MMR March 2013

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

March 2013

NAMM Show 2013 Report

Forget ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ -

Things are Looking Up!

Piano & Keyboard Market

MMR iPad APP NOW AVAILABLE

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40 YEARS

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Corey Gale, Linda Booth, Rich Nichols, Glen Booth, Jeff Bard, Tony Sciuto, Piers Munro, Bill Peterson, Errol Joki, Don Heisler, Ken Peveler, Steve Trump, Mike Haskins, Jerome MacPherson, Ray Verrall Garth Giesbrecht, Corrinne Hunt, Rachel Levy, Dennis Levy, Cheryl Levy, Danica Levy, DJ Levy, Harvey Levy

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Contents

www.mmrmagazine.com

MARCH 2013 VOL.172 NO. 3

26 26 2013 Piano Survey: The ‘New Normal’

MMR speaks with major piano makers about ongoing efforts to react to, and recover from, the downturn that began to seriously impact the market five or so years ago. The good news is that there are signs of life and new avenues to success, as suppliers and dealers find innovative ways to navigate turbulent retail waters.

36 Hot New Piano & Keyboard Products

48 2013 NAMM SHOW 48 More ‘Focused’ – More Fun…

“We had a really special Show,” says NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond of this winter’s gathering in Anaheim – and we can only agree.

A more streamlined presentation, tighter restrictions on “yellow badgers,” and increased training offerings coupled with what seemed to be a near-universal sense that the economy truly has turned a corner (no, really!), making for a productive and just plain enjoyable Convention.

56 Best & Worst

Fancy footwear, free beer, potted guitars, no In-N-Out(!) – MMR shines an analytical light on the sights and sounds from this year’s industry get-together.

62 Dealers’ Choice Awards

Winners of the 2012 Dealers’ Choice Awards were presented with their trophies at the NAMM Show.

42 The Piano Gallery

Stan Beagley of Utah’s Piano Gallery provides some insight into the success of “The West’s Premier Piano Dealer.”

46 Print: RPMDA Offers

66 Best Tools for Schools

For the fourth year, MMR’s sister publication, School Band & Orchestra presented awards to new products best suited to enhancing music education.

72 Happy Anniversary!

While in California, MMR honored MI organizations celebrating major milestones.

Valuable Resources to Retailers

If you believe the Retail Print Music Dealers Association – or its annual springtime Convention – is “just for print dealers,” think again. A more diversified (and growing) membership is leading the organization towards a broader scope of service.

In every issue: 4 6 16 20

Editorial Upfront Letters People

90 93 97 104

New Products Supplier Scene Classifieds Advertisers’ Index

Cover design by Laurie Chesna.

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 ©2013 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

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MARCH 2013

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Editorial Sidney Davis

Volume 172 Number 3 March 2013

Perception Is Reality

PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com

If perception is reality, the year ahead will be a smooth one for the industry.

The NAMM launch was a veritable four-day “love fest,” signaling what one would hope to be a return to normalcy. While the 80/20 rule prevails at trade shows in general, the vocal majority was far more effuse in projecting an economic (at least for music products) up-tick than at any time in the past decade. There is, however, a caveat accompanying the euphoria, to quote the philosopher George Santayana, “Those who do not remember the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat them.” In plain speak, do not sell the consumer short!

In The Graduate, Ben Braddock (a young Dustin Hoffman) is approached

by Mr. McGuire (Walter Brooke) who says, “I just want to say one word to you… are you listening… plastics!” To my retail brethren I would like to paraphrase: …sales! One need not go much further than the recent abortive attempt by JC Penney to invoke a one-price policy to understand the public’s appetite for a discounted price, whether real or imaginative. Approximately one year ago the upgraded Five and Dime chain launched a “Fair and Square” pricing plan, essentially a permanent discount (40 percent) on all items. This past month, JC Penney threw in the proverbial towel stating they intend to resume promoting by price, rather than fashion or variety. Their goal is to recover some of the 25 percent-plus decline in same store sales over the past year. How can you tell when you are getting a good deal when the price point remains lodged at the same point throughout the year? Perception is reality…

Another case in point: witness the introduction and subsequent demise of the Saturn automobile. Birthed in 1985 with the appeal that every car is marked with a price and that’s what you pay, the GM experiment lasted less than three decades. While price alone did not signal the demise of the vehicle it surely took away the imperative of a President’s Day or end of season car sale! I thought car dealers made their bones via the “today’s the best day of the year to make the deal” pitch… And for those conspiracy theorists among us, consider the similarity between Saturn, the sixth planet from the sun, and Mars, the second planet from the sun… MARS (the Musicians Planet) lasted six years before its crash and burn; Saturn, further away had a 24-year business cycle. I offer this observation in the event one is considering naming a music store chain, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, et cetera… There may be better choices!

Music dealers, in the main, have adapted well to the cyber age, employing social media and websites to communicate the immediacy of their products. The entertainment aspect of the consumer transaction is the ability to create a “sale” environment within the brick and mortar. A lesson learned from our supermarket brethren: signage, changing end caps, rotating stock… sell the sizzle and they will buy the steak… perception is reality!

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Rick Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com

“Sell the sizzle and they will buy the steak.”

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 ADVERTISING & MARKETING EXECUTIVE Matthew King mking@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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MARCH 2013

Upfront New NAMM Board Members Elected tion, and to provide our Members with every opportunity for success in the coming years.”

The following NAMM Members were elected for service from 2013 to 2015: • Gayle Beacock, Beacock Music Company • Ron Manus, Alfred Publishing Company • John D’Addario III, D’Addario & Company • Jim DeStafney, Blues Angel Music • Jessica Freehling-Kazzie, Art’s Music Shop • Rob Joseph, MusicMax • Ben Kraft, Kraft Music • Andy Zildjian, Sabian The NAMM board bids farewell to the outgoing board members including Carol Calato, vice president of J.D. Calato Mfg. Co., Inc. in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Michael Canning, president of Cadon Technical Sales Co., in Cottleville, Mo., Peter Hix, coowner of Hix Brothers Music in Aurora, Ill., Steve Judge, owner and president of Griggs Music, Inc. in Davenport, Iowa, Dana Messina, director of Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. in Los Angeles, Calif., Mark Ragin, CEO of U.S. Band & Orchestra Supplies, Inc. in Saint Louis, Mo., Chuck Surack, president and founder of Kevin Cranley, Andy Zildjian, Ron Manus, Ben Kraft, Rob Joseph, Jessica FreehSweetwater Sound, ling-Kazzie, Jim DeStafney, John D’Addario III, Gayle Beacock, and Joe Lamond.

At its Annual Meeting of Members, held January 27 during the 2013 NAMM Show, the NAMM Board of Directors bid farewell to departing members and welcomed eight new faces to a three-year term. The NAMM Board of Directors provides guidance and leadership to the National Association of Music Merchants and the music instrument and product industry.

In welcoming the new members, chairman Kevin Cranley expressed his faith in their collective expertise and dedication, and noted the accomplishments of their predecessors. “Almost two years ago, the Board sat down and totally rewrote NAMM’s Vision, Mission and Objectives. In doing so, they brought their personal tenets and their professional experience to the table and applied it to NAMM, further defining and enriching our association for generations of Members to come,” he said. “I have complete confidence in the ability of our newest members to further elevate our Board, and by extension our organiza-

Fender Pulls the Plug on Hamer Guitars It’s been confirmed that once all existing, open custom orders are fulfilled, Hamer Guitars will be (at least for the time being…) closed down by FMIC. While never a huge-selling, mainstream force, Hamer is considered by many to have been amongst the first “boutique” guitar brands and the instruments were, at one time or another, embraced by high-profile artists such as members of The Pretenders, Cheap Trick, and The Police.

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FMIC issued the following statement: “Fender Musical Instruments Corp/ KMCMusicorp is suspending production of Hamer instruments to focus our efforts on other brands within the company’s portfolio, and to continue to address musicians’ needs by designing and building the highest quality, most sought-after instruments in the world.

“At this time there are no immediate plans to manufacturer Hamer instru-

Inc. in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Gordon Wilcher, founder and senior partner of Owensboro Music Center in Owensboro, Ky.

Davies Retires From American DJ

Scott Davies, vice president of marketing at the American DJ Group of Companies, has resigned his position and retired from the firm after more than 25 years of service. Davies, who joined the company soon after it was founded by his brother Chuck Davies, served ADJ in a variety of positions through the years and was involved in many of its outstanding achievements as it grew into an industry leader. He received many awards for his contribution to the company and the DJ industry, including most recently a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2006 Mobile Beat Show.

“Scott made many invaluable contributions to this industry and this company,” said Chuck Davies.

“He had a deep understanding of the lighting and DJ business and a deep appreciation of our customers and their needs. He approached every job with energy, insightfulness and passion. I’m proud of what he accomplished here and thankful for the fact that he worked hard in recent years to set up a great marketing team at ADJ that will carry on his mission and remain true to his vision. Now that he has decided to move on, all of us wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Following his retirement, Davies intends to pursue other business opportunities, including Arriba Cases, which will manufacture and supply cases for sound and lighting equipment.

MARCH 2013

Upfront ments. However, should the market dictate the need for Hamer instruments, it will be considered.

“We will continue to service all consumer and dealer inquiries for warranty service and support for the Hamer product line. Customer Service will have full access to the list of finished goods, assemblies and parts to address customer requirements. We will support the Hamer

brand, its products and related trademarks.”

In 1988 Hamer was purchased by Kaman which was, in turn, acquired by Fender in 2007 for $117m. As-yet unconfirmed rumors indicate that job losses related to the move will be minimal or even non-existent, as the Hamer brand was handled by a small team who also services Guild and Fender Custom acoustics.

Former Yorkville Execs Plead Guilty

In mid-January it was reported that fomer Yorville Sound executives Philip Betette and Terry Sherwood have pled guilty to misdemeanor petit larceny and have agreed to pay their former employer $400,000.

TC-Helicon & Sennheiser Partnership TC-Helicon and Sennheiser have announced a partnership in the field of vocal effects microphones. Combining their expertise in creating tools for vocalists and microphone technology, the two companies have been working on joint research projects since 2011, and launched a joint product at NAMM in January 2013.

“The initial spark for our co-operation was at NAMM 2011, when TC-Helicon premiered a microphone with controls for vocal effects and Sennheiser demonstrated ‘Concept Tahoe’, a beatboxing micro-

phone developed in their research lab in the USA,” says Kevin Alexander, CEO of TC-Helicon.

“We had never met, we had never talked – and happened to be showing Kevin Alexander the same product!”

“We sat down together right at the show in a very open and friendly atmosphere and talked about what we were working on in our respective companies. We immediately saw each other as

partners,” says Michael Polten, director customer relationship management at Sennheiser.

TC-Helicon and Sennheiser started a joint research project, Michael Polten exploring how to interface their products to provide one-stop solutions for singers and musicians. The first results of the commitment will be seen at NAMM 2013, where the companies launched joint product bundles.

Mackie Sells Tracktion to TSC Mackie has announced the sale and transition of Tracktion Music Production Software to the Tracktion Software Corporation (TSC).

TSC is led by three principals; Julian ‘Jules’ Storer, the original creator of Tracktion, as well as former “Mackoids” James ‘Woody’ Woodburn and Dave Christenson.

“We are proud to announce not only

the acquisition of Tracktion Music Production Software, but that Tracktion 4 is available immediately,” remarked James Woodburn of Tracktion Software Corporation.

“New and existing users can download the powerful new software today and start working on their next project.”

As the new owner of Tracktion, TSC

now also manages www.tracktion.com, the new source for Tracktion product information and application download, along with product resources and a dedicated Tracktion user forum. Customers purchasing a new Mackie product that includes Tracktion can download Tracktion 4 immediately. There will also be an upgrade path for existing Tracktion users via www.tracktion.com.

Harris-Teller Expands Graph Tech Product Offering Graph Tech Guitar Labs has announced the expansion and strengthening of their relationship with Harris-Teller, one of the largest North American distributors of musical instruments, accessories and publications.

For more than 15 years, Harris-Teller has been a Graph Tech distributor supplying their dealers with an assortment of popular Graph Tech products. Effec8 MMR

tive immediately, Harris-Teller has dramatically increased both the width and depth of their Graph Tech offering, and now stocks virtually every product manufactured by Graph Tech.

Harris-Teller will be stocking the complete assortment of Graph Tech products, including TUSQ®, TUSQ®

XL and Black TUSQ® XL nuts and saddles, String Saver™ saddles, ResoMax™ Harmonic Bridge Systems, ghost® Modular Pickup Systems, TUSQ Picks, Chops PrePlay®, and Ratio Tuned Machine Heads.

For dealer inquiries, contact HarrisTeller at (800) 252-4004, or Graph Tech at (800)388-7011.

MARCH 2013

A:

Baby’s super-soft bottom

B:

Levy’s new super-soft guitar strap

“I can’t tell the difference!”

Introducing Levy’s Leathers’ softest strap to date. Our new M17SS garment leather guitar strap is constructed from 3 layers of the softest, most scrunchiest premium top-grain leather available.

Luxurious comfort.

Exquisite design.

Ridiculously soft.

Upfront Hal Leonard Teams with The Recording Academy to Create Grammy Songbooks Hal Leonard has joined forces with The Recording Academy® and its Grammy Awards® to create a full line of Grammy-branded songbook collections. The Grammy Award is recognized as the premier mark of excellence in recorded music worldwide, and Music’s Biggest Night®. The New piano/vocal/guitar and E-Z Play® collections assemble the Song Of The Year and the Record Of The Year categories by decade. New compilations also give musicians many years’ worth of award-winning tunes in specific styles, such as country, R&B, pop, rock, and gospel.

Books in the Pro Vocal® series contain the lyrics, melody and chord symbols for Best Pop Vocal Performance award-

winning songs, and the CDs feature demos for listening and separate backing tracks for singing along. The CDs are enhanced so Mac and PC users can adjust the recordings to any pitch without changing the tempo, to accommodate a range of voices.

The collections include informative material about The Recording Academy and the organization’s important yearround endeavors: MusiCares® provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need, and the Grammy Foundation® brings national attention to the value and impact of music and arts education, and the urgency of preserving our nation’s rich cultural heritage.

For more information or to place an

Vandoren Introduces Juno Reed Vandoren has launched a new reed specially aimed towards beginning students.

Designed by Vandoren and produced in their factory in the south of France, the Juno reed is the first student reed Vandoren has made in its 105 year history. Rather than design a generalist reed that may be acceptable to a wide range of consumers, Juno is designed specifically so each beginning student experiences a high level of success and because of their success, stay in the program longer.

Juno reeds come in half-strengths from 1 ½ to 3 and are available in boxes

of ten for clarinet and alto sax or in convenient three-packs for clarinet, alto sax and tenor sax. Pricing is comparable to other student reeds and there is an extensive merchandising wall that is offered free to dealers on qualified orders.

Juno will be sold through a network of school music dealers and as part of the distribution agreement through Jones Musical Products, Inc., Juno will not be sold on the Internet or in catalogs.

For more information contact Stephanie Murphy at stephaniem@jonesmusicalproducts.com or visit www.junoreeds.com.

Chafin Acquires Electra Guitars trademark Luthier and MI veteran Ben Chafin has acquired all the rights to the trademark and logo of Electra Guitars. Best known as a pivotal member of the team that brought Dean Guitars back to prominence in the late ’90s 10 MMR

where he worked as designer, product manager, and sourcing liaison, Chafin has since established Chafin Custom Guitars.

Electra Guitars were imported from Japan from 1971 to 1984 by SLM. They were distributed

order for Grammy songbooks from Hal Leonard, call the Hal Leonard E-Z Order Line at (800) 554-0626, send a message to sales@halleonard.com, or visit www.halleonard.com.

2,000th NAMM Oral History Program Interview

NAMM music historian Dan Del Fiorentino sat down with the 2,000th Oral History Program interviewee Tom Schmitt (past NAMM chairman and president/ CEO of Schmitt Music Company) at the recent NAMM Show, to discuss the history of Schmitt’s family business and his experiences in the industry, as well as the importance of the Oral History Program to record and preserve history.

“It’s really fun for me to be able to do this interview, and the fact that it’s the 2,000th interview, that’s a happy coincidence and sort of a landmark,” Schmitt said. “I’m thrilled that we’ve been doing this because I think that it’s such a great archive for our industry… When I think of our industry, it always feels like more of a fraternity to me than it does an industry. We talk about the importance of community and how important that is to the vibe of the NAMM Show and the association, and we do the great Annual Tribute—all of this I think really contributes to creating connections with our Members, and I think this program is an important part of that. It means a lot and I’m really grateful for the opportunity.”

MARCH 2013

P E RF E CT

PA I R

Expedition Express Portable PA with Bluetooth.

Samson’s Expedition Express is an all-in-one sound system that goes anywhere you want great sound. It’s battery powered, weighs 10 pounds and even Bluetooth enabled, so you can pair the Expedition Express with your smartphone, laptop or tablet and play your music without any need for cables. It’s perfect for parties, presentations, classrooms and the rest of a rapidly pairing world… © 2013 Samson

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Upfront worldwide and enjoyed a fair amount of notoriety for their MPC guitars, which featured onboard effects. Electra’s endorsing artist and users roster included Peter

St. Louis Music Presents Sigma Guitars

St. Louis Music, Inc. is now managing and distributing the Sigma Guitar line. These mid-level guitars will be offered exclusively to members of the Independent Music Store Owner’s (iMSO) group.

“St. Louis Music has always enjoyed a great relationship with independent music store owners and our friendship with the people of iMSO has continued to grow,” says CEO Mark Ragin. Ragin began his career behind the counter of an independent music instrument store, and he’s been dedicated to independent owners ever since, so “we’re looking forward to offering a quality instrument just for iMSO members. It’s going to be a great partnership.”

These acoustic guitars will MAP between $300 and $600, filling an important niche: beginning and advancing players looking for a quality guitar that they can grow into.

For more information on placing an order or becoming an Alvarez or Austin dealer, email info@ stlouismusic.com or call (800) 7274512. For more information on the Independent Music Store Owner’s group, go to musicstoreowners.com.

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Frampton, Leslie West, ELO, and Chris Squire, among others.

Chafin’s plan for Electra is to offer high-quality, great playing instruments

with features not commonly found on guitars in this price range.

For further information, email: ben@chafincustom.com.

Trade Regrets: Pro-Mark founder Herb Brochstein passed away on January 16. In addition to launching the Houstonbased Pro-Mark drumstick company in 1957, throughout his long career Brochstein was an accomplished drummer who recorded, performed, taught, and also at one point owned a drum shop.

On the Pro-Mark website, in a segment called “The Pro Behind ProMark,” Brochstein described what inspired him to create his own line of sticks: “I had bought six pairs of Japanese-made drumsticks from a passing salesman. I didn’t remember who sold them to me, and I didn’t know what kind of wood they were made from. All I knew was that they were much better quality than domestic sticks.” With the help of Tat Kosaka, Brochstein sought out the Japanese factory that had produced the sticks, and soon afterwards Pro-Mark was born.

In mid-January KMCMusicorp announced the passing of inside sales manager, Dave Jones. Based in KMC’s Charleston, S.C. office, Jones most recently served as call center Manager for KMC, however he was also known for being a player, educator, product developer, and salesman.

Prior to KMC, Dave worked for a number of industry organizations, including Musician’s Friend, C. Bruno & Son, Kaman Music Corporation, St. Louis Music, and Musicorp.

“Dave was a true professional, especially as a businessman and musician. He was loved by our custom-

ers and his co-workers and will be greatly missed,” said Dan Roberts, KMC vice president of sales.

Paul Tanner, the inventor of the Electro-Theremin and the last surviving member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, has passed away at the age of 95 on February 5.

Tanner joined Glenn Miller’s newly formed band in 1938 and recorded all of the band’s hits, including “In the Mood” and “String of Pearls.” Later on, after attending and matriculating from UCLA, Paul served as a teacher there for nearly 30 years. Among his students was a young songwriter named Brian Wilson who was forming a band and took an interest in the electronic music Paul would play in class.

Paul is responsible for developing the Electro-Theremin, which was operated by a wire in the back and not by waving your hands as the original Theramin required. Paul felt this made his instrument more consistent to start and end on the same tone, which is just what Brian Wilson was looking for to begin his now classic recording of “Good Vibrations.”

Paul’s Box (as Tanner liked to call the Electro-Theremin) was also used in several movies and on the TV series “My Favorite Martian” before Paul donated it to a local hospital for hearing tests. It is thought that the instrument was destroyed in the 1989 LA earthquake.

Yoshiharu Abe, an innovator personal multi-track recording in the audio engineering field, passed away at the age of 81 on January 2 in Japan.

He was one of the five founders of TEAC in 1957 and went on to be-

MARCH 2013

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come one of the company’s most important product designers. Abe later worked for Fostex and was a key player in the teams that created the B-13 and X-15. Beginning in 1948 he also began writing extensively for audio engineering magazines and authored three textbooks on the subject.

Takehiko Akaboshi, legendary Japanese music therapist and founder of the world renowned Japan Music Volunteer Association passed away in Japan on December 19.

Akaboshi began his career as a popular singer who recorded traditional and new folk songs as early as the 1950s. While singing around the country he began seeing the benefits of music on the ill and in 1972 created “ryouiku ongaku” or therapeutic music programs that have since been proven to reduce stress and pain in mind and body for his many patients.

