MMR September 2010

Page 1

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

September 2010

Piano & Keyboard Market Report: eCommerce

Kathi Kretzer and the

Art of

Reinvention

NEW, DIGITAL VERSION www.mmrmagazine.com

UP TIGHT. AND PROUD OF IT.

Guitar Tuner List $29 Dealer Net: $7.99/10+

All Instrument Tuner List $39 Dealer Net: $9.99/10+ EXTRA 5%: 1 FREE ON 20 PC MIX EXTRA 10%: 5 FREE ON 50 PC MIX www.snarktuners.com

TIGHTER TUNING! BIGGER PROFITS! GET ON IT! GET SNARK® FROM THESE AND OTHER FINE DISTRIBUTORS:

KMC MUSIC 877-526-2668

MUSICORP SC: 800-845-1922 IL: 800-356-4326

HANSER 800-999-5558

HARRIS TELLER 800-252-4004

M&M MERCHANDISERS 800-299-9035

LPD 248-585-9630 © Snark 2010

GETYOUR KICKS...ON A ’56! The guitar that rocked the world is back…and better than ever. All models feature our souped up Lipstick® pickups, ostrich side tape, and all new finishes. Some models feature Dolphin and Full Bell headstocks. All $399 List. WHITE WITH GOLD HARDWARE

BLACK

’56 WITH DOLPHIN HEADSTOCK AND HUMBUCKER LIPSTICKS®

RED/BLACK CRACKLE

COPPER

AQUA

56 Single Cutaway DISTRIBUTED IN USA BY:

LPD MUSIC • (800) 527-5292 • (248) 585-9630 © Danelectro 2010

BLACK BASS

AQUA BASS

WIN a Martin Performing Artist Series Guitar page 65

6 SONGS TO PLAY GRATEFUL DEAD

“New Speedway Boogie”

WILCO & BILLY BRAGG

“California Stars”

JAKOB DYLAN

“Nothing but the Whole Wide World”

TRADITIONAL

“House Carpenter”

F O R

E V E R Y

P L AY E R

I N

A N Y

S T Y L E

JAKOB DYLAN Chases Timeless Songs and Tune-Filled Guitars

Gypsy-Jazz Workshop

With John Jorgenson HOW TO

LESSONS Solo with MinorPentatonic Scales Learn to Cross-Pick Celtic Backup with Dennis Cahill

NEW GEAR REVIEWS McPHERSON 12-String LÂG Tramontane Dreadnought ROLAND BatteryPowered Amp

2010

GUITAR MAKER

DIRECTORY AUGUST 2010 AcousticGuitar.com

®

JUNE 2010

Stock the Mostd In-Deman Music Magazines!

Upgrade Guitar Electronics

. . . and more

Why Your Guitar Improves With Age

VOL. TWENTY THREE NUMBER NINE JUNE 2010 USA $5.99 CANADA $5.99

ACOUSTIC GUITAR ALTERNATIVE PRESS BASS PLAYER BILLBOARD’S MUSICIAN GUIDE TO TOURING AND PROMOTION DJ TIMES DRUM! EQ FINGERSTYLE GUITAR GUITAR AFICIONADO GUITAR PLAYER GUITAR WORLD GUITAR WORLD LEGENDS GUITAR WORLD BUYERS GUIDE HALFTIME KEYBOARD MUSIC CONNECTION RECORDING REVOLVER SOUND ON SOUND THE STRAD THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO GUITAR AND BASS GEAR STRINGS VINTAGE GUITAR PLUS MORE COMING SOON!

High Discount • Flexible Terms NO-HASSLE Return Policy XX REVENUE! Magazines are a high-profit, easy add-on. Over

2.5 times more profitable than the industry standard per square foot! XX PRODUCT SALES! Magazines are a trusted source for new and upcoming product releases! Let the magazines help you sell more products to your customers! XX TRAFFIC! Increase store traffic by making your store the place to buy these in-demand top-selling titles!

MusicMags now distributed exclusively to the music trade by Alfred Music Publishing! Contact your sales rep today! E-mail sales@alfred.com Phone 800-292-6122 Fax 800-632-1928 Web alfred.com/dealer

Contents Cover photo by: Jacek Gancarz, www.jacekgancarz.com

20

SEPTEMBER 2010 VOL.169 NO. 9

Features 20

Webwise: The World Wide Web Goes Local Kevin Mitchell looks into methods to drive local business to your store via your online presence.

24

Report: eCommerce The Internet is hardly “news,” at this point, but MI retailers are still working to best maximize the potential provided by eCommerce – and to most effectively avoid the challenges and threats presented by the online marketplace.

31 36

Survey: eCommerce Spotlight: Kathi Kretzer and the Art of Reinvention MMR talks with Kathi Kretzer of West Palm Beach, Florida’s Kretzer Piano to discuss her quarter-century in the business, get her take on the current state of the market, and learn how she remains successful in an ever-changing retail climate.

24 46

Piano & Keyboard Market In a segment that’s widely considered to be stagnant or shrinking, we speak with dealers who are fi nding ways to succeed by exploring unconventional avenues and maximizing the potential of traditional markets.

52 60

New & Notable Piano & Keyboard Products Survey: Saxophones We surveyed over 2,000 of our readers, asking for their feedback on the current saxophone market…

70

36

Music Go Round By carefully selecting their markets and making the most of the potential in used instrument and product sales, Music Go Round continues to thrive.

72

Brad Putt: On the Case When Brad Putt of Dayton, Tennesee’s Main Stage Music was approached by a customer looking to sell tens of thousands of dollar’s worth of Telefunken microphones, he knew something was amiss…

76

IMSO: Continuing Growth

Departments www.MMRmagazine.com

4 6 18 64

Editorial Upfront People Viewpoint

80 86 90 96

New Products Supplier Scene Classifieds Advertisers’ Index

MMR Musical Merchandise Review® (ISSN 0027-4615) founded in 1879, is published monthly by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781)453-9310, publisher of School Band and Orchestra, Choral Director, Music Parents America and JazzEd. All titles are federally registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Symphony Publishing, LLC. Subscription Rates: U.S.A., US possessions, one year $32; two years $40. Canada one year $80; all other countries one year $159. Single issues $5 each. May Supplier Directory $35. Periodical-Rate Postage Paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER/SUBSCRIBERS: Send address change to Musical Merchandise Review, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853. Periodicals circulation is directed to music dealers and retailers, wholesalers and distributors, importers and exporters and manufacturers of all types of musical instruments and their accessories, related electronic sound equipment, general musical accessories, musical publications and teaching aides. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competion. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Copyright ©2010 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.

2 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

Fe\ j`q\% =`kj Xcc%

@EKIF;L:@E> K?< ?( ?8E;P I<:FI;<I% ;feËk c\k `kj j`q\ ]ffc pfl% K_\ ?( ?Xe[p I\Zfi[\i _Xj fli i\efne\[ i\Zfi[`e^ k\Z_efcf^p Xe[ jkl[`f$hlXc`kp d`Zif$ g_fe\j `e fli \Xj`\jk# dfjk gfikXYc\ [\m`Z\ \m\i% LE;<I PFLI K?LD9¿ N`k_ `kj e\n lj\i `ek\i]XZ\# k_\ ?( `j j`dgc\ kf lj\% Aljk glj_ i\Zfi[ Xe[ ^f% 8cc `kj ]leZk`fej Xi\ Xk pfli Ôe^\i$ k`gj1 i\Zfi[`e^ ]fidXk# Xlkf c\m\c# cfn Zlk Ôck\i# `eglk c\m\c¿ ef d\elj i\hl`i\[ J<:LI< PFLI ;@>@K8C D<DFI@<J% K_\ ?( Zfd\j n`k_ X )>9 d`ZifJ; ZXi[% Lj`e^ X *)>9 d`ZifJ; ZXi[# pfl ^\k fm\i ,' _flij f] i\Zfi[`e^ k`d\ Xk (-$Y`k&++%(b?q% 8e[ pfl ZXe i\Zfi[ lg kf )+$Y`k&0-b?q i\jfclk`fe% J?8I< K?< CFM<% N`k_ `kj LJ9 )%' gfik# k_\ ?( Xccfnj pfl kf kiXej]\i pfli Xl[`f Ôc\j kf pfli Zfdglk\i% C`jk\e# \[`k Xe[ j_Xi\ n`k_ pfli ]Xej fe pfli DXZ fi G:% 8::<JJFI@Q< K?< J@Q<¿ >\k k_\ ?( XZZ\jjfip gXZb k_Xk `eZcl[\j X n`e[jZi\\e# 8: X[Xgk\i# LJ9 ZXYc\# X[aljkXYc\ ki`gf[ jkXe[# gX[[\[ ZXj\ Xe[ d`Z Zc`g X[Xgk\i% :fdY`e`e^ gfn\i]lc i\Zfi[`e^ ZXgXY`c`kp n`k_ \c\^XeZ\ Xe[ j`dgc`Z`kp# k_\ ?( `j fli jdXcc\jk# dfjk X]]fi[XYc\ i\Zfi[\i \m\i% 9i`cc`Xek Jk\i\f I\Zfi[`e^% Efn `e pfli gfZb\k¿

?Xe[p I\Zfi[\i )'(' Qffd s qffd]o%Zfd&?(

Editorial

®

Volume 169, Number 9, September 2010 PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com

Follow The Yellow Brick Road

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Rick Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com

R

eviewing this month’s Internet report (see page 24) one is reminded of Ted Levitt’s 1975 Marketing Myopia treatise published in the Harvard Business Review. In brief, the good professor discussed the growth curve of industries using (as one example) the failure of the railroads to recognize they were in the transportation business, eventually losing market share to airplanes and the trucking business, among others. He further noted, “Unless a leader knows where he is going, any road will take him there.” From a sampling of the report, along with our random survey (see page 31), it appears that the music dealer (much like most of their retail brethren) is walking along the Internet highway exploring diverse paths to find the ultimate rainbow at journey’s end. The survey responses range from Acoustic Corner’s Stephanie Wild, who bluntly states, “If I wanted to sell merchandise over the Internet, I’d be selling office supplies… it’s impossible to maintain a competitive Internet business and run a responsible service –driven showroom at the same time…” To Guitar City Stop’s Jeanne Oster who has totally embraced cyberspace marketing to the extent she has changed the name of the store founded by her family 50 years ago (Central Sales Music Company) taking full advantage of SEO (search engine optimization). Dave Strohauer, Earthshaking Music, is shuttering his 15-year-old online operation, “To do e-commerce right takes a lot of time – time away from serving your in-store customers.” Conversely, Jack Phillips, Jax Music Supply maintains a storefront but is mostly an online operation. “We don’t push the brick and mortar part of the business, and we don’t usually open on weekends. We would rather keep our labor costs down and focus marketing efforts on the Internet.” While the sustainability and profitability of music product sales on the Internet are viewed by music dealers in the context of their existing business model, it’s safe to point out that during the past decade-plus there has been a marked attrition in the number of dealer storefronts. Simultaneously, industry sales may have slowed, but in general the shortfall of store openings has been minimized by the growth of Internet volume from a variety of pathways: catalog houses converting to Web-based operations; dealers moving aggressively into the Internet (levels the playing field as one survey respondent noted); the establishment of satellite eBay stores; and in some instances dealers operating on line with a different name, as Seminole Music’s “Online Music & Sound.” Whether Web sites are used for sales or informational and educational purposes, a majority of survey respondents point to the growing importance of keeping pace with social networking; Facebook, YouTube and Twitter among others. Almost 50 per cent of the committed dealers polled engage a dedicated employee to handle Internet duties, while they estimate that most spend less than five hours a week working on the site. The majority of dealers commented they use the site primarily for information and education (52 percent) and only ten percent are sales driven. Two thirds polled stressed the importance of collecting e-mail addresses and 87 percent indicated they are considering or planning a Web site overhaul in the next 12 months. And in a final note, we introduce a new column by an old friend, Joe Bredau. A 40year veteran of both the music products retail and supply side, Joe has touched all the bases ranging from sales rep to VP positions at Hohner USA and more recently Korg USA. Joe’s columns will focus on dealer-vendor relations, employee training, and expanding the customer base. He can be reached at joebredau@gmail.com.

EDITOR Christian Wissmuller cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eliahu Sussman esussman@symphonypublishing.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Denyce Neilson dneilson@symphonypublishing.com ADVERTISING SALES Iris Fox ifox@symphonypublishing.com CLASSIFIED AD SALES Maureen Johan mjohan@symphonypublishing.com SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER Jason LaChapelle jlachapelle@symphonypublishing.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill lguptill@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Andrew P. Ross aross@symphonypublishing.com Laurie Chesna lchesna@symphonypublishing.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@symphonypublishing.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Popi Galileos pgalileos@symphonypublishing.com SYMPHONY PUBLISHING, LLC Xen Zapis • Chairman Lee Zapis • President lzapis@symphonypublishing.com Rich Bongorno • Chief Financial Officer rbongorno@symphonypublishing.com Corporate Headquarters 26202 Detroit Road, Suite 300, Westlake, Ohio 44145 440-871-1300 www.symphonypublishing.com PUBLISHING, SALES & EDITORIAL OFFICE: 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310 Fax: (781) 453-9389 www.mmrmagazine.com

sdavis@ symphonypublishing.com

4 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

Upfront New Tax Law Concern In early August, George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville e-mailed MMR regarding an issue we’d already caught wind of: a proviso tacked onto the recently passed healthcare reform bill which may require retailers to issue a 1099 tax form to every vendor who sells or consigns any item totaling over $600. As Gruhn noted in his message, “In my case, that could be thousands of separate 1099 forms. This would affect all NAMM members, as well as all musical

instrument dealers, including those who sell on eBay or at guitar shows.” On August 4th, NAMM posted a reaction online that concluded with the following: “NAMM’s Washington Office is working with the National Retail Federation, the National Federation of Independent Business and other industry groups to devise a strategy to,

preferably, repeal the fi ling requirement (although additional revenue might have to be found to offset the cost), or mitigate its impact. “NAMM members who have views about the increased paperwork burden the requirement will generate are encouraged to communicate them to their members of Congress.”

MusicMags is described as, “a hassle-free magazine distribution program with inherent added value that positively affects a retailer’s bottom line.” In addition to generating an average of 2.5 times the industry standard in annual revenue/square foot, providing MusicMags titles in any music instrument store is an effortless way to generate product sales throughout the store, increase foot traffic, build customer loyalty, and enhance sales promotions.

Managed by the MMPA and distributed through Alfred to music stores throughout the U.S. and Canada, MusicMags exclusively supplies a selection of over two dozen leading music magazines, including Guitar World, Guitar Player, Bass Player, Acoustic Guitar, DRUM!, Vintage Guitar, Sound on Sound, Recording, Revolver and more. To view the complete list of magazines available through MusicMags or to learn more information, visit www.musicmags.net.

Alfred Joins with MMPA Alfred Music Publishing recently announced that it has joined forces with the Music Magazine Publishers Association (MMPA) to exclusively distribute the complete selection of MusicMags titles to music retailers, “making it easier than ever for stores to profit from the industry’s top magazines.”

Buffet Crampon to Acquire Schreiber & Keilwerth The Buffet Crampon Group, headed by Antoine Beaussant, is acquiring all the assets of the German manufacturer Schreiber & Keilwerth, which had filed for insolvency in March 2010. The new Buffet Crampon Deutschland GmbH will continue the W. Schreiber & Julius Keilwerth brands. The factory in Markneukirchen has the capacity to produce upwards of 50,000 instruments per year. Its integration into the Buffet Crampon Group is projected to save more than 140 jobs. 6 MMR

Obama Halts Teacher Layoffs Returning from summer break in early August, the House pushed through an emergency $26 billion jobs bill that Democrats said would save 300,000 teachers, police and others from election-year layoffs. President Barack Obama immediately signed it into law. The aid for the states is to be paid for mostly by closing a tax loophole used by multinational corporations and by reducing food stamp benefits for the poor. Obama, joined by teachers at a Rose Garden ceremony, said, “We can’t stand

by and do nothing while pink slips are given to the men and women who educate our children or keep our communities safe.” The Senate narrowly passed the measure, after the House had begun its August break. The legislation provides $10 billion to school districts to rehire laid-off teachers or to ensure that more teachers won’t be let go before the new school year begins. The Education Department estimates that could save 160,000 jobs. SEPTEMBER 2010

Upfront Pearl River ¤ American PR Musical Instruments Pearl River Piano Group America has become American PR Musical Instruments, Inc. The name change is said to reflect an initiative from the Ontario, California based management to expand the North American product line to include a wide variety of musical instruments in addition to Pearl River and Ritmüller pianos.

President and CEO, Evelyn Luo stresses that, “There will be no change in operations. Our company offices, phone numbers and personnel will remain the same. We believe the new name will better ref lect our purpose and commitment to the full range of musical products we produce and distribute.

Musikmesse 2011 The dates for the next Musikmesse and Prolight & Sound in Frankfurt were announced in mid-August. The event will take place April 6-9, 2011. Those who apply by September 15 receive the “early booking discount.” For more information, visit www.musikmesse.com.

Steinway Reports Growth in Q2 Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. reported earnings for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010.

better manufacturing performance and stronger retail traffic. The impact of improving operations and a focus on inventory reduction strengthened an already solid balance sheet.”

CEO Dana Messina said, “Results for the second quarter were encouraging as our band and piano divisions posted increased sales, margins and operating profits. We saw improved order flows,

Second Quarter Results: • Sales of $78 million, up 9% • Gross margin increased to 28.3% from 26.2% • Income from operations up $3.6 million

Harman Purchases Newsweek

Hal Leonard Launches LyricStore.com

The Washington Post Co. has wrapped up its auction of Newsweek, selling the ailing newsweekly to audio magnate Sidney Harman. The deal was announced on August 2nd. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “The resulting gain or loss at closing is not expected to be material to the fi nancial position of The Washington Post Company,” the announcement says. Losses at Newsweek could approach $70 million this year, reports say. Newsweek.com states that the magazine’s editor, Jon Meacham, will be leaving the company after the sale process is complete. CEO Tom Ascheim is expected to remain in his role under Harman’s ownership.

Hal Leonard Corporation has just launched its latest Web site, LyricStore.com, “the only site where you can print accurate, licensed lyrics on a wide variety of products.”

8 MMR

• Adjusted EBITDA up over 50%, to $7 million • Earnings per share of $0.10 YTD Results: • Sales of $147 million, up 3% • Gross margin increased to 29.6% from 26.4% • Income from operations up $7.4 million • Adjusted EBITDA nearly doubled, to $15 million • Diluted earnings per share of $0.26

Lyrics from songs recorded by a number of top artists – including The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Brooks & Dunn and many others – are on the site, all completely copyright protected, with royalties paid to the appropriate publishers and songwriters. Once customers have selected their favorite lyrics – single lines to whole songs – from among the Hal Leonard catalog, they can choose the type style, size and location(s) to print the lyrics, or they can pick from many pre-made designs. Merchandise includes short and longsleeved t-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, coffee & latte mugs and mouse pads, all available in a variety of colors. For complete details, visit www.LyricStore.com. SEPTEMBER 2010

A Sure Cure for Island Fever

Nicole Fox Miss Hawaii 2008

When you’ve been in the Islands too long, a Mahalo Ukulele is just the thing to snap you out of the doldrums. Fifteen models and a full palette of color choices will suit your every mood. It is so easy to get started and Mahalo Ukes won’t pile your budget onto a reef either. Just follow Miss Hawaii into your local music store …surf’s up!

Mahalo Ukuleles Priced from $29.95 Retail Saga Musical Instruments • P.O. Box 2841 • South San Francisco, CA 94080 • [800] BUY-SAGA sales@sagamusic.com • www.sagamusic.com • DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED!

U-320

Upfront Jorgenson, Saga Tour Iraq Rock and gypsy jazz guitarist John Jorgenson recently returned from a musical tour of Iraq sponsored by Lone Wolf Productions, to entertain the troops. The star studded band, billed as “Rock and Pop Masters,” included John as well as members of the band Orleans. The group also featured Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult on bass and vocalists

Jimi Jamison of Survivor, Skip Martin of Kool & the Gang), and Alex Ligertwood of Santana. Jorgenson was playing his Gladiator solid-body electric guitar, which was recently introduced by Saga Musical Instruments. At the end of the tour, this guitar was donated to the troops on behalf of John and Saga.

‘DJ Hero’ Boosting DJ Gear Sales? In a recent report, CVG [Computer and Video Games] noted the affect of “DJ Hero” of sales on actual DJ equipment. Speaking to CVG, creative director of FreeStyle Games, Jamie Jackson said he’s heard the US’s strategy of situating music games alongside real music equipment could’ve paid off – just like it did for “Guitar Hero” and sales of the real instrument. “I can’t confirm it, but someone’s told me the same thing about DJ equipment –

that they’ve seen sales in The States at Best Buy and Wal-Mart increase,” Jackson said. “They had a strategy where the music games were situated near their music area. I thought it was quite a cool way of doing things, but I think it works differently for each market. Though, as reported in numerous MMR articles, the effect of games such as “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” on actual instrument sales is still hotly debated, the CVG

article noted: “Earlier this year US retailer Guitar Center reported that the rise of Activision’s music game was ‘reinvigorating’ instrument sales, so it’d hardly be surprising if the same could be said for ‘DJ Hero.’”

Wholesaler Guide Addition Connolly Music Company 8 Vernon Valley Road East Northport, NY 11731 (631) 757-0110 (800) 644-5268 Toll-Free Orders Fax (631) 757-0021 E-mail: orders@connollymusic.com Web site: www.connollymusic.com John Connolly III, President Categories: PS/R, S&F, ETH, ACC Principal Brands: Strings – Thomastik-Infeld, Corelli, D’Addario, Jargar, Larsen, Pirastro, Prim, Super-Sensitive Stands and Pro Audio accessories – König & Meyer, The Realist, Mighty Bright Instruments –Heinrich Gill, Bazzini, The Realist, Bernd Dimbath, Bows – Coda Bow, Sebastian Dirr, Herbert and Christian Wanka, Georg Werner, Glasser Fittings – Tempel-Germany Shoulder Rests – Tempel-Germany, Kun, Wolf, Playonair, Resonans, Bridges—Aubert, Despiau, Teller Cases – Heinrich Gill Accessories—Wittner tailpiece fasteners, Fine Tuners, Mutes, Rosin, Polish and cleaner, Peg Compound, Tuners & Pitchpipes (Center Pitch and Intellitouch brands), Luthier’s Tools and parts, and more.

