MMR July 2012

w w w. m m r m a g a z i n e . c o m

July 2012

Music City

USA

Show Report: 2012 MIAC & PAL Show ‘Going Green’ Part II 22nd Annual

Profile American of the

Music Dealer

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Contents

32 Spotlight: Music City USA

JULY 2012 VOL.171 NO. 7

Preparing for its annual moment in the MI spotlight at this summer’s NAMM show, Nashville has recently gone through a number of changes. Hear from several local music store owners about the city’s ever-evolving retail and cultural identity.

Cover design by Laurie Chesna.

18 Show Report: 2012 MIAC and PAL Show

The Music Industries Association of Canada and Professional Audio and Lighting Showcase teamed up in Toronto for another big gathering of all things musically Maple. MMR caught up with old friends and happily greeted a few new faces at this convention while attendees cautiously looked ahead to brighter days.

40 22nd Annual Profile of the American Music Dealer

It’s tough to complain about a per unit revenue increase over the past year, but a slight loss of overall storefronts doesn’t help. Nevertheless, 29 states reported unit increases this year, so there are plenty of mixed signals in this year’s numbers. Dive into MMR’s comprehensive profile of the American Music Dealer.

44 “Going Green”

Part Two of MMR’s report on how the sustainability movement has matured and embraced eco-friendly business as a sure-footed advantage. Several suppliers check in with unique approaches and solutions to the demands of transforming into genuinely “green” operations.

54 Summer NAMM Buyer’s Guide

In every issue: 4 6 14 16 71 74 80

Editorial Upfront People Letters Supplier Scene Classifieds Advertisers’ Index

– Part 1

A review of brand new products and a sample of what suppliers will be showcasing at Nashville’s annual Summer NAMM Show.

www.mmrmagazine.com MMR Musical Merchandise Review® (ISSN 0027-4615) founded in 1879, is published monthly by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781)453-9310, publisher of School Band and Orchestra, Choral Director, Music Parents America and JazzEd. All titles are federally registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Symphony Publishing, LLC. Subscription Rates: U.S.A., US possessions, one year $32; two years $40. Canada one year $80; all other countries one year $159. Single issues $5 each. May Supplier Directory $35. Periodical-Rate Postage Paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER/SUBSCRIBERS: Send address change to Musical Merchandise Review, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853. Periodicals circulation is directed to music dealers and retailers, wholesalers and distributors, importers and exporters and manufacturers of all types of musical instruments and their accessories, related electronic sound equipment, general musical accessories, musical publications and teaching aides. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competion. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Copyright ©2012 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

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JULY 2012

Now this time, don’t rush…

INTRODUCING THE ZOOM Q2HD HANDY VIDEO RECORDER.

See us at NAMM Booth 806

Editorial Sidney Davis

Volume 171 Number 7 July 2012

Checking The Retail Scorecard

PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com

As evidenced by our 22nd Annual Profile of the American Music Dealer (page 40), the past decade has been characterized by an emphasis on solidifying the base, rather than dotting the landscape with new outlets. With the exception of Guitar Center, growth has been noted by independent entries into the field coupled with expansion of existing units and an increased stress on cyberspace selling. Equally important, for the dealer base, is a continued reliance and expansion on lessons and repairs which may not move inventory, but which maintains the traffic flow, elevates the bottom line, and in a very real sense keeps the ledger ink black. The actual dealer count has fluctuated marginally above and below the 8,000 number since the turn of the decade, and the number of three-or-more chain units has dramatically decreased in the past twelve years from 102 to 69 chain operations. Significantly, the total number of chain outlets (thanks in great part to GC) has had a much milder decline from a total of 793 units to a present day count of 760 storefronts. For our Profile Report we do not include Best Buy, as the majority of their inventory is not music products related. Sadly, each year, several longtime dealers exit the scene and this year was no exception. Among the casualties were George Kay’s Music (47 years), Masteller Music (40 years), Antioch Music (35 years), Drum Headquarters (30 years), Matthews Music (27 years) and Open Door Music (22 years), among others. On the opposite side of the scale, New York-based Alto Music tripled the size of its Wappinger Falls unit, while the California keyboard market showed some signs of life with Sherman Clay relocating to a 10,000 square-foot-site in Santa Clara and Keyboard Concepts moved to larger quarters in Sherman Oaks. Some other dealerships were acquired by longtime employees: Oregon’s Five Star Drum Shop and Cowtown Guitars in Las Vegas. During the past year two former Jordan Kitts employees, Chris Syllaba and Ray Fugure, joined forces and acquired four Kitts outlets in three mid-Atlantic states and other Kitts employees opened Rhapsody Pianos and Guitars in Richmond, Virginia. Who are the new entrepreneurs and where do they come from? A check of our May 2012 report, “Fresh Faces, Class of 2012,” illustrates the diversity of the group: a former telecommunications executive (Upbeat Music, Crestview, Fla.), country music performer Brady Seals and former Gibson employee Gabriel Hernandez (Music City Pickers, Nashville, Tenn.) and musician “Gus” Guastamachio (Dynamic Percussion, Manchester, Conn.) After a military career with the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corp and a stint as a Broadway musician Gustamachio developed a small percussion lessons following which led to his acquisition of Dynamic Percussion. Since the takeover, he has cultivated a relationship with area schools and expanded the store’s lesson classes to include guitar, bass and keyboards and is planning in-store clinics and master classes. Former telecommunications executive Dick Reinke was working in a Florida music store when he began to realize many of the clientele were coming from the fast-growing Crestview area, a 45 mile drive from the nearest store. He launched Upbeat Music in March as a full line dealership with the exception of pianos plus a full rental inventory for school bands. As he pointed out, “The community has a high school band program with upwards of 300 kids and a couple of middle schools with the same amount and a surrounding area that represents another 500 music kids.” Future plans call for a band instrument repair shop and an on line order service which he is calling PriceBeatMusic. Despite the preponderance of well-established Nashville dealers, country artist Brady Seals and industry veteran Gabriel Hernandez opened Music City Pickers in the heart of Music Row, home to the area’s many recording studios this past April. They started as online dealers and transitioned to a brick-and-mortar location with vintage guitar, amps, pedals and accessories. They plan to partner with a rock ‘n roll artifacts specialty-memorabilia collection and long-term hope to product a TV show that shows the duo travelling the country in search of vintage guitars. Hernandez says, “We’re not out to make a million dollars on every guitar. We would rather be known as a company that pays a fair price for an instrument…if it looks good in our store or on-line, that’s great.” Three new dealers with differing business plans and similar objectives.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Rick Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com EDITOR Christian Wissmuller cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS Eliahu Sussman esussman@symphonypublishing.com Matt Parish mparish@symphonypublishing.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chaim Burstein, Dennis Carver, Kevin Mitchell, Dick Weissman ADVERTISING MANAGER Iris Fox ifox@symphonypublishing.com CLASSIFIED & DISPLAY AD SALES Steven Hemingway shemingway@symphonypublishing.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill lguptill@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Laurie Chesna lchesna@symphonypublishing.com Andrew P. Ross aross@symphonypublishing.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@symphonypublishing.com SYMPHONY PUBLISHING, LLC Chairman Xen Zapis President Lee Zapis lzapis@symphonypublishing.com Chief Financial Officer Rich Bongorno rbongorno@symphonypublishing.com Corporate Headquarters 26202 Detroit Road, Suite 300, Westlake, Ohio 44145 440-871-1300 www.symphonypublishing.com PUBLISHING, SALES & EDITORIAL OFFICE: 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310 Fax: (781) 453-9389 www.mmrmagazine.com

sdavis@ symphonypublishing.com

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JULY 2012

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See us at NAMM Booth 1201

Upfront NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia 2012 The launch of NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia brought together the latest music industry products from 190 companies from across 18 countries with industry professionals and music lovers in Russia. The new trade shows offered full line presentations from the musical instrument, professional equipment, publishing, modern lighting, sound, and installation technologies industries.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony in Moscow.

A higher than expected total of 6,275 visitors, including industry professionals, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, media, and more attended the inaugural music product trade shows NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia in Moscow May 16-19. “The first edition of NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight +Sound NAMM Russia saw a constant flow of

visitors from all segments of the industry. For many exhibitors, this event is their first step in the market. The show helped them to develop a better understanding for the MI-industry in Russia. Thanks to our cooperation with NAMM the show delivered an extensive fringe program. We are very happy with the results of this first event and look forward to the second edition in May next year,” says Detlef Braun, member of the Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH executive board. “Most NAMM manufacturer members and global brands in our industry are seeking out growth opportunities in new markets,” says Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM. “Exhibitors told us that they were able to do productive business, deepen relationships with existing contacts and make new contacts during their four days in Moscow. Work on the 2013 shows has already begun, with key exhibitors indicating their commitment to work closely with us to grow these events into the future.” Part of the proceeds from the shows will be reinvested back into the industry through professional development courses to support development of the Russian musical instruments and technologies market and to initiate future advocacy efforts to ease trade regulations with Russia. For more information about the audience, benefits, and the services available at NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia and

to sign up to exhibit at, or attend, either of the trade shows in May 2013, visit www.namm-musikmesse.ru or www.prolight-namm.ru.

Fender Q1 Results

Fender Musical Instruments Co. – which filed for an IPO in March of this year (the reason why we’re now privy to quarterly reports) – has reported that first quarter net sales for the company rose 2.2 percent to $174 million, while its net income declined 73 percent(!) to $1.9 million.

The Wall Street Journal reports that higher labor costs, as well as promotional and advertising costs, were the factors behind the dip in net income. Additionally, stock options issued in the second and third quarters of 2011 resulted in an increase in stock-based compensation expenses. Higher advertising and promotional expenses were primarily related to costs associated with the Musikmesse tradeshow in Germany, which was held in the company’s first quarter this year; in 2011, it was held in the second quarter.

Alfred Launches ‘Celebrate 90 Years in 90 Days’ Sweepstakes Alfred Music Publishing has launched its “Celebrate 90 Years in 90 Days” Sweepstakes. The contest will culminate on August 26, 2012 with one winner receiving a Grand Prize music pack that contains: • Yamaha PDX-11 portable player dock for iPod and iPhone • The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Learning Guitar Acoustic Guitar Complete Pack 6 MMR

• • •

Mighty Bright HammerHead Light Mighty Bright 2-LED USB Light Tascam iM2 Stereo Mic for all Apple iOS Products • Tascam US122MKII USB Digital Interface • Plus, a $400 Shopping Spree at alfred.com Additionally, four runner-ups announced throughout the sweepstakes JULY 2012

Upfront will each win a Yamaha PDX-11 portable player dock for iPod and iPhone, plus a $90 Shopping Spree at alfred.com. For a chance to win, submit the initial entry form available on Alfred’s Facebook or Twitter pages, or at www.alfred. com/celebrate.

Participants are invited to share the promotion on Facebook for a chance to accumulate additional entries. Entrants may also tweet over Twitter for even more chances to win. Must be 18 or older to participate. For complete sweepstakes rules and guidelines, visit www.alfred.com/celebrate90rules.

NAMM Announces Top 100 Dealers NAMM has announced the Top 100 Dealers of music products and instruments in the United States. The awards will be presented to the top music merchants from across the country at the organization’s annual summer music product trade show, Summer NAMM, held in Nashville, Tenn., on July 13. In addition to the Top 100, NAMM will recognize the Dealer of the Year and retail winners in a dozen other categories at the event. Music product retailers were judged by a panel of impartial expert judges, selected by but not otherwise affiliated with NAMM, using a numeric rating on the following criteria: • Show a clear understanding that the success of a retail store is directly related to customer satisfaction • Provide a retail experience worth returning for and recommending others to • Design a floor plan, merchandising and marketing that encourages repeat sales • Prepare for future success with

sound planning, marketing and training initiatives • Use the web and social media in engaging, effective ways Other category winners being announced on July 13 include: Best Ad, Best Curb Appeal, Emerging Dealer, Best Merchandising and Display, Best Sales Promotion, Best Use of Social Media, Best Website, the SupportMusic Local Advocacy Award, WannaPlay “Music Makes a Difference” Award and Other/ Name Your Own Category. “These awards are a chance for NAMM retail members to be recognized and rewarded by their peers for proactive, innovative business efforts and effective marketing campaigns,” said NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond. “As retailers gather in Nashville this summer, we encourage them to use The Top 100 as inspiration to help their businesses find even more success in the upcoming year.” To view the entire list of the Top 100 Dealers, visit www.namm.org.

Blessing Expands Distributor Products Blessing Brass is now offering dealers the opportunity to purchase its complete line of brass instruments through distributors. Although distributors have carried Blessing mouthpieces for several years, Blessing brass instruments have not been available through multiple distributors until now. Blessing’s handcrafted brass instruments are made in the U.S.A. at the newly expanded and upgraded Blessing production facility in Elkhart, Indiana. The full 8 MMR

instrument product line includes trumpets, cornets, flugelhorns, trombones, marching brass, and the newly designed professional Emil K. Blessing Custom trumpets. Dealers may purchase Blessing brass instruments through KMC Music Inc., Chesbro Music Company, HarrisTeller, Inc., Hanser Music Group, and European Crafts. For more information, contact Blessing Brass sales associate, Wendy Storm, at (978) 344-5168 or wstorm@blessingbrass.com.

2012 Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame Inductees

The Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame will induct four percussion artists in Austin, Texas during the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), held from October 31 - November 3, 2012. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, honoring the four newest members, will be held Thursday, November 1, 2012 before the PASIC Thursday Evening Concert at the Austin Convention Center.

The Class of 2012, featuring four important figures who have shaped the percussion world through their innovations, performances and scholarly work, includes: John Bergamo, Hal Blaine, David Garibaldi, and Gordon Stout. The Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame was established in 1972 to recognize the contributions of the most highly regarded leaders in percussion performance, education, research, scholarship, administration, composition and the industry. Inductees demonstrate the highest ideals and professional integrity to their profession to bring about significant events, substantive improvements in the world of percussion, and the betterment of the profession through exemplary services or acts.

Pulse of the MI Nation Compared to last month, sales are now...

Up 37% Down 41% Level 22% Compiled from replies to MMR’s ongoing online survey of MI retailers. Visit www.mmrmagazine.com to participate...

JULY 2012

Audix Introduces the Band Pack

BP7 PRO 1 - D6 kick 3 - i5 snare/guitars 2 - OM2 vocals 1 - OM5 lead vocal

SEVEN ESSENTIAL MICS EVERY BAND MUST HAVE.

Now there is a mic pack for the entire band. Four different models offer the selection and price point needed to equip your band with the essential dynamic microphones required for vocal and instrument miking. Audix is the industry leader in drum and percussion microphones and was the first to introduce professional mic pack assortments to the market. It is within this spirit of innovation that Audix is proud to launch four more unique packs.

BP5 PRO 1 - D6 kick drum 1 - i5 snare 2 - OM2 vocals 1 - OM5 lead vocal

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Upfront Strings and Things to Distribute GHS and Rocktron in UK

Trade Regrets:

Strings and Things have a strong position in the market and vast experience in selling and marketing strings and electronic products. This is a very natural fit for us and we are excited about the future.” Strings and Things’ managing director, Rod Bradley, adds, “We’re delighted to be representing GHS Strings here in the UK again , and welcome the addition of Rocktron Electronics to their range. Both brands have a sound footing in the MI arena, and we’re looking forward to integrating them into our existing portfolio of products.”

DJ market pioneer, Ike Cabasso, passed away on May 10 at the age of 79. Founder of Gemini Sound Products (originally Gemini Speaker Systems), Cabasso was instrumental in the expansion of DJ-ing as a mainstream musical art form. First embracing the emerging DJ market in the early 1970s, Ike Cabasso created a new division, Gemini Sound Products, in 1974 and offered their first product – the DJ-1 mixer – shortly afterwards. By the late ‘70s and the disco boom, Gemini’s DJ division had begun to outstrip the speaker business and mixers became much more than simply a sideline operation for the company. Throughout the 1980s, ‘90s, and through to the present day, Gemini’s products evolved with ongoing technological advances and, under Ike’s direction, Gemini Sound became an internationally distributed DJ brand known for innovative product design offered at affordable price points. Cabasso stepped down from day-to-day management of the company in the early 2000s, but remained a valued advisor to his sons Artie and Alan, GCI Technologies’ (Gemini’s brand owner) current CEO and president, respectively.

Strings and Things will now exclusively handle UK distribution for GHS Strings and Rocktron Electronics. Greg Orred of GHS says, “We have known and worked with Strings and Things for many years and we are excited that they now are going to handle our entire range of GHS and Rocktron products.

The Music People Distributing Line 6 Live Sound Products

Line 6, Inc. has announced that TMP Pro, the installation division of The Music People, is now an official distributor

Showing the Line 6 XD-V digital wireless they now distribute are national account manager, Jim Mingo, and senior VP of operations, John Hennessey of The Music People. 10 MMR

Legendary saxophonist and mouthpiece maker, Bobby Dukoff, passed away on May 3. He was 93 years old. Dukoff was a big band saxophone player during the swing era when he looked for ways of improving his sound. While working for the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Bobby began playing a mouthpiece that he designed and crafted himself, which showcased his style. Soon other musicians were asking for the mouthpiece and the Bobby Dukoff Mouthpiece Company was formed. Bobby hired Nicolas Hernandez to work in the shop and soon Bobby taught the trade to Hernandez, who became president of the company in the early 2000s. Bobby Dukoff suffered a stroke before his NAMM Oral History scheduled interview in March 2012. His employees and his wife gathered around him to tell his story for him (www.namm.org/library/oral-history/bobby-dukoff). Bobby’s webclip was created using three interviews: his wife Jeanne Dukoff, Dukoff Mouthpiece president Nicolas Hernandez and Dukoff Mouthpiece product specialist Craig Richard, all while Bobby listened in.

Robert Harrison – better known in the industry as Dick Harrison – passed away on May 26 at the age of 80. Harrison worked for Baldwin Piano & Organ Company for over 42 years, including serving two decades as CEO. Robert led a leveraged buyout of the company in 1984 and took the company public two years later. He stepped down as chairman of Baldwin’s board in 1996. Only nine days prior to Dick Harrison’s death, Harold Smith – Baldwin’s president during the ‘80s who worked alongside Harrison – passed away. Dick Harrison is survived by his wife, Anne Woods Harrison, and by children Jeffrey W., Jeremy S., and Ellen Harrison Foley, and nine grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 100 Miami Avenue, Terrace Park, Ohio 45174 or the Cincinnati Nature Center, 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford, Ohio 45150.

JULY 2012

Make Money with Hal Leonard

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Upfront of the Line 6 live sound product line. TMP Pro will offer the XD-V family of digital wireless systems, StageScape digital mixer, and StageSource loudspeaker systems to its installation and integration contractors. TMP Pro distributes and supports a wide range of products to AV con-

tractors, installation integrators and electrical contractors. “These innovative Line 6 products fill a critical niche in the installation market,” notes Jim Mingo, national account specialist for TMP Pro. “In particular, the XD-V digital wireless is a very attractive product. It’s on the cutting edge of

technology because users don’t have to worry about what frequencies are currently in use, or what frequencies the government might take away in the future. That makes it perfect for a wide range of house of worship, government and educational installs – especially when you consider the price point.”