Akaboshi was granted the rights from the Japanese government to build a music rehabilitation center in Kodaira in 1977.

Maria Annita Maccaferri passed away on January 12.

Maria was born in Serracapriola, Italy on February 2, 1920, the daughter of Vittorino and Antonietta de Leonardis Centuori. While living in Paris, France, she met her future husband Mario Maccaferri.

They were wed on December 23, 1937. Mario founded the French American Reeds Company and Mastro Industries, along with Maria who would become his production manager, a career that would span sixty six years. In 2003 Maria was honored as Businesswoman of the Year in Mt. Vernon, NY. Mario predeceased her on April 16, 1993.

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MARCH 2013

Letters I wanted to take a moment to thank you for such a terrific job on the article in MMR [February 2013] about our family and the Don Johnson Service Award. We were very impressed by the amount of research you did, and the thought and care you put into the story. We have received MANY compliments from our industry friends about how interesting the article was… BRAVO!!

We are deeply appreciative and thankful for your efforts.

George Quinlan, Jr. Quinlan & Fabish Music Co Well, 50 Dealer/50 State just came out [MMR December 2012] prompting what will probably become the annual rant.

The problem is not in our stars – or government, or economic cycles – but in our product and ourselves. It would be helpful if everyone in MI bears in mind that we are selling durables, a point which comes out clearly in the comments regarding “vintage” instruments [in the 50 Dealer/50 State report]. We sell a product which can become vintage. I have a 1912 Holton alto sax (no, you can’t have it) and a 1937 Cleveland sax (which is currently on rent thus continuing its job of getting music to the people by introducing another youngster to the joy of playing an instrument). Here’s the thing: in their lifetime a person only needs two instruments – the one that gets them started, and the one that they will play forever. Okay, three if they become professional. Unless something really bad happens to the instrument, that would be it – a beginning instrument and a “step-up” instrument.

Therein lies the real challenge; the limiting factor of how many instruments you can sell to any one customer over a lifetime. And how much can you make on supplies which are really not a lot of money? Even accessories are slow movers – not everyone changes their strings once a month, and how many sticks of cork grease, tubs of slide grease, bottles of valve oil, etc does anyone actually need? Even accessories are more durable than consumable – I still use the folding music stand my wife got me for Christmas 17 years ago, the guitar stand that 16 MMR

Fa m i l n a l n i u Q r De a

y,

n ts of th e Do n ie ip ec r r th ye a b e in g th e 5 n o s n o ti s tl y, Co n gra tu la i c e Aw a rd. il esto n e. Fir a ls m s i th te ra v Jo h n s o n Se r o n d e rfu l w a y to c e le b d d e d i c a te d in d iv id u iWh a t a w y a c c o m p li s h e d a n s o m e o n e wh o p e rs o n e of nd ma n b ec a u s e s o th i s a w a rd in th e n a m th e m u s i c in d u s try. A w d o e h to iv d h a v e rec e h i s c ra ft a n o u r s to ry, i t il lu s tra tes a c c oto n o ti a c i fi e d a d e d a u s e a fte r re a d in g y m il y. Yo u r m yria d es, u fa s ec o n d ly, b ec in d u s try vie w yo u r p rofessio n a ls, c oll e a g ne y e g tr th r s u u in o d y p e o p le s, m u s i c in n wh o b e n efi te d fro m to n e of d n ie fr m o h il d re r m il es la d es fr y ta le n te d c a y of c e le b ra ti n g yo u d re a m s. Ren a m e th d w an e ir s t o n e m o re i ty re a lize th e ro s i ty, i s ju sly s o th a t ot h e rs m a a rd re p rese n ts a c o m m nes e w giv in g s e l fl o n Jo h n s o n Se rv i c e A d i c a te yo u rs e l f to m a y D e e d u th o c e iv in g t wh a t y li e v in g th a e s in ess b in t n e m in yo u r b u ine rs. h ess ot c c of u s es v d e li h a n c e th e yo u r fa m il y c o n ti n u a ll y a n d in th e m u s i c n We wi s h tu res, p e rs o rv i c e i s a ll a b o u t. n e v c i p ro se th a n d p h il a n s e giv in g ba c k i s wh a t , u a ec b Best Wi s h es d u s try Jo h n s o n Ro sa m u n d d n a ry a il Ch a rl e n e, H

I bought from Killeen Music in 1985, and even the soft shell case I picked up in 1986 (the zipper finally got hinky last year – but that can be replaced).

Of course, we make things more difficult for ourselves because we repair these instruments and so increase the likelihood of making them vintage and reducing our future sales. A lady called me to work on her piano which she just bought. Used.

Stored in a garage for several years. It’s a very old Otto Altenburg with, of all things, a Wood and Brooks action. I’ll be replacing all the hammers, the bridle straps (which dry rotted) and the damper felts. And, since this is a young family with a four-year old child, this instrument will be played for years to come. So every six months I’ll tune it.

Dealing in durables is one heck of a way to try to make a living…

That said: ‘12 was way up. Instrument sales, instrument rentals, supplies and accessories, print music, repairs, piano work, students and performance all showed an unexpected increase – more demand than inventory. I attribute this to the following:

1.

I think we hit a mini-baby boom because the number of new students in the school music program was also significantly higher than in past years.

2.

I plastered my car with magnetic advertising – one 17 x 12” general panel, one 8x 11” Guitar Lessons panel, and one 8 x 11” Piano Services panel.

On both sides of the car. People are coming up to me at the gas station, the grocery store, wherever I go, to ask about the business (make certain you have business cards on hand). When I’m tuning a piano or giving a lesson (I teach at the student’s home) the advertising is parked on the street in that neighborhood. People out walking their dogs are writing down the phone number. Cool. Because these are magnetic I can change them out with different topics. High visibility, low cost (about $6 per panel). Isn’t that we’re looking for in advertising?

3.

In August a new, fully on-line, news “paper” ran a really nice, extensive, article to mark the fact that I had just MARCH 2013

Letters completed my 5th year in business. In my community, completing 5 years in business is a big deal. Additionally, I am writing a weekly(ish) music column for this publication – being careful to be informational not promotional.

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4.

I’ve been doing substitute teaching in the music classes in the schools. I don’t promote, I instruct, and I keep the music retailer hat distinctly separate from the substitute instructor hat. But it does keep me connected.

5.

Likewise, I occasionally play with the local wind ensemble. I usually try to have some supplies in my briefcase anyway – reeds, slide grease, cork grease, valve oil, couple sets of guitar strings, tuning forks (they have little heads and two little legs upon which they walk off to who knows where – and batteries on tuners run out at inconvenient times), manuscript paper, that sort of thing. As a performance musician I am well aware of the hassle of having to take a string break for a broken string and other joys of live performance. Of course I also have three or four of my CDs (I’m a musician remember).

Makes the briefcase kind of like Mary Poppins’ handbag.

Now, product of the year: The Selmer Prelude line. Well made, inexpensive, fully warranteed, major manufacturer with good reputation, and repair parts available (after the warranty runs out). Which brings me to the second rant: rentals.

I will not compete against the schools. They need the money from their rentals, which will go to support their program.

I will not do rent-to-own. I will not make my income betting that the kid will quit the instrument just so I can “sell” it again, and that is how I see rent-to-own.

Nor do I want to see an instrument collecting dust in a closet because the kid dropped the instrument shortly after the rent-to-own contract was filled. I could be renting that instrument to another beginning student.

I charge a flat rate for the school year, which rate is higher than the schools and less than what someone would shuck out

for nine months of rent-to-own. I give the customer the option to apply that rental fee to the purchase of an instrument at any time during the rental period. Additionally, I do not charge the customer for any repairs the instrument may need during the course of the rental. I figure it is my instrument and my problem.

This works out really well for the beginning student customer. Parents of 5th graders always say at the beginning of the school year, “How do I know my kid will stick with it?” Well, they don’t. But by the end of the school year they are in a much better position to figure that out and some will buy an instrument at that time. Others will opt to wait another year just to be certain. They can turn the instrument in, not have to be paying for it over the summer when it is least likely to be played, and rent again the following fall. At the end of year two or the beginning of year three they will be ready to purchase. In either case folks will have only laid out a fairly nominal “experimental” amount, which is substantially less than what they would have spent on, rent-to-own for the same period.

This is where the durability of the product becomes an advantage: a standard student model will last a lifetime. Ditto a step-up model. When they purchase the instrument, they aren’t buying it simply for the remaining public school years – they are buying an instrument, which will probably, be played well into the college and adult years and which is very likely to be the beginning instrument for their grandchild. If you can get that across to the customer then the step-up model makes sense.

So I’m renting used instruments which would be worth purchasing and new Preludes. This gives the customer a second option to their advantage – they can buy the instrument they are renting.

They get a decent instrument at a decent price and get a trade-in value on that instrument when it is time to up-grade (although often they keep the instrument for marching band get an up-grade as a concert band instrument).

Thus endeth the year and yearly rant.

Y’all have a profitable ’13!

Richard Hannemann Hannemann Music Los Alamos, NM MARCH 2013

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People Young Chang North America has announced the promotion of Larry Fresch from the position of national sales manager to the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Fresch HDC Young Chang Music.

Fresch will lead Young Chang North America, which represents Young Chang and Weber acoustic pianos and Kurzweil digital pianos. With the company going in a new direction with newly designed products, HDC felt it was necessary to have a leader with vast experience in the North American piano market. Larry Fresch has over 50 years retail, sales, and management experience and is expected to make a big impact for the company.

He will work from the company’s American headquarters in Cypress, California.

Casio America, Inc. has welcomed Jay Morrissey to its Electronic Musical Instruments (EMI) division. Morrissey joins Casio as director of sales, responsible for all National Mu- Morrissey sic Channel Retailers, including Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, Music & Arts and Sam Ash. As director of sales, Morrissey will report to Stephen Schmidt, vice president of Casio’s EMI division. Jay will work side by side with Mark Amentt, the director of sales, responsible for the independent Music channel, music education and house of worship markets, in continuing to drive Casio’s overall music channel business.

Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. has promoted Donna M. Lucente to vice president - controller, the company’s principal accounting officer. In this role, Lucente is primarily responsible for the company’s compliance with U.S. GAAP, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and all financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ms. Lucente has served as corporate controller since she joined Steinway in 2001.

Yamaha Corporation of America, Pro Audio & Combo Division, has appointed 20 MMR

Kevin Mushel as the new district manager for combo products (music production, live sound, guitar, bass and drums). Mushel will be responsible for combo sales as part of the Eastern Re- Mushel gion, including parts of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa and the Dakotas. He will report to Don Smith, Eastern regional sales manager.

Gibson has appointed Rick Froio as its new executive vice president of global business development. Previously, Froio held the position of president of Gibson North America.

Genelec, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary and distributor for Genelec Active Monitors, has appointed Paul Stewart to the position of territory manager – east coast.

Stewart, who has been with Stewart Genelec since 2006 and previously served as product specialist, will assume greater sales responsibilities in the eastern U.S. as Genelec prepares for a strong 2013 with new product introductions and continued sales initiatives. The announcement was made by Lisa Kaufmann, Genelec Inc. managing director.

St. Louis Music, Inc. has announced that Patrick R. Stevenson has joined the company as vice president of sales.

A St. Louis native and avid bass player and collec- Stevenson tor, Stevenson worked in the Alvarez guitar shop in 1976 until he left for college.

He then gained experience working in finance, sales, and marketing positions outside the MI industry. In 1989, he returned to St. Louis Music serving as the product manager for Crate Amplifiers and Audio products until 2005. During those years he was involved in global sales support, sound seminars, product and brand development, and financial management.

Since 2005, Stevenson served as a director of product and brand management at Guitar Center; an executive vice president of Hanser Music Group; and

most recently worked on special projects for Fender/KMC. The Music Group has announced the appointment of Nigel Beaumont as head of its new Professional Division, overseeing all aspects of the company’s Midas, Klark Teknik, and Turbosound brands worldwide.

Beaumont retains his role as senior vice President for operations that he has held since joining the Music Group in 2011. The appointment is effective March 1, 2013.

Yorkville Sound has appointed Steve Hendee, former sales manager for subsidiary Applied Research and Technology (ART) to the new position of director of sales for Yorkville Sound, Inc., Niagra Falls, N.Y. In his new position, he will oversee the US sales efforts for all Yorkville manufactured and distributed lines including Yorkville PA, Traynor Amplifiers, ART Signal Processing, Apex Microphones, VTC Pro Audio, and Hughes & Kettner Amplifiers.

Hendee will now report to Jeff Cowling, Yorkville’s recently appointed vice president of sales and marketing. Cowling is based out of Yorkville Sound’s Head Office in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. He has been with the company for many years, first as a rep, followed by promotions to sales manager and then to director of sales.

Rounding out the management team at the Niagara Falls office are Betty VanDenBosch, promoted to general manager, Joe Warrick,as assistant sales manager, and Larry Bell (based in Texas) promoted to key accounts manager.

PreSonus has named Patrick Faucher to the newly created post of chief information officer. In his new position, Faucher will oversee the streamlining and unification of the compa- Faucher ny’s IT infrastructure, focusing on enduser experience across the entire suite of PreSonus hardware, software, and online solutions, as well as the internal data and communication platforms.

Faucher is the co-founder of Nimbit (now a part of the PreSonus family) MARCH 2013

and was previously acting as Nimbit’s CTO. He will still remain active with Nimbit, but is shifting to more of an advisory role on the day-to-day development activities, and will be directly involved in Nimbit’s integration into the PreSonus infrastructure and the seamless interaction of the user experience between the two companies’ products.

Harman Professional has named Jaime Albors senior director of global sales operations. Reporting directly to Scott Robbins, Harman Professional executive

vice president of worldwide sales, Albors is tasked with immediate oversight of all Harman global sales office operational activities.

Albors previously held the position of senior di- Albors rector, sales, Intercontinental region, where he headed operations of Harman’s San Juan, Puerto Rico sales office and was responsible for working closely with channel partners and dealers in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, and The Caribbean Islands.

Additionally, Harman Professional has appointed Andy Flint to the position of senior manager, Portable PA Marketing, Loudspeaker Group. In his new role, Flint will handle the Flint Portable PA market for Harman Professional’s Loudspeaker Group and its JBL Professional products, and will lead the development of new marketing and product strategies for this segment. He will report directly to Mark Gander The company has also named Bryan Bradley as vice president, general manager of its Loudspeaker Business Unit. Bradley will operate from Harman Professional’s Northridge, Bradley California headquarters and will report directly to Harman Professional president Blake Augsburger. Bradley will be responsible for all aspects of JBL Professional operations and continued development.

V-MODA has appointed Karl Detken as vice president of interactive media.

For 18 years Detkin directed Pioneer’s marketing, product development and artist relations. He was Detken instrumental in the success of the CDJ/ DJM/DVJ/EFX series and HDJ headphones. After Pioneer, Karl focused his time as a marketing, social media and audio tech guru. He personally built an audience of almost ¾ of a million followers on Twitter and Facebook.

As of January 31, Klaus Stetter, former managing director of Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co.KG is no longer employed by the company. Clayman Edwards is now the sole managing director.

Among other things, highlights of Stetter’s work included organizing the 150th Jubilee for the Hohner brand which featured the “World’s Largest Harmonica Ensemble” at the time according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Mr. Stetter also collaborated on behalf of the company with the Hohner Conservatory and the German Harmonica Museum.

During Stetter’s tenure, the Conservatory moved to a new, modern facility and improved its international presence with artist and educators. Hohner wishes Mr. Stetter success for the future.

22 MMR

MARCH 2013

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Note from Lora

“Going After the Freeway” with New PSAs NAMM’s new campaign, “Just Play,” is expected to reach 800 million people this year.

While you focus on your business, whether it’s building beautiful musical instruments, developing cutting-edge technology or supporting loyal retail customers, NAMM is busy pursuing one of our key objectives: to help you grow the market of music makers.

Many of you have heard Joe Lamond talk about this objective in terms of “going after the freeway.” This phrase refers to the story of Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin’s famed manager, who condemned a promoter, even after selling out five shows in a row. The promoter said, “Look, the stadium is full,” to which Grant responded that he knew they already had those people.

He pointed to a crowded freeway outside the stadium packed with people heading home from work and said, “I want those people!” He understood very clearly the power of “going after the freeway.”

This spring, the objective of creating more music makers takes center stage as NAMM introduces a new, national PSA (public service announcement) campaign called “Just Play.”

This message is specifically directed at the “freeway”— not the people already in your store, but those who haven’t made it there yet. Who are they? A nationwide Gallup poll revealed that 85 percent of Americans who don’t currently play an instrument wish they had learned. We asked them why and used their responses to develop the “Just Play” messaging.

The PSA emphasizes the wonderful sentiment that you’re never too old, you’re not too young, and you can find the time to “Just Play.” To illustrate this point, the spot features inspiring music makers ranging from ages 4 to 101. The music builds as people join together with different interpretations of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” playing everything from a harmonica to a grand piano.

NAMM’s new spots will run on radio and TV stations nationwide, as well as on billboards in airports, malls and bus shelters, with an expected reach of 800 million people this year. You’re invited to use the video in your store, play it in your lesson rooms and share it with your social media networks.

This campaign is just one facet of NAMM’s year-round public relations efforts, which include promoting new research on the benefits of making music, musical success stories from real-life, everyday music makers and inspiring ways in which music makes people’s lives better.

Together, we can steer people from the “freeway” into the world of making music and all the joys and benefits that come with it.

Lora Bodmer NAMM Director of Public Relations and Social Media

Watch the PSA now at youtube.com/nammorg.

NAMM News

March 2013

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Piano & Keyboard

2013 Piano Survey

The ‘New Normal’ Technology, Innovation, and Old Fashioned “Hustle” Abound – But Can the Industry Return to Previous Heights?

Are we out of the recession? Yes and no. Is the piano market healthy? Healthier.

The majority of those piano makers who participated in this survey found reasons to be optimistic, some citing that sales goals has been surpassed, even if just by a few percentage points. It seems the industry is willing itself out of the weakness it has experienced the last five or so years, a downturn seemingly more severe than even in other MI market segments.

“I think the worst is behind us with respect to the recession,” says Kawai’s Brian Chung. “But, as an industry, we’re all trying to figure out what the ‘new normal’ will be. Things will gradually get better, but the big question is: How much better?”

26 MMR

There was some damning by faint praise. Gary Girouard of Kurzweil: “All in all, it wasn’t a terrible year and there are signs of improvement overall.”

While some lament that cultural values in America are shifting away from the focus of having a piano in the living room, other cultures here (notably Asian) and other countries (notably China) are increasingly appreciating the importance of having the instrument in their house.

That’s the good news.

But how does one make a softening market less soft? Larry Fresch of Young

Chang offers this: “One of the biggest things dealers can do is stay focused,” he says. They should ask themselves, “What are they selling, and what can they make money with?”

“Try to convince people not to risk their money at the stock market but [instead] invest in a long term value receiving German made piano,” advises Burkhard Stein of Grotrian.

Perhaps the most indisputable counsel comes from Mason Hamlin’s Tom Lagomarsino: “Keep your heads down and your powder dry.”

Indeed.

MARCH 2013

Grotrian “2012 was a good year for the Grotrian Piano Company,” says Burkhard Stein, adding that the Braunschweig, Germany company is looking to increase sales numbers about two percent above 2011’s numbers. “This is because of a still-growing market in China and Russia, but also because of the business in North America has picked up again.”

Looking to 2013, challenges include their main markets in Europe. “Because of the Euro crises and the downturn of the economies there, it’s been difficult. Nevertheless we plan to increase our sales at least by four percent compared to 2012.

To reach this goal we will enhance our sales efforts in countries like Russia and China as well as North America by dis-

Berkhard Stein of Grotrian.

playing our instruments at the NAMM, Shanghai, and Moscow music fairs.”

Their main markets in order are Europe, Asia, and then North America. “We sell about 20 percent out of our grand piano production in China. And believe it or not, we sold about 20 percent out of our upright pianos to customers in Switzerland!”

Stein says going forward they look to increase their dealer relations globally, and he’s optimistic that their dealer network on this continent will enjoy a slight increase this year.

“We have already introduced our newly designed concert grand piano in 2012 and have received a lot of positive MARCH 2013

feedback on it. In 2013 we will start to deliver it to our interested dealers and places which already have ordered it and are waiting to receiving them.”

Kawai Brian Chung reports that 2012 was a good year for both Kawai America Corporation and Kawai Canada. “We set some challenging sales goals last January and were really happy to have achieved them by year end,” he says. But “it’s been a long, slow crawl since 2008— and I don’t think any of us expects any quick fixes for the economy. So, we have to keep working hard and smart with the hope that piano sales will track upward, with the economy if and when it improves significantly. In the meantime, we’re planning for slow, steady growth.”

Chung is upbeat about their products, and has good reasons to be. They have won 29 major international awards for their products over the past fifteen years, including 12 MMR Dealers’ Choice Awards. “In 2012 alone, our top-of-theline CA95 Digital Piano won four top international honors, including the award for MMR Digital Home Keyboard of the Year,” he says. “Our K-3 Professional Upright Piano was Acoustic Piano of the Year four years running from 2008 to 2011. Plus, we just introduced a brand new line of grand pianos, the GX Series, which is our first major grand piano introduction in 17 years. So it’s a very exciting time for us, and for our dealers.”