10 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

Upfront NAMM Offers Foreign Currency and International Payment Programs NAMM recently announced a new benefit for its members “that will help them more efficiently and cost effectively manage their foreign currency purchases and international payments.” NAMM members in the United States will receive services and benefits from Tempus, which include: • Foreign currency and international payment services for corporate members of NAMM • Monthly currency outlook reports in euro, British pounds and Japanese yen delivered via e-mail or available at www.tempusconsulting.com • Standard Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) fee of $20 is discounted to just $10 for NAMM members • NAMM members are not locked into a set contract for any period of time with Tempus International NAMM Members will receive services and benefits from SGMFX, which include: • Very low or no transfer fees, fast transfers, proactive account manager to

Bechstein: Semi-Annual Report 2010 The C. Bechstein group’s semi-annual report 2010 shows figures up, in comparison to the same period last year. Total turnover is up 15.5 percent vs. the first have of 2009, operating efficiency is up 12 percent, while sales and revenue show similar increases. “The slight drop of domestic sales in comparison to last year will be more than compensated by a considerable increase in the export,” noted the company’s press release. 12 MMR

•

•

• •

•

alert members of positive movements in the market, FX risk management services Savings on currency purchase due to highly competitive foreign exchange rates and services, no matter how much or how often Members trade A personal NAMM account manager with music industry knowledge who will provide a proactive personal service that guides members through the purchase process enhancing their saving possibilities No commission The ability to access the 24-hour FX market with various tools that will help members take advantage of any sudden movements in the market, no matter what time of the day or night Online trading platform that eliminates the issues of working in different time zones

Members are encouraged to review rates and information at www.namm. org/membership/member-services.

Music Store Closings After nearly 60 years in business, the Caldwell (New Jersey) Studio of Music closed its doors forever on Wednesday, June 30. The store was originally located at 397 Bloomfield Ave., near the Cloverleaf Tavern, before moving to its location at 449 Bloomfield Ave. The rear of the building served as the training grounds for many music enthusiasts. The store offered sheet music and parts for instruments. Its main business was in music lessons, in particular piano and guitar instruction. Waterville, Maine’s Al Corey Music Center is now closed. A note on the store’s door from owner Thomas Burns read, “I have tried everything in my power to keep this running. I’ve lost everything.” The store had closed briefly in early May for re-staffing. Al Corey Music Center, named after the local music legend, had been a mainstay for decades. Due to the recession, debt, and school budget cuts, Ontario, California’s Ontario Music closed its doors permanently on July 31st, after half a century in business.

Sam Ash Card In late July, GE Money, the consumer lending Unit of General Electric Company, and Sam Ash Music Corporation announced a multi-year agreement to offer consumer financing. The Sam Ash Card “enables musicians of all experience levels to finance purchases from Sam Ash’s line of products, including musical instruments, music software and sound and recording equipment.” The program is managed by GE Money’s Sales Finance Unit, which provides billions of dollars of consumer financing through more than 145,000 small and

medium businesses across the United States. Customers can use their card at any Sam Ash location or online. “We look forward to our partnership with GE Money and are eager to share the possibilities of this program with our customers,” said Stu Leibowitz, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Sam Ash Music. “We encourage a love of music to new musicians and professionals alike, and now we can offer them a choice of payment solutions that meet their budgetary considerations as well.” SEPTEMBER 2010

Where Do You Go for

The Best Guitar Method?

HAL LEONARD!

The Hal Leonard E-Z Order Line

1-800-554-0626 www.halleonard.com

fo Ca r e ll b x y th tra Oc es di to e sc be tit ou r le nt 31 s! s on

For over 30 years, the Hal Leonard Guitar Method has taught millions of guitarists how to play. With its combination of solid educational pacing and great music to play while learning, it continues to inspire and motivate the next generation of guitar heroes. The complete series now features over 50 instructional titles, supplemental resources and songbooks for all genres of music and in formats of books, book/CD packs, and DVDs. Call today to make sure you have our latest releases and to get special stocking discounts!

Upfront Zildjian Wishes Ringo a Happy 70th Birthday On June 29th, 2010, one week before his 70th birthday, Ringo Starr and his All Star Band (including Zildjian longtime artist Gregg Bissonette), performed in Boston and Zildjian’s vice president and longtime friend of Ringo, John DeChris-

topher, was there to present the music legend with a birthday gift on behalf of the Zildjian Company – a pair of Tiffany silver cufflinks. For more information, visit www.zildjian.com. John DeChristopher, Zildjian vice president, artist relations & event marketing worldwide & Ringo Starr (photo by Rob Shanahan).

2010 Yamaha Pro Audio & Combo Division Sales Award Winners The Spirit of Yamaha award recognizes an employee who exemplifies Yamaha’s commitment to quality and service. The text on the award reads: For continually delivering excellent service and superior quality to our internal and external customers. This year’s recipient is John Schauer, Live Sound Product Manager.

So You Wanna Be a Rock n Roll Star…? Or hold any sort of position in the music field? Well, hopefully Ramen Noodles and apartment-living is up your alley, because according to a recent report by Yahoo Finance listing “The 20 Worst-Paying College Degrees in 2010,” number 19 is: “Music”, with a starting average salary of $36,700 and mid-career average of $57,000…

John Schauer (Product manager, Live Sound), Athan Billias (director of Marketing, Pro Audio & Combo Division)

K’s Japan Wants Players to Smash Their Guitars… Gimmick, anyone? Japanese guitar manufacturer, K’s Japan, is now making it easier for guitarists to channel their inner Kurt Cobain or Pete Townshend, by offering the “guitar born to be destroyed”: The “Smash.” In a nod to today’s green movement, K’s is

even encouraging buyers to mail the broken pieces back to the company for recycling. The “Smash,” which looks like a Tele, retails for just $55, comes in two colors and boasts a lightweight “Special Empty Body” that falls apart easily upon smash-

2010 Yamaha District Manager of the Year: John Messerschmidt Yoichi Oba (assistant general manager, PAC), John Messerschmidt, John Shalhoup (director, National Sales), Garth Gilman (assistant general manager, PAC)

14 MMR

ing (why make rebellion physically exhausting?). In addition, the guitar has allegedly been designed to produce a satisfyingly anarchic racket when destroyed, a sound you can hear for yourself by visiting: www.smash-guitar.com.

Tempel-Germany Distributed by Connolly Tempel-Germany Fine Fittings are now distributed exclusively in the U.S. through Connolly Music Company. Interested parties can also visit the Web site: www.tempel-germany. de Contact Rich McKenzie at (631) 9255517 or richm@connollymusic.com for assistance with Tempel inquiries. SEPTEMBER 2010

>i\Xk ;`m`[\ Jfe^jd`k_1 >\k 8dgĂ‹[% Â

=I<<

Xdg n_\e pfl Ylp X >i\Xk ;`m`[\ Jfe^jd`k_ ž

;\Xc\ij1 K_`j =Xcc# Zfejld\ij n`cc Y\ j\\`e^ k_`j X[ `e Ifcc`e^ Jkfe\# D\eËj AflieXc# >l`$ kXi GcXp\i# 8Zfljk`Z >l`kXi# Gi\d`\i >l`kXij Xe[ M`ekX^\ >l`kXi% :fekXZk lj kf[Xp kf c\Xie XYflk _l^\ `eZ\ek`m\j ]fi Y\Zfd`e^ X 9\[\cc Xe[ >i\Xk ;`m`[\ D@ [\Xc\i%

EXkliXc D\kXcc`Z YcXZb

;\cg_`Z i\[

=`j_dXe 8:>$)'

8dgË[ fi legcl^^\[# k_\ >i\Xk ;`m`[\ Jfe^jd`k_ `j kf Y\ Z_\i`j_\[ Xe[ cfm\[% GcXp\[ n_\i\m\i pfl ]\\c k_\ dlj`Z% @ej`[\% Flkj`[\% Hl`\k% Cfl[% Jkildd`e^% AXdd`e^% =fi X c`d`k\[ k`d\ pfl ZXe gliZ_Xj\ k_`j jfc`[ J`kbX jgilZ\ kfg ZlkXnXp ]\Xkli`e^ k_\ =`j_dXe @jpj K jpjk\d ]fi le[\i +'' Xe[ n\ n`cc j\e[ pfl X =I<< =`j_dXe 8:>$)' XZfljk`Z Xdgc`Ô\i%%% X )*' mXcl\% >ff[ FZkfY\i ( Æ ;\Z\dY\i *(# )'(' fi n_`c\ jlggc`\j cXjk% (0%0, j_`gg`e^% =`e[ pfli cfZXc [\Xc\i Xk nnn%^i\Xk[`m`[\%Zfd kf gliZ_Xj\ pfli >i\Xk ;`m`[\ ^l`kXi fi ZXcc (%/..%)-+%**,-%

^i\Xk[`m`[\^l`kXij%Zfd (%/..%)-+%**,-

A Division of Two Old Hippies, LLC

Some Suppliers Don't Offer You Enough Choices

Upfront Music China 2010 Music China, International Exhibition for Musical Instruments and Accessories, will be held from October 12-15 at the Shanghai New International

Expo Centre (SNIEC) in Shanghai, China. For more information, visit: www.messefrankfurt.com.hk

Trade Regrets: Harry Begian

We Do

On July 26, one of the strongest early advocates of the Midwest Band Clinic, Harry Begian, passed away. Begian had a long history of directing bands and orchestras: at Wayne State and Michigan State universities, the University of Illinois and at Detroit’s Cass Technical High School. Mr. Begian was a former president of the American Band Masters Association, and a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He formerly taught at Interlochen and Blue Lake Fine Arts Music Camp and was a guest conductor for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He was an honorary member of the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association. Acknowledging the importance of the Midwest Band Clinic on his career, he served on the board for the annual band conference and worked to improve the quality of its programs.

Bob Beals

The freedom of choice... With over 500 lines to choose from for all of your customers' pro audio, video, & lighting needs.

Call us today! 800-828-0509

In 1959, Bob Beals purchased Chick Evans’ stock in Evans Products and became president of the company, with his wife Shirley at his side as vice-president and treasurer. Beals was directly responsible for a number of innovations that impacted both Evans and the MI world, as a whole, including the two-play drum head, “sparkle heads,” clear and colored heads, and “The Peter Erskine, Bob Beals, and Jim D’Addario Hydrolic” head featuring a thin layer of oil between the two plies, among many others. In 1995, Beals sold Evans to D’Addario & Company, Inc. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Modern Drummer magazine in 2001 for his outstanding contribution to percussion technology and history. Bob Beals passed away on Saturday, August 7, 2010.

Webb Phillips A skilled piano technician, Webb Phillips formed the Allied Piano Company outside of Philadelphia, seeking to gather the best the products the industry had to offer and supply his fellow tuners. Over the years Phillips and his wife built up the business to include a full line of service. Webb Phillips passed away on August 12, 2010.

Jacob Malta fdwcorp.com 16 MMR

Jacob Malta was an innovator in designing handbells and hand chimes and his company, MalMark, has been a leader in the industry for over 50 years. Throughout his career, Malta was a devoted pioneer in percussion who penned several articles on his research in acoustic science. Jacob Malta passed away on August 9, 2010. SEPTEMBER 2010

INTRODUCING – Your Customers Will See The Difference Instantly, You’ll See The Sales Fast! JELLYFISH • $129.99* NEW!

A revolutionary new “see through” LED light from American DJ, the music industry’s lighting leader, the Jellyfish sells itself, thanks to its unique appearance, excellent value and performance features. There is nothing else like the Jellyfish on the market.

• Two Effects in One • Unique Clear Plastic Case • Packed With Performance Features • Versatile: Use Sound Active or DMX • Compact & Durable • Earth Friendly - Low Power Draw

MORE EXCITING NEW TURNKEY PRODUCTS:

NEW!

NEW! XPRESS LED • $169.99*

NEW!

See video of the Jellyfish in action at www.americandj.com

AMERICAN DJ DEALER ADVANTAGES: • Great Profit Margins • Monthly Sales Promotions • Knowledgeable Sales & Customer Support Staff To Help Before & After The Sale! • End Users Can Contact ADJ For Tech Support & Repairs So You Can Focus On Sales • ADJ Advantage Customer Loyalty Program

TRIPLEFLEX • $199.99*

TM

® 000 0001

Charter Member 2005

DJ SPARKY B

WITECH8 WIRELESS • $199.99*

www.americandj.com

Check out video footage of the effects in action, Get Product Details & User Manuals, Join the ADJ Forums & ADJ Advantage Program & Stay up-to-date with ADJ by signing up for the monthly E-News!

Contact us today about becoming an authorized American DJ Dealer: 800.333.0644 / sales@americandj.com ©2010 American DJ® • www.americandj.com • Los Angeles, CA 90040 USA / Kerkrade, Netherlands Distributed in Canada by Sounds Distribution - Toll Free: 800-26-SOUND • Local: 905-428-9062 • www.soundsdist.com * Pricing in U.S. Dollars, Dealer price may vary.

Quality, Affordable & Reliable Products From A Company You Can Trust!

People Crown Audio has appointed Daniel Saenz to the position of market manager, Installed Sound. Saenz will be responsible for working directly with customers to support design and development of installed systems and deployment of Crown amplifiers for install applications. He will report to vice president of Marketing, Marc Kellom. CAD Audio has named Glenn Roop as executive director, Business Development. In this new capacity, Roop will be responsible for developing new products, marketing and sales promo- Roop tions to expand the scope of existing markets for CAD Audio. Guitar Center has appointed industry veteran Jerry Antonelli as a GC pro account manager, based in the company’s Sherman Oaks location. In his new Antonelli position Antonelli will help GC Pro expand its presence in the studio/recording and post production market sectors.

Breaking News

Find it in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com 18 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

Music That Students Love to Play See what teachers are saying about Premier Piano Course! “ The Premier series is incredible. I am always raving about it to anyone who will listen. The kids love all the blues and rags, and the teacher/student duets are fun. Actually, the reason I think I have so many students is because of the series. I keep thinking some of my piano kids will quit but they don’t. I even have more signed up, but no time!” - Twila, Nebraska “ The pacing of Premier is perfect. Concepts are thoroughly reinforced before moving ahead, and for students who can progress a little faster, there are extra activities in the Lesson, Theory, and Technique books.” - Mary, Montana

STOCK UP NOW! CHRISTMAS 1A–4

Contact your Alfred sales rep today. alfred.com/followusonline

PHONE (800) 292-6122 FAX (800) 632-1928 WEB alfred.com/dealer E-MAIL sales@alfred.com

WEBWISE

The World Wide Web Goes Local Making sure your Web site is driving local traffic into your store

By Kevin M. Mitchell

D

ev Basu wants you to think locally in regards to your website, as customers are increasingly turning to the Internet as the phonebook continues its long, not-so-slow death march into the dust bin of marketing history. “Local Search Engine Optimization [SEO] is different from natural SEO because the major search engines utilize a completely different algorithm for ranking local map results,” Basu explains. “Most may not realize a difference exists, but businesses optimizing for local search is a separate subset of their Internet marketing strategy. It’s often used 20 MMR

to ‘get ahead’ of larger competitors who dedicate large budgets to paid search marketing and banner advertising.” Basu, a self-described computer “geek,” started working for Microsoft Canada when he was just 17, and has since worked for several search marketing agencies. Four years ago he founded Power By Search, a Toronto-based Internet marketing agency. He’s worked with companies big and small, including a few MI retailers. As a guitarist, he’s personally been inside plenty of music instrument stores, so he knows the terrain. What he wants you to know is that the Internet is now the primary source of local business information.“The principles of good SEO can be applied to anything, but much of what we do is driving local leads into a retailer’s store.”

First the Computer, Then the Car Keys Basu has some pretty paradigm-shifting statistics. According to a recent study by eCommerce.com, 90 percent of shoppers research local products and services online first. A similar study says that of those who land on a neighborhood retailer’s website, 46 percent pick up the phone and call them, and 37 percent go visit the location in person. “This gives you an idea of how important good local SEO is, and if you’re a retailer, you absolutely have to pay attention to how you rank [in searches] because this is how your customers are looking for you.” Some retailers get so transfixed on reaching out to the world to get the maximum dollar for that 1963 Lake Placid Blue SEPTEMBER 2010

Fender Strat and other delectable finds, that they focus SEO efforts on getting the attention of the “world” part of the World Wide Web. Basu points out that these efforts require “long tail searches” with many very specific terms (“lake placid blue”) being served up. However, loading up your page with keywords that ultimately narrow who might be interested in shopping in your store is not usually wise. You may just cause you to lose sight of what’s most important to getting cash in your register – your friendly neighborhood customers-in-waiting. So what can you do? The first thing Basu tells all perspective clients is to “claim” your business listing.

Troll around online and look for every place your business is listed (it’s probably listed in more places than you thought). There’s Yelp, local super pages and insider pages, the local alternative weekly, and any local music-related site. Look and make sure the information there is correct – name, address, phone number. Often these have typos as overworked content providers toil hastily to build up their site with shopper information. But having everything correct leads to higher rankers. “Claiming is fairly easy to do, and the Search Engine will follow up with you to make sure you are the owner of the business. Yahoo and Bing offer local listings

“90 percent of shoppers research local products and services online first. Of those who land on a local retailer’s site, 46 percent call them and 37 percent visit the location in person.”

...

which allow business owners to load up their own information into their site, set up reviews and ratings, and even include video,” Basu says. “Think of it as having your own additional webpage.” People’s searching habits get a great deal of scrutiny, and of those searching for local shops and services, this is what we know: • 5% will include their city with their search, i.e. “rent trumpet Chicago” • 2% will not use the general metro, but their specific neighborhood/ suburb: “rent trumpet Oak Park” • .5% will type in their zip code: “rent trumpet 60655” • 32% will just type in what they are looking for: “rent trumpet” The latter gets the least quality search, obviously, as what comes up first are online and big box operations. “Some [searchers] haven’t evolved to using their city or zip code, but that’s changing quickly, as more searches are by product-plus-city.”

perfect f l aw l e s s

From $239.00 to $3399.00 List.

For further information please contact your St. Louis Music Sales Representative or call 1-800-727-4512 Email: Rich Dumstorff at rich@usbandsupplies.com www.alvarezgtr.com www.stlouismusic.com

SEPTEMBER 2010

MMR 21

So make sure your metro area name is a keyword, if not featured prominently on your site (“Chicago’s Best Trumpet Shop”). In addition to that, Basu advises using the local phone number, not your toll free 800/888 number. Search engine spiders know the difference, and they will rank a retailer lower for a local search if the main number doesn’t include the local area code. “There’s a lot out there who say they can provide local SEO, but very few really know the art and science of doing it well,” Basu adds.

22 MMR

Google Google continues to be the number one search engine for everything, including those who shop locally – Basu says the company recently came out and said that 20 percent of all searches on their site are local. Specifically with Google Places Page (formerly Google Local Business Center), there’s a procedure worthy of an MI retailer’s precious time. When done well, searchers bring up your basic information (name, address, phone number) along with a Google map of exactly

where your store is located – and rank it high. Optimizing this page is a good start to making sure your operation reels in those intent on going to a brick and mortar operation to make their purchase. Basu says that completing the profi le is in itself a ranking factor, as “profi les that are more complete have better rankings than ones that are less complete, so it’s important to fi ll out the entire business profi le.” [Note: If by some chance your store’s email address is not associated with your domain name, now is the time to change that. Sometimes one will be on a jedsguitarshed.com site, but the email on it is something like jedsguitarshed@sbcglobal.net. This will cause a lower ranking, so make sure it’s info@jedsguitarshed.com.] Basu also advises people to use the 200-character limit in the description to accurately describe your business, including products and service. Promote the basic who-what-where mantra, as valuable space wasted on superlatives (biggest! greatest! preeminent!) can do more harm than good. “Selecting the right business categories can make or break your chance at ranking prominently within Google’s ‘seven-pack’ – that is, their list of seven similar businesses and organizations in your area,” he says. Google does offer one main category and four related ones to help define your services. Other advantages to taking your time with Google Places are that it’s designed to manage business information, allowing you to see how you’re doing with a performance dashboard. Also, you can post coupons along with those images and videos. Bottom line: Basu urges people to get as close to 100 percent completion as possible, and this will help get you ranked high. When that parent Googles something about renting a trumpet for his kid’s band class, you want it to be your store that comes up first. Finally, re-check your listing data for accuracy, then click the submit button to save your changes. “In about an hour or so – and sometimes faster than that Google Places will have picked up your listing.” So think local: “You want to make sure you rank really high on Google, Yahoo, and Bing, because the crust of SEO in this day and age is local,” Basu emphasizes. SEPTEMBER 2010

REPORT: E-COMMERCE

How Retailers Are Using the Internet Today More spend more time on it to “level the playing field”

“I

t’s easy to see the benefits of a good Web site,” states Jeanne Oster of Guitar Stop in Cambridge, Mass. “I was paying $85 a month for three lines in the Yellow Pages. Now for just a few dollars I have 500 pages available online 24/7, and I can change things any time I want.”

Oster has a modest-sized shop that does good business online – so much so she changed the name of the store her father began in the 1960s to reflect one that was more Internet-friendly. Just one example of how the MI industry has adapted to the Internet. As the results of our survey (page 31) show, retailers are embracing the Internet more than ever before, and using it in a more sophisticated manner. The common mantra heard often is that it “levels the playing field.” And while the trend seems to be for retailers to grow their e-Commerce portion of the business, just as many have not. Stephanie Wilds of Acoustic Corner is definitely anti-e-Commerce. “If I wanted to be selling merchandise over the Internet, I’d be selling office supplies,” she says. “Also, it’s impossible to maintain a competitive Internet business and run a responsible, service-driven showroom at the same time. The two are not economically compatible, as one undermines the other.” There is a revolving door: Some are now getting into e-Commerce, just as others are getting out. “e-Commerce is almost completely pricedriven and it helps if you offer free shipping,” said Dave Strohauer of Earthshaking Music in Atlanta. Since 1995, they have sold online, and he’s seen Internet sales go from 40 percent of his gross to a mere $40 a month. Now they are shutting their e-Commerce operation down completely. “To do e-Commerce

24 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

right takes a lot of time – time away from serving your in-store customers. We see no point in staying in that market.” He adds that by eliminating the need of a T1 data line, which he felt was necessary for Web transactions, Earthshaking Music will save nearly $300 a month. While doing this, he switched carriers, loaded key employees up with iPhones, and looks forward to saving $3,600 a year. Donn Bennett Drum Studio is one who is moving into e-Commerce more seriously. He’s also one of the growing many to use Facebook as a marketing tool. With that store’s most recent Web site update, which was launched in July, their Facebook presence is incorporated into their site’s front page. There they post updates a couple of times a week – everything from announcing a change in store hours during the summer, to announcing special product releases, to promoting clinics. He is not alone. Another trend: professional help. Increasingly, MI is reaching out. Mark Lisle of Lisle Violin shops in Texas sums it up: “The problem is we’re musicians, trained in art and music or both, but not in computers.” Most retailers are getting savvier at using e-mail. For Bennett, who says they “religiously” ask for everyone’s e-mail, updating customers on sales and events are critical to the business and “conversion rates on these e-mails are very good.” But it’s an ever-changing world. In the survey, Frank Hayhurst of Zone Music in Cotati, Calif., wrote, “We reach our older client base, those 25, 30 and up, through e-mails. Younger clients look at e-mails like you and I now look at faxes – something that is quaint and archaic from another era. Everything they do is text based.” Yes it’s a world where if you’re 25, you’re “older.” More pearls to stew over: If Facebook was a country, it would be the third most populated one, ahead of the good old U.S. of A. Another factoid: More than half of the human race is under 30. They’ve never known life without the Internet. Here’s a half a dozen “older” retailers who have taken a variety of approaches to online success. SEPTEMBER 2010

Stephanie Wilds Acoustic Corner Black Mountain, NC

In a quaint tourist town that promotes itself as the “front porch of Western North Carolina,” Acoustic Corner is celebrating its 10th year as a store and its 10th on the Web – both operations went up simultaneously. Luthier Tom Fellenbaum had been building his instruments for years and then he needed to move his shop to place where he could control temperature and humidity better. After finding a large space in downtown Black Mountain, he turned to his wife, Stephanie Wilds, and suggested they put up some walls and have space for to display his instruments. Today they display his as well as products from Eastman, Larrivee, Seagull, and most recently Goldtone, among others. From day one they knew a strong Internet presence was key. They turned to a friend who is a DJ and a photographer, paying him a yearly fee plus an hourly rate when they need major updates, which they do once or twice a year. “It’s worth having someone else take care of it,” Wilds says. Part of the fees goes to paying for hosting. “There plenty of free sites out there, but they are a real pain and don’t work that well.” In addition to the IT consultant on retainer, two others do general maintenance on the site taking up less than five hours a week. “But if you’re talking about time spent answering e-mails, that’s something else,” she sighs. Wilds has multiple e-mail addresses, and the employees are all listed on their site with their own e-mail addresses making all employees accessible to everyone. Many e-mails just ask if a specific model is in stock, but others ask detailed questions that require more time. Their home page opens with a group picture of the crew (including Toby the dog), and text about who they are. “Our best product is ourselves,” she says. “We

“More than half of the human race is under 30. They’ve never known life without the Internet.”