Correction: The following are updated and corrected contact and address information for companies listed in the Supplier Directory, MMR May 2012: Concord International Group 2380 Vantage Drive, Elgin, IL Sole distributor of Alta, Christopher and Concord products. For further information check the company website: www.concordgroup.com

Bosendorfer Pianos 6600 Orangethorpe Avenue Buena Park, CA 90620 Rovner Products: rporders@rovnerproducts.com. Carl Fischer LLC: cf-info@carlfischer.com. KC Music Supply 118 N. Conistor Lane Suite B Liberty, MO 64068 www. kcmusicsupply.com Kyser, Shubb, Kay, Quick Tune, Performance Plus, Seiko, Trophy, Hercules Stands, String Swing, Snark Tuners

Messe Frankfurt, Inc. 1600 Parkwood Circle, Suite 615 Atlanta, GA 30339 info@usa.messefrankfurt.com www.musikmesse.com 770-984-8016 x409 Fax: 770-984-8023

Peavey Electronics Corp. 5022 Hartley Peavey Drive Meridian, MS 39305 (601) 483-5365 Fax: (601) 486-1278 domesticsales@peavey.com 6505, Black Widow, SP, Versarray, Escort, PV, IPR, CS, Impulse, XR, Classic, TransTube, Vypyr, MAX, Ecoustic, PXD, Jack Daniel’s, Marvel, Composite Acoustics, Budda, Trace Elliot Budda Amplification: phone: 877-866-3439. The email scotts@budda.com is no longer valid.

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JULY 2012

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People Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) has announced the appointment of James A. Druckrey to the position of executive vice president and COO. Druckrey joins FMIC from Euro-Pro Operating LLC, where he served as executive vice president of product development and marketing. In addition to executive leadership experience in global marketing, product development, operations and manufacturing, Druckrey brings to FMIC nearly 15 years of experience in music and audio technology. Druckrey has previously served as vice president for Bose Corporation, a global developer of sound solutions for the entertainment, home audio, aviation and automotive industries. Previously he was president of the Harman multimedia business at Harman International Industries, Inc., a global audio

14 MMR

and infotainment provider, and also held a number of senior executive roles at Seagate Technology, Gibson Guitar Corporation and Samsonite Corporation. James Druckrey will report to CEO Larry Thomas and will be based in the Scottsdale, Arizona headquarters office Fender has also appointed Jeff Quinn to the position of licensing director. Quinn joins FMIC’s existing Licensing team. In this role, Quinn will take responsibility for the primary maintenance of new and existing FMIC licens- Quinn ees in the categories of fashion and related accessories, bags and luggage, and collectibles. Quinn joins FMIC from Los Angelesbased children’s television network BabyFirstTV, where he served as sales and

marketing vice president. Before that, he served as sales and licensing vice president at Georgia-based educational products maker the Brainy Brands Company. His licensing expertise has also encompassed work with the Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and the NFL Quarterback Club. Quinn will report to Mark Van Vleet, FMIC senior vice president of business development, and will be based in FMIC’s Scottsdale, Ariz., headquarters. AES executive director Bob Moses has named Steve Green Business Development manager. An accomplished audio systems and applications engineer, and skilled technical marketing manager, Green will focus his energies on expanding the AES constituency and maximizing the value of its many assets and services.

JULY 2012

News

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visit us online at www.namm.org

Note from Joe The 2013 NAMM Showâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Message to Our Exhibiting Members Our Members consistently tell us the most important beneďŹ t of belonging to NAMM is the trade shows. This is the ďŹ rst of our ďŹ ve strategic objectives, and at the heart of our â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;circle of beneďŹ tsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; business model in which revenue from trade shows are reinvested back into dealer training, music education, lobbying and market development programs that help grow the industry. While the 2013 NAMM Show may seem far away, our exhibiting companies are already busy making plans and ďŹ nalizing their space applications for Anaheim.

New in 2013 is Anaheimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Grand Plazaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;: a park-like multi-use area ďŹ lling the space between the Hilton and the Marriott, ideal for evening exhibitor events or drinks with friends after a day on the ďŹ&#x201A;oor. Also, look for a streamlined online registration process, plus a There are many reasons why exhibitors go all out to FOCUS ON REDUCING THE NUMBER OF VISITOR BADGES ) OFTEN bring their latest innovations to the NAMM Show: hear people ask where all the visitors come fromâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; s 6IRTUALLY ALL KEY BUYERS FROM THE 5 3 AND AROUND THE nearly 70 percent of visitor badges come from our exhibitors, while 28 percent come from retailers. Reps world will be in Anaheimâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;international registration and afďŹ liates are responsible for the rest. Originally in 2012 grew by 15 percentâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;and we plan to intended to allow each working badge holder to bring continue offering enhanced meeting and their spouse, the visitor badges are now used by educational opportunities, as well as all the great Members to invite family and friends. Many Members, social and musical events that attract the best especially our retailers, support the reduction of visitor retailers and distinguish the NAMM Show from badges as long as it does not impact their allocation! all others. s %XHIBITORS ALSO WANT TO SEE THE MEDIA AND NOWHERE else can the music and sound community ďŹ nd more media in one place and have the opportunity to get their products in front of them. The NAMM PR efforts have helped our exhibiting companies get featured in USA Today and on CNN, Fox and hundreds of other news and entertainment outlets driving product and brand awareness. s !RTISTS AND 6)0S ARE ALSO AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE NAMM Show. And while the logistics of this can sometimes be challenging, exhibitors tell us the beneďŹ ts in having the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best artists drop by their booths and play their products is important to them.

The winter NAMM Show has become the most important global gathering in our industry. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because the show hits when buyers are prepared to invest their holiday cash and reďŹ ll empty shelves, or because manufacturers choose this time to introduce their best new products, or simply that Southern California is a nice place to visit in January, the NAMM Show will be the place to be for four days of product INTRODUCTIONS EMPOWERING .!-- 5 SESSIONS AND memorable networking and social opportunities. We appreciate your support and will do our best to ensure a successful event for all our Members.

*OE ,AMOND s .!-- 0RESIDENT #%/

NAMM News

July 2012

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Show Report: 2012 MIAC and PAL Show

Toronto Bound

2012 MIAC and PAL Show Spotlights Canadian MI Businesses Toronto put out the red carpet earlier this spring to once again host the annual MIAC/PAL Show, the trade show of the Music Industries Association of Canada. It was the 41st conference put on by the organization and included over 80 manufacturer and distributor exhibitors, along with an enthusiastic crowd of retailers and visitors. The show has contracted in recent years and has again moved from its bustling downtown location to the International Centre in the outskirts of the city. MIAC executive director Barbara Cole reported an official attendee count of just under 2,400 once the numbers were in after the show. That’s a decrease of 22 percent from last year’s numbers (about 2,900), and the drop was felt throughout the showroom floor as dry spells lingered and pesky, empty booth spaces spotted some aisles. However, those who made the trip didn’t seem to have many regrets. “The show seems a bit light,” said Steven Schmidt of Casio on the trade show floor. “But when the groups come by, they have been spending time with us. In

that way, it’s better to have more quality time with every customer. They seem to be interested in our products specifically, rather than just passing by.” Exhibitors from all over Canada and the United States were in attendance – from D’Addario and C.F. Martin and Co. to newcomers like Doyle Audio Engineering and IsoAcoustics – as dealers roamed the trade show floor, demonstration rooms, and break-out session ballrooms. As usual, two concepts that were on everyone’s mind this year were economy and technology. Though no one has invented an app that literally prints money, there were still plenty of new uses on display for both mobile devices and social media tools. Exhibitors in the PAL Show in particular

showcased items like Thorvin Electronics’ RoomTouch for iPad, which enables users an interface to control a whole room’s AV equipment. Smithson Martin also showed off a touchscreen interface for AV professionals, ready for use by DJs, lighting designers, video editors and more. Meanwhile, dealers of all stripes checked in on seminars instructing business owners in new methods of social media marketing and the importance of maintaining strong networks on their premises. The show also marked the second annual MIAC Excellence Awards, which were presented on Sunday night in a ballroom at the convention center. Steve’s Music won the Dealer of the Year Award, while Godin Guitars won 2012’s Manu-

From October of 2008 thru the end of 2011, Canadian dealers seemed to be more conservative with their spending habits and seemed less likely to take risks. That picture appeared to change at 2012’s Winter NAMM … That same feeling of excitement was clearly evident at this year’s MIAC show. 18 MMR

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1. Levy’s Leathers: Glenn Booth, Garth Giesbrecht, Jeff Bard, Ray Verrall, Rachel Levy, DJ Levy, Harvey Levy 2. Mark Cavarzan, Suzanne Simon, Rod Thompson, Dale Venvenuto, Chris Rettino, Arnold Davidson, Brad Davidson, and Larry Davidson of D’Addario. 3. Tim Anderson, Emilie Sinclair, and Lyle Lascelle of Direct Music Supply. 4. Dave Morrison, Paul Morrison, and Sean Morrison of IsoAcoustics. 5. Jeremy Berger, Owen Connell, and Jeff Cowling of Yorkville Sound. 6. Frederick Girard, Charles Boisvert, and Kelli Dunlop of Sennheiser.

facturer of the Year Award. JAM Industries grabbed the remaining three – Distributor of the Year, Service to Industry in Co-Chairman Edward Shenker, and Sales Rep of the Year in Dan Kano. At the association’s meeting, MIAC chairman Dale Kroke announced plans to explore options for supplementary meetings throughout the year designed as regional industry meet-ups or seminars similar to those of the National Association of School Music Dealers (NASMD). An initial event this fall in Calgary is, in fact, already in its planning stages. “The association is at a bit of a crossroads,” he told the gathered members. “We are seeing, at this time, business models changing and markets changing, and the association has to move and change with it.” Lilliana Urosevic Saga Musical Instruments San Francisco, Calif. This was one of the best MIAC shows we have attended in years. Canadian

retailers showed increased interest in our products, especially Blueridge Guitars and the new Burns electric guitars. As a result, our business was better than ever. I also have to give compliments to the show management, who went “above and beyond” to help make all the exhibitors feel welcome. Since the number of exhibitors and attendees to the MIAC show was declining in past years, both show management and Canadian Music Industry leaders are doing what it takes to keep MIAC alive. From October of 2008 thru the end of 2011, Canadian dealers seemed to be more conservative with their spending habits and seemed less likely to take risks. That picture appeared to change at 2012’s Winter NAMM with strong attendance of Canadian dealers to our booth that translated to a significant increase in sales over last year.

That same feeling of excitement was clearly evident at this year’s MIAC show. One of the things that we have noticed and are studying closely is the increased prevalence of web based methods to market products. Whether digital versions of publications, banner ads or even Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, each method seems to allow companies like ourselves to have the means to provide an incredible amount of targeted information to just the right market. One of the most exciting projects we are working on, and that will set the foundation for a strong, effective multimedia approach is a new website design that will be released in the late spring. Maribeth Barrons Hal Leonard Corp. Milwaukee, Wis. We really enjoyed the added traffic from combining PAL with MIAC. Hal Leonard offers a lot of materials for the audio marketplace so it was a benefit

7. Jay Wannamacher of KMC Music 8. Tim McDonald of Lag Guitars. 9. Antony Corona of DR Strings. 10. Chris Fleming of Fender/Gretsch. 11. Dan Lear of Ernie Ball. 12. Serge Dagenais of Kejam Percussion. 13. Evan Campbell of Doyle Audio Engineering. JULY 2012

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1. Drew Hollis, Jay Schlabs, Eric Gaudreault, Steve Grace, Damien Anderson of Numark. 2. Omar Ales, Ken Infanti, Barry Ryan, David Miner, Heather Harvey, Paul McRonald, and Mike Voelkel of Yamaha. 3. Shawn Randall and Milton Randall of Groove Masters Percussion. 4. Craig Skala and Simon Godin of Godin Guitars. 5. Richard Bartosz and Christina Boskovic of Bosco Violin Supply. 6. Chris Rausch and J. Hayes of PRS Guitars. 7. Michael Guyme and Taryne Patton of Light of DAE Studios. 8. Gino Pileggi, Kyla Werrett, and Derek Hunter of TOA Canada. 9. Terry Ryan, Karen McLellan, and Kevin Laskey of Sabian. 10. Scott Brooks, Maribeth Barrons, Kevin Klemme of Hal Leonard. 11. Kevin Wagg and Cheryl McMurray of Ampendage Industries.

to us and a convenience for retailers. Since we have a really diverse product mix, our sales are pretty interesting and diverse. We find musical instruction products are steadfast, but there’s a slight twist in how consumers want that educational product formatted. They want more enhancements like book/DVD or a multi-purpose CDrom packaged with books. There are also new audiences looking for entry level recording product, and we absolutely publish for this trend also. I think we will see a lot of retailers take pro-active approaches to their busi-

nesses that involve more integrated brick and mortar retail space with their Internet presence. Up until now, we’ve seen dealers advertise their stores on their web pages, but not too much vice versa. In-store digital downloads continue to increase (as do online downloads), but interestingly enough, hard copies of books (particularly those packaged with ancillary items like I mentioned above) are on the rise again. This shows us that end consumers like finding everything they were looking for in one convenient place with great information to boot. It is a different country and we are sensitive to that. HL has created numerous avenues to make shipping into Canada less expensive and as easy as possible. We

have very quick turnaround services and we’ve always offered Canadian specific terms/programs to assist our north of the border retailers with the ability to maximize on the strengths (or weaknesses) of the Canadian marketplace. There’s also an additional cool and unique aspect about Canada: I think Canadians take their music instruction more seriously than Americans. The varied schools of music offer a nationwide approach to evaluating students’ achievement. And it is fantastic to see the evolution that’s taking place within these conservatories’ philosophies. By offering more jazz and popular music to the educational process, teachers are making a stronger connection with students. There’s the benefit

There’s also an additional cool and unique aspect about Canada: I think Canadians take their music instruction more seriously than Americans. The varied schools of music offer a nationwide approach to evaluating students’ achievement . . . You put that great educational base into a blender with the culturally rich and diverse musical heritages all across Canada and you cannot go wrong. 20 MMR

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of time tested instruction, coupled with new musical styles – more students stay involved in music. You put that great educational base into a blender with the culturally rich and diverse musical heritages all across Canada and you cannot go wrong. You have the Celtic influences of the Maritimes, then there›s the exciting new versions of dance and metal music coming out of Quebec, to the Asian and Indian “mash-ups” with rock and jazz throughout Canada. Yes, it’s different in the best possible way and I have the privilege of being a part of all that into every province and territory. We all need to focus on creating more music makers. This can involve creating lesson programs that approach the way today’s students want to learn like group lessons, guitar ensembles, recording classes. We can take a cue from the conservatories – “times they are a-changin’.” Dealers can keep it as simple as making sure teachers have access to materials that reach out to all learning styles. Stores can look at reinventing their teaching studios and their display space within their stores. And we should all be cognizant of involving parents in a meaningful way in their children’s music education, just like they are involved in other academia. Mike Martin and Stephen Schmidt Casio Dover, N.J. The show seems to be a bit light. It might be partly because of being Mother’s Day. But when groups come by, they’re very interested in the product and they spend time and, in that way, it’s better to have less but more interested people and more quality time. With something like NAMM, it’s going to be a lot of people – maybe guitar people who aren’t as interested in pianos and keyboards, except in passing. Here, they seem to be specifically interested in the new synthesizer product or our portables or our pianos. I think it’s Casio’s first time having a presence in a number of years, so we’ve been trying to explain the change in Casio.

1. The Roland crew -- Back: Caitlin Campbell, Darren Schoepp, Brian Dupas, Jeff Harden, Lyle Crilly, Mark Mulrenin, and Dan Doiron, Front: Adrian Marsi and Fatima Amalou. 2. Sean Browne and Gene Derose of Yamaha. 3. Aaron Dablow and Frederic Mardelle of Taylor Guitars. 4. Brian Piccolo of Lag Guitars/ Korg. 5. Russell Gray of TC Electronics. 6. Duane Robar, Nick Colesanti, Tony Manzi, and Ray Kopko of C.F. Martin & Co. 7. Christian Gagnon, Steve Senechal, Eric Thibault, Sebatien Marcoux of Multi-caisses, Inc. 8. Andrew Aitken of Mel Bay Publications. 9. Jazz drummer Mark McLean on the showroom floor between demos for Yamaha. 10. Russell Gray demos a board of pedals for TC Electronics. 11. The MIAC Board of Directors at the 2012 MIAC Annual General Meeting.

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CLOSE YOUR EYES AND HEAR!

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NOW OPEN YOUR EYES AND SEE!

1. Paul Pigot performs at the Fender booth. 2. Doyle Dykes performs on the MIAC Stage. 3. Donna Geary speaks at the Bricks & Clicks seminar on how to utilize Internet tools to reach more customers and forge ahead into the future. 4. MIAC chairman Dale Kroke presents Robert Godin of Godin Guitars with the MEA Dealer of the Year Award 5. MIAC chairman Dale Kroke presents Martin Szpiro of Jam Industries with the 2011 MEA Distributor of the Year.

Professional Quality Tips, Rails, and Finish In the past, it’s been mostly geared toward the mass market – portable keyboards and entry-level pianos. Over the past two or three years, we’ve been trying to develop a more professional or semi-professional offering with improved pianos, improved console pianos, and our new synthesizer product that we just launched this year. One thing we noticed with the synthesizer market is that it had declined so much because of the evolution of software and controller keyboards, that we felt there was an opportunity for something that was as good or better than some of the software at a basic price point that many people could afford. Our hunch is looking very good. The initial signs are that we may have a home run here.

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Rapheal LeBreton N.E.W. Musique Alma, QC We deal in drums and guitars – acoustics, electrics, classical – repair and all that. It’s a really nice show. I thought it would be a bit bigger. We had a list of everyone who’d be at the show and it seems like we’ve seen less than we expected. I’m mostly excited to see some new business opportunities. We’ve got two music stores that have been there for decades in the same region as us. We are three or

four music stores and we can’t sell the same guitars anymore. I sell Dean and Schechter which are great products but the accessibility is difficult with the shipping costs and everything. I’m open to new products as always. We’re not as rich as we appear to be, but we’d like expand our business, so we’re looking for better prices, better deals, and better opportunities for long-term relationships. It’s tough when lines that you have end up changing distributors and it ends up taking forever to place orders. Then you have to explain to your customers why it’s taking so long. Meanwhile, they realize they can just get on the web and find better prices for guitars that ship in two weeks. It’s hard for business. But we offer great service and that keeps us alive.

Scan to view MMR interviews from the 2012 MIAC Show JULY 2012

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Spotlight

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Music CityUSA

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A Destination for Musicians

As thousands in our industry descend on Nashville for the Summer NAMM gathering, we take a look at those who call the area home. Like L.A. for rock, and New York for jazz, it’s often as-

Nashville Is Much More Than ‘Country,’ and a Vibrant Place for MI Dealers to Call Home

sumed that those making music in Nashville are playing variations of country music, but those selling instruments out of brick and mortars, large and small, are quick to set that record straight. “Nashville has a thriving classical community,” says Bill Metcalfe of the Steinway Gallery. “We have a highly regarded symphony. We have many schools that train classical musicians. We have jazz workshops.” He also paints a parallel universe of L.A. where every waiter is also an actor who likely really wants to direct. “You go to the barber, and he’s also a bass player playing out three nights a week.” “Our National Symphony is a wellknown symphony, and we have another smaller orchestra and a thriving Suzuki String community,” Dave Washer of Nashville Violin says. “And we probably have as much rock and alternative music going on as country.” But the stores are doing well by country musicians – and vice versa. “I think Nashville is growing,” says Gary Forkum of Fork’s Drum Shop. “Country music is on an upswing that’s fueled in part by Country Music Television being a popular 24-hour-a-day presence. We have a lot of drummers moving here, and if they don’t get work as a full time musician, they realize it’s a great place to live.”