Looking to the future, he says, “If every piano dealer in the country would invest some time and resources to create fun, social piano teaching programs for the millions of people who never thought they could play, we could expand our base of future customers in a big way.” Traditional “serious music” teaching programs always have and always will be important, but they reach less than three percent of the population. “To grow the piano business dramatically, we need to invite the other 97 percent to try the piano–which requires a new approach. There are Recreational Music Making (RMM), piano classes popping up steadily across the country. But if we’re truly going to change

Brian Chung of Kawai.

the future of the piano business, we need to have everyone on board. If there are people reading these comments who want to get started with RMM piano teaching, I hope they will contact me personally.

“I’d be delighted to help them get started!” he adds.

Mason & Hamlin “In light of the fact that 2012 was an election year with Q3 and some of Q4 not as vibrant as the first part of the year, overall 2012 was a good year with customer and dealer orders,” reports Tom Lagomarsino. “We exceeded our projections. As a company we accomplished many milestones resulting in advances in both product and company technology, as well as operational and production improvements.”

From his piano bench the leading economic indicators were somewhat positive during the year and there were interesting customer buying trends, yet “there is plenty of room for improvement, particularly in consumer confidence.” The devastation of Hurricane Sandy reached far, and had an impact on sales in the all important piano and keyboard market in the Northeast in Q4. Globally, they are continuing to see strong growth in Asia, plus emerging markets like the Middle East and Eastern Europe. “And South America is an increasingly significant market for Mason & Hamlin pianos.”

MMR 27

al streaming music stations, new music and a restructured music and video software pricing resulting in lower prices and better value for both consumers and dealers. It was also great to unveil our brand new Website at NAMM featuring Tom Lagomarsino of Mason & Hamlin and Eduardo Vilaga of BSB Trading. MP3 downloads and video performances.”

Lagomarsino has good reason to believe that solid growth is coming in 2013, and says that they are busy with promotional plans with product lines that will allow their dealers and distributors to capitalize on their tech-savvy advancements. Kicking that off were new products unveiled at the January NAMM Show including PianoTube LIVE, the first YouTube channel designed to broadcast together and play an iQ equipped piano with video, audio, and piano software.

“Other additions include new hardware upgrade technology, improved free music package program for customers, addition-

28 MMR

Kurzweil The books at Kurzweil show that 2012 was relatively flat with some categories seeing modest increases and others seeing modest decreases. Acknowledging the “ joke” in the piano market that “flat is the new up,” Gary Girouard adds that he’s “happy to wear the positivity goggles and call it a good year. Are we out of the recession? Maybe as an economy, yes.

However, take off my positivity goggles and put on my piano industry ones, I see continued decline in demand due to cultural and values shifts away from piano study by children, with the exception be-

ing the Asian culture.”

But that’s all in the rearview as his expectations for 2013 have Girouard darning the “positive goggles.” He is looking forward to a breakout year. “I fully expect strong percentage growth in all categories,” Girouard says. “I know we all say that, every year, yet the piano industry is in modest decline, so someone or everyone must be stretching the truth. However, I really believe there are some great and unique events happening at Kurzweil that will be received well by our primary customers, the piano boutique retailers.” The message is coming out of Kurzweil is one of “new directions,” associated with their new connection to Hyundai Development Corporation [see section on sister company Young Chang]. “The key advantages we’ll be promoting is American design and innovation combined with the manufacturing prowess and cost-saving advantages of HDC.” Kurzweil has expanded the lineup to include entry-level portables, student and performance model verticals and a compact upright hybrid piano, all of which are optimized with their award-winning PC3 sound engine. This exclusive Kurzweil sound technology layers up to

MARCH 2013

uitous distribution of name brand mod32 components per sound, to create the els at department stores and mass mermost resonant and realistic sound poschants. [But] the sad fact is the Internet sible. Also, all the new Kurzweil home isn’t going to change, so there’s a sense products are iPad-ready with USB and of desperation about how to restructure audio inputs. New models introduced at the piano store business model to succeed NAMM include the MPS-10 Portable inside this new reality.” He again touches Stage Piano, the MP-15 Student Model on the Asian community, saying that vertical, the MP-20 Performance Model they “appear to value piano education vertical, and the CUP2 compact upright much more than a typical American conhybrid piano in Pearl White finish. sumer. Therefore, I’d expect dealers with Meanwhile, though, he’s hearing education programs and strong Asian that piano dealers in general continue community support to see their business to struggle. “I hear lots of complaints strengthen.” regarding Internet shoppers and 1ubiq#31651 - Pro Precision MMR_Layout 13/09/2012 09:10 Page 1

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He has ideas of what is not working, saying outside promotions continue to be less effective, and a trend he expects to continue. “Many dealers have been forced to cut staff, even close locations.

However, the ones that have smartly cut costs and added an extra dose of ‘hustle’ are seeing more profits even though their overall sales numbers are down.”

Girouard says he believes future success is specifically dependent on a retailer’s ability to promote the benefits of playing piano. He says he’s long embraced the mission “enriching lives through piano.”

“I think this same message resonates with lots of people including teachers, salespersons, manufacturers, and parents. I meet people all over the place who just love piano, and believe in the benefits it provides. As an industry, we need to do a better job serving the market rather than taking from the market. It sounds trivial, but I really think this is a critical yet lacking component. Piano improves people’s lives, and I believe every home ought to have a piano. Yeah, that’s a little crazy, but I believe it would make this a better country. It would improve lives. It would help produce smarter and more creative kids. The benefits go on and on.”

Like others, he calls for a something similar to the wildly successful “Got Milk” campaign of the 1990s. “I believe it’s time for the keyboard market to come together with a unified message and vision that will help us all.”

More specifically, dealers developing group piano programs for children and seniors are increasingly seeing the benefits. “Use a digital piano lab system, run programs for adults in the morning, children in the afternoon. Promote the social

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Kurzweil’s Gary Girouard .

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MARCH 2013

Dealer of the Year (Over 5 Locations) SCHMITT MUSIC Minneapolis, MN

Dealer of the Year (5 or Fewer Locations) EVOLA MUSIC Bloomfield Hills, MI

Dealer of the Year Kawai Canada Music MERRIAM MUSIC Oakville, ON

Co-Dealer of the Year Shigeru Kawai Piano Company KIM’S PIANO Garden Grove, CA

Co-Dealer of the Year Shigeru Kawai Piano Company FORT BEND MUSIC CENTER Stafford, TX

Top Sales Performace (Single Location) FORT BEND MUSIC CENTER Stafford, TX

Top Digital Piano Market Performance (Large Market) LACEFIELD MUSIC St. Louis, MO Top Digital Piano Market Performance (Small / Medium Market) SCHERTZ’S MUSICENTER Bloomington, IL Photos Not Available

Dealer of the Year Professional Products KRAFT MUSIC Franklin, WI

Regional Sales Manager of the Year JERRY PORTER

www.kawaius.com

and health benefit more than the music itself. Make it fun. Make them feel good when they walk in the door starting with know their names. Make them feel good when they walk out the door. Make it easy for them to get a starter digital piano for home. Make it easy for them to tradeup to an acoustic piano.

“Repeat.”

Young Chang “Young Chang is the only company I’ve every known in all my years in this industry to change all the piano lines, top to bottom,

all at once,” declares Larry Fresch. “Now every model in every line is completely redesigned by noted piano designer Del Fandrich, who was commissioned to overhaul the line in 2008 with the goal of making these new Young Changs really special.”

In what is a seismic shift in the relatively quiet world of the piano industry, South Korea-based Hyundai Development Corporation took over Young Chang in 2006. Fresch says the decision to drastically remake the brand happened immediately. “We didn’t want to be a copy of someone else’s piano, but

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wanted something completely different.” Research and development ensued and the new pianos now feature a unique scaling designs, floating soundboard, felt on the hammers that are from a cold formed process, and many more innovations, all resulting in “phenomenal tonal quality, phenomenal bass,” he says.

Like many he too wondered why Hyundai would want to buy a piano company. He learned that the ubiquitous cars aside, the multi-billion dollar conglomerate, whose holdings include buildings and a soccer team, focuses its reach largely in Asia. This was an opportunity to expand.

He also acknowledges that when typically when big company buys small one, the latter is negatively effected if not decimated [insert your own MI examples of this here]. Paradoxically, this situation was the happy opposite: “Instead of ruining the company, they gave us carte blanche,” statess Fresch. “They said make it better, and we did. Hiring Del [Fandrich] was the biggest factor in all this.”

He adds they had an exceptional NAMM show, and interest with dealers coming to them. “It’s an exciting time, and people are supportive. We’re not the cheapest piano out there, but we’re delivering on quality and price point.”

Weber Pianos were acquired along the way, and now those are being built

by Young Chang in South Korea in what Fresch says is the last remaining Korean piano manufacturing facility. This will be their flagship model slated for the higher end market, with their Albert Webers aimed at the highest end. The Weber and Young Chang are voiced differently from each other, with the Young Chang voiced a little brighter and the Weber voiced with a more traditional warm, rich tone.

Rounded corners are softer to the touch.

Contoured lever is easier to use.

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info@shubb.com • www.shubb.com 707-843-4068 Larry Fresch of Young Chang.

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MARCH 2013

At the Yamaha Breakfast at the NAMM show, northern California’s Music Exchange was honored as Yamaha’s Dealer of the Year. Here are Paul Calvin, VP/general manager, Keyboard Division, Yamaha Corporation of America; Gary Egger, Julianne Kloos, Bill Kloos, Robert Catalano, Yesenia Catalano, all of Music Exchange; Bob Heller, director of national sales, Keyboard Division, Yamaha; Rick Young, senior vice president, Yamaha Corporation of America.

Speaking of change, Fresch has had quite a ride personally: He joined Young Chang in 1986, left in 1992, and returned in 2010 as a regional sales manager. His work for the company impressed the higher ups so much he was made national sales manager, though not for long, as the company just elevated him to COO of the company. “It’s a little overwhelming!” he admits. “But I look at it as: the company struggled for some years, but now we have the right product, the right people, the right attitude, and the right price point.

These are the ingredients that made Hyundai cars so successful throughout the world and this is what will make Young Chang pianos so successful.”

Yamaha Yamaha is bullish on 2012, with Paul Calvin saying that their pianos and keyboards showed growth. “But this didn’t happen by accident,” he assures. “Everyone came together to push through the rough economy and to build our respective businesses back. The end result was that we all found great opportunities with new products and applications while seeing a rebound in Yamaha’s core product groups.”

Yamaha expects 2013 will be a year of steady growth, and Calvin cites incremental improvements in the housing market assisting in piano sales growth.

Innovation is the key, though. Anyone who went to Yamaha’s booth (suite, really) at the recent NAMM Show found examples of that in their products, applications, merchandising, communications, programs, and services.

MARCH 2013

“We are very fortunate to have an excellent and stable dealer network,” Calvin says. “I believe that most dealers are seeing growth once again and that promotional efforts are starting to reap rewards.” The most successful retailers are focused on solid business fundamentals, new and cost-effective marketing methods, and constant networking activities that get Yamaha product out of their stores and in front of entirely new audiences. “Last summer, we hosted 80 dealers at our Buena Park, California headquarters for training sessions that we called ‘Home Office Seminar,’” Paul recounts. “We were excited to see their strong interest in learning new skills, marketing ideas, and merchandising techniques. It was also refreshing to meet with many high-energy, enthusiastic newcomers to the dealer sales teams.”

Those who ventured into Yamaha’s “area” at Winter NAMM found new acoustic and digital products aplenty.

There’s the new B series pianos that Calvin says are the most affordable instruments in Yamaha’s acoustic piano line, adding that they are a hit in Europe.

The reviews for their new CX series have been stellar, due in large part to the fact that they include many features of the CFX Concert Grand Piano, in addition to offering unusual power and sustain.

There’s the new CVP600 series that Calvin reports is a big hit with their dealers.

In the past few years, Yamaha has seen many customers who desire products that bridge the gap between those two groups. “Our hybrid products (Avant-

Grand, SilentPianos and Disklavier) will continue to appeal to those customers’ desires,” Calvin says. “We introduced a brand new SilentPiano line-up, including the SH and SG2 models, that combine the authentic sound and touch of acoustic pianos with the convenience of digital models.”

He adds that they will be building on the success of their recent activities at NAMM surrounding DisklavierTV, powered by RemoteLive Technology which provides an entirely new way for our customers to enjoy live piano performances in their homes.

Beyond our shores, “There’s excellent growth in the Asian Pacific markets and China. Of course, there are also many Asian people immigrating to the United States who love our pianos, particularly the U1 acoustic upright. This is a driving force for the US market, and we think they will particularly enjoy the experience of our new NU1 digital hybrid, which offers everything our U1 has to offer, but in a lower priced instrument that weighs significantly less and never needs tuning.”

Dealers who attended Yamaha’s annual NAMM Breakfast [see page 54], saw that there was much to motivate. Otherwise, Calvin says Yamaha strongly encourages dealers to look deeply at their customers’ profiles: who are they, what do they want, how do they want to shop, and what is the most effective means of communication to reach them, where and when they think “piano”? “We also suggest that they enhance their value proposition to the conMMR 33

sumer, by becoming a center of activity, complete with lessons, recitals and seminars,” he says. “Finally, and perhaps most important, schedule frequent activities outside of the store to target new customers, including networking with key influencers within the community.”

Hailun Basilios Strmec is also one who believes the November election adversely affected business. “We loved the start of 2012 and enjoyed robust sales growth,” he says. But then “election fever” took over and Strmec was concerned. However, by the NAMM Show as he, “met with [Hailun’s] merchant partners, [he was] surprised by their confidence in ordering inventory.” Now Basilios expects that, “2013 will be a great year!”

Semantics matter for Strmec, who declares, “I forbid anyone on our corporate team to refer to a piano merchant as a dealer!’ We have ‘merchant partners.’”

He attributes this thinking to expanding Hailun’s network by 127 percent in the last two years.

Promotion-wise they continue Hailun’s “test the best” promotion, and

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Strmec says their partners “clamored” for them to run this promotion after they were awarded MMR’s “Acoustic Piano Line of the Year” Dealers’ Choice Award in late 2012. Partnering with retailers, Hailun invested $ 167,000 in this promotion that will culminate with testing participants visiting their local store to win a piano valued at $9,096. Hailun also has a program with General Electric Finance that allows them to offer financing to a broader base of merchants, and help extend terms and interest-free periods through GE. Hailun is now introducing to the national market the Cline line. “Chester Cline was a piano builder and retailer who established Cline Pianos in 1889,” Strmec explains. The brand was owned by one of their partners, Dave Gatt of San Jose, who sold the brand rights to Hailun. “Introducing the Cline line allows us to offer the market a value instrument and also gives us the chance to test innovations and patents without compromising our well established brands in the process,” Basilios says. “Initially the Cline line will only offer upright pianos and we will gradually expand that.”

For Hailun acoustic pianos they are introducing the Sound Modulator, a system that is based on the HLPS 1 technology (a.k.a. the grand piano lid assist).

This allows the pianist to open the grand piano lid to any position without the need of a prop stick. Strmec says it’s popular with all pianists, particularly women who identify it as a luxury feature.

He, too, reports that they are doing well in China, pointing out that the country buys over 300,000 acoustic pianos a year. “However, while there used to be over 180 different piano makers in mainland China, that number keeps dwindling down and the manufacturing side is consolidating. And one new message is steadily emerging, especially from China: customers will pay for quality.

Thus sales of European brands are up in Asia.”

Strmec encourages Hailun’s partners to carefully position their stores: “After the downturn flushed out the big box retail concept, now might be the right time to step forward and carefully find a better and a bit larger location, to step up inventory along with promotional effort.

I think it is time to step in.”

MARCH 2013

Hot New Piano and Keyboard Products for 2013 Baldwin Professional Series Grand Pianos The Baldwin Professional Series includes new models BP148, BP152, and BP165, with the larger BP190 and BP215 to follow later in 2013. The new BP Series Grands incorporate the features expected on performance level grand pianos and the traditional sound and look of Baldwin at more affordable prices.

Baldwin Professional Series Grands use inner and outer rims composed of maple to provide superior strength, stability, and sound reflection. The plate is made with a wet-sand casting process that ensures that unwanted overtones are not added to the sound, and the soundboard is made of solid, close grained Sitka Spruce. BP Series Grands

feature action parts that are made from maple and hornbeam, and keys that are composed of solid spruce with maple buttons. Abel Hammers from Germany are used, and the “sharp” keys are genuine ebony.

These new pianos are styled to look like the classic Baldwin Grands have through the years. Each model features a music rack and a cut to the side arms of the piano that evokes the Baldwin Artist Grands, and the legs have the brass ferrules long associated with Baldwin pianos. The traditional “Baldwin” logo is used on the fallboard for these new Baldwin Grands. In addition to High Polish Ebony, the pianos will be avail-

Why We Play: A Guide to Finding the Right Piano In this new book from Seattle piano retailer Ben Klinger, readers will find a focus on the buyers’ commitment to playing, helping them to choose the right pianos to foster consistent inspiration and practice. Klinger writes his guide during an age of widespread decline in piano playing. The author says that our loss of exposure to pianos has caused most buyers to underestimate the positive impact the piano itself will have on the playing experience. So consumers often opt for the least expensive piano without considering what other options could lead to a more fulfilling and consistent playing experience.

Why We Play offers advice on how to shop, whom to consult, what other factors to consider, and how to keep the mind focused on the goal of the purchase, which is to inspire piano playing. Why We Play is a buyer’s guide that focuses on the value of personally connecting to a specific piano during the buying process. It will interest prospective piano buyers and piano teachers who hope to make useful recommendations to their students. www.whyweplay.net 36 MMR

able in high polish walnut, mahogany, and white, as well as a satin ebony. www.gibson.com

Casio Privia Pro PX-780 Casio’s Privia PX-780 joins the robust Privia lineup of digital pianos featuring a refined all-in-one cabinet design.

The PX-780 features Casio’s proprietary sound source, “AiR” (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator) designed for realism and detail. Utilizing over three times the waveform memory of the previous generation, the AiR engine provides sensational dynamics, damper resonance, and compensates for the speed at which hammers strike strings at different velocities and key ranges.

Equipped with a redesigned 88-note Tri-sensor Scaled Hammer Action KeyMARCH 2013

Bechstein. First.

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board, the PX-780’s simulated ebony and ivory textured keys reproduce the touch feeling of an acoustic piano while the scaled weighted action keyboard provides the depth and integrity of an acoustic piano. In addition to acoustic piano sounds, the PX-780 has a total of 250 built-in tones including strings, brass, guitars, basses drums and more. Casio’s PX-780 also features full ensemble capabilities with 180 rhythms with full accompaniment, allowing the user to play along with drum patters or a full backing band. The full range of tones and rhythms can be used in combination with a 17 track recorder for composing songs. Compositions, rehearsals, performances and moments of inspiration can easily be captured and shared as a 44.1kHz .wav file directly to a USB thumb drive. Retail price: $1,299.99. www.CasioMusicGear.com

Galileo Player Digital Grand Piano Galileo Digital Pianos introduces a brand new digital petite grand player piano.

This unit combines the beauty and sound of a petite Galileo digital grand with the performance of the Pianodisk IQ System.

The new Aria Petite Grand combines fine piano reproduction with moving keys and access to all of the Pianodisk hugh library of song’s from their Music Store. In addition, the easy to operate IQ Intelligent System can be operated from your choice of external devices, including popular devices like the iPad, iPod and MP3 players. The new Aria Player Grand is priced well below competition to make it both an affordable and profitable product for Galileo dealers. www.galileomusic.com

Guangzhou Pearl River Kayserburg Artist Series Pianos Limited production of these Kayserburg Artist series upright pianos began in China in 2010.

Over the next 18 months, production increased from a mere five pianos per month and has expanded to the now consistent 50 pianos per month, with a goal of 100 pianos per month by 2015.

GW Distribution LLC is the exclusive Kayserburg distributor in the USA and Canada.

Due to the limited production and availability, the pianos will initially only come in three sizes: The KA 121, a 48” studio, the KA 126, a 50” upright, and the KA 132, a 52” professional upright. Each boasts premium features typical of high-end European uprights, such as soundboards of tight-grained, solid European spruce, Renner hammers, Laoureux (French) damper felt, German Röslau strings, and vertically laminated maple bridge with rosewood core and solid beech cap.

An exclusive Kayserburg Artist series component, German “IvoryLeit” natural keytops, are 38 MMR

made of natural mineral material and are acclaimed as the most realistic synthetic Ivory to date. Each Kayserburg also employs genuine ebony sharps.

Retail price: $18,238. www.pearlriverusa.com

Yamaha MODUS F02 Digital Piano The MODUS F02 combines true piano sound in a modern cabinet that evokes the looks of a real, acoustic grand piano.

A Real Grand Expression (RGE) sound engine is incorporated into the new F02, giving performers the full playing response and expressive capability of a concert grand piano. In addition to providing smooth tonal changes that respond to touch, it also features a Smooth Release function, which clearly articulates staccato notes and produces the sound of lingering resonance after a player lifts their fingers from the keys.

