Music & Sound Retailer April 2019, Vol 36 No 4

GUITAR ISSUE

GUITAR ISSUE

GUITAR ISSUE

GUITAR ISSUE

THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

GUITAR ISSUE

GUITAR ISSUE

GUITAR ISSUE April 2019 Volume 36, No. 4

OVERALL GUITAR DOLLAR SALES ENJOY A MORE THAN 5-PERCENT YEAR-OVER-YEAR INCREASE, WITH MANUFACTURERS AFFIRMING 2018 WAS A GREAT YEAR.

ONE OF THE BEST YEARS EVER?

(continued on page 26)

Prodigious Print INDUSTRY HAD STRONG 2018 THANKS TO MOVIE TIE-INS AND MORE (continued on page 58)

L AT E S T

z z u B

Per Supreme Court Ruling, Reverb Institutes New Sales Tax Rules MI retailers selling products on Reverb.com need to be aware of the precedent set by South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc., where the Supreme Court decision allows states to tax remote sales — like those made through Reverb and any other e-commerce sites — via a variety of methods.

Previously, states could only tax sales made by businesses with a physical presence in the state. Now, “Economic Nexus” (economic presence in a state) is enough to trigger a sales tax collection obligation.

There are two categories of legislation that states can now adopt and enforce for the purposes of tax collection: “Marketplace Facilitators” and “Economic Nexus.”

When MI retailers sell to Marketplace Facilitator states, Reverb will be responsible for collecting and remitting sales taxes on an MI retailer’s behalf. Also, if an MI retailer sells more than $100,000 per year, or engages in 100 or more transactions in a state, through Reverb and/or any other e-commerce site, the MI retailer may need to

collect and remit their own sales taxes for Economic Nexus states.

“From the beginning, our goal at Reverb has been to make it easy for anyone to buy and sell musical instruments,” David Kalt, CEO of Reverb.com, told the Retailer.

“Many of the retailers who use our site — particularly small, micro and individually-owned businesses — see Reverb as an extension of their own tech, sales, customer service and marketing teams.

We take that responsibility very seriously. When a change occurs that impacts the industry, we work to help our users in two ways: by educating them on the changes that will impact them and adjusting our own tools and services to assist in any way that we can.”

Reverb is now collecting taxes in Washington state and will be collecting in all Marketplace Facilitator states shortly. Marketplace Facilitator states also include Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Virginia.

“If you are a Reverb seller in a

NAMM Adds Three Top 100 Dealer Awards

Marketplace Facilitator state where Reverb collects and pays sales tax on your orders, you do not need to collect or remit sales taxes for your Reverb sales,” Reverb stressed.

“Reverb will automatically collect sales tax for items purchased in Washington. It will not be possible for you to opt out of this collection practice. The upside is that you will not have to take any additional action. There are no charges or fees for Reverb automatically calculating, collecting and remitting sales tax. You will not have to update your sales tax settings in your shop for orders shipped to Marketplace Facilitator states. Those tax settings are used for states/regions where Reverb does not automatically collect sales tax.”

Regarding PayPal-only sellers, if a buyer is in Washington state, or other future Marketplace Facilitator states, and purchases the order via PayPal, Reverb will supply the MI retailer with the sales tax as a part of its payout. But retailers should hold on to that sales tax money, because at the end of the month, Reverb will charge them for the sales tax on their monthly statement so that the company can

remit the tax to the relevant state.

Sales tax practices for states that adhere to Economic Nexus policies are more complicated, Reverb noted. “The threshold of Economic Nexus is based on a combination of both sales revenue and/or transaction volume. This means that if you sell similar items in different states, you may need to pay sales tax in one but not the others. You’ll need to set up your shop’s tax policies to collect sales tax for each state you meet the threshold for. Note that these thresholds are not limited to sales made on Reverb — all sales channels should be taken into account when deciding which states will require you to collect sales tax.”

As for what impact the new tax rules may have, Kalt said the following: “Particularly for small-town musical instrument retailers whose local sales are limited by the total number of available customers in their town, the ability to access customers outside of their state through Reverb is crucial to the success of their business. We don’t foresee these sales tax law changes outweighing the benefits that come with that crucial out-of-state income.”

NAMM added three new categories — Best Community Retail Store, Innovation Award and Customer’s Choice — to its Top 100 Dealer Awards, handed out annually at Summer NAMM in Nashville. The Top 100 Dealer Awards honor the best of the best in music retail and the Dealer of the Year.