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“Nashville is changing dramatically, and some of that is very good, and some of that change is putting me in a position to adapt in ways that might surprise people…” – George Gruhn, Gruhn Guitar

Forkum, a native of the town, does note that they’ve not been immune to nationwide trends, however. “There a lot more independent stores here up until 1996 when a MARS landed. We had at least 20, and after they came, about 10 bailed.” “Nashville is better than most other cities, and the new convention center is on schedule and that’s caused a downtown real estate boom,” says George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars. “The music market has been affected by the Internet and downloading of tunes, so musicians make more from performing and touring than recording. And the studios are suffering – they don’t get the work they used to, as for $2,500 you can set up your own recording studio in your home that’s way better than Elvis, the Rolling Stones, or the Beatles ever had.” Excellent retailers covering all aspects of the market all give each other duly deserved respect, though there’s one that is especially nationally known, and while hundreds of visitors to Summer NAMM will walk through his doors, they may just be going through a different doorway next year…

Gruhn Guitars

“George Gruhn has the art, the collectibles,” says Corner Music owner Larry Garris. “And he’s the best at it. In fact when I get a guitar that transcends the player and is a collectable item, I often sell it to him.” Gruhn is a celebrity in his own right, having been featured in a 1992 Visa commercial. In 2006, Prairie Home Companion’s Garrison Keillor visited the store with one of Gruhn’s best customers, Vince Gill. His is one of the nation’s go-to stores for players and celebrities and the list of customers over the decades span the likes of Duane Allman, Mark Knopfler, Conan O’Brien, Robert Plant, and Eric Clapton, among so many others. “Nashville is changing dramatically, and some of that is very good, and some of that change is putting me in a position to adapt in ways that might surprise people…” says Gruhn. What the nationally renowned expert on vintage guitars is alluding to, with apologies to Mae West, is that too much 26 MMR

of a good thing can actually be bad. His location on historic Broadway brings high visibility to a fault. “Marty Stewart calls it ‘Hillbilly Bourbon Street.’” Millions of visitors come to a street that decades ago had plenty of retail shops, but has evolved into a horde of honkytonks, western wear stores, restaurants, and souvenir shops. While people swarm Gruhn’s famous shop, they ain’t necessarily buying. “I’m about the only retailer on the street not geared strictly to tourists, and when I get 300 to 500 people in my door, it screws up business. My employees spend 80 percent of their time on crowd control.” Then there’s a three-story bar across the street from him with live music on every floor spilling out of floor-to-ceiling windows. Add to all that the lack of parking and it’s understandable that he’s actually considering moving. “I’ve been in the neighborhood for 42 years, but I do want to think about looking around. Also, I’m splitting at the seams on the four floors I have here – I have more than 400 guitars I can’t even display because I don’t have the room.” But for the guitarists who do fight the looky-loos, they find plenty of new Martins and Taylors. “I also have some Beard Resonator guitars that do well for us, some Collins, and a few boutique makers, but what I’m mostly about is used and vintage instruments. It’s what got me into the business – a hobby that got way out of hand! I got started searching for certain things, and I was like that prospector panning for gold.” The Internet has deeply affected Gruhn’s business: “It makes it easier for someone to reach out to me, and it makes it easier to bypass me completely,” he says. “eBay is not my friend. eBay is a way to avoid dealers entirely.” He reflects back to when he was one of only three vintage dealers in the country that went to the trouble of developing a mailing list and then would write, print, and mail a newsletter. “Now any 13-year-old with a modem can set up a web page and sell used guitars. Now the pie is sliced into a million pieces. I preferred it when the pie was just in three pieces.” What’s trending in vintage is… well, vintage is vintage and there are no trends. “People want the same instruments they wanted 40 years ago,” Gruhn says. “They want the original golden era pieces.” The Martin flat tops from late 1920s JULY 2012

A Sure Cure for Island Fever

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through 1939, the Gibson f-hole archtops from 1922–1942, the “pre-CBS” Fender guitars and bases, and other similar instruments, are still in demand, and their price increases with each passing year. Client-wise, Gruhn doesn’t often see the new kid to come to town to be that next country music star because he or she typically doesn’t have the money to buy one of his premium instruments. “They might buy a medium-priced guitar from me, but I get a lot of doctor and dentist types – people who are actually good musicians, but they just don’t do it professionally. And if I had to rely on just professional musicians, I’d go broke. Vince Gill is a very good customer, and I sold a nice guitar to Brad Paisley last year, but otherwise it’s plenty of Taylor and Martins in that $1,000 to $3,000 range.” Of course he does decently in fiddles, banjos, mandolins, and dobros.

Sam Ash

Images from the newly remodeled Sam Ash location in Madison, Tenn. 28 MMR

The largest family owned MI chain in the country is a cornerstone of the metroNashville music scene, currently occupying a large space in Madison, just north of the city. “The store started out as a Circuit City, and when that closed it became a Thoroughbred Music,” explains Sammy Ash of the Madison digs. “When we took over Thoroughbred in 1999 and looked at the plans there was a space that was called ‘The Gibson Café,’ so I am sure that Elliott (Rubinson) and Gibson were going to do something together. It was never developed, but we were paying for the empty space. For the first ten years we used it as a second warehouse. Last year we decided that the store needed to be the destination store in the town to give people a reason to come by blowing their minds, and we did just that. I can say without a doubt it is the best music store in the country. I will put this store up against any other store and we will win hands down. The layout, Clay Rigdon the departments, the staging and most importantly the staff – it is one of our finer teams.” Clay Rigdon, regional manager for

Sam Ash, picks up the story of the recent renovations and upgrades: “We constructed a 4,900 sq ft PA and Technology department that includes a professional stage for special events, clinics and performances with state of the art lighting and sound. We tripled the size of the acoustic guitar department, added wood flooring, and created a smaller stage area that we call the ‘Pickin’ Porch.’ The guitar department was moved to where the Pro Audio department had been and opened up to allow over 800 guitars to be displayed on one very impressive, continuous wall with 60 feet of counters for accessories and guitar pedals. A pewter colored slat wall provides a beautiful and unique guitar backdrop that allows the guitars to ‘pop.’ “We created a room especially for our high end and vintage guitars and amplifiers. With the help of our guitar buyers we have filled the room with some of the finest guitars available to Nashville. We created a new parts and service department and placed our guitar technician in an area where the public can view him working and also can interact with him for advice and suggestions regarding repairs and maintenance. New carpeting, lighting, and painted walls and trim help to update and freshen the other areas of the store. A complete overhaul of the bathrooms and learning center were also performed. We are still putting the finishing touches on an area that was created by moving the drum department to the center of the store. This will be a designated room for special clinics and gatherings that may require to be away from the main areas.” Sammy continues: “We put a ton of time, money and thought into making the renovation and all we have gotten is positive feedback. Since we now fly speakers and have the monster stage we are seeing a lot more church business. With the expanded guitar departments we are seeing a wider group of customers than in the past. The acoustic showroom is four times the size of the old one. The electric guitar department is the biggest one we have in the chain and, since amps are in their own section, it the easiest one to sell from for lack of noise. I must give props to Mike Aurigemma who masterminded the changes and saw things in that store I didn’t envision. We love Nashville and we think Nashville loves us – the proof is in the sales.” JULY 2012

Rigdon, who used to run the Nashville store, has insight into how the local market has evolved. “The trends in the Nashville market have certainly changed over the past decade,” he says. “Our shoppers are buying lots of accessories and small good items. That is one of the reasons that we have so much on display and available. We understand that the economy today does not allow a lot of customers

eas. Gibson Custom shop has new garage door panels that are a complete contrast to the old ones that remain above the flood line. It really is unbelievable to see and comprehend. I visited an area of town that was used to stage gear from touring artists that had been damaged in the floods and it was devastating. To see the amount of instruments that were ruined and to know the history behind

“We love Nashville and we think Nashville loves us – the proof is in the sales.” – Sammy Ash, Sam Ash

the option to spend hundreds of dollars on big-ticket items. But, there are plenty of customers that can spend twenty or thirty dollars. Our goal is to provide them with enough choices to still make it a significant and enjoyable purchase.” Discussing the effects – and remaining after-affects – of the flood of 2010, Clay notes that, “The marks of the flood levels are still noticeable in some ar-

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some of them was hard to handle. However, one thing that stands out about this town, and this is something that I came to know for myself, is that people here are genuine and they truly care about each other as, not only fellow musicians, but people as well.” To any who may feel the presence of big chains, like Sam Ash and Guitar Center are detrimental to the “true” Nash-

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ville MI retail scene, Sammy Ash has this response: “I don’t know if I would say that it’s ‘highly detrimental.’ One of the best drum shops in the country, Forks, seems to be doing well and, next door, Corner Music also has customers every time I walk in there. Personally I feel that the area was underserved now maybe a bit more than is necessary. Remember that before GC and Sam Ash, there was a Monster MARS there. I know of several boutique shops that are faring well because they are specializing in certain segments. We specialize in all segments, but not all customers feel comfortable with such a huge store and selection.” And to what degree does the local market benefit from the annual NAMM meeting? “Nashville is a music town and I believe that store-owners, retailers, and vendors welcome any reason to visit the city,” states Rigdon. “Just as any other function, it stimulates the economy here. Nashville is great fun and great food and, since it’s in a different part of the country, many dealers will come to this show instead of going to Anaheim. It is much more cost effective for many people.”

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Corner Music

Larry Garris opened his store in 1976 to serve the working musicians of Nashville. It’s a big, full service store with one exception – drums, though he spawned the Five Star drum shop that shares his parking lot. “Gary [Forkum] ran our drum department, but he was too energetic,” Garris jokes. “So I said, ‘here! Just buy the drum department!’” That store became Fork’s Drum Closet, and in 1984, Garris moved to larger digs. Garris was working for a distributor of Aria Guitars when he came into Nashville and opened his store. Today it’s impressive for his large selection of everything not drums that is MI. There’s an extensive offering of acoustic Taylors and Larrivee, plus some Takamine and Guild. For electrics they are a heavy Fender operation including Fender Custom Shop, have a big selection of Gibson, plus some G&Ls, Godin, and Gretsch. “We carry LSL guitars, which is a small builder in California that makes really great guitars. Then there’s Rickenbackers which do well.” There’s a lot of Gold Tone for the folk/bluegrass instruments, plus plenty of “weird instruments – 12-string mandolins, six-string banjos, bouzoukis, and tons of ukes.”

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Amps include Fender, Marshall, Vox, Peavey, Rivera, Carr, and Ampeg – “a lot of Ampeg and the reason is they make a good amp!” There’s a big keyboard selection with Kurzweil, Nord, Casio Privia, Yamaha, and Roland gear. They have an impressive P.A. department to and do a good business in installs. Today he operates in a 7,000 square feet storefront and has 18 employees, including four in the repair shop. “We have the greatest customers in the world – they really keep us on our toes,” he says. “The pros and good studio players tend to make you carry the better stuff.” As far as who comes through the door: “We don’t turn anybody down! We have the stars, the doctors, the lawyers, the local club players, and we have plenty who do a little [music performance] at church or just for fun. We get a good amount of tourists too. We have people coming from Europe, Canada, Australia.” The draw is Corner’s selection of upper-end gear. “We’re not really in the $200 guitar market. We try to have things that the mainline chain stores don’t.” (The local Guitar Center is just two miles away.)

Garris knows his market well and doesn’t compete in the low end. “Our philosophy is: If you’re going to buy something, buy something you can be proud of. The Chinese guitar made for $300 is like that $10 Pizza Hut pizza. You wouldn’t invite friends over for dinner, open a fine bottle of wine, and serve that pizza! That’s why we sell a lot of Gibsons and Taylors.” Corner Music is a toolshed full of functional instruments for the serious musician and the player who takes music seriously. And business is getting a slow rise, as Garris is happy to say it’s a little better than last year. His install market has decidedly picked up. He has a good online presence, selling to customers that way while using the platform to bring people in the door. “We started it a couple of years ago and it’s been a slow process,” he says. “We don’t do a tremendous business online, but I can’t tell you the times we’ve had a guy drive eight hours from Cleveland to buy something he saw on our online store. In generates more in-store sales than I thought it would.”

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And Garris has created a destination, too: He adds recently, a woman graduated from college and to celebrate she and her mom flew in from Connecticut to buy two guitars from him.

Fork’s Drum Closet

“When you make a pro a good, loyal customer, they send others to you,” says

Gary Forkum of Fork’s Drum Closet. “That’s really why I started the store. I wanted to keep local professionals from going to mail order. The local stores at the time weren’t discounting heavily, and were losing customers because of it. One of my goals was keeping that business in Nashville. I think we’ve done a good job at that.” Fork’s Drum Closet is nestled in a funky downtown neighborhood, and run

by Forkum, a Nashville native, with his wife Melissa handling accounting duties and with assistance from his kids: son Matt and daughter Jaime. At a modest 5,600 square feet, the store is such that... well, as Forkum will tell you, nothing else can be crammed into it. Forkum says that 2010 was especially rough – they had experimented two years before with opening a store in Knoxville

KHS Calls Nashville Home In February of 2010, KHS America, the provider and distributor of Jupiter wind instruments, Mapex drums, Majestic concert percussion, and Altus flutes announced a new corporate headquarters to be built in Nashville. The custom-designed building today houses all corporate functions, warehouse and shipping facilities, new instrument testing, quality assurance, and visitor center areas. “The two years have gone by quickly and I am happy to say that both the company and the team have settled in nicely,” reports KHS America CEO Tabor Stamper. “We work hard at providing a positive customer experience. By having everyone under one roof we are better able to align our functions, which in turn makes it easier for us to focus on our customers’ needs, both dealers and end consumers.” That the city is known as Music City was a factor in moving, but the economics and being able to more quickly respond to their dealer needs was more important. “One of the real bonuses to the move is the number of visitors we have here. Every week, dealers or artists visit us from all over. Many of our artists, from guitar singer/songwriters to flute soloists to drum and bugle corps have performed for us here at our facility. It helps to remind us of the business we are in and why we do what we do.” Moving everyone from the previous HQ in Austin was a challenge, and they worked to not make it a hardship on their employees and their families. The logistical challenge was dealt with while KHS still had to maintain their day-to-day business. “I am proud to

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say that we did not have a single day when we could not be reached by our customers and had only one day when we could not ship. Pretty remarkable, I think.” All the people in key positions were able to make the move and today KHS has over 50 working at the new facility (and they still maintain their Corona, Calif. facility). Stamper says the Nashville area maintains a business-friendly atmosphere, and that everyone from local governments to Chambers of Commerce has been helpful. “It also doesn’t hurt that taxes are lower here than in Texas and the overall cost of living is a bit lower.” They have reached out to the community, and have a recital hall avail-

able for band rehearsals, student recitals, and music-related meetings. They’ve formed partnerships with the Nashville Symphony and the local schools in promoting music education throughout the area and often host local band directors, artists and teachers who want to try their instruments. As for Nashville, “it’s a great place to be,” Stamper says. “No matter what kind of music you like, you can find it somewhere in the city, almost every night. The Nashville Symphony is one of the most recorded symphonies in the USA and the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall is a great venue for everything from classical to new music to jazz and country. “We are a company that provides musical instruments and are surrounded by music making. How could it be any better?”

Tabor Stamper

JULY 2012

but then had to shut it down. “In 2011, we focused on our web business including eBay, putting more time and attention in that, hired a full time person to work on that, my son and daughter are on Facebook, and because of all that, we had a good year. We are blessed to have the walk-in business we do, as there are a ton of drummers in Nashville and they certainly know us and turn to us for their needs – but we’re trying to grow through the web.” To do that he’s put “everything” online – and they have a big selection of all the usual players (Pearl, Gretsch, Ludwig, Tama, Sonor, and Yamaha) and some boutique kits from Brady and Crush. He’s deep into cymbals with Zildjian, Sabian, and Paiste, but also Dream, UFiP, and Wuhan, as “not everybody carries some of those lesser-known high quality brands.” When it’s brought up that drums in general, but cymbals in particular really should be played and heard before one buys, he agrees completely, but “if a store has a great reputation, there’s a confidence of the buyer… also, that’s where videos come in.” Whether online or in store, he says a key to their success is selection. “Nashville is a big music town, and a lot of pros shop here and I think we do better by them than other stores,” Forkum says. “Whereas another store might have two or three Ludwig or Gretsch kits, we have 10 or 15. You wouldn’t go to a car dealership that has two or three cars. And these days people don’t want to wait for you to order something.” Forkum himself is a goodwill musicmaking ambassador to the area as one of the drummers in the popular Midnight Riders, an Allman Brothers tribute bands. “It helps the store that I’m out there playing, but it also helps me in my day job,” he says. “I’ll take out a new stick, try out a drum… we got in a Zildjian medium-ride 24” cymbal, something I never thought I would play, but I took it out and it was great.”

Shuff’s Music and Piano Showroom

Serving the Nashville area, but a little south of town, is Shuff’s Music and Piano Showroom. It’s a full-line store carrying band, percussion, and fretted instruments, print, accessories, amps, and piaJULY 2012

nos. Founded in 1978 by Ron Shuff, the store is run by Ron with his daughter-inlaw, Sasha Shuff, who is COO. “We’re probably one of the only family-owned businesses that cater to the band and orchestra market,” he says. “The majority of the others have been bought up by Music & Arts.” They carry Selmer, Bach, Yamaha, and “Jupiter instruments are doing especially well now

Sasha and Ron Shuff.

Two Years After the Flood: The Recovery, the Perseverance In May of 2010, Tennessee experienced a 1,000-year flood that was as historic as it was devastating. In two days some areas received 19 inches of rain, and the Cumberland River crested at 52 feet. Musicians everywhere were affected. In cruel irony, Brad Paisley was gearing up for his H2O tour when his SoundCheck facility, where he and others keep their gear and rehearse, was flooded, causing a loss of thousands of dollars of instruments and amps. “You have no idea how bad it was,” sighs Bill Metcalfe of the Steinway Gallery. But he stresses the community really pulled together. “We didn’t get the [national media] recognition, but 46,000 homes went into the water. In my neighborhood, it stopped at my driveway as I live on the higher end of the hill.” Everyone came out to help each other. “The day after it stopped raining, I helped a guy across the street whose garage had 11 feet of water. The Saturday after, he spent $90,000 of his own money re-landscaping his front yard and had it taken care of in a week. It wasn’t like Hurricane Katrina [in New Orleans] where people waited for the government to help.” Metcalfe would pick up pianos and try to dry them out, but almost all completely fell apart. George Gruhn’s building, too escaped the water, though just a half a block away the Nashville Symphony suffered $40 million in damages. “We didn’t make any additional sales with people replacing instrument, though I imagine the Guitar Center did a little. Our repair shop was swamped but frankly a lot of the instruments brought in were beyond repair. A guitar that’s under water for a few days is just dead.” But even people who escaped the flood didn’t escape the water. Larry Garris of Corner Music said while they didn’t get “flooded” per se, the 18 inches of rain that fell was too much for the ground to soak up. “On Saturday afternoon, there was no sign of water, but at closing time it was coming up from the ground and getting into our basement.” They started at 6 p.m. and with two vacuums and a sump pump got up to 1800 gallons out, and thought they were done. Garris came back Sunday morning to three inches of water in his store. They had moved all the gear out of harms’ way, and quickly vacuumed and bleached the carpet. “Amazingly there was no damage – we were lucky.” At Dave Washer’s Nashville Violin, there was a creek that runs through the neighborhood that flooded his basement causing the power to go out. Luckily no instruments were lost but a lot of paper and personal items were. Ron Shuff of Shuff’s Music says he had some storage space and commercial rental property that was up to 55 percent damaged, and two rental houses that are being demolished. But his store was intact, and those who had insurance and had damaged pianos got them replaced. “A lot of people didn’t have flood insurance, and their instruments were lost. But replacing those isn’t a priority – they wanted to get back into their house first.” Shuff also credits the people of the area. “It was pretty severe, but the resilience of the people was amazing.”