MMR 25

sell a lot of great instruments, but our customers come to us because they appreciate us. We take the time needed to find them the right instrument.” Though they get a lot of queries and have multiple e-mail exchanges that lead to sales, they are defiantly against e-Commerce, so much so there’s a detailed reason why this is on a page on their site. “Buying an instrument is like picking up a dog from the local pound – you have to see it, get to know, build a relationship with it.” They collect e-mail addresses easily enough – the town itself is a draw and they get a lot of foot traffic. Keeping a signup sheet by the door provides a steady supply, and on the bottom fold of their home page they invite visitors to sign up. “Our e-mail list fosters good will, though its getting harder [to e-mail blast] all the time because [sites] punish

you for trying to send more than 500 out at a time,” she says. “The rules concerning spam e-mail are getting tighter and tighter,” laments Wilds. “As a confirmed spam-hater, I’m doing my best not to contribute to it, so we use our email [blasts] on a very limited basis.” But the site is to drive customers in their store. “Our showroom is only so big, so we can’t sell things we aren’t proud of it. We can talk proudly to customers about the story of Seagull, about the story of Larivee.”

Mark Lisle

Lisle Violin Shop Pasadena and Houston, Texas This upscale violin shop that caters to students and professionals has taken

their Web presence seriously from early on. Founded in 1984, they launched their first Web site in 1995. Owner Mark Lisle says several employees spend about 15 hours a week on it doing general updates. They just loaded up a new version in late July. A local freelance Web designer built their previous site, but when they wanted to integrate the new one with the Tri-Tech AIMsi POS inventory/accounting system, they turned to… well, TriTech. He says he was especially drawn to their instrument rental application. “It’s a simple template, but it allows us to give customers choices and show differ-

Are Taxes Part of the Future of Internet Sales? “The Internet has continued to leech sales from brick and mortar retailers because of the unfair sales tax advantage they enjoy,” Zone Music’s Frank Hayhurst wrote in the survey. “No amount of hustle online helps a physical facility retailer because our business model includes things like staff and service, which are needed but not taken into account by consumers dazzled by the almost 10 percent differential in sales price created by the sales tax difference.” Hayhurst’s point has been a sore festering in the sides of retailers for years. Scott Peterson wants to give him, and all brick and mortar MI stores hope that the day of state taxes paid on online sales transactions is near. “I have to be optimistic!” Peterson laughs. “It’s my job!” Peterson is executive director of the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, which counts state politicians and tax collectors on its governing board. He’s “very optimistic that congress will act on legislation that deals with this topic this year.” When he spoke to MMR, he had just gotten out of yet another meeting in Washington lobbying for it with Bill Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat who has championed this issue for years. With those two were supporters Iowa State Senator Christopher Rants (R) and South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds (R). When the Internet was first launched, no one knew where it would go, so the government wanted to encourage it as much as possible. Part of that support was the decision to not tax products bought online. While today there’s not a thinking person this side of Prince who doubts the Internet is going away any time soon, the resistance to tax transitions has seemed incongruently insurmountable. Peterson says the reason for that is members of congress are in a no-win situation on the issue. They 26 MMR

are the only ones who can change the Internet tax law, but they don’t get the money if they do – the states do. And if they do, when they go to campaign for their next term, their opponents will condemn them for “raising taxes.” “We’re asking them to take a hard vote that gives them nothing,” he says bluntly. Also, each state has its own set of complicated sales tax codes, which doesn’t make the task any easier. Meanwhile, in his view, $20 billion dollars in tax dollars a year goes uncollected. Yet now is the chance for change. “For the last two years congress has been doing everything it can to throw money at states to help them through the recession, but now they don’t have any money to throw,” Peterson explains. “We think the atmosphere has changed.” Peterson lauds Delahunt’s approach which is also tailored to the troubled times. The bill is actually called the Main Street Fairness Act. “States receiving more money is a side benefit for him. His principle goal is to help small independent businesses compete fairly.” Streamlined Sales Tax is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that lobbies on behalf of and to states for this tax change. Peterson says he’s currently building a coalition of small businesses negatively affected by Internet sales tax-free ride, and encourages retailers to call their congress and senate represents to support the Main Street Fairness Act. Meanwhile, Internet sales increase and unpaid tax bills to states balloons. The Rockefeller Instituted recently issued a report that stated that sales taxes have declined 6.1 percent last year, the largest decline in half a century. SEPTEMBER 2010

ent rates.” He’s also pleased they’ve been responsive to his needs, like listing the string instruments in score order as opposed to alpha order. “They said no one has asked them to list in something other [than alpha], but for a string shop, it looks stupid not to be in score order and we don’t like to look stupid.” At one point they sold online, but they choose to stop and make theirs an informational-only site. “For a high quality instrument shop, providing information is far more important than selling on the Internet,” he says. “Internet-smart customers are learning that online purchasing is more appropriate for inexpensive merchandise. I think it’s better to talk to people in the shop, then they can make a more educated decision.” They emphasize their service-oriented philosophy. “People come in frequently with instruments they bought on the Internet, and I’ve seen it all,” he says. “I’ve seen violins they paid $500 for that aren’t worth anything, and another at that price that is worth $3,500. I have one customer that really knows how to shop eBay, but otherwise it’s playing the lottery.”

For the new site, he and Carolyn Prindle, sales manager, discussed general structure. Key to the design was it be all-browser friendly. “When you have a page with the buttons on the top, it doesn’t work with all browsers like having them on the side.” They worked with Tri-tech Web designers, and he says that all aspects of working with the company has gone well. “If there’s an error, they work hard to make it right. I’m pretty happy with this system.” He had actually wanted to do the new site sooner then he did, but he says the thought of paying a third-party designer to set it up only to have to spend money integrating it with his accounting system was not appealing. “I guess we waited it out for a while. It wasn’t always a priority – we thought we should take care of the customers we had first!” he laughs. “Not everybody does that.” Key in these heady times was the ability to update prices as often as needed. “This year prices are going up and down. Some drop, some come from a country that suddenly has a crazy currency exchange … but this is easy to work with.” Perhaps most enviable is his domain name: violins.com. About 20 years ago he

had the foresight that this Internet thing was not going to be a fad, and kept his eye open for its availability. He admits that he gets some “fairly substantial offers” to sell, but it suits his needs just fine.

Jeanne Oster Guitar Stop City Cambridge, Mass

Owner Jeanne Oster so understood the power of the Internet she changed the name of her nearly 50-year-old store to take advantage of its power. Founded in 1962 by her father as Central Sales Music Company as primarily a used instrument shop (their fi rst new brand was Aria guitars which they acquired that year), she and her four siblings grew up working in the store. After her father passed away in 1986, Oster eventually purchased it. The retail operation has moved a few times, but always has been fairly modest (today its just 500 square feet). The size contradicts its reach: with her sister, Annette Oster, as manager, and a couple of part time employees including teachers

fishman.com

Street price under $300!

The new Loudbox Mini. More powerful than it looks. The powerful Loudbox Mini comes with 60 beefy watts of clean, sparkling Fishman sound, so it can handle whatever your acoustic dishes out. All at a truly mini price. With two channels, it’s loaded with features and includes an MP3 input and balanced XLR D.I. output so you can capture performances while you jam along. Pick one up soon. Hey, it only weighs 20lbs.

SEPTEMER 2010

MMR 27

for its lesson program, the store does a good business, most of it online. Since 1996, the store has had a Web presence, though then it was CS Music. But she quickly realized that not only is it not the kind of name that pops up in a search engine when looking for guitars, even her longtime customers had trouble remembering the name. In 1996, a cousin suggested she rethink the moniker, and seeing that Guitar Stop was an untaken domain, took it, and changed the name of her brick and mortar store accordingly. “The old name didn’t tell anybody what the store was, but Guitar Stop … that’s a good name!” she declares. Fearlessly, Oster taught herself sime Internet basics. She bought some introductory Webpage tutorial software, and through trial and tribulation, kept making it better. Then she picked up a book on HTML and “within 24 hours I taught myself to do tables, which is key.” In 1999 she began work to become an official Fender Web site, which she would eventually achieve – no easy feat, but one she’s glad she accomplished. Most recently she taught herself Java, and now menus pop up when the mouse rolls over certain items.

28 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

Today she and her sister update the site’s inventory on a daily basis, though they spend no more than five hours a week doing that. Interestingly, her savvy choice of name change has not only lead to a healthy Internet business (20 to 30 percent of her sales), but more locals are in fact finding her via the Web. Occasionally she’ll get an order and before she ships it she notices it’s from someone in the neighborhood – she’ll notify them and say, “if you want to pick it up today...� Things continue to evolve. “From 1999 until 2008, we were shipping nationally 30 percent of our annual business through the Web site,� she says. “In the last couple

of years, we have found that people are using the site more as a research tool and coming into the store to purchase locally. “We try to refresh the look of the site at least once a year. I try to keep improving on it because a Web site is incredible – it really levels the playing field,� Oster adds. “You can’t compare the bang for the buck.�

Donn Bennett

Donn Bennett Drum Studio Bellevue, Washington Bennett is on the doorstep of enjoying the store’s 15th anniversary, and he’s had a Web site presence for most of it. Recently

Web sites Going to the Dogs It takes a certain kind of Abby person who dedicates his or herself to music, and an even different kind then that to run a music instrument store. The polite word would be “quirky.� Pursuing industry retail sites, included in that mix is the animal lover trait – to the point that leaving Robin Fido at home – or even out of the picture – is out of the question. Interestingly, a number of the retailers interviewed for this feature bring their four footed Charlie friends to the store – and also include them in pictures on the Web. From a marketing perspective, it’s not just “cute� but smart as it shows the personality of the retail operation. Acoustic Corner’s homepage includes a group shot of all the employees – including Toby, who if other photos on the site are accurate, appears to supervise the repair shop. Mark Lisle’s of Lisle’s Violins has Abby, Robin, and Charlie listed as “customer service specialists� on his site. He laughs and says customers are so used to seeing them in the store, when they are not there, they are asked for. Guitar Stop’s greeter is Max (though he only works Tuesday through Friday, owner Jeanne Oster tells, as he needs the weekends and Mondays off for what is presumed his leisure activities). But Oster says picture of her dog in her brick and mortar shop serves a serious purpose. “In the beginning, when you were selling something on the Web, people didn’t know you really existed, didn’t really trust you because there were so many people just selling things out of their house,� she says. Having her dog pictured on the site in the store provides her operation some legitimacy. Toby Cats, however, seem underrepresented. SEPTEMER 2010

&/26( <285 (<(6 $1' +($5

$ *UHDW 6RXQGLQJ 6WXGHQW 6D[ 0RXWKSLHFH

12: 23(1 <285 (<(6 $1' 6((

3URIHVVLRQDO 4XDOLW\ 7LSV 5DLOV DQG )LQLVK

$YDLODEOH LQ 6RSUDQR $OWR 7HQRU DQG %DULWRQH

ZZZ EDULZRRGZLQG FRP

ZZZ P\VSDFH FRP EDULZRRGZLQG %DUL :RRGZLQG 6XSSOLHV //& $ 'LYLVLRQ RI WKH &DYDQDXJK &RPSDQ\

MADE IN THE USA MMR 29

Your business is different? Our Synth is too! From September, YOUR clients will ask for Acxel2 ! The ONLY synth to make re-synthesis in Real Time and to be controlled by any instrument !

With Acxel2, your customers will find : s s s s s s s s s s s s s s

REAL PLEASURE AND SATISFACTION TO PLAY UNLIMITED POTENTIAL FOR THEIR MUSICAL CREATION EASY TO USE EASY TO MODIFY ANY SOUND PARAMETERS WHILE PLAYING A TOUCH SCREEN AND INTUITIVE INTERFACE ALMOST EVERY SYNTHESIS MODE KNOWNED !CXELINK OUR UNIQUE MULTIMODE OF SYNTHESIS THE FASTEST EXISTING PROCESSOR 200 0#S FULL COMPATIBILITY WITH ALL THEIR EQUIPMENT EXCLUSIVE RE SYNTHESIS IN 2EAL 4IME AN EXCLUSIVE SOUNDS EFFECTS LIBRARY MORE THAN OSCILLATORS MORE THAN ENVELOPPE GENERATORS !$32 -)$) CONNECTIONS

s s s s

A LOT OF ANALOG INPUTS OUTPUTS LINES MIC 8,2 PHANTOM POWER FOR CONNECTING INSTRUMENTS A LOT OF DIGITAL INPUTS OUTPUTS COAXIAL WORD CLOCK DVI 53" FIREWIRE ETHERRNET SAMPLE RATES UP TO BITS +HZ OPTION x MANY JEALOUS MUSICIANS !

What YOU will find with Acxel2 ? s s s s s s

AN ADVANTAGEOUS WHOLESALE PRICE A HIGHER GROSS MARGIN FAST STOCK TURNOVER MORE INTEREST FROM YOUR FLOOR SALES PEOPLE MORE CAPTIVE CLIENTS COMING BACK x A LOT OF FUN DEALING WITH US ! www.acxel2.com

the F1 of Synthesizers ÂŤTECHNOLOGYÂť SERVING THE MUSICIAN

30 MMR

they put a dedicated employee to handle all things Internet related. Aaron Ameen, 20, is caretaker for all the eBay sales and Web site management, and was key to the sites recent revamp. Prior to him, Bennett had made a couple of “false starts,� including working with a developer who produced a site that didn’t work for them, before hiring Ameen, who is conveniently a drummer and a customer. “I like to use people from our immediate circle for things, and there he was,� he says. “The main thing is to find someone who can really understand your business and what you need. Communication is important.� Their new site just went up and they are still working out kinks, which Bennett takes a long view on: “It’s like a remodel – it happens in a couple of weeks, but then months later you’re still working on the details.� In its first few weeks of being up it’s functioned well, but achieving 100 percent of what he wants for it will take some additional time. Their Facebook link is “growing all the time� though Bennett takes no credit for that: “I’m frankly clueless about it, but Aaron is great at working that. We’re getting better at it, too – learning how to use it effectively as opposed to just putting stuff out there and hoping somebody finds it.� Bennett also happens to be a drummer’s drum store, counting Ringo Starr as a long time customer. At the end of July, right as he was heading down to see Starr’s concert in southern California, he had the idea to make a birthday card for the 70-year-old and let his customers sign it. How’d he get the word out? Facebook post. Earlier they used the social networking site to let drummers know that that had a special week long “tasting� of Dream Cymbals. Over 100 of their cymbals and gongs were brought in, the event made more successful because of their ability to reach out to their nearly 500 “friends� and promote it. While Bennett has long operated an active eBay store, one of the motivations of redoing his site was so that it would have e-Commerce capability. How, when, and even why that might happen is something his team is working on. “First you have to set it up on the back end, but then I don’t know yet what will make us stand out online so we can compete with the hundreds of other sellers.� Providing content that shows off their expertise with all things drums, particularly their uncanny ability to track down any obscure or vintage SEPTEMBER 2010

MMR recently surveyed over 1,200 dealers to see how MI outlets are using an online presence to boost sales and promote consumer awareness‌ How many years has your operation had a Web site?

If you do sell gear, what percentage of your overall transactions take place online?

Less than 5 years:

21%

Less than 10%:

61%

Between 5-10 years:

32%

Between 10-20%:

11%

More than 10 years:

47%

More than 20%:

Who handles Internet duties?

28%

Has this number increased, stayed the same, or decreased in the past year?

A dedicated employee:

47%

Increased:

49%

A few employees share duties:

33%

Remained steady:

37%

Decreased:

14%

Shared duties by all staff: Outside contractor:

4% 16%

How many hours are spent on Internet-related business per week? Less than 5:

43%

5-10:

26%

10-15:

14%

More than 15:

17%

Do you sell gear online, or is the site purely informative/promotional?

When did you last do a major overhaul/ update to your site? Over 5 years ago:

21%

Within the past 2-5 years:

43%

Within the past year:

36%

Do you plan any revisions or upgrades to your site in the coming year? Yes:

34%

No:

13%

Maybe:

53%

Do you collect e-mail addresses?

Primarily sales:

10%

Primarily informative:

52%

Yes:

64%

Both:

38%

No:

36%

SEPTEMER 2010

MMR 31

drum product, will have to be in the mix is one decision he’s made. But as it stands now, just with his eBay sales, they average about 10 to 20 percent of their sales online through that fluctuates. Early on they saw the importance of gathering e-mails, though: “Everyone who walks in the door is asked for their e-mail address,� he says. But they assure them they aren’t just going to get sales information, but the inside track on clinics, artist appearing, and in-store and local events drummers would be interested it.

Jack Phillips Jax Music Supply Midlothian, Virgina

Jack Phillips spent 20 years in the insurance industry, and then in 2007 he followed his heart and opened Jax Music Supply. The guitarist was frustrated at the lack of choices at the music stores in his central Virginia area. Jax does have a storefront, but its mostly an online operation. “We don’t push the [brick and mortar] part, and we aren’t even usually open

Three Brands, One Focus... 7R VXSSRUW DVSLULQJ PXVLFLDQV ZLWK ZHOO FUDIWHG UHOLDEOH UHVSRQVLYH LQVWUXPHQWV DW DIIRUGDEOH SULFLQJ

7UXVWHG EUDQG QDPHV IURP D WUXVWHG VXSSOLHU

ZZZ %HFNHU,QVWUXPHQWV FRP ZZZ VWHQWRU PXVLF FRP

32 MMR

on weekends,� he says. “We’d rather keep our labor cost low, and focus marketing efforts on the Internet.� His brother and business partner, Ed Viar, and one other employee is all the operation needs. His business strategy includes carrying a wide variety of accessories that many of his competitors don’t carry. This includes lots of pedals and lots of sticks. Recently he’s moved into expanding his line of metronomes and tuners. But they also carry instruments, like Danelectro, that aren’t always in the big stores. He’s selective: “I never compete for margin on a guitar.� They spend just 15 hours a week updating the site and handling orders to handle 95 percent of their business. “In 2009 we didn’t do as bad as the rest of the industry, and were down only three to five percent,� Phillips says. This year is a little tougher, though July was looking much better. “I have high hopes for August, when kids start going back to school.� If just a bit less than 100 percent is your business, you pay attention to how it looks. “We just did a major overhaul in the last month or so – the new site is a little cleaner.� They tend to overhaul the site every six months, but their real effort is in search engine optimization (SEO). Otherwise, they spend a lot of time on back end integration. “We used to pay a company to do that for us, then I wrote an application that does most of the integration and we save $1,000 month now.� Jax’s site is loaded up with Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. “Facebook is really important, as MySpace is really on the outs, but people still like to see that we’re there, too,� he says. “We do a lot of product announcement on Facebook.� It’s especially effective with hard-to-get products, like the hand-built Wampler pedals. “They tend to run out, so when we get those in, we announce them.� His Facebook application feeds into his Twitter account, but he’s less impressed by it. “We have about 50 Twitter followers, but nobody twitters back.� On Facebook, they have some real exchanges with customer. “That’s our philosophy – we go where the people are.� There are challenges keeping up with customer’s expectations, though. “People’s expectations are really high, and it’s a challenge to meet them.� SEPTEMBER 2010

John Spinelli Seminole Music Seminole, Fla.

Seminole Music’s home page is unique: No instruments, events. Right below the clean list of buttons to take viewers to what they want (guitar/bass, amps, drums, et cetera), is a big picture of Gretsch endorsee Stanton Moore promoting a clinic based on a new instructional book/DVD published by Hudson Music, Groove Alchemy. Below that, another big banner urging you to enroll in rock and roll band camp. Below the fold, a short paragraph about the store, then its location and hours. Giving the clinic, still six weeks away, so much exposure on Seminole’s site is important for a reason. It’s called “community building.” “A lot of retailers don’t want to do clinics – they are a lot of work, they tie up your

SEPTEMER 2010

store for a day, and they don’t necessarily make registers ring that day or the next,” John Spinelli says. “But people get to know us. I don’t know how many times a couple of days later someone will call and thank us for bringing in the amazing player we did.” Spinelli says the store was founded in 1982, and for the last 15 years he’s been manager. Jeff Bain, who has been with the organization 26 years, handles their Internet activities. Their eBay store keeps him and others busy over a collective 40 a week. Their eBay store has a different name: Online Music & Sound, which has recently been revamped. Recently they became Fender compliance, and continue to work to add products. “Hopefully by the end of the year, everything should be up on it!” Between 20 to 30 percent of the operation’s overall sales comes from online. Life in e-Commerce land is frustrating: “It cost big bucks to get on Google, but we’ve had a little success working around that. [Success takes] time and money. Getting good SEO is key and that’s something we really need to dig into more.” They generally have between

700 and 1,100 items on eBay on any given day. But he adds that increasingly, people don’t trust eBay and Craig’s List. He also talks about eBay being expensive. Because of all this, they are striving to set up their own e-Commerce site. “We’ll still always have eBay because you get a lot of exposure there and everybody shops on it. Sometimes people start off looking for something used, but then see that we have it new at a great price.” They collect e-mails at the counter, and also do giveaways where they ask for it. Most that go out are to inform customers of sales events. There online rental program is a hit, and its homegrown. Dawson Flinchbaugh, owner of the store, also owns Veritas Instrumental Rental. Years ago at school time he had a bunch of instruments in the backroom, and thought they’d offer to rent through other stores. “It became one of the largest companies that does this in the country,” Spinelli tells. The program, which Seminole Music uses, allows online rentals where the store gets a commission but don’t have to inventory the band instruments.

MMR 33

News

ADVERTORIAL • SEPTEMBER 2010

visit us online at www.namm.org The top bands win prizes, new gear, funding for their school music programs and the chance to perform live in the ďŹ nals at the NAMM Show. How does it work?

Note from Joe Getting More Teens in Bands— and We Need Your Help!