The Customer’s Choice award is voted on by NAMM members’ consumer base. “This opportunity engages retail members’ audiences, highlighting our dealers’ social media and community reach. Each user has the chance to select their favorite retail store and recognize their excellence,” stated NAMM. The Innovation award highlights a retail member’s commitment to excellence in innovation and ability to evolve with the times. And Best Community Retail Store celebrates MI’s mom-and-pop stores — singlelocation stores that have made their mark on their local community.

“With a highlight on company culture, this honors a vital part of our retail sphere,” NAMM stated.

“As unique as the customers and locations they serve, the Top 100 honorees all have a bit in common: a commitment to excellence in music product retailing, customer service, and in acting as music champions within their communities,” said Joe Lamond, NAMM president and CEO. “We applaud their efforts, and those of all NAMM retail members that are creating positive and memorable shopping experiences which, in turn, help to foster the next generation of music makers.”

Summer NAMM will take place from July 18 to 20 at Nashville’s Music City Center.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

3

THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

VOLUME 36 NO. 4

Features 26 One of the Best Years Ever?

Overall guitar dollar sales enjoy a more than 5-percent year-over-year increase, with manufacturers affirming 2018 was a great year.

58 Prodigious Print

Industry had strong 2018 thanks to movie tie-ins and more.

Columns 36 Special to the Retailer

Gig Gear’s Daniel Shatzkes joins us to talk about health and safety in music, a crucial but widely underreported part of our industry.

38 Front and Center

28

33

30

Buzz 3 Latest 12 People 20 Products

April Samuels, founder of Breast Cancer Can Stick It!, talks about her charity, her love for drumming and MI manufacturers who have helped her along the way.

40 Five Minutes With

Could C.F. Martin’s Chris Martin IV have been a marine biologist? It easily could have happened. Plus, find out how sales were at the company in 2018 and 2019 thus far, and much more.

42 MI Spy

MI Spy talks music stores, hockey and even acai bowls on Long Island in this month’s edition.

46 ‘Hire’ Learning

What does DNA have to do with your business? A lot, explains Will Mason.

48 In the Trenches

“Source diversity” is a popular topic these days. Allen McBroom explains why it matters for your business.

50 Shine a Light

“I don’t just own the store, I live and breathe music. I have for most of my life.” That’s why David Locke and Brenda, his wife of 33 years, decided to launch LAWK STAR Guitars in 2013, and it’s a great recipe for success.

52 Veddatorial

Curating inventory isn’t a futuristic topic. Yet for the future of the brick-and-mortar landscape, a curated inventory isn’t just advisable, it’s a survival solution, states Dan Vedda.

54 Under the Hood

We take a long look at Sonarworks Reference 4 and Sonarworks SR sound-calibration software.

62 The Final Note

Brad Price, Product Marketing Manager for Audinate, cites two guitars as his most prized possessions, says Dire Straits was the best concert he has ever seen and much more.

4

38

APRIL 2019

WWW.NEUMANN.COM

U 67

Return of the Legend 33RD ANNUAL

EDITORIAL

Guitars Are Hot Wow! That’s really all I can say about the guitar market, which enjoyed a 5.3-percent dollar-sales increase last year compared to 2017. This is a tremendous year-over-year percentage increase not seen in several years. I argued the case last year as well, but now it’s definitely safe to say the “death of the electric guitar” can officially be placed in our rear-view mirror. I’m not about to say, “guitars are back,” because, let’s be honest, they probably never went anywhere. But I can say the guitar industry appears to be strong and is ready to go full-steam ahead.

I really enjoy writing about good news in our industry, and there is plenty to share in this issue. Not only is the guitar industry strong, but the MI publishing industry is doing quite well also, as evidenced by one of our cover stories this month. This is something I’m sure that will be talked about during the RPMDA Show, just days away, depending upon when you are reading this.

For evidence that guitars had a great year last year, check out this comment: “Guitars enjoyed robust sales growth throughout 2018,” Jim Hirschberg, president of MI SalesTrak, told the Music & Sound Retailer.

“Electric guitars led the growth early in the year, with acoustics coming on strong later in the year. In total, dollar sales of new guitars (including basses) were up 5.3 percent vs. 2017.”

If you need further evidence, I can quickly point out what our panelists said about their 2018 sales in our guitar update cover story.