MMR 33

that they have a distribution center in Nashville.” [See KHS sidebar.] He adds that Buffet Group instruments are also doing well, and attributes that to having sponsored more clinics lately. “They are not only helping students to learn about the products, but teachers, too. We do about three clinics a year here and they have been most beneficial to sales, especially step-up and pro instruments.” Parents in the Nashville market in general have been supportive of school band programs, “and the school boards have been supportive and that’s even better!” he laughs. Business has been steady, and he says its because people like that hometown touch. “We have good service and quality products, and all our employees are musicians.” They are a Kawai dealer, and Shuff says that people would be surprised at how many Music City professionals choose the 88s. “We’re finding that a lot of the studio musicians, the songwriters, the people behind the scenes who are extremely well-trained musicians and even newer country artist like Lady Antebellum are choosing Kawais,” Shuff says. “I can’t name-drop, but I’ll just say the better musician they are, the more likely

34 MMR

they are to buy a Kawai. The new carbon fiber action really appeals to the more sensitive player. It’s a great product and good company, and it’s just a matter of having someone sit down to play it!” They have a big teaching program that benefits from the multitude of professional musicians in town. “We have 33 highly qualified independent teachers, most of whom are classically trained, though they teach all styles. We just rent the rooms and let them make most of the money, but we have 500 to 600 students a week coming through.”

Steinway Gallery of Nashville

The roots of this music store go back to the unlikely year of 1929, when the Megtcalfe family opened a full-line music store in Evanston, Indiana. Bill Metcalfe ran that operation from 1970 until he opened American Keyboard Gallery in Nashville in 1989. “Our goal was to have the best piano in every price range,” he says. Yet he hasn’t always had the Steinway lines. They knew him because he had been pursuing them since he was in In-

See us at NAMM Booth 1438

diana. He did get to represent the pianos at other stores he had in Knoxville and Birmingham, and when the Nashville Steinway dealer was faltering, Metcalfe was there to pick it in 2002. “There’s a lot of commitment to become a Steinway dealer, and I jumped through all those hoops because that was my goal.” In addition to that family of instruments, he has Knobe and Seiler pianos, and Samick digital pianos. They do a little teaching – they have an adult hobby class, but mostly it’s an old fashioned acoustic piano store. Metcalfe is networking – he supports the Tennessee Music Educators Association with up to six pianos a year. He’s on the board of Friends of the Arts at Belmont and other universities, and sponsors music organizations throughout the state including the Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra, Tennessee State Music Competition, and the Nashville Piano Achievement Competition. Metcalfe has been successful with institutional sales and been part of several universities becoming “all Steinway” schools. “It’s not what I’m doing, it’s the dean and the students – I have deans

JULY 2012

telling me they are losing students to allSteinway schools.” Not surprisingly he says most of the country stars in Music City like Steinways, and “on almost any given day there is an artist in our store.” As for making Nashville his home: “I wouldn’t live anywhere else. Everybody in this town knows something about music, and it also has a thriving visual arts community.”

Miller Piano Specialist

cation in nearby Franklin. Sylvia started out with Hammond Organ Company and used to work at what is now Steinway Piano Gallery, and Ross was a band director, co-owner of a keyboard store in Winston-Salem, and a district manager for Kimball International. Both hold music degrees from East Tennessee State University, where they met. Two years ago, they attained the Yamaha piano dealership. “It’s been a positive experience for us,” Ross says. “Yamaha offers a lot of great products and their name in the

Nashville community is fairly strong. A lot of the music recording industry have Yamaha C-7s – it’s the most recorded piano in Nashville.” They also have Pearl River, Baldwin, and Mason & Hamlin pianos, and Roland keyboard products. Since making Yamaha their primary line, they’ve been more actively pursuing institutional sales. “We’re having to be patient,” he says. “But we’re constantly working and going to schools and universities and making ourselves known.” It helps that so many Yamaha products are already in the schools, and the digital

Ross and Sylvia Miller’s combined experience in the piano business clocks in at over 80 years, and they are celebrating their 10th anniversary at their current lo-

Nashville by the Numbers

Numbers gathered from 2010 census. ■

■

■ ■

■

Nashville, Capitol of Tennessee, was founded in 1779, originally called Fort Nashborough. Population of city proper is 601,222 and the 13-county metropolitan area is 1.5 million. Ryman Auditorium, home to the Grand Ole Opry, seats 2,362 and was built in 1892. Per capita income for the city was $46,280 Nashville’s foreign-born population more than tripled in size between 1990 and 2000, growing from 12,662 to 39,596. Referred to as “Athens of the South” because of the more than 30 institutes of higher learning in the area including Belmont University, Tennessee State University, and Vanderbilt University. This year the Nashville Musician’s Associations, AFM Local 257, celebrates their 110th anniversary. First called “Music City, USA” by an AM radio DJ in 1950.

JULY 2012

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MMR 35

with the program it enriches their lives. “And it’s definitely created business,” he says. “We work with churches and sometimes we get celebrities, but overall our main client is still that family seeking lessons for their kids,” says Sylvia. “We have teachers doing private lessons, and we’re starting a new program in the fall for group lessons for children as young as three. We’re excited about that.” They leave almost everything else like sheet music for their neighbors. They are right next store to a Music & Arts, which they see as complementary, as they are active in band, guitars, and sheet music. “Business has been the same rollercoaster it has always been,” laughs Ross. “But it’s coming back for us and we attribute a lot of that to Yamaha.” They have been in Nashville for 16 years and “love it,” Sylvia says. “It’s a wonderful area to live in.”

Ross & Sylvia Miller

keyboards are popular, he adds. “We have also been a Lowrey dealer for at least 10 years, and it’s doing well,” Sylvia says. “We have two gals who work in the program and we’re constantly

recruiting new students for their class program. It’s especially great for senior adults and a dream for those who thought they would never learn to play an instrument.” Ross adds that for those who stay

Nashville Violins

Dave Washer does, in fact, get asked what exactly is the difference between a violin and fiddle. “All the time,” he

Tycoon Percussion 16” Nagado Daiko – Traditional Red 36 MMR

JULY 2012

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Become an Authorized “Fretlight is game-changing. Not only has it become our go-to product for beginning guitar players, but it helps us to bridge the generation gap. I encourage all retailers to jump on the Fretlight bandwagon while they still can.” Rick Myers Co-Owner of Jim’s Music Tustin, CA

“We’ve sold 20 times the number of guitars as I thought we would. I don’t know of any manufacturer that puts as much into ensuring the success of their vendors, especially right off the bat, and I truly believe our sales results are proof of that. Our Fretlight customers are super excited about it and feedback has been really positive so far, and that’s what it’s all about.” Pat Redd Owner of Funky Munky Music Shawnee, KS

“Fretlight brings the barrier for learning to play guitar way down. All guitar resellers should offer the Fretlight line and see a pop in all related products, even other guitars.” Brad Smith Senior Sales & Marketing Manager Hal Leonard Corporation

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Dave Wascher at a student recital with teacher Haley Dries

smiles. “And I tell them it’s the note at the end of the bow.” Washer opened his string shop in 1999 and handles sales of acoustic and electric violins, rentals, repairs, and restoration. He also does “a pretty good school busi-

ness.” They have on-site lessons catering to around 100 students a week. On their walls are Yamaha, Knilling, and Eastman violins in addition to instruments made by makers in Romania and Germany. The shop does a de-

cent electric business with Yamaha and Barcus Berry Electric/Acoustics and some Woods. “Realist Violins are getting popular right now, though most of the time players just want a pickup on their acoustic violin, and so we do a lot of custom work on that.” They typically choose Yamaha and Barcus Berry pickups. Washer says he’s seen over the years a lot of the better fiddle players realizing how important a set up is, how important a bow is, and that’s been a trend. “School programs here struggle every year and they are never sure they can keep teachers,” he says. Going back 10 years there have been some serious cutbacks, but “things are back on the rise and they are hiring more teachers.” Key to the operation is a recital they do twice a year, where about half of the students choose to perform. “With the students we teach, it’s important to take that learning process one step forward and get a piece performance-ready. And most of our instructors perform too.” A good sign is they’ve outgrown having these in the store and have them in a church down the road.

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PICCOLO

TROMBONE

TRUMPET JULY 2012

Visit us at NAMM Booth 907

22nd Annual

Profile American of the

Music Dealer

Little Overall Movement as Storefront Count Remains Above 8,000

MMRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual dealer count struggled to maintain the status quo show-

2002: 8447 Stores

ing a slight net loss of 46 units for a total of 8,038. While storefronts

-0.4%

2003: 8412 Stores

are one measure of industry health, overall revenue (according to our

2004: 8422 Stores

50 Dealer/50 State Review and Forecast December 2011) per unit is

2005: 8107 Stores

on the upswing as well as a marked increase in internet sales for the

2006: 8223 Stores

+0.1% -3.7% +1.4% -3.2%

2007: 7957 Stores

music products category.

+.029%

2008: 7980 Stores

On a state-by-state count (including the District of Columbia), 29 states recorded a loss, 29 states had unit increases, and four remained even. The biggest losses were reported in New York State, Massachusetts, Virginia, Illinois, Oregon, and New Mexico. Largest increases were registered in California, Texas, Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska. This is the second year in a row that California and Texas Recorded the largest number of new store increases.

+/-.0%

2009: 7981 Stores

+1.3%

2010: 7993 Stores

+1.1%

2011: 8084 Stores

-0.5%

2012: 8038 Stores 0

2000

4000

6000

8000

8,038 Stores: What Do they Sell? 2009

2010

2011

2012

change

% of change

%of stores selling category

Keyboard/Piano/Organ

4277

4312

4065

3916

-149

- .37%

48.7%

Band and Orchestra

3362

3446

3393

3464

+71

+.20%

43%

Drums/Percussions

3685

377

3684

3789

+105

+.29%

47.1%

Sound Reinf/recâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;g

3403

3676

3869

3972

+103

+.27%

49.4%

Fretted Instruments

4680

4785

4891

4998

+107

+.22%

62.2%

Print Music

3651

3742

3681

3737

+56

+.15%

46.5%

As, in past profiles, fretted instruments continue to constitute the largest segment of the dealer marketplace and the only category where more than fifty percent of the total dealerships carry the product. Every category, with the exception of keyboards, 40 MMR

showed an increase in the number of products carried, indicating a slight broadening of the market. Keyboard stores show a decline of 396 units over the past two years, while 213 dealers have either added or opened stores stocking fretted instruments.

2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 JULY 2012

Percentage Shares by Product Type

Specialty Stores 2012 2009

2010

2011

2012

Keyboard/Piano /Organ

432

344

311

315

Sell Keyboard/Piano/Organ

Band & Orchestra

360

350

343

345

2008: 53.22%

Drums/Percussion

193

175

164

188

2009: 53.6%

Sound Reinforcement/Rec’g.

431

367

354

343

2010: 54%

String/Fretted Inst.

909

816

735

762

2011: 50.3%

Print Music

115

100

101

2012: 48.7%

Sell Band & Orchestra Instruments 2008: 41.63% 2009: 42.2%

Within the total store count of 8,038, 2,054 are classified as “specialty operations.” This year showed a growth of 55 specialty units, reversing a trend of decline during the past few years and continuing to constitute slightly more than 20 percent of total retail outlets. Our criteria for specialty classification is a dealership carrying 80 percent or more of a single product category. Print music continues to have the lowest number of specialty operations and fretted instruments remains the largest.

2010: 43% 2011: 41.9%

State Gains

2012: 43%

Biggest gains by number of units were California, Texas, Colorado, Iowa and Nebraska. This is second year in row that California and Texas recorded the largest number of net store increases.

Sell Drums/Percussion 2008: 47.94% 2009: 46.2% 2010: 47%

State Losses Biggest losses by number of units were New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, Illinois, Oregon and New Mexico.

2011: 46.7% 2012: 47.1%

Sell Sound Reinf./ Recording Equipment 2008: 43.82% 2009: 42.6% 2010: 46% 2011: 47.9% 2012: 49.4

Sell Fretted Instruments

■ Increase ■ Decrease No Change

2008: 60.79% 2009: 58.6% 2010: 60% 2011: 60.5% 2012: 62.2%

Sell Print Music 2008: 44.79% 2009: 45.7% 2010: 47% 2011: 45.5% 2012: 46.5% JULY 2012

Even (4) Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Dakota Gainers (18) California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming.

Losers (29) Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

MMR 41

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42 MMR

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State

Total Stores 2011

Total Stores 2012

Unit Change

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Dist.Of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming TOTAL:

125 25 137 84 1040 136 128 17 3 408 246 41 53 342 195 87 95 129 96 4 122 205 234 157 65 171 35 55 52 54 216 53 497 231 27 323 98 137 373 30 104 22 189 454 83 29 201 197 51 172 19 8084

121 22 129 83 1066 143 120 22 4 410 244 39 58 333 194 94 95 129 96 36 127 189 232 163 63 164 36 62 50 50 205 44 485 226 27 328 99 128 377 26 102 18 193 473 82 27 191 190 50 170 21 8038

-4 -3 -8 -1 +23 +7 -8 +5 +1 +2 -2 -2 +5 -9 -1 +7 0 0 0 -5 +5 -16 -2 +6 -2 -7 +1 +7 -2 -4 -11 -9 -12 -5 0 +5 +1 -9 +4 -4 -2 -4 +4 +19 -1 -2 -10 -7 -1 -2 +2 -46 JULY 2012

See us at NAMM Booth 1126

‘GoingGreen’...Still Going Strong

Green as a Lifestyle, a Way of Doing Business Part II – Manufacturers and Suppliers move forward in surprising ways

Everybody has a story to tell on this subject (and no doubt we left out

Alfred

some good ones, for which we apologize in advance).

As of January of this year, the Alfred Cares initiative was launched and has helped the company produce 1.2 million units (around 150 million pages) on 100 percent recycled paper, amounting to approximately 95 percent of the books and music published during this period. Also, over 250 thousand DVDs have been produced with 100 percent recycled packaging. In upstate New York where their warehouse is, Alfred switched to energyefficient fluorescents, which last longer and use approximately 50 percent less power. This change saves approximately 140,000 kilowatts annually. Meanwhile at their Los Angeles HQ, they have an aggressive recycling program that includes batteries and electronic “e-waste.” The offices have also completely switched to water-free urinals, each of which saves approximately 40,000 gallons of water from being used each year. “I started the Alfred Cares initiative because I care,” says CEO Ron Manus. “I drive a Prius. I installed a highly efficient tank-less water heater in my home. I recycle everything. Being environmentally responsible is important to me and I wanted to extend that lifestyle and culture into our company. But it also can make great business sense. For example, the Prius saves me a lot of money on gas, and in Los Angeles we drive everywhere!” For Alfred, the amount of paper required to support our business is staggering, he notes. “I worked closely with all our printers and production folks to find a way to minimize our impact on the en-

From new advancements in packaging reeds to water treatment centers to one company angling to achieve a big fat “zero” in what they take to the landfill, the music instrument industry continues to evolve along “green” lines. Products are being made out of scraps, and every action in the office and the warehouse is being evaluated to see if things can be tweaked to conserve even more. It’s helping the planet, it’s saving money, and it has become less “trying to do the right thing” and more a way of life. As with guitars and non-traditional woods, selling the concepts to the public can be a slow process, but that doesn’t seem to be discouraging anybody. And there are some creative ideas we can all learn from.

44 MMR

JULY 2012

vironment, and the sell-through is higher on our books with environmentally responsible branding. The consumer cares and would rather purchase a product that is environmentally responsible.”

American DJ “No one would dispute that there’s no single area to have the potential to reduce the carbon footprint more than the lighting industry,” says Joe Fucini, spokesperson for ADJ Companies. “It is ‘ground zero’ for the environmental impact of this industry.” Fucini is, of course, speaking of the LED revolution, and how the little light that could went from mere eye candy to a functional light source using significantly less electricity, being lighter in weight, and reducing bulb replacement in the matter of a few short years. But Fucini makes the case that LEDs are just the beginning of saving energy. “It’s also the design of the engine where strides have been made. If you take the Elation ZFX Pro, it’s basically a RGBW moving head wash and zoom combination and while it’s only 190 watts, it has the brightness of a 700 watt lamp.” How the lights are projected and directed, how colors are mixed, and how much of the light source can be captured all figure in as well all. “We were the first company to be licensed to use Phillips MSD Platinum Technology, which is in our ADJ VIZI series. It is an extremely lightweight, high intensity beam that is one-third the size of a traditional spotlight. That saves in transportation. It’s 700 watts with the output equivalent to a 1,200-watt lamp, taking up about 25 percent less energy. The lighting industry is high tech now and advancing by leaps and bounds.” Dealers who handle installs of churches and clubs are benefiting from all this technology because it means they can sell more, and often provide significant upgrades at cost savings beyond electricity use because upgrades can be done without involving contractors doing extensive remodeling. “The lighting industry has morphed into a high-tech business,” Fucini adds. JULY 2012

“Because it’s so high tech, all this will look different next year.”

Buffet Crampon Since 1996, Buffet Group has been selling their Green LinE clarinets, which was a reaction to the amount of wasted wood that happened in their wind manufacturing process. “During production, much of the African Blackwood is lost in the form of dust,” says Matt Vance, woodwind product specialist. “This wood dust is collected and bonded with a resin to create the Green LinE material. As the supply of the African Blackwood has become more depleted, the usage of Green LinE is even more crucial now.” From a player’s standpoint, one huge advantage is the stabilMatt Vance ity of these instruments. “It’s not a porous material, so there are minimal change in how the instrument plays or responds in reaction to temperature and humidity variations,” Vance says. “Because Green LinE is a material made from African Blackwood, it retains the acoustic properties of the wood, giving the player the best of both worlds.” That said, he admits there’s been a mix of reactions from players. For some, there is a stigma because some incorrectly view it as a composite (“It’s not real wood!”), but most of these players change their opinions in a positive way once they play it. Others are immediately open to the concept. “A principal clarinetist from a North American orchestra was selecting a new Tosca B-flat clarinet for themselves,” Vance says. “The clarinetist narrowed it down to three clarinets – two wood and one Green LinE – and had a panel of colleagues make their recommendations after listening to all three in a blind listening test. All three colleagues preferred the Green LinE Tosca!” He says Buffet Group continues to develop instruments using the Green LinE

“ Creating a better society and corporate culture has been a priority, because in addition to the good that it does, we believe it contributes to better goods and services, and a better place for our people to work.” Rick Young Yamaha Corporation

Julie Gramolini Williams

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material, including the new Orfeo oboe, which is endorsed by Minnesota Orchestra oboist Julie Gramolini Williams.

Cavanaugh Company Jim Cavanaugh, maker of Super Sensitive and Black Diamond Strings and Bari Reeds, says their Bari synthetic reeds are popular for a number of reasons, including the fact that they last longer than traditional reeds. “Though they are a little more expensive, they are more consistent, so you’re not throwing a third out like you do with a traditional reed pack.” Sales are steadily growing, and a recent improvement is helping. “Today they are machine scrapped just like cane, and the materials we’re using are closer to cane. Still, not everyone is going to like it. It’s not made for everyone because musicians can be very particular, but we

think we have something that is very consistent and plays well. But newer players are definitely more open to trying it. ” Players are also realizing other benefits besides the environmental aspect and the durability: “If you’re performing and you’re doubling up on saxes, you’re constantly trying to keep the reeds moist,” he explains. “With these you easily go from one to another and back again without a problem.” The packaging for their strings has been redesigned and using less paper, and they have forgone individual envelopes in favor of a sealed bag and a header card. The plastic keeps the strings fresh longer.