¡

¡ ¡

¡

Teenagers are the biggest consumers in our economy with the most expendable income, and as such, they are vitally linked to our industry’s growth. It’s critically important important that we capture this market by encouraging them to play a musical instrument. NAMM has been supporting school music programs for years as one of our core business objectives. We’ve funded research and led advocacy efforts with the goal of growing and providing support for school music programs—ultimately resulting in the creation of a vibrant school music market. Now, NAMM is targeting music-making teens head on, encouraging those kids who play in bands outside of their traditional school music programs to jam. We want to get every teen playing, and one way we’re doing it is through our national SchoolJam USA competition. SchoolJam USA showcases the talents of teen musicians across the country by providing them the chance to rock on a national performance stage and bring their music to the masses, all while promoting the many beneďŹ ts of music making and the importance of school music programs.

¡

¡

A national school outreach initiative, social media campaign and a nationwide PR program have already been launched, encouraging teen bands to sign up online In November, the public is encouraged to vote online for their favorite band(s) The top two most popular bands in each region—plus two wild card bands—then move on to the ďŹ nals held LIVE at the NAMM Show in Anaheim The winning band will travel to Frankfurt, Germany, to perform, while the top German band comes to California to play at the NAMM show All 10 SchoolJam USA ďŹ nalists and their school music programs win money to purchase new gear at their local NAMM Member stores The competition is open to any style of band with members between 13 and 19 years of age who play original music

Here’s where we need your help. To meet our goal of signing up 1,000 bands this year, we’re asking every NAMM Member to encourage their customers and students who ďŹ t the proďŹ le to get their band to enter. Many of us remember what it felt like to dream big, and you can help your young customers do the same by entering SchoolJam USA and going after their dreams. Visit www.namm.org for ways to support your local teen bands and help them enter, or visit www.wannaplay music.com to see teen music videos, photos and access the voting site.

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

We’re Looking for the BEST Teen Band in the USA... 9V]a ]`TR] eVV_d R_U eYVZc dTY``] ^fdZT ac`XcR^d hZ_ Wf_UZ_X e` Sfj XVRc Re j`fc de`cV 7`c ac`XcR^ Z_W`c^ReZ`_ gZdZe hhh dTY``][R^fdR T`^ E` XVe Z_g`]gVU gZdZe hhh _R^^ `cX

SchoolJam USA is based on a program initiated and developed by MusikMedia Germany

AR

1.13–16.11 JANUARY THIRTEEN THRU SIXTEEN, 2011

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER

WWW.NAMM.ORG

SPOTLIGHT

Kathi Kretzer

Art

and the

of

Reinvention Commitment to being part of the community pays off in more ways than one

Photograph by Jacek Gancarz

O

n a sunny fall morning 25 years ago, an up-and-coming piano sales manager in the Baldwin organization was driving to her store’s grand opening day in West Palm Beach. More excited than nervous, as she drove she scoured the horizon for that eye-catching 40-foot giant Baldwin balloon she had rented for $1,500. No slouch at self-promotion, Kathi Kretzer thought it would be a nice way to tell the area that she had arrived. Not taking anything to chance, she had her brother the sailor tie the balloon down on the roof. The closer she got to her store, the more confused she grew. Sure enough, she pulled into the lot on her first day of business and the balloon was gone.

36 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

“For the first five years, I was known as the blimp lady, but it really put me on the map.” Someone had cut it down. “I went into the store and cried,” she recalls, appearing to still smart from the experience. For support she had her mother on hand, who gave her the ol’ “when life hands you lemons” speech. This led to calling all the media outlets. Talk about “earned media.” She, the story, and most importantly, her new piano store, was on television, the front page of the local papers, and was the talk of the town. Then the tragic turned to comic: The balloon was found at 3 a.m. in a field, too damaged to use; she got another one from Baldwin… and that too was cut down and stolen. SEPTEMBER 2010

“For the first five years, I was known as the blimp lady, but it really put me on the map.” Kretzer is still very much on the map, even if her GPS coordinates have changed a few times. On the eve of her 25th anniversary, she has moved to her fourth location – a smaller one. Not needing a weather vane to know which way the wind blows, she’s expanded when she could and not hesitated to reinvent and get “lean and mean” when necessary. Her first store was 1,400 square feet; the next one doubled; the next one doubled again. But with this location, Kretzer is in a cozy 3,000 square foot space.

Personnel-wise, it’s now just her and a full time accounting person. “I’m back working the floor, and enjoying it.” She relies on two part-timers. Monte Lambert, who at one time had three piano retail operations in Washington State, is “a wonderful sales person who works weekends.” Lambert is now vice president for Forte Interactive, a Web site consulting firm. (Forte developed the new Kretzer Piano Web site, just launched.) There’s also Gillian Kerr, “a beautiful person who loves working in business.” Jessica Tietboehl handles bookkeeping and Web site duties. “She also helps plan promotions – she’s my right hand.” MMR 37

Kathi Kretzer, center, in her new store. Here she is with the five finalists from her local Junior Achievement’s “Watch a Rising Star” competition. She’s executive producer, and the five finalists win a total of $10,000 in scholarship money. (Photo courtesy of Ed Bullinger Photography.)

“It’s a lot more fun being in this business when you’re making money.”

38 MMR

Doing the Math Kretzer was raised in Leesburg, Fla., where she started piano lessons at the age of six. Her mother was a piano teacher for 50 years before she turned to public relations. Her father was a minister, so her early public performances at the piano and organ were in the church. She went on to major in music education at Florida State University in Tallahassee. While there, she taught at Sims Baldwin in Tallahassee. “I was in the back teaching and I made like $10 a half-hour, and I would sneak out between students and watch the sales people,” she recalls with a smile. “I was trying to do the math on how many students I would have to teach to equal one $400 commission…” Her math on that never added up, so she started selling and found she was good at it. This led her to work for a Baldwin dealership run by Ken Ambrose

in Atlanta. One of her side jobs there was organist for the Atlanta Braves. “The regular organist had broken his arm and I ended up filling in but then played the whole season,” she recalls. As much fun as that was, she kept her day job, and was succeeding in a manner that did not go unnoticed by the Baldwin top brass. Bill Joseph of Baldwin, who used to call on Lee Sims’ store, approached her and proposed she open her own store. “I thought what would I have to lose?” In October of 1985 she opened Kretzer Piano. Since then she has racked up a wall full of awards, including: Woman in Leadership Award, Business Leader of the Year, Small Business Person of the Year, Cultural Arts Innovation Award, and the Glass Ceiling Award. She’s also been honored by many community service organizations inSEPTEMBER 2010

Franz Liszt

Johannes Brahms A long line of composers and artists have performed on Bösendorfer pianos since 1828, and dignitaries such as Napoleon III, the Emperor of Japan, Austria’s imperial court and a Russian czar have been linked to these fine Viennese pianos. Yamaha, the world’s largest musical instrument company, has long admired Bösendorfer as well, recognizing in the company a shared passion for creating premium pianos. In 2009, Yamaha purchased Bösendorfer. Yamaha now markets these fine instruments from its U.S. headquarters in Buena Park, California. Everything about Bösendorfer, including its quality, Johann Strauss

creativity and tone endures.

To inquire about representing

handcrafted Bösendorfer pianos, contact Ray Chandler at 714.522.9415 or rchandler@yamaha.com today.

Tori Amos

Oscar Peterson

Boesendorfer.com

contains galleries of standard pianos — such as Model 290 shown here — as well as unique, decorative, special edition pianos— including a modern Audi-designed grand, the romantic “Chopin,” the art deco “Chrysler,”and more. ©2010 Bösendorfer USA. All rights reserved.

cluding the American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, Ballet Florida, Deaf Services Center, Lighthouse for the Blind, and Make-aWish Foundation. “Passion is what embodies Kretzer Pianos, and Kathi Kretzer carries the torch,” says Paul Calvin, vice president and general manager, Keyboard Division, Yamaha. “She is both a dynamo and a true class act. Her store is beautifully decorated and her focus is always on fulfi lling the needs of her customers. Equally important, she puts a premium

on community service, regularly getting out of the store to conduct special events and performances. We are grateful that we can help build her success in reaching people throughout the community.”

“It Looks Like a Home” MMR: What was it like in those beginning days of opening a piano store? KK: Traumatizing! I had worked for several corporate stores for 10 years, managed stores in Chicago and Atlanta,

and thought it would be easy. But I had so many questions! I was kind of out there, and I called on [former coworkers] a lot.

MMR: Was it unusual for a woman without family ties to open a piano store? KK: I never let it bother me and I don’t think it’s held me back; but yes, there still aren’t many women [store owners] like me. It’s funny, because in the country as a whole there are more women small business owners then men, but here it’s still a male-dominated industry. Look at the NAMM board – there are one or two token women, but that’s about it. MMR: You’re no longer selling Baldwins… KK: Oh, God no. Are they even still making them? MMR: So how did you become a Yamaha dealer? KK: Years ago, we had a local Yamaha dealer who didn’t want to take on the Clavinovas, so I did. A year or two later I got the whole line. I love Yamaha. They have something for everybody, and it’s a widely recognized name. It drives in customers. It’s almost like a cult! Their Web site is superb and makes it easy for customers to locate a dealer. MMR: Tell us about your new location. KK: It looks like a home. I hired a college friend who is a professional interior designer, and the walls are all different colors: aqua blues, gold, and green. We have big baseboards and crown molding and things like that. It’s not a fancy showroom; it’s a place that’s comfortable, a place like [the customer’s] where they can imagine the piano in their home. MMR: It’s an approach not seen often in piano retail stores – not many hire an interior designer. KK: Interior designers know buyers and what colors are warm and inviting. I’ve never had a white wall in a store ever. White doesn’t encourage people to get involved, excited, or to buy. MMR: What piano lines are you carrying these days?

40 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

KK: I used have other brands, but I’ve narrowed it down to two: Yamaha and Pearl River. People get confused when they have too wide a selection. Yamaha offers a lot of bang for the buck. But if they want something else, Pearl River is the best. But at this point, I need to deal with the actual manufacturer. I’m not interested in dealing with someone who buys a name, then has someone else make the piano. If I have a problem, I want to call the person in charge of the actual instrument. I want to get parts. MMR: What else are you selling in the store? KK: No print or anything like that. We sell lamps, and all the Disklavier software. MMR: What else have you done in these challenging times? KK: I’ve scaled way back on inventory. When I first opened, the only way I was able to do it was to floor plan – otherwise I couldn’t have been in business. I based this business on $15,000 that I

SEPTEMER 2010

Amanda and Kathi.

got for selling a house in Atlanta. I had a little girl, Amanda, four years old at the time, and was struggling to support her

and me. Five years of that, I looked at it and realized it was crazy. When I think of all the money [lost] …. Now not only

MMR 41

in making more per sale, but when you go to negotiate in cash, the incentives are tremendous.

“I’d Rather Get the Good Will” MMR: What do you do to promote Kretzer Piano? KK: In the last 48 hours I sponsored a concert for my Music for the Minds, which I started in 2002. It was at CityPlace, a multi-million dollar development featuring shops and restaurants. They converted an old Methodist church there into a theater that holds 500 people. We do this event the third Tuesday of every month, and have had 7,139 performers participate and have raised over $180,000 for area school music programs. MMR: Where do the performers come from? KK: Area schools – Catholic, Christian, public, magnet. When we have the youth orchestra with 300 kids perform, we can raise anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000. Whatever school is performing keeps the proceeds. Yamaha has donated a C7 to the venue, the theater donates the space, and we have media sponsors that help with other cost. MMR: Do you have teachers in your store? KK : I used too, but when I factored out the cost per square foot, it didn’t make much sense. And I’m much better off not competing with area teachers. MMR: How do you keep a good relationship with then? KK: Once a year I through a huge Pampered Teacher Party – we just had one. We met at the store in the morning, and we had champagne, mimosas, and ginger ale. We milled around for 30 minutes. Then we went to my house in a stretch Hummer limo. There we had a catered brunch, entertainment by local pianist, and posed for pictures. For the event I had a 9-foot Yamaha Concert Grand. We also had a top-of-the-line Clavinova there, and we did Karaoke. That was our fifth year of doing that, and I had as much fun as anybody. MMR: The teacher’s directory on your new Web site is very impressive. Photos, teaching philosophies – was that hard to put together? 42 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

KK: We had to work at it. We had a form teachers fi lled out that was very detailed, almost like a resume. But we’re trying to use it to drive people to our Web site. I used to get a million calls for teacher recommendations and I’d have to ask, “Where do you live? What kind of music – popular, church, jazz, classical?” Now with this new Web site, they get to look and study it in private, and also see all the things we offer, and maybe it helps them decide to get rid of that little keyboard and get a real piano. MMR: What advertising for the store do you do? KK: That’s a problem. Local ads don’t pay off like they used to. We do some direct mail pieces, like for this new grand opening and back-toschool-sales. My advertising dollar is spent doing community events. Sponsoring community concerts, providing music for the Chamber of Commerce in Palm Beach – which I’ve done for 20 years. There are 400 to 500 members in that group, and they have events at a five-star hotel, so

yes, it gets the store’s name out there and I meet a lot of people.

MMR: What other things to do you? KK: Also things like the Rotary Club. There’s also Kretzer’s Kids, which is a group of talented music students who go into local nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the area and perform. MMR: Do you do all these community outreach programs because you like to do it or because it’s a good ROI? KK: It’s both. It’s defi nitely part of my business plan to get out there and support the community. It’s better than sitting here and hoping someone comes in – so often the foot traffic is just not happening. The funny thing about the things I do is that it doesn’t cost me monetarily. I’ve built some influence and goodwill, and then it’s just my time. This morning I was on the phone getting free tickets donated from three different theaters for a Rotary Club event. It’s all, “Hey can I have free

tickets for this?” I then give a good plug to them, and it’s win-win. Another example: Maltz Jupiter Theater is big here and they do a lot of shows. I let them use a Yamaha C3. They pay for the delivery and tunings, and I get free full-page ads, sometimes worth $2,000 to $7,000. The local PAC has one of my grand pianos. I have signage on all of this with my number and Web site.

MMR: So do you do much rental business? KK: I don’t do a lot of rentals. In the cases I just cited, I couldn’t get more than $800 or $900 for those. Then I pay for delivery and tuning, what am I making? $400? $200? I’d rather get the good will. I’d rather be on their Web site and then link them to my Web site. MMR: Are you active in institutional sales? KK: We used to do a lot more institutional sales, but the numbers aren’t where they used to be. I maybe do two a year. MMR: How about outside sales? KK: There’s the Kravis Performing Arts Center where we do a big sale. But we just do it one weekend a year because I think it loses its effect if you do it more than that. We make a big splash with that. MMR: What’s the future of Kretzer Pianos? KK: [Pauses] I talk a lot about this to dealers my age, and it’s a little freighting. Now over this past week we’ve sold some high-ticket items. We’re about on par with last year, but we don’t want to be on par with last year! [Laughs] I had a piano student come in shopping, spent time with him, and then he went online and got [the keyboard] at cost-plus-nothing. With the Internet being what it is and people seeming to not care as much as they used to about a relationship, it’s all a little scary. All we talk about is thank goodness we’re not in our 30s! It’s a lot more fun being in this business when you’re making money. Breaking even, making a little money – that’s not quite as fun. Until the government pulls back, until small businesses aren’t pounded and we feel like we can hire, it’s a problem. Small businesses have gotten lean and mean and the government has to, too.

44 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

PIANO & KEYBOARD

Institutional Piano Sales Hold Steady, Offer Growth Getting creative: Building relationships and exploring other avenues

I

t’s human to generalize, and, generally, conventional wisdom says there are weak numbers in the piano business. But dig a little deeper, and not only is that unfair, it’s untrue – at least in some cases. Every person who buys a piano has his or her own unique story as to what brought him or her to a particular store to fall in love with a particular collection of wood, metal, and strings. Every piano retailer has his or her philosophy as to how they are able to make that happen. Some retailers are choosing to go into the storm cellar and wait it out for better days; others are reinventing themselves. Some are being bold and trying new markets; others still are re-focusing on market segments that were inadvertently left unattended when foot traffic was heavier. Which brings us to institutional sales. It takes patience, but patience (and skill and quality product) is usually rewarded. And to those who think institutional sales mean only selling those 47 new 6’1” grand pianos to PCU (Prestigious Conservatory University), there’s more out there than that. There are universities that need their instruments reconditioned and tuned, institutions which need a few new used keyboards, high schools open to good brands 46 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

that aren’t yet as recognizable in the U.S., and finally, hotels, restaurants, and even retirement communities.

Building Relationships Cunningham Pianos in the Philadelphia area began as a piano maker in 1891, then in the 1940s turned its attention to rebuilding and restoration. Rich Galassini, co-owner with Tim Oliver, has been there for 24 years and says that their institutional business is being supported by their reputation for their good work. “Schools all over the nation send us their pianos,” he says. “Indiana University just sent us some.” The company has been dealing in new Mason & Hamlin “probably longer than you’ve been around. They are spectacular pianos that keep getting better and better. We’re very comfortable and successful with them.” They also do well with their Bösendorfer, Estonia, and Charles Walter lines. Recently they have brought back Cunningham Pianos. Designed by the company, they are built by Hailun who have “done very well by us.” They are pleased that by partnering with Hailun,

parts. “We’ve been involved in the evolution, testing, and fi nal product,” he says. “The latest designs of the carbon fiber parts are impervious to changes in moistures. Their innovations are definitely affecting the industry, and are especially attractive to schools.” Cunningham’s approach is holistic, and not about selling, but building relationships. Finding out the goals of the school, and developing a long-term approach is key to their success. Sara Faust, president of Faust Harrison, started her company without knowing it: She was first a concert pianist looking for that perfect piano. She would buy a Steinway B that needed a little work, get it restored, then fall out of love with it and sell it seeking something better. Through this process, and with her partner and husband, Irving, they learned who did good work, who to avoid, and most importantly, how to sell pianos. They would eventually partner with Michael Harrison, and expand into also selling new pianos. Today they have a Manhattan showroom, and just signed a lease to move their

“ It’s a completely different market. You have to find a school that has a need and has the funds. In one case we found the need, but no funds, and we had to be very creative in that case.” they’ve been able to create a quality instrument at an affordable price. It all adds up to success in the institutional market, boosted by their approach: “Our answer is not always to tell schools to throw stuff away and buy new stuff,” Galassini explains. “Let’s look at the big picture. Can that 1920 Steinway be rebuilt? That’s been the key to our success.” Cunningham’s institutional sales rep, Milo Morris, is able to walk into a college and take a look at the music program and have a frank discussion. “He then makes up a report that may involve purchasing new instruments, but it might also involve something as small as moving pianos around. The real answer is rarely: ‘Get rid of all them.’” They are also supporters of Mason & Hamlin’s Wessle, Nickel & Gross piano SEPTEMBER 2010

factory to White Plains where they will open a large showroom, as well. “We couldn’t rebuild enough pianos, plus people wanted other things, so we started carrying Mason & Hamlin, which are great pianos we’ve always loved,” Faust says. “We carry Estonia pianos, and also Brodman. The Brodman is a very interesting piano. It was originally designed by Bösendofer, built in a small factory in China, but with German soundboards and strings. It’s a magnificent instrument at a low price that’s been doing well.” After a lot of “soul searching,” they recently became a Yamaha dealer, and are one of the few dealers to carry the CFX 9-foot grand. They also just took on Bechstein so “now we also have a repu-

The Panel

Cathy Lacefield of Lacefield

Stan Beagley of Piano Gallery

Milo Morris of Cunningham Piano

Thomas Solich of Solich Piano

Fred Altenburg

Sara Faust of Faust Harrison

K. Bryan Elmore of Saied

MMR 47

table high-end European line. Now we have something for everybody.” And “everybody” includes institutions. “We’ve gotten to universities and acquired significant accounts,” Faust reports. “It’s a completely different market. You have to find a school that has a need and has the funds. In one case we found the need, but no funds, and we had to be very creative in that case.” In addition to being creative, her approach is key. “We’re probably different from others in that when I speak to the chairman of the music department, I speak as one who has come from their world. We communicate in a very different way.” Faust adds that helping is the variety of pianos they offer, which allows Faust

Harrison “to meet all their needs – we can handle restorations, help them purchase new Steinways, or provide good pianos on a budget. We don’t just represent one brand.” But she takes a long-term approach: “It’s about building bonds with schools.” “In the beginning, when a hospital or school would call, the impulse would be to work as hard as possible to sell the piano,” Thomas Solich of Solich Pianos of Ohio says. “But I recently come to believe that the only way you’re going to profit long term is to build a relationship, put a program in place.” And part of that is doing some math. “Say I sell a school a quarter million dollars of piano. I celebrate for a while, but how is

that going to help you three or five years down the road? What Solich does instead is put a loan program in place with the caveat that they hold a sale there, and sell $300,000 worth of pianos every year.”

‘Schools Aren’t Flush with Money’ “We’ve gone after institutions with various success, and we’re refocusing on that area right now,” says Stan Beagley. “We’ve always done some business from keyboard lab placements that lead to direct sales, and we probably neglected the segment as a whole because for the last few years foot traffic has been stronger. But that’s dried up a bit.”

Piano Sales Today: What’s Working Telling the story, getting out of the store

T

homas Solich is not standing still. “When I entered the business, I saw people sitting in piano stores waiting for things to happen, but that’s against my nature,” he says. “I’ve always been the type that goes out and makes it happen.” Solich says does well with the full Kawai line including digitals. “We’re grateful for what Kawai has done for us over the last few years. They have embraced the fact that to sell more pianos, they need to get more involved with dealers on retail events.” He adds that they also do well with Young Chang and Charles Walter. Another brand he does “extremely well” with is Perzina. “They have an interesting story, and in our industry, a story is worth a thousand words. And they really protect dealer territories and that allows us to keep good margins.” Solich Pianos is located in Boardman, Ohio, near Youngstown. Solich, a concert pianist, established it in 2006. “I embrace the concept of promotion both in store but mostly out of store. You have to provide a reason for people to buy a piano. We’re better off now then when we started the business because of these promotions.” Recently they did a sale at the Pittsburgh Opera house. “There are two roads to take when the economy started to deteriorate – you could curl up in a cocoon, or you go out there and make up for the [loss of sales]. We took the latter approach.” He realized that while things for some were bad, they weren’t for many in the middle- and upper-income range. He’s racked up sales by pointing out the obvious: If you were ever thinking of buying a piano, there will never be a better time then right now because deals are being made. Solich, 26, hears about how grand the 1980s and 1990s were, when piano sales were good, but since he’s never known those times, he’s determined to make his

48 MMR

own good times. “I was told I couldn’t climb monkey bars, I couldn’t ride a bike – I did those things. I’m going to conquer this industry.” In conjunction with his high octane approach, he adds, “I’m better at selling grands then uprights, because when I sense the customer has the income for a piano, I can sell the emotion of it.” Others prefer a wait and see approach. “I’ve been sitting idle and having been knocking on doors or doing print ads,” Altenburg says. “Whoever is in the piano business is just waiting and bidding time until the storm passes.” For Sara Faust of Faust Harrison, they are expanding and growing in part because of their geography. Their Manhattan showroom is doing good business and they are expanding their factory and building a new showroom in White Plains, New York. “The New York economy is different,” she says. “2009 was a tough year, no question. But it helped that we’ve never depended on floor planning and always owned our own stock. Profits always went back into the business. We have good lines [Mason Hamlin, Estonia, Brodman, Yamaha, Beckstein] and so we can offer a good mix of pianos to clients.” Chris Climer of Worldwide in Houston says there Web site does a lot of the their selling. “Customers like our Web site a lot, and they can see our inventory, prices, and service. People like to shop in their pajamas.” He adds that they are changing their inventory daily. Helping is their son, a graphic artist. In some instances they add video. “We do have some customers who watch it closely.” Feeling that there is a shift, and that traditional advertising isn’t work, Piano Gallery of Utah/Arizona/Idaho are trying different things. “The customers are out there, but it’s harder to get to them with fragmented advertising,” Stan Beagley, president/CEO, says. “We’re back to doing Costco events, and we’re also trying to generate SEPTEMBER 2010

Beagley, president and CEO of Piano Gallery, owns or licenses eight stores in Utah, Idaho, and Arizona. “Yamaha is the common denominator,” he says, adding that they do a lot of Samick Music Corporation products, particularly Kohler & Campbell. Some of their stores carry Bechstein, some other Schimmels. They also do a lot of Lowrey and Roland digital business as well. They did just win a bid at a local high school for a Yamaha C6 and a pair of C3s. “We’re working pretty hard with the universities here to help them get some Disklaviers.” They are also using technological benefits of their digital Yamahas and Rolands, promoting their advantages like remote lessons and teacher assist programs.

