APG) has announced the appointment of Colin Schofield as their International Sales & Marketing manager effective July 1st.

Left to Right: Colin Schofield, APG President Alan Poster, Dave Andrus.

US-based APG is one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of cases and accessory products including the marketleading, professional range of ‘Reunion Blues’ and the acclaimed and compre-

See us at NAMM Booth 1542 16 MMR

hensive ‘Kaces’ selection of accessories, instrument bags and cases. Colin Schofield is an experienced industry executive with an extensive history in MI having worked both in Europe and the USA with companies such as Zildjian and most recently Premier Percussion. Hailing from the UK originally, Schofield has resided in the Boston area for several years. In this new role, Schofield will be responsible for driving sales growth and expansion in the international markets through the development and execution of the international distributor strategy, the day-to-day management of the international distributor network and the directing of international marketing activities.

Gary Green, formerly of Steinway & Sons, has joined Pearl River Piano Group America. Effective June 1, Mr. Green will take the reins as Pearl River’s national sales director as well Green as district sales manager for the company’s North/East Division. Green comes to Pearl River with a 30year foundation in all phases of piano design, manufacturing, technical services, licensing and marketing. As VP of Business Development at Steinway & Sons, he contributed in establishing the company’s strategic planning goals and participated in all aspects of product development and sales. Jennette Xu, president and CEO of Pearl River Piano Group America, welcomes the arrival of Mr. Green and the experience he brings to the company. With the growing popularity of the Pearl River brand and the recent launch of the totally re-engineered Ritmüller line, Pearl River Piano Group America has an exciting opportunity to satisfy demand in a price/value niche currently under served in the North American market.

Find Breaking News in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com JULY 2009

Letters Dear MMR, Having members of the press at our annual RPMDA convention is great, and we appreciate it each and every year. However, what’s even more great is that we get to spend the time with friends - and that includes Dealers, Publishers, our Industry Affi liates, AND the press. This is my note of gratitude for all that your magazine does in support of RPMDA. Our group would not be as successful without your help. The strength of our industry is in our people and our relationships with each other, and RPMDA 2009 bore that out. Now, more than ever, it is our relationships that will hold our industry together, as we forge through the tough times, and look ahead to the good times yet to come. We were very lucky to have a creamof-the-crop batch of sessions, including Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser (opening keynote), the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (special off-site event), and Sesame Street’s Bob McGrath (closing speaker) – what could’ve been better than that? The current economic unrest, both national and global, did not dim the enthusiasm of our group, for both Dealers and Publishers alike. Thanks for being there, and for sharing your time with us – I look forward to seeing you in Oklahoma City in 2010! Becky Lightfoot Pender’s Music Company Past President, RPMDA

Dear MMR, In over thirty years in the keyboard industry, I have never written a letter to the trade publications in the music industry. Now in the twilight, I thought the timing to be appropriate. It really is no surprise to me that the piano industry is in a borderline terminally ill position in America. It is a combination of internal and external forces. Had the industry come into this crisis 18 MMR

in a much stronger position, the outlook would have been more hopeful. The entire industry either had forgotten, ignored, or never quite understood the process between a retail salesperson and prospective buyer. The industry needed to focus a game plan around that process. Emphasis needed to be placed on the refinement of selling skills, disciplined habits, and maintaining a healthy attitude about professional salesmanship by both retailers and manufacturers. It was incumbent upon the industry, the retailer, and the owner/sales managers to build effectiveness in people with a healthy attitude about selling and desire to become formidable professional salespeople. Largely, the industry failed. There were companies in the distant past who were proficient at sales training. I was fortunate enough to start with one of them…Wurlitzer Retail Stores. People development is not an ancillary function of management, but a fundamental one, said “Peter Drucker” in the “Effective Executive.” I concur and always have. This was not the industry norm of recent years. What about setting the table for the sales process and profit to occur? Steinway in a lot of ways had done things properly. There again, Steinway never really had the problem of excess capacity, so perhaps it was easier for them to stay disciplined. Regardless, Steinways’ success was not just about the product. It seems to me that manufacturing capacity around the world for pianos was and is bloated, versus demand. What were people thinking when they committed to all of this capacity? What about the advantages of coupling opposing strengths through acquisition and consolidation? Frankly opportunities are and were blown. What about undisciplined distribution methods that displayed greed and a lack of respect for retail sales, and a dealer’s gross margin of profit? What about dealers in the same town selling in effect the same product with a different name on it or the same product with the same name? How about prices of new pianos being on the Internet demeaning the value of the name brands’ prof-

itability potential? You cannot please all of the people all of the time. What about principle? As to private label specifically think horse blinders and rose-colored glasses and manufacturers thinking they can increase business while they are effectively decimating it, under the cloaked illusion of superficiality. Creators of business needed to be rewarded. The thieves needed to be taken out. Of course, what did the manufacturers care? It was not about their sales and gross margin so why would they care. This in essence translated into contempt for the manufacturers’ customers, greed, or a lack of understanding of the ramifications of their actions. Regardless it became let’s just get the deal today and then wonder why there are no deals tomorrow. Was that intellect in action? Where is leadership, or is it all about titles, empty suits, politics, and figureheads? The business needed to be fun as opposed to it feeling like a mortuary or a museum. People are more productive if they work in an enjoyable environment, and that attracts others, including retail customers to participate in the environment. Don’t think for a minute that they cannot feel an environment that you provide. Take a look around you. If you were they, what would you think? The Japanese decided evidently that mass distribution of inexpensive keyboards and digital pianos through mass merchandisers would not interfere with what they were trying to accomplish through traditional specialized retailers of pianos, keyboards and organs. Maybe they came to the conclusion that the profit from the mass merchants would exceed what occurred through specialized keyboard specific retailers? Long term they really can’t have it both ways. I fi nd it ironic as well that one of these companies was able to develop loyalty with their specialized piano keyboard retailers while really creating direct low cost competition to them at the same time. Fundamental to a retailer being successful are having enough sales, and those sales occurring at a sufficient gross margin of profit. Add manufacturers building what JULY 2009

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Letters they want instead of what the market needed, stir gently, and you have a recipe for disaster. Blame the hierarchies at the very top of the companies for the lack of balance between sales/marketing, finance, and manufacturing. . Better yet lets take the names of deceased manufacturers and create a fictitious story, while the consumer says who makes that, and who makes this while being knowingly engaged in deception. Is that the foundation of a sale and relationship? Is it wise to underestimate anyone’s’ intelligence? College loan programs were well-disguised sophisticated dealer loading of inventory programs. What about a three-time inventory turn? Of course I liked selling at them because there was action, but the question is ok the people got sold, but at what cost? (moving cost, expenses, gross margin, et cetera). The people who didn’t buy got told at the “get go” that they could buy at the university cheaper than at stores. I wonder why people stopped coming into stores, and I wonder why dealers got buried with inventory when the music stopped? Furthermore these promotional budgets got done often at the expense of the store ad budgets. This was often done at the expense of a business building/advertising program directed at the principle location of their business. Educational merchandising programs in the home organ business endeavored to expand the market. Some were, and ironically are still successful. These should not be confused with traditional education. These methods were designed to expand the market, which overall the industry forgot was necessary. Get products sold and then teach them how to play and use the product. Some companies stopped making home organs before the downturn of that business, instead of focusing on the key elements of making it a success, all because both the manufacturer and the average retailer either didn’t engage in these programs or got away from the basics. Say what you want about the home organ business, but the gross margins were certainly attractive. I find it ironic that over twenty years after the benediction of the home organ busi20 MMR

ness, a major home organ retailer is still at it successfully, while the piano industry is on the rocks. We all understand what is going on with education in America right? As far as I am concerned the teachers who on average keep students playing the piano, are the ones to refer the students to, as long as they can also compliment you with referrals. It is a two way street. A rational relationship needs to be developed. The sales of beginner piano books being sold over the years far exceed the books sold of intermediate and more advanced studies. This is an indictment on the overall effectiveness of piano education, unless you want to be political or bury your head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich and ignore the facts. It’s not all the educational process in fairness, it is also cultural. On average what American parent today would resist their child’s desire to quit? After all, a child knows what is best for them in life when they are nine years old right? What ever happened to “I quit, and I am sorry that I did,” or “I wanted to give my child the opportunity that I did not have?” As in America in general, there needs to be a renaissance of values. Maybe that is what to advertise instead of 50 percent off, if a retailer has any budget left? What good is 50 percent off if they do not want or feel a need to own the experience of the benefits of playing? I do not agree entirely with the mass merchandiser products exclusively “doing in” the traditional piano retailer, otherwise how could so many acoustic pianos be sold in China today? Electronic keyboards are sold there too, right? I wonder what the ratio of people retention is in China in the piano educational process today? Where are the engineers, scientists, physicians, and musicians of the future going to come from? Does playing the piano play a part in what your child will become? How about that for a headline in an advertisement? Digital technology, Internet, educational merchandising and the computer screen as it applies to both acoustic pianos and digital pianos are not being exploited to their potential. The engineering and manufacturing people want to dominate the sales and marketing departments when it comes to what gets done and how

it gets done. This is also part of what happened to the home organ business. The engineers got control. And built what they wanted instead of what the market needed. Creativity needs to be deployed in product lines in this business by people who know what goes on between the retail salesperson that emotionally excites a customer, not engineers who really do not have a clue. If it doesn’t sell product, what good was it? Is it a surprise that the engineers didn’t know what they were? All of these critical issues need to be done under the discipline of sound financial acumen at the wholesale and retail level. All things considered is it any wonder the piano business faces a dilemma? Is it too late, or is it time for a renaissance to begin? It certainly is not time to participate in dialogue or content in the Saint Petersburg Times article entitled “Silence Descends On the Home Piano,” by Mary Macvean, picked up from the Los Angeles Times. Phil Kennedy philipbkennedy@aol.com (727) 510-1796 Former Director of Sales Pearl River Piano Group America

Breaking News

Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com JULY 2009

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19th annual Prole of the

American Music Dealer 7,981 Store Fronts Reflect Status Quo

s more than one supplier remarked at the past winter NAMM show, “Flat is the new up” and prophetically this appears to be the standard for MMR’s 19th annual Profile of The American Music Dealer which, by our account, recorded an almost dead-even tally of store fronts for the past two years. While there was definite movement on a state-by state basis, with net increases in such states as Florida, Kansas, New York, New Jersey and Virginia, there were, as expected, almost an equal number of states showing declines with Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia and Colorado among the most hard hit.

24 MMR

JULY 2009

Prole of the American Music Dealer

8600 8400 8200 8000 7000 2000

2001 -2.3%

2002 +2.9%

Our chain store report (December 2008) registered a net gain of ten units, 70 chains of three or more stores with a total of 791 storefronts. Unlike past years there was no “large” chain closing, however several veteran dealers departed the scene including Gadsby Music (73 years); Medley Music (54 years) and Forbes Piano (120 years) New units opened from a variety of sources including a few Internet sites moving into retail; newcomers and single store operators expanding to a second unit. We may have also uncovered

2003 -0.4%

2004

+0.1%

2005

2006 +1.4%

-3.7%

2007 -3.2%

a few existing dealers that were counted for the first time as a result of a detailed search of “dealer locator” sites on the Internet and a review of new NAMM retail members. Within the “Profi le” we look backward to our initial report in 1991 with a tally of 9,371 units. During the intervening years the industry has recorded a net loss of 1,750 store fronts. The majority of the closings were during the early 1990s, with a loss of more than 1200 units from ’91 through 1994. During the mid ’90s

2008

+.029%

2009

+/-.0%

there was a resurgence of store openings paced by the emergence of the short lived MARS operation along with spurts from Guitar Center and Sam Ash. In surveying the product categories sold by the 7,981 storefronts we found the largest increase in dealers adding print music to their line-up. The largest decreases were in the categories of fretted instruments and percussion and keyboard held steady most likely due to the addition of digital product as dealers in general broadened their selections.

7981 Stores: What Do They Sell? 2007

2008

2009

Change

% Change

% of Total Stores Selling Category

Keyboard/Piano/Organ

4213

4247

4277

+.7%

53.6%

Band & Orchestra

3369

3322

3362

+1.2%

42.2%

Drums/Percussion

3877

3826

3685

-141

-3.7%

46.2%

Sound Reinf./Rec’g.

3422

3497

3403

-94

-2.7%

42.6%

Fretted Inst.

4687

4851

4680

-171

-3.5%

58.6%

Print Music

3701

3549

3651

102

+2.9%

45.7%

As per previous years, fretted instruments remain the dominant product category sold by more than 58 percent of outlets. However it should be noted that this reflects a decrease of 171 outlets for the past twelve months. There was also a general decline of percussion within 141 units and a decrease in the sound reinforcement category. After a decrease of 152 units for print music in 2008, the category rebounded this year with the addition of 102 new outlets carrying the category. Product categories continue to demonstrate a pattern of gains and losses in alternating years as dealers readjust inventories.

JULY 2009

MMR 25

Prole of the American Music Dealer

Prole of The American Music Dealer -1991 MMR’s initial Profile report in 1991 listed 9,371 music stores, characterizing 35 percent as “full line” operations selling at least three of our six major product categories. Eighty percent of the dealers were “one store operators” (a number that has remained relatively unchanged through present day, although there was some shifts in percentages during the growth spurts of MARS and Guitar Center as well as the Brook Mays acquisition phase) As we noted, “ Single store music products dealers remain unusual within the larger environment of mass merchandising chains that evolved in the United States since the 1950s. However it should be stresses that one or two unit chains do not automatically translate to a low volume mom-and-pop operation. Major dealers, including Washington Music, Reliable Music and Manny’s, as well as several keyboard operators in numerous large markers fall into the one or two store group. [Ed Note: Reliable Music has ceased operation; Manny’s was later sold to Sam Ash Music and will be losing its 48th Street lease shortly.]

The 9,371 Music Stores – What Did They Sell? - 1991

Percentage Shares by Product Type Sell Keyboard/Piano/Organ 2007

52.9%

2008

53.22%

2009

53.6%

Sell Band & Orch. Instruments 2007

42.3%

2008

41.63%

2009

42.2%

6,000 5,587

Sell Drums/Percussion

5,000

Stringed & Fretted Instruments

15%

13% Other*

10%

33%

Suburban Shopping Mall

20%

Downtown Area

30%

Freestanding Unit

39%

*Primary “Strip”Shopping Mall 26 MMR

2008

47.94%

2009

46.2%

2007

43.0%

2008

43.82%

2009

42.6%

Sell Fretted Instruments

Location: A Non-Mall Posture 40%

48.72%

Sell Sound Reinf./Rec’g. Equip.

Print Music

3,569 Sound Reinforcement/ Recording Equipment

1,000

3,479

Combo/Drums

2,000

3,819

Band & Orchestra

3,000

4,195

3,895

Keyboard/Piano/Organ

4,000

2007

58.9%

2008

60.79%

2009

58.6%

Sell Print Music 2007

46.5%

2008

44.79%

2009

45.7% JULY 2009

Prole of the American Music Dealer

Specialty Stores Revisited Keyboard/Piano/Organ

432

Band & Orchestra

360

Drums/Percussion

193

Sound Reinf./Rec’g.

431

Fretted Inst.

909

Print Music

115

Specialty Stores Total 2440 Within the total store count of 7,981 units, 2,440 are classified as specialty operations (as near as we can determine a store that has approximately 90 percent of their volume within a single product category. For example an acoustic piano dealer who may also carry print music). In a yearto-year comparison keyboard/ piano/dealers had an attrition of 26 units; sound reinforcement a decrease of 17; fretted dealers a loss of 15 stores and band and orchestra had a net drop of 9. Print music had an increase of 7 stores and percussion had a slight increase of two.

Prole of The American Music Dealer -1994 Music dealers accelerated their downward trend during the early ‘90s with a loss of more than 1,200 outlets in the four year period from 1991 to 1994. During the same period the American Music Conference annual shipments-to-retail reports indicated an overall growth. Reasons cited for the growth were the increased market share of the major chains and the observation that even as the universe of storefronts declined, the categories they merchandise have grown. During the year several states had double digit unit losses; California (116), Illinois (40), Pennsylvania (32), Florida (27) and New York State (23) the most severe.

Where Are They Now? In the 1994 Profile report we featured seven music dealerships, five of the seven remain in operation. Ocean City Percussion, Rhode Island closed its doors in 2004 when owner Russ Camire passed away. Baldwin of Boston operated stores in downtown Boston and Hartford, Ct, along with a sister unit, Piano Mill, Newton, Ma . At the time of our interview they claimed to be the largest Baldwin dealer in North America. The final unit in Newton.Ma was closed three years ago. Texas based Southpaw Guitar recently celebrated its 29th year and Psarianos Violins, Tory, Mi. has marked its 33 year in operation. Jim Stahls’ Central Instruments, Cuyahoga Falls, Oh. is still growing strong at the 30 year mark. Las Vegas based Bonnie’s Music Shop, primarily focusing on print music has expanded to two units and Santa Cruz Sound has reached the 24 year mark and the sound specialist’s web-site boasts of a newly expanded store.

That Sinking Sensation U.S. Storefronts 10,000 9,500

1991: 9,371 1992: 8,936

9,000

1993: 8,642

8,500 1993: 8,122

8,000 1991

1992

1993

1994

The total number of U.S. retail music products storefronts has decreased by 13.3 percent in the four-year period from 1991-’94. The number of stores operating has dropped at least 20 percent since the late 1980s

JULY 2009

MMR 27

Prole of the American Music Dealer

Total Stores 2008

Total Stores

Unit Change

% Change

State

Total Stores 2007

Total Stores 2008

Total Stores

2009

Unit Change

129

133

136

+2.2%

Georgia

238

230

224

-6

-2.6%

Alaska

-2

-6.9%

Hawaii

Arizona

136

142

135

-7

-5%

Idaho

+4.3%

Arkansas

Illinois

356

355

-1

.3%

California

1033

1018

1020

+.2%

Indiana

192

194

192

-2

-1%

Colorado

135

134

129

-5

-4%

Iowa

-2

-2%

Conn.

133

129

126

-3

+2.3%

Kansas

+5.5%

Delaware

+5.9%

Kentucky

132

131

130

-1

-.76%

D.C.

+50%

Louisiana

+1%

Florida

394

389

396

+1.8%

Maine

% Change

Total Stores 2007

Alabama

2009

State

State-By-State Breakdown

Prole Of The American Music Dealer- 1999 MMR’s ninth annual profile report noted that from a low point of 8,122 in the mid-1980s the industry has witnessed a net increase of more than 400. It was also pointed out that while the onrush of superstores has “been impressive” in terms of units, they still only account for about 20 percent of the 400-plus unit gain. During the year Guitar Center, Sam Ash and MARS collectively opened 30 new units. 1999 was the third time in the last four years that the universe of music stores experienced an increase following a severe drop (6.4

percent) from 1993 to 1994. The year also marked a growth in the number of specialty outlets (2069 total) with keyboard stores reaching a high water mark of 963. We noted that the growth in the category may be interpreted as a trend towards increased “niche marketing” as a strategy in the face of sharper superstore and e-commerce competition for commodity-type products.