Dream Cymbals “We cast our own alloy, which means we recycle virtually every shaving, particle or scrap of metal we produce,” says Dream Cymbal’s Andy Morris. “If it

Dampening Sound the Green Way For those retailers looking to be environmentally conciseness in the practice room (assuming you’re using empty egg cartoons as we did circa 1974), there’s Acoustic Solutions. They have long offered products that help businesses earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits. This year, however, they set out to offer a cohesive line that takes advantage of all recyclable and sustainable materials available, earning more credits and easing the decision of builders to choose green products. “We have always been conscious of the need to offer ‘green’ or environmentally friendly products, and LEED has made them more appealing to our client base,” said Dave Ingersoll, sales manager. “But I think that the Sustainable Series we released this year will draw even more businesses and builders to LEED certification.” The Sustainable Series line of Acoustical Products includes Wall Panels, Ceiling Tiles, Cloud Mount Panels, and Baffles. They all use Ecose Fiberglass inserts, which are made with post-consumer bottle glass and are 100 David Ingersol percent recyclable, and covered in a Sustainable EcoFabric, the industry’s first ‘no-compromise’ eco-friendly wall covering platform. Ingersoll says these are just as affordable as traditional acoustical treatment and the fabric is available in many patterns including practice room true, clean white. For 20 years music stores have been part of their market, and it’s been good for them, Ingersoll reports, though few accept the biggest – say GC Pro – resells their products. “And there is always the occasional situation where some parents comes in and says to the dealer, Johnny sure is loud when he practices, is there anything we can do? And in those situations it’s nice for them to know we’re out there.” Also a lot of MI retailers have grown by doing installs big and small in their community, and to be able to offer their client a green alternative is a plus. “And we all know the best sound gear available isn’t going to be great in a bad room. So we encourage to talk to their clients right away about sound panels.” For the last four years they’ve pushed to offer green products, “not just because it’s better, but because we’re a big believer in it in.” This new line has been well received, though like so many, the company has struggled to get it at the right price point. Plus they are fighting tradition. “There’s still a lot of designers who are going to choose ascetics over sustainability, but as soon as you can create something that’s close in price and looks good, then it’s fantastic.” 46 MMR

didn’t make it into a cymbal the first time, it will the second.” The finest bits, those stuck to the side of crucibles, are ground up and sent out for processing at a facility that will harvest down to the micron. “We also currently use no chemical coatings of any kind on our cymbals, and in 2009 received Chinese government assistance to convert some heating ovens to newer, more efficient technology.” But perhaps most interesting, they’ve launched a cymbal recycling program – an idea that came from one of their fans. “A customer wrote and told me his other branded cymbals had broken and he was thrilled to have great sounding Dreams, but did I know what he could do with the old busted ones?” Since their own factory recycled, it was a simple leap to have a program where customers trade in their failed cymbals for a new Dream one. It works like this: The player brings in a broken cast cymbal from any manufacturer and Dreams rebate $1 per diameter inch towards the purchase of a dream cymbal. So that busted 22-inch ride gets you $22 off your Dream purchase. The store rebates the customer on the spot and holds the broken cymbal for them to pick up. “It’s win-win for every one,” Morris says. “Customer gets paid for his scrap and gets a great new cymbal. We increase sales and harvest literally tons of bronze to make new cymbals from, while giving back to our community by diverting broken cymbals back into working ones, which not only removes them from landfill but also reduces the amount of new resources mined from the earth.” He adds the dealer has a valuable new service to add to their lineup, plus they become a destination solution for a specific but ubiquitous problem. “It drives customers to their store and generates sales on the spot. We have had single customers receive over $1,000 in credit, and that means a lot of sales for those stores. On top of that we are currently developing over 5,000 pounds of broken cymbals into new products, which have a specific limited edition quality due to the nature of each alloy mix will be a bit different.”

D’Addario D’Addario has been on the forefront of this issue, and up next is a goal that is a seemingly Herculean task: becoming a zero landfill company. “We can’t JULY 2012

Jim D’Addario

say we’re there yet,” reports Jim D’Addario. “But we’re trying to qualify ourselves for that and it looks like we can afford to do it. Maybe a year from now we’ll be

there.” D’Addario says his teams were inspired by some car companies who were able to do it and realized they were already more than half way there. “We literally already separate every alloy, wire scrap, et cetera, so we see it as doable.” They’ve also given over their 400acre cane facility in France and Argentina to fully organic practices. There are no chemical fertilizers and the company is recycling a significant part of the cane waste. “When you can only turn about 30 percent of the cane into quality reeds, there’s quite a bit left.” They are looking at taking all wood waste from drum sticks and reeds and burning them to fuel, maybe converting their factories to heating from that waste.

As far as making this part of their marketing, “I don’t think we’ve done a fair enough job on this topic,” says Jim D’Addario. “We’re in the middle of a rebranding exercise and are doing a complete corporate study of our branding and we want to make sure we’re delivering all the right messages about a culture and how it relates to the brand. But we really haven’t told the world enough about our issue and want to make sure we’re delivering all the right messages about our culture and how it relates to the brand. I believe we’re going to step that up in the next year.”

Ernie Ball Conservation is nothing new at Ernie Ball, as Brian Ball points out that having operations in the green-sensitive state of California has made it so. They have the strictest air control laws, and most farreaching environmental initiatives. But they take it further then they have to. “It’s one thing to be fundamentally responsible on this issue, and another to really practice it,” Ball says. “When you really appreciate all the amazing things our world has – wildlife, plants – it’s natural to want to do whatever you

can to limit your carbon footprint. We place a highpriority on it, and it’s not just for positive PR.” Ernie Ball has reached the point where nothing is Brian Ball emitted into the atmosphere in creating their products, and they have the air control board come in four times a year to make sure they are within all the regulations. They continually take scraps and try to reuse them, and recycle every single thing they possibly can. “We used to just sweep up the floors of ball ends and throw them away. Now we polish and clean them – and get them cleaner than we get them from the vendor. Then we have a special machine that automatically separates the guitar ends from the bass ends and puts them back into use.” Ball adds that they make sure that all of these adhere to the strict quality demands of all their products. “We continually try to reduce packaging, and even are working on re-sealable zip-lock packaging.” Though he knows

“When you really appreciate all the amazing things our world has – wildlife, plants – it’s natural to want to do whatever you can to limit your carbon footprint. We place a high-priority on it, and it’s not just for positive PR.” Brian Ball Ernie Ball

JULY 2012

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that won’t necessarily be an easy sell. “Consumers really don’t like change and by nature we’re creatures of habit, so it’s tricky when you try to experiment with packaging,” Ball says. “It’s everybody’s environmental duty to reduce their scrap,” Ball says. “We’re constantly looking for ways to reuse things and not have scraps at all.”

König & Meyer Germany-based music stand maker König & Meyer has created an impressive facility in Wertheim. “My favorite facts are that they actually purify their water used in the manufacturing process to drinking water quality,” says Grace Newman, Gabriela König Marketing Director for Connolly Music Company, and U.S. Distributor of K&M. They have two specialized examples of water use efficiency, including electroplating cascade connections (which allow for the multipleswitch use of water), and automatic water shutoff and water extraction protocols (which optimize the water consumption). “And when we’re in their offices the blinds and lights automatically go up or down based on the amount of sunlight outside! Pretty cool stuff.” They were also awarded the Environmental Prize of Baden-Württemberg for their achievements in promoting environmental protection and for environment-based management. “An environmental management representative is responsible for overall

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environmental management oversight,” says Gabriela König CE�. “�ur �ur management monitors the adherence to the environmental laws in each division, and identifies and addresses any need for improvement. A special environmental team meets regularly to discuss environmental measures within the company. König & Meyer regularly prepares an environmental program in which the goals for the environment are defined. The attainment of these goals is evaluated annually.” They recently installed a solar power plant on their roofs, allowing the facility to produce 280,000 kWh electricity per year. “This is enough to supply 70 households with electricity and saves more than 200 tons of hazardous C�2.” König agrees that Germany’s regulations are stricter yet “in addition we voluntary got certification for our environmental management according to IS� 14001 [international standard] and EMAS III [European standard]. Therefore we have to fulfill additional standards, such as the introduction of an environmental organization, the publication

of an environmental statement and an annual review by an external auditor.” But she adds that the U.S. also has strict environmental laws. “In some areas Germany was quite a pioneer, for example with renewable energies such as solar power and wind power. �ne reason for this is that Germany does not have any oil. But meanwhile, the renewable energies in the U.S. are gaining increasing importance.”

Remo Remo puts out memos and stats on their accomplishments in this area, and as of 2010 they’ve saved 32,808 trees/196 acres of forestland, 2.06 million gallons of oil translating into 288.5 billion BTUs of energy, and 14 million gallons of water – all certified by the Industrial Recycle Services of Sun City, Calif. They also continue to earn WRAP (Waste Reduction Award Program) Awards every year, and have collected a baker’s dozen of them. But for Manual Solis the quest continues. “There are constantly new developments that we are able to do things with what previously might have been scrap,” says the plant manager. “And nothing is too small. We feel like if we do something that keeps just 10 pounds of something going to the landfill, it’s good; and if everybody would do it, it’s a huge amount.” If they exhaust all they can do with the scraps, he spends time finding someone who can do something with it. They are doing a good job with coming up what to do with scrap. Recently they found a way to chop up all these little pieces of “trash” – even cardboard. They mix it with an epoxy and create something that, when it dries, becomes a play surface. It’s used in their Not So Loud (NSL) hand percussion. In another situation, scratch film that couldn’t quite live up to the pounding a drumhead takes was specially coated and sold to a banjo company. “They love it! Now pieces that might end up in a land fill are part of another great instrument.” When Solis was interviewed, he was on his way to China, a trip he makes frequency. He was asked about just how stringent green efforts were going on over there. “The philosophy is the same in that factory as the one here,” he says JULY 2012

bluntly. “Just like here, all film that is ‘true waste’ is gathered and trucked to some other company that makes polyester and other fabrics with it, Manuel Solis carpets, or becomes part of a plastic toy. We care about what ends up in a landfill – wherever it is.” Solis has been with Remo for 27 years, and says that for all his years there the company has never “transformed” itself to being green. “The last few years it seems people are jumping on the green bandwagon, but that green philosophy has been here since at least my first day. We were green before anybody used that term.”

Tycoon “From the start, Tycoon has been committed to using only certified, plantation-farmed Siam Oak wood in the production of our instruments,” report Tycoon’s Ivy Yu. “As a result of relying

JULY 2012

on these carefully harvested resources, we do not encounter the same challenges that other manufacturers may meet in obtaining materials.” All their congas are made from the wood that comes from the managed plantations, and is renewed every five

to seven years keeping them reasonably sustainable. They have never incorporated endangered woods or wood taken from old growth forests. In addition, they are exploring non-traditional woods and composites for a small selection of products, the advantage (beyond the obvious)

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being that they offer a different sound and feel from their main offerings. Otherwise, “Tycoon has continuously observed ecological practices when at all possible. In our manufacturing process, all the leftover wood from the production of our instruments is given to a large recycling plant, so it can later be manufactured as paper, boxes, and other recyclable products.” She, too, sees more people being aware of the choices they make and purchases they make.

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“With the world rapidly changing, every decision can make a difference for the future,” says Ivy Yu of Tycoon. “We all strongly believe in the importance of protecting our environment, which is why we continue to offer our consumers products that stand behind our values and speak to everyone’s unique needs. We are proud to say that every individual who plays Tycoon is making a responsible choice for the future.”

Vandoren/DANSR

Since 2004, Vandoren has been IS9001 in how they grow, harvest, and use cane in their woodwind reeds. “We have thousands of acres of cane in southern France, and we don’t use any fertilizer of any kind,” says Dansr’s Michael Skinner, who is the exclusive U.S. distributor of Vandoren products. “And any cane they reject for whatever reasons – too small, bowed – they crush into mulch and put it back in the field.”

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This completely natural process is not the result of following some new trend, but a process that has been going on for 30 plus years. “Going way back, they did it because it made sense, and while today it makes even more sense, the family has always taken a big picture view of what they do. They take care not to hurt the water, for example. They see the net value of doing things the best way with regard to the planet.” That mentality goes all the way down to the packaging. He says their newest box is deceptively tall, but actually uses less material and is endorsed by the FSC. All the print on it is soy ink, and as for the reed itself, they use a light etching to mark the number rather than any ink on it. There’s a special cellophane wrap of a new grade, and very light. “Every reed is now individually wrapped, and the reed protector is PP5 recyclable and the whole thing is very environmentally sound.” Getting around the various buildings of the factory complex is done on electric vehicles, and the building is heated in part by rejected cane that is crushed and put into a high performance furnace.

same. Today that translates into a total of more than 20,000 employees at over 20 different business sites participating. “In our Asian offices and factories, we’ve promoted the ‘green eco curtain,’ planting vines right outside windows, which grow and provide shade. It doesn’t stop all the sunlight but is effective in reducing costs associated with cooling the facility. “In China, we have installed a wastewater treatment facility that allows us to reuse 90% of the water used in the production process. At an existing Multi-item_Ad_Mar11 4/1/11 main 12:55

piano factory in Kakegawa, Japan, an old boiler was switched out and replaced with a new cogeneration system that uses liquefied natural gas, thus resulting in the reduction of more than 3,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually. “In our Jakarta, Indonesia plant where we make combo products plus some B&O, we had the employees start planting trees in 2005, and after phase one, there were thousands planted.” A similar program is in its fifth year in Japan, which aims at restoring the Enshunada coastal forest. “On October 29, PM Page 1

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Yamaha In 2000, Yamaha launched its Corporate Social Responsibility program, devoting serious resources to it. “Within that program, we contribute to promoting music and musical culture, for example,” explains senior VP Rick Young. “But we also work on environmental issues. Creating a better society and corporate culture has been a priority, because in addition to the good that it does, we believe it contributes to better goods and services, and a better place for our people to work.” International companies think and act both locally and globally. Their employees are eco-responsible, helped by a Household Eco Account Book Smart Life Guide. In it, they record their personal use of electricity, and gas, et cetera., and, speaking from experience, “You become more aware of the energy you’re using and become encouraged to cut back,” Young says. “We’ve had more than 2,000 employees participating each year since 2003. “Since 1997, the Company has adopted ISO 14001 as the environmental management standards for ourselves and, by 2006, had all production-related companies who do business with Yamaha do the JULY 2012

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2011, 160 people planted 160 trees.” Yamaha also has something called Life Cycle Assessment. “We look at how the material is procured, the production, the transportation, the use, and the disposal to decide whether we can use different materials, whether we can make something lighter for more economical transport, and then we do it. For our A/V products, we look at the amount of

energy a unit consumes and see if we can reduce it. “Quite honestly, we haven’t done much promoting of our CSR,” admits Young. “We promote the quality of our instruments, the innovation, and the artists who use them.” As for the general population and if it matters what a corporation does and doesn’t do for the environment, “I think people are still coming

around. Some are way into it, and others don’t really care that they are getting a trumpet that is soldered with environmentally unsafe lead, for example. People buying instruments that are made from wood products like pianos and guitars are a little more aware, because it is easier to see the transition from trees in the forest to an instrument than the transition from ore to molded brass.”

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JULY 2012

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Summer NAMM Buyer’s Guide New and Notable Product Releases BAND & ORCHESTRA Baker Street Violin Case from Saga Musical Instruments The new Baker Street BK-4000 violin case is built on a shell of rigid, high-density foam, designed to insulate and protect any fine violin while keeping the weight down to a level that any airport traveler will surely appreciate. The stylish hounds tooth fabric exterior is durable, elegant, and emphasizes the contemporary – designed in a “half-moon” exterior shape. Each case includes a padded, suspended interior covered in a two-tone velour-like material color and matching blanket. Space for two bows is also provided, and there are multiple accessory pockets. www.sagamusic.com

BG Franck Bichon Duo Silver Ligature Because of the flexibility to use one ligature on two instruments-Bb clarinet and Alto saxophone, musicians are becoming more aware of the innovations in BG’s signature Duo Silver ligature. The unique mechanism on the Duo ligature allows for the size change between alto saxophone and Bb clarinet mouthpieces without jeopardizing the integrity of sound. Both the gold and silver plated Duos help produce a focused tone, provide stable intonation in all registers, and assist with precise articulation. The silver Duo differs from the gold Duo by having a more brilliant sound, whereas the gold Duo produces a warmer sound. www.bgfranckbichon.com

FRETTED GEAR TC Electronic BG250 Bass Combo The BG250 1x15” ultra-light bass combo’s new TonePrint concept offers signature tones created by an ever-expanding list of the famous bass players such as Nathan East (Eric Clapton, Fourplay, Toto), Charles Cave (White Lies), Michael Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age), Gail Ann Dorsey (Lenny Kravitz, David Bowie, Seal), and many more. BG250 provides 250 watts of power delivered through TC’s lightweight Class D amp technology (the amp weighs a portable 35 lbs.). The preamp features an integrated 5-string bass tuner, TubeDrive, and intelligently contoured Bass Tone controls. Other features include an Auxiliary input and headphone output and a balanced XLR output. The TonePrint feature is a flexible effect slot – the amp comes loaded with TC’s SCF Chorus as default, but numerous new bass effects can be downloaded from TC’s website. In addition to effects like Octaver, Compressor, and Overdrive, TC had some of the best bass players in the world tailor their own personal effects tones for anyone to grab, free of charge. To load new types of effects or the artist-made Bass TonePrints, users can simply hook up their amp to a computer via the included USB cable or transfer them directly from their smartphone using the TonePrint App for iOS and Android. Retail price: $399. www.tcelectronic.com 54 MMR

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AweSome SH3W-T4 Upgrade AweSome’s SH3W-T4 upgrade for Fender Select Series HSS Stratocaster allow users to get 76 pickup tones from the upgraded instrument. The upgrade con-

and contemporary music, along with nine Harmony 2-note interval settings and two Detune modes. The Whammy also includes 1/4-inch inputs and outputs, a MIDI input that allows control of the pedal from an external MIDI device, and a 9-volt DC power input. The Whammy employs high-quality 24-bit/96kHz analog-todigital and digital-to analog converters for clean, smooth pitch-bending sound. Retail price: $299.95. www.digitech.com

Levy’s Leathers Noir Straps Levy’s new Noir Straps are inspired by the scandalous city life of the 1930s. The designs feature an explosive cocktail of gambling, girls, and guns. Each guitar strap is 2” polyester with sublimation-printing, complementary leather ends, and tri-glide adjust-

tains AweSome’s T4-Switch, part of their revolutionary patented Pickup Switch Upgrade family of products. The upgrade is designed to make the instrument mimic virtually every electric guitar ever made, with settings for a Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, Jazzmaster, Les Paul Custom or Studio, Silvertone, National, Mosrite, Airline, Danelectro, Harmony, Kay, Maestro, Supro, Valco or many more, including signature sounds of famous guitarists. The upgrade product comes in four colors (3-ply white, black, white pearloid, brown tortoise) and is made to fit a standard American right-hand Select Series HSS Stratocaster or similar body. These pickguards are completely wired and designed to accept the standard pickups and installed with no soldering needed. www.awesome-guitars.com DigiTech Whammy with Chordal Pitch-Shifting Digitech’s new Whammy features the classic Whammy sound and moves to the next level by introducing chordal Whammy pitchshifting, additional Whammy intervals, and true bypass. The introduction of new possibilities with the Whammy pedal reinforces its legendary status of the pitch-shifting realm. The Whammy lets guitar and bass players raise and lower their tuning by up to two octaves, and it now incorporates new pitch-shifting technologies that enable the player to bend entire chords up or down while keeping all the notes in the chord perfectly in tune. The Whammy also keeps its signature Classic single-note mode that has made the pedal one of the most recognizable in rock JULY 2012

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ment. Pictured is model MPNN2 in six original designs. www.levysleathers.com Lollar Pickups’ “LollarTron” The LollarTron is a humbucker-sized pickup that channels the sound of a vintage Filter’Tron – A2 magnets, custom covers, and lots of attitude.