The keys are soft and slightly porous, giving them added grip with natural friction that enables users to play easily. The special Natural Wood keyboard uses white real-wood keys, just like an actual grand piano. Moreover, the Linear Graded Hammer provides an authentic action in which the lower keys are heavy in touch and the higher keys are light, with all the natural gradations in between.

The instrument features 50 built-in piano preset songs, including both classic pieces and jazz standards. For a wider song selection, simply connect a USB flash memory device to the instrument and all MIDI-formatted songs are ready MARCH 2013

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to be played at random or in sequence. Audio files (.wav) saved to a USB flash memory can also be played back on the instrument or on portable music players, enabling the musician to record the MIDI file, easily convert it to Audio, and listen to their performance nearly everywhere. www.yamaha.com

Korg MS-20 Mini Korg’s MS-20 monophonic synthesizer, first introduced in 1978, is still a coveted instrument to this day, thanks to its thick, robust sound, its powerful, iconic analog filter, and its versatile patching options. That synth is now reborn as the MS-20 Mini.

The same engineers who developed the original MS-20 have perfectly reproduced its circuitry and fitted it into a body that’s been shrunk to 86 percent of the original size, yet retains the distinctive look of the original.

The MS-20 features a complete replication of the original analog circuitry, with a 2VCO/2VCA/2VCF/2EG/1LFO structure. The synth also features self-oscillating high-pass/low-pass filters with a distinctive distortion, external signal processor (ESP), a flexible patching system, MIDI in and USB connector, and faithful replication of original details down to the included manual. www.korg.com

Roland RD-64 Digital Piano Roland’s RD-64 Digital Piano is a compact weighted-action instrument, whose 64note Ivory Feel-G keyboard with Escapement provides a true piano-action feel. The RD-64 features Roland’s acclaimed SuperNATURAL Piano sound engine for authentic acoustic piano tones and a selection of expressive SuperNATURAL-based electric pianos for playing and studio recording. Also onboard are a number of clav and organ sounds. Onboard effects include a high-quality stereo reverb, plus EFX 1 and EFX 2 processors loaded with effects specifically tailored for the built-in sounds. There’s also a two-band EQ for overall sound shaping, with easy adjustment via two dedicated knobs.

Stereo RCA inputs allow the user to connect an external music player for live backing tracks and practicing.

With assignable knobs and buttons, a pitch bend/mod lever, and D-BEAM, the RD64 is a powerful master keyboard for controlling synths and other devices on stage and in the studio. Additionally, its controllers can be automatically assigned to fully utilize the expressive potential of Roland’s SuperNATURAL-powered synths, including the INTEGRA-7 sound module and JUPITER-80/-50.With iPad compatibility via Apple’s iPad Camera Connection Kit, the RD-64 provides a portable, weightedaction keyboard to use with the popular tablet computer.

Retail price: $1,165. www.RolandConnect.com

Breaking News!

Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.mmrmagazine.com MARCH 2013

Retail

The Piano Gallery Checking in with ‘The West’s Premier Piano Dealer’

Stan Beagley

In a segment of the overall MI market that has faced as many – if not more – challenges and setbacks as any in recent years, it’s uplifting to see a piano and keyboard retail organization thriving. Utah’s Piano Gallery offers a blueprint for how a dealer can remain competitive through consistently strong product offerings and service.

With three primary locations stocked with high quality instruments and boasting fine teaching and performance facilities – and offering comprehensive repair, tuning, and moving services – this is one business that’s doing it right by sticking to, and perfecting, “the basics.” MMR recently had the chance to have a brief conversation with Stan Beagley, one of Piano Gallery’s three owners…

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MARCH 2013

MMR: Can you briefly discuss the origins of Piano Gallery?

Stan Beagley: Our business was started in June of 1986 in a small mall store in Ogden, Utah by myself and Ken Turner. Over the years we grew into the Salt Lake City and Orem/Provo markets and have been joined by another partner, Randy Burnham. We started as a Wurlitzer piano dealer. In March of 1988 we became Yamaha piano and Clavinova dealers, as well as offering Lowrey organs and Samick products. We are looking forward to celebrating our 25 years with all three of these manufacturers this spring.

MMR: How many folks are on staff currently? How many teachers are affiliated?

SB: We have 25 full-and part-time employees. We reach out to our teachers with world-class recital halls in most of our stores.

MMR: What’s the square footage of each of the three stores?

SB: Salt Lake is about 17,000 square feet with a large 10,000+ square foot showroom. Orem is about 20,000 square feet with about 9,000 additional in showroom. The Orem location has extensive lesson rooms that service all types of music lessons.

St. George is a smaller location with about 3,000 square feet. We also have independently owned and licensed stores in Ogden, Utah, and Idaho Falls and Pocatello in Idaho.

The Salt Lake City “SuperStore.”

“ We are trying to build more consistent in-store business and that seems to be working for us.”

MMR: The Piano Gallery does do a lot more than simply “sell pianos.” Can you talk about the other services your operation offers?

SB: We are truly a full service Piano store. We do moving, tuning, refinishing, lessons.

MMR: Can you talk about your business’ online commerce?

SB: We also operate Pianogallerydirect.com and have done for the last four years. We sell every major brand.

MMR: Can you break down by rough percentage what the following categories represent in your overall sales picture: MARCH 2013

The Orem facility’s Lowrey showcase.

MMR 43

New/Used; Digital; Grand; Upright; Organ?

SB: Certainly. New and used grand pianos: 40 percent; New and used upright pianos: 20 percent; New digital pianos: 30 percent; Home organs: 10 percent.

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MMR: What brands are you having most success with?

SB: We are doing well with all of our brands. We recently dropped the Roland line and that seems to be helping us focus on the brands we do carry.

Page 1

WE’VE BUILT OUR BUSINESS ON OUR BRANDS. SO CAN YOU.

MMR: What do you have planned, promotionally, in the coming months?

SB: We have a brand new superstore in Salt Lake City that has been drawing customers very well. We are trying to build more consistent in-store business and that seems to be working for us.

MMR: What trends have you been noticing with respect to the piano & keyboard market?

SB: We are seeing the resurgence of the housing market to some extent. We are having more success with grand pianos than we have seen for the last few years. Digital pianos remain strong for us.

MMR: What expectations do you have for the coming year?

SB: We are optimistic that our economy has turned the corner and expect modest increases in business this year.

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44 MMR

Randy Burnham and Stan Beagley of Utah’s The Piano Gallery were amongst the big winners at this year’s Winter NAMM Show, scoring dealer awards at both the Lowrey and Samick get-togethers.

MARCH 2013

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Print

RPMDA Offers Valuable Resources to Retailers The Retail Print Music Dealers Association was built on the needs of print dealers, but growing stores and a diversified clientele have led the group to expand its vision to all corners of the MI retail world.

Every year, a tight-knit group of retailers, print music publishers, and industry advocates spend a morning together at breakfast in a well-stocked hotel ballroom. Attendees take turns to stand up and share the most interesting retail practices they’ve heard that year – increased involvement with community theater groups, sponsored ukulele circle events, discounts to digital customers – while the rest of the group listens intently.

It’s an informal session, as much about coffee and good company as it is about presentations. But it consistently proves to be one of the most information-packed hours of the year for anyone connected to the industry. It’s the RPMDA’s “Best Ideas” session.

The kickoff party at last year’s RPMDA convention in Los Angeles.

46 MMR

A growing number of MI retailers have taken to looking forward to the annual spring retail tradition of the Retail Print Music Dealers Association (RPMDA) conference. Made up of a diverse group of print music industry veterans (retailers, distributors, publishers, developers, and advocates), the RPMDA provides one of the most welcoming and informative retreats of the year for its members. The “Best Ideas” session is just one of the week’s packed programming. And according to current president Carol Wilbur (of Pender’s Music in Carrollton, Texas), the appeal is broadening with each year.

MARCH 2013

“RPMDA is a place where we can exchange ideas freely, bring our questions and problems to the table, and know that we’re all going to benefit from the answers.”

– RPMDA president, Carol Wilbur New Education Options’ Bo Lebo speaks at an RPMDA breakfast session.

“Over 80 percent of our membership comes from a business that isn’t exclusively print music these days,” she says. “This 80 percent represents realistically the type of retailer who is most likely to join RPMDA in the future, thereby ensuring a sustainable organization.” Wilbur is confident that the association is up to the challenge.

This year’s RPMDA conference (www.printmusic.org) will take place May 1-4 in Columbus, Ohio, and Wilbur is looking forward to welcoming longtime friends and brand new registrants alike. It will be the 37th anniversary of the group’s first gathering in St. Louis in 1976. Charter members on that occasion included Carl Fischer, J.W. Pepper & Son, Ward-Brodt Music Co., Stanton’s Sheet Music, and many more. Since then, the conference has move to a new location each year, making stops in Miami, Nashville, San Antonio, Boston, and, last year, Los Angeles.

The stated mission of the group is “to provide a common meeting ground for the interchange of ideas among dealers, to promote ethical standards and policies in dealing with music publishers, and to promote better and more meaningful dealer-publisher relations.”

To that end, the organizers of the group have built an all day, every day approach to their conferences, stocking them full of networking opportuMARCH 2013

are uniquely suited to help on another out nities, trade show-style booth sessions, on topics like how to properly stock print and break-out informative seminars on music, what types of merchandise to diseverything from new types of display play, improving ROI, maximizing buystrategies to social media marketing ing power, how to best take advantage of and inventory management techniques. in-store lesson programs, and how to take A perk of the expanding membership hold of the opportunities and competition base is that the group now finds itself brought forth by social media. with a deep well of talent to draw on “Two of the biggest chalfor these types of learning lenges our retailers face today sessions – veterans from both are digital delivery of print and the retail and publishing side online selling in general,” says have grown lasting relationWilbur. “Our publisher and ships through years of RPretailer members meet directly MDA meetings and conferto work on ways both sides can ences.

Wilbur says that, typiprofit in the digital area, but cally, new members make up it’s obviously always a work in 20 to 25 percent of each conprogress as technology convention’s attendees. “For this stantly changes.” organization, it is important The morale is strong in the RPMDA president Carol to all of us that each of us sucgroup, though, as retailers and Wilbur. ceed, and I think that many publishers work together to figof our first-timers sense this concern alure out how best to fit print music sales most immediately,” she says. “RPMDA into the broader vision of what it means is a place where we can exchange ideas to be a successful MI retailer in 2013 and, freely, bring our questions and problems more importantly, beyond. to the table, and know that we’re all go“We encourage dealers to meet the ing to benefit from the answers.”

‘Amazon-like challenge’ and treat their As the retail world moves into an overown websites like and extension of their whelmingly online environment, domiphysical stores,” she says. “When you nated by sales and marketing through can offer your online customers a shopcomputer screens more than store winping experience as easy and comfortable dows, those answers are proving more as when they walk into your store, you’ll complex. As Wilbur points out, members see your sales grow.”

MMR 47

13

2013 Winter NAMM Show

More ‘Focused,’

More Fun… “The elements all mixed together extremely well this year,” reflects NAMM president and CEO, Joe Lamond, on the 2013 winter gathering in Anaheim. “We had the right exhibitors with the right gear, the right buyers, the right training offered at NAMM U, as well as all the entertainment that was on hand – the ‘fun.’ We had a really special Show.”

The Anaheim Convention Center on January 23, 2013 in Anaheim, California.

(Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images for NAMM) 48 MMR

MARCH 2013

13

(Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images for NAMM)

That “mix” didn’t just happen randomly, though. While official numbers are down (barely) from last year (a two percent decrease from 95,709 total registrants in 2012 to 93,908 this year), that’s largely – possibly completely – by design. In response to member feedback, this year NAMM focused on increasing buyer attendance, while reducing visitors (the dreaded “yellow badges”).

“We made a concerted effort to reduce the allocation of yellow badges,” Lamond explains. “So we upped the professional attendance and worked on creating a really business-friendly environment. We’re really starting to dial in the right mix of attendees. We had all the right people there. We really worked carefully on getting the right buyers, new exhibitors, and bringing in the related fields: technology, live sound, touring – all the related tribes.”

Certain changes to nuts-and-bolts logistics related to the presentation of the Show were also made – moving the stage outside, streamlining the registration process, moving entrance security from the Convention Hall floor to the main glass wall/doors – which also made for a more enjoyable and productive overall experience.

“The NAMM Show is this big stew,” Joe says. “You change the recipe carefully and with thoughtfulness, because it’s not broken, but we always want to improve it.”

“There was lots of great entertainMARCH 2013

Recording artist Lisa Loeb (R) attends the 2013 NAMM Show (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images for NAMM)

Somehow, year after year, Chesbro always manages to keep this stack from tipping over.

The “Most Cozy Booth” award goes to Seymour Duncan, here hosting the Johnny Hawthorn Trio.

MMR 49

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1. Fret King: Lisa Smallwood, Paul Smith, Adam Butterworth, Simon Turnbull, and Richard Morgan.

2. Marc Ingber of Marc Ingber, Inc. 3. KMC Musicorp’s Mike Boguslawski. 4. Gibson Guitar’s Jim De Cola. 5. Hal Leonard: Allison Wallach and Trish Dulka. 6. Scott Wunschell, EMG Pickups with Rob Rizzuto, BBE Sound. 7. Iris and Morty Manus, Alfred Publishing. 8. Eleca: Tony Capalbo and Michael O’Lee. 9. FBT USA’s Tom Concorde. 10. M.V. Pedulla Guitars’ Michael Pedulla. 11. Ralph Trimarchi of Electro-Harmonix.

12. Chris Roehrecker and Jake Connolly of Connolly & Co/Thomastik Strings.

13. Ac-Cetera’s Mike and Ruth Kairys.

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ment,” remarks Yamaha’s Rick Young.

“I had a chance to listen to a few of the performers in the main stage outside and I think it adds a nice touch to the Show.

The NAMM University sessions along with the morning breakfast sessions and the sessions for educators are all important for the groups they represent. And our dealers were making all of their appointments and interested in new offerings, enough so to purchase on the spot.

It was a good show for orders!”

Rick Drumm of D’Addario also has a positive view of the get-together: “NAMM 2013 seemed a bit more optimistic than last year. Our booth was busy the entire show and we wrote more business than [during] previous Shows.” “[The Show was] better than expected,” says Kurzweil’s Gary Girouard.

“We had brisk traffic throughout the four days, and solid visits from dealers. I also notice more and more visitors each year – this combination made for a very busy and exciting show!

Some who had already picked up on the “optimism” MMR noted in our Show Report from last March, like Hoshino’s Ken Youmans, were perhaps less enthusiastically “rah rah!” than others, but still report a generally positive experience at this year’s Winter NAMM. “2012 had an energy to it that took us by surprise,” Ken recalls. “In terms of booth attendance and energy, 2013 was about what we would have predicted. In the end it felt a bit like going home after a tie ball game.”

One thing that was markedly evident this year – and commented upon by many – was the increased “general public” awareness of the NAMM Show.

Gear-heads and folks somehow connected (or aspiring to be connected) to the industry have always been hip to what goes on each January in Anaheim, to be sure, but something about this year… Whether one was checking Rolling Stone, local media outlets, national and international “entertainment” programs, or seemingly any form of mainstream media, there was the NAMM Show.

“I think the Show has changed,” agrees Lamond. “I think it’s become maybe more than any of us ever thought; it really is a global event. It’s trend setting; it’s creating direction for the coming year. The mix has gotten tighter, it’s become a truly global show.”

To view interviews MMR conducted with attendees at the 2013 NAMM Show, scan the QR Code to the left with your smartphone.

NAMM Breakfast Sessions Once again, NAMM U offered the everpopular Breakfast Sessions each morning of the Show, featuring guest lecturers providing valuable insight into today’s business climate and the MI retail world, celebrity speakers, award presentations – and, of course, free food!

The Thursday NAMM U Breakfast of Champions session, hosted by NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond, focused on industry leaders committed to growth and ones who “simply make decisions.”

Celebrating Yamaha’s 125th anniversary, Tak Nakata spoke about the explosion of new tools for today’s artists. Yamaha artist and endorsers Sarah McLaughlin and Nathan East urged the audience to “take a chance and to move forward.”

Fender CEO Larry Thomas spoke of looking at the larger retailers and learning from their mistakes and experiences.

His biggest disappointment was pulling the Guitar Center IPO on the final day.

Chuck Surack, president and founder of Sweetwater Sound, became the largest independent dealer by starting out as a recording studio and a Kurzweil dealer.

“Excellence is the only way to do it,” is the motto for his technical support and sales staff, all of whom attend Sweetwater University full-time for 13 weeks before working with customers.

Ben Kraft, president of Kraft Music in Wisconsin started his business out of his dorm room in 1994 at the start of the e-commerce boom. He went forward, even during the down times of the recession, and now conducts 100 percent of his

Bassist Nathan East at the NAMM U Breakfast of Champions session.

Randy Jackson.

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VIC’S EIGHT ORIGINAL

GAmE-CHANGING mODELS

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In celebration of our 50th year, we are excited to re-introduce Vic’s eight original models as limited-time collector’s items. Each model features a special commemorative branded logo like the one Vic made with his branding iron in the early days of the company.

Available exclusively in 2013.

LIMITED EDITION AMERICAN CUSTOM® SD1 & SD2

AMERICAN CUSTOM® TIMPANI MALLETS T1-T6

©2013 VIC FIRTH COMPANY

196 3

960

Original branded sticks from Vic’s early years.

a1

business online. Chris White, president of White House Music, a competitor and now friend to Ben Kraft, has a community music store and spoke of the need to excite and create the next generation of musicians.

Music producer and American Idol judge Randy Jackson was honored with NAMM’s “Music for Life” award. Past recipients have included the likes of Stevie Wonder, Yoko Ono, Quincy Jones, and Henry and Felice Mancini. Jackson was recognized for his influence in the music world and his longtime encouragement of budding music-makers.

On Friday, the NAMM Breakfast session opened up with some light-hearted music performed by South African bassist Bakithi Kumalo on U-bass and James Hill on the ukulele, featuring everything from a “fake” jazz standard to a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean,” as well as a traditional South African piece sung by Kumalo.

Afterward, speaker Brian Solis, the author of “The End of Business as Usual,” presented a session in which he examined trends in innovation and consumer patterns, particularly with the rise of social media. Consumers rarely know what they need before the market supplies them with options, noted Solis, pointing out the (somewhat-dubiously attributed) quote by Henry Ford, “If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.” Instead, Ford changed the world with his innovative production techniques in the automotive industry.

As innovation drives product development, consumers are driven by what Solis calls “moments of truth.” The cycle begins when a consumer first becomes aware of a product. The next step is social discovery – word of mouth, consumer reviews, and so on – followed by the decision to purchase. After the purchase, though, consumers frequently share their buying experience with other potential consumers, which can serve to establish a spiraling growth of interest in the product. While this same process has been occurring for decades, the cycle has become exponentially condensed by the instantaneous nature of social media. The key takeaway, then, is to contribute constructively throughout the process, managing and facilitating the entire experience of the initial consumer so that the shared experience, which begins the cycle anew, will foster positive and rewarding social interaction.

At Saturday’s breakfast gathering, NAMM’s librarian/historian Dan Del Fiorentino awarded plaques to the companies

NOW AVAILABLE WITH A VINTAGE LOGO

circ

Tak Nakata, Nathan East, Sarah McLaughlin and Joe Lamond.

MARCH 2013

LIFE IS FULL OF

GAME-CHANGING MOMENTS.

VIC FIRTH

1952

Vic earns a position with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 22 years old while still a student at the New England Conservatory of Music.

This game-changing moment leads to an illustrious 50-year career with the BSO.

Get the whole story at VICFIRTH50.com

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Recipients of the Golden Anniversary plaques.

celebrating 50 years in business and also to Yamaha for their 125th anniversary.

Retail expert Barry Stolz hosted “Get Unstuck: Boost Your Sales.”

Stolz identified different ways that business can get stuck in routines and changes that can revitalDan Del Fiorentino. ize and boost revenue.

Brian Solis discusses “The End of Business as Usual” at the NAMM Breakfast Session on Friday, January 25.

Bakithi Kumalo and James Hill entertained the morning crowd prior to the NAMM Breakfast Session on Friday.

Yamaha Dealer’s Breakfast Yamaha again welcomed its keyboard dealer network to an all-inclusive breakfast, this time in celebration of the company’s landmark 125th anniversary. Jazz pianist Gerald Clayton was on hand for an incredible performance on the company’s Disklavier (Danny Mitchell opened the morning), while a variety of Yamaha directors were on hand with annual reports and updates.

President Tak Nakata greeted dealers, proclaiming that “We’ve achieved this because of our partnership with you, our dealers.” Rick Young, senior vice president of sales and marketing, noted that the sales landscape for Yamaha keyboards seemed to be improving. “Our customers continue to evolve,” he said. “And the marketing paradigm is changing.”

Paul Calvin, vice president/general manager, spoke further to the changing nature of piano customers. “There’s still the same passion for music making, but 54 MMR

with new expectations for the pianos,” he said. “There is a new group of customers that want tradition and innovation all right there at their fingertips. Most importantly, they want to be connected.”

National sales director Bob Heller also pointed at Institutional sales as a major factor in the company’s success, pointing out that in sales to educational institutions, the AvantGrand has doubled its share, the Disklavier doubled, and the piano is up.