Where Are they Now? We profiled six e-commerce dealers in our 1999 Profile report. And

ten years later five remain in operation. G-base and promusic.find continue to operate as master sites for dealers to post their inventories; ZZounds was launched in 1997 by lawyer Ray Campbell and merged with Harmony Central two years later. Campbell sold his interest in harmony Central in 2005 and presently is a part time law professor at Penn. State University. House of Music Traditions (Md.) and Norwalk Music (Conn.) continue to operate both as a traditional dealer as well as maintained an active Web site.

Specialty Stores - 1999 1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

Change ’98-’99

Keyboard/Piano/Organ

963

948

896

852

878

+3.1%

Band & Orchestra

193

195

210

222

224

323

+44.2%

Drums/Percussion

124

132

151

174

159

172

+8.2%

Sound Reinf./Rec’g.

183

239

261

255

252

270

+7.1%

Fretted Inst.

518

611

600

627

662

706

+6.2%

Print Music

107

106

112

+5.4%

28 MMR

JULY 2009

Unit Change

% Change

Total Stores 2007

Total Stores 2008

Total Stores

Unit Change

115

Oklahoma

-1

-1%

Mass.

214

210

202

-8

-3.8%

Oregon

125

130

Michigan

228

232

228

-4

-1.7%

Penn

393

391

376

-15

-3.8%

Minn.

160

163

164

+.61%

Rhode Island

-2

-6.2%

Miss.

-3

-4%

S. Carolina

107

108

Missouri

160

170

171

+.59%

S. Dakota

-1

-5.5%

Montana

-2

-5.5%

Tennessee

191

192

187

-5

-2.6%

Nebraska

Texas

417

428

430

+.45%

Nevada

-2.3%

Utah

-3

-4.2%

N.Hampshire

+3.8%

Vermont

-2

-6.25%

N.Jersey

199

202

211

+4.5%

Virginia

190

187

197

+10

+5.3%

N. Mexico

-2

-3.9%

Washington

200

199

204

+2.5%

New York

495

491

501

+10

+2%

W. Virginia

+2.1%

N.Carolina

213

219

220

+.46%

Wisconsin

152

156

162

+3.8%

N.Dakota

+7.7%

Wyoming

+5%

Ohio

330

334

+1.2%

Total

7957

7980

7981

% Change

Total Stores

115

2009

Total Stores 2008

110

State

Total Stores 2007

Maryland

2009

State

Prole of the American Music Dealer

Prole Of The American Music Dealer- 2004 Five years ago the music store front count was at 8,422 and holding steady with little variance during the past decade. Reflecting the status quo, half the of the states showed a

decline in units, with clusters in the Northeast, Great Lakes region, MidSouth and Deep South. California had the largest growth with a net of 111 stores bringing the state’s to-

tal to 1,094. One trend which has continued is the closing of keyboard specialty units. In 1994 there were 552 units, an 18.7 decrease from the previous year’s 679.

8,422 Stores: What Did They Sell? - 2004 2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Change ’03-’04

Keyboard/Piano/Organ

4281

4070

4000

4264

4548

+6.7%

Band & Orchestra

4152

3900

3791

3863

3915

+1.3%

Drums/Percussion

4301

4076

4020

4052

4072

-0.5%

Sound Reinf./Rec’g.

4005

3963

3792

3774

3838

-1.7%

Fretted Inst.

5714

5627

5378

5237

5255

+0.3%

Print Music

4331

4320

4137

4134

4080

-1.3%

JULY 2009

MMR 29

Proď&#x192;&#x17E;le of the American Music Dealer

Q Increase Q Decrease Q No Change

Gainers (21) Alabama California Delaware D.C. Florida Idaho

Minnesota Missouri Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey

New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Texas

Decliners (23)

Alaska Arizona Colorado Connecticut Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa

Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Even (7)

Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Michigan Mississippi Montana New Mexico

Oklahoma Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Dakota Tennessee Utah Vermont

Arkansas Hawaii Maine Maryland Nebraska Oregon South Carolina

State Gains 2009 Biggest gains by number of units were Virginian, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Wisconsin, Kansas and Ohio. 30 MMR

Biggest losses by number of units were Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Arizona, Georgia and Tennessee. JULY 2009

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California Dreamin’: MI Retailers Fight, Thrive in Especially Challenging Conditions

Lessons to be learned in portrait of a state that has seen the best of times, the worst of times

n September of 2006, $500 million was dumped into the California public school arts programs, allowing one band director to buy a new $3,500 tuba – a once-in-30-year purchase. Today that tuba gathers dust in silence because the state government’s harsh budget shortfalls caused cuts to the school’s music program, and the loss of the band director’s job. Luckily that’s an isolated incident, but telling nonetheless of the overall economic climate in California. And while there is plenty of woe to go around these days on a national scale, The Golden 32 MMR

State is particularly hard hit and MI retailers there are experiencing trials and tribulations that offer insight into how to survive and even thrive that retailers everywhere can learn from. “California has been hit harder than many states during the national downturn, starting with a huge wave of foreclosures spreading to other sectors of the economy and leading to an unemployment rate among the nation’s highest,” reports the San Jose Mercury News. “Things are really bad here,” confi rms Torrance band director Tim Nail. “My sheet music budget was eliminated for the first time this year, and I think our repair budget will be next. Four elementary music teachers in my district almost lost their job, but public outcry changed the board’s mind.”

Nail says the difference between all the money available in 2006 and today’s draconian cuts have created a “yo-yo” effect. “We all got lump sums from the state to spend on instruments, which I did. But there was other money to be distributed over the next five years. This money could be spent in a number of arts-related ways, including salaries.” He’s not seeing evidence of that money and believes the funds might have been diverted to the general fund [see California Arts sidebar]. Day to day, he’s seen minimal effect of the recession so far. Nail is encouraged by other signs: he recently pitched the idea of a trip to the Bay Area to better prepare his Wind Ensemble for auditions, the cost being $450 per student. “Every single one of them is going.” JULY 2009

The roots of California’s problems are deep. “What has devastated music stores was when Proposition 13 was passed [in 1978],” Russell Kassman of R. Kassman Pianos explains. “That put fi xed tax rates on houses and that devastated music education programs.” The poor sales of lower to mid priced pianos can be attributed to this because “few in their 20s and 30s has had any real music education background.” Currently Bookmark, a music print shop in Pacific Grove, is doing little school music business because so many California music teachers got pink slips. “If music education teachers aren’t able to teach non-music subjects, they are in jeopardy,” says owner Marcia Stearns. Those certified only to teach music are either reassigned to another school or laid off completely. “I already know of two teachers laid off, two being reassigned. One district in Monterey that started with the equivalent of nine music teachers has ended up with four.” For Jeff Simons of Watermelon Music in Davis, one of the worse decisions the state legislators have made in response to their economic crisis was to raise the state sales a full point to a whopping 8.75 percent. “Because of this, the state is losing millions because it’s driving people to the Internet [to make their purchases] even more,” he says. “There’s more incentive then ever to buy online. It’s a misguided approach.” While housing prices have fallen in California, commercial property is still high, especially in places like Silicon Valley. “We’re feeling the effects of the economy every day,” says Ryan Stohs of Lemmon Percussion in San Jose. “In our business and our location it’s particularly challenging. We live in a high rent district where the cost of living is higher, and that includes our rent. Other shops around the country pay a quarter of the amount of money in rent as we do, and that makes it hard.” MI retailers are reacting to the crisis in various ways. Several are cutting lines because of some manufacturers’ buy-in demands, which some say are ignoring the economic hardships. “Some companies are acting like there’s nothing wrong,” says Stohs. Almost all are taking a serious look at how they use the Internet. JULY 2009

California Arts Council to MI: Get Out of Your Store and Into School Board Meetings “The first advice for anyone interested in music education advocacy is to communicate with the schools,” says Mary Beth Barber. “Talk to the principle and find out what is happening for money slated for the arts.” Sit in on school board meetings, and bring your most enthusiastic music education boosters with you. When parents and community leaders make the case for music education in the schools, there’s at least a fighting chance for it. “All politics is local and all school funding is local, so go to the meetings and ask for what you want.” The recession has indeed affected all the state’s arts, says Barber, who is communication director of the California Arts Council (CAC). Big corporations that typically give meaty donations and grants to arts, like say the symphony, are closing their wallets. This has a trickle down affect for MI and “we haven’t seen the worse yet.” The one-time $500 million for arts provided in 2006 had for the most part been spent, but she adds that there was an ongoing funding pool of just over $100 million provided for arts education – meaning pay for arts teachers and to provide training for general teachers in the primary grades to be able to do arts training. “That funding has been decreased, and what has been provided to the school districts is called ‘categorical.’ Right now school boards may redistribute funding that is categorical.” This means money meant for arts education could be diverted for basic budget needs. And what may surprise, not only is the CAC itself not the most well funded organization in the nation, it’s dead last. “We have the lowest amount of money to support the arts per capita in the nation – 50 out of 50,” Barber says. The budget is $5 million a year, a mere quarter of what it was a decade ago. She says $3 million comes from state citizens who opt for an art license plate, $1 million comes from the state government, and the federal government kicks in another $1 million. Something else California MI dealers can do to help long term is get involved with the CAC’s artist in school program, which gets professionals to work with schoolaged children during or after school. “Figure out how to be the best advocate for the arts you can be.” While they don’t have a lot of money for funding, some does exist. She encourages all California retailers and interested in to sign up for their newsletter that comes out once a week and lists funding and grant opportunities, and arts jobs. “And if anybody has any recommendations on anything, I’m happy to take suggestions!” For more information go to www.cac.ca.gov. MMR 33

And there are opportunities, too – opportunities to try new promotions, new lines, and even expand. “With the economy being bad, it’s actually been a fabulous time to open a new space,” says Kimberly Bower of Ventura’s Pulse Percussion, who recently doubled the size of their space and increased their product offering. “So many other retailers are going out of business we’re getting flat wall for little or nothing. Manufacturers who used to have a minimum buy-in of 10 sets to get on their ‘A’ list have reduced that number to two. Vendors are also thinking out of the

34 MMR

box and doing training sessions – I think the smarter ones are catching on that if they want to sell their instruments, they have to take a different approach.” The downturn in the economy has affected Patrick Balakian of Patrick’s Music in Fresno, but the upside is he’s getting more people coming in to get their instruments fi xed. “I guess it’s no different than the clothing industry – folks are getting old things fi xed rather than buying new.” Here’s a look at retailers throughout the state…

Watermelon Music

Davis Jeff Simons literally grew up in the business – his father was a Kaman rep and he traveled with him as a kid. He moved to Davis to attend college and get a part time job at a music store where he eventually became manager. “I decided to grow up [and move on], but when I put my notice in, the guy that owned it made me an offer to buy it.” So since 1996, he’s owned Watermelon and today shares ownership with Ron Cowden. “We try to walk the line between being the hip rock and roll store and the family-friendly rental center,” Simons says. “Davis is an artistic community, and because of the university, it’s a blessing that we get thousands of new college students every year. We are also actively maintaining good relationships with the private teachers in town and that pays off.” Acoustic guitars are one of their strongest areas, and they do particularly well with the Canadian lines – A&L, Godin, and Seagull. Electric guitar lines Ibanez, Fender, and G&L are all good sellers. Their band and orchestra offerings include brands such as Jupiter, Yamaha, and Buffet. “One thing we have picked up recently is P. Mauriat horns, and they are doing very well for us. And on the orchestra side we discovered a little company called JR Music and they are bringing in nice, quality instruments, mostly from Eastern Europe, and they are wellpriced.” Percussion-wise, Pearl, Tama and Gretsch all do well. Eight years ago when a print store in nearby Sacramento closed its doors, Watermelon moved heavier into print. “Print music has been great,” Simons says. “It seems like it’s one of those area that never sees a drop. Hal Leonard and Alfred both have dealer Web sites that make doing automated orders easy, and that helps a lot. I can create and upload a $800 print order in two minutes.” Last year his area was going to eliminate the elementary school music programs. They got involved. “The public raised the money to give the program another year – 100 percent private funds. The following year the community voted for a tax for the art program.” February was so bad they had to consider a staff reduction, but March popped back up for them and they’ve been able to maintain. But a side effect is inventoJULY 2009

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“We’re staying afloat here despite the economy, though we’re starting to see some problems with school budgets,” he says. “However we’re still riding on the state’s $500 million grant [for the arts in 2006]. Some districts haven’t spent

The Horn Shop: Bob Stauffer, Brad Erickson, Andrew Sterling, Brian Nunes, and Harry Siverly

ry: Christmas was so soft they still have plenty, yet manufacturers are wanting orders. “Some understood, some didn’t,” he shrugs. It has caused Watermelon to look to more private branding, particularly for guitars and tuners, and currently they are looking at private branding straps.

Internet. They have been pursuing linking their Internet site with point of sale systems offered by some music publishers. They try to stay in touch with their regular customers via e-mail. Their site overall gets a lot of attention and because co-owner Cowden is Microsoft certified, and Simons works with design and copy writing elements. Going forward. “Marketing is one area we’ve been looking at,” Simons says. They used to do conventional advertising in local magazines and print publications, and things like underwriting the local public radio stations. “We decided to cut conventional marketing business to zero.” Instead it all now goes to in-store promotions: concerts, master classes, and special events. They are working with vendors on this and most are excited to get involved, he says. Now they are doing up to three events every month. “They are a lot of work, but they are so much fun and customers really appreciate them.” Outlook. “We all need to look longer term,” rather than looking for short, 36 MMR

quick answers. “If we do that, things will get better and stay better. For me, it seems the worse is over. Folks are getting a little loser with their pocketbook. I’m looking for the best.”

The Horn Shop Fresno

Bob Stauffer played music throughout school, and majored in music in college. In 1977 he went to work for California Musician’s Services, where he met Harry Siverly. Siverly, too, started playing music at an early age and played through college. Just a few years later, in 1980, Stauffer and Siverly purchased the business, and changed the name to The Horn Shop. Over the next decade it evolved into a retail shop as well. Both still play music in area bands. Today they have eight full time repairmen (four year-round), and serve over 100 schools. Their shop is 2,600 square feet and about 80 percent of their business is repair. They stick to selling brass and winds and related accessories. “We’re the biggest Getzen dealer on the West coast,” Stauffer says. “And we’re one of the main dealers for Cannonball, and we do really well with them. We jumped on board with them about 10 years ago and that turned out to work well for us. They are a dealerminded business and support us 100 percent.” They also do plenty of business with Conn-Selmer, Gemstone, and Buffet.

all the money, and a lot of schools in the area have a sad inventory of instruments.” He is hearing that school’s repair budgets may be cut, cuts that could be drastic. The private teachers they serve still seem to still be maintaining.

Internet. The Horn Shop sells some things online from time to time, but right now they are rebuilding their Web site and considering doing more selling online in the future. Going forward. Fortunately, the retail side of the business is gravy and Stauffer says he’s relatively confident that they will be maintaining their regular business, repairs. They have a national reputation for repair with professionals with Los Angeles and San Francisco orchestras trusting them their instruments. That said they are looking into doing more in the rental business next year and stretching into including sheet music. “Right now we don’t do either, and if we do, we’ll have to hire another person.” Outlook. “There’s always going to be music – you can’t live without it. We’ve survived through cuts in music programs several times, so this current situation is nothing new. It’s just a little more serious then normal. Business is not great, but good. I’m positive about it.”

R. Kassman Pianos

Berkley Founded in 1979, R. Kassman Pianos has built its reputation on Germanmade pianos and features Blüthner, Steingraeber, Sauter, Haessler, Perzina, and JULY 2009

Ritmüller pianos, plus Story & Clark. Founder Russell Kassman has long been a part of the San Francisco area music scene. The store itself was in San Francisco for 26 years before moving to Berkley where parking and accommodations were better suited for Kassman’s desire to serve his customers better. Kassman was managing director of Beckstein America from 1987 through 1993, during which time he was also appointed by the city’s mayor to be part of a council to develop a sister city relationship with Berlin. “Because of my experience with German pianos, we’ve positioned ourselves as the experts in that area and we emphasis the high-end portion of the business,” he says. “Our customers include [Apple founder] Steve Jobs, the Goldman family, the pianist for the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and others. We also restore pianos, including Steinways.” He reports a good January, with February and March overall a little flat, but bouncing back in April. “It’s been a seesaw,” he says. “Generally I’d say we’re a little slow overall, but for the times [we’re good]. And while the lower-end is virtu-

JULY 2009

Russell Kassman, R. Kassman Pianos

ally non-existent, the higher end is still maintaining, thank goodness.” He adds that he’s talked to others in the business, and feels relatively lucky. Perhaps one of the reason’s he’s particularly upbeat is because contrary to conventional wisdom, during the 34 years he’s been in the business he’s always done better when the housing market is weaker than when it was

stronger. “I think when people aren’t moving, they are thinking more about buying furniture and fine German pianos.”

Internet. “Newspaper print advertising is a waste of money today. They are gone and any dealer who is consistently using the newspapers hasn’t been looking at market trends. I haven’t ad-

MMR 37

Marcia Stearns, Bookmark Music

vertised in the newspaper here for six months.” (He does still advertise in concert programs and local magazines, however.) “We use our Web site to alert our clients about happenings in our recital hall – concerts, master classes, recitals, and events like that.” An e-mail was recently sent about a new design for Ritmuller, for example.