The pickup was based on classic rockabilly humbuckers like the ‘60s Country Gentleman, designed to cover everything from “OZ” rock to Nashville Super Pickers. Available in singles or sets, with nickel or gold covers. Starting at $175.00 each. www.lollarguitars.com Tech 21’s SansAmp Classic After a two-year hiatus in the manufacturing of the SansAmp Classic, Tech 21 is bringing the pedal back due to popular demand. The original SansAmp Classic

is B. Andrew Barta’s innovative invention which debuted in 1989. Currently, the SansAmp is available in 17 different models, including 8 in their SansAmp Character Series line. Of the pedal formats, SansAmp Classic is the most sophisticated. There is a bank of eight Character switches to adjust tonality, harmonics and dynamics; a 3-position input switch offers a choice of pre-amp styles; and four knob controls to shape pre-amp contours, power amp contours, volume and final tone. Retail price: $375.00. www.tech21nyc.com New Fender American Standards The American Standard Telecaster has been upgraded with a comfortable new body contour and classic-sounding Fender Custom Shop Twisted Tele® (neck) and Broadcaster (bridge) pickups. Lefthanded model also available. The American Standard Stratocaster has been upgraded with aged plastic parts

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and full-sounding Fender Custom Shop Fat ’50s pickups for the very essence of Stratocaster tone. Its high-output hot-rodded sibling, the American Standard Stratocaster HSS, has also been upgraded with aged plastic parts, with Fender Custom Shop Fat ’50s pickups in the neck and middle positions and a Diamondback™ humbucking bridge pickup for an added measure of muscle. Both instruments are also available in a left-handed model. The American Standard Precision Bass and five-string American Standard Precision Bass V are now upgraded with a seismic Fender Custom Shop ’60s Precision Bass split singlecoil pickup. The four-string version also comes in a striking new Jade Pearl Metallic finish option, and both basses are available in a left-handed model. The American Standard Jazz Bass, in right- and left-handed models, is now upgraded with Fender Custom Shop ’60s Jazz Bass single-coil pickups and a striking new Jade Pearl Metallic finish option. The five-string American Standard Jazz Bass V and the gracefully voiced American Standard Jazz Bass Fretless now feature the Custom Shop ’60s Jazz Bass single-coil pickups; the fretless model is also available in the new Jade Pearl Metallic finish. www.fender.com Fishman Triple Play Wireless Guitar Controller Triple Play™ is a composing, performance and recording system with an exceptionally slim and intuitive form factor, which allows fast, easy setup, so that guitarists can quickly have an unlimited palette of instruments and sounds at their fingertips. Guitarists now have the flexibility to compose with a wide range of instruments while getting full, accurate notation. Performers can use Triple Play to combine their guitar with any virtual instrument or hardware synthesizer to access a wide range of instruments, samples and sounds on stage so they can expand the depth and impact of live performances. JULY 2012

An easy way to integrate a guitar with DAW software, Triple Play quickly becomes a complete music recording and production tool. Guitarists can build entire arrangements with drums, bass, keyboards, horns, strings, voices and more, all from the Triple Play Wireless Guitar Controller. Triple Play comes with a Wireless Controller, Hexaphonic Pickup, and Wireless USB Receiver. The Controller and included software works with industry standard DAWs and Virtual Instruments and installs quickly on any electric guitar. The Triple Play system features several “hold” functions such as sustain, looping, and arpeggiators, along with string or fret splits for multiple instruments. Also included are Menu navigation controls for the included software and a Guitar synthesizer volume control. A Guitar, Mix, Synth switch is easily accessible during performances. A low profile design (less than .5”) allows the Controller to be left on the guitar and still fit in the case. It operates with a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery (included). Triple Play’s powered USB Wireless Receiver interfaces with computers or iOS devices. The system comes with a comprehensive Windows, OSX and iOS software bundle to get users started. www.fishman.com VOX AC4C1BL Guitar Amplifier The AC4C1-BL recreates a rare vintage look from VOX’s long amp history. Dating back to 1963, VOX offered optional custom colors. One of the more unique items of this era was the combination of a rich, blue vinyl matched to “domino-style” Tygon grille cloth, which serves as the inspiration for the new amps. Capable of massive crunch or the clean, classic VOX “chime,” the ZC30 Top Boost tone is deliverd by the AC4C1-BL combo amp in a portable, compact body. Gain control, Bass and Treble tone controls, and a Master Volume allow any player to easily recreate this historic sound. Using a Class A, all-tube design, the AC4C1-BL provides a Class A, all-tube design with a pair of 12AX7 preamp tubes and relies on a single EL84 Power tube to deliver 4 Watts of power through a 10” Celestion VX 10 Speaker. Retail price: $299.99 www.voxusa.com JULY 2012

SpongeBob SquarePants Instruments John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd., trade distributor of SpongeBob SquarePants ‘Real Musical Instruments’ recently announced the introduction of the new SpongeBob SquarePants ukulele. The SBUG12 is a popular shaped nylon strung, tuneable wooden Ukulele which is adorned with SpongeBob and his best friends, Patrick and Garyrunning in their very own “SpongeBob Games.” Retail priced at $29.99.

Games Instruments also now offers the limited edition SpongeBob “Shaker Pack,” a set of hand-held egg shaped shakers, colorful wooden maracas, or lead the beat with the SpongeBob tambourine, all in its own handy carry bag. Retail price: $29.99 (Ukulele), $19.99 (Shaker Pack). www.jhs.co.uk

M A X I M U M

Blackstar ID: Series Programmable Amps This new series of affordable amps represents the culmination of over seven years of technical research and development to redefine what guitarists can expect from amps of this price point. Each amp in the Series (60W combo; 2x60W combo; 60W head; 100W head) has a control set like a traditional amp, coupled with versatile programmability and USB connectivity. New proprietary True Valve Power (TVP) technology deesigned deliver in a live environment at the same performance level as a tube amp. Blackstar’s True Valve Power™ mode reproduces six distinct power tube responses - EL84, 6V6, EL34, KT66, 6L6, KT88. The Voice control offers a selection of six channels - Clean Warm, Clean Bright, Crunch, Super Crunch,

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OD1, OD2. The effects section delivers studio quality modulation, delay and reverb effects that can be used simultaneously and stored with user sounds. Deep editing and storing of up to 128 patches can be easily done using the supplied Blackstar GUI software and USB connector. Patches can then be shared and uploaded/downloaded via the online community. The USB connector also allows for direct recording to a computer, or re-amping guitar tracks. www.blackstaramps.com

Saint Blues Delta Blues Box The Delta Blues Box line initially will consist of a 4-string and a 3-string cigar box guitar. Each uses real recycled cigar boxes, including special sizes of Arturo Fuente and Punch boxes. The 4-string is a 24¾” scale guitar tuned to Open G (G

D G B) with a custom D’Addario string set (.045 bass string, .026w, .017p, .013p). It features a custom wired 1 3/8” Piezo transducer, bolt-on maple neck with medium frets, bone nut and bridge, and Grover tuners. The 3-string version is tuned to an Open Chord scale or Dulcimer fretted so there are no sharps or flats. Perfect for the budding blues musician starting out. It is a 24¾” scale, tuned to Open G (G D G) with custom D’Addario String Set (.026w, .017p, .013p). It features a custom wired 1 3/8” Piezo transducer, bolt-on maple neck with medium frets, bone nut and bridge, and Grover tuners. www.saintblues.com SHS Indy Custom Guitars SHS International’s three new Indy Custom models offer up a host of features unheard at their respective price range. These guitars offer a quality hardshell case, a

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USA-made 2 ½” leather guitar strap, and a laminated “Certificate of Authenticity” that includes the model number, serial number, and date of manufacture. Rare for an imported guitar, the models feature a slim C-Shape neck with a 7.25 fret radius and an etched neck plate with engraved serial number. Retail price: $319.95. www.shop-shs.com

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PRS Guitars Collection Series III For the third installment in PRS Guitars’ Collection Series, the company introduces the Series III Collection McCarty Semi-Hollow electric and the Series III Collection Grand acoustic. These instruments are available via exclusive PRS Collection dealers. The Series III Collection McCarty Semi-Hollow Electric features a curly Maple top with two “F” holes, ribboned JULY 2012

African Mahogany back, 22 fret 25” scale, a Pernambuco pattern thin neck, African Blackwood fingerboard with 14K gold and white gold collection Celtic inlays, an African Blackwood headstock veneer with 14K gold signature and white gold “Collection” inlay, African Blackwood truss rod cover, 14K gold sidedots, Phase III locking tuners with ivoroid buttons, a PRS stoptail, uncovered collection 57/08 treble and bass pickups with new PRS bobbins, Volume and Tone Control with 3-Way Toggle Pickup Switch, and an Espresso Finish with Mircoburst. The Series III Collection Collection Grand Acoustic features 16” Collection Grand Body, Proprietary Hybrid X bracing, Adirondack Spruce top with Paua Heart/Black Purfling and figured Curly Maple binding, 14K gold Rosette quilted maple back and sides with black/maple/ black Purfling curly maple “wide” neck, ebony fingerboard with Paua Heart, 14K Gold, and Mammoth Ivory Collection Celtic Inlays, ebony headstock veneer hand-signed by Paul Reed Smith with Mammoth Ivory “Collection” inlay, Paua Heart Purfling on the fingerboard and veneer, ebony bridge and bridge pins with mammoth ivory inlays, bone nut and saddle, Robson tuning pegs with Ivoroid buttons, proprietary PRS Acoustic Pickup System, and an Espresso Finish with Microburst. www.prsguitars.com Deluxe Memory Man 550-TT from Electro-Harmonix 550 stands for the new Deluxe Memory Man’s maximum delay time in milliseconds and that’s the same spec as the classic Deluxe Memory Man. Tap Tempo guarantees that musicians are always in sync with the groove, wherever a performance (or the rhythm section) goes. Five Tap Divide subdivisions deliver rhythmic variation while an Expression Pedal input provides real-time player control over Blend, Rate, Depth, Feedback and Delay. The FX Loop allows users to insert effects into the wet signal without changing the dry signal. www.ehx.com JULY 2012

LIGHT AND SOUND Audio-Technica ATH-ANC9 Quietpoint Active NoiseCancelling Headphones The ATH-ANC9 offers new features including exclusive Tri Level Cancellation selectable noise-cancellation settings, an inline microphone and controller for answering calls and controlling music, and additional enhancements. The ATH-ANC9 blocks up to 95% of

outside noise - the highest ANC performance ever achieved by Audio-Technica QuietPoint headphones. Audio-Technica’s new Tri-Level Cancellation provides three preset filters for noise reduction of up to 30 dB over a wide range of environmental noise conditions. Mode 1 is ideal for use on airplanes, trains and buses and applies maximum noise-cancellation to low frequencies. Mode 2 is designed especially for use in noisy of-

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fices and crowded places, and targets midrange frequencies. Mode 3 is best for already-quiet locations like libraries and creates a pristine, peaceful environment ideal for study. The mic and controller support select products including the iPhone, iPad and many iPod models. The microphone has an omnidirectional pickup pattern (it picks up sound from all directions) and is designed for high-quality, intelligible response. The ATH-ANC9 has replaceable memory foam earpads. The headphones fold flat for storage and come with two detachable cables (with and without inline controller), a 1/4-inch adapter, an airline adapter, a hard carrying case and an AAA battery. Retail price: $349.95. www.shopaudiotechnica.com Tri-Technical Systems AIMsi v10 With this new release of the AIMsi software, Tri-Tech has built upon its already strong foundation of PC based POS software. Advanced features include a newly revamped interface between AIMsi and Tri-Tech’s website solution, Active-e, for online rentals. This new user interface will save stores hours of setup and en-

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hance the customer experience. Additionally, users can now create a favorites list of their most frequently used reports. Report searching and filtering criteria can also be recalled to save user time. A complete list of enhancements can be viewed online.

AIMsi is a complete point of sale (POS), inventory management, accounting and business software application. V10 is PADSS certified and uses tokenization for credit card and auto pay processing. The software offers retailers not only a way to control inventory, manage customers and track sales, but also offers fully integrated custom add-on modules such as Repair & Service tracking, lesson scheduling, short term rentals, rent and sales contracts, contact management, emailing capabilities, and a time scheduler. www.technology4retailers.com Chauvet COLORbar SMD Powered by 648 tri-colored SMD LEDs, COLORbar SMD is a bright, road-ready

fixture with built-in automatic and soundactivated programs that offer color mixing and project static colors and chase effects. COLORbar SMD features eight sections of individual control to offer pixel-mapping capabilities for custom light shows. Chauvet’s ShowXpress tool, featuring pixel control, makes it easy to create dynamic chases, animations and strobe effects using a matrix of multiple units.

COLORbar SMD includes 3- and 5-pin DMX connections for installation flexibility, while a locking IEC plug secures the power cord in place. Save time running cables and easily build a COLORbar™ SMD matrix by power linking up to three units. www.chauvetlighting.com IK Multimedia’s iRig MIX iRig™ MIX is the first ultra-compact DJ and audio mixer for the iPad, iPhone, and the iPod touch. With its unique miniaturized form factor and exclusive features, designed to be used with the entire range of portable iOS devices, iRig MIX brings a new meaning to the concept of mobile DJ-ing. iRig MIX has everything a pro DJ needs, including full EQ adjustment, crossfader, headphone cue and a mic input. Using DJ Rig or other popular DJ apps, users can record their performance and share with friends, publish or distribute at the event. DJs can choose either a traditional setup with two devices (one plugged into each of the independent channels) OR a single iOS device. For the first time on any mixer - iRig MIX can be used for mixing any type of audio source (coming from mp3 players, CD players, etc.) with an iOS device using automatic tempo matching and beat syncing. iRig MIX includes 4 free apps: DJ Rig, the new professional DJ mixing app from IK, AmpliTube, the most popular iOS guitar amp and effects app, VocaLive the processing app for singers and vocalists, and GrooveMaker, the loop-based JULY 2012

beat and groove making app. Retail price: $99.99. www.irigmix.com Genelec Monitor and 5040A Active Subwoofer in Dark “Mystic” Black The Genelec 5040A subwoofer extends the LF response down to 35 Hz with clear bass articulation, due in large part to this design. The playback level for the whole system is controlled by remote volume control. With five main input/output channels and a dedicated LFE channel with 85/120 Hz reproduction bandwidth selection, the subwoofer works in combination with Genelec’s 6010A monitors to fulfill the needs of 5.1 productions. The 5040A is designed to complement up to five of Genelec’s 6010A active monitors in stereo and surround applications, or a pair of the slightly larger 8020A’s in a stereo configuration. The subwoofer

features a single 6 1/2” proprietary driver with a 40-Watt power amplifier. It has a frequency response from 35 - 85 Hz (±3 dB), and the ability to deliver short-term sine wave of 96 dB SPL. The built-in crossover unit features six RCA input connectors for five main channels and LFE channel and five RCA output connectors for the 6010A monitors. The main channels have a fixed high pass filter to work with the Genelec 6010A while the LFE channel can reproduce signals up to 120 Hz. In addition to the RCA input connectors, a 3.5 mm stereo jack input connector is also active. Retail price: $395.00. www.genelecusa.com Avalon Loudspeakers from EAW Avalon by EAW represents a radical departure from all previous dance club loudspeaker systems, putting cuttingedge acoustical technology in a package that appeals to the designconscious dance club market. The industrial design turns the loudspeaker JULY 2012

inside-out, mounting the exposed mid/ high horn in front of the grille. And the concave grille – sculpted in clean, straight lines – expresses the bilateral symmetry that unifies the design. The new products released include the CLUB.two and CLUB.three. Each is a three-way system using a hornloaded, ultra-efficient, coaxial mid/high compression driver. The CLUB.two includes four 12-inch LF cone transducers mounted in a vertically and horizontally symmetrical pattern and axially aligned with the mid/high section. The CLUB.

three uses a single, powerful 15-in LF cone mounted in a triaxial configuration behind the mid/high section. In both cases, the symmetry allows for the application of slight mid/high delay to produce an apparent unified origin, as if output across the entire frequency range were originating from a single point. www.eaw.com Line 6 XD-V Series Designed for professional vocalists and performers, the new flagship XD-V75 line includes handheld, lavalier, headset

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and bodypack digital wireless systems. The family offers pure, reliable, 24-bit sound and features like signal encryption, dynamic filters, gain control, channel scanning and more to handle the most complex applications. Utilizing the same 4th-generation digital wireless platform as the XD-V75, the compact and portable XD-V35 family includes handheld and lavalier systems. XD-V systems all feature 10Hz - 20kHz frequency response and wide dynamic range (up to >120 dB). Line 6 digital wireless technology does not use companders or compress the audio signal in any way, and audio quality does not degrade with distance. XD-V systems operate in the 2.4GHz band, which is free from interference due to TV broadcast, public safety announcements, cell phone towers and other transmitting devices. Encoded DCL (Digital Chan-

nel Lock) technology prevents reception of any audio interference from other 2.4 GHz devices. XD-V handheld systems feature a selection of up to 10 models of popular vocal microphones. For active spoken-word performers, instrumentalists or singers who require a hands-free solution, XD-V bodypack systems offer selectable EQ filter models, tailored for a wide range of vocal and instrumental applications. XD-V75 family features: 14 channels; 300-foot range, 1/2U rack receiver with built-in antenna distribution system; heavy-duty metal chassis; rackmount kit. XD-V35 family features: 6 channels; 275-foot range; desktop receiver with internally mounted antennas; metal and polycarbonate chassis. Retail price: $419.99 - $839.99. www.line6.com Universal Audio 1176 Classic Limiter Collection The new 1176 Classic Limiter Plug-In Collection models the Bill Putnam Sr.-designed FET limiter’s entire electronic path from stem to stern — including its transformers, FET and bipolar transistor ampli-

fiers, and input/output distortion — and boasts improvements to its gain reduction nonlinearities and Attack/Release fits. The 1176 Limiter Plug-In Collection provides three distinct 1176 revisions, representing over 40 years of design iterations. The Rev A “Bluestripe” represents the original Putnam FET limiter design, complete with its higher distortion and unique FET gain amplifier characteristics. The Rev E “Blackface” covers the early 70’s / Brad Plunkett “LN” (Low Noise) era of the 1176 circuit lineage, with a more linear compression response, transistor gain amplification, and a change to the program dependency. The 1176AE emulates UA’s rare 1176 40th Anniversary Edition, complete with exclusive “hot-rod” mods — including its lower 2:1 compression ratio and a fixed “super slow” 10ms attack mode.