“Institutional sales are tough like other aspects of the business right now,” Beagley continues. “The schools aren’t flush with money, but they have needs. We’re trying to not only sell pianos, but move, refinish, repair, and tune what they have. Anyway we can be a relationship.” “There’s been slow growth in the institutional market, but we’ve been getting some school bids in here and there,” says Mary Ann Climer of World Wide Piano in Dallas. “It’s good to see music education return a bit though it’s still not like it was. But there’s still an emphasis on music education.” Climer and her husband Chris opened the store in 1980, and they have learned

more business from our existing client base. We’re getting in touch with satisfied customers, to not only make sure they have everything they need, and then let them become advocates for us.” Cathy Krubsack-Lacefield, president of Lacefield in St. Louis has three locations in the metro St. Louis area. They are a long time Lowrey dealer who now also carries Kawai pianos and Roland digitals, and a little Story & Clark. They used to be in the mall, as so many music instruments stores were in the 1980s and 1990s. Like so many, they evolved out of them. But when they did, they missed the “holiday bump” that came with that kind of foot traffic. Her solution? They went back – but only for a few weeks a year. For the last four years, from mid-November to the end of December they find themselves a spot in one of several area malls that have a space available that is suitable. “Our business is based on classes and that time of year people get busy,” she says. “I do not want to just twiddle my thumbs then.” While successful, she does acknowledge it’s “a lot of work” as they don’t hire additional staff but essentially use the resources they have to run the equivalent of four stores. Lacefield’s strength year-round continues to be the laser focus they give to the recreational music market. Lowrey’s program is well known, and they built a similar program for their piano market. “We sell the dream of learning to play the piano and organ,” Krubsack-Lacefield says. But they are different animals. “Adult piano classes have people in them who are not necessarily retired. I don’t even know if it has a ‘demographic’ – we have 17year-old girls to 75-year-old men and everything in be-

over the years that success in the institutional market depends on attention to details. “Procedure is almost as valuable as product – you really have to mind your p’s and q’s,” she says. With public schools, you have to remember that it is a government entity, and the bidding process if complicated. Plus, you need to police to make sure the school is also following procedures. “Private schools are all different, and they don’t have to deal with government laws.” Finally, honesty pays: “You’ve got to make sure your bidding process is open, honest, and transparent.” In particular they are having success with Sejung pianos – George Steck, Fal-

tween.” Their piano classes use Kawai and Roland digitals and tend to be on Saturdays and evenings. “They are also more complicated and harder to teach. The digital pianos used in the class all have the rhythms and things, which we do incorporate. We’ll work from a Billy Joel easy playbook, have them do melody in the right hand, chords in the left, and then mix rhythm and strings. But it’s got to be fun.” The teacher has to be beyond excellent, too. If they just have a so-so teacher available, they won’t bother setting up the class. Piano classes attract the kind of people that if they get bored, they quit. So the learning has to be quick, energetic, and fun. But the rewards are there, and its not just in the sale of one of the digital pianos. “Someone recently traded a higherend Roland digital piano for a Kawai K3 professional upright.” In general Lowrey is having a good year. “Our Lowrey business is great – dealers who are struggling and no in the Lowrey business do not know what they missing. And everything else is good with the exception of high-end acoustics, but that’s coming back a little.” But they are getting out of the store. For years they’ve done well with a twice-a-year, two-week sale at a nearby Air Force Base selling pianos in their on-site store, which is like a military-style Costco. She was tipped off a few years ago about how many military families just shop there, but then learned of all the paperwork needed to set up a sale. A local teacher was from a military family and helped them fill it out. “Thank goodness for her!” Krubsack-Lacefield laughs.

“I embrace the concept of promotion both in store but mostly out of store. You have to provide a reason for people to buy a piano.”

SEPTEMER 2010

MMR 49

cone, Cable. “Some schools will request a Yamaha P22 or comparable. They might have a preference for a particular brand, but if you go in with something comparable, and prove it is so, then price comes into play.” But again, she emphasizes through every step, it’s all about procedure: “descriptions of what you’re proposing have to be precise and accurate.” To make their case, they will invite the administrators into their showroom to see and hear the instrument

for themselves. “With a product that is not as well known in America, as long you get them to come in and play it, it can help.” And who comes in varies, too. Sometimes it’s the music teacher or the fi ne arts teacher, but sometimes it’s the purchasing agent. Also helpful is to have a good collection or reconditioned used pianos, which appeal to schools on a budget. “It takes a long time” to make a sale, she adds. “You have to build a reputation – being on time with delivery and pro-

viding good service if there is a problem is important.” When you’ve been in business since James Polk was president, “schools know who you are,” says Fred Altenburg. “We automatically get involved on the bidding process for area schools. We do it all the time, so it’s not that complicated.” Altenburg Piano House is located in Elizabeth, N.J. and Fred is the sixth generation to run the venerable institution. Wyman makes their house brand to their specs, and they also carry Bohemia and August Forster. Sometimes bids will come in with a specific brand request, but almost always they add they will accept something else “of equal value.” “Most of the time the lower bids wins. If they ask for a brand I don’t carry, he’s usually able to show them one of the brands he carries is a quality option.”

The 90 Percent Steinway Solution Bryan Elmore of Saied Music was fresh off of delivering 47 Steinway family products to the University of Arkansas, in Fayetteville when contacted for this report. He’s now eying a school in the town he works at, the University of Tulsa. “Once they complete a new building, we hope to have $32 million of Steinway products in that.” He adds that Oral Roberts University and University of Central Arkansas have also become all Steinway schools recently. Elmore has been with Saied at their Tulsa location for five years. Saied is a full line store with five locations in Oklahoma and Arkansas who picked up the Steinway line five years ago. Asked if he was surprised schools were making such big commitments in trying times, he says, “If they are going to be successful in trying times, they have to be competitive. Administrators and donors tend to agree that it’s a worthwhile investment not only for the students but the university.” Steinway seems to have perfected this marketing blitz. Once in the door, they do an institutional survey spending weeks and sometimes months examining every piano. They then present them with a breakdown on the instruments, their age, and their quality. “They are often quite surprised to find out how desperate their inventory is,” he says, adding that all four schools that recently became Steinway schools 50 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

were surprised how many of their instruments were over 40 years old. “Try to operate a lab with equipment that old at a University level,” he tells administrators. It is a commitment. At least 90 percent of the pianos need to be from the Steinway family (Steinway, Boston, Essex). Piano majors have to have access to new New York-built Steinways in the practice rooms, and they have to be in piano professors’ studios. They also

“Any time I’m given an opportunity or a lead, I’ll call on a hotel or upscale restaurant and tell them what a Steinway can do for them,” says Elmore of Saied. His wife owns a travel agency so he’s had opportunities to do lay his business card on them. Solich approaches his hotel/restaurant market like he does his institutional market – it’s about relationship, and it’s about long-term goals versus short-term gains. “We had a Holiday Inn come to

“ With a product that is not as well known in America, as long you get them to come in and play it, it can help.” have to commit to a maintenance program not for the faint of heart. “You hit a nerve with the donors with this, because they know that they aren’t supporting instruments that will be trashed in five years.” Elmore says he doesn’t run into that professor who is partial to another instrument, though he says they have run into a challenge of another kind: “We’ve had some humorous situations where professors refuse to clean up their room to make way for the new piano,” he laughs. Otherwise, even those who are emotionally attached to their old Steinway and let it go with proverbial fi ngernail marks are ultimately pleased with their upgrade. Today there are 118 schools that are all Steinway, and Elmore sees that growing. The push to become all Steinway is the ultimate marketing tool. “Schools want the best students, the best faculty. They want to attract international students. Being an all Steinway school can do that.”

‘Other Institutional Sales’ & the Senior Market “Hotels like Hilton or Marriot would be great, but they usually buy direct and then the local dealer simply delivers it,” Altenburg says. “Smaller dealers don’t have a chance at the large hotels, and the small hotels aren’t buying pianos right now.” That said, they do a fair amount of rental business to restaurants and country clubs for special events when they have live entertainment. “They would rather rent a piano for $200 then buy one and have it take up table space all the time.” SEPTEMER 2010

us wanting to rent a piano for a special event,” Solich says. “I went to them personally and gave them a proposal – take the piano and try it, and if you like it you can buy it and I’ll credit you the rental fee. That was a $700 rental that we turned into a $10,000 sale.” Cunningham Pianos are having success in another area as well: retirement and assisted living communities. “In general, these are people who value culture, value music,” Rich Galassini. “Milo Morris [institutional sales rep] will go in and help them set up a concert program.” They’ve had some success with hotels and restaurants, though those clients tend to be much more pragmatic, he says. Then there’s the senior market, which Solich has also done well with. They have a digital piano group class for seniors and only charge $5 a lesson – just enough to make them prove they are interested in the idea of playing, not just the socializing aspect. “We also have a Lowry program which has the potential to be really successful for us.” Beagley of Piano Gallery says they are active in going after the senior market. “We have active Lowrey organ programs in most of our stores and those are still successful,” he says. “They have almost always been recession-proof.” They are active with piano group classes aimed at that market as well. They are trying several things: Scott (“The Piano Guy”) Houston’s program, Yamaha’s QuickPlay, and a program they have developed themselves. “We’re trying a lot of different things to see what works. We feel that there is potential in creating more music makers out there.” MMR 51

New And Notable

Piano & Keyboard Products Bohemia’s Rhapsody Bohemia Piano America Inc. has launched a piano line called Rhapsody. The new line was created by the design department of C. Bechstein Europe in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. The design of its first two models R114 and R121 is based on the design of the 121 Rhapsody piano. The R114 (44”) and R121 (48”) models are finished in ebony polish and feature Able hammer head felt. Consolidation of the production of upright and grand pianos in a single factory in Hradec Králové enables C. Bechstein Europe to use its newly installed modern technology, the CNC machines. www.bohemiapiano.cz

August Förster’s Concert Piano August Förster GmbH in Löbau, Germany celebrated their 150th anniversary with a new concert piano, model 134. This 53” piano features a full sostenuto pedal, original Renner Action, Laukhuff keyboard, and Röslau steel strings. The keys have an ivory color and the black keys are made out of selected ebony wood. The 134 also features an adjustable music desk. www.august-foerster.de

Steinway Boston Piano Performance Edition The Steinway designed Boston Piano has been enhanced with the introduction of the new Performance Edition. The Boston Performance Edition features improvements in materials, specifications, and performance. A maple inner rim increases structural integrity and improves the tone by isolating the soundboard. The patented Octagrip Pinblock provides a smoother pin turn and more consistent pin torque, leading to a more precise tuning. www.steinway.com 52 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

The Ultimate Performance

Increased internal memory retains all settings and improves reliability and compatability on all control units. � 1,024 levels of expression � Faster processor � Streamlined architecture � Boosted velocity and timing accuracy “When I purchased a wonderful Bosendorfer grand piano for my new studio, I knew that I wanted to outfit it with the best MIDI playback system I could find so the piano could be used for both arrangements and recording. The SilentDrive HD System quickly became the top choice and I’ve been very pleased with its performance.” — Danny Elfman Photo by Jimmy Ienner, Jr.

www.PianoDisc.com 916.567.9999

Samick Music’s Ebony 2 Lifestyle Piano The Ebony 2 is Samick Music’s latest addition to their line of digital pianos. The Ebony 2 features advanced engineering through Bluetooth wireless connectivity and a built-in USB audio interface. The contemporary design includes space saving cabinets and features gloss ebony accented with nickel plated components. Ebony 2’s speaker system delivers 180 watts of amplified sound. www.lifestylepiano.com

PianoDisc’s SilentDrive HD PianoDisc’s SilentDrive HD is designed to improve the playback capabilities of PianoDisc player systems, all of which can be added to any make or model of piano, new or previously owned, heirloom instruments, grands, or verticals. SilentDrive HD features a faster processor and streamlined architecture that boost both velocity and timing accuracy. Improved timing means that trills, for example, play back with much more accuracy than was possible before. SilentDrive HD’s increased internal memory capacity retains all settings and is said to improve reliability and compatibility regardless of what control unit is used. The new design features 1024 levels of individual note expression. www.pianodisc.com

Korg’s Performance Synthesizer Korg’s PS60 Performance Synthesizer delivers 440 sounds created using Korg’s EDS-i (Enhanced Definition Synthesis – integrated) sound engine. The sounds are organized into six categories: piano, electric piano, organ, strings, brass, and synth. Each category offers dedicated controls and the intuitive interface allows the performer to instantly layer up to six sounds, or make split settings at the touch of a button, creating sophisticated keyboard textures. Up to 20 split/layered performance settings can be created and saved for instant recall. Any of 63 effects – including dynamics-type effects and amp modeling powered by Korg’s proprietary REMS technology – can be assigned to an individual sound using one of the five insert effects. In addition, two master effects can be applied to the overall

Rodgers Offers New Signature Organ Line Rodgers’ five Masterpiece Signature models were created by Rodgers’ team of master organ designers to meet the needs of churches, performers, and individual musicians. Signature organs deliver features like built-in record/playback functions and USB memory storage. The line includes a pair of twomanual organs and a trio of threemanual organs. All are built with Rodgers’ new PerformanceTouch keyboards. PerformanceTouch keyboards eliminate key warping, twisting, binding, and poor adjustment. www.rodgersinstruments.com 54 MMR

sound: a modulation-style effect offering four effect types and a reverb/delay effect also with four effect types. A three-band EQ adds the fi nal touch. The master effects and final EQ are selected and modified via dedicated hardware controls. The PS60 uses Korg’s expressive new Natural Touch keyboard, providing 61 full size semi-weighted keys to accommodate both the piano player and synthesist alike. Additional performance controls include a four-way joystick, octave up/down and transpose buttons, and a pair of footswitch/footpedal inputs for hands-free operation. Sounds can be edited in greater detail by using the free PS60 Editor software. The PS60 can hold 512 programs (440 are preloaded) and 20 performance settings. The Plug-In Editor offers all the same features, and allows the PS60 to be used as a plug-in synth from within any VST, Audio Units or RTAS-format DAW software system. As a librarian program, the software allows users to build up a stash of sounds that have been created on a computer. The retail price is $899. www.korg.com SEPTEMBER 2010

Local Market Offers

Visit PianoBuyerDeals.com

PIANO DEALERS: Now You Can Advertise DIRECTLY to Active Piano Shoppers in Your LOCAL Market through the

Local Market Offers Program from Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer Larry Fine, author of The Piano Book, has recently introduced a new publication, Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer. This free online resource is used by tens of thousands of active piano shoppers annually to research for an imminent piano purchase. The Local Market Offers Program is designed to guide these highly motivated shoppers into their local piano dealerships by matching readers’ zip codes with dealers’ market territories. Visit the program’s website, www.PianoBuyerDeals.com, for details.

• Targets serious piano shoppers more precisely than any other method

• Provides great flexibility in designing your promotional offer and configuring the exact market territory in which it’s distributed

• Very low risk, as you pay only when a shopper in your area requests offers

• Low cost—we estimate that, in a mid-size market,

Ready to Shop? Click here for discounts, rebates, and special offers from your local piano dealers, tuners, and teachers. Enter Zip Code GO! (U.S. and Canada only)

there will be about 50 offer requests per month, and that a monthly budget of only about $250 will be sufficient to respond to all of them.

• Because the offers are requested by shoppers and instantly delivered, you can be sure they will be read, not redirected to the Junk Mail folder or trash can.

Sign up NOW and try it FREE through September 30th. Go to

www.PianoBuyerDeals.com for details.

Pearl River Continues to Evolve Product Line Pearl River Piano Group has introduced five new pianos: three verticals and two grands. Master piano designer, Lothar Thomma, has been directly involved in the re-engineering of the entire Ritmüller line. The model lineup includes: EU122-Vertical Piano with refined scaling, bridge configuration, and action design; UP115M5-Vertical Piano with bridge placement and scale tension that is said to provide a rich and warm color, tone and superior projection; GP160-Grand Piano, classic design incorporating the research and development in scaling and case design to maximize tone and projection found on larger grand pianos; GP188A-Grand Piano with an increased active soundboard area resulting from specific bridge placement balanced with a lower scale tension. Retailers can download style sheets from the Pearl River Web site or contact their DSMs for complete details. www.pearlriverusa.com

Grotrian’s Limited Edition Composé Grotrian celebrates the 175 years of piano making with the limited edition Composé model. All hinges, pedals, and screws are 24-carat goldplated. The iron frame is fi nished with a lavished electroplating lacquer, and the soundboard is made of mountain spruce, finished in a light color. The inner case is made from red bird’s eye maple veneer with a hygrometer to ensure the right climate. The keys are made of satin finish acrylic glass and matt ebony wood. www.grotrian.de

The Nord Piano The Nord Piano is a dedicated stage piano with 88 keys and a weighted hammer action. It was designed with the performing musician in mind, and is lightweight at 13.5 kg (29.7 pounds). As all the other Nord units, it was designed with a focus on fast response and accessibility of every important function from the panel. There are memory locations in a program configuration to provide quick access from the panel. The velocity response can be adjusted, to suit playing style, with a dedicated control on the panel. The key transpose settings are equally adjustable, by either saving a transpose setting to a program or by setting a transposition value in real time from the panel. The Nord Piano sound library comes equipped with several acoustic and electric pianos and harpsichords. Other pianos are available as free downloads from the Nord Web site. The sounds are stored in a Flash memory with a 512 MB capacity. This allows you to replace every piano if you wish and the sounds are kept intact in the memory even when the unit is turned off, no loading time is necessary. The Nord sounds can be downloaded by using the Nord Sound Manager application, which runs on Mac OSX, Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 computers. www.nordkeyboards.com

Studiologic’s Numa Piano Studiologic’s Numa Piano, an integrated stage piano and keyboard controller, features Fatar TP/100 premium weighted hammer action and offers grand piano, electric

56 MMR

piano, clavinet, pad, organ, and upright bass sounds. Utilizing Studiologic’s TrS True Sound stereo multi-sampled technology and applied with a floating point digital processing system, the Numa Piano sounds are said to have a warm and pure analog quality. Weighing in at 22 pounds, the Numa Piano is gig ready and easy to transport. The Fatar weighted hammer action keyboard can be customized to the musician’s own playing style by pressing the “Fatar Touch” button on the front panel. The Fatar Touch technology samples the player’s velocity styles and stores them in 10 different Ve-

locity Curves for use while performing with the Numa Piano. Studiologic also provides three commonly used Velocity Curves. Additional features include splits and layers along with 128-voice polyphony. Built-in effects units refine the sound with chorus, phaser, rotary, tremolo, and three different reverb algorithms assignable to each of the layers and splits. Bass and treble controls are available to tailor the master output signal. Transpose, octave shift, master tune, velocity, and expression control features are included as well as an integrated music stand and Studiologic VFP1-10 Sustain Pedal. www.studiologic.net SEPTEMBER 2010

Dynamic V.A.S.T. Engine

So powerful, it can combine up to 32 layers of spectacular samples, KVA Oscillators, and Filters in every preset program. “The Kurzweil PC3x is truly the ultimate gig machine. For versatility and realism, its sounds slam the balls out of the park and into the next county.” Stephen Fortner Keyboard Magazine

Cascade Mode

Each layer in a program can be routed through the DSP of any other layer, in series or blended together, firing at once or velocity-switched, allowing a level of detail only attainable with a Kurzweil.

The Kurzweil Sound

“Whether your interests are classical, pop, rock, jazz, or urban, the PC3x will become the centerpiece of your composition duties and the star of your stage performance.” Jason Scott Alexander Electronic Musician Info@AmericanMusicAndSound.com

Whether it’s our world famous pianos, vintage keys, KB3 organs, KVA oscillators or our acclaimed orchestral sounds, the PC3 turns heads with jaw-dropping sound quality.

® www.kurzweil.com

Yamaha’s Motif XF Workstation Yamaha’s Motif XF keyboard workstation offers up to two GB of Flash memory expansion and includes 741 MB of internal Wave ROM, including detailed digital recreations of two Yamaha acoustic grand piano sounds, realistic acoustic instruments, vintage synths, and hip-hop sounds. Front panel knobs and sliders allow for instant sound-shaping possibilities. The workstation offers 1,664 instrument voices and 97 drum kits. Yamaha’s Intuitive Direct Performance Recording feature creates backing tracks, and the integrated digital mixer lets producers create final mixes, which can then be recorded onto a USB device. The new four-part arpeggiator includes

7,881 arpeggio types. The 16-track Integrated Sampling Sequencer includes 128 MB of onboard sample RAM. The Motif XF, which comes bundled with Cubase AI5.1.1 and a VST editor, integrates with any Digital Audio Workstation software. The two GB of additional content can be loaded onto optional Flash RAM expansion modules, located in two slots on the XF that accommodate, including the proprietary FL512M (512MB) and FL1024M (one GB) Yamaha flash option boards. User-generated or downloaded sounds saved onto these modules only need to be

loaded once and are always inside the Motif XF until the user replaces them. The FSX on the 61-key Motif XF6 and the 76-key Motif XF7 and balanced hammer on the 88-key Motif XF8 are designed for maximum expressiveness. Users can also expand their Motif XF with large format voice libraries from Garritan, Sonic Reality, Easy Sounds, and more. www.yamaha.com

Kurzweil’s PC3LE Line Kurzweil Music Systems’ PC3LE6, PC3LE7, and PC3LE8 Performance Controller Keyboards offer 64 voices of polyphony, all the DSP synthesis power of the PC3, and up to 10 available insert effects. The 61, 76, and 88-note professional keyboards provide natural, semiweighted actions, with velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive keys. The PC3LE also

features a newly designed streamlined user interface (UI) designed for a quick learning curve and ease of use. Move any knob, button, or wheel and the LE will instantly display its name, value, and the parameter being controlled. The keyboard

WYMAN Acoustic Pianos

Grands Studio Uprights Consoles

Portable Keyboards Digital Pianos Ensembles Pro Worship Home Organs Keyboard Accordions

Musical Instruments

The Sound of Italy

Bringing the finest from Asia and Europe together

Contact us now to become a dealer www.wymanpiano.com W Y M A N E-mail: info@wymanpiano.com info@orlausa.com www.orlausa.com East coast office: 516.502.4001 West coast office: 513.543.0909 ORLAusa

tracks all changes in real time, including changes to effects chains. Orchestral, string sections, vintage

keys, virtual analog, B3 organs as well as drums, basses, guitars, voices, and horns are all represented in a sound set that numbers over 1,050. The PC3LE line also features USB thumb-drive storage, 16 independent arpeggiators, 16 simultaneous riffs, eight backlit impact-sensitive drum pads and 24-bit D/A converters. The 76-note PC3LE7 features a semi-weighted Fatar TP-8 action while the 88-note PC3LE8 includes a fully hammer-weighted Fatar TP-40L action. Another new feature is the drum kit – a set of eight velocity-sensitive, backlit drum pads that can be used for anything from standard drum kits to triggers for sequences, chords, and arpeggiations. The selection of drumkits has also been expanded beyond the 24 from the PC3, with all-new acoustic brush kits, rock kits, and techno kits now added to the mix. www.kurzweil.com

Musical Instruments

©OrlaUSA 2010

58 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

NORD WE DO THINGS

differently

AT

It’s about time you stop playing the same lifeless and generic piano sounds that sits in your instrument forever and ever.