District manager Travis Mitchell spoke to a new, interactive approach to in-store presentations that he had been spearheading. “The experience we were giving customers in the stores were not matching up to what they got in a store like Apple’s,” he said. “Interactive technology is a must for today’s tech-savvy shoppers.”

Awards were also presented at the breakfast. The award for Overall Dealer of the

Yamaha senior VP of sales and marketing, Rick Young.

Yamaha Corporation president Tak Nakata.

Year went to the Bay Area’s Music Exchange. The Music Education Dealer of the Year was Heid Music, the Leading Edge Dealer of the Year was Grand Piano Haus, the New Dealer of the Year was Meyer Music, the Institutional Dealer of the Year was Menchey Music, and the AvantGrand Dealer of the Year was Faust Harrison.

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Best & Worst in Show Best Fashion Déjà vu (sort of): Madeleine Crouch of Musical Distributors Association once again brought some fancy Western footwear to the Show. This year’s blue and black kicks were a subtle variation on last year’s red cowboy boots.

2012 Best Low-Maintenance Plants: How long has it been since Daisy Rock watered these guitars?

Best Mohawk: It’s an annual challenge to come up with our “best hairstyle” shot from Anaheim, but we’re fans of the classics...

Best Quote of the Show: Andrew Naumann of Schilke Music Products, speaking about the economy and the vibe in Anaheim:

“ At least it isn’t a therapy session this year.”

2013

Best App: We’re talking old-school “app,” as in appetizer – not smartphone time-waster.

Nothing ground-breaking here, but a bacon-wrapped scallop – such as those served at the NAMM Chairman’s Reception – is always a winner.

Best ‘healthy treat’: The artfully presented (and delicious!) fresh fruit on-hand at SKB’s Rep Awards gathering was a nice contrast to a week’s worth of hotel/airport food.

Best Act of Altruism: Every day at 5pm, the good folks at Alfred Publishing hosted a Happy Hour at their booth (only for of-age Show attendees, of course).

After roaming the Convention Center floor for hours on end – and usually missing out on lunch – it really hit the spot!

Worst Example of ‘Booth Reality’ (not) Matching up with ‘Real Life Reality’: Marshall Amps has recently been celebrating “50 Years of Loud,” but at the NAMM Show, The Marshall booth was, ironically, one of the quietest booths on the show floor.

Worst Traffic Jam: Leaving the parking garage of the Marriott on Sunday afternoon and trying to pick up an associate in the front of the hotel… a 45 minute ride due to closed off exits and gridlock!

Best Facial Expression of the Show: Dave Boonshoft of Aguilar Amplification.

Worst Waste of Time: A 35-minute wait for a grilled cheese sandwich on the third floor of the Convention Center. Not Peking Duck, not cheese soufflé. Grilled cheese sandwich.

Best (Worst?) GuysChannelling-Their-Inner12-Year-Old-Selves Photo Opp (tie): Fans posed with Jaclyn Swedberg, 2013 Playboy Playmate of the Year at the Clayton USA booth.

The Dean Guitars Dean Girls are perennial NAMM superstars.

Swedberg.

Best Ginormous Drum Kit: Ludwig Drums wasn’t messing around with this set.

Best Airport Upgrade: The MMR team departed for home from The Long Beach Airport, which has to be the most improved transportation hub of the year: Decent restaurants, increased amenities, and… a bank of free iPads for passengers’ use at the food court.

MARCH 2013

Dean Girls.

Worst Disappointment: Probably one of the only downsides of the 2013 Winter gathering, when compared to last year’s NAMM Show, was… NO In-NOut!!! NAMM giveth and NAMM taketh away, apparently. Very sad…

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Sabian International Distributor Reception competition. The success of Sabian’s inSabian opened its International Distributeractive initiatives such as the Cymbal tor reception on Wednesday with a samVote campaign were widely lauded, with ba band led by Latin percussionist Alex Andy Zildjian noting that over 70,000 Acuña and a cadre of dancers dressed votes were registered in music stores in in the plumed headdresses and skin12 countries – as well as significant vibaring outfits reminiscent of Brazilian ral exposure on social media – as music Mardi Gras celebrations. After the brief fans voted on a dozen prototypes, with musical introduction, Sabian president the four new cymbals receiving the most Andy Zildjian offered some remarks to votes then getting added to the product the attending distributors and MI press. catalog. He also unveiled the new modDiscussing the company’s outlook for els selected in this year’s Cymbal Vote: 2013, he stressed that the cymbal marthe AAX X-Plosion Hats, AA Bash Ride, ket isn’t expanding, but that Sabian is AAX Freq Crash, and AAX Air Splash. intent on growing as a company through Available in 14” and 16”, the AAX consumer-focused marketing. The only X-Plosion Hats are hi-hats modeled after way to grow as a company, he said is to the AAX X-plosion crash. The stage AA “go out and take” market share from the Bash Ride is available both in 21” and a massive 24”, in both natural and brilliant finish. The AAX Air Splash comes in 8” and 10” sizes, and the 18” AAX Freq Crash is a fast, explosive model available in natural finish only.

Sabian used the International Distributor reception to announce the launch of several region and country-specific web sites, tailored Sabian’s Andy Zildjian at Sabian endorser and localized to custom markets, inthe International Distributor Jojo Mayer at the cluding www.sabian.de, a Germanreception. company’s Interbased site, and www.sabianespanol. national Distribucom for Spain and Latin America. tor reception.

On a related note, it was reported that Gon Bops grew by 28 percent in 2012, and with significant improvements in the supply chain, dealers and consumers should expect a number of market-driven products in 2013.

One such market-driven product by Sabian was presented at NAMM 2013: the Hoop Crasher, a pair of B20 bronze rings that sit on the outer edge of the snare head, adding a unique percussive sound to the snare drum. The top flotation ring is punched with 32 holes for lightness and lift, while the bottom ring is designed with an Air-Wave lip like those found on Sabian’s HHX and AAX XCelerator Hats. The design of the Hoop Crasher allows it to be struck directly, used as a magnified rim shot, or avoided by striking the snare in the center of the drum. Custom built for performing artist Jojo Mayer as a prototype several years ago, the Hoop Crasher has been attracting so much attention through Mayer’s playing that Sabian made the decision to make the product available to the public.

Sabian also unveiled a new interactive dealer display system available in a modular design and featuring QR codes that will direct consumers to customized mobile sites designed to “inform them and drive sales.”

Remo International Sales Meeting On the morning of Thursday, January 24, the music products industry. Belli used Remo Belli of Remo addressed a gatherthe opportunity to take a look at some history, noting the huge boost to coming of international distributors and retailers to discuss the state and future of panies making musical instruments and accessories as a result of the popularization of rock and roll. Yet, he asserted, the market, as defined by the rock and roll boom, still caters to a very small proportion of the population in general, considering how fundamental music is to the human condition.

Remo endorser Russ Miller Remo Belli speaks at Remo’s Interna“After 20 years of demos the company’s new tional Sales Meeting. textured drumheads. research, there is no

question that music plays a huge role in the human condition, and the drum is a fundamental piece of that,” said Belli, noting that approximately 25 percent of any given population will find an interest in recreational music making. “When I think about how big the market can be, that’s what I think about.”

Remo also took the opportunity to present several new products at the meeting: notably a “white suede” textured batter head, a black dot Powerstroke III kick drum head, and the Remo Versa percussion system of affordable light-weight, durable, stackable, hand drums with pre-tuned interchangeable heads. Drum options for the Versa include a djembe, tumbau, and tubano.

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LPD Music 50th Anniversary The band of the hour at LPD Music’s anniversary turned out to be ‘70s power ballad pioneers The Babys, who (partially) made an unannounced visit to the Sheraton to wish the longrunning distribution a happy anniversary to LPD president and CEO Sonia Vallis, whose father, Harry Bernstein, started the com- LPD’s Sonia Vallis speaks at the pany 50 years ago.

LPD Music Company’s 50th The band, with Ted Anniversary Party.

Nugent/REO Speed-

wagon guitarist Dave Amato filling in on lead guitar and singer John Bisana churned through several hits like “Midnight Rendezvous” to the delight of many surprised party-goers. “I’ve been very proud to carry on the family tradition,” said Vallis, who also took the opportunity to showcase the vocal talents of her young daughter, Jazmine Vallis.

Fender Pre-Show Party

Gems from the Custom Shop at the Fender Party.

Larry Thomas of FMC with Eddie Van Halen.

Dinah and Fred Gretsch at Fender’s pre-Show party Wednesday evening.

Ricky Phillips, Tony Brock, and John Bisana team up with Dave Amato for a partial Babys reunion at the LPD Music Company’s 50th Anniversary Party.

Jazmine Vallis sings at the LPD Music Company’s 50th Anniversary Party.

Commemorating Gretsch’s 130th Anniversary at the Fender party.

Yamaha’s 125th Anniversary Concert with Elton John Certainly one of the most anticipated “entertainment” events of this year’s NAMM gathering was the over-the-top concert that Yamaha arranged to celebrate their 125th Anniversary.

Sir Elton John and an all-star lineup featuring Earth, Wind & Fire, Chaka Khan, and Sarah McLaughlin performed for a dealer concert at Disneyland’s Hyperion Theater. Comedian Sinbad served as emcee for the evening, entertaining the audience between sets. Accompanied by Yamaha’s 70-piece orchestra, Elton John’s performance on his nine-foot Yamaha Brian Jemelian, senior vice president, YCA; Tom Sumner, senior vice grand piano was streamed live over the president, YCA; Mitsuru “Mick” Umemura, president, Yamaha CorporaInternet to Disklaviers around the world tion; Elton John; Motoki Takahashi, managing executive officer, Yamaha using Yamaha’s DisklavierTV and ReCorporation; Takuya “Tak” Nakata, president, YCA; Rick Young, senior vice president, YCA. moteLive technology.

MARCH 2013

Sarah McLachlan.

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Zildjian 390th Anniversary Party the sweet spot of the A sound: enhanced In addition to celebrating an impressive crashes, rides, and hi-hats that are inmilestone – delicious cake, by the way! – tended to “reflect today’s musical styles.”

Zildjian also rolled out a number of new As a part of this effort, Zildjian is reproducts at Winter NAMM. introducing the 19” and 20” A Zildjian These were focused primarily on the Thin Crashes and 20” A Zildjian Medire-vamped A line of cymbals, with an um Thin Crash, as well as introducing a emphasis on bringing back the bright, new 23” A Zildjian Sweet Ride. distinctive sound that first popularized The 19” and 20” A Zildjian Thin them decades ago. Factory adjustments Crashes and the 20” A Zildjian Medium to the curvature and weights of the line Thin Crash offer drummers larger sizes; were implemented in order to capture

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CEO Craigie Zildjian and Debbie Zildjian, vice president, Human Resources celebrate Zildjian’s 390th Anniversary. Craigie announced that Zildjian is the oldest music company in the world and the oldest family business in America, managed by the 14th generation of Zildjians.

a classic, full-bodied sound; and a broad sonic range and wash. The new 23” Medium Thin A Zildjian Sweet Ride, inspired by the best selling 21” model, offers clean stick definition for riding as well as a powerful crash component, making this a remarkably dynamic and versatile cymbal for its size.

Keeping with the theme of “bigger,” Zildjian also introduced three new, larger size ZBT models – the Medium Thin 17” and 19” ZBT Crashes and the Medium 22” ZBT Ride. In addition, the entire ZBT line will have a new enhanced look, with lathing on both sides of the cymbals and an updated, contemporary logo. The new 17” ZBT Crash and 22” ZBT Ride will be featured in the ZBTX390 Box Set beginning in May 2013.

Updating the Gen16 AE (Acoustic Electric) Cymbal System, Zildjian has introduced the Gen16 Direct Source Pickup, which utilizes a new, patent-pending design, to allow for more accurate cymbal definition, audio articulation, and tone shaping.

The Direct Source Pickup can be used with the existing DCP and Gen16 Cymbals, as well as Zildjian’s acoustic cymbals.

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The Zildjian anniversary cake.

MARCH 2013

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MMR Dealers’ Choice Awards

Presentations Product of the Year

Band & Orchestral Line of the Year

Yamaha AvantGrand

Jonathan Goldman, Brian Petterson, Roger Eaton, Garth Gilman, Makoto Tani, and Scott Yousey of Yamaha with the Award for “Band & Orchestra Line of the Year.”

Paul Calvin and Jim Levesque, Yamaha Corporation of America accept the “Product of the Year” trophy from MMR editor Christian Wissmuller.

Amplifier Line of the Year

Fender’s Shane Nichols with the award for “Amplifier Line of the Year.”

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Website of the Year

Pro Digital Keyboard Line of the Year

MMR editor Christian Wissmuller presents the Award to Yamaha’s Jeff Hawley.

MMR’s Sidney Davis (center) presents Yamaha Jim Levesque and Paul Calvin with the Dealers’ Choice Award.

Sound Reinforcement Line of the Year

Acoustic Guitar Line of the Year

Electric Guitar Line of the Year

Microphone Line of the Year

Hartley Peavey, Peavey Electronics, accepting the MMR Dealer Choice Award for “Sound Reinforcement Line of the Year.”

Chris Martin with C.F. Martin’s Dealers’ Choice Award trophy for “Acoustic Guitar Line of the Year.”

Gibson’s David Winters with the Dealers’ Choice Award for “Electric Guitar Line of the Year.”

Mark Humrichouser received Shure’s trophy for “Microphone Line of the Year.”

MARCH 2013

Percussion Line of the Year

Lighting Line of the Year

American DJ accepts MMR’s 2013 Dealers’ Choice Award, with Brian Dowdle, Chuck Davies, MMR’s Rick Kessel, Toby Velazquez, and Alfred Gonzalez.

Gene Okamoto, Steve Armstrong, Terry West, Max Iishi, and Jerry Goldenson of Pearl Corporation accepting the Award for “Percussion Line of the Year” from MMR’s Rick Kessel (third from right).

Print Music Publisher of the Year

Home Digital Keyboard of the Year

Jeff Schroedl, Larry Morton, Keith Mardak, and David Jahnke from Hal Leonard Publishing displaying the MMR Dealers’ Choice Award for “Print Music Publisher of the Year.”

Rick Kessel, publisher of MMR, presents the Dealers’ Choice award to Hirotaka Kawai, president of Kawai Global. This year’s award recognizes the Kawai CA95 Concert Artist Digital Piano as the 2012 “Digital Home Keyboard of the Year.”

DJ Line of the Year

Pioneer’s Christian Behnke, Suresh Chekuri, Matt Pekmezian, and Mark Barbagallo accepting the hardware for “DJ Line of the Year.”

Acoustic Piano Line of the Year

Accessory Line of the Year

Recording Equipment Line of the Year

Electric Bass Line of the Year

Hailun’s Hailun Chen and Basilios Strmec with the Dealers’ Choice trophy.

Jim D’Addario and Rick Drumm of D’Addario with the Dealers’ Choice Award for “Accessory Line of the Year.”

Mark Menghi and Ira Blanco of Samson Technologies with the Award for “Recording Equipment Line of the Year.”

Tom Appleton, Mao Nakamura, and Ed O’Donnell of Hoshino USA, Inc. accepting their trophy.

MARCH 2013

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Press Conferences Fittingly, The NAMM Show plays host to numerous press conferences and product introductions. Below are just a few of the many that MMR staffers checked out…

Roland took over their large showcase room upstairs at the convention center for the whole week, kicking things off Wednesday with an indepth review of their wide offerings for 2013.

The event boasted plenty of groundbreaking new gear – the spiffy low-profile sample trigger of the BT-1, the easy-to-use VT-12 Vocal Trainer, the reliable audio reproduction units CD-2u and SC-2u, the advanced new Boss MO-2 Multi Overtone pedal and TE-2 Tera Echo pedal, and many more. Ro-

D’Addario in the February issue of MMR – ed.]. The new logo, built from a more stark font and a tidy “D” mark, was flown high over the company’s booth on the trade show floor and was displayed in a number of different contexts throughout the week, as employees modeled a different look each day on company t-shirts.

At a press conference, CEO Jim D’Addario said the move was designed to eventually unify the company’s many brands (which include Planet Waves, Evans Drumheads, Puresound HQ Percussion, and Rico Reeds). “We want our brand to represent who we are and what we stand for,” he said. “We are musicians, innovators, performers, people with creativity and spirit, and we want our customers to feel the same sense of pride in our brand as we do.”

Orange Amps introduced the VT1000 Valve tester on Thursday morning. The new product is “easy for anyone to operate – I can operate this,” enthused product specialist Doug Doppler.

Scott Tibbs demonstrates the Integra 7 SuperNatural Sound Module.

land resident Kim Nunney was on hand to introduce the company’s wide spectrum of products and what he called the company’s very positive 2013 outlook, while product strategy director Robin Kelly emceed a lively onstage rollout of the company’s newest products.

The big news from D’Addario was its brand new logo and branding strategy [see Upfront Q&A with Jim

Jonathan Turitz and Jim D’Addario discuss the story behind their new logo.

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MacArthur and Tim Price. Wanne had previewed prototypes of the horns last year, but proudly displayed them as official releases this time around, showcasing features like a tenor neck with no solder work, a bigger-than-ever bore, a stable wood plug, and hand engraving. The soprano includes a triple strap

Mike MacArthur and Tim Price showcase the new Mantra saxophones from Theo Wanne.

hook, advanced key adjustments, and a proprietary concave nozzle designed to provide extra fullness to the sound.

Price also showed off Wanne’s new Durga mouthpiece, designed with a unique baffle and True Large Chamber, resulting in a powerful sound. “I had no doubt that whatever new mouthpiece Theo sent me, it would be over the edge,” said Price.

Yamaha Drums debuted its new Live Custom Oak drum set at NAMM with the help of artists Tommy Aldridge of Whitesnake and Matt Halpern of Periphery. This is the first acoustic drum kit built in Yamaha’s

Orange Amps product specialist Doug Doppler introducing the new VT1000 Valve Tester.

Cliff Cooper of Orange Music Electronic Company.

The VT1000 is an effective an accurate and portable valve (tube) tester that can correctly match tubes, as well as identify faulty or worn tubes, which can compromise an amplifier’s dynamics, volume, and touch sensitivity.

Woodwind pioneer Theo Wanne unveiled his new “Mantra” model tenor and soprano saxophones at a NAMM press conference that featured raucous playing from reed greats Mike

Performing artist Matt Halpern demos the new Live Custom Oak kits from Yamaha Drums.

China factory that also produces Yamaha pianos, marching percussion, and band instruments.

The Live Custom has a slightly thicker shell than the Oak Custom, using 1.2mm plies instead of the Oak Continued on page 70.

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1. Chuck Kirschling, Dann Skutt, and Cory Berger of Grover/Trophy. 2. Paul Davis, Janet Moore, Donald Moore, and Don Thumel, Davis Muller Instruments. 3. Caparison Guitars’ George and Gabriel Osztreicher. 4. Michelle Haas, Dustin Cheatham and Robert King of Mighty Bright Inc. 5. The inimitable clarinetist, Eddie Daniels with Morrie Backun of Backun Clarinets. 6. Cory Stück of Namba Gear. 7. Horst Wittner, Wittner GmbH & Co. KG and Elizabeth Pitcairn. 8. Paul Schwartz of Peekamoose Guitars 9. Joe Risolia of Magnetapicks 10. Gavin Van Wagoner of PocketStrings 11. Joe Vasco of KMC. 12. Mike Dorfman of Trick Percussion Products. 13. Scott Emmerman, Hohner, Inc. 14. CE Distribution’s Orin Portnoy. 15. Blocki Flute Method: Bethany Pryor, Carol Tomayko, Donna Zeigler. 16. Traveler Guitar: Corey Oliver, Taylor Jordan, Jeff Garvin.

17. Robert Morrison, Jodi Ann Parker, and Tony Lalonde, Players Music Accessories. 18. Alfred Music Publishing’s Andrew Surmani. 19. Pearl Flutes: Peter Wolff, Joe Butkevicius Jr., Mike Zurlo.

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THE SIGNAL OF A NEW ERA

FROM

asterope.com • fishman.com • 800.FISHMAN Visit us at NAMM Booth 4258 MARCH 2013

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Best Tools for Schools

Best Elementary Student Teaching Tool Loog Guitar

This three-string guitar comes unassembled. It’s a fun project putting it together, and once assembled, the Loog Guitar’s unique design enables easy learning. www.loogguitars.com

Best Beginning Student Teaching Tool Nuvo Flute, Clarineo, and Recorder Nuvo Musical Instruments

On Sunday, January 27th, MMR’s sister publication School Band & Orchestra (SBO) presented the 2013 Best Tools for Schools at the NAMM Idea Center.

The Best Tools for Schools, now in its fourth year, is the culmination of some hard work by music teachers attending the NAMM Show. Armed with a specially-made ballot featuring an array of categories such as “Best Elementary Student Teaching Tool” and “Best Marching Band Tool,” educators searched the exhibit halls high and low for the instruments, accessories, software, literature, and other products best suited for school and classroom use. Once the ballots were tallied, Theresa Chen of Opus Music Education and Dr. Janine Riviere of Cal Poly Pomona presented the following winners from the 2013 NAMM Show.