“Yamaha guitar sales were strong in 2018, and we are thrilled with the results. Sales of our A Series acousticelectrics, as well as models featuring TransAcoustic technology, sold well during the holiday season. We’re

riding the wave of enthusiasm for these products and we anticipate that this will continue through 2019.” — Yoh Watanabe, director of marketing, Pro Music division, Yamaha Corp. of America “2018 was a great year with strong double-digit growth in electric guitar sales. Holiday 2018 was a record-breaking season for us across all categories and retail partners.” — Tammy Van Donk, executive vice president sales, Americas and EMEA, Fender Musical Instrument Corp.

“Our guitar sales were very good. In fact, we saw double-digit increases, which is exceptional considering the growth we saw [in 2017].” — Tom Appleton, sales strategist/guitar and Electronics for Hoshino USA “Sales-wise, 2018 was the strongest year we have seen as a business.” — Jim Cullen, director of sales for PRS Guitars These are some impressive comments. Despite 2018 being shaky in terms of the economy, including a stock market that went down for the year, guitar sales rocked.

And this wouldn’t be possible without you, the MI retailer. So, although you barely have time for anything with your busy schedule — beyond perhaps reading this magazine — I hope you can take a moment to congratulate yourself for doing a job well done. Whether it’s taking a proverbial bow, hoisting a glass of your favorite beverage or whatever else you may choose, I hope you take a moment to be proud of the great job you did as an MI retailer. The accolades are well deserved.

April 2019 Volume 36, No. 4

BRIAN BERK Editor bberk@testa.com ANTHONY VARGAS Associate Editor avargas@testa.com AMANDA MULLEN Assistant Editor amullen@testa.com

JANICE PUPELIS Art Director STEVE THORAKOS Production Manager CIRCULATION circulation@testa.com FRED GUMM Digital Art Director

DONOVAN BANKHEAD ROBERT CHRISTIE KIMBERLY DEVERELL JEFF KYLE JR.

ROBERT L. IRAGGI Advertising Director riraggi@testa.com RICKY PIMENTEL Art/Production Assistant rpimentel@testa.com ROBIN HAZAN Operations Manager rhazan@testa.com VINCENT P. TESTA President/Publisher

MICHELLE LOEB WILL MASON ALLEN MCBROOM GABRIEL O'BRIEN

TIM SPICER DAN VEDDA LAURA B. WHITMORE Contributors

Editorial and Sales Office: The Music & Sound Retailer, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York 11050-3779. Phone: (516) 767-2500 • Fax: (516) 767-9335 • MSREDITOR@TESTA.COM. Editorial contributions should be addressed to The Editor, The Music & Sound Retailer, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York 11050-3779. Unsolicited manuscripts will be treated with care and must be accompanied by return postage.

Sound & Communications • DJ Times • Sound & Communications Blue Book The Music & Sound Retailer • The DJ Expo • IT/AV Report The Retailer Report • Convention TV @ NAMM • InfoCommTV News VTTV Studios The Music & Sound Retailer (ISSN 0894-1238) (USPS 0941-238) is published 12 times a year for $18 (US),

by Retailer Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050-3779.

Periodicals postage paid at Port Washington, N.Y. and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Music & Sound Retailer, PO BOX 1767, LOWELL MA 01853-1767

APRIL 2019

©2019 Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. FENDER, FENDER in script, TELECASTER and the distinctive headstock commonly found on Fender guitars and basses are registered trademarks of FMIC. Acoustasonic is a trademark of FMIC. All rights reserved.

EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. UNLOCK NEW SOUNDS WITH THE AMERICAN ACOUSTASONIC ™ TELECASTER.®

CRAFTED IN CORONA, CALIFORNIA

L AT E S T

z z u B

Fender Launches Fender Next Global Artist Program Fender Musical Instruments Corp. (FMIC) announced the inaugural launch of an annual global artist marketing program, Fender Next, geared toward elevating artists who represent the new face of guitar in fresh, innovative ways. The first of its kind for Fender and the musical instruments industry, the program aims to support a diverse set of artists; the goal is to amplify their voices as they evolve throughout their respective careers, stated the company.

“The music industry has dramatically evolved in the last 10 years — from the diversity of artists, genre and new inventive usage of guitar to streaming service platforms, labels, social media and the emergence of accessible recording via home studios,” said Evan Jones, Fender’s chief marketing officer. “Guitar is healthier than ever before and being used in more inventive ways by an increasingly diverse set of artists across genres.”