Finally you can choose the sounds you really want to play. Nord proudly introduces the Nord Piano 88, the dynamic Nord Piano Pedal and the Nord Piano Library.

True original sounds with lots of character.

Nord Piano Library - Original Sounds for Free

www.nordkeyboards.com

For more information: info@AmericanMusicAndSound.com

SURVEY: SAXOPHONES

Sax Appeal M

MR recently surveyed over 2,000 of our readers to try and get a bead on today’s saxophone market. While some of “the usual” topics emerged as hot-button issues (Internet sales, offshore instrument production, the economy), there were a couple other strong trends to be observed. Virtually across the board, dealers bemoaned the lack of domestic saxophone availability, with a number of respondents noting that they are curious to see what Sonaré’s Elkhart operation yields in the coming months. “A quality, affordable American product would be nice!!!” said an obviously exasperated Dale Perkins of Perkins Music House in Skowhegan, Maine. Saxophone repair was another area that seemed to have nearunanimous consensus amongst retailers with nearly 90 percent of survey participants confirming that they offer repairs and most singling out the repair department as an increasingly essential component to their business. “Our repair department, and a good rental plan including service has kept us in the black,” noted Music Street’s (Marshall, Minn.) Lon Right. Whether relying more heavily on rentals or repairs, coming up with more effective ways to reach customers, or refining their product offerings, for the most part Sax retailers are figuring out how to survive, and even thrive, in today’s market.

60 MMR

What trends have you noticed lately, pertaining to saxophones and sax sales? “Rentals are holding steady, but sales of step-ups have been trending downwards.” Keith Weathers Weathers Music Group Salem, Ore. “The market is healthy and beginner interest gets stronger all the time. In spite of the economy, our instrument sales are up 50% from last year, and saxophones are a good part of that.” Drew Parker Separk Music Winston-Salem, N.C. “People buying on the Internet and eBay now expect the same prices at local stores.” Vincent Ruffini A-K Music Lower Burrell, Pa. “Customers are asking for used instruments for beginning students, whereas in previous years new was more popular.” Lon Wright Music Street

SEPTEMBER 2010

“Saxophone sales are still good and growing. Saxes have always been a strong BO category.” Russ Beacock Beacock Music and Education Center Vancouver, Wash. “Sales have declined slightly over the past two years due to school budget reductions and economic cutbacks by the consumer. The popularity of the instrument is still there but the investment is like sticker shock! Import brands are less expensive to buy but are also more likely to require more maintenance. In some cases the instrument is nothing more than a disposable product – cheap!” BJ Watt Northern Music Service Marshfield, Wis. “Saxophones are losing ground in popularity, but for that matter we have seen a decline in the ‘willingness’ of parents in helping their children stay committed to practicing and doing the necessary discipline needed to learn a musical instrument and, in the end, reap the lifetime benefits from studying music.” Randy King King Music Bradley, Ill. “Teachers are becoming much more hesitant to guide students into good quality saxophones, so many parents are buying instruments on-line. After they receive the sax and it doesn’t work, they bring it into our repair shop. Many of these are poor quality instruments that cannot be repaired. Many are very good quality instruments, but they are long over due for having an overhaul. When we tell the parents the price for properly repairing it, they are shocked and say that is more than what they paid for the sax in the first place. More often than not the total of the cost of the sax and the cost of the repair are more than we could have sold them one of our reconditioned Saxes for in the first place. We try to explain that repadding a woodwind is normal maintenance that needs to be done on a regular basis.” Rudy Tichy Twin Village Music Lancaster, NY

Compared to this time last year, saxophone sales are...? Up: 29% Down: 47% Level: 24%

SEPTEMBER 2010

Do you do more business in imported or domestic brands? Imported: 82% Domestic: 18%

What price points for saxophones are doing well for your business? $500-$1,000: 14% $1,000-2,000: 54% $2,000-$3,000: 21% Over $3,000: 11% Do you do a lot of business in step-up Saxes? Yes: 64% No: 36%

Has this increased, stayed the same, or decreased in the past year? Increased: 38% Decreased: 30% Remained Steady: 32%

Do you offer saxophone repair? Yes: 87% No: 8% No, but considering doing so: 5%

MMR 61

Any additional thoughts? “There are so many brands… Some are very good, others not so. There are also differences in manufacturing from the newer companies who are trying out different models, textures, metals, finger positions, bores – most seem to be striving for ever increasing quality. A disheartening note is that some Chinese companies are copying Yamaha, Buffet, Selmer, and other horns, meticulously coping the instrument right down to the original name branding and putting them on eBay. Some of these are very hard to tell from the original name brand.” Vincent Ruffi ni, A-K Music Lower Burrell, Pa. “Our band instrument master orders have been down more than 50% the past 2 years because of the demand for good used. We are a small store with 1 location, and I will not buy instruments or commit to a master order unless I get end column prices. It is the only way I can be competitive with sales of new instruments. Our repair department, and a good rental plan including service has kept us in the black.” Lon Wright, Music Street Marshall, Minn. “Get someone to build another instrument as tough as a BUNDY II. I worked on some Jupiters in Saudi Arabia and Qatar this year. The metal was strong on the Jupiter Saxes, Octave key alignment was pretty much the telltale sign. These are tough. Too bad they aren’t made in the USA…” Hank Hartman, Matanuska Music Wasilla, Alaska “American companies need to build stuff at a better price point. I look forward to seeing what Sonaré is going to come out with in Elkhart…” Tom Pinto

“We keep a lot of inventory on the wall and take it out to many schools through out the year for not only band directors to play and look at but for the kids to take home to mom and dad and fall in love with.” Ryan Smith Beacock Music and Education Center Vancouver, Wash. “Maybe we need another president who plays saxophone!” Vicki Archer, The Music Shoppe Bellingham, Wash.

Warburton Ultimate Sax Neck The Warburton Ultimate Sax Neck System is a modular system and consists of one neck body with a satin finish raw brass (satin finish silver plating is optional), one initiator made of polished silver plated brass, and one tenon made of polished silver plated brass. Additional initiators and tenons are available as desired to maximize flexibility. Initiator and tenon sizes come standard and can be produced in any size needed to fit the occasional oddball sized instruments or mouthpieces. Four rubber o-rings have replaced the cork for a solid mechanical and acoustical connection to provide the transfer of sound energy from the mouthpiece into the initiator. The inside shape of a traditional neck tenon is cylindrical, thus interrupting what would otherwise be a continuously tapered instrument. The Warburton Sax Neck features a slight taper from smaller to larger. The inside shapes of all Warburton stan-

DIPLOMATTE

PROFESSIONAL AND STUDENT WOODWINDS AND BRASS THAT ARE TRULY WORLD CLASS.

Dr. Paul Shelden, world-renowned performer and educator, is the leading force behind these exceptional hand-crafted saxophones and other woodwinds and brass instruments. Each instrument is uniquely engineered for exquisite tonal beauty and mechanical perfection. Also among our most celebrated products are meticulously-crafted trumpets, silver utes, clarinets, ugel horns, and low brass; but we carry much more -- just ask.

Gorgeous-sounding instruments at an affordable price, DIPLOMATTE is increasingly celebrated by professionals and students alike.

DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME

CONTACT: Diplomatte Musical Instruments 516-967-0005 psgpi@aol.com http://www.diplomattemusic.com (website under construction) 1405 Sturl Avenue Hewlett, NY 11557

62 MMR

dard tenons are tapered. By choosing from easily interchangeable tenons, the Ultimate Sax Neck can be compatible with all makes of saxophones. “The Warburton Sax Neck System will one day be the standard way sax necks are made for professional horns. Intonation is better and the response of the horn is greatly enhanced.Until a player tries one, they will not understand how much better their sax playing can be.” Terry Warburton www.warburton-usa.com SEPTEMBER 2010

VIEWPOINT

If Your Sales Staff

Can’t Explain it, Can’t Sell it They Probably

by Joe Bredau

R

etail salespeople are the front end of the product delivery system. Individuals well trained in product knowledge and sales techniques can separate successful retail stores from the not-so-successful stores. However, there is a serious problem with receiving the product training for your sales staff that is required to satisfy the buying needs of the customer. The day of the manufacturer or distributor sending product specialists to train your sales staff appears to be over – at least for now. Since corporations are trimming away at what may be considered financial “fat” of the company, cost reduction is a solution to making the bottom line appear better from an expense point of view. So, employee reduction is generally a place to look at when cutting expenses and an area as narrowly designated as product training people has been caught up in these cost cuts; especially when you can throw the responsibility of product training on to the sales department who already has sales representatives who make sales call visits to retail accounts. By the way, you should expect all manufacturer’s representatives and/or 64 MMR

distributor’s sales representatives to be able to perform basic product training for retail sales staff. Product specialists are the next step to more in-depth training, greater insight to technology, a better understanding of the culture of product development teams, clarifying features and why they are benefits, history of the company’s products and line extension, and most importantly defi ning what the points of differentiation are between their products and the competition’s and what this means to the consumer. Most sales minded people agree that understanding the various points of differentiation are important to the successful placement of product during the sales process. Okay, so you may not have the indepth training by designated product

specialist trainers, but you can still receive solid training from sales representative and the company’s marketing and product management departments that will fi ll in most of the gaps. Here are a few ideas on what you should do and what to ask for: ) First of all, meet with your sales representatives. Ask them to write out the product-training program that SEPTEMBER 2010

will be used to train your sales staff. What you want here is a plan that answers questions, such as: who will do the training; is there a schedule (weekly, monthly, quarterly, whenever someone gets there); will there be any off-site trainings; will training focus on full product information with hands-on experience and include suggested sales techniques or just a quick general overview of the product (show which products are full and which are overview); what materials will be used and how will

they be delivered (written individual documents, video, Web-based, a combination, et cetera.); will there be copies of the training program left for reference; will there be testing, and an explanation of the grading system for tests; will there be a review of employees’ performance to be discussed with them; will this information be shared with store management; will there be information relative to employee attendance/non-attendance; how often will the sales representative meet with you to explain the success/

More Light Less Energy!

)

! w e N LED Piano Lamps from Full Range Dimmer

)

50 Watt Halogen Bulb California Title 20 Compliant Four Distinctive Styles

Li ghting Up the Ballroom at NAMM Booth 469 Call us Today! Come See Us!

1-866-431-6983

fax: 802-888-2942 1-866-431-6983 email: customerservice@houseoftroy.com

fax: 802-888-2942 www.houseoftroy.com e-mail: customerservice@houseoftroy.com www.houseoftroy.com

)

3ILVER 2IDGE 2OAD (YDE 0ARK 64

MMR10 66 MMR

failure of the training program; will there be a document that employees fill out related to the acceptance and rating of the training program and the trainers; will documentations of the training be a permanent record for store management review; will there be a certificate given for completion of any product training; will there be refresher training programs and how are they scheduled and reported; and how will new employees be handled for training. We could go on and on here, but you get the idea: you need to make the company responsible to give the best training possible based on the resources they have available and have it documented. Ask for product data sheets: (supplied by marketing/product management). Every major product should have a picture and full description of the product as well as a features and benefits statement written and designed for salespeople, not consumers. It should also contain the written sales pitch used in training. There may be varied sales pitches to meet different customer needs. This should be a printed piece to be used by salespeople on a regular basis as a reference document. It is also something that all new employees receive so they can begin to sell with product knowledge information prior to any scheduled training program. Make sure sales representatives make appointments for specific training sessions. Salespeople need to know what product they are going to be trained on, so they can prepare. They should also know what the length of the training will be so they can schedule their day. A quick product overview is fine to review product or to get a new employee enough to get by, but real product training takes time, hands on experience, and it’s finely focused. By the way, ask the sale representative what training he/ she has had on the products they are going to train on. It would be nice if they knew the products well enough to do product training. Ask for copies of all training material. You need this for reference material and in house training done by your department head. Yep, someone in your store should be responsible for some product training just to keep the sales staff on their toes and ready. SEPTEMBER 2010

g! n i p ip h S Now

TM

for CONCERT BAND

for STRING ORCHESTRA

A Revolutionary Method for Beginning Musicians

|

|

|

Bob PHILLIPS Robert SHELDON Peter BOONSHAFT Dave BLACK

Be Part of Something Big

Become an authorized retailer and take advantage of Alfred’s marketing support for Sound Innovations! Major promotions to get directors excited about this ground-breaking method! • National sample mailing to thousands of teachers • Worldwide clinic tour by the authors • Prominent displays at Alfred convention booths • Webinar clinic broadcasts • Print, Internet, email, and social media promotion World-class marketing to help you sell the method! • Digital marketing materials provided to all authorized retailers • Listing of authorized retailers on alfred.com/soundinnovations • Optional dealer co-op clinics in-store or online • FREE custom displays • Revenue share on Customized Edition sales

alfred.com/soundinnovations

Become an authorized retailer today! Contact your sales rep for details! USA/Canada Phone: (800) 292-6122 Fax: (800) 632-1928

International Phone: +1 (818) 891-5999 Fax: +1 (818) 893-5560

Online Web: alfred.com/dealer E-mail: sales@alfred.com

)

)

)

It is also a good way to see who is doing well and who needs more help. Ask the sales representative to leave a score rating of the employees who attended the trainings. A suggested rating could be: 1) Understands materials presented at training and appears to have a strong knowledge of how to present and sell the product. 2) Has basic understanding of materials presented at training, but needs help with applications learned in training in order to make better presentations and sales of product. 3) Has little interest in product training information and believes his/her familiarization with the category is enough to present and sell the product. This information will give you an idea where you have strong salespeople, who need help and who is the rebel. Cross train as much as you can. Allow all sales staff personnel to train in other product areas, so you have more qualified salespeople to fi ll in as you need them. Remember: we sell what we know. If there are certificates awarded for completion of a product-train-

HUNTER NEW YORK

)

)

ing program, make sure they are framed and hung in an area that is in full view of customers. This is an additional point of differentiation for the employee over someone else within the store and/ or at a competitor’s store. Also, it is an additional point of differentiation between your store and other stores. It shows you care about the customer enough to offer fully trained professionals. Also, use this information in your annual performance reviews. Don’t underestimate good, solid product training and its importance to the success of sales and higher profits of products. Better-trained salespeople sell more products and generally make higher profits on their sales than poorly trained or untrained store staff. Get more involved in the product training programs conducted in your store. Know what works, what doesn’t and what needs to be changed. Even take part in a few product-training sessions if you can find the time. Make the time. Ask your sales staff if the vendor repre-

)

sentative is doing a good job in leading the product-training program. Ask your salespeople to sell you a product. This is a good way to see who can and who cannot. It also gives you an idea if the vendor representative is reaching the level you need.

Remember, if your sales staff can’t explain it, they probably can’t sell it. Never be caught in that position. Increase your sales staff’s product knowledge and it will pay off with better customer service, higher sales volume and higher profitability. After 40 years in the music business working on the retail and manufacturing arenas Joe Bredau maintains Marketing for Industry, a consulting agency with several clients in a variety of business segments. His business career ranges from a merchandising director at Grinnell Bros. to marketing vice president at Korg USA. He has spent extensive time both in Europe and Asia assisting in the development of numerous music products. He has a Master’s Degree in Management and an AMA certification in Strategic Planning. Joe can be contacted at joebredau@gmail.com.

QUALITY BAND INSTRUMENTS FROM HUNTER

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

HUNTER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 3300 Northern Blvd. Long Island City, NY 11101 (718)706-0828 Q FAX (718)706-0128 www.huntermusical.com 68 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

Music Go Round Thriving in the Used Market

T

he first Music Go Round opened in June 1993 in Roseville, Minn – the second and third soon followed in Burnsville and Minneapolis. These three original stores were opened under corporate ownership before the parent company, Winmark, decided in 2000 to make the store chain a 100 percent franchise business. Not only are the outlets all franchised, but their inventory is 70 percent used, making Music Go Round a bit of an anomaly in the industry. So, who are the franchisees? Music Go Round’s brand director, Tim Kletti, explains, “The profile of a typical Music Go Round franchisee is a 40-60 male, who has been outsourced, placed out of a job, or decided they were tired of working for someone else. The one thing they all share is a passion for music. Most of them are businesspeople from the corporate sector or former business owners.”

70 MMR

Currently, there are 34 Music Go Round locations in 17 states. According to Kletti, Music Go Round store locations must be in a market with a population of at least 110,000 people in a five mile radius. They also look for markets with several universities or cities known for their music, such as Austin or Seattle. However, there are no franchises in the big markets. Tim explains why: “Our really high performing stores are in B and C markets – Louisville, Albuquerque, Denver – where the business economies are stable, real estate opportunities are stable, and because we sell mainly used equipment there is no competition. The competition for us is Craigslist and eBay. We have fewer stores than we used to, but store performance has doubled over the past ten years. That’s where our growth comes from. They also raised the bar on the amount of capital a franchisee must have to get in, along with quadrupling the minimum amount of used inventory required to open a franchise. All of Music Go Round’s top-tier franchises have reached their used inventory mark or higher. According to Kletti, “Unlike new products, the used products have shown a direct correlation to overall sales growth. Our balance sheets look a lot different than other music stores, where they are dealing with a lot of vendor debt on delayed terms or extended terms. Because we buy used from our customers, we own 70 percent of our inventory. There are no terms or floor planning – we own it. From day one, our stores have 40 to 45 percent SEPTEMBER 2010

equity in their business, which is a really healthy way to start. We have a solid start-up plan and a solid business plan.” Four years ago, Tim implemented a three year development plan into the brand. The first step was to defi ne the brand by determining what the customer wants, which were used products. They adjusted their inventory accordingly. As Kletti says, “Once we tackled our inventory, we then needed to work on our customer experience. What type of experience were customers having in our stores? Was it positive? Was it consistent? Were we really focused on the customers’ needs?” The third tier of Tim’s plan was building community. They began this effort with in-store events, charity events, fundraisers. Every April, for example, Music Go Round stores will restring guitars for free in exchange for a donation to a local food bank or shelter. Last April, they restrung 800 guitars and collected a couple thousands pounds of food for donation. Kletti notes, “These aren’t huge numbers, but it’s Tim Kletti important to give back to the community in some way.” Music Go Round has also stared a “Band of the Month” feature on their Web site. Once a month, unsigned bands are invited to submit their music and have fans vote for them on the site. The winners get to have their music be the sound track of Music Go Round’s Web site for a month. For Tim, going the distance to reach out to local musicians is very important – they are a large part of their customer base. “Music Go Round is looking to expand and grow.” Kletti says. “We are looking to add more stores because right now the getting is good in this industry. We would be interested in conversions – stores that are having difficulty competing because of the economy. We’ve never done a conversion before, but will look at that potential. We are looking to add five to ten stores over the next three to five years. We want to show the consumer that this industry is not going away or shrinking. It isn’t becoming just three mass merchants online. Brick and mortar can survive, and we have a different and great way of doing it.” SEPTEMBER 2010

America’s Premier Guitar & Bass Parts Supplier

Delta Series by GOTOH

The best capo for intonation for the past 30 years

is still the best today!

1:21 ratio

Like your fingertip... Most capos use a material to press the strings that is too hard. It bends the string over the fret, stretching it sharp. The SHUBB capo’s special material acts just like your fingertip: the strings relax into the resilient rubber, so they are

NOT STRETCHED OUT OF TUNE! learn more at: www.shubb.com/bestcapo AVAILABLE IN A VARIETY OF FINISHES & STYLES

Send $4 US for COLOR CATALOG 13027 Brittmoore Park Drive, Houston, Texas 77041

707-843-4068 info@shubb.com | www.shubb.com

Find Breaking News in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com MMR 71

Brad Putt:

On the Case Stolen Telefunken Microphones Recovered

B

rad Putt, owner of Main Stage Music, unwittingly found himself in the position of a crime solver. On June 10, a young man walked into Putt’s store, in rural Dayton, Tenn., looking to sell a few Telefunken microphones. Instantly, being a self-proclaimed gear-head, Brad said to himself, “Yeah, right – Telefunken.” Made in Germany, Telefunken microphones are tremendously exclusive, high definition tube microphones, based on vintage aesthetics and are unlikely to be floating around a small town such as Dayton.

To Brad’s surprise, a couple of hours later, the young man returned to Main Stage Music with a Walmart bag. Then, as Brad explains, “The guy reached into the bag and pulled out these microphones. One was in a sock! It’s just kind of a weird thing when you see a $10,000 microphone slide out of a tube sock. Also, this is Dayton, not Nashville.” Brad asked what kind of money the man was looking for. “He was looking to get $6,000. But, it wasn’t just mics. He 72 MMR

had three little bags of Telefunken badges and four of the famed AC701 tubes, which have never been sold to consumers. There were also two VF14 tubes, which to say they are rare is an understatement. I asked the kid where he got this stuff, and he said that he bought it at an estate sale.” Putt also noticed that the mics had no power supplies. When Brad asked where the power supplies were, the guy said that they didn’t come with the mics. Brad grew increasingly suspicious, “I knew something wasn’t right. First of all, these are expensive microphones, and if someone is going to spend that kind of money, they’re not going to be missing parts such as power supplies. I told him that I would have to call the manufacturer to find out how much it would cost to get the power supplies. The kid didn’t seem to have a problem with that.” Putt’s next move was to call Telefunken’s director of operations, Alan Veniscofsky, at the company’s U.S. headquarters in Connecticut. Alan found Brad’s story rather surprising and strange – he asked if Brad could send him some photos. Alan received the photos and as Putt explains, “He was just aghast. Besides the microphones, there were other components that were exclusively made for tradeshows. He noticed the U47 fi rst and said, ‘That mic wasn’t finished in that color.’ Alan then got on a conference call.