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These affordable, lightweight, durable plastic flutes, clarineos, and recorders are fully submersible and washable, available in bright colors, and have a surprisingly full sound www.nuvo-instrumental.com MARCH 2013

Best Intermediate Student Teaching Tool Rhythm Workshop Alfred Music Publishing

This book and CD set by Sally K. Albrecht includes 100 pages of fully reproducible, easy-to-follow rhythm exercises in a variety of time signatures. www.alfred.com

Best Teaching Assessment Tool Chromatik

This cloud resource can be used for uploading sheet music, tablature, and lead sheets as well as annotation, making audio recordings of passages, and sharing all of this with a group (or a teacher) via the Web on a computer or mobile devices. www.chromatik.com MARCH 2013

Best Practice Tool PractizPal

This portable practice journal is a dedicated device that features a metronome, A440 tuner, timer (with fireworks when the programmed practice time is achieved), and comes in bright colors with multiple skins available. It includes a built-in flip stand that can also clip onto a music stand. www.practizpal.com

Best Student Incentive/Reward Alfred’s Music Playing Cards: Classical Composers Alfred Music Publishing

Each suit in this 52-card deck of playing cards features a different era of classical music, with each card displaying facts of a particular composer within that genre – the higher the card, the more famous the composer. Four joker cards provide background on the four periods of music covered: Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic. www.alfred.com

Best Alternative Ensemble Tool The Rock House Method Distributed by Hal Leonard

Designed for educators who may not specialize in teaching the rock/pop genre, this series of method books presents basic techniques for guitar, bass, piano, and ukulele, along with a wide array of accompanying online resources. www.rockhousemethod.com

Best Jazz Tool saXholder JazzLab

This foldable sax holder hooks onto the shoulders instead of around the neck, relieving pressure on the back and neck.

The design allows for enhanced freedom of movement of the sax independent of the player’s body, and when folded, it can be stored in the bell of the horn. www.jazzlab.com MMR 67

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Best New Technology Tool Zooba Flex Advanced Music Products, Inc

Best Marching Band Tool YCL-450NM Duet+ Intermediate Clarinet Yamaha

Honorable mention Essential Elements interactive from Hal Leonard Corporation

Best Tools for Schools

This brand new clarinet from Yamaha features a typical wood-crafted exterior, but also has a stabilizing ABS resin injection-molded upper joint inner bore, which drastically reduces the chance of cracking in the upper joint and allows for greater consistency in sound production, especially in variable temperatures and humidity. usa.yamaha.com

This universal holder for iPad or tablet has a suction cup and a snake neck. It is also available for a music stand with a clamp. www.zooba-usa.com

Nuvo ClarinĂŠo

Suitable for ages 4 - 10 yrs.

Simply the best way to introduce woodwind at an early age.

Now in the USA!

transfers the sax weight evenly to both shoulders, no stress on the neck can be put on by one hand in seconds saves space, smaller than a sheet of paper when folded is very comfortable when sitting or standing since it does not slip away looks great, especially designed for both men and women performers

Nuvo jFlute - Suitable for

ages 4 - 10 yrs and way too much fun for adult flute players to miss!

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The traditional sax harness transfers the whole weight of the instrument to the neck.

By the time many performers complain of chronic neck pain, there may even be damage to the cervical spine. saXholder is a new, patented three-point support system.

The whole weight of the sax is transferred onto the two padded shoulder handles with assistance from the abdominal rest. www.jazzlab.com

MARCH 2013

YCL-450NM Duet+ Clarinet An injection-molded inner bore in the upper joint gives this clarinet the durability to withstand the rigors of school use.

Now featuring an industry-leading 10-year warranty against cracking in all Duet+ Upper Joints.

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Press Conferences Custom’s 1mm-thick shells. They also come with die-cast claw hooks, 2.3mm Dyna hoops, a new low-profile base drum mount, and feature Yamaha’s Yess mounts for the toms.

A brand new company product directory, “The Book,” was fresh off the presses for Mapex’s new product review, which gathered dozens of dedicated dealers for a showcase of

Tabor Stamper speaks to the troops at Mapex Drums’ 2013 product preview.

Mike Robinson at Mapex Drums’ 2013 product preview.

what turned out to be a treasure trove of new products from the percussion company. Director of marketing Mike Robinson held the customizable and updatable catalog up for dealers and said, “Gone are the days of telling people that a certain drum kit can work for everyone,” pointing to the book’s in-depth product reviews as the latest tool for making sales to individual customers’ skill and preference set.

Product manager Joe Hibbs led those gathered around Mapex’s booth to take a look at some of the notable new releases from the com-

The new Stinger snare drum at Mapex Drums.

pany, including the new pieces of Falcon Hardware, which rolls out a convenient new hi-hat stand with just two legs, low and high tension treatment, a quick-release clutch, and a snap-up pedal for more manageable mobility.

Falcon also introduced a snare stand and a boom cymbal stand.

Meanwhile, the company’s new drum kits include new members of the Saturn and Black Panther series. The Mapex Saturn Generation 4 features 4 plys of maple and 2 inner plys of walnut, along with a redesigned tension system. The Saturn Exotic series boasts six different finish gloss lacquers. The new Black Panther kit, the Black Widow, features the same new suspension as the new Saturn drums and comes in a deep black finish.

A strikingly wide variety of products was introduced at an event put on by American Music & Sound, who serve as a hub for brands like Allen & Heath, Beyerdynamic, Kurzweil, Fostex, and Nord.

Director of marketing and relations Chris Cairns led a team effort

in the introduction of a number of new products released by the different branches of the company, not the least of which was the Beyerdynamics new wireless system, the TG1000. The only model currently in existence in North America had accidentally been carted off by event staff the night before after a showcase run in a NAMM concert at the Hilton, but Beyerdynamics’ Violetta Schiller still managed to present the product’s impressive new capabilities, along with Custom One Pro headphones.

Allen & Heath’s Michael Conley presented several new pro audio products, including the ME-1 Person-

Michael Palmer shows off the new Allen & Heath ME-1 Personal Mixer at American Music & Sound’s 2013 new product preview.

al Mixer monitor mix tool and the new GLD Remote mixing system for iPad. Vestax’s Joe Jack introduced their new PBS-4 video mixer, a simple editing system that is already the sponsored controller for the popular web video streaming service Ustream.

PRS Press Conference

Gary Grainger plays the Gary Grainger Private Stock bass, available in both 4 and 5 string models.

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Bass artists Wyzard, Etienne M’Bappe, Kevin Walker and Rhonda Smith discuss the PRS line of signature basses.

Paul Reed Smith introduces the Neal Schon Limited Edition Archtop Trem guitar. The medium-thin arch top is a Private Stock guitar designed to Neal’s personal requests.

MARCH 2013

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1. The Levy’s Leathers Team: (back): Cory Gale, Linda Booth, Rich Nichols, Glen Booth, Jeff Bard, Tony Sciuto, Piers Munro, Bill Peterson, Errol Joki, Don Heisler, Ken Peveler, Steve Trump, Mike Haskins, Jerome MacPherson, Ray Vercall. (front): Garth Giesbrecht, Corrinne Hunt, Rachel, Dennis, Cheryl, Danica, DJ, and Harvey Levy. 2. Gene Garb, Ken Maehl and Lorne Graham, NEMC. 3. NS Design’s Gary Byers. 4. Larry Hulsey of GHS Strings.

5. Gene Garb, NEMC, Sid Davis, MMR, and Pete LaPlaca, PJLA Sales. 6. EMG: Alex Ostromov, Matt Turner, Andy Gravelle, Rob Turner. 7. Iain Wilson and Dave Ingham of IBC Trading.

8. Anthem Musical Instruments’ David Kilkenney and Brent Beech. 9. Becky and Art Livingston of Marlo Plastics. 10. Kristen Souza and Joe Souza of Kanile’a Ukulele

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Happy Anniversary!

MMR Honored MI Organizations Celebrating Significant Milestones

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Years!

Fred Gretsch receives a special MMR award commemorating 130 years in business.

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Rick Kessel presents Hirotaka Kawai with a plaque marking Kawai’s 50th Anniversary.

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Kelly and Vic Firth, Vic Firth Inc. with the MMR 50th Anniversary plaque.

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Years!

Jeff Long, Jeff Cowling, Steve Long, and Tim Marshall receive the plaque honoring Yorkville Sound’s 50th Anniversary.

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Years!

Yamaha’s Rick Young receives a plaque commemorating the company’s 125th Anniversary from MMR’s Sidney Davis.

Years!

Years!

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Years!

Sonia and Tom Vallis with a commemorative MMR plaque in recognition of LPD Music International’s 50th Anniversary.

Korg USA’s Joe Castronovo, Diana Cecchini, and Mike Bradley with a plaque from MMR commemorating the company’s 50th Anniversary.

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Years!

Godin marks 40 years in the business, with Robert and Janet Godin.

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Tarina and Dave Dunwoodie celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Graph Tech Guitar Labs.

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1. Hap Kuffner of Kuffner International, Inc. (center) with Mal and Lothar Stitch of Mal Stitch Enterprises. 2. Chris Halon, Rebecca Eaddy, and Robin Kelly of Roland Corporation U.S. 3. Peak Stands: Pamela Liu, James Py, Ralph Chavarria. 4. Tim Pfouts, Eddie Speedy, Bryan Trembley of S.I.T. Strings. 5. Allparts’ Phli Florian, Bob Mingo Music Sales’ David Mingo, and Allparts’ Steve Wark. 6. Stan Morgan, Pat Stevenson, and Chris Meikle of St. Louis Music Co. 7. Jeff Smith of J.L. Smith & Co. 8. Evets’ Steve Ridinger 9. Voyage-Air Guitars’ Michael Ferucci. 10. Michael Bates of Immix Eleven Amplification 11. Adam Romine of Legator Guitars. 12. Sabian’s Andy Zildjian.

13. MakeMusic, Inc.’s Jim Ortner.14. Chris Liao and Roger Kao of Sunlite Industrial Corp.

15. Mono Cases: Randy Couvillon, Daniel Kushner. 16. Gatchell Violins: Steve Crisafulli and Allen Gatchell. 17. Gary Rogers of Nalu Ukulele. 18. Chauvet: Ana Jarami and Albert Chauvet. 19. Pam Brawley and Heather Brawley of Instrument Care Apparel.

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Annual Légère/Theo Wanne/BG Jazz Jam

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1. Audix’s Sarah Snyder, Lofty Whitaker, Cliff Castle, Stephanie Snyder, and Rob Schnell.

2. Tim Elvy, Légère Reeds. 3. Michael Robinson, KHS America. 4. Justin Rankin of Four Force LLC.5. KMCMusicorp’s John Chermesino with Charvel’s Michael McGregor. 6. John Hollenback and John Coppa of StrapGraphics. 7. TC Electronic: Laura Davidson. 8. Celestion: John Sanchez, John Paice. 9. Lori McCallian, CEO, Dean Markley and Lita Ford at the Dean Markley booth.

10. Tech 21’s Dale Krevens, Lloyd Schwartz, Andrew Basta, John Bednar, and Tyme Rogers.

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In what’s becoming one of the most freewheeling NAMM traditions, the annual Jazz Jam for Professional Musicians provided high-flying jazzers a chance to let loose on-stage after a week full of booth endorsing, photo ops, and autograph signing.

Set up by Légère Reeds, Theo Wanne, and BG Franck Bichon, a ballroom in the Hilton provided a laid back environment where audience members and musicians alike relaxed at tables and warmed up at the side of the stage. At one point, Alex Bailey, Sergio Belotti, Jessy J, Marcus Anderson, and A-listers Jessy J, Marcus Ander- Will Compton at the annual Jazz Jam. son, and Will Compton all traded off choruses onstage while the night’s solBailey held down a rock solid groove. id backing band of pianist Marcus Jones, The Jazz Jam is always one of the most drummer Sergio Belotti, and bassist Aley welcoming events of the week.

Graph Tech 30th Anniversary Party

The Graph Tech 40th Anniversary Party at 300 Bowl.

The moment had come for the Canadian guitar technicians at Graph Tech Guitar Labs to celebrate their milestone 30th Anniversary this year, which they marked in fine fashion with a free bowling party down the road from the convention center at 300 Bowl.

In the shadow of a display of their brand new “Ratio” tuning machine heads, company president and founder Dave Dunwoodie toasted the crowd and then serenaded the party with a few numbers on guitar with his wife, Cheryl, kicking out some unbelievable soul vocals that harkened back to the duo’s early days in a band together.

Godin 40th Anniversary Party 8

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Meanwhile, the Montreal-based Godin Guitars took over the Red Lion Hotel for its 40th anniversary party. The party brought together artists, distributors, retailers, and old friends alike for some lowkey live music and reflection.

Founder and president Robert Godin was in high spirits as he presented an in-depth slideshow from throughout the company’s years in action, and embraced his sons and Godin executives Simon and Patrick Godin. “These guys are my bosses now!” he happily proclaimed.

Tom Harrison with Robert Godin at Godin’s 40th Anniversary Party.

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1. D’Addario’s Jonathan Turitz, Amy D’Addario, and Jim D’Addario. 2. Cecilio Musical Instruments: Derek Zimmerman, Kristy Wu, Kenneth Khuong, Annie Chea. 3. The Music Link’s Ashley Atz and Matthew Fischer. 4. Cordoba Guitars’ Ryan Cooper, Naomi Con, and Jon Bingham. 5. David Legere and Sharon Feldmann of Mel Bay Publications. 6. Zon Guitars’ Marc Gullo. 7. Greg St. Peter and Niels Larsen of Nektar Technology, Inc. 8. Danny Cabrera of Global Truss America. 9. Scott Mount of MTS Products 10. Donn Deniston of Littlite. 11.

Mel Bay’s Bryndon Bay. 12. Adam Place of nu desine 13. Joey Licalzi of Klops 14. Whirlwind: Will Young.15. EMD Music’s Tony Graham, Tom Robinson, Serge Alsteens, and Andrew Swift.

16. Joe Lockyer, Nick Linder and Rich Schwab of Diablo FX 17. John Musselman, Kathy Donahoe, and Steve Rorie of American Way Marketing.

18. Kahler Williams, Susie Merritt, and Karrington Williams, George L’s.

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Casio Cocktail Reception

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1. Marc Harris, Marc Feingold, Michael Harris, Harris Musical Products with Fabian Marcovich, Foxyladyproject.com 2. YouRock Guitar’s Josh Elion, Kevin Drenth, Clifford Elion, and Chasey Elion.

3. Eastman Guitars and Mandolins’ Paki Newell, Steve Bernstein, and Ari Baron. 4. Bob Gruenwald, Wayne Rodgers, and Dave Surber of Getzen Company. 5. RS Berkeley’s Neil Lilien, Les Silver, and Dave Schumacher. 6. Peterson Electro-Musical Products’ John McAuliffe, James Clark, Sue Haslam, Chris Labriola. 7. Mariachi Sol de Mexico at the Conn-Selmer booth. 8. Lou Laurentz of Ken Smith Basses.

9. Blitz Mfg/Wexler Music Co.’s Andy Herf. 10. Grotrian: Burkhard Stein. 11. Pat Stevenson of St. Louis Music. 12. Chad Smith of OptionKnob 13. Heather Campbell of Earasers 14. Marathon Professional: David Saghian. 15. Nick Costa and Mike Mastropietro of Master Crafted Drums 16.

Wayne Williams and Kyle Thomas, M&M Merchendisers. 17. Mike and Irwin Berg of Humes & Berg.

18. Vic Firth’s Vic Firth and Dom Famularo of Sabian. 19. MatTea Vocal Luxury: Michelle McClendon, Rochelle Guillory, Tina Haulcy, Jasmyne Hinson. 20. Jim Beloff, Flea Market Music with Phyllis, Dale and Josh Webb, The Magic Fluke.

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Stephen Schmidt, VP of Casio’s EMI Division, announces the launch of the AP-650 Celviano piano line; a digital piano with a grand piano touch.

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The Casio cocktail reception on Thursday evening was highlighted by a spirited performance from jazz great, Joe Sample.

SupportMusic Coalition’s 10th Anniversary NAMM Foundation’s SupportMusic Coalition marked 10 years of music advocacy with a live webcast from the convention. The event featured performances by Latin Grammy nominated jazz guitarist, music education advocate and former N.Y. Yankee Bernie Williams and the a cappella vocal group Take6.

Mary Luehrsen, NAMM director of public affairs and government relations, has guided the development of the Coalition since its beginning and moderated the get-together. Luehrensen stated that the event was a celebration of 10 years of advocacy effort and a look forward into the next 10. Mike Huckabee and many of SupportMusic’s founders, including John Mahlmann, former executive director of

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Bernie Williams plays an instrumental version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

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the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Michael Butera, executive director of NAfME, Steve West of West Music and former chairman of NAMM, and Mike Blakeslee, COO of NAfME, participated in the celebration.

Kawai America’s Golden Anniversary Awards Reception

Joe Deleski welcomes dealers to the Kawai Golden Anniversary party.

Mr. Hirotaka Kawai with Ben Kraft of Kraft Music and Mr. Mori at the Kawai Piano Company Awards Ceremony presenting the Dealer of the Year, Pro Products.

Brian Chung, Senior Vice President of Kawai America Corporation, gave an overview of Kawai’s last fifty years and introduced the launch of the GX line of grand pianos..

Mary Luehrsen welcomes Mike Blakeslee, Steve West, John Mahlmann, and Michael Butera to the stage.

Joe Lamond discusses SupportMusic with Bob Morrison and Mike Huckabee.

Don Johnson Service Award Sid Davis, Group Publisher, MMR, announced that the recipient of the 2013 Don Johnson Service Award Winner is the Quinlan team of George Sr. and Jr. The Quinlans are tireless advocates of music making, establishing programs and scholarships in their seven-store operation in three upper Midwestern states.

The Quinlan team was cited as a model for leading one of the most successful music retail businesses today.

Kawai Canada Dealer of the Year award recipients (center) Al Merriam and Dave Patterson of Merriam Music, flanked by Mr. Kawai and Mr. Mori.

Brian Chung with the Golden Anniversary cake.

SKB Cases’ Dealer Rep Breakfast

Jerry Andreas, senior vice president, SKB Cases and Justin Toebe, National Sales Manager, welcome dealer reps and press to the Breakfast meeting.

Jerry and Justin introduced the new iSeries camera cases and displays.

SKB Cases Rep of the Year-Dan Erickson of The R. Joseph Group with Justin Toebe, SKB, Dan Erickson, Rob Joseph and Jeff Payton.

Deke Dickerson’s Guitar Geek Festival

George Quinlan, Jr. accepts the Don Johnson Service Award from Sid Davis and thanks his father, George Sr., who was watching via live webcast.

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A long list of sponsors lined up to help out with Deke Dickerson’s 10th Annual Guitar Geek Festival, a two-day celebration of vintage rock and rockabilly tunes, gear, and culture that brought together a variety of acts including Texas soul legend Barbara

Lynn, The Randy Fuller 4, Man or AstroMan, Los Straitjackets, Jimmy Vivino, and Dickerson himself. Quilter Labs had set up shop out front of the festival in a renovated 1967 Airstream trailer for product demos and company headquarters.

MARCH 2013

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1. Penn-Elcom’s Randy Ahn, Richard Stratford, Javier Montoya, Frank Mccourt. 2. Kyser’s Stacy Shew, Gina McClung, Max Lintner, Meredith Hamlin, and Randall Williams. 3. Peavey’s general manager of product development, Fred Poole, and guitarist Alex Skolnick of Testament on Wednesday. 4. Alfred Publishing’s Pam Hendricks, Daniel Frohnen, and Ron Manus. 5. Josephine Llorente, David Dalton, and Zack Rosenthal, M&M Distributors. 6. Loud Technologies’ John Boudreau at Thursday’s Ampeg/Mackie Product Preview. 7. Dana Bourgeois of Bourgeois Guitars. 8. Sean Murphy of Hal Leonard Corporation. 9. Plutarco Toloza, Sonora Strings. 10. Kyle Gass of Tenacious D at the Steve Clayton booth. 11. House of Troy: Betsy Levin. 12. CAD Audio: Tony O’Keefe.

13. Seijiro Imamura, Andrew Cerone, Lori Graves, and Jim Wieda of Lowrey. 14. Shubb Capos’ Gary Mobley and Rick Shubb. 15. Ace Musical Products’ Jesse Grossmann and Al Sloway 16. Saga’s Isaac Moore and Richard Keldsen.

17. Wife and husband team of Patti and Rusty Bickford of Trem King.

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PLAY LONGER PLAY LOUDER PLAY HARDER

www.bourns.com/proaudio MARCH 2013

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1. Andy Garrigue, Everett Porter, Daneen Holcomb, Donna Dougherty, Tom Dougherty, and Kevin Dougherty, TKL Products Corp. 2. Manhasset Stands’ Barry Heid, Jason Carter and Gary Griggs. 3. Tim and Lynda Elvy of Legere Reeds flank visitor William Donato, saxophonist.

4. The team at Antigua Winds – Grant Henry, Kerry Klingborg and Devin Pelton of Antigua Winds.

5. Mike Godfrey of Holophone 6. Jeff Strametz of Boulder Music Group 7. Dream Cymbals and Gongs: Andy Morris, Brian LaRue, Craig Snowden. 8. Rawn Randall and Ed Matthiack of Osiamo with Roger Sadowsky, Sadowsky Guitars.