Also included in the 1176 Classic Limiter Plug-In Collection are handcrafted presets from some legendary 1176 enthusiasts: Ed Cherney (Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt), Joe Chiccarelli (The White Stripes, The Killers), Carl Glanville (U2), David Isaac (Marcus Miller, Luther Vandross), Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones), Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Norah Jones), Hugo Nicolson (Radiohead, Björk), Vance Powell (The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs), and Andrew Scheps (Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers). The 1176 Classic Limiter Collection is now available as part of the newUAD Software v6.2 release, and can be purchased for $299 viaUA’s Online Store, or for $149 for current owners of the original 1176LN Limiting Amplifier Plug-In. www.uaudio.com CAD Audio AS32 Acousti-shield The CAD Audio AS32 Acousti-shield was developed as an easy to use, highly flexible device for great recordings. When effectively utilized, it can substantially reduce unwanted reflections, echo flutter and environmental acoustic interference. The AS32 Acousti-Shield is constructed from a high quality 16 gauge perforated stainless steel shield mated to 53mm high-density micro cell acous-

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perience, and a dual black/red design. Retail price: $99.99. www.wickedaudio.com

tic foam, resulting in a dry recording environment. The AS32 Acousti-shield is supplied with mounting hardware to adapt to most microphones for easy, flexible placement allowing for creative control of the recording environment. Retail price: $129. www.cadaudio.com Rocktron DreamGig System Offering a system approach to complete control of live performance aspects, including lyrics, tab, sheet music, and set lists, as well as MIDI messages to control lighting, backing tracks and effects

processing, the DreamGig is an expandable setup. Free software can be downloaded that allows a “test drive” of the DreamGig. By adding a DreamGig foot controller, such as the DGC1 or DGC2, the software is then completely unlocked and countless songs can be added to the system. DreamGig LCD Monitor stands, Laptop stands, and LCD Monitor cabinets can be utilized as part of the DreamGig System, allowing further control on stage and viewing of all song lyrics, set lists and tab, as well as sheet music. www.rocktrondreamgig.com

Cubik Speakers from Palo Alto Audio Designed by Inno Design (winners of the Red-dot, International Forum of Design, Good Design and Idea awards) these speakers feature lossless Full-digital USB streaming and full-digital amplification technology. The Cubik uses a highend Danish designed Peerless™ speaker unit that is rarely found in computer speakers. The 2.5” metal cone full range driver produces unbelievable bass and crisp high frequency sound comparable to multi-way speaker systems. Retail price: $199.95. www.paloaltoaudio.com Alto Truesonic Wireless Loudspeakers The Truesonic Wireless TS112W and TS115W powered speakers provide musicians and live sound engineers with exceptionally clean, transparent sound from wired or wireless sources. The Truesonic Wireless TS112W and TS115W, are two-way 12” and 15” models respectively. With 800 watts of Class

D power and an SPL of 125 dB for the TS112W and 126 dB for the TS115W, the speakers offer more power and performance than any other loudspeaker in their class. The Truesonic Wireless line simplifies the connection to multiple devices with the ability to play audio from any Bluetooth audio-equipped device such as an iPad, iPod touch, iPhone or other smart phone. In addition, both TS112W and TS115W include two Mic/Line Female XLR - 1/4” combo inputs with independent gain controls so it’s easy to get up and running with just about any audio source. Retail price: $549 (TS115W) and $499 (TS112W). www.altoprofessional.com Korg MP-10 PRO The MP-10 Pro features two independent media song players. Each is able to play both MP3 and MIDI files directly from a 120 GB internal hard drive. The motorized 60-mm crossfader allows for DJ-style mixing. Songs can be saved into multiple playlists, and the database can be sorted using any criteria. As a MIDI instrument, the MP-10 Pro can play MIDI files from the song players.

Wicked Audio Solus Headphones These new headphones from Wicked Audio feature and adjustable headband and padded earcups, a built-in DJ switch to change from stereo and DJ sound, a braided cord for tangle-free traveling ex-

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The internal sound engine uses the same EDS (Enhanced Definition Synthesis) found in the Korg M3 Music Workstation and can also be played from an external MIDI controller or instrument. The front panel offers four assignable performance pads for triggering sound effects and musical phrases. Numerous on-board effects are available for the internal players and MIDI engine. For the entertainer, singer or MC, the MP-10 Pro is equipped with a TC Helicon vocal processor offering compression, EQ and delay.

The MP-10 Pro features Korg’s huge color TouchView™ display for extreme ease of use. A comprehensive set of connections provides maximum versatility. In addition to the PC keyboard, MIDI and USB connections, there are two XLR microphone inputs and two USB host connections to accommodate external media.

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The composite video output allows users to provide karaoke lyric display, or to mimic the touch screen display on an external monitor. Retail price: $1900 www.korg.com American Audio VMS4.1 The VMS4.1 is a next-generation version of American Audio’s versatile VMS4 MIDI controller and analog mixer that offers better audio quality and faster processing while retaining all the great DJ performance-enhancing features of the original. The system can be bundled that with the user’s choice of TRAKTOR American Audio VMS4 Edition or Virtual DJ LE software. At the heart of the new VMS4.1 is American Audio’s exclusive studio-quality DSP D-Core Audio Engine, which allows the unit to run more smoothly and process audio faster than ever before. Another new feature is a built-in 4 In/4 Out Sound Card. The VMS4.1 offers improved audio quality with significantly upgraded mic sound and four times more output capacity. It has a stronger face mounting than its predecessor and brighter LEDs on all of the

control knobs and buttons. The VMS4.1’s advanced cell-phone interface shielding makes the unit even more reliable, guaranteeing interference-free operation in any environment. The VMS4.1 offers 4 selectable dual-purpose MIDILOG (MIDI + analog) channels that are compatible with any MIDI software as well as traditional audio inputs. That means it can be used with a computer (Mac or PC) for digital DJ-ing or as a regular mixer with turntables and CD players. The user-friendly interface of the VMS4.1 features 2 jog wheels, a builtin mousepad that allows DJs to make all of their selections right from the top of the unit (instead of their laptop), and 2

microphone channels with gain/treble/ mid/bass EQs. Each of the mixer’s four channels is fortified with gain, treble,

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mid and bass controls. The mixer itself offers the option of being used with an Innofader replacement crossfader (sold separately), which is typically found only on high-end professional DJ gear. Compact and portable, the VMS4.1 measures 19” by 12.75” by 1.5” (482 x 325 x 40mm) and weighs just 13 lbs. (6kg). Retail price: $699.95 (with Virtual DJ LE); $899.95 (with TRAKTOR American Audio VMS4 Edition). www.adjaudio.com Eminence Alpha 6CBMRA From the high-performance and highvalue American Standard series, the Alpha 6CBMRA is a 100 watt, 6.5” mid/woofer with a usable frequency range of 400Hz to 5kHz. The sealed, stamped steel basket eliminates the need for separate sub-enclosures. With its sealed basket and smooth frequency response, the Alpha 6CBMRA is designed for pro audio enclosures or cars while keeping acoustic integration with any system simple. www.Eminence.com

PERCUSSION TRX Cymbal Mallets TRX Cymbals’ deluxe, new Cymbal Mallets are custom-crafted from to provide superior sound and performance in a wide variety of drumming situations. The two-color, soft yarn heads are individually hand-wound by drummer/ educator and mallet specialist Adam Argullin and attached to premium-grade, southern hickory drumstick handles that feature distinctive, color graphics. TRX uses yarn instead of felt to produce a fuller sound from all types of cymbals and drumstick handles instead of birch, rattan or fiberglass to provide a more natural feel for drumset players. Retail price: $50.00. www.trxcymbals.com Bobmaster Sticks from Grover Pro Grover Pro’s new Bopmaster model of SilverFox “Custom Hickory” line of JULY 2012

drum sticks measures 16.25” long with a .515”” butt diameter and a .236” neck. Designed specifically for jazz players, this model features an elongated oval shape tip, perfect for clarity of definition on ride cymbals. Made of hand-select US hickory, the Bopmaster is finished using SilverFox’s proprietary “Duracrylyx”™ finish, which results in a stick that is both significantly stronger, and longer lasting than ordinary lacquer finished drum sticks. www.groverpro.com

Brady Drums ‘Walkabout’ Series The Walkabout Series is the personal project of Brady Drum Company founder, Chris Brady, who travels deep into the remote deserts and forests of Australia to hand select small volumes of rare, indigenous timber species’ previously never seen in the drum industry for limited edi-

Meeting the Needs of Students for More Than 30 Years ... Our Best-Selling SV-175 Cremona Violin! Cremona bowed instruments have set the pace for the vibrant student and rental markets for over 30 years. Strict adherence to international sizing requirements, domestic educational set-up standards and continuous quality improvement have made Cremona Violins, Violas, Basses and Cellos proven sales leaders. Our best-selling, ebony fitted SV-175 Cremona Premier Violin Outfit has recently been upgraded to include the J.LaSalle LB-13 Octagonal Bow and the TL-33 deluxe rectangular Travelite case.

Cremona SV-175 Violin Outfit: •All-solid carved, graduated construction •Seven sizes from 4⁄4 to 1⁄16 •Long lasting ebony fittings •Finetuner tailpiece for precise, easy tuning •Rugged TL-33 Travelite case •Well-balanced J.LaSalle LB-13 bow with ebony frog

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tion sets, rarities and one-of-a-kind block and ply shell snare drums. The newest additions to this collection include two Karijini Finish snare drum, ten Australian Cedar Wattle (Acacia Elata) Block snare drums, and two Brown Mallet (Eucalyptus Astringens) Ply snare drums. www.bradydrums.com.au Sonor’s Perfect Balance by Jojo Mayer Sonor recently announced an a product collaboration with Jojo Mayere – the Perfect Balance Bass Drum Pedal. The pedal was designed to achieve perfect harmony and interplay between the pedal’s moving parts and the drummer’s foot. Other than the pedal’s unique folding and mounting mechanism, all adjustments such as spring tension, footboard height and beater angle reflect classic industry standards. The pedal’s features include a low mass drive system, where the drive cam and beater hub are combined in a single unit for low mass and carefully calibrated for perfectly balanced strokes. ve cam and beater hub are streamlined into a single unit for low mass and carefully calibrated for perfectly balanced strokes and linear acceleration. It also features a ballistic fiber strab, an elongated footboard, a folding mechanism

for easy transportation, and a self-mounting clamp. www.jojopedal.com Yamaha Power-Lite Series Ideal for musical situations requiring exceptional sound and lightweight design, the Power-Lite Series Bass Drums feature shallow depths, making them easy to carry. The 9-ply birch-ply shell is manufactured with Yamaha’s exclusive Air-Seal system to help ensure a warm tone and includes sound impact strips to

provide for improved sound clarity and ease of tuning. With sizes ranging from 16” – 28”, all 6300 Power-Lite Series Bass Drums also come standard with white REMO Ambassador bass drumheads. Offering traditional sound with simple operation, the Power-Lite marching snare drum now comes in two different sizes, 13x11(MS-6313) and 14x12 (MS-6314). The 6-ply birch-ply shell is complemented with 1.6mm, triple flange steel rims and zinc alloy lug casings with reinforced walls and webbing for superior strength, flexibility and portability. It also features

Yamaha’s Air Seal System for a pure, fundamental tone. The snare also features 20-strand, high-carbon steel wires for a crisp response and bright sound, as well as three protective feet and an ET carrier clip for easy, quick and secure attachment. Retail prices range from $410 to $1,068 for MS-6313W Snare Drums with carrier, stand and case options; $904 to $1,780 for 6300 Series Multi-Toms with carrier, stand and case options; and $480 to $1,418 for 6300 Power-Lite Series Bass Drums with carrier, stand and case options. www.yamaha.com New Randall May Airlift Products Randall May International’s exclusive and patented Airlift™ system powers conventional stands with an internal customized gas spring, allowing the user to effortlessly raise and lower percussion products, PA speakers, guitar amps and large wind instruments quickly and safely with the touch of a finger. DW released its new Airlift powered 9000 Series Tom Stand and Snare Stand at NAMM, and the newest Randall May Airlift stand products were exhibited for the first time at the 2012 Frankfurt Musikmesse by Latin Percussion and Tycoon in several of their stands. Licenses for the Airlift system were signed with all three companies earlier this year and more are expected. Yamaha also uses the Airlift system in its larger Stadium Hardware by May products. The technology recently won a MIPA Award (Musikmesse International Press Award) at the 2012 Musikmesse conference in the Drum Hardware category for the DW Airlift Tom Stand. www.randallmay.com Vic Firth’s Keith Carlock Signature Stick Crafted in hickory, the Keith Carlock Signature Stick features a compressed tear drop tip. The small size of the tip creates a precise and crisp sound quality, while the characteristic tear drop surface area allows the drums and cymbals

to speak in warm tones. The fast sloping taper generates a superior bounce that makes playing doubles and singles vir66 MMR

See us at NAMM Booth 1420

JULY 2012

tually effortless. #SKC; L = 16”, Dia. = .555.” Retail price: $16.50 www.vicfirth.com

PIANO AND KEYBOARD Samson Carbon 49 USB MIDI Controller Designed with the iPad® in mind, the Carbon 49 can be used with anyone’s favorite music apps, providing full production control in an easy-to-use & versatile USB MIDI controller. The Carbon 49 offers players a semi-weighted keyboard comparable in feel to that of pro-level instruments. In addition, the Carbon 49’s dedicated Transpose and Octave buttons, as well as its classic Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels, allow users to expand the keyboard and enhance your overall musical expression. For easy editing, players can use the Shift key to adjust up to 14 performancerelated control parameters. Also, the Car-

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bon 49’s 3-digit, 7-segment LCD, displays the behavior of every function in realtime. For added versatility, the Carbon 49 includes traditional MIDI out, sustain pedal input and USB connections. Designed with the iPad in mind, the Carbon 49 features an integrated iPad slot and can be used with your favorite MIDI apps via Apple’s iPad Camera Connection Kit. The Carbon 49 can even be directly powered by the iPad. In addition, the Carbon 49 comes with Native Instruments’ Komplete Elements software, offers a comprehensive selection of studio-quality sounds, effects and tools for modern music production, composition and sound design for Mac OS X or Windows desktops. Retail price: $89. www.samsontech.com

PRINT AND VIDEO Neil Peart Drums Vol. 2: The Grooves from Sonic Reality Legendary drummer of Rush Neil Peart and Grammy-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz have teamed up with music software developer Sonic Reality to create the new Neil Peart Drums Vol. 2: The Grooves

sound collection. Over 600 grooves performed by Peart are now available in a variety of loop formats such as Rex, Apple Loops, Acidized Wave, R.A.W., Stylus RMX and more to come. Musicians can

use these drum grooves to write their own music, practice, jam or play Rush covers inside their computer recording software or iPads and mobile devices. www.sonicreality.com

Beyond Beatmatching: Take Your DJ Career to the Next Level from Mixed In Key Beyond Beatmatching: Take Your DJ Career to the Next Level is a book that gets deep into the craft and business of professional DJing. Authors Yakov Vorobyev and Eric Coomes have more than 20 years combined experience in the professional DJ business. Vorobyev is also president of Mixed In Key,

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bling your team. Other topics covered include how to create mashups, how to adjust your set to fit the venue and au-

makers of the industry-standard harmonicmixing software for DJs. Beyond Beatmatching covers Harmonic mixing, putting sets together understanding the nightlife industry, getting gigs as a DJ: Get booked at clubs and festivals, building your brand: Increase your popularity on the club scene, how to build the perfect DJ laptop, and assem-

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dience; and how to use social media to reach more people, curate your brand, and expand your fan base. The book also contains in-depth interviews with key DJs, managers, innovators and executives, including Markus Schulz, Sasha, A-list manager Ash Pournouri, talent booker Biz Martinez, and marketing guru Karl Detken. www.mixedinkey.com/book James Matheson’s Pound for Solo Piano The 2011 recipient of the Charles Ives Living Award, James Matheson, wrote Pound at the request of pianist Xak Bjerken. Matheson wrote Pound in hopes that it would be nearly impossible to play, and yet, Bjerken took to it with ease. Written in three movements, Pound creates the illusion of two pianos, and is meant to be played without pause, totaling approximately 11 minutes. For advanced players. Retail price: $14.99. www.theodorepresser.com

The Art of Instrumental Accompanying: A Practical Guide for the Collaborative Pianist from Carl Fischer The Art of Instrumental Accompanying: A Practical Guide for the Collaborative Pianist intended for pianists with different levels of experience. The Art of Instrumental Accompanying serves as an introduction for pianists who have started learning how to accompany major students, and also for teachers who might be interested in considering these reflections and examples. The author’s aim is to introduce prospective accompanists to some practical tools and concepts that will improve their skills and provide a systematic and hierarchical understanding of pertinent ensemble issues. Retail price: $39.99. www.carlfischer.com Beethoven’s Wig: Sing Along Piano Classics from Alfred Music Beethoven’s Wig: Sing Along Piano Classics is a book and CD set of 13 wildly imaginaJULY 2012

tive sing-along songs set to some of the greatest masterpieces of classical piano music. Written by Richard Perlmutter, the zany lyrics in Beethoven’s Wig: Sing Along Piano Classics are filled with fact and fancy about the world’s most notable composers and their masterpieces. Designed for piano and vocal students or for family and friends, the songbook aims to open a doors to serious music in a way that’s fun with titles like “I Can’t Sleep” (Brahms’ Lullaby), “Minuet for My Pet” (Minuet in G), “Mozart Makes Kids Smart” (Alla Turca), and many more. The collection includes all the songs from the original Beethoven’s Wig: Piano Classics recording, which is included with the book. This songbook is printed on 100% recycled paper. Retail price: $14.99. www.alfred.com.

Desktop Mastering from Hal Leonard Desktop Mastering is a conceptual guide, intertwining a broad range of knowledge regarding audio engineering principles and practical applications for those wishing to enhance their own as well as their clients’ work. In addition to providing a step-by-step survey of a successful mastering plug-in chain, Desktop Mastering covers real-world practical applications and the fundamentals of audio and electronics. Also included is a personal guide to the business of mastering and leveraging emerging social networks for positive personal and business results. Retail price: $29.99. www.halleonard.com

ries, as well as the Jelly Fish, Dual Gem LED, Jewel LED, Vio Moon LED, Sunray LED, X-Series and many more. The Arriba AC-125, which measures 13” x 13” x 14”(330 x 330 x 355 mm), can house lights ranging from the 64 LED Pro and PROPAR Series par cans, to classic-design fixtures like the Aggressor TRI LED, to the popular Revo LED moonflower series. Another

feature that makes the AC-125 extremely versatile is that comes with an adjustable padded divider which allows two smaller fixtures. Both the AC115 and AC-125 have a convenient feature that allows you to tell immediately what’s inside. Both cases are equipped with large “view windows’ that allow you to quickly identify the fixtures in each bag, so there’s no guesswork.

HUNTER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

FULL LINE QUALITY INSTRUMENTS FOR BAND & ORCHESTRA

CASES AND STANDS Arriba Cases’ AC-115 and AC125 Lighting Fixture Cases Two soft-shell gear bags from Arriba Cases, the AC-115 and AC-125, have proven to be versatile workhorses, as together they can accommodate more than 75 different American DJ mobile lighting fixtures. Measuring 9.5” x 9.5” x 13”(241 x 241 x 330 mm), the Arriba AC-115 can fit ADJ’s top-selling Galaxian laser seJULY 2012

QUALITY BAND INSTRUMENTS FROM HUNTER

Provide your customers with the highest quality instruments and the best possible price points. Hunter offers a full line of instruments that are made to the best standards. Call us today to find out how you can profit from Hunter Musical Instruments. Fast shipping available from our New York warehouse.