Going forward. While the Bay area is one of the hardest in the state, he’s not slashing prices. “We’re emphasizing added value. We’re saying it’s the best time to buy as you can get more instruments at a better value. Also, in the last six months the U.S. Dollar’s value has fallen over 10percent, and that lowers the cost of our German-made pianos.” Despite the general consensus that the piano portion of the market is getting especially hit hard, Kassman is upbeat and optimistic. He does say he has been approached by an increasing number of manufacturers asking him to take on their lines. “Right now we’re close to adding one or two additional lines, but we can’t do a good job for everybody, so we’re being selective.” Outlook. “I may be wrong, but I believe we’re going to tumble along for a while, but then I’m hoping we’ll see some improvements in the fall.” 38 MMR

Bookmark Music Pacific Grove

Marcia Stearns was “sick of working for other people,” and in 1994, opened a performing arts bookstore in the small town of Pacific Grove, near Santa Cruz. But her customer-driven approach led to an evolution where today it’s almost exclusively a print music store. “We do some gifts, but that is because we are a supplier to some local vendors,” she says, stressing that she rarely dabbles in the cheaper gifts, but does well with the nicer, better made products. “The best thing about gifts is they are not fixed prices. A print book carries a price of $12.95 and while you can mark it down, you can’t mark it up. But with unique and popular gift items, you can do some creative pricing.” Stearns has long practiced a philosophy of getting out of the store and going to the customer. Many of Bookmark’s products have long been seen at the annual Carmel Bach Festival. She also participates in the Music Teacher’s Association of California every year. “In the early days, half my [annual] income would come from the four days of that event.” Otherwise, she serves a lot of the area’s private music teachers including piano, strings, and voice. Naturally she sells a lot of methods and classical repertoire. Not surprisingly she continues to emphasize

service, and not just on the meat and potato items: “We’re known for our ability to research print music, and we’re very good at it!” she says. She continues to lower expectations for business with school districts, saying out of the four in her area, she considers only two healthy. “Last year was weak,” she says bluntly. “It was so bad that in January I decided to give it one more year, and if things didn’t improve, consider closing the store. Our summer activities, convention sales, big sales were so down last year – and we barely made it through Christmas, which had no activity at all. Next December I’ll look at it all again.” One thing helping her is keeping a leaner inventory and relying on publishers to deliver smaller quantities of product quicker than ever before. “Alfred and Hal Leonard can turn orders around in three days, and I like ordering from them like that rather than having a big supply on hand,” Stearns says. “This has come a long way in 15 years – everything is so much easier. Alfred has such a smooth system that they are shipping in 24 hours.”

Internet. “I was one of the first people online, though I didn’t keep my site maintained.” She currently has plans to rework it and update it. JULY 2009

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Patty Patty Sweet, Sweet,World World ofof Music Music

Going forward. “I don’t have the room to start offering lessons, unfortunately. I can’t justify expanding into other [MI] fields that we’re not experts in. We’re really good at print. We know how to find things, and our credibility in this area is incredibly high.” So doing what Bookmark Music does only better is the focus, and this

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Cupertino World of Music is a full line store that has a history going back to the early 1970s. Currently owned by Russ Bate and managed by Larry Sweet, daughter Patty Sweet has been with the operation for 26 years (brother Chris also works there).

Outlook. “We are really excited about our upcoming summer events. Otherwise, if the economy stabilizes and people are taking lessons again, then I’ll have customers.”

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40 MMR

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The store is surviving considerably well. Located in an upscale area, the housing prices haven’t really dropped. The quality of the schools continue to keep the housing prices stable. They are also buoyed by a large influx of Indian and Asian Americans, who bring with them a culture that emphasizes music making, says print music manager Patty Sweet. “It’s so important to them, and fortunately they are very involved,” she says, adding that they are also able to keep the loyalty of longtime customers. “Our business has not slowed down – if anything, it’s picked up,” Sweet says. “We’re seeing people that we’re not use to seeing. We’re thinking people are staying home instead of going on vacation, and spending money on [music making] instead.” But they have noticed that schools in the area have cut back. What has helped is music teachers have stepped up fundraising efforts to keep music programs strong. “We sell a lot of Yamaha instruments, particularly their student lines – Yamaha is by far the top seller. They make a darn good product, and the intonation of their woodwinds are especially impressive.” In addition to Yamaha guitars, they sell a good deal of Takamine. They’ve recently added Boulder Creek guitars, which make the Solitaire, and they’ve moved quite a few of those. Their lesson program is a major part of their business as it “moves a lot of books.” The operation has 12 lesson rooms and many teachers provide lessons for a great deal of kids five days a week. Some of the teachers have been teaching at their location for 20 years. They market through sending out coupons through those Value Paks, which generates new business, and give teachers 10percent off print and 20percent off accessories. They do have competition and are concerned about school bids that include saxophones for $200. “Those hunks of junk hurt all of us – they are hard to play and you can’t repair them.”

Internet. “We’re a small store that’s not really up to date with technology,” says Smith. “We have a typewriter in the office and still use it. No Web site yet, or inventory control [system], but we know our product and move a lot of it.” Going forward. “We’re more merciless now with products that aren’t moving,” which means cutting their prices JULY 2009

and getting them out of the store. They are putting in less big orders, and more smaller ones.

Outlook. “As long as we keep up with sending out coupons and carrying a good selection, keep up with our relationships with teachers, we’ll do okay.”

Music Village

San Jose The Music Village is a full line store with two locations in the San Jose area.

Since 1964 they’ve been serving the community, including a lot of teachers and students. “We do a lot of teaching,” says owner Joe Teixeria. “At our main store, we do about 500 lessons a week, at the other about 400. After that, we do a lot of band rentals.” They carry most of the major lines with an emphasis on Conn-Selmer and Yamaha, plus some Buffet. “We have most of the Cannonball line, and just recently we added Stephanhouser saxes – just a few units and they are working out. We’re doing pretty well with Cannonball

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MMR 41

and Yamaha. Also Buffet – more so now since their new MSP pricing.” Specialty instruments are also found in their shop, including harmonicas, accordions, autoharps, concertinas, and ukuleles. They are doing a lot with ukes lately. “Sheet music is a big part of our business because not many places in the country have the kind of selection we have,” Teixeria says. “We have all the major [print publisher] players here, and we focus on piano teachers. Sheet music continues to be steady, which these days is good. It’s already at an increase from last year.” He added that some of his piano teacher customers, while a little down, are not concerned that the recession will affect the amount of people wanting to play.

The Music Village: Don King (General Manager), Janet Rawlinson (Accounts Manager), and Joe Teixeria (owner). 42 MMR

“The rental business has been okay. We did a lot of institutional sales because of the [2006 arts] grant, but this year that has mostly dried up.” He has heard of schools in his areas diverting money slated for the arts being moved to general funds accounts. Right now he’s not seeing a huge effect of California’s budget crisis, but he suspects he’ll see serious cuts in his area, including pink slips for band directors, next year. “Ten or 15 years ago, all the schools had elementary school music programs and those are down with some not even having any at all.”

Internet. “We’re thinking about doing more with it, but I think that’s a ways down the road yet,” Teixeria says. Currently they have a basic site that shows their locations and most of the products they carry. They e-mail customers occasionally about products, and do a little ecommerce, but he admits they don’t work it enough to make it worthwhile. “We work with Yahoo and Google search programs and that allows us to keep up and get exposure. And we try to monitor new customers as far as how they heard about us. Not a lot say it’s from the Internet, for most it’s still word of mouth, but the number that come to us from the Internet is gradually increasing.” Going forward. “We’re being more careful in what we spend and where we

spend it,” he says. “We’re not necessarily looking to add anything new right now, and maybe we won’t do anything new to the store. We’re just being cautious. I don’t see any new items unless they are small things. Even with the Stephenhouser – we just are trying a couple to see how they work out.”

Outlook. “I think next year we can turn this thing around and start to go up again. We’ve already seen a bottoming out.” Though houses in the area that were selling for $750,000 last year are going for $500,000 this year in his area, he sees people fi nancial adjustments will still include music making. “A lot of the people taking lessons here are doing okay – though the other day one teacher told me that a parent asked if they could take lessons every other week instead of weekly.”

Patrick’s Music

Fresno Patrick Balakian graduated from Fresno State and taught in the Fresno and Clovis School Districts for years starting in 1963. He started the fi rst school mariachi band in the state, and a marching band festival he founded 44 years ago in nearby Selmar is still going strong. After a decade of teaching, he decided he could contribute more to a wider numJULY 2009

Patrick Balakian, Patrick’s Music

ber of students by opening a music store in 1977. Today Patrick’s Music has the largest music school in the Central Valley with over 350 students enrolled. Lessons are offered for most instruments including voice, piano, guitar, drums, strings, brass, winds, and even banjo and ukulele. They have a full repair department on site and do a good deal of business in print music. “Now that I’ve been in the business for 33 years, I’m getting second and third generation customers,” Balakian says. “We get a lot of people through good word of mouth because we have a good reputation.” His main line of brass instruments is Jupiter, and the inventory overall is made up of entry-level products with a few stepups. He stocks Musino violins distributed by Davit & Hanser, who happen to have a warehouse 10 miles away which allows him to keep his inventory low yet his customers well-served. He keeps mostly nylon acoustic guitars and Torch guitars, and for drums he prefers to stock Stagg. “For some reasons manufacturers don’t understand that if you want a young student at five or six to start playing drums, the only inexpensive bass drums are 20 or 22 inches. Stagg’s come with an 18-inch bass drum and any kid of any size can play on it. And they are very good. Most 18-inch bass drums are more expensive professional jazz level.”

Internet. Patrick’s Music has a basic Web site currently, but is in the process of 44 MMR

setting up an online shop. So if it’s price a customer wants, they will be able to buy from him online; if it’s service, they will have to come into the store.

Going forward. “All we have is our customer service,” so Balakian is staying focused on that. Otherwise, he is instructing his staff to be more aggressive with every customer that comes in. “We can not in any shape, way, or form let a customer leave here without doing our best to provide him or her with what they are looking for. Sometimes we were lax about that but now we have to tighten up. We have to be better sales people and understand what makes a customer tick.” Otherwise, in addition to lay away, they are open to a customer paying “in time.” For example, on a $600 violin, the customer writes three checks for $200 but post-dates two of them for later. Outlook. “I’ve been in the business about 40 years, and there’s always a turnaround. This turnaround will be slower, but it will come. Traditionally, though, people turn to things that keep them closer to home. They get a kid guitar lessons instead of going to Disneyland.”

Lemmon Percussion

San Jose Lemmon Percussion was founded by Galen Lemmon in his garage in 1986, and moved into a storefront in 1992. In 2000

Ryan Stohs went to work for Lemmon and last November Stohs, his wife Leah, and Chris Trujillo bought the operation. When Stohs was asked if this economy is the best time to become a small retail storeowner he replied, “It just worked out for us timing wise. And on the plus side, it gave me a little more leverage in brokering the deal.” The fi rst thing the three did was whittle down the staff to just themselves. “We didn’t want to commit to paying anyone.” Modest in size, especially for a drum shop, Lemmon is a 1,500 square foot outlet that is a full percussion store and is a member of the Five Star group. Kits, hand percussion, band and orchestra percussion, and marching band products are found there. (In fact, all three owners have drum & bugle corps experience, and they all met in marching band. This positions them well in the community, which has a strong marching history.) “We cater to everybody,” Stohs says. “And we have a school of music in store that serves 100 students a week. We cater to a large contingency of younger players plus cater to area pros, including some big names.” Most importantly, they stand for education, he adds, stressing that the three owners all have music education backgrounds. “And we do quite a bit of sales in drum sets. We’re doing more in the world percussion lately because the economy has affected high-end drum set sales.” Gretsch is their top selling line, then Sonor and JULY 2009

Tama. Locally there is Todd Plummer (TP Drums), a custom drum maker and Lemmon does well with his products. Cymbalwise, Sabian is number one, but they also carry Zildjian and Meinl.

Internet. “We’ve expanded.” A few months before they bought the shop they had already committed to redoing the site. Helping is that Leah Stohs is redesigning it from home. Otherwise, they have an average of 10 to 30 products up on eBay at any given time, but “at some point we’ll get into real straight ecommerce.” Going forward. “We’ve learned how to buy more appropriately, and we’ve dropped some lines because their buy-in requirements were too drastic,” he says. “Some of those [manufacturers] aren’t realistic. If we had more control over how much and often we bought, we’d probably do the amount of business they want to see, but with cash being tighter, it’s tough.” Searching for vendors who are particularly supportive and understanding is key. “We’ve committed to more hand percussion, particularly Meinl, and that’s been very successful for us. We’re also open to more consignment deals.” They’ve consolidated their space and renegotiated with their landlord. A warehouse/music school above the store is now gone and they are doing more with less and being more creative with how they display. “Those kinds of things really help us get a good handle on our payables.” Otherwise, the focus is keeping their good line of credit, and good communication with their vendors. Outlook. “I wouldn’t have bought the store if I didn’t believe things would get better. But we’re going to prepare for the worse. I think we can get through those, and we’re motivated to make it happen. But it’s day to day right now.”

Barker’s Music

Modesto & Stockton Think you’re having a tough year? Kyle Barker, owner and CEO of Barker’s Music of Modesto, is dealing with a former partner who is on the lam for alleged embezzlement. There are two warrants out for the former partner’s arrest. “He went to the dark side,” Barker tells. “He stole about $14,000 in merchandise. He was JULY 2009

nickel and dimming me for years – in charge of inventory, and was doing things like keeping tradeins for himself.” Still, Barker pushes on. Kyle Barker, Barker’s Music History: In 1968, Barker got a job as a salesman for the Sherman Clay Music chain, and transferred to their store in Modesto the following year. In 1974, he founded his own full-line music store. In 1981, he secured the Yamaha franchise. Despite the demands of his operation, he’s still an active player with his Kyle Barker Band where he derives a third of his total personal income. He reports that his first quarter was okay, but April was a 40-year low. “Modesto and Stockton have been hit very hard by the bad economy,” he reports. “The street I have been on for the last 41 years has a 30percent plus commercial vacancy, including a recently closed Mervyns. We also have a Guitar Center and Skip’s Music up the street.” But he adds that he has purchased all new computers and updated his software, and his allegiance to Yamaha products continues to pay off: “The complete line of Yamaha Clavinovas and pianos are the best products I have ever sold. The latest Clavinova line is fantastic.”

Otherwise he stocks student- and entrylevel guitars; Line 6, Gallien-Krueger, Crate, and Centaur amps; his DJ offerings include American DJ lighting, CD, and mixer products; and P.A. gear found on his floor include Mackie, Tapco, Yamaha, and Centaur. They do installs and offer rentals and lessons.

Internet. Recently he had a beautiful Hammond CD with brand new 122 Leslie speakers, which he had been trying to sell in the bay area. “I put an ad on Craig’s list Saturday at 11 a.m., and my ad hit number 380 for the day,” Barker says. “That’s just in the East Bay Craig’s List. There are over 200 musical items every day on that list … it’s crazy, man. So with that, finding a game plan is getting harder and harder.” Their Web site is currently being updated to be able to do more with it. Going forward. “When the consumer does their homework, we make the sale.” That said he finds the general consumer actually less informed than in prior years. “They take less time to investigate and have a tendency to trust the Internet completely.” Recent changes include discontinuing parts sales, and concentrating on larger ticket sales. “We will place our foundation on education – both teachers teaching music students and informed sales people education the public. Both jobs are getting more difficult as many people are overwhelmed with information. I personally

California Economics – Grimmer Than Grim Q Q Q Q Q

Jobless rate is at 11percent, expected to near 12 percent this fall, with double-digit unemployment continuing through 2011. Nearly 280,000 jobs were lost in January 2009 alone. All appreciation in home prices since early 2004 has been lost due to the housing bubble burst. Exports are now lower than at any time since the beginning of 2006. Of the top 10 metropolitan areas with the highest percentage of homes with negative equity in the first quarter of 2009, California had five on the list: Stockton (51.1percent); Modesto (50.8percent); Vallejo-Fairfield (46.5percent); Merced (44.4percent); and Riverside (42.8percent). Three California cities – San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Santa Ana – made a recent list of the top ten cities in country where houses are the least affordable.

Sources: Mercury News; Zillow; NAHB/Wells Fargo. MMR 45

am teaching and doing programs for civic groups and churches.”

Outlook: “The central valley will slow down and regress. It’s hard to see the sky is falling when you’re standing in a well.”

World of Stereo

San Francisco & Petaluma World of Stereo opened its doors in 1988 and quickly established itself a premiere DJ store. Around ten years ago, they expanded into the space next to them when that retailer went out of business and dedicated that space to pro audio. Almost two years ago they opened a second location in Petaluma. General store manager Jason Appel says they get a variety of people walking into both stores. “We serve the pros who have been in the industry all the way to the beginners who come in and have never touched a turntable before. It’s A to Z.” They are authorized dealers for nearly all the related manufacturers including Mackie, Pioneer, Technics, JBL, and oth-

46 MMR

ers. Also Gemini, Numark, Denon DJ products are found, as are lighting primarily from American DJ and Elation Professional. They do a good business in software, and are a big ProTools dealer and do well with recording gear. World of Stereo also deals in some keyboards and video equipment. Appel says while some feel this gear is bought more and more online, his customers want to put their hands on their three floors of stock. “A Denon CD doesn’t feel quite like a Pioneer, and a Numark is not a Technic. It’s hard to figure out what is the best fit for you online.” Key to the operation’s success is the gear is out of the box where people can try it out. Also, the employees are all actively involved in music and all have expertise that that customers appreciate. A dedication to honesty is a big part of their business plan. “I had a 16-year-old customer come in two days ago who had never DJ’d, and was looking at a top-ofthe-line Technic mixer. I told him straight out that it wasn’t a good fit.” He showed him less expensive but great quality turntable, and he and his parents appreciated that. “I’d rather they get something for

less money that is good and trade it up later if it works out for him.” The economy is tough, but for them, it’s practically “what recession?” “Believe it or not, we’ve been okay,” Appel says. “One thing that helps is we don’t advertise – it’s all word of mouth. So we don’t have to raise prices for radio ads and thus our prices are low. We focus on customer service and our customers appreciate that.” From where he’s sitting, people are still buying. People are still going out to clubs and drinking (some suggest even more so), so clubs and DJs still need light and pro audio products.

Internet. They have an online store that has experienced some technical problems – severe enough to demand an overhaul, which they are currently doing. They don’t do any marketing through email because they found their customers don’t care for the unsolicited contact. Going forward. They are going to be taking on some new lines, including Rhode microphones. Also they are actually looking at opening another location

JULY 2009

further south as they have dedicated customers driving up to two hours to come to their store.

Outlook. “We’re more optimistic then ever.”

Pulse Drumming

Ventura Kimberly Brower’s road to MI is unusual: An emergency room nurse for 20 years, she left that position to care for a son who was wheelchairbound due to a stroke. Private duty nursing left her “bored to tears,” but discovered the healing power of African drumming. “I fell in love with what I saw happening.” She and her husband Dean studied the art and decided to open Pulse Drumming nearly three years ago. Tragically, in September of 2008, her husband Dean was killed when a Los Angeles metro train collided with a sports utility vehicle in Glendale, Calif. There’s a foundation established in Dean’s name which brings music and dance programs to special needs youth. Drummer and

music educator Trey O’Toole has since become a co-owner. “We’re on Ventura’s main street, and we just expanded our retail space from 2,800 square feet to 4,000,” Brower says. The expansion has allowed them to become a full percussion shop with kits in addition to hand drums. They also designed the store with the world in mind – literally: The layout is broken into continents and decorated accordingly. “It doesn’t look like a Guitar Center in any way, shape, or form,” she quips. Bower and O’Toole are committed owners and educators, and have just returned from a special Sonor Certified Dealer program, and they are only two of six people who have come through the program so far. They are also the only retailers selling Square Drum products. Sabian cymbals are found in the store, as are Aquarian, HQ, and Vic Firth products. She adds that they try to have high quality products not found everywhere else. “We carry a lot of Tycoon world percussion products,” she says. “Almost everything they make and they are fabu-

lous to deal with. Their cajons are one of our biggest sellers.” There emphasis on education has endeared them to the community – for example, if someone comes in to buy some drums but hasn’t played them yet, they insist they start lessons first. That way they are able to assess their needs and interests and sell them right product later. Also, since she doesn’t have a long history in the business, she doesn’t know the “rules” – like women aren’t percussion customers, particularly older ones. Don’t tell her that, because she’s too busy with her monthly “Ladie’s Night” which is introducing percussion to women in their 40s. It’s wildly successful. “They come in and learn and have fun,” she says. They also offer family night drumming, and she suspects they are the only operation in the country teaching kit drumming to people with special needs. (Their work in this area has put them in a position to receive some grant money.)