9. Barry Kerch, drummer for Shinedown, introduces the DDRUM Paladin Maple kit. 10. Jim Hall, Hall Crystal Flutes. 11. Alan Seutter, Terry Dennis and Robert Factor, Bigsby. 12. The Music People’s Rich Jensen, Jeremy Payne, Jim Hennessey, and John Hennessey.

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1. Steve Clayton, Sue Clayton, and Brian Guyette of Steve Clayton, Inc. 2. Mike Wong, Ken Potter and Mary Cottle of Crossrock Cases. 3. The Talwar Brothers family – Vijay, Renu, Abhi, Viraj, Pooja, and Viren Talwar. 4. Paul Chu of Hunter Musical Instruments. 5. Tom Belotti of Global United Distributing. 6. Zakk Wylde unveiled his custom pickups from EMG’s new Metal Works line on Friday morning. 7. Performing artist Andy Timmons unveils his new signature guitar at the Ibanez booth. 8. TASCAM: Garyn Jones.

9. Galaxy Audio: Yule Jabara. 10. School Of Rock: Aaron Delfausse. 11. Breezy Ridge’s Todd Newman, Traci Penman, Peter Anderson, and Karl Broderix. 12. Fitness Audio: Robert Holombo and John Penhallow. 13. Mark Stoddard of Lava Cables. 14. Rees Harps: Garin Rees and Melissa Rees. 15. Takumi Ukulele Company: Nobuyuki Ochi and Hitomi Kato.

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Enhance.

Express .

Impress.

www.bourns.com/proaudio MARCH 2013

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1. Kala Brand Music Co.: Norio Wasaki , Rick Carlson, Dave Gafiero, Michael Upton, Yoshiyuki Doi. 2. QRS: Ann Jones. 3. Seymour W. Duncan of Seymour Duncan, Inc.. 4. Richard Cocco of E. & O. Mari, Inc. 5. NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond with MMR editor Christian Wissmuller at Thursday night’s Chairman’s Reception.

6. Young Chang North America’s Larry Fresch and Vincent Choi. 7. Luis Cardosa, Sabian Ltd. 8. Kent Armstrong and Sandra Clark of Kent Armstrong Pickups. 9. Andy Lewis and Chris DeMaria, Fishman Transducers. 10. Godin Guitars’ Simon Godin, Kat Calder, Patrick Godin, Fred DiSanto, and Mario Biferali.

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The Percussion Marketing Council: Andy Morris, Dream Cymbals; Joe Cappella, Traps; Phil Hood, DRUM!; Prudence Elliott, Yamaha, Ivy Yu, Tycoon Percussion, Brad Smith, Hal Leonard; Dave Jewell, Yamaha; Karl Dustman, PMC; Antoinette Follett, Bentley-Hall; Bob Jespersen, KMC Musicorp; Aldo Mazza, KoSA; Rob Cook, Rebeats; Billy Cuthrell, Progressive Music, Brian LaRue, Dream Cymbals; John Sagastegui, Music with Colors; Daniel Frohnen, Marina Terteryan, and Dave Black, Alfred Music; Nicole Abucejo, Tycoon; and Craig Woodson, Roots of Rhythm.

PMC Annual Meeting The Percussion Marketing Council (PMC) met on the morning of Saturday, January 26 to review the effectiveness of the organization’s past initiatives designed to increase the number of people playing drums, while also charting a course for 2013.

The PMC is building momentum with its lesson program at Vans Warped Tour stops, wherein local dealers are encouraged to set up a PMC-provided tent where teachers (as well as drummers from Warped Tour bands) give free five-minute lessons to young concertgoers. Entering the third year of existence, the lesson program has been exceptionally well received, even as they’ve had to smooth out the logistical kinks associated with operating a free lesson tent for ten hours at a raucous music festival. “Every dealer that participated last year said that they wanted to do it again,” affirmed Yamaha’s Dave Jewell. “We gave 60 or 70 lessons at the stop that I helped out with in Irvine (Calif.), and about 50 percent of those lessons were for girls and women. It was really cool.”

The Council is actively planning Vans Warped Tour events for 2013, which crisscrosses the country from mid-June through August, and encourages dealers in the cities along the tour’s circuit to get involved. Attesting to the untapped potential of young people at those sorts of events, DRUM! magazine’s Phil Hood

wryly noted, “The world is filled with kids whose parents have talked them out of playing drums. Now that they’re 16, they’re going to do what they want!”

There was also some discussion of expanding this opportunity outside of the Vans Warped Tour through the PMC’s new Drums Across America initiative, which aims to get outside of the music industry and into parking lots, museums, malls, and other locations where people gather. In 2012, the PMC’s lesson tent appeared in conjunction with local music dealers at several shopping malls on a trial basis, with those involved reporting, “It was huge!”

While individual members stand to benefit from product and brand exposure from being a part of the PMC, Bob Jespersen of KMC Musicorp noted that there really was significantly more capacity to gain access and exposure through the collective power of the Council. “Individually, a music retailer could put together an event and go to a mall, but collectively, as a Play Drums initiative, when we go somewhere as a non-profit, we can open up a whole lot more doors.

Yes, possibly we could sell things, but we are there to grow the market. We’re all about this cultural enhancement, as opposed to aggressively trying to market a [particular brand or product]. We’d like to do that, too, of course, but this is simply about creating more players.”

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GC’s 2012 Rep of the Year Award Winners Guitar Center announced the winners of their first annual Rep of the Year Awards during vendor breakfast meeting at Winter NAMM. Candidates for Rep of the Year were nominated by Guitar Center store managers with stores grouped into four regions. Voting criteria included: direct involvement with customer service and sales assistance, responsiveness to calls, emails and customer needs, training of store associates, and assistance with merchandising and operational issues.

“Guitar Center is committed to helping our customers make music. Our peo-

Chris Larpenteur, Gibson.

Lowrey Dinner

ple greatly appreciate the manufacturers’ reps who consistently provide great service and support to our stores,” says Gene Joly, EVP of Stores at Guitar Center.

The 2012 Rep of the Year Award winners are: North Region: Chris Larpenteur of Gibson South Region: Jason Salzman, independent, representing Line 6, Taylor, Native Instruments, Fishman East Region: Victor Moncebaiz of Line 6

Lowrey’s Seijiro Imamura and Frank West.

West Region: Mark Chippeur of Bose

Victor Moncebaiz, Line 6.

Jason Salzman, Independent.

Lowrey’s executive VP and general manager Seijiro Imamura addresses the crowd at Friday nights’ Lowrey Dinner.

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The Sandy Feldstein Industry Roundtable The Crane Institute for Music Business and Enterpreneurship, SUNY Pottsdam presented the Sandy Feldstein Industry Roundtable: “How To Get a Job in the Music Industry Part 2: Developing Your Entrepreneurial Spirit” A panel of industry veterans offered advice and inspiration to students moderated by NAMM’s Joe Lamond. Panelists shared what they consider makes a good first impression in an interview, what they look for in a new hire, and qualities they look for in a person. Pan-

Sixth Annual Korg Dealer Awards The Korg USA Key Note Awards were presented at the 2013 Winter NAMM Show to top dealers in four categories.

The winners are as follows: Best New Brick & Mortar Dealer: Morgan Music, Wisconsin

elists Crystal Morris (Gator Cases, Inc.), Peter Dods (Easy Music Center) and Jim D’Addario. (D’Addario & Co., Inc.) also recounted their first jobs.

Fifteen students from Crane Institute for Music Business at SUNY Potsdam interned at Winter NAMM. The roundtable discussion was dedicated to SUNY Potsdam alumnus and music industry veteran Sandy Feldstein.

Joe Lamond moderates the Industry Roundtable panel of Crystal Morris, Jim D’Addario and Peter Dods.

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Best New E-Commerce Dealer: E Studio Star, Nevada Commitment to Excellence: [two winners] Sweetwater Sound, Inc., Indiana | Kraft Music, Wisconsin Korg USA national sales manager, AJ Reitz, stated, “Korg USA is proud to recognize our retailers who have exemplified excellence as well as shown exceptional loyalty to Korg USA’s brands and products. These awards are not only significant for the recipients but also important to Korg USA, as our company continually strives to return the same support and commitment our dealers demonstrate to Korg USA every day.”

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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.

Korg USA’s Joe Castronovo, Matt Phillips and AJ Reitz (L to R) present the 2012 Korg USA Key Note Award to E Studio Star’s Fontaine Su (in red dress) in the category of Best New E-Commerce Dealer.

MARCH 2013

HUNTER NEW YORK

3300 Northern Blvd., Long Island City, NY 11101 (718)706-0828 ■ FAX (718)706-0128 ■ www.huntermusical.com MMR 85

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NAMM Preview for Haiti 10 Pete Johnston, Victor Wooten, Jon Moyer and Josh Vittek collaborated on a film, Haiti 10, and answered questions during a NAMM Idea Center session.

The film is the story of Bekenson Pierre and the devastation in Haiti following the earthquake, the loss of his bass guitar, and his wish to meet his idol, bassist Victor Wooten. Wooten surprises Bekenson, one of ten children, with a new guitar and an emotional visit. Trailers from the film were previewed Saturday night at the Hilton and also during a session at the NAMM Idea Center. The film will be completed in October 2013. For more information www.haiti10film.com.

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4 1. Collings Guitars: Steve McCreary holds the seafoam green Carved top 360 ST Alder body guitar. 2. Retail Up’s Bee Bantug and Gordon O’Hara.

3. Joseph Stopka of Starin.

4. Neil Zaza performs at the Carvin booth. 5. Michael Skinner, DANSR, Inc. 6. TRUSST: Navah Berg.

Pete Johnston, NAMM, bassist Victor Wooten, photographer Jon Moyer and Josh Vittek, Joshua Paul Vittek and Associates view clips of the film at the NAMM Idea Center.

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It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that spring.

PARTS NOW AVAILABLE FOR LATE MODEL BUNDY INSTRUMENTS

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You provide the passion and craftsmanship—we have the genuine Bundy parts.

SAXOPHONE 86 MMR

CLARINET

FLUTE

PICCOLO

TROMBONE

TRUMPET MARCH 2013

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1. Janie Hendrix (center) poses with Hal Leonard’s Larry Morton, John Cerullo, Keith Mardak, and Jeff Schroedl at the launch event of the new Jimi Hendrix - The Ultimate Lyric Book.

2. Matt Summy, Jay Ensminger, John Anning, Bill Xavier, Katherine Sauls and Tim Keyes of the Hanser Music Group. 3. Blackbird Guitars: Joe Luttwak. 4. Epilog Corporation: Mark

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Clements. 5. Dr. Randy Jacobs of Guitar Hands.

6. American Recorder Technologies: Lee Waters. 7. Blizzard Lighting: Frank Luppino III. 8. Kelley Percussion: David Kelley 9. Eminence Speaker: Cobi Stein. 10. Gemini: Alan Cabasso. 11. Casio: Mike Martin.

12. Bourns Pro Audio: Chuck Manzano.

13. Ivy Yu and Nicole Abucejo of Tycoon

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Percussion. 14. Ed Lee and Dorian Raul Morales, Prestini Reed Corporation. 15. Perry Pinto and John Fullerton, AIM Gifts.16. NAfME’s Mike Blakeslee with Bob Morrison of MakeMusic.

17. Frank Bichon and Jessica Watt of BG Frank Bichon. 18. Gene Garb and Ken Maehl, NEMC.

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19. James “Woody” Woodard, Laura Blankenship, Derek Williams, Lucas McCulley, and James Watkins, RapcoHorizon. 20. Musiquip’s Kristina Godin, Erik Lind, Jeremy Stern, John Kelley, and Claudia Lecuyer. 21. Grant Deaton, Ashley Sample Guy Petty and Tyler Purdue of SHS. 22. Michael LaBomard, Colin Schofield, and Jody Espina of Jody Jazz Mouthpieces. 23. Waldina Rando, Euhic and Diana Perrotta of Lock-It Guitar Straps. 24. Mirk Radfort, artist, Dennis Drumm JHS, and Gregg Wright, artist. 25. Patrick MARCH 2013

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Roecklin, Magali Tricoche, and Francois Kloc of The Buffet Group. 26. Father and daughter team of Jerry and Crystal Freed of Gator Cases.

27. Father & Son team of Paul and Travis Thieman of String Swing Mfg. 28. Rocky Giglio and Jim Green of J.J. Babbitt Co. 29. Husband and wife team of Andrew and Julie Naumann of Schilke Music Products. 30. Dom Gagliano, Dominick Gagliano, Tommy Aras, Bob Rodriguez, and Mike Seiker, Amedia Cymbals.

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1. Rick Taylor, Tony de la Rosa, Marshall Moody, and Robert E. Lee of Samick Music Corporation. 2. Eliza Aldrich, Kevin Reynolds, Garrett Semmeling, Michael Zucek, and Lance Rohrecker of Connolly Music Company.

3. Sheryl, Tevis, and Rachel Laukat with Ryan White and Randal Clark of Cannonball Musical Instruments. 4. Onboard Research Corporation: Rusty Membreno, Scott Strittmatter, and Arthur Harvey. 5. John Gresko, Artist Rich Redmond, and Steve Rois of Direct

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on Tuesday. 12. Notemap’s Rob Graveley and Ed Prather. 13. Steven Wasser and James Mast of Powell Flutes/Sonaré Winds. 14. Cindy Adkins and Chris Pelletier of Aurora Strings.

15. Saxophonist Steve Wilkerson and Andrea Baker, director of Jazz Studies, Pasadena City College at the Rovner Products booth. 16. Bert Neidhardt and Andreas Schertel of Harmona Accordions.

Sound Headphones. 6. Kirk and Gary Burgett with Tom Lagomarsino of PianoDisc/Mason & Hamlin Piano Company. 7. Audiofly’s Luke Pownall, Steve Johnson and David Thompson.

8. Brian Bethke, Kevin Griffin, David Koltai, and Mike McAndrew of Pigtronix 9. Samson Technologies: Mike Twigg, Ira Cary Blanco, James Petercsak, and Andy Winston. 10. Nady Systems: The Nady Team. 11. MDA’s Madeleine Crouch with Sid Davis of MMR at the Music Distributors Association’s “Show & Tell” event

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17. Kimberly Lewis and Sandy Richter of George L’s Musical Products.

18. Allparts’ Steve Wark visits with Paul Chandler. 19. Michael Bower and Mike Mulqueen of Moku Ukes. 20. MMR’s Laurie Guptill meets with David Guptill of Guptill Music.

21. Kyng’s Eddie Veliz and Dean Guitars’ Curse Mackey. 22. Ultimate Guitar USA’s Sara and Liana Hirosaki. 23. Chesbro: Jed Robertson, 88 MMR

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Jenn Byington. 24. Roc-n-Soc: Steve and Andy McIntosh. 25. waveDNA: Allison Janzen, Gerard Finn. 26. Tropical Music and Pro Audio’s Frank Peruyera and Brandon Mederos.

27. Brian and Scott Ball of Ernie Ball, Inc. 28. VocoPro’s Pam Edgar and Kelly McGrath.

29. Andy Papiccio, Brev Sullivan – guitarist, James McCaffery, and Tom Richards of Floyd Rose/AP International.

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New Products New Tech 21 VT Bass DI and Rack Formats The VT Bass DI pedal has been configured to incorporate a Blend control to adjust the amount and balance of direct instrument signal with the SansAmp circuitry, and a Bite switch to add a treble boost and tighten up the bass sound. It also features three outputs - 1/4-inch, XLR and Parallel – for multiple stage and studio applications. The VT Bass Rack also includes a Blend control, and features an XLR Output Level control for optimum performance with PA systems, Effect Loop with a Mix 50/50 switch for parallel or series operation, XLR output with selectable levels, and a buffered direct XLR output to provide a dry signal. www.tech21nyc.com Decibel Eleven Pedal Palette The Pedal Palette™ is the first fully analog loop bypass switcher, router, and mixer to provide guitar players with the ability to instantly swap pedal effects order at any time.

Features include four pedal effects loops

with true relay bypass, ability to swap pedal order instantly and assign any effects loop to parallel mix bus. Also includes optional Class A discrete input buffer, ability to store and recall up to 128 preset configurations and sync multiple Pedal Palettes with MIDI. www.decibel11.com SKB Conga Line The new 1SKB-D3217 Universal Conga case will accommodate Quinto, Conga, or Tumbadora Conga drums that are 28” to 32” in height. The new Universal Conga Case is roto-molded of Linear Low Density Polyethylene with molded-in exterior bumpers and inverted bumpers to hold the conga in place in transit.

Two metal, sure grip han90 MMR

dles with 90 degree stops provide for easy lifting combined with four lockable casters to provide easy transport. Congas are stored with the head down to lower the center of gravity making the product more balanced when being rolled. The interior of this new Universal Conga case features a foam padding in the base and lid to cradle the conga and provide maximum gear protection.

The new 1SKB-D3217 Universal Conga Case is backed by SKB’s Million Mile Lifetime Guaranty. Retail price: $229.99. www.skbcases.com Voco-Pro EventPro-II The EventPro-II is designed for schools, entertainment coordinators, and rental companies. The package includes the new FA-500 Feather Amp, a 500W RMS ultra lightweight Class D amplifier; and two VX-30s, the dual 15” rolling speaker cabinets. The 15” woofers are made by Eminence. The system is capable of producing crisp and clear sound for indoor events, as well as rich, low bass tones that will carry for outdoor events. The Feather Amp has a convenient front-mounted 1/8” stereo audio input for connecting a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. www.vocopro.com Levy’s Loxx Guitar Straps Levy’s new Loxx straps are premium soft rayon webbing guitar straps with attached Loxx strap locks – the foremost brand in the industry. Included with each strap is

a garment leather drawstring pouch containing the Loxx screws, tool, and instruction card. Pictured is model MSSR80LX available in brown, natural, and black. www.levysleathers.com

Stylz from String Swing These seven bold, new customized guitar hangers from String Swing express musicians’ unique personalities while com-

bining the strength and durability of the company’s ever-popular CC01K. A user might show off their patriotic side with this year’s newest design, “Freedom.” All products are made in the USA and guaranteed for life. www.stringswing.com RBH Drums Monarch Series The Monarch™ drums from the RBH Drum Co. are much more than merely vintage drum replicas. The drums employ the time-honored mahogany-poplar-mahogany shell configuration that

is recognized as one of the most important developments in the transition from single-ply to multiple-ply drums. Every Monarch drumshell follows this formula faithfully, but they also represent significant improvements to the original recipe.

Monarch drums are low in pitch with naturally controlled resonance. www.drumshop.us Tanglewood Solid-Top Nashville IV Series Embodying the spirit of Music City, the Nashville Series instruments are styled in classic traditional Western fashion, paying homage to the home of country and roots music. A Solid Himalayan Spruce top and African Mahogany back MARCH 2013

and sides provide each instrument with colorful tone, and the unique headstock design adds to the luxurious cosmetic of these guitars.

Two body shapes will be offered: a Dreadnought (TND) and a Folk style (TNF). Retail price: $269. www.tanglewoodguitars.com DrumFire CB4000 Cymbal Bag Up to four 22” cymbals will fit inside the DrumFire CB4000’s primary pocket, while the smaller pocket accommodates hi-hats and small/medium cymbals up to 15”. Adjustable backpack straps allow for hands-free transport and can be tucked away inside a back pocket when not in use. The bag features double-pull zippers and a double handle with Velcro closure that provides a comfortable carrying option to the backpack straps. A felt insert is sewn inside the bag as cushioning between cymbals. Also features a drum stick holder that holds three pairs of sticks. Constructed of 500D nylon, the CB4000 is built to last.

Retail price: $79.99 www.onstagestands.com

PRS Guitars’ Core Bass Line PRS adds two new basses to their Core product offering with the Grainger 4 and Grainger 5. Gary Grainger has played with the likes of John Scofield, Dennis Chambers, and Frank Gambali. As the primary designer of PRS Private Stock basses, Gary collaborated with many bass artists, including Wyzard (Mother’s Fin-

est) and Kevin Walker ( Justin Timberlake), to create a PRS bass with all the character and quality of Gary’s Private Stock models but with a more universal appeal that could be offered through the company’s Core production line. Specifications include a maple top, mahoga-

Orange Amplification OR100 The OR100 incorporates for the first time on an ‘OR’ series amp twin channels as well as a valve driven FX loop, foot-switchable boosts, and independent EQ. The output power can be scaled between 100,70,50

and 30 watts, plus there is a choice of clean and dirty channels. Specifications include a 100/70/50/30w Class A/B head, and two channels. Valves include 4xECC83/12AX7, 1xECC81/12AT7, and 4xEL34. Other features include 1 x 16 Ohm cabinet connected to the 16 Ohm speaker output, a 1 x 8 Ohm cabinet connected to one of the 8 Ohm outputs, and 2 x 16 Ohm cabinets each connected to one of the 8 Ohm outputs. www.orangeamps.com MARCH 2013

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New Products ny back, 34” scale length, 24 fret maple neck, rosewood fretboard, and PRS bird inlays. Grainger 4 and 5 basses operate both passively and actively. www.prsguitars.com

MOSFET power amp for an increased low end response through its 10-inch speaker. The amp’s extreme gain includes four discrete gain stages to drive searing lead tones reminiscent of external distor-

Four Force EM-1 Amplifier This 5 watt, Class A, amplifier uses a state of the art J-Fet pre-amp and audiophile

tion pedals. A unique pre-amp allows users independent control of gain and volume. The amp’s dynamic range allows users to play softly or really dig in without any amplifier compression. The amp’s Patent Pending “Tube Illusion” circuit allows a smooth transition from clean to overdrive, like that of high end tube amps, and handles high speed shredding with tight and focused response. The amp can even drive big 4 x 12” cabinets all while weighing only 12 lbs. www.fourforce.com Nady U-6100/6200 DUO Wireless Nady’s new U-6100/6200 DUO wireless are single and dual UHF systems featuring 100 PLL selectable channels. Both the U-6100 single channel and 6200 DUO

www.tjflutes.com

are high-performance, full-featured wireless systems offering unsurpassed PLL UHF performance with 120dB dynamic range and operation up to 250’ line-ofsight. Each has complete and independent wireless receivers with 100 user selectable UHF frequencies. Retail price: $169.99 (U-6100), $299.99 (U-6200). www.nady.com

GET kiDS ExCiTED AbOuT MuSiC! •Student Flutes •Step-Up & Pro Flutes •Alto & Bass Flutes 92 MMR

Our award winning flutes are designed for success right from the start.