HUNTER NEW YORK

3300 Northern Blvd., Long Island City, NY 11101 (718)706-0828 ■ FAX (718)706-0128 ■ www.huntermusical.com See us at NAMM Booth 828

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The Arriba AC-115 has an MSRP of $39.95, while the Arriba AC-125 carries an MSRP of $45.95. www.arribacase.com Madarozzo Gig Bag Couture Designed from scratch, the Madarozzo 2012 Gig Bag Couture now comprises a staggering 250 different products available in a variety of designs, feature sets, price points and colors. These include bags that will fit everything from soprano ukulele, concert ukulele and banjo to all standard acoustic and electric guitar shapes. Madarozzo also manufacturers bags for acoustic bass, V-shaped electric guitars, and semi-acoustic guitars along with headless and supersize jumbos, as well as bags for more unusual shapes. Players wanting to transport more than one guitar are also covered with bags that accommodate two electric guitars or two electric basses. All bags, which offer headstock, bridge and endpin protection zones are made from luggage grade Polyester and feature soft, non-scratch lining. Other features include a luxury padded handle and mobile phone pouch, while some offer a professional backpack system, anti-wear base protector panels and up to 40mm ultra thick padding. www.madarozzo.com Hérgét Guitar Gig Bags The Hérgét range is an top-of-the-range collection of British designed musical instrument bags that offer a retro-fashion look,

incorporating leatherette applications with professional backpack system and waist strap. The range offers a detachable mp3/cell phone pouch, reflective safety strips and bindings, all-around super-jumbo piping, and ample of storage space. Other features are an anti-wear base protector panel with added diamond bumpers, polyester bridge and headstock protectors, polyester end-pin protection, large neck positioned pedal pouch, large A4 music pouch, and additional front accessory pocket with a high density padded lap-top pouch. Made from luggage grade 1680D Polyester, the Hérgét range is offered in Black and Olive Green, and features 40mm ultra thick padding and soft non-scratch lining. The line is available for classical guitar, dreadnought guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar and a universal fit for banjo. www.herget.co G-PA Transport Case from Gator Gator Cases’ new G-PA TRANSPORT case provides a simple storage and transport solution for compact portable P.A. systems such as the Fender Passport series. The G-PA TRANPORT case’s lightweight design features a thick plywood frame covered in a durable high denier nylon covering, providing heavy-duty protection in a lightweight package. The main compartment includes thick foam padding to cushion and protect a P.A. system and a large exterior pocket provides convenient storage for cables and accessories. The PA Transport case includes both thick webbed side carry handles and a rugged retractable pull handle with wheels. Available in two sizes the G-PA TRANSPORT-SM fits the Fender Passport 150 and the G-PA TRANSPORT-LG fits larger systems like the Passport 300 & 500. A removable foam divider is also included for use with the Yamaha STAGEPAS system. www.gatorcases.com Cooperstands DuroPro ABS Guitar Stands The DuroPro line is a color version of the popular Cooperstand Ecco-G stand. Coopercopia’s ABS stands have all the same features as the popular African Sapele Pro-G guitar stand. Fabricated from industrial grade ABS composite, the flexible and highly durable design securely provides full-sized support for acoustic, electric, or bass guitar, ukulele, mandolin, and more. Like the Ecco-G, the DuroPro is a very compact accessory that will stand up to the demands of cluttered on stage use. All Cooperstand products come with a lifetime warranty, and are economically priced to meet the needs of most musicians. The stand fits in guitar cases, gig bags, or the back pocket a pair of jeans. Retail price: $39.99. www.cooperstand.com

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See us at NAMM Booth 1428

JULY 2012

Supplier Scene Farinacci Endorses E.K. Blessing E.K. Blessing recently welcomed New York jazz trumpet artist Dominick Farinacci to the Blessing Brass family. The 28-year-old trumpeter was first discovered by Wynton Marsalis at the age of 17 and has gone on to earn the International New Star Award (along with Diana Krall and Christian McBride), the Disney New Star Award, first place honors in the 2003 ITG Carmine Caruso Jazz Competition. In addition to touring internationally with his band, he created an innovative music outreach program for the Tommy Lipuma Center for Creative Arts in his native town of Cleveland, reaching over 3,000 kids in its inaugural year. Most recently Dominick was featured of NPR’s Piano Jazz Rising Stars, and is touring in support of his latest release, Dawn of Goodbye. Farinacci plays a Blessing BTR1580RV Bb trumpet and a BFH-1541RT flugel horn. Both instruments are professional models in the Blessing line and are handmade in Elkhart, Indiana. www.blessingbrass.com PianoDisc Expands Presence In Distance Learning, Partners with Jarrod Radnich PianoDisc is taking a significant step to boost its presence in, and support of, the burgeoning online “distance learning” approach to music education. As they launch a new music line that includes works from the Virtuosic Piano Solo Series created by noted composer and pianist, Jarrod Radnich, PianoDisc also seeks to avail aspiring piano students around the world with Radnich’s instruc-

tion and master-class level technique. With more than 50 million world-wide viewers, Radnich’s compositions are being performed in recitals and concerts across the globe. In April 2010, Radnich was the feature performer in the first ever long-distance piano concert at the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, Maryland, at the Intel Visionary Conference in Washington, D.C., and at Disneyland’s Dream Home of the Future exhibit. In addition to working with PianoDisc to offer a complete and affordable distance learning piano instruction experience to university and other students around the world, Radnich will be developing new tools to use with distance learning and new technological innovations to PianoDisc systems to further enhance a student’s experience both online and offline. www.pianodisc.com Kent Armstrong Celebrates 40th Anniversary Kent Armstrong, whose custom-made and specially-designed pickups are known for their rich sound, leveled response and unique low noise factor, celebrates 40 years of the products this year. Kent currently lives in southern Vermont and has always prided himself on his finished products. He could easily tout how guitar masters like Queen’s Brian May, the legendary Jimi Hendrix, Led Zep’s Jimmy Page, iconic Rory Gallagher or The Who’s Peter Town-

shend have Kent Armstrong handmade pickups on their assortment of guitars. Yet Armstrong himself has remained quiet. Armstrong’s hand-wound custom pickups are in a class by themselves, covering types from single-coil Strat replacement to custom designed P-90s, humbuckers, and split tubes. www.kentarmstrong.com Big Bang’s New “Pairs For Points” Program Allows Store Sales Staff To Earn Points Towards Free Drum Gear With Every Pair Of Ahead Drum Sticks They Sell. Big Bang Distribution, the exclusive distributor of Ahead Drumsticks, recently

JULY 2012

announced a new sales program aimed at encouraging sales staff at drum shops and music stores to sell more Ahead drumsticks. The simple, straightforward “Pairs For Points” rewards program provides the salesperson with one point for each pair of sticks that is sold and allows them to redeem their points on any item in the extensive Big Bang catalog, with free freight included. A pair of Ahead sticks is 10 points, for example, while an Armor Snare Drum Case is 14 points. By saving-up his or her sales points, a salesperson that sells just 30 pair of Ahead sticks can earn an Armor Cymbal Case, two pair of Ahead

sticks and a pair of Ahead drum gloves. Available Big Bang products also include Drum Dial, DG Cajons, Metrophones, Drum-O’s and S-Hoops along with dozens of other popular drum accessories. www.AheadDrumSticks.com Supernatural Cymbals Announce Endorser Kei Bland Child prodigy drummer Kei Bland (pronounced “Key”) recently received international attention for Supernatural Percussion, leading to an extensive article being written about Kei in the Bradenton, Florida’s Bradenton Herald newspaper highlighting his exceptional playing abilities. Kei came to the attention of the Herald after receiving national attention as a lover and player of Supernatural Cymbals. The theme of the Supernatural Cymbals International campaign is entitled “I’m a Natural” where each month they highlight drummers from around the world who love and play their cymbals. The objective of the campaign is to increase awareness of drummers using Supernatural Cymbals in an effort to support their musical aspirations. www.supernaturalcymbals.com MMR 71

Supplier Scene KMCMusicorp Employees Enjoy Team-Building with Toca Percussion Drum Clinic KMCMusicorp recently participated in a Toca Percussion drum circle, aiming for team building through rhythm. Led by Nina Rodriguez, a passionate and engaging drum circle facilitator, Toca clinician, and Grammy-winning musical percussionist, KMCMusicorp employees played together with Toca djembes successfully creating music and having fun, and in turn increasing synergy, camaraderie, and building communication.

See us at NAMM Booth 1010

Smoking the Competition QUALITY SOUND & TONE

LOOKING FOR WORLDWIDE REPS AND DEALERS

1-800-730-0966 • www.badcatamps.com

Breaking News! Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.mmrmagazine.com 72 MMR

In team-building sessions across the country, Rodriguez uses Toca Freestyle Djembes, Djun Djuns, Timbales, Congas, Cajon and a variety of hand percussion. Whether the clients are from a fortune 500 company, or an elementary school, attendees unanimously enjoy Rodriguez’s motivating presentation and the experience of beating their hands on a drum to create a synchronized rhythm. www.tocapercussion.com

Cympad Expands Its U.S And International Distribution Network. Cympad International, makers of advanced Cympad cellular foam cymbal washers, recently announced another expansion of its international distribution network. Along with existing distributors throughout Europe, Asia and North America, Cympad is now available in nearly 40 countries around the world. Newly added territories and distributors include Brazil (Bosphorus Brazil), Bulgaria (Pro Technica), Korea ( JNR Music Products, Co.), Russia (Agner Russia), Sweden (NTK Music), Taiwan (268 Music), and the UK (The Music Shipping Company). www.cympad.com/60 Ashly’s Pema and KLR Amps Installed at Swift’s Attic Swift’s Attic occupies the second floor of what was built to be the Swift Brother’s meat-packing facilities over one-hundred years ago in Austin, Texas, and its interior design highlights the building’s old charms in a style that one reviewer lovingly described as “steampunk meets lounge.” With plans for hosting DJs and bands on weekend evenings and a computer loaded with hand-selected tunes for the balance of the week, Austin’s DB Commercial AV designed and installed a killer sound reinforcement system centered on Ashly Audio’s Pema combinaJULY 2012

tion DSP/multi-channel amplifier and KLR Series high-efficiency amplifiers. Greg Vest, joint-owner of DB Commercial AV, offered a powerful, yet still affordable, plan that called for an Ashly Pema 4250, which packs an 8x8 DSP and four 250W amplifiers in just two

Drumhead paired with the r.e.d.box module into his Masters MCX kit on the upcoming Call Me No One tour. On “The Avalanche Tour” featuring Shinedown, Barry Kerch incorporates the TruTrac Drumheads into his kit, converting a Pearl Philharmonic Field Snare Drum into a trigger pad for various sound effects used throughout the show. Mike Mangini, of Dream Theater, uses 6 TruTrac Drum-

heads (4 hand activated, 2 footpedal activated) mounted throughout his Reference Pure kit, used to trigger concert percussion sounds for various songs in the Dream Theater catalog. Tommy Lee used a complete TruTrac Drumhead drumkit on his latest tour with Motley Crue; triggering a massive rack of sound sources including the r.e.d.box module. www.pearldrum.com

rack spaces, together with two Ashly KLR 3200 stereo amplifiers, which deliver 1600W per channel with great efficiency. The KLR 3300s power the large Community VERIS loudspeakers that cover the restaurant’s “dance floor,” which is also a dining area depending on the time of day. The four amplifiers on the Pema 4250 cover smaller Community VERIS loudspeakers in the entryway, a smaller dining area, the back of the main dining area, and the bathrooms. www.ashly.com Pearl TruTrac Electronic Drum Heads on Tour An important piece of equipment on this year’s top summer tours is Pearl’s TruTrac Electronic Drumheads. A few of the Pearl Artists who are using the TruTrac Drumheads on their kits this tour season include Barry Kerch of Shinedown, Morgan Rose of Call Me No One, Mike Mangini of Dream Theater, and Tommy Lee of Motley Crue. Rose integrates a TruTrac

JULY 2012

MMR 73

Classifieds MMR CLASSIFIEDS INFO: ☛

RATES: Classified Display: $30 per column inch for text only. $40 per column inch, 1 color, logo, graphics. $50 per column inch 4 color.

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PAYMENTS: ALL ADS ARE PREPAID. Charge on Mastercard, Visa or American Express.

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SEND YOUR ADVERTISEMENT TO: 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 shemingway@symphonypublishing.com.

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QUESTIONS? Call Steven Hemingway at 800-964-5150 x 34 shemingway@symphonypublishing.com.

Business Opportunities Are You Tired of Trying to Climb the Corporate Ladder?

is a multi-store, family owned and operated full-line retailer based in Metro Atlanta. Ken Stanton Music has over 60 years’ success and customer satisfaction.

Seeking: Certified Band/Orchestra Repair Techs, Print Music Manager, Store Managers, Company-Wide Lesson Coordinator, and Sales Associates in the following departments: Guitars, Pro Audio, Drums and Percussion, and Band/Orchestra. Looking for friendly, customer service oriented, self-motivated, proven closers with good listening skills and 2+ years experience. Availability for flexible scheduling a must. Bi-lingual a plus. We feature: Competitive non-commission based pay, medical/ dental coverage, 401(k) plan, vacation/holiday/sick time, and room for advancement. Complete application online at: www.kenstantonmusic.com By mail:

Via email:

Ken Stanton Music Attn: Scott Cameron, General Manager 119 Cobb Parkway North, Suite A Marietta, GA 30062 scottc@kenstanton.com

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www.mmrmagazine.com 74 MMR

JULY 2012

Business Opportunities

For Sale MUSIC STORE FOR SALE Southwestern PA 20 + years business and building owner retiring due to health 724-518-6504 Opportunity knocks Owner retiring after 40+ years. Music store and building. Retail sales, repair shop, lessons and rental program. Turn key potential. Located in South New Jersey suburbs Contact Ron 609-458-6303

Instruction

For Classified Sales Call Steven 800-964-5150 ext. 34

shemingway@symphonypublishing.com JULY 2012

MMR 75

Business Opportunities

Visit us at NAMM Booth #818

Help Wanted

Merchandise

CHUCK LEVIN’S WASHINGTON MUSIC CENTER www.chucklevins.com BAND & ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENT SALES Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center, located in Wheaton, MD is searching for an experienced & knowledgeable band and orchestral instrument sales professional. Join our team and become part of one of the largest and most successful music stores in the country. Qualified candidates must be highly motivated, energetic, and possess excellent people skills. Musicians with two years sales experience preferred. Compensation based on salary plus commission for unlimited earning potential. Excellent benefits including health, dental, life, and 401K. Email resume to employment@chucklevins.com or fax to 301-946-0487. EOE V/D/M/F

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www.mmrmagazine.com 76 MMR

JULY 2012

Business Opportunities

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Merchandise ACCORDIONS, CONCERTINAS, & BUTTON BOXES new, used, buy, sell, trade, repair, tune, CASTIGLIONE DISTRIBUTING CO. 13300 E 11 MILE WARREN, MI 48089 PH # 1-586-755-6050 WWW.CASTIGLIONEACCORDIONS.COM

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www.mmrmagazine.com JULY 2012

MMR 77

Merchandise

Attn: PIANO DEALERS!

We Want to Give You the Business! We can deliver quality prospects to you, whether your business is Local, National, or International. Piano World is the world’s most popular piano web site. We are where people searching for piano information land first. And we get more traffic in a month than other piano sites see in a year. Invest your advertising dollars wisely, get the details at: www.PianoWorld.com/advertising

PianoWorld.com Home of the world famous Piano Forums

Hunter Music Instrument Inc adds in an accordion line. From button accordion to Piano accordion, from Kid’s to adult, from entry level to professional, from solid color to combo, we have a wide selection for the accordion player.

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Liberty Adjustable Clarinet Barrel Precision manufactured from aerospace grade materials, the Liberty Barrel allows you to be in tune under any playing conditions. No more pulling at the joints or clumsy rings. Will save you time, money and frustration. Adjustable in length from approximately 59mm to 69mm. Band Director’s Top Pick RSBerkeley.com | 1.800.974.3909 info@rsberkeley.com

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FINANCING AVAILABLE www.mmrmagazine.com

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For Classified Sales Call Steven 800-964-5150 ext. 34

shemingway@symphonypublishing.com JULY 2012

Repair Tools

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BOW REHAIRING Expert Bow Service

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Wanted USED TUBAS

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Orange USA is hiring experienced Sales Reps. Please send resume to eric.sands@orangeusa.com JULY 2012

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Address _________________________ _______________________________ City ____________________________ State ____________Zip ____________

21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310 MMR 79

Ad Index COMPANY NAME

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

PAGE

www.Amatis.uscom www.americanwaymktg.com www.antiguawinds.com www.audixusa.com

63 42 55 29 30 9

A Al Cass Allparts Amati’s Fine Instruments American Way Marketing LLC Antigua Winds, Inc. Audix Corp.

www.badcatamps.com www.ChateauUSAMusic.com www.jpstrings.com

72 64 70 42

www.chem-pak.com www.chord buddy.com www.daddario.com

50 67 5

www.floydrose.com

www.moondogmfg.com www.galaxyaudio.com www.grandplaymedia.com www.grotro.com

52 50 53 60

www.halleonard.com www.ibanez.com, www.tama.com www.huntermusical.com www.hymnalplus.com

11 15 69 70

E/F Floyd Rose Marketing

G Gable Piano Service Galaxy Audio Grand Play Media, LLC Grover

H Hal Leonard Corp. Hoshino (USA) Inc. Hunter Music Instrument Inc. Hymn Technology Ltd

K Kawai America Corp. Ken Smith Basses Ltd. KMC Music, Inc Kyser Musical Products Inc.

www.kawiausl.com www.kensmithbasses.com www.kmcmusic.com www.kysermusical.com

cov2 62 14 73

L Levy’s Leathers Ltd. LM Products

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Mel Bay Publications Inc. Music & Arts Center

www.melbay.com www.musicarts.com

7 38

N NAMM National Educational Music Co.

www.namm.com www.nemc.com

16-17 58

C/D Chem-Pak Inc. Chord Buddy-Perry’s Music D’Addario & Co.

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

B Bad Cat Amplifier Co., Inc. Band World Music Inc Big Joe Stompbox Company Breezy Ridge Instruments Ltd.

COMPANY NAME

www.levysleathers.com www.LMProducts.com

43 57

Odyssey Innovative Designs OnBoard Research Corp. Optek Music Systems

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Pick Punch Roland Corp. U.S.

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P/R

31 34 37 68 cov 4

S Sabian Ltd. Saga Musical Instruments Saga Musical Instruments Saga Musical Instruments Samson Technologies Corp. SHS International Shubb Capos SKB Corp. Super-Sensitive Musical String Co.

www.sabian.com www.sagamusic.com www.sagamusic.com www.sagamusic.com www.samsontech.com www.shsint.net www.shubb.com www.skbcases.com www.cavanaughcompany.com

13 65 51 27 3 12 72 39 22

www.tslight.com www.tkl.com www.tycoonpercussion.com

68 1 36

www.universalmelody.com www.powellflutes.comom

56 59

www.wdmusic.com www.wdbiz.com www.tjflutes.com www.wittner-gmbh.de

66 61 49

www.YouRockGuitar.com www.zildjian.com

52 23

T Times Square Lighting TKL Products Corp. Tycoon Percussion

U/V Universal Melody Services LLC Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc.

W W.D. Music Products Inc. West Music Wittner GmbH & Co. KG

Y/Z YouRock Guitar Avedis Zildjian Co.

JULY 2012

Save The Date!

Jazz Education Network 4th Annual Conference Networking the jazz arts community... local to global!

Atlanta, Georgia January 2-5, 2013 The Jazz Education Network

is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences. For complete membership information/beneďŹ ts please visit us at:

www.JazzEdNet.org

GA-212

GA-112

Roland GA Stage Series | Digital Amps For Purists

With our latest COSM速 Progressive Amp technology, GA Stage Series amps offer the ultimate in expression, reliability, playability and intuitive control.

To test drive, hear sound clips, see videos and learn more about Roland GA Stage Series amps, visit PuristAmps.com. See us at NAMM Booth 900