I then got an answer: those microphones and parts were stolen from a truck at an AES show in San Francisco in 2004. What a journey they had. It was unbelievable that they ended up here!” Following the conference call, Telefunken called the police. With Dayton being a small town, the detective who was summoned to the store to investigate is a drummer and regular customer of Brad’s. The young man who was pedaling the stolen goods, valued at $30,000, was questioned and released. Brad packed up

Brad Putt SEPTEMBER 2010

S h o r ev i e w D i s t r i bu t i o n i s n ow t h e E xcl u s i ve B E H R I N G E R D i s t r i bu t o r fo r t h e E a s t & We s t C o a s t s and Canada East

the valuable goods and returned them to Telefunken. While at the recent NAMM show, Putt went by the Telefunken booth to say hello. Once the folks from Telefunken spotted Brad’s name on his badge, he was an instant hero. “All of a sudden, I heard someone yelling, ‘That’s the guy! That’s him!’ I felt like I was Whitey Ford or something. They were saying, ‘We can’t believe you found those mics! We’ve been scouring the globe for those since 2004.’” Brad’s good work was even covered in the local paper. Putt’s take on the whole experience was one of great modesty, though, “It really wasn’t fireworks and all that. It was basically just too rare of a product to be seen around here. No one around here has even heard of a Telefunken microphone. I just happen to be a gear nerd. I had a weird feeling about it, and that was it. Now they are back with there rightful owners.” For his keen eye and quick thinking, Telefunken rewarded Putt, who plays in a local band, with a Telefunken M80, a small hand-held dynamic mic. Telefunken asked Brad how many singers were in the band and sent each of them the M80. Brad is enjoying his reward. With a hearty laugh he says, “As far as I can tell, this is the only time in our little town that a live band has used Telefunken microphones.” Now Telefunkens have a legitimate and permanent home in Dayton, Tennessee.

800.558.3877

www.shoreviewdistribution.com

Shoreview Distribution, Inc. 69 Elm Street Foxboro, MA 02035

Find Breaking News in the Hot News section of MMR’s Web site, www.MMRmagazine.com 74 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

>aop bkqn skn`o pk ] `nqiian6

FREE PAIR OF STICKS.

Pdki]o Lne`caj

Right now when you buy three pairs of these ProMark sticks, you get the fourth pair free at participating retailers and promark.com

N]u Hqvean

iMSO Continues “Exponential Growth” Suppliers encouraged to participate in their iBuy Program

A

s the independent Music Store Organization (iMSO) turns four, its membership growth is outpacing even the high expectations of organization president Gordy Wilcher. “At our annual meeting at the Summer NAMM show, we had another better-than-expected turnout,” he reports. Within the last 12 months, nearly 300 more independent storeowners have joined the group, approaching a total of over 500.

“But what I’m really excited about is that we have a lot of new, young talent on the board.” One of the new members is Lisa Kirkwood from Jacksonville Discount Music, Jacksonville, Fla. “I read about the group in an article in MMR and was interested right away,” Kirkwood says, who with husband Clark, bought Jacksonville Discount two years ago. “I joined in July of last year and now I’m on the board!” “We’re seeing a trend of younger, more active dealers joining the group,” Wilcher adds.

Partnering with Suppliers for iBuy Wilcher reports that the group’s buying program, dubbed “iBuy,” has taken off. They now they have 45 vendor/distributors participating with the group offering various exclusive deals, occasional 76 MMR

first dibs on discontinued products, and, soon, proprietary products just for iMSO members. Then he tempers his remark by again pointing out that with the iBuy program, “one size does not fit all.” “We have such diversity – from 900-square-foot Mom and Pop retailers to store owners with several locations,” he says. “The main goal of iBuy is to build long term relationships with suppliers. We’re looking for six-month and one-year commitments, asking them to create a program with us that is creative and worthwhile.” He says some who sit down with representatives of the group prepared for a shakedown are pleasantly surprised. “There’s no demand for free freight or anything like that.” The group’s philosophy follows the idea that the supplier knows his or her company best, so the iMSO places the ball firmly in their court to come up with what they think is a win-win deal for the group.

Lisa and Clark Kirkwood

“ [iBuy] is now my first stop every month when we order.” Kirkwood says she’s gotten into the habit of looking at what is available through the iBuy program first when placing orders. “It’s now my first stop every month when we order,” she says, adding if there’s not a specific program that moment that fits her ordering needs, she then explores what those vendors parSEPTEMBER 2010

ticipating can help her with in general. “I know that if they are dealing with the iMSO, they are better vendors who are indie-friendly.” Recently there have been nearly 40 meetings with suppliers big and small and iMSO representatives, Wilcher says. They are currently working with modest companies like Bert Casey’s Watch & Learn music instrument educational program and Heil Mics, as well as the likes of Vox and Marshall. “We are also negotiating with Peavey, and we just entered into a great partnership with The Music People and their On Stage products. Dean Markley Strings has a special deal for our members. It seems like every week there’s a new company that is asking to participate.” Wilcher says they “interview” supplier representatives, give them ideas of what has worked in the passed, share generalities of examples of current programs, et cetera. There’s a learning curve for all of this, however. For example, The Music People came up with a specific program that at first looked good, but ended up not being workable. “They went back to the drawing board and came up with another program that several members took advantage of, which was successful. “No two programs are alike, and the only guide is it has to be win-win.” He was not at liberty to share specifics, but member’s enthusiasm for the idea of iMSO propriety products continues to grow and serious talks are underway on making that a reality. Group members are being allowed input on the possibility of specially created stringed instruments and amp products. That may still be a ways away, but it seems inevitable, especially as the group continues to grow. Otherwise, it’s the bread and butter products that the group is interested in deals for: the mics, strings, cables, et cetera. “Honestly, most brand-driven products have not been that successful,” he says. “There is such a glut of guitar and amp brands out there, and that might have kept any [supplier] from kicking butt on that. The most successful programs so far have been some accessories.” Then he does throw out some examples of companies whose guitars they have done well with: Michael Kelly, Indie Guitars, and Cort. Another advantage for iBuy vendors is that they get access to the group’s large 78 MMR

e-mail database, and are allowed to occasionally send out e-mail blasts.

“We’ve Have Each Other’s Back” “The iBuy program is ultimately just a tool we’re developing for leveling the playing field, but the real value of the group continues to be the sharing of information, experiences, and practices,” he says. “To date we have 25,000-plus threads on our Web site that are dealerto-dealer conversations looking for everything from ways to improve teaching programs to marketing tips to merchandising trends to how best to use social media.”

“ The main goal of the iBuy is to build long term relationships with suppliers. We’re looking for six-month and one-year commitments, asking them to create a program with us that is creative and worthwhile.” “We have each other’s back,” Kirkwood bluntly states. She adds that while her husband is a drummer, they had no music retail experience, so they quickly came to rely on a little help from their new friends. “My background is in interior design, and that’s a very competitive field. People there are not willing to share knowledge. Coming from that into the music field, I have learned that musicians and music store owners are the most giving people.” Wilcher doesn’t seem surprised that there is such a willingness of independent storeowners to share, arguably, their “secrets to success.” When its pointed out that ultimately these stores are competing with each other, he brushes that off. “We thought we were all in competition [with each other], but we really all have more to gain working together.” Recently another music store in his not-so-big town of Owensboro joined the group, which Wilcher welcomed. “Is he my competition? Some-

what.” But if it all leads to stronger music making community, it’s for the greater good. “It doesn’t matter if there’s another member in the same town,” Kirkwood confirms. “If someone comes into my store and I can’t help them, I’m happy to call another independent store that can. I’ll send them there, because it helps that a customer learns they don’t always have to go to a big box store or the Internet.” Wilcher chuckles when stewing on this point a little more: “I was told flat out by a [manufacturer’s] rep when we started this group that it wouldn’t last six months because he told me dealers won’t talk to each other. And at every trade show I see him at, I go out of my way to remind him of that!” He says iMSO is still free to join. All members get access to the conversation and iBuy deals. Members are asked to donate $25 a year to the nonprofit organization to cover minor operating expenses. “Key members also volunteer their time to keep it going,” he adds. “And eventually we can see a time where we’ll need iBuy participants to become due paying members.” “But again, I’m grateful for the new young blood,” he says. “Like Lisa [Kirkwood] – I see her being a real leader in this group and the industry.” “I see the group continuing to grow by leaps and bounds,” Kirkwood says. “There were about 200 members when I joined and now there’s 500. The Web site is like Facebook/MySpace/Twitter for the independent music store owner.” Other new members include Jeffrey Nixon from Instrumental Music and Sound in Ludington, Mich.; Matt Franscioni, Matt’s Music, Pasa Robles, Calif.; and Kevin Damm, Damm’s Music, Wichita, Kan. In addition to Wilcher, president, continuing on the board are Jeff Simmons (vice president), Watermelon Music, Davis, Calif.; Maureen Johnson (treasurer), Mississippi Music, Hattiesburg, Miss.; Chris Basile, South Mersey Music, Sewell, N.J.; Bob Campbell, Campell’s Music Service, York, Penn.; Bill Wagoner, Wagoner’s Music, Plymouth, Ind.; Donovan Bankhead, Springfield Music, Springfield, Mo.; and Jim DeStafney, Blue Angels Music, Pensacola, Fla. SEPTEMBER 2010

Newproducts Levy’s SublimationPrinted Guitar Straps & Drumstick Bag Levy’s is now offering new designs for their sublimation-printed guitar straps. These designs are sublimation-printed on two inch+ polyester webbing and come with polyester ends and tri-glide adjustment. Levy’s new extra-large polyester drum stick bag features eight internal stick sleeves, two exterior accessory pockets, shoulder strap, and elastic fastening system. Interior dimensions are 24” wide X 19” high. www.levysleathers.com

Valentino Directors Fix Kits Valentino’s Directors Series Fix Kits offers quick and easy service of instruments from piccolo to tuba and features an illustrated instruction manual. The

top section of the case contains an assortment of tools necessary for maintenance of woodwinds and brasswinds. The lower section houses the Directors woodwind and brasswind supply assortments. Individual replacement assortments of supply items are available for each instrument. www.jlsmithco.com

Peterson StroboClip Tuner Peterson Strobe Tuners has added a clip-on style strobe tuner to their Virtual Strobe series line-up. The StroboClip is designed for acoustic instruments and contains 80 MMR

many new features not found in traditional clip-on tuners. The large strobe display maximizes the StroboClip’s screen area by moving the strobe bands horizontally, rather than vertically as in previous strobe tuner models. Exclusive Sweetened Tuning presets for banjo, mandolin, and ukulele offer dedicated settings for players of these instruments to facilitate tuning. A variety of other presets including Dobro, lap steel, and settings for the violin family come standard in the StroboClip. Settings for eclectic instruments such as lute, bagpipes, and oud are also covered along with additional eastern temperament settings for instruments of the like. The StroboClip also features an exclusive Sustain mode. In Sustain mode, the StroboClip can be set to hold the tuning pattern for a short time after the note has decayed so that instruments with short voices, such as banjo and mandolin, can be tuned quickly. For regular tuning, the Sustain mode feature can be turned off. The StroboClip is encased in a brushed aluminum shell and comes with a metal carrying case. Soft, rubber pads in the jaws of the StroboClip protect the instrument’s finish while providing a firm grip for maximum signal conductivity. The retail price is $89.99. www.petersontuners.com

Bosphorus’ MIDI Groove Library Bosphorus’ Stanton Moore MIDI Groove Library features over 200 grooves and 100 fi lls optimized for FXpansions BFD2 and BFD Eco. They can also be used in any MIDI application.Grooves and fi lls are available for download for $40. www.bosphoruscymbals.com

National Bench Company’s Solid Oak Bench Also available in Mahogany, National Bench Company’s Solid Oak Bench is

made of solid wood, has round legs, and bottom support to offer additional durability. This bench, as well as their standard and duet benches, features the exclusive extra strong leg and corner bracket. www.nationalbench.com

Alfred Music’s Scott Joplin: Complete Piano Works Alfred Music Publishing has released Scott Joplin: Complete Piano Works, featuring the complete works of Scott Joplin for piano, in their original editions. Scott Joplin: Complete Piano Works is a comprehensive sheet music collection assembling the complete works for piano composed by Joplin, the undisputed “King of Ragtime Writers.” This songbook contains classic rags, marches, waltzes, and cakewalks presented in their original editions. Produced in cooperation with the New York Public Library, this 376-page collection includes an introduction by Vera Brodsky Lawrence and a historical essay by noted ragtime scholar Rudi Blesh. In addition, the songbook features lay-flat binding designed to stay open on a piano music rack. The retail price is $29.99. www.alfred.com

RB Continental Alto Sax Case Reunion Blues is expanding their RB Continental line with the introduction of a new alto saxophone case that combines SEPTEMBER 2010

contemporary design with instrument protection. On the outside, a one inch thick shockabsorbing Flexoskeleton exterior is lined with reinforced impact panels, and a knurled abrasion grid cradles the bottom to help resist scuffing. A large zippered “quick-stash� accessory pocket is provided, along with an adjustable shoulder strap. A Ballistic Quadraweave exterior features high-strength corded edges and all seams are double-stitched with high tensile thread and reinforced at tested stress points. This new case also includes a Zero-G palm-contoured handle with weight distributing foam core to help reduce hand fatigue when the instrument is carried for a long period of time.

The inside features a bell area suspension system and a rubberized protector pad crafted with a plush, quilted double helix velvet lining. Like all Reunion Blues products, this new RB Continental also sax case comes with a limited lifetime warranty and retails for $179.95. www.reunionblues.com

Eastwood’s Doral Electric Jazz Guitar Eastwood’s Doral is a full size archtop guitar, featuring a laminated spruce top with curly maple sides and back as well as a three piece rock maple neck. The coil tapped humbucking pickups offer the opportunity to switch between vintage voiced humbuckers and P90 voiced singled coil pickups. Another feature of the Doral is the longer scale length (25.5�), this feature affords the player the option to use light-

er gauge strings and still get some string tension. The neck pickup is spaced slightly away from the neck – an idea that was used on several Gibson one pickup models in the 50s and 60s. This gives the front pickup a bit more of a low mid voicing. www.eastwoodguitars.com

Modtone’s Space Flanger Modtone-Effects MT-FL Space Flanger is said to provide sweeping peaks and valleys. The rate knob controls speed; the range knob controls the spread of the effect, and the mix knob cus-

<]Yd]j f]l Yk dgo Yk )0/&.( h]j k]l& E9H *01 EKJH ,.1 # )*1!

Kmhj]eg ;gf_Y k]lk af[dm\] )( Yf\ )) [gf_Yk oal` \gmZd] [gf_Y klYf\& 9nYadYZd] af FYlmjYd$ J]\$ :dY[c gj ]p[dmkan] :dm] H]Yjd [gdgjk& ;`ggk] ^jge 1 $ )) Yf\ )+ \b]eZ]k af l`] <Yf[af_ <jme Ka_fYlmj] K]ja]k& G^^]j nYda\ l`jm <][]eZ]j +)$ *()( gj o`ad] kmhhda]k dYkl& ooo&lq[ggfh]j[mkkagf&[ge l]d2 1(1%+1+%----

<]Yd]j f]l Yk dgo Yk )).&(( h]j \jme& E9H )/1 EKJH *1( # 0)!

Newproducts tomizes sound. Combined with the mix knob you can customize your sound from a touch of transparency to all out mayhem. The true bypass signal path does nothing to degrade or dilute the original tone. Street price $99.95. www.modtone-effects.com

The Loar’s A-Model Mandolin The Loar’s new hand carved A-model mandolin (LM-300-VS) was developed using classic design techniques, with hand-shaped x-bracing and stripped down appointments. The LM-300 mandolin is assembled with a solid, carved spruce top and solid maple back and sides. The maple neck has a rounded vprofile to fit in the hand. The LM-300 has no purfling, just a single layer of ivoroid binding, and features Gro-

82 MMR

ver tuners, nickel hardware, and an extremely thin polyurethane lacquer finish. The Loar LM-300-VS retails for $374.99. www.theloar.com

Yanagisawa Launches Web Site Yanagisawa Wind Instrument’s new Web site provides information on their saxophones, necks, and mouthpieces as well as Yanagisawa manufactures and artists in North America. They have also launched a Facebook fan page and Twitter account for Yanagisawa saxophones. www.yanagisawasaxophones.com

Zildjian’s Gen16 Digital Vault Zildjian’s Gen16 Digital Vault offers authentic, high-resolution acoustic samples of the company’s master “reference” cymbals, along with rare, limited-edition cymbals never available to the public. Each cymbal has been hand-selected by Zildjian’s master cymbal tester, Paul Francis,

from the “cymbal vault” at the company’s Norwell, Mass. workshop and recorded by percussion sampling guru John Emrich. Powering the Gen16 Digital Vaults is a custom version of FXpansion’s BFD Eco, an intuitive drum playback/production environment based on the BFD2 technology. The BFD Eco engine allows users to change pitch, mix, or add effects to these Zildjian samples to create even more unique sounds. Also included in the Digital Vault are full libraries of drum and percussion groove tracks from drummers including Michael White, Dave DiCenso, and Peter Michael Escovedo. Each performance is available in various audio and general MIDI formats. www.zildjian.com

SEPTEMBER 2010

Conn-Selmer’s L60 Bass Clarinet Conn-Selmer’s newest addition to the Leblanc U.S.A. family of clarinets is the L60 bass clarinet. The L60 features an aged and unstained grenadilla wood body with a professional, hand hammered bell and heavily plated nickel or silver keys. Other major features include a responsive Steelite Ebonite mouthpiece, a corked tenon neck, a single register key mechanism, as well as the complex bore and undercut tone holes. www.conn-selmer.com

Planet Waves’ Tru-Strobe Tuner The Tru-Strobe pedal tuner from Planet Waves features a heavy-duty, die-cast design and pedal housing. The pedal provides a clear readout with its large back-lit LCD display that can be seen on dark stages, as well as full sunlight. The tuner is equipped with the Buzz Feiten Tuning System Offsets and also employs six de-tuning modes for SEPTEMBER 2010

players using drop-tunings. Users can also adjust the tuner’s calibration range from A400 – A499. The Tru-Strobe tuner incorporates true bypass wiring, which is said to keep the instrument’s original tone in tact. The retail price is $149.99. www.planetwaves.com

iKEY Handheld Digital Recorder iKEY Audio’s new portable digital recorder, the HDR7, is pocket-sized and can digitally record anything from MP3s to WAV files (up to 24-bit/96kHz). The HDR7 features on-board condenser mics in X/Y configuration; an SD/SDHC slot that will accept up to a 32GB card; a mic sensitivity switch (L/H); adjustable record level with VU meter; mic and line input jacks; headphone and line out jack; autocompression/ Limiter/AGC (Auto Gain Control); a USB port to connect the unit to a PC to transfer and edit files; and AA battery or AC operation. The HDR7 features a full color LCD screen and allows for direct recording to a USB thumb drive. A tripod stand, AC adaptor, wind screen, four AA

batteries, cloth carrying case, USB cable, and a one GB SD card are all included. The iKEY HDR7 retails for $279.99. www.ikey-audio.com

The Chord Buddy The Chord Buddy is a training device that attaches to the neck of a guitar. By eliminating the initial demands of learning chord forms, the Chord Buddy allows beginners to focus on the basics of rhythm and strumming. The Introductory Chord Buddy Guitar Learning System includes the Chord Buddy (with tabs for the key of G), an instruction book, a follow-along instructional DVD, and a 100+ song book. The Chord Buddy works on all standard dreadnaught, concert, 3/4, and 5/8 sized acoustic and electric guitars with average to low string height. www.chordbuddy.com

Kawai’s RM3 Grand Action In 1985, Kawai introduced its first electronic piano featuring a wooden-key action. This 25th anniversary year brings the release of the RM3 Grand action standing for Realistic Mechanism, Motion, and Materials. The RM3’s mechanical design closely emulates MMR 83

Newproducts that of Kawai’s acoustic grand piano actions. For instance, the extra long wooden keys are balanced on a center pin and move up and down on both ends. The graded hammers are then pushed upward to the contact point from the back of the keys, a mechanical principle found only in the Kawai digital action. The RM3 action also features moisture absorbing Ivory Touch key surfaces. Counterbalancing weights are placed in the front of the bass keys to smooth out the action’s static weight, while a let-off mechanism provides the subtle notch felt when playing a grand piano softly. www.kawaius.com

Backbeat Books Releases New Editions of Gruhn’s Guitar Guides For the first time, Backbeat Books presents the unabridged Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars Pocket Edition. Made in the classic model of traditional pocket field guides, this book contains all the up-to-

date information found in the standard edition, but is designed to be the user-friendly collector’s companion, easy to carry anywhere. From the earliest “lap steels� that reshaped the sound of Hawaiian music, through the “Spanishneck� models that created a new voice in the jazz world and powered the early rock and rollers, and on to the solidbody models that shattered conventional ideas of guitar design and guitar music, all of the classic and historically important models are displayed and discussed in Electric Guitars and Basses: A Photographic History by George Gruhn and Walter

Carter. With the original edition out-ofprint since around 2005, this new edition has been laid out anew, with a lot of additional photos not in the original edition, and features an additional 16 pages of important instruments and newly discovered information, including the very first electric Spanish guitar and the first electric solidbody bass. www.backbeatbooks.com

Guitar Pro 6 The sixth version of Guitar Pro’s tablature editor software features a new interface and completely redesigned ergonomics. Access to the various editing and sound-setting tools has been improved via a side-panel. Several documents are able to be opened simultaneously and edited in full-screen mode. Guitar Pro 6 also

What else on your oor draws a crowd?

4XDOLW\ FRXQWV 6WUHQJWKHQ \RXU FODVVLFDO PXVLF EXVLQHVV ZLWK VXSHUEO\ EXLOW KLJKO\ HVWHHPHG 5RGJHUV RUJDQV Please contact Sales Manager Rick Anderson for detailed information.