Internet. “Kimberly designed our Web site herself and it is a powerful tool,” O’Toole says. Their connection to west African drum builders have

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Going forward. “We continue to put the emphasis on education,” O’Toole says. “It’s a consequence of what we do and the appropriate decisions we make, as opposed to being focused on just getting money in the cash register. We’re will continue to respond to the community – and that means symphonic, marching, country, and heavy metal players in addition to hand drumming.”

it on the map right now,” explains Williams. “Fox LA does a hot list every year and this year we were listed as the #1 music store in Orange County.” Kenny’s Music tries to involve the community whenever possible. “We just commissioned a statue with Cherie Currie of the Runaways,” explains Williams. She’s [Cherie Currie] made a guitar-playing mermaid for us. It’s in memory of Sandy West who was her drummer and had died of cancer,” says Williams. “We’re gonna do a benefit concert for cancer in honor of Sandy.”

When asked about the current economic crisis, and its effect on the local community, Kim told us that “The economy here is okay. We really haven’t realized any lull at all. It seems a little quite at the moment, but that’s kind of typical for this time of year.”

The Internet “We do have a Web site,” says Williams. “We’re in the process of putting more items for sale on the Web site but with everything we’ve been doing recently, haven’t had that in focus at the moment.” Williams intends

Outlook. O’Toole says they are focused on accentuating the positive, and ignore the bad news on television and in the papers. “We don’t look into the dark corners, because that gives [the darkness] power.”

Kenny’s Music Dana Point

Kenny Williams started Kenny’s Music about 15 years ago in a little ocean town in Orange County. Ken’s wife Kimberly told MMR that “Kenny had come off tour with a band and sold a couple of his real expensive guitars to start the store here in Dana Point.” Beginning the store with just “14 students in a converted office space,” they’ve now grown the business and recently moved to a more visible store right down the street.

Kim and Kenny Williams, Kenny’s Music

Kim told us that Kenny’s music is known for it’s music lessons saying, “we have seven teachers and quite a few very high end teachers here that teach all different instruments.” Although, guitar and amp sales seem to be Kenny’s strongest items, the store also services the local school districts through band rentals and repairs. “We try to serve just about everybody in the community,” says Williams. “We’re a small little beach town and we’re just a little store but we’re kinda putting JULY 2009

See us at NAMM Booth 1304

MMR 49

to change that telling MMR that “in the next month or so we’ll be putting more items on the Web site.”

Going Forward “We’re making a lot of changes,” says Williams. “We’ve moved the business to a more visible location which is probably the reason why we haven’t realized a dip in sales or lessons. Also, we’re doing more promotions and trying to focus more on doing things within the community such as our cancer benefit. We were actually thinking about things we could do differently,” explains Williams “That started the mermaid situation and then it kind of grew from there.” Outlook Business is good for the small Orange County dealership. “We feel like things are defi nitely looking up,” says Williams. “We’re real excited about the future and things seem good. Business has gone up. The move and everything has really helped our business. So yeah, we’re looking forward to the future and we’re really confident with the way things are going.”

Anaheim Band Instruments

Anaheim Anaheim Band and Instruments was incorporated in 1982. In it’s 27th year, Dave Browne told MMR that ABI first

ments. Today “some of the same teachers are getting pink slips” explains Browne. “Our school business is down substantially. It’s always hovered between 30 and 40 percent of our gross margins, and now it’s down 40percent.”

Diane and Dave Browne, Anaheim Band Instruments

became known as the local “brass and woodwind specialists”. Since then, ABI has needed to “refi ne and keep our focus really, really sharp in instruments that you blow into”. While they do sell some orchestral strings and percussion gear, when walking into the store you see ”trumpets trombones saxophones tubas and horns”. ABI also functions as a full service repair shop. “Our people are trained in instrument factories, and have worked in instrument factories so they’re not cobblers, they are real repair people,” explains Browne. In addition to sales and service ABI has “a good studio operation”, with degreed teachers and professional players. Right now, California “is a grease fire; a dumpster fi re,” says Browne. In prior years the schools had received a lot of “capital outlay money” for instru-

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The Internet Although ABI runs a Web site, Browne tells us that “it’s not really sales intensive. What we really want to do is show people where our heart is. It’s not one of these ‘drop it in your cart’ sites and if your looking at 1:00AM to buy a clarinet in NJ, this is not the Web site for you. If you want to learn about the instruments and if you’re near to our location, then please come in. Let us be something hopefully better than most of what’s out there available to people looking for band or orchestra instruments.” Going Forward To combat the recent economic crisis, Browne has been boosting the rental programs. “There were a number of years where I actually ratcheted that back,” said Browne. “Now, we’re encouraging more people who are on the fence to just go ahead and rent.” In addition to increasing rentals, ABI is “doing a lot of active mailing and emailing” with the hopes that local school districts and customers will use ABI’s maintenance services over the summer. Browne told MMR that they’ve “started a loyalty rewards points program” in which customers who have “ties to a local school music program or community band” can collect points to “redeem in the future for anything they want.” The program has been well received and Browne says that he got the idea from other “industries which do similar things. Its very easy to enroll and we just have to be vigilant that every customer knows ‘Hey, is your school signed up for this?’ and if not, ‘here take a flyer, show it to the band teacher’”. Outlook Browne told MMR that while the situation isn’t bleak, “trying to watch overtime hours and compensation changes” such as 401k matching are some of the modifications that he’s recently employed. “I haven’t parted ways with any employees and do not wish to,” says Browne. “We’ve got people that have worked here for 15 years and that’s my heart’s real desire, to not have to cut anyone back or cut anybody loose.” JULY 2009

See us at NAMM Booth 1531

Westwood Music Los Angeles

Founded as a rare orchestral instrument store, Westwood Music, located in Los Angeles, has changed with the times. At the young age of 19, Fred Walecki, whose father Herman opened the store in 1947, was thrown into the business headfirst when his father became ill in 1966. Over the years, Walecki’s shop has seen many changes in the music industry as well as his own inventory, and customer base. Today Fred’s target audience is the “up and coming professional from 15 years of age and older, interested in new tube amps, boutique pedals, unusual new guitars as well as vintage, both electric

and acoustic. We have those that are not professional but are good players looking for ‘the big Experience’ repair staff or the Martin Santa Cruz Warranty station in LA,” explains Fred. “We have some entry level guitars set up very well, but we mainly carry semi and professional inventory.” Walecki describes his locale as the “high end area between Malibu and Beverly Hills just West of Hollywood.” Today, that area is feeling the economic crunch. Fred’s customers “got hit hard by the downward stock market spiral that shrunk their 401ks to 101ks. More than a few of our customers were hit either directly or indirectly by the Madoff scheme. When Obama started preaching fear and “crisis” we dropped 35 percent.

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Within the second fifty days, our gross sales were still down. I think that everybody that works and lives in this particular area is very aware of what’s happening on wall street and it’s translating itself to main street.”

The Internet Although Westwood music does run a Web site, Walecki tells us that they’ve “really been asleep at the wheel” in that department. He hopes that will change shortly saying “We’re getting a really good internet person and I’m throwing in with a man that does AVI installations so we’ll have really top drawer audio advice.” Going Forward To combat the current crisis, Walecki has added an extra day of business. “We’re now open seven days a week and because we have fi xed costs that remain the same, it should help our bottom line.” In addition to opening up the store on Sundays, Walecki is hoping to diversify by moving away from just guitars towards a “full line music store”. Over the years Walecki had curbed back on his drum and keyboard departments. “In the ’70s we did a lot of pro audio and even had a Westwood Drum shop. Then in the 80’s keyboards got to be a big deal, but it was too much for me to have all these balls in the air so I thought ‘well I’ll just consolidate and do guitars’. Now we’re expanding our keyboard, drum and pro audio departments.” In addition to expanding their inventory, Walecki is trying to promote his store’s lesson and repair shop. “We’re putting in five teaching studios and cooperating with some magazines and manufactures,” says Walecki who is trying to train his staff to be “proactive rather than reactive.” Walecki explains that he wants “proactive salesmen rather than order takers and box movers.” Outlook “We want to set our goals high and see if we can somehow offset what’s happening. I don’t wanna’ go the way of the little record store,” says Walecki who is currently trying to focus on his assets. “We’re going to rely a lot on our teachers and repair staff. We’re hoping that buy getting proactive and making these changes that the outlook is better than what we would expect if we didn’t change anything,” JULY 2009

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e d i u G s ’ r e y Bu Summer

Part II

Fretted TC Electronic’s Classic450 Bass Amp The Classic450 bass amp features TC Electronic’s Tubeton and multiband SpectraComp technology. TubeTone is designed to emulate every characteristic of a tube pre-amp and power-amp to deliver the full tube sound. SpectraComp virtually allows ‘per string’ compression that evens out the compression across all strings, delivering the punchy sound that compressors are all about. Classic450 delivers 450W output power via Class D amplifier technology in combination with TC Electronic’s Active

Power Management. Classic450’s input section caters for both active and passive basses, while its fully transformer-balanced linedriver output, featuring a pre/post tone control switch, delivers a reproduction of Classic450’s tone for both recording and live use. Classic450 is fully compatible with all TC Electronic RS cabinets

and it will drive any triple combination of the existing models (RS210, RS212, and RS410). Other features incluse output and linedriver mute, tuner out, effects loop, and auto-sensing PSU. The Classic450 retails for $1095. www.tcelectronic.com NAMM Exhibit # 1027

profi le. The Rock Candy Bass features a sycamore body, a rock maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard, a Daisy Custom bridge,

Grover tuners, and Select pickups by EMG with active EQ. The bass is also available in Atomic Pink and Diamond Sparkle. Each Rock Candy Bass retails for $499. www.daisyrock.com NAMM Exhibit # 1027

Daisy Rock Candy Bass Daisy Rock introduces the all-new White Lightning Rock Candy Bass. The Rock Candy Bass is designed with Daisy Rock’s signature features – light weight materials, and a “Slim & Narrow” neck 54 MMR

JULY 2009

Buyers Guide

VHT Hand-Wired Head VHT has released the hand-wired 36 watt head from the Standard Series line, The Standard 36. The Standard 36 Head is

hand-wired in the VHT workshop just outside of San Francisco. All VHT hand-wired amplifiers are pre-tested for quality. Each amp is given an initial sound test before burn-in and then given a second, more extensive test after the burn-in process is completed. It is then A/B tested to make sure that each individual amp offers a consistent level of quality. The Standard 36 Head uses three 12AX7 tubes on the preamp side and four EL84 tubes for the power amp. The rectifier tube is a 5Y3GT. The head has a separate tone channel and TMB channel, and a master volume that controls both channels. The Standard 36 Head has plenty of headroom for live high-volume playing. It can be matched with the VHT Standard 2x12 Cabinet, or it can be paired with the cabinet of the players’ choice. The Standard 36 Head lists for $1,899.99. www.vhtamp.com

Lucinda’s New Bajo Quinto Lucida’s Bajo Quinto mariachistyle guitars are built from the same select tonewoods as the Lucida Bajo Sexto and are available in three different configurations to accommodate any traditional or contemporary playing situation. The Lucida Bajo Quintos are available as an acoustic model (LG-BQ1), an acoustic-electric model (LG-BQ1E) and a thin-body electric (LG-BQ2-E). Lucida Bajo Quintos feature solid spruce tops, mahogany

backs, sides, and necks, rosewood bridges and fret boards, abalone and fiber rosettes, and three-ply body binding. The Bajo Quintos have classic cutaway designs to allow comfortable access to the upper frets. The Bajo Quintos with four-band EQ pickups list for $399.99, while the standard Bajo Quinto lists for $329.99. Lucida, a division of The Music Link, is the maker of classical guitars as well as traditional instruments. www.themusiclink.net

Old Hickory Guitar’s Twig Musician’s Wholesale America introduces the T-58 Twig, 5/8’s size acoustic guitar. Its size is between a ½ size and a ¾ size guitar, about the same size as a fullsize dreadnaught, except a smaller body. The T-58 Twig is made with a deeper constructed body and with a larger designed headstock to produce a bigger sound for a smaller guitar. www.oldhickoryguitars.com NAMM Exhibit # 1526 JULY 2009

MMR 55

The Loar Adds Black Gloss Finish to Archtop The Loar’s archtop guitar now comes in a black gloss nitrocellulose lacquer fi nish. The Loar Hand-Carved Archtop (LH600) is an authentic replica of the original archtop acoustic guitars from the 1920s. This all-solid model features a top that is hand-carved from graduated spruce, and hand-carved back and sides made from solid maple. The new black gloss finish is hand-rubbed with nitrocellulose lacquer for acoustic projection. The LH-600 is also outfitted with a one-piece mahogany neck, Gotoh tuners, and a compensated adjustable ebony bridge. The body and ebony fret board are bound with an ivory colored binding to balance the look of the black fi nish with traditional vintage style. In all-new black gloss or vintage sunburst, the LH-600 has a list price of $1,199 and includes a featherweight case. www.theloar.com

Epiphone’s 1962 Wilshire Reissue in White Epiphone recently announced the second in the series of “Epiphone Custom Historic USA” guitars – the 1962 Wilshire Reissue in White. Made in Nashville, Tennessee and limited to only 100 instruments worldwide, it combines attention to detail and historic accuracy. The fi rst in the series – the 1962 Wilshire in Cherry – sold out immediately. The reissue guitar includes: original style hard case; numbered certificate of authenticity in leatherette binder; vintage-style coiled guitar cord; commemorative picks; commemora-

tive t-shirt; and a 1962-style thin leather strap. www.epiphone.com

Band & Orchestra New from Jupiter The new Jupiter 360L Baritone horn gives players an upright ¾ model. Despite the ¾ size, the sound of the 360L is said to be bright, sharp, and distinct due to the cylindrical tubing and the .531” bore. It features a 9.5” bell, rose brass lead pipe, and three stainless steel valves. The 360L carries an MSRP of $1780. The XO series from Jupiter now offers a lightweight slide for its professional trombone models. Lighter than traditional slides by six ounces, the lightweight slide gives horns a more professional feel and improved balance. This

Cutting custom pickguards is just the beginning...

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Systems starting as low as $7,995

JULY 2009

Buyers Guide Altus Intermediate Flutes feature is available for the 1032 and 1028 XO models at no additional charge. www.jupitermusic.com

NS Design Electric Bowed Instruments NS Design is coming out with a new line of electric bowed instruments. Designed by Ned Steinberger, the instruments will be produced in the Czech Republic at the same facilities that make NS Design’s flagship CR series of instruments. The new instruments will incorporate the same styling and workmanship as the CR series but use more cost-effective materials and passive pickup technology to bring the price midway between the CR and WAV series. www.thinkns.com

Where do I get the World’s Finest Music Creation Products?

Altus Flutes now offers an intermediate line with the Azumi flute. The Azumi uses the professional Z-Cut headjoint. Its intermediate body uses the Altus Bennett Scale to provide players with a more concrete intonation than traditional scales. Both the 2000 and 3000 Azumi models are constructed with .958 Brittania silver and are available with inline or offset key configuration with an option for the split E mechanism. www.azumiflutes.com

Percussion Grover’s New Synthetic Headed Models Grover Pro Percussion has announced the release of three new tambourine models featuring Remo Renaissance heads. The new models are said to be unaffected by humidity: in fact, you can literally pour water over these tambourines and the heads

Vincent Bach New York Model #7 Trumpet The LT180S77 New York Model #7 is the newest offering in the line of Bach Stradivarius Bb trumpets. The New York Model #7 combines the historical qualities of the original trumpet with modern day performance features. Continuing the legacy of Vincent Bach, this instrument incorporates the lightweight #7 bell and

#7 leadpipe, made popular in the 1930s. The Model #7 comes with a narrower classic tuning slide with a single brace, lightweight slides, bead rings on all tuning slides, first and third slide finger rings, and a vintage 30s style mouthpiece receiver. www.bachbrass.com JULY 2009

will remain taut. All three models feature a solid hardwood shell, staggered dual-width double row jingle slots, captive pins, and double row hand-hammered jingles. Three models available are: T2/GS-X German Silver jingles with an MSRP of $184, T2/BC-X Beryllium Copper jingles with an of MSRP $208, and the T2/GsPh Silver/ Bronze combo with an of MSRP $189. www.groverpro.com

Stephen Ferrone Snare from Gretsch Gretsch’s new Stephen Ferrone Signature Snare (SF-6514F-SF) is 6.5 x 14. The brass snare shell is beaded and includes 2.3mm triple flanged hoops that can be tuned high to low to deliver a range of

www.AmericanMusicAndSound.com MMR 57

tone. An adjustable side-pull throw off and low profi le butt plate with drum key screws provide convenient snare wire access. The snare features triple gold plated hardware and a black nickel-plated shell. The retail price is $920. www.gretschdrums.com NAMM Exhibit # 601

Sabianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AAX Raw Bell Dry Ride Cymbals Sabianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AAX Raw Bell Dry Ride cymbals are the newest addition to their AAX Series. The Raw Bell Dry Ride design offers versatility at virtually any volume and in any style

145 PETROF years sounds

of music. Being an AAX series model, this cymbal includes Sabianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AAX Dynamic Focus design, to help ensure optimum response and a consistent sound. Fully hammered from edge to center, the 21-inch AAX Raw Bell Dry Ride is crafted from pure Sabian B20 bronze and is available in natural finish or glossy brilliant finish. www.sabian.com NAMM Exhibit # 710

feature a polished chrome steel fi nish and brass hardware, the second 50 with brushed stainless finish and chrome hardware. These models will be limited to 100 pieces each worldwide. www.ludwig-drums.com NAMM Exhibit # 601

Ludwigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anniversary Stainless Steel Pro Beat

Finale 2010 music notation software has been updated for 2010. From Percussion Notation and Chord Entry to Rehearsal Marks and Measure Numbering, common tasks have been automated and simplified to be more user-friendly and save time. Finale 2010 features a streamlined

Since 1909, Ludwig has been making exceptionally crafted percussion products for drummers of all styles. For their 100th Anniversary year, Ludwig has released the Ludwig Anniversary Edition Stainless Steel Pro Beat outfit. Only 100 kits will be made available, all of them hand-rolled and tooled by drum smith Ronn Dunnett. The first 50 made will

Print Finale 2010

A NEW WORLD OF PRECISION Asymmetrically crowned, tapered soundboard extends under all bridges resulting in superior transfer of vibrations. The (front and rear) duplexes are tuned up to higher harmonic intervals as quints, octaves and their sums.