Contact us to join the Trevor James dealer network and see how the right flute DOES make the difference.

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Kala Rumbler U-BASS The Kala Rumbler™ design integrates a specially designed Kala electronic system with a Piezo pickup and is equipped with an active EQ with built in tuner. Each bass is strung with Kala Silver Rumbler Strings™ which are proprietary UBASS strings designed and manufactured exclusively for Kala Brand Music by Aquila strings. Other features include Die-Cast U-Bass tuners, Laminate Mahogany construction, Mahogany neck with Rosewood fingerboard and bridge. Retail price: $399. www.kalaubass.com MARCH 2013

Supplier Scene Stone Custom Drum Expands Production Capabilities Stone Custom Drum, LLC, a company dedicated to the production of custom drum shells made of exotic and domestic woods, recently announced that it will be introducing new product lines this spring.

The news comes as a result of its initial success on the international marketplace coupled with recently-expanded produc-

tion capabilities at its manufacturing facility in Fort Wayne, Ind. The firm is celebrating its second year of drum shell production after restoring and customizing drums since 2005.

Stone has just increased its production capabilities by adding a second original Slingerland drum shell manufacturing machine to its assembly line. Stone manufactures drum shells using the original drum shell equipment of the defunct, Illinois-based Slingerland. Stone refurbished the old Slingerland equipment to today’s standards. Prior to purchasing the drum shell equipment in 2005, Stone had been an independent drum craftsman, building everything from Civil War re-enactment drums to complete “one-off” custom drums. www.stonecustomdrum.com EHX’s Matthews Inducted Into Vintage Guitar Magazine Hall of Fame Electro-Harmonix President and Founder, Mike Matthews, was recently inducted into Vintage Guitar Magazine’s Hall of Fame in the category of Innovator. He joins the ranks of such luminaries as Leo Fender, Les Paul, Lloyd Loar and Jim Marshall. Matthews’ nomination and selection speaks volumes about his achievements and the influence his MARCH 2013

products have had on the way popular music is made. Those innovations include the first product to introduce the age of overdrive with LPB-1 Linear Power Booster, the first portable, battery powered, guitar amp (Freedom Amp), the first electronic flanger (Electric Mistress), the first with an analog delay (Memory Man). He’s been responsible

for iconic effects pedals like the Big Muff Pi and the POG2 Polyphonic Octave Generator. More recently, he continues to redefine the landscape of effects with products like the Freeze Sustainer, Ravish Sitar Pedal, Superego Synth Engine and the ground-breaking Crying Tone Wah Pedal with no moving parts. www.ehx.com

The Kyser® Quick-Change® is built to last. It is still handmade like it has been for the past 20 years by our expert engineers right here in Texas, USA. Kyser®’s pioneered design is often imitated but never equaled.

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MMR 93

Supplier Scene U-Bass Summit At Berklee At the invitation of Berklee College of Music bass chair Steve Bailey, Kala Brand Music Co. recently hosted an event at the college which featured a trio of renowned bassists Abraham Laboriel, Bakithi Kumalo, and Hutch Hutchinson.

The event, called a “U-Bass summit,” had the bassists leading a workshop/performance session that included the sharing of their encyclopedic professional experience as well as inspiring solo and ensemble performances. Afterwards, students and faculty were invited to demo

an assortment of Kala U-Basses. Each artist spoke to the assembly and provided solo demonstrations of the U-Bass and joined together in an impromptu jam session. Drummer Casey Scheuerell was on hand to round out the quintet at the event. www.ubass.com

Schecter Signs Nikki Sixx to Artist Roster As Schecter Guitar Research settles into its expanded headquarters in Sun Valley, Calif., the company has also made time to announce its new partnership with Mötley Crüe / Sixx: A.M. bassist, NY Times bestselling author, and radio host Nikki Sixx. Sixx’s musical pedigree, history, and current musical projects helped the collaboration with Schecter come to fruition. “It was important to all of us to design a bass that would feel right as well as sound amazing in the hands of all players, not just me,” said Sixx.

Nikki Sixx has been known for years as a player stylized by his brashness and Schecter has taken it upon themselves to create this Nikki Sixx signature mode.

It can be maintained that The Schecter Sixx will reflect Nikki’s style, both visually and sonically, while being able to withstand the punishing

rigors of the road from opening night to the end of tour closing set. www.schecterguitars.com Powell Flutes President Opens Art Exhibition Steven Wasser, the president of Verne Q. Powell Flutes in Massachusetts and an avid art collector, recently opened an exhibition at Philadelphia’s National Museum of American Jewish History of work from his collection of Depression era Jewish artists.

The show, titled “Jewish Artists In America: 1925 – 1945,” includes the works of 21 different artists selected by Wasser from his collection built from secular art in the social-realist style made mostly through President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous Works Progress Administration programs, giving the exhibition a uniquely gritty feel.

Wasser’s grandparents immigrate to the United States from Poland and Hungary. “When I see the summer rooftop scene portrayed by New Yorker artist Saul Steinberg, I am reminded of the stories my mother told of sleeping on the roof of her Bronx tenement during hot summer nights,” he writes in the show’s program. www.powellflutes.com John Verity Honored with New Fret-King Black Label Artist Model Fret-King® guitars has announced its newest Black Label artist model, designed in cooperation with UK blues legend John Verity. The Fret-King Black Label Corona ‘JV’ is built to the favoured specs of Verity, a 40-year veteran who’s shared stages with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Mountain, Canned Heat and Janis Joplin, as well as playing sessions for and producing artists like Motörhead, Saxon, Ringo Starr and The Searchers. The

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guitar includes a Fret-King twist – a hidden Power-coil™ which eliminates higain noise, making the pickups just that bit hotter, even with the power backed off, and maintaining that all-important single coil tone. www.fret-king.com Gretsch Introduces the Billy Duffy White Falcon Gretsch recently announced the release of its G7593T Billy Duffy White Falcon guitar. Featuring much of what Falcon fans hold dear, The Cult guitarist’s inimitable instrument has several unique aesthetic differences that separate it from the rest of the “Falcon” flock, namely its periodcorrect ’70s Baldwin-era styling, pure White gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish, V-shaped Falcon headstock, Silver Sparkle binding, custom wound hot “Black Top” Filter’Tron pickups with three-point adjustable ’70s-style metal bezels and Duffy’s preferred Bigsby tailpiece.

Hal Leonard to Distribute Acoustica, Inc. Software Hal Leonard Corporation has become an authorized distributor of Acoustica, Inc. software products in the US and Canada. Hal Leonard Senior Sales & Marketing Manager Brad Smith and Anthony Conte, VP of Sales for Acoustica, reached the deal.

Acoustica was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Oakhurst, California. The company’s mission is to create high quality software that is easy to use, intuitive and powerful. One of Acoustica’s signature

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.

Photograph by Eric Fairchild

In addition, Duffy’s signature bird of prey features a 17” wide, 2 ¾” deep single cut-away three-ply maple body with a three-ply maple arched top and back and two spruce parallel tone bars and sound post, a three-piece maple neck with ebony fingerboard, a chrome-plated truss rod cover with Duffy’s signature emblazoned on it, a chrome-plated output jack plate, pearloid wide-block fretboard inlays, ’70s-style aluminum “G” arrow knobs and a premium gray speckled “Billy Duffy” case.

“It’s hard to separate the guitar from the evolution of (The Cult’s) sound,” said Duffy. “In essence, the big white Gretsch became synonymous with the band very quickly. I’m not really that much of a sentimental person, but in a house fire it would be the first non-living thing that I’d be going for.” www.gretschguitars.com MARCH 2013

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

MMR 95

Supplier Scene products is Mixcraft 6. Mixcraft is a powerful, professional, and easy-to-use music production and multi-track recording workstation which comes loaded with thousands of music loops, dozens of audio effects, and pristine-sounding virtual instruments.

Hal Leonard will distribute Mixcraft 6, Mixcraft Pro Studio 6, Pianissimo virtual grand piano and CD/DVD Label Maker. Hal Leonard will also distribute upgrades, academic editions, and site licenses of Mixcraft, including a comprehensive teachers curriculum guide. www.halleonard.com Selmer Receives NAMM Lifetime Achievement Award This year, Henri Selmer Paris president Patrick Selmer receives the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from NAMM. The head of the French saxo-

phone maker since 1998, Selmer leads the iconic brand with his cousins Brigitte and Jerome Selmer. He is the fourth generation of Selmers to run the business founded by his great-grandfather in 1885.

The Lifetime Achievement award is NAMM’s highest industry recognition.

Selmer started working in the business at an early age, beginning with a residency in Elkhart, Indiana, where he was introduced to many key players in the brass industry.

Selmer, who also president of the French music association Chambre Syndicate de la Facture Instrumentale, was instrumental in starting Orchestre à l’école. This program that reinstates ensemble music making in French state schools grew over the last decade from one school orchestra to nearly 750. Orchestre à l’école is now supported by the French Ministry of Education. www.selmer.fr Willams S. Haynes Co. Commemorates 125th Anniversary William S. Haynes Co. is celebrating its 125th Anniversary as the oldest maker of flutes in America. Founded in 1888 in Boston, the company is highly regarded for creating some of the finest instruments and introducing innovations that

have become industry standards.

The company plans to observe this anniversary milestone by handcrafting 25 Limited Edition custom-made flutes to be produced over a two-year period. These special flutes will be crafted in a variety of precious metals including silver, gold, and platinum. This instrument will feature uniquely engraved keys, rings, along with a diamond inlayed 14K rose gold engraved crown. Each flute will be engraved with its own individual serial number sequence and the William S. Haynes 125th Anniversary logo. A solid 14K rose gold Limited Edition flute will command $50,000. Eight of these highly unique all-custom instruments have already been pre-sold. www.EastmanMusicCompany.com Zildjian, Vic Firth, Remo to Host UK Artist Session in April The Avedis Zildjian Company recently announced that the global market leaders in cymbals, drumsticks, and drum heads will jointly host an artist session in the UK on April 15, 2013 at the famous Hard Rock Café London. The announcement comes on the heels of a highly successful East Coast Artist Session hosted by the three companies last fall at The Cutting Room in New York City, which had a record turnout of over 300 artists.

“Since joining forces with the Vic Firth Company in 2010, Zildjian has collaborated on many projects,” said Craigie Zildjian, CEO, Zildjian Company. “By partnering with REMO, we are able to bring together the top percussion brands in the industry. These artist events provide the perfect opportunity for a diverse group of artists to come together both in the US and internationally” www.zildjian.com 96 MMR

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

Business Opportunities

☛ PAYMENTS: ALL ADS ARE PREPAID. Charge on Mastercard, Visa or American Express. ☛ SEND YOUR ADVERTISEMENT TO: 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 shemingway@ symphonypublishing.com. ☛ QUESTIONS? Call Steven Hemingway at 800-964-5150 x 34 shemingway@ symphonypublishing.com.

Accessories

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.

Business For Sale For Sale. Profitable..

Full line music retail store (in worlds most beatiful beaches) located in Panama City Beach FL. Turn key with 10 years operation with lessons and teachers in place.

See video at www.guitarbrats.com.

Please email us beachmusicsuperstore@yahoo.com with your number and we will return call asap..Price $ 225 thousand MARCH 2013

• Band and Orchestra Rentals • New and Like New Educator-Approved Brand Name Instruments • Personalized Rent-To-Own Program • No Franchise Fee or Inventory Investment • No Shipping Costs • High Commissions Paid the 1st of Every Month • Exceptional Service

Seeking: Certified Band/Orchestra Repair Techs, Print Music Manager, Store Managers, Woodwind Repair Technician, 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:

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

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.mmrmagazine.com MMR 97

Business Opportunities

For Sale FOR SALE Classic Hammond B-3 (Serial #A32004) with reverb, pedals, bench and 122R Leslie purchased new 1970.

Beautiful light American walnut/red oak like-new finish. Trek 2 with pluck base and SSP-3 Aux Amplifier with dual control box installed 1989.

Excellent Condition: $7,500 or Best Reasonable Offer.

Credit given for travel to Denville, NJ: 973-328-8865 or bigowb@optonline.net www.mmrmagazine.com 98 MMR

Help Wanted

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

WANTED Band Instrument Repair Tech Beautiful Northwest Florida www.playgroundmusiccenter.com send resume: contact@playgroundmusiccenter.com

Breaking News!

Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.mmrmagazine.com MARCH 2013

Business Opportunities

Instruction

Merchandise

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

www.mmrmagazine.com MARCH 2013

MMR 99

Business Opportunities

Merchandise

YAMAHA窶適AWAI

CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED PIANOS Japanese High Quality

GUARANTEED

Guitar Show Operators

Promote your show dates and reach every guitar dealer in the US through the classified pages of MMR. Call Steven 800-964-5150 ext 34 100 MMR

You get what you pay for!

1-800-782-2694

North American Music 11 Holt Drive Stony Point, NY 10980 Fax: (845) 429-6920

FINANCING AVAILABLE MARCH 2013

Business Opportunities

Merchandise 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.

718-706-0828 www.huntermusical.com

equatone@earthlink.net

Merchandise

PIANO DEALERS & MANUFACTURERS We Have Your Customers!

Piano World is the world’s most popular piano web site. We get more quality traffic in a month than other piano sites see in a year.

Piano World is where people come when they are searching for information about the piano. We have your target audience and can deliver quality prospects to you, locally, nationally, or internationally.

Come see what Piano World can do for your business today: www.PianoWorld.com/advertising • frank_baxter@pianoworld.com, or 207-793-2524

PianoWorld.com Home of the world famous Piano Forums MARCH 2013

Guitar Show Operators

Promote your show dates and reach every guitar dealer in the US through the classified pages of MMR. Call Steven 800-964-5150 ext 34 MMR 101

Repair Tools

BOW REHAIRING Expert Bow Service

Order forms,Pricing and Shipping label at:

www.bowrehairing.com Violin bows as low as $10.00 per bow in quantity incl. shipping (see website for details.) Large inventory of replacement parts both new and vintage.

IRA B. KRAEMER & Co.

FAST TURN-AROUND ON STOCK REPAIRS NATIONWIDE NAPBIRT member, 30 Years Experience Contact: Dan Rieck, 801-733-4243 dan@utahwoodwindrepair.com

Wholesale Services Division

“An industry leader since 1967” 467 Grant Avenue, Scotch Plains, N.J. 07076 Tel: 908-322-4469 Fax: 908 322-8613 e mail: info@bowrehairing.com

Help Wanted

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

shemingway@symphonypublishing.com

Services

SHIPPING YOUR PIANO

with Lone Wolf Trucking

is a “grand” idea!

An independent, long-distance Mover specializing in coast-to-coast residential Relocation.

1-800-982-9505

www.lonewolftrucking.com Alamogordo, New Mexico. 88310

ICC MC-256289

102 MMR

MARCH 2013

Sales Reps Wanted SEEKING CAPTIVE SALES REP

MOVING?

Let us know 6-8 weeks before your move so we can continue to send your magazine without interruption.

Sales Rep required for Mid-West Territory Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota’s EMD Music Group require an energetic, personable Sales Rep to cover the Mid West territory for all Stagg products & associated brands (Remo, J. Neligan, A. Lopez, Aquila) Musical product knowledge & general sales experience is essential & the candidate must be “tech savvy” with a confident understanding of Microsoft Office Applications.

Frequent travel is required.

Submit Resume to: TONY GRAHAM (National Sales Manager) t.graham@emdmusic.com

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

shemingway@symphonypublishing.com

Wanted To Buy

Vintage Instruments

WE BUY, SELL, TRADE

PASTE OLD LABEL HERE!

This position would ideally suit someone looking for a first opportunity in this field.

The candidate will work closely with the National Sales Manager, but will ultimately be responsible for account management for all Music Retail stores within the territory.

Package: Base plus Commission, Expense Allowance & Health/ Dental Insurance. The right candidate will need to live in the territory, ideally based around the major cities.

No relocation expenses will be paid.

and ship worldwide.

ONLINE APPRAISAL SERVICE GRUHN GUITARS, 400 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203

(615) 256-2033

fax (615) 255-2021

www.guitars.com

Wanted USED TUBAS ANY CONDITION-CASH PAID THE TUBA EXCHANGE 1825 CHAPEL HILL RD. DURHAM, NC 27707 1-800-869-8822 LUC@TUBAEXCHANGE.COM

NEW ADDRESS HERE! Name ___________________________ Address _________________________

Breaking News!

Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.mmrmagazine.com MARCH 2013

_______________________________ City ____________________________ State ____________Zip ____________

21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310 MMR 103

Ad Index COMPANY NAME

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

02:20 Stands

www.iixxstands.com

PAGE 18

A Al Cass Allparts Music Corp Amati’s Fine Instruments American Way Marketing LLC

www.allparts.com www.amatis.org www.americanwaymktg.com

96 14 22 34

www.ChateauUSAMusic.com www.bechstein-america.com www.morganhillmusic.com www.bourns.com www.bourns.com

73 37 91 79 81

www.casio.com www.celestion.com www.connollymusic.com

13 30 80

www.daddario.com www.daddario.com www.Decibel11.com

15 51 23

www.fishman.com www.floydrose.com www.fourforce.us

65 60 77

www.g7th.com www.moondogmfg.com www.gatorcases.com

79 14 61

www.hailun-pianos.com www.halleonard.com www.houseoftroy.com www.huntermusical.com

35 17 71 85

C Casio America, Inc Celestion Connolly & Co.

D D’Addario & Co. D’Addario & Co. Decibel Eleven - MYE Inc

F Fishman Transducers, Inc. Floyd Rose Marketing Four Force Amplifiers

G G7th Ltd. Gable Piano Service Gator Cases

H Hailun USA Hal Leonard Corp.

House of Troy Hunter Music Instrument Inc.

I/J Italian Trade Promotion Agency Jancic AG

www.mondomusicanewyork.com www.jazzlab.com

83 68

104 MMR

PAGE

www.levysleathers.com www.levysleathers.com http://mcdpercussion.com www.musicarts.com www.musicpeopleinc.com

cov 2 9 94 86 5

www.namm.com www.nuvo-instrumental.com www.OptionKnob.com

24-25 68 18

L/M Levy’s Leathers Ltd. Levy’s Leathers Ltd. MCD Percussion Music & Arts Center The Music People

NAMM Nuvo Instrumental Ltd. Option Knob

P Peekamoose Guitars PianoDisc

www.Peekamoose.com www.pianodisc.com

40 39

R/S Roland Corp. U.S. Saga Musical Instruments Saga Musical Instruments Saga Musical Instruments Samson Technologies Corp.

Samson Technologies Corp.

School of Rock LLC School of Rock LLC SHS International Shubb Capos SKB Corp.

Stone Custom Drum

www.rolandUS.com cov 4 www.sagamusic.com 19 www.sagamusic.com 44 www.sagamusic.com 95 www.samsontech.com 11 www.samsontech.com 3 http://franchising.schoolofrock.com 55 http://franchising.schoolofrock.com 89 www.shsint.net 84 www.shubb.com 32 www.skbcases.com 21 www.stonecustomdrum.com 40

T TKL Products Corp.

TKL Products Corp.

Tycoon Percussion

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

1 7 75

www.vicfirth.com www.vicfirth.com

52 53

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

81 92 28

www.yamaha.com www.youngchang.com

69 29

V Vic Firth Company Vic Firth Company

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

Y

K Kala Brand Music Co. Kawai America Corp.

Ken Smith Basses Ltd. Keystone Electronics Kurzweil Music Systems Kyser Musical Products Inc.

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

N/O

B Band World Music Inc Bechstein America LLC Boulder Music Group Bourns, Inc. Bourns, Inc.

COMPANY NAME

www.kalabrand.com www.kawiausl.com www.kensmithbasses.com www.keyelco.com www.youngchang.com www.kysermusical.com

73 31 14 45 41 93

Yamaha Corp. of America Young Chang North America

MARCH 2013

rolandconnect.com

Check out the new BOSS TE-2 and 17 other new products launched during Winter NAMM 2013 by visiting www.rolandconnect.com. 速