503.648.4181 www.rodgersinstruments.com ďż˝ marketing@rodgers.rain.com

84 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

features a style sheet for the user to customize their scores with 70 setting parameters. The sound banks are studio-recorded, include many articulations, and allow playing styles to be customized. The RSE opens up to non-fretted instruments by offering over a hundred sound banks and fifty effect-simulators, many ready-made presets, as well as the possibility to create personal effectchains. The new automations window simplifies editing for changes in tempo, volume, and panoramic. Guitar Pro 6 is Windows, Mac, and Linux compatible. The retail price is $59.95 and $39.95 for an upgrade. www.guitar-pro.com

Mapex’s Birch/Basswood Horizon Set Mapex’s limited edition Birch/Basswood version of its Horizon drum kit is a sixpiece set featuring one of two transparent lacquered finishes and black hardware. All drum sets come with a free eight-inch addon tom, complete with mounting hardware. The Horizon limited edition set comes with a 22 x 18 bass drum, the free 8 x 7 tom, as well as 10 x 8 and 12 x 9 mounted toms, a 16 x 16 floor tom, and a 14 x 5.5 snare drum. The set also comes with a full complement of Mapex 500 Series hardware, including a snare stand, cymbal stand, boom stand, hi-hat stand, and bass drum pedal. The Horizon Limited Edition is available in two high-gloss lacquer finishes: transparent cherry red and transparent midnight black. The retail price for the six-piece set is $1,249. www.mapexdrums.com

the need for AC power, the output voltage is stable for longer periods of time without the possibility of AC ground looping noise. The battery can be recharged hundreds of times. With two DC outputs, Pedal Juice can power multiple devices including pedals, multi-effect units, and portable recorders. Pedal Juice provides portable battery power to a single

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

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

Sanyo’s Rechargeable Pedal Juice Battery Sanyo’s Pedal Juice battery can provide up to 50 hours of continuous, stable power for a single analog pedal or up to 20 hours of continuous power to three digital pedals. Because the 9V rechargeable lithiumion battery eliminates SEPTEMBER 2010

pedal or can be used to power several pedals at the same time. In addition, a three-stage visible LED power indicator displays the remaining power level with green, orange, and red LED lights. Pedal Juice is also water and shock resistant to JIS IPX3 compliance level. The retail price is $199. www.us.sanyo.com

249

$

Suggested Retail

SV-175

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

MMR 85

Supplierscene THD Sells Yellow Jacket Tube Converter Line

RS Berkeley Helps Fight Hunger in NYC

THD Electronics, Ltd. has sold its Yellow Jacket Tube Converter line to CE Manufacturing, LLC. The sale includes the Yellow Jacket trademark and THD designs. CE Manufacturing will continue to produce the hand-made Yellow Jacket tube converters in the U.S.A. using the same materials at CE’s headquarters in Tempe, Arizona. The Yellow Jackets will be distributed through CE Distribution, LLC, a sister company. Yellow Jackets are specialized adapters which permit the use of EL84/6BQ5 power tubes in place of 6V6-, 6L6-, and EL34-family tubes, and 7591 types. For more information, visit www.cedist.com.

The Food Bank For New York City raised $1.4 million at its eighth annual CanDo Awards Dinner and commemorated 27 years serving New Yorkers in need, at Abigail Kirshch’s Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers, Manhattan.

86 MMR

RS Berkeley donated a Virtuoso Saxophone, hand-signed by former U.S. president and saxophone enthusiast, Bill Clinton. Endorser Andy Snitzer of Si-

mon & Garfunkel was on hand to assist auctioneer Lydia Fenet of Christie’s. The signed saxophone contributed more than $11,000 to the evening’s festivities. For more information, visit www.rsberkeley.com.

Cecilio Helps to Save Music Education from Budget Cuts Cecilio Musical Instruments is lowering prices to help keep music programs running in schools. Many school boards have decided to cut music programs to reduce costs. As a result, many students nationwide will not have the chance to pick up an instrument. Cecilio Musical Instruments was founded on the promise of bringing high quality, hand crafted instruments at affordable prices to all musicians. For more information, visit www.ceciliomusic.com.

SEPTMEBER 2010

API Audio Serves Up Crabcakes & Support for NERF

Prosperity Plus Testing Takes Guesswork Out of Hiring

API Audio, designers of analog processors and consoles is also building a reputation

Prosperity Plus Management Consulting, Inc. is offering a suite of employee testing series that help musical merchandise dealers hire and appoint personnel

based on more educated decisions and objective data. The program is actually a suite of tests that establish a profi le of the candidate being interviewed and considered for any post within the dealership. It is designed

API’s Mark Seman

for serving up fantastic food at the Audio Masters Golf Tournament. They supplied golfers and spectators at Hole 16 with Maryland crab cake slammers. API president Larry Droppa and API salesman Mark Seman were on hand to serve up the food. API also contributed to an event, held in Nashville, May 27 – 28, in support of NERF (Nashville Engineers Relief Fund), with a raffle for two API 7600 channel strips won by Mark Miller and Andrew Mendelson. For more information, visit www.apiaudio.com.

Jackrabbit Hosts First User Conference Jackrabbit, creator of software for the youth activities and learning market, hosted its first user conference, April 15-17 in Charlotte N.C. The conference was free to the 125 users attending. Jackrabbit provided as many sessions as they could into the three days of intensive immersion in the system features. Lead File was one of about a dozen enhancements that Jackrabbit previewed to attendees. Jackrabbit is producing a PDQ video tutorial for Lead File that will soon be available on their Web site. For more information, visit www.jackrabbittech.com. SEPTEMBER 2010

MMR 87

Supplierscene to help managers generate more success with truly qualified employees and grow the business without being set back by bad selections that waste valuable time, cost, and effort. Prosperity Plus provides the service in a series of three tests. For more information about the Personnel Potential Analysis System, contact Tim Votapka at Prosperity Plus at (631) 382-7762 or email info@prosperityplus.com.

Symphony Publishing’s “Best Tools for Schools” Summer NAMM’s Music Education Days featured a “Best Tools for Schools” program developed by Symphony Publishing, which allowed music educators to identify music products and materials that provide innovative solutions and opportunities for music learning. The expert panel selected the Jumbie Jam, recognizing its ability to easily teach music and attract students. Also noted were Panyard’s teacher guides and song books assisting the teacher to incorporate the Jumbie Jam into their existing music classroom or teaching it as a new instrument. The Jumbie Jam now claims two NAMM Awards, “Best in Show” & “Best Tools for Schools” For more information, visit www.panyard.com.

Yamaha and Kawai Join Piano Buyer in New Piano Marketing Program Yamaha Corporation of America and Kawai America have announced they will become national sponsors of a new piano marketing program from Larry Fine’s Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer. The new program, called the Local Market Offers (LMO) Program, matches dealers’ market territories, by U.S. zip code or Canadian postal code, with the tens of thousands of serious piano shoppers who annually read Piano Buyer and directs those shoppers to their local dealers’ promotional advertising. Dealers, through an online portal, can easily set up a promotion, configure the exact territory in which their promotional offer will be delivered to shoppers, set a monthly budget of their choice, and pay only when offers are requested by shoppers in the dealer’s market and the offers are delivered (pay per click). As national sponsors, Yamaha and Kawai will be running special national promotions available exclusively through dealers who sign up for the program and will be encouraging their dealers to participate. The Local Market Offers Program is the brainchild of Larry Fine, editor and publisher of Piano Buyer, and industry consultant and Baltimore-area piano dealer Steve Cohen. The two hired a software development firm to design the LMO Program’s complex software, which operates on a modified “pay-per-

Tired of Paper? Allow your customers to sign up and pay online!

Worried about switching systems? Free import of your current customer data. View Online Training Videos & User Guide

Over 900 organizations switched to Jackrabbit

Super Easy web-based Music School Management Software “Jackrabbit web-based software is the most comprehensive, user-friendly program available; it's completed by constant enhancements, tireless support, and cutting edge technology.” - Matt Coker – www.CokerMusic.com Request a FREE trial at:

88 MMR

JackrabbitMusic.com

click” system, in which the advertiser pays only when a shopper in his or her market requests special offers from local dealers and the advertiser’s offer is delivered. The Local Market Offers Program is open to any piano dealer, regardless of manufacturer affi liation and is also being promoted to piano technicians, rebuilders, teachers, and movers who are looking to build a local or regional clientele. To find out more, visit www.pianobuyer.com.

Troy Richardson Launches the Revolution Group Fifteen year industry veteran, Troy Richardson, has launched the independent sales and marketing company The Revolution Group. The Revolution Group represents product lines on the West Coast such as Lakland Basses and Hanson Guitars. Meanwhile, the newly established HollywoodGuitars brand will tap The Revolution Group for sales representation throughout North America. More lines are currently in the works and will be updated at regular intervals on the Revolution Group’s Web site. For more information, visit www.therevolutiongroup.net.

Dave ‘Bucket’ Colwell Endorses Fret-King & Vintage Guitars UK session player, and long-time Bad Company guitarist Dave ‘Bucket’ Colwell has become the latest addition to the stable of professional Fret-King and Vintage electric guitar endorsees. A fan of the Trev Wilkinson designed guitar range, Dave opted for the Fret-King Blue Label Series Esprit 3 with its trio SEPTMEBER 2010

of Wilkinson designed P90-style pickups and solid mahogany body and set-neck. For more information, visit www.fret-king.com.

Yamaha to Provide Rebates, Signage, & Dealer Bonuses In an effort to help both dealers and consumers get the most out of their instruments in today’s economically turbulent times, Yamaha has announced that their Step Up to Yamaha program will begin on October 1, 2010 and run through December 31, 2010. The program, offering direct consumer rebates from Yamaha of up to $100 and dealer bonus opportunities, is aimed at easing the financial burden on the customer when purchasing a high quality instrument, and supporting dealers in their sales efforts. Along with the financial incentives Yamaha is offering, they also will be providing a wide range of marketing materials featuring Yamaha Saxophone Artist Mindi Abair. Mindi’s instruments of choice are the Yamaha YAS-82ZS alto saxophone, and a YSS-62R curved neck soprano saxophone. The YAS-82Z is one of the dozens of step-up instruments included in this year’s promotion.

Korg’s SV-1 Stage Vintage Featured at Grammy Showcase Korg was recently chosen as an equipment sponsor for the 2010 Florida Grammy Showcase held in Miami Beach, Florida. The sounds of Korg’s SV-1 Stage Vintage piano were heard throughout the event, which consisted of live performances from six unsigned acts selected from hundreds of entries. Miami-based acts Jahfe and Derek Olds took home grand prize and runner-up honors, respectively. This year’s Florida Grammy Showcase was part of the opening night of the 2010 Florida Music Festival and Conference. For more information, visit www.korg.com.

Piano World’s European Tour 2011 Piano World’s European tour will begin in Hamburg, Germany where participants will visit the Steinway & Sons factory for a private tour. In Leipzig there will be a half-day inspection of Blüthner Piano with Dr. Blüthner himself. While in Bayreuth, a visit will paid to the piano maker Steingräber u. Söhne, and in Vienna there will be a tour of Bösendorfer Piano. A visit to Nuremburg’s Germanisches National Museum, famous for its vast musical instrument and piano collections, will also be a part of the trip, along with Rothenburg’s Wagner and Liszt Museums. In Austria there will be a guided walking tour through Salzburg, as well as visiting the Mozart Haus. This is just a brief overview of all the sites and amenities on tap for this European Piano Tour. To find out more, visit www.pianoworld.com.

First MICCA Summer Institute

Mindo Abair

A full list of instruments included in the promotion, as well as participating dealers, can be found at www.stepuptoyamaha.com. SEPTEMBER 2010

Anthem Musical Instruments co-sponsored the first MICCA Summer Institute with David French Music Co. on July 12 -13. The MICCA Summer Institute was hosted by Steve Yavarro at Hopkinton High School in Hopkinton, Mass. The two day event featured some of the most prominent speakers and clinicians in music education, including Tim Lautzenheiser, Paula Crider, and Peter Boon-

David Kilkenny, David Daquil, & Steve Yavarrow

shaft. Many seminars were offered covering topics such as: The Joy of Conducting, Effective Rehearsal Communication, The Importance of Role Modeling, and Connecting with our Students. Anthem co-sponsored the event as part of their mission to give back to the local community and concluded the event by raffling off an A-5000 4-valve Euphonium. The Anthem Euphonium was won by band director David Daquil of Melican Middle School in Northborough, Mass. To find out more, visit www.anthemmusic.com.

Connolly Music Distributors for Tempel-Germany Tempel-Germany’s fittings for violins, violas, and cellos are now being distributed exclusively in the U.S. through Connolly Music Company. Tempel-Germany joins the Connolly Music Luthier Workshop family of instruments and accessories including Bernd Dimbath & Heinrich Gill instruments and Sebastian Dirr & Herbert Wanka bows, among other products. For more information, visit www.connollymusic.com.

Breaking News

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

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

• 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

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

Business Opportunities

Call 877-727-2798 Ext. 4

Contact Roger at 877-727-2798 Ext. 5

90 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.MMRmagazine.com

Business Opportunities

Distributors Pacific Music Distributors, Inc Wholesale Distribution 15935 Redmond Way Redmond WA 98052 www.pacificmusic.com • 425.885.9703

Distributors Wanted Dealers/Distributors Wanted for full line case company. Colorado Case Company, Small Dog and Cavallaro brands. steve@coloradocase.com

Breaking News

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

Help Wanted

Manufacturing

For Classified Sales Call Maureen

800-964-5150 ext. 34 mjohan@symphonypublishing.com SEPTEMBER 2010

MMR 91

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.MMRmagazine.com

Help Wanted

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

equatone@earthlink.net

Merchandise USED PIANOS at WHOLESALE PRICES consoles, studios, uprights,grands. DISCOUNT PIANO WHOLESALERS (323) 377-3644

www.mmrmagazine.com 92 MMR

Join Our Exclusive Piano & Music Lovers Tour of Europe! This is a one-of-a-kind unique tour of some of Europe’s nest piano makers. But that’s just the beginning. We will also be visiting composers homes, music museums, live performances and so much more.

Visit www.PianoWorld.com/Tour for complete details. SEPTEMBER 2010

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.MMRmagazine.com

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

PORCHBOARD BASS The UCL-S PorchBoard Bass offers analog, clean bass rhythm with the tap of a foot. Durable passive magnetic sensor system and 3-way frequency response switch eliminates low-end feedback and delay. Features both 1/4 inch and XLR outputs. No batteries, wall worts or external power supply required. Includes carry bag. $299.95. www.porchboard.com (608) 752-2229

Oboes & Bassoons

We create the finest hand-crafted Oboes & Bassoons. Also replacement 5K Bassoon Bocals.

Linton Woodwinds Corporation, Jack Linton 1013 Alma St. Elkhart, IN 46514 U.S.A. PH: 1-866-220-2909 Fax: 574-266-7658 E-Mail: info@lintonwoodwinds.com www.LintonWoodwinds.com

For Classified Sales Call Maureen 800-964-5150 ext. 34 • mjohan@symphonypublishing.com SEPTEMBER 2010

MMR 93

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.MMRmagazine.com

Merchandise

Repair Tools

YAMAHA–KAWAI

BOW REHAIRING

CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED PIANOS

Order forms,Pricing and Shipping label at:

& MORE

Asian High Quality No other supplier offers superior service before, during and after the sale. You get what you pay for!

Expert Bow Service

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. 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

GUARANTEED LANDED QUALITY

1-800-782-2694 North American Music 11 Kay Fries Drive Stony Point, NY 10980 Fax: (845) 429-6920

FINANCING AVAILABLE

Miscellaneous BAND INSTRUMENT REPAIR VIDEO Save $$$ on repair expense. Earn extra income. Journeyman repairman offers “How To” videos on the repair of brass and woodwind instruments. For information write to: B.I.R.V. Co. 880 Slater Rd. Bellingham, WA. 98226 (360) 384-6707

Repair Tools FAST TURN-AROUND ON STOCK REPAIRS NATIONWIDE NAPBIRT member, 28 Years Experience Contact: Dan Rieck, 801-733-4243 dan@utahwoodwindrepair.com

Sales Reps Wanted Otto Musica Corp.

is seeking motivated and experienced U.S. Regional Sales Reps. Otto Musica Corp. has established sales offices and factories in Taiwan, China, US, and Germany since 1974. We provide high quality string instruments and accessories under “ARTINO”, “MUCO” & “OTTO” brands. Email cover letter and resume to sales@ottomusica.com or call 1-267-684-6565

For Classified Sales Call Maureen 800-964-5150 ext. 34 • mjohan@symphonypublishing.com 94 MMR

SEPTEMBER 2010

Visit the Classifieds on the Web: www.MMRmagazine.com

Wanted To Buy

MOVING?

WE, BUY, SELL, TRADE and ship worldwide. Written APPRAISALS available. GRUHN GUITARS, 400 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203

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

Store For Sale For Sale Brand new air conditioning and lease. Store and/or inventory. 25 year reputation Studios, full line $500 k in stock $185,000 cash/takeover/partner Call Bruce in the PM at 321 725-3047

(615) 256-2033

fax (615) 255-2021

www.gruhn.com

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

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

PASTE OLD LABEL HERE!

Services

NEW ADDRESS HERE! Name ___________________________ Address _________________________

CLASSIFIEDS on the MOVE!

_______________________________ City ____________________________ State ____________Zip ____________

check

www.mmrmagazine.com for daily updates!

Vintage Instruments

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

Classified Advertising To Advertise Call Toll Free 1-800-964-5150 x34 Deadline: Fourth Friday of every month

PLACE YOUR AD BY MAIL OR FAX: PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED IN ADVANCE MasterCard, Visa, American Express accepted

Attention: Classified Ads MMR 21 Highland Circle Ste. 1 Needham, MA 02494 FAX your ad copy to (781) 453-9389

AD RATES $30.00 per inch (1 inch minimum). $40.00 per inch if one color, logo or graphic added. Add $1.00 per bold face line. Display classified: $50 per inch. PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED IN ADVANCE.

Please charge my:

Mastercard

Visa

AMEX

Credit Card #: _________________________________________________________ Expires_____/_____ Authorized Signature: _____________________________________________________________________ Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________ Company: _______________________________________________________________________________ Street: ___________________________________________________________________________________

For Classified Sales Call Maureen 800-964-5150 ext. 34 mjohan@symphonypublishing.com SEPTEMBER 2010

City:_____________________________________________State:__________ Zip Code: _______________ Telephone #:________________________________Fax # _______________________________________ Email Address: ___________________________________________________________________________ MMR 95

Adindex COMPANY NAME

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

PAGE

A Al Cass Alfred Music Publishing Alfred Music Publishing Alfred Music Publishing Allparts Music Corp Amati’s Fine Instruments America Longxing Inc. American DJ Supply Inc. American Music and Sound American Music and Sound American Way Marketing LLC Audix Corp. August Forster

www.alfred.com/dealer www.alfred.com/dealer www.alfred.com/dealer www.allparts.com www.Amatis.us www.huntermusical.com www.americandj.com www.hagstromguitars.com www.hagstromguitars.com info@americanwaymktg.com www.audixusa.com GermanAmer@msn.com

71 1 67 19 71 73 68 17 59 57 33 11 68

www.bechstein-america.com www.BenedettoGuitars.com www.bohemiapiano.cz www.ceciliomusic.com

43 82 40 28

B/C Bechstein America LLC Benedetto Guitars Bohemia Piano Cecilio Musical Instruments

D/E D’Addario & Co. Diplomatte Musical Instruments Dunlop Manufacturing Inc. Evets Corporation

www.daddario.com www.diplomattemusic.com www.jimdunlop.com www.danelectro.com

23 62 18 cov 2

F/G FDW Corp Fishman Transducers, Inc. GCI Technologies Great Divide Guitars Grotrian Piano Company

www.fdwcorp.com www.fishman.com www.gci-technologies.com www.greatdivideguitars.com www.grotrian.de

16 27 22 15 41

H/I H & F Technologies Inc. Hailun USA Hal Leonard Corp. House of Troy Idarca-Audio Inc

www.audio2000s.com www.hailun-pianos.com www.halleonard.com www.houseoftroy.com www.acxel12.com

65 13 45 66 30

www.jackrabbittech.com www.kmcmusic.com; www.kmconline.com www.kysermusical.com

88

www.levysleathers.com

69

J/K Jack Rabbit Technologies KMC Music, Inc Kyser

32 87

L/M Levy’s Leathers Ltd.ts Inc.

96 MMR

COMPANY NAME

E-MAIL/WEB ADDRESS

PAGE

LM Products The Mapes Piano String Co. Meisel Accesories LLC Miami Audio Music Corp.

www.LMProducts.com www.mapeswire.com www.meiselaccessories.com www.miamiaudiomusic.com

30 50 51 10

N NAMM www.namm.com National Educational Music Co. www.nemc.com

34-35 77

P Paul Shelden Global Productions Peace Musical Co. LLC Peterson Strobe Tuners Piano Buyer Marketing LLC PianoDisc Praxis Musical Instruments Inc. Pro-Mark Corp.

www.diplomattemusic.com www.peacedrum.com www.petersontuners.com www.PianoBuyersMarketing.com www.pianodisc.com www.sterlingbymusicman.com www.promark.com

62 86 79 55 53 18 75

R Rodgers Instruments Corporation Roland Corp. U.S.

www.rodgersinstruments.com www.rolandUS.com

84 cov 4

S Saga Musical Instruments Saga Musical Instruments Samson Technologies Corp. Shelden, Paul Global Productions Shoreview Distribution SHS International Shubb Capos SKB Corp. Super-Sensitive Musical String Co.

www.sagamusic.com www.sagamusic.com www.samsontech.com www.diplomattemusic.com www.shoreviewdistribution.com www.shsint.net www.shubb.com www.skbcases.com

85 9 3 62 74 7 71 63

www.cavanaughcompany.com

29

T/U TKL Products Corp. www.tkl.com www.theStringCleaner.com ToneGear www.tycoonpercussion.com Tycoon Percussion U.S. Band & Orchestra Supplies www.usbandsupplies.com

5 84 81 21

W/Y W.D. Music Products Inc. Warburton Music Products West Music Wittner GmbH & Co. KG Wyman Piano Company Yamaha Corp. of America

www.wdmusic.com www.warburton-usa.com www.tjflutes.com www.wittner-gmbh.de www.wymanpiano.com www.yamaha.com

44 82 74 83 58 39

SEPTEMBER 2010

SAVE THE DATE!

2nd Annual JEN Conference January 6-8, 2011 New Orleans, LA Historic Roosevelt Hotel – Famed Blue Room Details online NOW! • Exciting Headliners • Enlightening Clinics/Panels • Exhilarating School Ensemble Performances • Enticing Exhibits – 20,000 sq. ft.! All under one roof, two blocks from the French Quarter! Registration, Housing, Exhibitor & Volunteer Applications available online NOW!

Check the website often for updates as they materialize! www.JazzEdNet.org Your portal to the global jazz community!

( 5L^ 3L]LS PU 7PHUV ,_WYLZZPVU ,_WLYPLUJL H UL^ SL]LS VM KPNP[HS WPHUV WLYMVYTHUJL ^P[O [OL :\WLY5(;<9(3 7PHUVZ MYVT 9VSHUK ;OL :\WLY5(;<9(3 7PHUV ZV\UK LUNPUL KLSP]LYZ [OL YPJO ILH\[PM\S ZV\UK VM HU HJV\Z[PJ NYHUK PU \UWYLJLKLU[LK KL[HPS :[H[L VM [OL HY[ [LJOUVSVN` MYVT V\Y H^HYK ^PUUPUN = 7PHUV JVTIPULK ^P[O RL` Z[LYLV T\S[P ZHTWSPUN NP]LZ [OLZL 9VSHUK KPNP[HS WPHUVZ H K`UHTPJ ZV\UK [OH[ ^PSS PUZWPYL WPHUV WSH`LYZ VM HSS HNLZ

+7

-

+7

9-

3? 9. -

9. /7

/7

/7

;V SLHYU TVYL HIV\[ :\WLY5(;<9(3 WPHUVZ ]PZP[ ^^^ 9VSHUK<: JVT :\WLY5(;<9(3

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.