Ebony bridge caps in the descant (treble) section assures richer, more dynamic high notes.

Petrof is in its ďŹ fth generation of creating handmade European pianos and has been wholly family owned and operated since 1864. -BXSFODFWJMMF )XZ 4VJUF # t -JMCVSO (" t XXX QFUSPGQJBOPTVTB DPN

user interface; a Setup Wizard to instantly configure scores; Band-in-a-Box Auto-Harmonizing; and Exercise Wizard – generates practice pieces for an entire band, orchestra, or choir. Users can also import video plus send and display SMPTE. www.makemusic.com

New Wind Band Select Series from Carl Fischer & Theodore Presser Carl Fischer Music and Theodore Presser Company have announced their latest jointpublishing venture, The Wind Band Select Series. This series features music by today’s newest composers of music for wind band. Standard sets of parts, and large size full scores, are sold as separate items for ease of use and ordering. Wind Band Select publications are showcased on the newlylaunched Web site with complete recordings and PDF files of scores, to enable conductors to preview before purchasing. The site will also serve as a portal for wind band conductors to discover other works in the Carl Fischer Music and Theodore Presser Company rental catalogs. www.windbandselect.com

Tanglewood Guitar Company UK Launches Online Community Tanglewood Guitar Company UK has launched a new online social network that allows owners and players from across the globe to connect with each other and share their music, photos, video, and more with fans. Accessible from Tanglewood’s North American Web site, the Tanglewood Guitars Community is positioned as the place “where acoustic players connect.” Members can upload their own MP3’s, photos, and biographical information, and can even stream video from sites JULY 2009

Where do I get the World’s Finest Musical Instruments?

such as YouTube. They can also comment on each others profi les, send private messages, share thoughts on the site’s forum, showcase their favorite Tanglewood guitars, and enter exclusive contests. The Community is free to join and is open to players of all ages, expertise, and geographic location. Being the owner of a Tanglewood guitar is not required. www.tanglewoodguitars.com

Easy Rock Books & CD’s from Alfred Easy Rock Instrumental Solos book and CD, from Alfred Publishing, features easy arrangements for flute, clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, and cello. All wind arrangements are fully compatible with each other and can be performed as ensembles or solos, with an optional piano accompaniment sold separately. String instruments can be performed separately or as an ensemble with the piano accompaniment and removable string part in each book. A fully orchestrated accompaniment CD is provided with both wind and string books, featuring each song as a live performance demo track followed by a play-along track for rehearsal or performance. www.alfred.com NAMM Exhibit # 1019

New At a Glance DVDs from Hal Leonard Hal Leonard Corporation has introduced three new titles in its popular At a Glance DVD/book series: Blues Guitar, Jazz Guitar and Guitar Licks. The At a Glance series pairs an instructional DVD lesson

www.AmericanMusicAndSound.com MMR 59

taught by a professional guitarist with a supplemental book for a comprehensive learning experience. Each book/DVD features several lessons pertaining to one topic, and the DVD features on-screen music. The lessons feature tips and information, and popular song examples help to demonstrate the concepts in action. Each At a Glance retails for $9.99. www.halleonard.com NAMM Exhibit # 1018

Accessories Epilog’s Legend EXT Epilog Laser engraving system provides a fast and easy way to add initials, text, or even images to musical instruments and instrument accessories. Epilog’s Legend

EXT is the company’s large-scale laser engraver with convenient features that make personalizing instruments as easy as pressing the print button on your computer. Due to the large work area and powerful cutting capabilities of the EXT, users can create beautiful designs that add style and to the instrument of their choice – even large or uniquely shaped items such as guitars. www.epiloglaser.com NAMM Exhibit # 429

Tune Tech Tuners Tune Tech, a division of SHS International, has added the following vibration tuners to its line up: the TT-501, a close cousin to the TT-500 but with improved response in the lower register; the TTM-201 combi-

nation tuner metronome; and the TT-101 which changes color when in tune. www.shsint.net NAMM Exhibit # 426

Harmonic Capo Weaseltrap Records and guitarists Bob Kilgore present the harmonic capo. This revolutionary gadget looks a bit like a conventional capo, but it works in a completely different way. Instead of pressing strings down firmly to the fret board, it has six individually adjustable soft rubber pads that lightly touch the strings to produce harmonic tones when the open strings are played. Pull-off notes with the left hand and the open strings are converted to harmonics. The Harmonic

Wholesalers of:

Juzek Stringed Instruments Bows Cases Strings Accessories

P.O. BOX 1415 STOWE, VT 05672 1.866.846.5461 60 MMR

sales@metmusic.com JULY 2009

Capo makes impossible chords and note progressions possible. www.weaseltrap.com NAMM Exhibit # 1504

Intellitouch PT10 TM Guitar Tuner The new Intellitouch PT10 TM tuner from OnBoard Research features a needle display, calibration from 430Hz to 450Hz, simple controls, aggressive pricing levels and a multicolor backlight that makes tuning easier by showing red when out of tune and green when in tune. Intellitouch PT10 TM comes with OnBoard Research’s “No Questions Asked” limited lifetime warranty. Intellitouch PT10 TM carries an MSRP of $39.95. www.tuners.com

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D’Addario EXP Strings The new line of EXP strings from D’Addario feature 50 percent less coating with ideal concentricity, said to create a more consistent, brighter sounding, and longer lasting string. With the creation of the EXP Wire Company back in 2007, D’Addario announced improvements in the string manufacturing process to enhance the performance and longevity of the precision-coated wire used in EXP technology strings. The EXP String offers an exclusive compound-plated (not coated) plain steel string, with corrosion resistance. The new EXP wire has been utilized in D’Addario strings sets for much of 2008, but as of January 2009, all packaging has been updated to reflect the new product offering. EXP strings retail for $22.99 - $25.99. www.daddario.com NAMM Exhibit # 4834

Tunerguard’s Guitar Peg Cover Tunerguard glides over a guitar’s tuning pegs, creating an enclosed area or “capsule” preventing unwanted movement during transit and live performances. Tunerguard was designed to protect tuning settings on a guitar while being transported in a gig bag. Tunerguard’s tapered opening and hard rubber compound creates a secure, stable fit and is easy to use. The MSRP is $12.95. www.tunerguard.com NAMM Exhibit # 1704

Godlyke’s Totally Wycked Audio Godlyke, Inc. has launched their new line of boutique effect pedals, Totally Wycked

See us at NAMM Booth 1711

JULY 2009

Buyers Guide Audio (TWA). Consisting of dedicated analog stompboxes, all TWA models are made in USA. The flagship model of the TWA brand, the LD01 Little Dipper will be released during the second quarter of 2009. The Little Dipper is an envelope-controlled vocal formant filter based on a classic 70s circuit. Its dual filters react to playing dynamics, creating peaks and notches that simulate the vowel sounds of human speech. The Little Dipper allows the user to emulate talk boxes, auto-wahs, filters, and phase shifters, as well as creating vocal wah-sounds. A built-in fuzz circuit emphasizes harmonics while dry blend and noise-gate trim pots offer a full frequency response with ultra-low noise operation. The Little Dipper features a l6-gauge bent steel chassis with heavy-duty powder coating and LED display. The Little Dipper also features mechanical true-bypass switching and comes with a three-year manufacturer’s warranty. www.godlyke.com

The TU-12BW Chromatic Tuner for Brass and wind features an expanded tuning range to correspond to a wide range of brass and wind instruments. Featuring the BOSS needle-type meter and LED tuning guide, the TU12BW also includes a contact mic and dedicated holder to attach on music stands.

The TU-88 Micro Monitor and Tuner features a built-in headphone amplifier, so players can directly monitor or record sounds from stomp boxes or electric guitars with the built-in speaker simulator. Guitarists can also play along with songs from a CD or MP3 player with the new mix input function. www.bossus.com

Meeting the Needs of Students for More Than 25 Years ... Our Best-Selling SV-175 Cremona Violin! Cremona bowed instruments have set the pace for the vibrant student and rental markets for over 25 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 again been upgraded to include the new LaSalle LB-15 Octagonal Bow and the TL-33 deluxe rectangular Travelite case.

BOSS Ships New Line of Tuners BOSS has announced the availability of a new full line of tuners for every price range and level of musician with the TU1000, TU-12EX, TU-12BW, and TU-88 digital tuners.

Cremona SV-175 Violin Outfit:

The TU-12EX Chromatic Tuner for guitar and bass features the BOSS needle-type meter and LED tuning guide in a thin-line body and compact size. New features include a flat tuning function, reference tone, auto-off, and Accu-Pitch, which helps musicians verify their tuning by sounding a beep when the correct tuning is reached. JULY 2009

•Six sizes from 4⁄4 to 1⁄16 •Long lasting ebony fittings •Finetuner tailpiece for precise, easy tuning •Rugged TL-33 Travelite case •All-solid carved, graduated construction •Well-balanced LaSalle LB-15 bow with ebony frog Still

195

Suggested Retail

SV-175

See us at NAMM Booth 1100

[800] BUY-SAGA www.sagamusic.com Dealer inquiries invited.

MMR 63

Coil’s CustomWire Pickup Switch Coil debuts its CustomWire pickup switch and a new line of both passive and active guitar electronics. CustomWire is a completely passive, five-way switch that allows each of its settings to be configured to any pickup combination possible, given the pickups installed in the guitar. The switch can configure parallel connections of pickups, series connections, single coils, out-of-phase connections, and many different complex combinations of these simple connections, such as four coils in parallel with each other, one pair of coils out of phase with the other pair. CustomWire works with any pickup organization, including SSS, HH, HSH, SSH, and works with twolead, three-lead, and four-lead pickups. The MSRP for the CustomWire switch is $199. www.coil-guitars.com NAMM Exhibit # 1630

Eventide Releases v2.3 Software for PitchFactor Stompbox

On-Stage Stands’ Tiltback Amplifier Stand

Eventide has released the beta release of v2.3 software update for its PitchFactor pitch and delay stompbox. This new software update adds enhancements and features suggested by PitchFactor users from around the world.

On-Stage Stands’ RS7500 Tiltback amplifier stand features five tilt positions allowing the amplifier to be aimed up towards the player, sharp angles for shallow stages, and gentle angles for deep stages. With the speakers directed at their ears, rather than their ankles, players and band mates can hear an accurate tone without missing highs and mids. The integrated threaded shaft end eliminates the need for additional mic stands. It accepts all standard boom arms and goosenecks, allowing the amplifier to be miked directly from the RS7500. Its wide 28” stance provides stability for 1x10, 2x10, 4x10, 1x12, 2x12, 1x15, and other speaker configurations. All contact points, including the adjustable sleeve on the upper shaft, are padded with black velveteen rubber. Angle adjustments of 1020 degrees are made via a telescoping rear leg. Other features include non-slip rubber feet and a black powder coat finish. As with all On-Stage Stands tripod designs, the RS7500 Tiltback folds for transport and storage. The list price is $49.99. www.onstagestands.com

Effective immediately, registered PitchFactor owners can log on to Eventide’s Web site and download the new software directly into their PitchFactor at no cost. The new enhancements include new scales for the Diatonic and Quadravox effects. Also added is the ability to lock Expression Pedal programming, the ability to more easily select from the 100 supplied user presets using the select knob, a wider range of tuner calibrations, and the ability to control PitchFlex via MIDI continuous controller messages. PitchFactor retails for $499. www.eventide.com

Light & Sound CAD’s E100S Condenser Mic CAD’s new Equitek 100S large-diaphragm supercardioid condenser mic is said to have the lowest noise floor in its class (3.7dBA) and a smooth vintage tone. The E100S features a bootstrapped, full differential Quadra-FET front-end for high sensitivity and low distortion. A nickel-plated one-inch capsule delivers accurate phasing when miking instruments and a full, rich tone for vocals that is enhanced by the microphone’s extended low-end frequency response. 64 MMR

JULY 2009

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. See us at NAMM Booth 1236 EMD Music, Inc. - usa@emdmusic.com - 866 871 5800 Toll Free - 877 231 6653 Toll Free Fax

Additional features include an 80Hz hi-pass fi lter and a 10dB pad. A twin 5087 output driver provides low drive impedance. RoHS compliant, the E100S also features RF immunity. The 100S is suitable for recording vocals, percussion, acoustic instruments and everything in between. Supplied in a cherry wood carrying case, the E100S also includes a stealth shock mount. www.cadmics.com NAMM Exhibit # 318

JamHub’s “Silent Rehearsal Studio” JamHub is an electronic device that allows bands to rehearse silently anytime and anywhere. JamHubs easily interconnect instruments and microphones for quiet rehearsing. By using the MyMix

66 MMR

controls, each band member creates their own clear and balanced mix. JamHub comes in three models. JamHub BedRoom is made for musicians on a budget with inputs for up to five players. JamHub GreenRoom is for serious musicians with inputs for seven, one MyMix remote, and an USB audio out for digital recording. JamHub TourBus has all the capabilities of GreenRoom and includes two MyMix remotes plus a built in recorder. JamHub will be available in August in the US and September internationally. www.jamhub.com NAMM Exhibit # 742

Earthworks’ DP25/C and DP30/C Mics Earthworks has introduced its DP25/C and DP30/C tom and snare microphones, which are now shipping to retail outlets and sound contractors worldwide. The DP25/C and the DP30/C are said to capture a high degree of detail due to their extended frequency response and fast impulse response. The diaphragms found on the DP25/C and DP30/C settle quicker, enabling them to more accurately capture the varying timbre and dynamic sounds

typically found in a drum performance. The DP25/C, designed specifically for snare drums, has a frequency response of 50Hz to 25kHz while the DP30/C, designed for toms, has a frequency response of 30Hz to 30kHz. Both microphones have a flexible mini-gooseneck and can handle up to 145 dB SPL. www.earthworksaudio.com

Denon DJ DN-X1700 Digital Mixer Denon DJ has released its flagship DNX1700 Digital Mixer. The DN-X1700 can be used working with vinyl, CD, digital files, DJ software applications via laptops, and USB storage devices and features rubberized knobs, 60-mm Alps K Series channel faders, 45-mm FLEX cross fader, high visibility color LCD display, extended 24-point LED channel and output metering, and LED ring metering around the control knobs. The mixer also features a Matrix Input Assignment with digital input and MIDI/ USB audio, independent and three-band EQ with Kill on each channel and dual independent EFX processors. The two EFX processors are located together, with the 3.5” TFT color LCD positioned directly above. Specific parameters for each of the 11 different effects can be linked to the beats per minute (BPM) of every track passing through the mixer. In addition to the new Beat Breaker effect, each effect’s processor has other effects including delay, echo, transform, flanger, filer, phaser, reverberation, looping, reverse looping, and pitch shift. Either one or other or both EFX are selectable per channel, and combined EFX operation is available. External effectors are also supported and can be routed through either effects block. Each mixer channel has a MIDI layer, enabling external control of various PC and Mac Audio/Video DJ software applications, with the LED ring indicators switching color to indicate MIDI operation. A five-pin DIN MIDI output terminal with Start/Stop MIDI clock action is also available. USB audio I/O extends JULY 2009

Buyers Guide to eight mono/four stereo in/out. Individual user settings - including those for audio, system and MIDI settings - can be exported and imported in fi le format and saved to a USB memory device, HDD, and laptop. This allows users to export their personal system settings to another DN-X1700 mixer when traveling abroad without it. Denon has equipped the DN-X1700 with 32-bit digital analog conversion at the audio output stage; 32-bit conversion provides additional “headroom” in the conversion process, providing an analog output signal with greater resolution and frequency response. Digital audio inputs and USB ports enable direct digital connection of CD decks, laptops, media players, avoiding degradation of input signals by analog connections and soundcards of varying quality, and multiple digital analog and analog digital conversions. The included ASIO driver and application ensures low latency from PC soundcards. www.denondj.com

music/speech switch for overall system equalization, and a six-segment level meter with limit indicator. The XP308i carries an MSRP of $680. www.samsontech.com

Martin Audio Debuts ASX Installation Subwoofer The new ASX floor-mounted active installation subwoofer features a single low frequency enclosure housing a single drive unit. The ASX enclosure - (W) 46.85 in x (H) 23.62

in x (D) 46.85 in - houses a patented 21” transducer, Class D amplifier with 8.5kW peak power, and full DSP. Combining the transducer, amplifier, and DSP doubles the output capability of a conventionally driven loudspeaker driver of the same size. When incorporated into a Martin Audio Hybrid horn design, the complete system can deliver a 152dB peak output (measured) from a single enclosure. Key features include a Hybrid large folded horn and ported design (-3dB @ 30Hz); a single 21” (530mm)/6” (150mm) voice coil driver with 2.4” (60mm) peakto-peak excursion; a switched mode power supply with PFC (Power Factor Correction) global mains voltage operation; on-board DSP providing delay, EQ and fi ltering as well as amplifier and driver excursion limiting; and a PC based software application for parameter configuration. www.martin-audio.com

Samson’s Expedition XP308i with iPod Dock Audio company Samson Technologies has announced the Expedition XP308i, a portable eight-channel mixer with a builtin iPod dock and dual two-way speakers. The compact PA system features a 300watt power amplifier, eight-inch woofers in two-way vented enclosures, and an internal 2 x 150W Class D amplifier. The entire package comes in a light-weight design that stands less than 40 pounds, and is crafted for simplified transporting to other locations. Features of the 8-channel mixer include four mic/line inputs, two stereo inputs, and the ability to control the bass and treble. The Mixer can also be removed from the speaker to a tabletop or kickstand for simpler use. Additional capabilities provide two 1/8inch jacks to connect external powered monitors, an internal effects processor, JULY 2009

erry Quester, owner of Quester’s Piano Sales & Tuning in Roseburg, Oregon, admits he was awed. “I come across a lot of pianos and the T2 from Pearl River is one of the best uprights I’ve ever seen…right out of the box.” An experienced retailer, technician and musician, Terry raved, “It plays so smooth, it’s like butter.”

The World’s Best-Selling Piano 800.435.5086 • PearlRiverUSA.com MMR 67

NAMM University Friday, July 17 NAMM U BREAKFAST SESSION

Breakfast 8–8:30 a.m. (first come, first served); Session 8:30–9:30 a.m. Grand Ballrooms, Renaissance Nashville State of the Industry Address Joe Lamond, President/CEO, NAMM, and Guests NAMM President/CEO Joe Lamond will lead the State of the Industry Address, discussing the changing economy, its impact on the industry and the upcoming challenges and opportunities as the music products community prepares for third and fourth quarter business.

IDEA CENTER SESSIONS New sessions start every 30 minutes, unless otherwise noted. Booth #837

10:30 a.m. 7 Ideas in 20 Minutes Presented by Danny Rocks, Catalyst, The Company Rocks, with Ideas Contributed by Audience Members What a great way to kick off Summer NAMM! In just 20 minutes, you will hear seven retailers tell you what they’ve done to improve their business. The best ideas are the easiest to explain—that’s why they work. Employees “get it” so they know what to do. Customers “get it” so they know what to buy. And you will “get it” when you attend this session. You will also “get” a kick of motivation, a short list of proven ideas to take home and a 68 MMR

head start for the fall and holiday selling season!

11 a.m. How to Find Customers When No One Is Walking through the Door Presented by Bob Popyk, Founder of Bentley-Hall, Inc., and Columnist for Music Trades Magazine It takes some creativity and planning to generate business on those off days. Listen in for a dozen ways to keep the cash register ringing in the slowest of times. 11:30 a.m. 5 Secrets to Closing a Sale When a Customer Starts to Walk Presented by Bob Popyk, Founder of Bentley-Hall, Inc., and Columnist for Music Trades Magazine You can’t sell everybody who walks in your store, but you can sure give it a try! Here are five things you should do before giving up and letting your customer walk out of the store without buying. Noon (90-Minute Lunch & Learn Session)* Music By Numbers Presented by Alan Friedman & Daniel Jobe, Friedman, Kannenberg & Company, P.C. If you can read music, you can certainly learn to read a financial statement. If you can read tab or follow a chord chart, you can easily read a balance sheet and income statement. No financial report used in operating your business is more important than a basic financial statement. Explained the right way, a financial state-

ment can tell you how your business is doing and guide you if things are off track. In today’s rough economy and competitive marketplace, generating a financial statement and knowing what to do with it is essential. Join music retailing accountants Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe, as they not only explain the basics of reading financial statements, but also introduce you to other retailers who’ve used financial statements to bring their businesses back from the brink of failure. This session will give you the opportunity to ask lots of questions and the confidence to read a set of financial statements, make sense of them and know exactly what to do next. *Attendees can join in for one, two or all three parts of this session, beginning every 30 minutes.

1:30 p.m. Three Low-Cost Ways to Ride Out the Storm: Re-Think, Re-Focus, Re-Tool Presented by John Stiernberg, Owner, Stiernberg Consulting In the current market economy, successful businesses need to do things differently in order to survive and flourish. What can a music retailer do that will have the greatest positive impact now, while building a foundation for the recovery? How can you plan for growth vs. stagnation—or worse? Join us for a strong dose of Uncommon Sense in Uncommon Times. 2 p.m. How to Prepare for the PostRecession Economy JULY 2009

NAMM U Presented by Ken Murray, CEO of MusicCareerCoach.com and Contributor to Music and Sound Retailer The recession will not last forever. In fact, there seem to be indications that things are beginning to turn. Leading retailers and businesses are already taking advantage of the economic climate and preparing for the post-recession economy. In this session, Ken Murray will offer practical strategies that will ensure your role as a leader.

2:30 p.m. (Double Session) The Power of Effective Employees Presented by Gayle Beacock, Owner, Beacock Music It’s one thing to find and hire the right people in your business—but it’s another to motivate and energize your employees so your customers appreciate doing business with you. If you want to create happy and satisfying customer relationships, it starts with your employees. Get your staff charged up and working together as a winning team. Your customers will catch the confidence and enthusiasm! Gayle Beacock is a perfect model for ‘the effective employee.’ Learn how she keeps herself and her staff motivated through practical tips on listening, communicating with confidence, managing priorities, setting and reaching goals, and thinking like a manager. You will learn how to establish and manage a fun, creative climate where your staff works as a team and knows how to recharge and stay motivated.

five retailers tell you what they actually did to improve their business. Then, together, we will discuss the ways that you can customize the ideas to fit your store. This will be a highly interactive session! You will take home a personal “action plan” to start implementing on Monday morning!

5 p.m. NAMM User Group: Getting the Most out of Your In-Store Financing with GE Money Presented by Jonathan Pershing, Sales Manager, Emerging Markets, GE Money Join us for the first-ever NAMM User Group meeting for retailers using the GE Money Financing Program. We’ll explore ways to increase your average ticket, bring in new customers and increase customer loyalty. Then, we’ll explain how to maximize your financing program using quick and simple tools. During this in-

teractive meeting, we’ll also share some outstanding new marketing tools that you’ll be able to use to drive more foot traffic into your stores. With these tough economic times, customers need options. Learn how to be best prepared to offer them.

Saturday, July 18 NAMM U BREAKFAST SESSION

Breakfast 8–8:30 a.m. (first come, first served); Session 8:30–9:30 a.m. Grand Ballrooms, Renaissance Nashville Your Retail Stimulus Plan

Jump Start Your Sales No Matter What’s Happening in the Economy

Bob Negen, Retail Expert, Co-Creator, Retail Mastery Program &Co-Author of Marketing Your Retail Store in the Internet Age

3:30 p.m. It’s Not Just an Idea, It’s My Action Plan! Moderated by Danny Rocks, Catalyst, The Company Rocks, with Panel of Dealers Who Contributed Ideas at the 2009 NAMM Show Breakfast Session “25 Ideas to Fix Your Business—Now!” How many times have you said, “That’s a great idea!”? Probably a lot. How many times have you actually tried to implement that idea? Probably a lot less often. If you want to learn how to transform an idea into an “action plan,” you need to attend this session! First, you will hear JULY 2009

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Take control of your business destiny. It’s easier than you think. Don’t miss this dynamic, fun session guaranteed to dramatically increase customer loyalty, boost your foot traffic and turbo-charge sales. Find out how to jump start your sales—no matter what time of year. And, pick up many more easyto-execute strategies, tactics and techniques

to grow your business without spending a fortune. Learn the most important thing to do to ensure a successful future.

IDEA CENTER SESSIONS New sessions start every 30 minutes, unless otherwise noted. Booth #837

10:30 a.m. (One-Hour Presentation & 30Minute Guest Panel)

I Want More Web Site Traffic—It’s Easy To Use Video Presented by Jen Lowe, Jim Hodgson and Mike Nessen, BoomBoom Percussion Join us for this fun, interactive session as these Web-savvy speakers give you step-by-step directions on how to add photos and video to your Web site. Learn about free software tools to help you edit video, and how adding video to your Web site drives traffic and sales. They will also walk you through the ins and outs of social networking technology. Hear from a panel of music industry guests who have applied these techniques and will testify about their own success. This is a special session that promises to be action-packed and worth every minute! Noon (90-Minute Lunch & Learn Session)* This Worked for Me! Will It Work for You? Moderated by Danny Rocks, Catalyst, The Company Rocks, with Panel of Dealers Who Contributed Ideas at the 2009 NAMM Show Breakfast Session “25 Ideas to Fix Your Business—Now!” Do you want to know the secret to successful sales and marketing campaigns? It’s all in the details. And, now you will learn the exact details that helped five retailers achieve extraordinary success, even during challenging economic times. What is their secret? What details did they have “to sweat”? Will you be able to copy their success? Will their ideas work for you? Come to this highly interactive session to find out what you will have to do to make these ideas work for you. Prepare to contribute your ideas, ask lots of questions and take home a “plan for success”! *Attendees can join in for one, two or all three parts of this session, beginning every 30 minutes. 1:30 p.m. (Double Session) Electronic Marketing—It’s Easy, Low Cost, and It Works! Bob Negen, Retail Expert, Co-Creator, Retail Mastery Program &Co-Author of Marketing Your Retail Store in the Internet Age

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See us at NAMM Booth 1526

JULY 2009

NAMM U Would you like to build your sales, increase customer loyalty and put more money in the bank for a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising? If you answered “yes,” you are not alone—and you MUST come to this session. You will learn exactly what you need to harness the power of the Internet and e-mail technology, and use it to grow your business. This is NOT a technology workshop. This is a marketing workshop designed to give practical, to-the-point tips and techniques to make technology an important, effective part of your marketing. You will learn how to become the obvious expert to all of your customers; use e-mail marketing to dramatically increase customer loyalty; keep people browsing on your Web site longer, visiting more pages and spending more money; build a customer database that you can use to pull your customers back into your store again and again; use your Web site to fi ll every seat at all of your events; and learn the secret to creating cash on demand. This session is timely and simple, yet incredibly powerful! Attend and learn why electronic marketing is your ticket to increased sales and higher profits.

2:30 p.m. How to Make Your Customers and the Press Love You Presented by Myrna Sislen, Owner, Middle C Music Do your in-store events attract new customers to your store? Do you get press coverage of your events? Do your in-store events give your customers a real feeling that you are part of your community? Myrna Sislen will show you how her events accomplish all of these goals and more, at little or no cost to her business. She will take you step by step, with pictures and detailed explanations. 3 p.m. Hope Is Not a Strategy; Create Your Own Economy Presented by Marc Smith, President, Marc Smith International, LLC Today’s customers want what they want, when they want it and how they JULY 2009

want it. Competition has never been greater and having the ability to compete and deliver in a down market has never been more demanding. This workshop will explore and demonstrate proven techniques and best practices that can increase sales, profits and customer satisfaction. Attendees can expect to learn new ways of handling customers’ objections around price, out-of-stock items, giving prices on the phone and addressing the Internet buyer.

3:30 p.m. (90-Minute Session)* “Recession-Proof” Lesson Programs Presented by Pete Gamber, Owner, Alta Loma Music, and “The Lesson Room” Columnist, Music Inc. Magazine, with Guests How did Alta Loma Music build profitable and successful in-store music lesson programs? As owner Pete Gamber tells it, “…through trial and error, and at times, by accident.” Pete advises that as long as you’re passionate about teaching your students, you will stand out. This block of sessions will bring you back to the basics: Why start a music lesson program? What about lesson rooms? How do I find teachers? How do I get students? And finally, how do I put everything together to get started? Even if you already have a lesson program, this session is still for you. Learn how you can get the most of your lesson program and how it can create immediate revenue, increase foot traffic, build repeat customers and increase sales. Get back in touch with the enthusiasm and passion that builds thriving lesson programs, and develop a community with music makers in your store and in your city. Pete and fellow music retailers will also share their first-hand experiences with rental programs, youth summer programs and in-store events. Know what to expect in real-life situations—what works and what doesn’t, what not to overlook and what action steps to take right now. *Attendees can join in for one, two or all three parts of this session, beginning every 30 minutes.

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MMR 71

5 p.m. NAMM User Group: Payment Processing 101 with First National Merchant Solutions, Understanding the Costs of Getting Paid Presented by Jason Wagner, Senior Account Manager, First National Merchant Solutions Don’t miss the first-ever NAMM User Group meeting for retailers using the NAMM Bank Card Processing offered through First National Merchant Solutions. Chargebacks. Return Fraud. Non-Qualified. Card Verification Value. How does each of these credit card acceptance terms influence your business’ bottom line? Find out by joining First National Merchant Solutions at this interactive presentation where the group will discuss ideas on how to improve your point-of-sale payment procedures, gain added efficiencies in your back-of-

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fice management through software solutions, reduce your exposure to fraud and, most importantly, help your business save money on processing fees.

Sunday, July 19 NAMM U BREAKFAST SESSION

Breakfast 8–8:30 a.m. (first come, first served); Session 8:30–9:30 a.m. Grand Ballrooms, Renaissance Nashville Best in Show: This Year’s Hottest Products Frank Alkyer, Publisher, Music Inc., with Panel With many exciting, new products at the show, it’s sometimes difficult to make sure that you have seen all the important new items. Join Music Inc. publisher Frank Alkyer and a panel of retail

buyers, media and gear heads, as they scour the aisles and dig into the merchandise to find the best products, ideas and trends. You know as soon as you get home, someone always says, “Did you see the new …?” and you feel that you’re the only person who missed it. This is the opportunity to change all of that in this rapid-fire, 60-minute snapshot of what to see before leaving Nashville.

IDEA CENTER SESSIONS New sessions start every 30 minutes, unless otherwise noted. Booth #837

10:30 a.m. (Double Session) How Tweet It Is: Using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Other Social Media to Build Community and Drive Store Traffic Presented by Scott Robertson, APR, Director of Marketing & Communications, NAMM

JULY 2009

NAMM U The information that once came to you from traditional media now comes from a more user-oriented source: popular social networking sites. Social media technology is a major revolution that is shaking up “communications as usual” for many businesses. For those of you who have heard about Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube, but haven’t seen it in action, this introduction will get you started. In this fun, interactive session, you will get your feet wet, learning about the same social networks that your customers frequent, and you will build online relationships with them that can translate into more store traffic and increased sales.

11:30 a.m. Tune Your Web Site To Search Engine Favorites Presented by Tom Nessen and Jeff Anop, MusicGearFinder.com Your customers start and end their search for music products and services using popular search engines like Google and Yahoo. Learn how Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) can help potential customers find your Web site more easily and drive them to your door. Tom and Jeff will cover the basic concepts of how search engines rank your website and provide techniques to help you cash in on your Web site investment. Learn how keyword indexing and analytic tools can help you track your progress and measure your results.

Web presence through your content, including video clips and blogs. *Attendees can join in for one or both parts of this session, beginning at 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.

1 p.m. (40-Minute Session) The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Local Community Impact for Education Support and Music Education— What You Should Know Moderated by Mary L. Luehrsen, Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations, NAMM 1:45 p.m. (40-Minute Session) “Legs and Regs” Update: Small Business Legislation Activities Moderated by Mary L. Luehrsen, Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations, NAMM Learn about legislation affecting small business. Bring your questions, learn ways to get the facts on issues you are concerned about, and how to contact and work with elected officials.

2:30 p.m. (50-Minute Session) Community Music Education Advocacy—Keep Music Education Strong Co-Moderated by Sandra Jordan, Associate Director, and Eric Ebel, Senior Project Manager, Public Affairs and Government Relations, NAMM Learn tools for local advocacy efforts to keep music education strong in your community.

Breaking News Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com

Noon (60-Minute Lunch & Learn Session)* Establishing Your Web Presence Presented by Danny Rocks, Catalyst, The Company Rocks A good Web presence means more than just having a stylish Web site. It is the way that your Web site makes you known to your customers. In today’s world of tech-savvy Web users, you need to do more than wait for customers to find you. A well-orchestrated Web presence will make it easier for anyone to find your site—and give them a reason to keep coming back! Danny Rocks will show you several ways to improve your JULY 2009

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Exhibitor List As of June 16, 2009

Directory Name

Booth #

65Amps 1222 Above Ground Design LLC 1511 Absara Audio LLC 1442 ACCESS BAGS AND CASES 1122 AIM Gifts 226 Akai Professional 400 Alesis 400 Alfred Music Publishing 1019 ALTO 300 Amedia Cymbals USA 212 America Longxing Inc. 828 American Audio 518 American DJ Supply 518 American Music & Sound 900 American String Teachers Association 150 American Way Marketing LLC 230 Anderson University 150 Anvil Cases, Inc. 1507 API 310 AQUARIAN 713 ART - Applied Research And Technology 300 Art Strings Publishing 1018 Artioli Designs 1703 Artist Selected - Horns Company 246 ASCAP 150 Ashdown Engineering 1236 Audio Media 926 Audio-Technica CLUB Strings by Aurora 1110 Austin Guitars 436 Automated Processes, Inc. 310 B-52 Professional 536 Bass Player Magazine 926 Bazhou Basix Musical Inst. 1309 B-Band, Inc. 1123 BBE Sound, Inc. 1337 Beach Dynamics 1636 74 MMR

Directory Name

Booth #

Beamz Interactive 327 Belcat Co., Ltd. 1123 Big Apple Concepts 1343 Big Friend International 252 Bigsby® 700 Bill Lawrence Guitar Design Co 1629 BlueBook OnLine 836 BOLT 736 Bourgeois Guitars 1326 Breedlove Guitar Company 1210 BreezSong LLC 410 Breezy Ridge Instruments, Ltd. 1006 Bridgecraft USA 428 Bulletproof Instruments, LLC 1525 Burns Guitars 1618 Burriss Amps & Effects Pedals 1629 BWE - Amplifiers 436 CAD Professional Microphones 318 Cadmat Global, Inc. 256 Calzone Case Company 1507 CE Distribution, LLC 1225 Cedar Creek Custom Case Shoppe 1205 Cerventis, LLC 1525 Chadron State College 150 Chafin Custom Guitars 1243 Cherry Lane Music 1018 Christian Musician Magazine 224 ChromeDomeAudio 1638 Club World 836 CodaBow Int’l Ltd 1126 Coil LLC 1630 Cole Clark Guitars 1505 Collings Guitars, Inc. 1201 Colorado Case Company 268 Computerized Guitar.com 229 Connolly Music Company, Inc 1126 ConventionTV@NAMM 836 COPPERPEACE CLUB

Directory Name

Booth #

Córdoba Guitars Cort USA Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Crafter USA, Inc. Creation Audio Labs, Inc. Creative Bags and Cases Ltd. CruzTOOLS CSC Products Curt Mangan Inc D’Addario & Company, Inc Daisy Rock Girl Guitars Dana B. Goods D’Andrea Inc. DARE Music Group Daylight Design, Inc. DBZ Guitars DC Voltage Dean B. Zelinsky Guitars Dean Markley Strings Deering Banjo Company Delaney Guitars Diamond Amplification Diplomat Musical Instruments Direct Music Supply Direct Sound Headphones Ibrahim Diril Cymbals USA, LLC DJ Times DownBeat Magazine DPA Microphones, Inc. DR Handmade Strings Dream Cymbals And Gongs Duesenberg USA Charles Dumont & Son Inc. E.K. Blessing Eastman Strings, Inc. Eden Electronics Egnater Amplification Eko Music Group SPA

1502 1309 150 1618 1524 236 235 749 1418 1401 1019 1318 1425 1405 1712 1510 1346 1510 1218 903 1244 1510 336 324 308 605 836 1029 311 1310 704 1222 918 436 1000 906 437 1007

JULY 2009

Exhibitor List Directory Name

Booth #

Electro-Harmonix 1518 Electroswitch 1527 Elixir® Strings 728 Elmhurst College Music Business Prgm. 150 EMD Music Inc 1236 Emery & Webb, Inc. 1045 EMG 1319 Enhanced Listening Technologies Corp. 504 Epilog Laser 429 EQ Magazine 926 Ernie Ball, Inc 1600, 1603 Essential Sound Products, Inc. 406 ETI Sound Systems, Inc. 536 Evans Drumheads 1401 Farley’s Musical Essentials 1027 Ferris State University 150 FireBelly Amplifiers 1445 First National Merchant Solutions 2000 Flaxwood USA, Inc. 1249 Fleabass Inc. 1428 Folkcraft Instruments, Inc. 907 Ford Guitars 266 Forge 736 Four Star Wire & Cable Inc. 500 Fred Kelly Picks 219 Fryette Amplification 1345 Steven Fryette Design 1345 Future Percussion Concepts 221 G & L Musical Instruments 1337 G7th Ltd 1007 Gallien Technology Inc. 1513 Gallien-Krueger 1513 Gatchell Violins Co. 824 Gator Cases, Inc. 809 GCV Violins (Guangzhou Cremona Violin Co., Ltd) 648 GE Money 2000 George L’s Musical Products 911 GlassTones LLC 1342 Glitter Rocks Jewelry 206 GMA - Gospel Music Association 150 Gold Tone, Inc. 1422 Goldfish Guitars LLC 234 Goodsell Electric Instrument Co LLC 1244 W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. 728 Granelli Audio Labs 347 JULY 2009

Directory Name

Booth #

Greatmind Instrument Manufacturing Co 239 Gretsch Co. 700 GretschGear.com 700 Grip Studios 1701 Guilford Guitars, Inc. 1606 Guistar Picks, LLC 270 The Guitar Folks 1611 Guitar Mill 1700 Guitar Player Magazine 926 GuitarGuard 1546 Guitars in the Classroom 150 Guitars of the Stars - Boobtone 214 GWW Group Inc. 1106 H & F Technologies, Inc. 810 H.E.A.R. - Hearing Education & Awareness for Rockers 166 Hagstrom Guitars 900 Haight Guitars 244 Hal Leonard Corporation 1018 Hall Crystal Flutes 743 Hammond Suzuki USA Inc 737 Hanser Music Group 718 Hanson Musical Instruments, Ltd 1626 Bob Kilgore’s Harmonic Capo 1504

Directory Name

Booth #

Harpsicle® Harps Harris Musical Products, Inc. Heil Sound LTD Homespun Tapes, Ltd. Hosa Technology, Inc. Hoshino USA Inc. Howard Core Company HQ Hudson Music, LLC Hughes & Kettner Humes & Berg Mfg. Co., Inc. HyperLabs Ibanez IBC Trading Ltd IBMA IEBA Indie Guitars International DJ Expo ION Audio JA Musik USA Jay Turser Jazzkat Amplifiers, LLC JBovier Jensen Musical Instrument Speakers

821 1136 319 1018 528 618 827 1401 1018 300 901 202 618 1007 150 150 1229 836 400 232 900 1627 225 1225

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Contact: info@wymanpiano.com 941.661.0200 MMR 75

Directory Name

Booth #

Jet Fretz Johnson Guitars U.S.A. JT Sound Inc. JZ Music K and S Music Kahler International Inc. Kala Brand Music Co. KAM Instruments Corporation Kay Guitar Company Kazoobie, Inc. Kelly Concepts, LLC The Kelly SHU Keyboard Magazine Knilling String Instuments König & Meyer Korg USA, Inc. Kyser Musical Products Inc. Lace Music Products Jean Larrivee Guitars Lashbrook Guitars, LLC Lava Cable H.G. Leach Guitars Legacy Learning Systems Levy’s Leathers Limited Listen Hear

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1304 1413 1439 548 822 208 1528 345 1245 330 607 607 926 436 1126 CLUB 1304 1501 1400 1145 1307 1500 237 1226 403

Directory Name

Booth #

Little Kids Rock LM Products Inc Low End LSL Instruments Ludwig Drum Co. Mad Professor Amplification, Ltd MADAROZZO™ Mainland Ukes Major Music Supply Mano Percussion Mapex USA, Inc Marshall Electronics C.F. Martin & Co. Inc MATTRIXX-N Inc. Meadowbrook Insurance Group Meinl USA, L.C. Mel Bay Publications, Inc. MENC: The National Assoc for Music Education Merano Musical Instruments Merlin 5 Products Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Miami Audio Music Corp.

150 725 1437 1250 601 1231 236 258 1209 900 508 401 1200 254 2000 610 928 150 719 228 150 505

Directory Name

Booth #

MIDC - Musical Instruments Distribution Canada Ltd. 1617 Midwest Guitar Repair & Building School 248 Mighty Bright 1027 Mighty Mite 1309 Ministar 900 MixMeister Technology 400 MJS Music & Entertainment, LLC 924 Mogami Cable 401 Moog Music Inc CLUB Moon Wha S.O.G. Co., LTD 231 Morgan Hill Music 1408 Morpheus 736 Morrell Music Co. 1248 Motion Sound 736 MottAudio LLC 307 MPR Enterprises 1027 Mr. B’s Authentic Bottleneck Slides 1713 Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation 150 MTD (Michael Tobias Design LLC) CLUB Muse Inc 1324 Museum of Making Music, A Division Of The NAMM Foundation 150 Music & Sound Retailer 836 Music Dealers Resource Group LLC 334 Music Distributors Association 150 Music for All, Inc. 150 Music Freight 2000 Music Inc Magazine 1029 The Music Link 1336 The Music People! Inc. 800 Music Player Network 926 Musical Merchandise Review 1031 Musician’s Wholesale America 1526 Musiquip Inc. 225 MXL Microphones 401 NAMM Endorsed Business Providers 2000 NAMM Foundation Pavilion 150 National Association of School Music Dealers 150 National Piano Foundation 150 NEMC 838 Neverkink Cable Clip 1546 New Horizons International Music Assoc., Inc. 150 JULY 2009

Exhibitor List Directory Name

Booth #

New Sensor Corporation 1518 NewBay Media LLC 926 Newbeat Sales 323 Nord USA 900 Nova Strings 1529 Numark Industries 400 Olympus Imaging America Inc. 309 On-Stage Stands 800 Orange Music Electronic Company, Inc. 1610 Oscar Schmidt, Division of Washburn International 906 Osiamo LLC 238 P3 Phantom Powered Pedal System 1346 Pacer Concepts, Inc. 800 The Paige Capo 1406 Paige Musical Products 1406 Pantheon Guitars, LLC 1326 Panyard, Inc. 808 Parker Guitars 906 PartnerShip 2000 Peak Music Stands 729 Pearl Corporation CLUB John Pearse® Strings 1006 Percussion Marketing Council 150 Perfection Pegs 436 Perri’s Leathers Ltd 1531 Peterson Electro-Musical Products Inc. 418 Pick Guy, Inc. 332 Pick Stick 723 Pickboy 238 Pick-Smith, Inc. 1537 Pigtronix 1442 Pioneer Valley Imports 223 Planet Waves 1401 Players Music Accessories 831 Portastand Incorporated 442 Power Wrist Builders 709 Premier Guitar 922 Pro Audio Review 926 Pro Sound News 926 Pro Stage Gear 630 Pro-Active Websites 918 ProFile 900 ProSing 422 Pure Sound 1401 PZTRONICS 200 JULY 2009

Directory Name

Booth #

Q Lighting 1629 QMP Sales 343 Quik Lok 900 Randall Amplification 906 Realist 1126 Red Leaf Technology 444 Rees Harps Inc. 821 Remo, Inc. 711 Rental & Staging Systems 926 Retail Print Music Dealers Association 150 Retail Up! 842 Reunion Blues 1443 Reverend 1429 Rico Reeds 1401 RoboKey USA 1705 Roc-N-Soc Inc. 807 Roland Corporation U.S. CLUB Rowdy Pickers Musical Products 272 RS Berkeley Inc 819 S.I.T. Strings Co., Inc. 1300 SABIAN Ltd. 710 Saga Musical Instruments 1100 Samick Music Corp. 636 Santa Cruz Guitar Co. 1211 Schatten Design 1706 Schroeder Guitars 1613 Sensaphonics Hearing Conservation, Inc. 405 SESAC, Inc. 150 Shanghai Max Precision Instrument Co. Ltd. 729 Paul Shelden Global Productions, Inc. 336 ShelFactory LLC 1447 Shoreview Distribution 207 SHS International 426 Shubb Capos 1010 SICA Speakers 1225 Simple Amps 1344 Sonic Distribution 218 Souldier 1222 Sound & Communications 836 Sound Choice 327 Southland Music Distributors, Inc. 1142 St. Blues Guitar Workshop 1323 St. Louis Music 436 Stagg 1236

See us at NAMM Booth 1006

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Standback Amp Stands Not Just Stands String Swing Inc Strobel Guitars Studiologic Supernatural Percussion Inc Systems Contractor News Tama Tanglewood Guitar Company UK TC - Helicon TC Electronic GAMA - Teaching Guitar Workshops Technologies For Worship Magazine Telescript Inc Tennessee Music Education Association Testa Communications The Learning Dock, LLC The String Cleaner Thomastik-Infeld GmbH Tianjin ACME Trade Co., Ltd. Tianjin Hanbang Musical Instrument Co., Ltd.

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1346 1544 CLUB 1539 900 606 926 618 225 329 329 150 102, 1037 213 150 836 204 1711 1126 233 825

Tianjin Zhong Tian Qi Jian Imp. & Exp. Co., Ltd TiSonix TKL Products Corp. TMP Pro Distribution ToneGear Tornavoz Music Traveler Guitar Tregan Guitars Trem King Triad Products, Inc. Tri-Technical Systems, Inc. Tsunami Cables Tunerguard TV Jones, Inc U.S. Band & Orchestra Supplies, Inc. Ulbrich Stainless Steels and Special Metals, Inc. Ultimate Ears, LLC Ultrasound Amplifiers UpBeat Daily US Music Corp US Patent And Trademark Office V & R Remote Vasantâ&#x201E;˘ Veritas Instrument Rental Inc VH1 Save the Music Foundation Visual Sound LLC VJ Rendano Music VNewsletter Voyage-Air Guitar, Inc. W. O. Smith Music School Walden Guitars Warehouse Guitar Speakers Warwick Washburn International Watch & Learn, Inc. WaveAngle Waveform Dynamics WD Music Products, Inc. Weaseltrap Records Wechter Guitars, Inc. Willis Music Company Wilmington Fibre Wyman Piano Company Xcel Drumsticks XP Audio, Inc. Yamaha Corporation of America Yorkville Sound Inc. Zaolla Silverline Zero Crossing Inc. Avedis Zildjian Company

823 1709 1205 800 1711 1502 1506 1436 CLUB 1346 1039 446 1704 1427 436 242 306 322 1029 906 162 1702 248 818 150 911 328 836 1500 150 900 1536 718 906 1118 260 1449 1420 1504 1328 1018 1227 739 210 736 104, 136 300 528 1542 600 JULY 2009

Keep Music Education Strong Learning to play music is so much more than memorizing notes and scales. It helps a child develop creativity and instills self-discipline, commitment and conﬁdence. Your leadership in the community assures that music is a part of quality education for every child. Keep music education strong—go to supportmusic.com.

believe in music 5790 Armada Drive • Carlsbad, CA 92008 • 760.438.8001 • www.namm.org

FRETTED

Fleabass –

Give it Away (Not Quite, but Make it Affordable…)

Now W

idely regarded as one of the foremost bassists in contemporary music, Flea has won five Grammy awards as a member of the multiplatinum selling Red Hot Chili Peppers. In 2001, he founded the non-profit Silverlake Music Conservatory, a music school that offers lessons and grants scholarships to students who cannot afford instruments or music education. Flea opened the Conservatory to give young people the chance to discover and play music the same way he did, regardless of financial means – now he is taking that same philosophy into the MI market.

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JULY 2009

Making Music Available to Everyone Flea was a trumpet student during his childhood and was able to continue his education in music only with the help and guidance of his school. Not only was learning about music emphasized in the classroom, but Flea and his classmates were able to borrow instruments from the school library. Without that trumpet, lended for free by the library, Flea feels he may never have found his path as a musician. As more and more public schools slash funding to the arts, the kind of opportunities Flea and his classmates found are rarely offered today. “I have heard [Flea] say that just after he graduated high school, a lot of government funded music programs for public schools were cut,” CEO of Fleabass Doug Williams notes on Flea’s motivation to start the Silverlake Music Conservatory and now Fleabass. Flea’s vision is clearly set on making music available to everyone. Doug Williams, along with Red Hot Chili Peppers guitar tech Dave Lee, are working to make this vision a reality within the MI market. “[Flea] started his Music Conservatory in Silverlake and while he was teaching players he was noticing that they were coming in with bass guitars that were inadequate, you couldn’t tune them or you couldn’t keep them in tune, they were basically toys,” Williams explains. “He saw a real void in the market where there wasn’t a quality instrument, in particular a high-end bass, at a low-end price.” Flea, using his years of experience as a student, teacher, and performer of music wants to fill this void. At the 2009 NAMM show, the Fleabass (www.fleabass.com) made its debut. The Fleabass is designed to offer young players and professionals a high-quality electric bass at an affordable price, retailing at $499 for the full-scale model and $399 for the short-scale Junior model. The singular goal of Fleabass, according to Flea’s mission statement for the company, is “to provide to young people [an instrument] to fall in love with that their families can afford to buy.” Fleabass tries to pack as much quality into a low price point guitar as they

possibly can. Williams says that the Fleabass is, “like the Fender Jazz Bass in terms of quality,” and features one pickup, a maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and a solid alder body. The basses are available in 4 finishes, ranging from classic black and white to the unruly green and pink “Punk Bass.” All of the basses include a gig bag and an instructional DVD featuring Flea, again emphasizing the importance of educating and coaching young people as they pick up their instrument. Over and over, “a high-end bass at a low-end price” is the mantra of Doug Williams and Fleabass is determined to make each bass of the highest quality possible at a low price point.

Quality Control According to Williams, one of the most important steps taken to ensure the quality of the instrument is to professionally set up each bass at fulfillment centers spread

in the development of the bass and making sure it is going to be manufactured to the specifications of Flea and to the level of quality Flea would have his bass be.” While producing a quality bass at a low cost has been challenging, the initial production run has pleased the Fleabass CEO who reports being “pleasantly surprised at the quality of the basses.” This run of the basses came in time for the 2009 NAMM show, where the bass was demonstrated by Flea (with the assistance of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith) and dis-

“The singular goal of Fleabass… is, ‘to provide to young people [an instrument] to fall in love with that their families can afford to buy.’”

JULY 2009

all over the world. The goal is to avoid the common ailments of cheaper guitars -poor action, inaccurate intonation, and loose tuners. Flaws like these add frustration for younger players and are major obstacles for learning to play correctly, a problem Flea sees as preventable. Williams notes, “If they’re not perfect, they’re not going to the stores. That’s our quality control.” Because the bass is produced according to Flea’s blue prints and is not simply a licensed product, striking a balance between quality and cost has been difficult. “Flea, Dave Lee, and I are building this business from scratch and a lot of [the obstacles] are

played for the first time. Overall, the 2009 NAMM show was a victory for Fleabass and Williams is “thankful for the warm reception.” Sales boomed for Fleabass and Williams is just as pleased about the company’s fast start as he is with quality of the basses. “The interest in the brand was even more than I expected it would be - we sold far more than I anticipated in terms of unit and volume.” Williams reports that the first container of basses landing in the US is already sold out and the second container, slated to arrive in late May, is close to selling out as well. Fleabass aims to distribute the basses to all vendors and MMR 81

Williams explains that the company has “put a governor, to an extent, on how [the basses] will be distributed” in order to ensure delivery to mom and pop stores as well as the major retailers. Williams seems confident that the Fleabass will not only be an affordable, quality instrument for younger players, but a viable option for the professional bass player as well. To start, Williams affirms that Flea will play his own Fleabass in future performances with Red Hot Chili Peppers. This will be a change for Flea – he had been playing a signature model manufactured by Modulus. “[Flea] had a good relationship with Modulus, but we have our own bass now and it’s important for people to know that,” Williams commented on Flea’s split with his former bass sponsor, who no longer manufactures a Flea signature bass. And while Flea playing a Fleabass may not come as a surprise, it certainly does not diminish the endorsement. In fact, Williams says that he was approached by other artists at NAMM who are just as impressed with the Fleabass as Flea himself is. “It was so well-received by other professional bass players who came in and actually want to

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play the bass. We have requests for us to sponsor some people already, and I mean quality [players]…I won’t float out any names yet…but a few people came in and said ‘we want in and we want to play.’”

‘We’re Having Some Fun’ And while Williams maintains, “we really want to make sure that we’re fulfi lling our mission before we move on to any other product,” Fleabass will not limit production to only bass guitars. A 6string electric guitar is reportedly in development as is a double-neck guitar that is a 4-string bass and a 6-string. “We’re having some fun. As to when we’re going to roll those into the line, that’s another story.” Williams adds. Regardless, Fleabass seems primed and determined to become a presence in the MI market. Working in harmony with Williams’s and Dave Lee’s involvement and hard work, Flea and his “love of music education” is the still the driving force behind the Fleabass company. Some of early success of the company seems to come from the trademark enthusiasm that Flea is famous for bringing to everything music, on stage or behind the scenes. If his teaching

experience at the Silverlake Music Conservatory was the catalyst that started the company, Flea’s earnest love for musical instruments undoubtedly provides the energy that sustains Fleabass. “When I was a boy, I used to place my trumpet on my bed, stand back in my room…and just stare at it for a long time,” Flea recounts in his company’s mission statement. “I imagined what was possible with that instrument, and I was amazed by it, the color and the shape of it, and by the hope and exciting tradition within it, the masterpieces of human beings who had played one just like it before me. In a hectic life, a chaotic world, it represented transcendent beauty to me.” With this outlook, Flea’s decision to throw his hat in the ring of the MI marketing should not be surprising. To Flea, the bass guitar is not simply an instrument, but a work of art, an object deserving of affection, attention, and appreciation. Flea’s concluding remarks in the company mission statement indeed summarize the goals of Fleabass best: “we want to make a serious instrument that plays beautifully and that will only get better with time… and looks cool as hell.”

JULY 2009

Radial Engineering

“W

e’re very fortunate,” says Peter Janis, founder and CEO of Radial Engineering. “Our sales channels are global, and we’ve got some pretty heavy hitters out there using and representing our products throughout the world. There are a lot of people down right now but we’re actually up over last year.”

Drake Williams, Kevin Burgin, and Peter Janis. JULY 2009

Janis is convinced that Radial’s success lies in the fact that they’re selling products “that people need as opposed to products that people want. Bands are going to have less people showing up — instead of a full club, they’ve got 80 percent filled so they have to make cuts. Nevertheless, they still have to bring the snare drum, they still need all the mics and they still have to have DIs. We provide all the tools to make the show happen and because we sell all that kind of gear, we’re not as vulnerable as someone selling a specialty item.” Following their most profitable year to date, Radial is hoping to grow even more. “We’re just so busy -it’s non stop everyday,” explains Janis. “I was just on the phone with one of our major customers yesterday and the word from them was that we’re one of the few companies that are on the plus side of the scale.” In fact, Radial has done so well that they recently expanded their operations. “We were

in a 10,000 sq. ft. facility two blocks up the street,” says Janis. “The Primacoustic panels were so big that we needed a separate warehouse and it got to a point where we simply ran out of space.” In January, the company moved into a brand new 25,000 sq. ft. facility and invested in four Remstar Shuttles. “Basically, they’re inventory robots,” says Janis. “They’re all computer controlled which allows us to ship much more quickly and efficiently. Instead of having people running all over the place the, inventory is running to you.” Radial wasn’t always a huge operation. In fact, the company got its start in the early 1990s building cable products. “Actually, the Radial logo is a piece of cable, that’s been cut,” laughs Janis. “We were importing cables and transformers into the Canadian market to supply recording studios when low and behold the Internet hit. The next thing you know, we were begging — trying to compete with the whole North American thing.” At the same time, more and more customers were having Radial build custom MMR 83

systems. “It turned out that the big touring companies could no longer sustain having a tech on hand. We would build snake systems for them instead of just selling raw cable and transformers and the next thing you know we were being asked to build direct boxes. So, in 1996 we launched our first DI box called the Radial JDI which today is pretty much the de facto standard in professional touring.” By the end of the 1990s Radial had transferred from distribution to production and today has four distinct groups of products: Direct Boxes, Tonebone Pedals, Primacoustic and our custom cable division.

Kevin Burgin, Drake Williams, and the Komit “We’re really excited about having Kevin and Drake join our engineering team from the Rupert Neve Designs,” says Janis. “Drake, contacted us because we had put out word through the industry that we were looking for help. He told us that Kevin might be interested in getting involved and one thing led to another. We flew the guys up to Vancouver and spent a few days chatting and it just fit, simple as that.” As part of the deal Radial ended up buying Kevin’s flagship product, the ‘Komit’ compressor. “One reason why I was excited

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about these guys, was their 500 series lunchbox module,” explains Janis. “We looked at the market and felt there is a tremendous opportunity at hand. We also noticed that some of the rack housings out there are not very good and no one has ever taken the time to just fix it. We’re building a platform from which a whole bunch of these modules can be used.” These modules will be backwards compatible with the older 500 series. “You might get a guy that bought a little 500 module back in the ’70s and now he’ll be able to plug it into this device. If I want to put a little mic preamp on my voice and I don’t like the sound, I pull one out and I slide another one in.” Janis thinks they can make these products at a good price and believes that “they’ll be a lot of fun — just like guitar pedals. Musicians mess around with pedals like girls mess around with dresses,” laughs Janis. “We’ve got four of em’ already in development and a fifth quickly to follow.” He’s hoping to have at least a dozen modules out by the end of the year. “It’ll just be fun stuff. I mean, isn’t that what it’s all

about? The device should be inspiring and if it doesn’t do that, we’ve missed my mark.”

Hitting the Mark When developing new products, Radial calls on industry pros. “We’re very fortunate, in that we’ve probably got the biggest user list in the industry,” explains Janis. “That doesn’t happen by accident, it happens for two reasons. One is that you make a good product and the next thing is that you have to be working real hard communicating with these artists and their technicians to make sure that you understand and fulfi ll their needs.” “I met with Joe Satriani last week to show him our new switcher,” says Janis. In developing the new switcher, Janis called in Carlos Santana and Joe Perry. The new device “allows bands to use multiple guitars and multiple amplifiers on stage,” explains Janis. “We won’t sell a lot of these, but there are clients out there that want that kind of cool stuff and we’re really trying to push the envelope of coming up with innovative solutions.” Recently, when Fleetwood Mac came to Vancouver, all of the technicians came through for a tour. While at the Radial facility, Janis “talked with the techs about what they needed. Those same technicians that worked this tour will jump over to another tour and deal with all kinds of problems there,” explains Janis. “We’re always going back to the technicians. Then we develop the technology and scale it down so that it’s more affordable for stores to be able to use — that tends to be the flow. I think that’s what makes us different from the average company, we’re not just making a speaker cabinet with a 15’’ speaker and a horn. We’re doing stuff that’s outside the box. I think that that’s a really strong opportunity for us and our dealers are enjoying it because we deliver solutions.” JULY 2009

DI Boxes

“No one ever paid attention to the DI box business until we came along,” says Janis. “The next thing you know, we’re the number one player in DI boxes. Last year alone, we shipped over 50,000 units.” Radial’s two most popular DI boxes are the JDI and J48. The JDI is their original passive DI while

Primacoustic

“On a global level, we’re probably the fastest growing acoustics company in the industry, says Janis. Created out of “sheer frustration” with the acoustics industry, Primacoustic is Radials acoustic solutions branch. “During the 90’s when we were importing acoustical products to the Canadian market, we would

the J48 is an active DI box with an internal switching supply which allows it to handle “more signal”. Janis explains that “it’s got more dynamic headroom which makes it a very good product when you spec it verses anything else on the market as most other designs haven’t changed in 20 years.”

go to these distributor meetings and they would start talking about acoustics for use around A/C equipment, or sound control for Volkswagens and our interests were in studio applications. So, we started our own brand called Primacoustic and focused our energy on the home studio market.” Primacoustic provides a whole range of acoustical solutions from acoustical panels to Recoil Stabilizers, but it’s the room kits that have really caught on. “The London room Kit is our most popular acoustic product. It retails for $600 and does a complete studio.” Since

first creating Primacoustic, Janis has expanded his operations “towards the whole contractor/installation market. All you need to do is look up and see the acoustic ceiling tiles,” laughs Janis. “Acoustics are usually sold through guys that sell sheetrock! They haven’t a clue! These guys know about hammers but they don’t know anything about sound. Most music stores have someone that is pretty sound savvy and that’s a huge advantage.” Janis tells us that there are quite a few dealers that are keyed into this market and doing “tremendously well.”

Tonebone Pedals

The Tonebone series began with “high end tube distortion pedals such as the Tonebone Classic and the Tonebone Hot British,” says Janis. “From there we started to expand our Tonebone range in a very interesting way. There are probably 200 manufactures of distortion pedals out there and back in 2000 we could see the market place becom-

ing more and more jammed. So while everyone else zigged we zagged and put our energy into developing products that were very different from anyone else.” Radial turned its focus more towards the switching capabilities of pedals and today they produce a “whole range

of solution boxes to address the professionals needs on stage.” Products such as the Cabbone, Headbone and Loopbone have made the tone bone series very successful. “Santana, Clapton, Satriani-- the list of users of those products today is just huge,” says Janis.

Bones Pedals

Radials newest addition to its guitar related products are its Bones series. “We’ve put a couple of years into R&D and essentially took our tube pedals and miniaturized them to get the footprint as small as possible.” To do so, Radial has used Surface Mount Technology to shrink the popular Tonebone series into the newer Bones pedals. “Our Tonebone product has been JULY 2009

quite successful but the problem with our higher end pedals is that the average store doesn’t have the client base to sell a three or four hundred dollar pedal,” explains Janis. In addition, many customers wanted a more compact pedal that ran off a standard 9V power supply. “So we miniaturize the Tonebones and brought them down in both size and price without losing too much func-

tionality and keeping production here in North America.” Janis explains that the new Bones pedals still have “dual function — you’ve got clean, rhythm and lead happening which really does make it nice for stage work. And, at $199 retail, we’re more in the affordable range that allows the average store to get involved. We worked really hard at doing that with those pedals,” says Janis. “They’re getting a lot of really positive press and feedback by people that have used them.” MMR 85

At A Glance: Nick Rail, Nick Rail Music Who: Nick Rail, president What: Nick Rail Music When: Founded May 12, 1986

Where: Six stores in southern California

HQ: Santa Barbara

Tools: My primary instruments are trumpet and tenor sax. I was pretty good at piano in a previous life and I play all the brass and woodwind to one degree or another due to my extensive repair background. At home I love to amuse myself by applying my mediocre guitar skills to my 1896 Washburn. I knew I wanted to be in music instrument business when … My employer at the time showed me just how wrong it could be done. Career Low Point: Working for the aforementioned bozo for a year and a half. I learned a lot! Career High Point: Opening my door for business… right across the street from previously referenced bozo. And yes, it just kept getting better. Best thing about my job: Seeing the great smiles kids get when they make their first sounds on an instrument. Magic!

Most unpleasant part about my job: The rare occasion when I have to fire someone. I take it personally. If I could go back in time and tell my younger self some things, it would be: To buy up all the Mark VI saxes I could afford when they were $500 to $600 new! People might be surprised to know: I repaired [composer/trumpeter] Neal Hefti’s Grammy, which he won for his work on the movie Batman. It got knocked over and the gramophone bell broke off. Favorite meal: The next one! When I travel I always eat the local food because it’s the fast track to learning a new culture. Last good movie I saw: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Last good concert I saw: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Current Pet Peeve about the Biz: School administrations bemoaning

I admire my competitors; they keep me on my toes.

86 MMR

JULY 2009

low test scores and yet not grasping what supporting music could do for their programs.

The most important things about managing are: Humor, respect, and leading by example. The most important thing about doing business with a manufacturer/supplier is: It’s amazing what you can get your suppliers to do for you when you do good by them by maintaining perfect credit. The most important quality to look for when hiring someone is: Passion for the industry. Who I admire in this business: I admire my competitors; they keep me on my toes. If I was a cartoon character, I’d be: That’s a tough one. I keep going back and forth between Calvin and Snuffy Smith … True or False: Can you be happy and rich in the music instrument business? If I change my name to Rich … Words to Live By: How about to die by? My tombstone’s going to say, “What was that?” JULY 2009

Find Breaking News in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com MMR 87

Supplierscene Fishman at Merlefest 2009 Held on the campus of Wilkes Community College during four days in late April with a reported attendance of close to 70,000 fans, Merlefest 2009 showcased bluegrass, country, and roots music. Originally started in 1988 to raise funds for gardens on campus honoring the memory of Eddy Merle Watson, son of legendary guitarist Doc Watson, Merlefest has become a landmark event that contributes over $17 million to the region.

Jim Lauderdale at Merlefest with Collings Guitar and Fishman Matrix Infinity pickup.

Fishman, in partnership with First Quality Music, was in attendance again this year to work with leading artists such as Travis Tritt and Jerry Douglas, featured together in a set during the Welcome Home Super Jam, country legend Jim Lauderdale, and headliner Emmy Lou Harris. Fishman also builds on its longstanding relationship with the bluegrass and country communities at Merlefest while introducing aspiring young players to their pickup, tone shaping, and amplification products. Throughout the festival, Fishman showcased their Aura Image Processing (on board and in pedal formats), AFX acoustic effects pedals, the new Nashville, Concert Series and Matrix Infi nity pickups, and Loudbox acoustic amplifiers on stage and in the Fishman/First Quality tent. For more information, visit www.fishman.com. 88 MMR

Roland’s First Atelier Organ Fest In their continuing mission to promote the hobby of organ playing, Roland Corporation U.S. held their first ever Atelier Organ Fest, which culminated in a final showcase of the country’s best organ talent in the National Finals on March 27, 2009, in Los Angeles, California. Regional Roland Atelier Organ Fest events were held at select Roland organ dealers across the country in the fall of 2008. Dealers hosted these local events in their community, giving hobbyist players, students, and professionals an opportunity to share their musical talents. With the first round of Atelier Fests completed, many local winners jetted off to Orlando to compete in the National Semi-finals. Competitors participated in one of four different divisions: Professional, Advanced Hobbyist, Hobbyist, Youth 1 and Youth 2. The top winners in each category advanced to the National Finals in Los Angeles. Finalists performed on Roland’s flagship AT-900 Atelier Organ for a live audience. They were then critiqued by a panel of expert judges, including organ virtuoso Hector Olivera, concert artist Rosemary Bailey, and expert clinician and performer Debbie Culbertson Skinner. Winners included Jeff Buchholz from California in the Hobbyist division, Mark Cammuso from Florida in the Advanced Hobbyist division, Riley Dunn from Missouri in the Youth 1 division, Brent Evangelista from California in the Youth 2 division, and Stan Koyama from Florida in the Professional division. For more information, visit www.rolandus.com.

tions. Designed to drive traffic into stores, the promotion is centered around D’Addario’s completely reengineered EXP coating technology, with a very simple concept: buy one, get one free. D’Addario has provided one free set of EXPs for every set purchased between April 15 and June 1, 2009, and all participating dealers received an EXP Promo pack including a free poster, shelf talker, free tent card, and an EXP product facts poster. Any dealer with an on-line presence received graphics for the promotion. Dealers, who purchased 50 sets or more, have been included on the new EXP Web site. D’Addario promoted this nationally in advertising and the Web, using marketing dollars to drive traffic into stores. An excess of 400 dealers participated in this successful promotion. For more information, visit www.daddario.com.

Jeff Beasley Endorses Sierra Guitars Sierra Guitars has introduced guitarist, instructor, and columnist Jeff Beasley as the newest endorser of Sierra Guitars. Jeff plays the Sierra Tahoe Jumbo Acoustic-Electric Guitar in Natural. Jeff Beasley holds B.A. degrees in Music and Classical Guitar, is an educator, columnist, workshop and clinic instructor. He tours nationally and is a senior fac-

D’Addario’s Stimulus Package Promotion D’Addario’s EXP Stimulus Package Promotion, Buy One & Get One Free, has proven to increase dealer sales and set a new precedent for sales promoJULY 2009

America’s Premier Guitar & Bass Parts Supplier

ulty member with the National Guitar Workshop. For more information, visit www.sierraguitars.net.

Mason & Hamlin Adds Hugh Sung to Artist Roster The newest member of Mason & Hamlin’s Artist Roster is pianist Hugh Sung, an active soloist and chamber musician

nies. With the added discounts offered by Music Freight, NAMM Members will now be able to save on freight for shipments within the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico. In addition, all participating NAMM Members will receive a $10 credit per shipment up to $195 annually that can be applied towards NAMM Member dues with special pricing available for large volume shippers. The $10 credits will be tracked by Music Freight, and refund checks will be issued by the company each year to customers who have an active membership with NAMM. Music Freight caters to the special requirements of musical equipment retailers, manufacturers, distributors, backline, and live event production companies throughout the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.musicfreight.com.

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ever since his debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of 11. Sung graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, where his principal teachers included Eleanor Sokoloff, Jorge Bolet, and Seymour Lipkin. Sung has performed in major cities throughout world and has been presented at Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, Wigmore Hall, The National Gallery of Art, and The Ravinia Festival. To find out more, visit www.masonhamlin.com.

NAMM Adds Music Freight as New Shipping Option for Members NAMM has announced that it is endorsing Music Freight, a shipping company that caters to the musical equipment industry, as a NAMM endorsed business provider, offering additional shipping discounts to NAMM Member compaJULY 2009

Free import of your current customer data. View Online Training Videos & User Guide

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Breaking News

Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com MMR 89

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MMR 95

Adindex COMPANY NAME

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PAGE

A A.I.M. Gifts/Albert Elovitz In Al Cass Alfred Music Publishing Allparts Amati’s Fine Instruments America Longxing Inc. American DJ Supply Inc. American Way Marketing LLC Anderson Silver Plating Antigua Winds, Inc.

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www.PearlRiverUSA.com www.perris.ca www.petersontuners.com www.petrof.com

67 51 69 58

www.qmpsales.com www.radialeng.com www.reverendguitars.com www.rolandUS.com

50 17 14 cov 4

Q/R QMP Sales Radial Engineering Reverend Musical Instruments Roland Corp. U.S.

S Sabian Ltd. Saga Musical Instruments Samson Shane Music Products Shubb Capos SKB Corp. String Swing Mfg. Inc. Super-Sensitive Musical String Co.

www.sabian.com www.sagamusic.com www.shanemusic.com www.shubb.com www.skbcases.com www.stringswing.com

15 63 3 73 77 47 5

www.cavanaughcompany.com

TKL Products Corp. ToneGear Tri-Technical Systems, Inc. Tunerguard, Ltd

www.tkl.com www.theStringCleaner.com www.technology4retailers.com www.tunerguard.com

1 62 52 66

www.walkingbirdmusic.com www.waveangle.com www.weaseltrap.com www.wymanpiano.com

72 76 87 75

www.yamaha.com www.NTUNE.com

19 16

K Kaman Music Corp. Korg USA Inc. Kyser Musical Products Inc.

PAGE

H/J H & F Technologies Inc. Hal Leonard Corp. Jack Rabbit Technologies Jones-Fletcher

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

N/O www.aimgifts.com

B/C

D’Addario & Co. Dunlop Manufacturing Inc. Eleca EMD Music Inc.ional EMD Music Inc. Epilog Laser

COMPANY NAME

60 70 11

Walking Bird Forms & Tags Wave Angle Weaseltrap Records Wyman Piano Company

Y/Z Yamaha Corp. of America Zero Crossing

JULY 2009

Jazz Education Network

The

is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences. The Jazz Education Network was founded in the spirit of collaboration and excellence. Our goal is to be a vital resource for a constantly evolving art form that lives globally.

Who we are: students, teachers, directors, musicians, composers, authors, fans, media, industry...WE are YOU!

Full Individual Membership (18 and up) - $50

lead the transformation of the jazz education culture

eJEN Membership Levels:

(18 and up) - ($35/25)

Partner Membership Levels:

Festival/Event- $100

Institutional - $300 • Corporate - $500

Afﬁliate - $25 Annual Fee + $10 per person/member 17 and under categories to be launched soon! Please check the web site for updates.

JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK

www.JazzEdNet.org

For complete membership information/beneﬁts please visit us at: www.JazzEdNet.org

The revolutionary new V-Piano® represents a giant leap forward in digital technology. Gone are the tonal and polyphony issues of the past — inside this breakthrough instrument is a “living piano” engine that recreates every nuance of an acoustic piano, and then some. For the first time in a digital keyboard, the V-Piano puts the entire range of the acoustic piano’s sound and natural expression under your fingertips, with no sampling, no looping and no velocity switching.

Sound Construction Roland’s “Piano Component Object Sound Modeling Synthesis” technology recreates the soundmaking characteristics of the acoustic piano and all the complex interactions between them.

Vintage Piano The Vintage piano models give you detailed control over single note tuning, hammer hardness and more, so you can make the V-Piano sound and behave like the most beloved acoustic pianos on the planet.

Vanguard Piano Enter a new dimension of creativity and construct a “dream piano.” Adjust resonances, set up triple strings on every key, tweak voicing individually for each register, and much more.

See us at NAMM Booth CLUB

Grand Feel Sure to suit the most demanding pianist, the PHA III Ivory Feel keyboard provides the authentic playing touch and feel of a real acoustic grand, with its “high repetition” action and ability to learn your touch.