Fender is invested in driving increased exposure for Fender Next artists through media and the brand’s 16 million followers across platforms. The full list

8

of Fender Next artist benefits includes: n Select guitar, amp, effect pedals, accessories and audio equipment serving artist needs across the signal chain n The benefits of Fender’s marketing efforts, including social media promotion and takeovers and public relations/communications support, as well as the opportunity to be featured in Fender marketing launches and ads n To bring fans even closer to their favorite artists, Fender will collaborate with musicians to develop social media/campaign creative content, as well as mini docs with select artists reflecting their passion points and latest releases; that content will be distributed by exclusive partners, as well as on Fender social media and artist channels n Inclusion on Fender Next playlists through music streaming services, like Spotify and more

n Inclusion of select artist songs in Fender’s digital learning platform, Fender Play n Backline support for international touring n Fender swag “The Fender brand voice is the sum total of the artists and players that create with our products. So, as a global company whose products are represented on countless albums and stages around the world, we decided that it was time to make a deeper, long-term commitment to elevate and amplify artists that are moving music forward today,” said the company. “We have and will continue to invest in artists across every aspect of our marketing mix, but this program just deepens that ongoing commitment to a growing allegiance of artists keeping guitar at the forefront of music and culture.”

In 2019, Fender Next will illuminate 50 of the most exciting

new artists from around the world representing the diverse state of music globally. Artists were selected via a submission process; they include: Ashley McBryde, Boy Pablo, Cautious Clay, FKJ, FIDLAR, Japanese Breakfast, King Princess, Larkin Poe, Melanie Faye, Phoebe Bridgers, Sam Fender, Tash Sultana, Wallows, King Gnu, HYUKOH and others.

“Supporting and servicing artist needs first has long been at the core of our artist marketing efforts,” said Matt Watts, Fender’s vice president of artist and integrated marketing. “Artists are the centerpiece of everything we do, and we’ve been giving them the tools they need to create for more than 70 years. Fender Next deepens those authentic relationships even further through the program’s direct investment in those artists — from cultural icons to those at the early stages of their careers. We’re beyond excited to see how Fender Next elevates players, as they make music on stages and in studios around the world — from Hollywood and Nashville to Tokyo, London, Sydney and beyond.”

Fender Next artists will be the cornerstone of Fender events worldwide. On March 14 and 15, Fender kicked off the program with an interactive pop-up experience at SXSW in Austin, Texas: The Fender Next House. There, fans were able to attend thought leadership discussions and intimate concerts featuring Fender Next artists, pick up a guitar and try Fender Play at demo stations, and more. There were also guitar techs on site to assist with setups for all artists in the Fender family.

Only Fender gear was accepted for setups on a first-come-first-served basis at the Fender Next House. In addition to SXSW, Fender Next will also activate at The Great Escape Festival in the U.K. for the second year this May, as well as other global music festivals in Japan and Australia through 2020. Activations will feature a mix of rotating daytime programming and nighttime concerts, as well as meetups with industry personnel to help artists foster meaningful relationships.

APRIL 2019

L AT E S T

z z u B

Music Makers Makes Big Moves

Illinois-based Music Makers became one of just a handful of Strymon effects dealers in its region, and also partnered with Earthquaker Devices to ensure its rural clientele has access to cutting-edge effects often available only in urban markets.

Founded in 2008 in Westlake Village, Calif., Strymon is a manufacturer of highend, handbuilt effects pedals that use a mix of analog circuitry to preserve tone and digital signal processing for crystal clarity and ease of use. The BigSky Reverb and El Capistan Tape Echo are probably its most recognized effects.

Music Makers also partnered with Earthquaker Devices to ensure its rural clientele has access to cutting-edge effects often available only in urban markets. According to Music Makers’ Evan Holmes, rural musicians often “don’t have access to handmade, boutique or high-end pedals like Strymon or EarthQuaker Devices because they’re simply not available in their local music store. Most Main Street dealers just don’t have the capital to risk on imaginative pedals like these, so Music Makers is really bringing these eccentric, cutting-edge designs to a whole new market.”

There’s a New PLEK in Town

Minneapolis-based Twin Town Guitars announced that it is the first MI store in the upper Midwest to offer PLEK machine service for string instruments with metal frets. A PLEK machine fine-tunes the neck and frets of instruments to get the optimum tone and playability.

Using precision robotic tools, the PLEK machine cuts, shapes and dresses frets, cuts precision nuts, and planes and adjusts fingerboards to achieve the best balance of playability with minimum string height.

In the end, you have an instrument intended to feel great and tones that ring out clear and true to pitch.

Joe Glaser, owner of Glaser Instruments in Nashville, and Ian Weston, Owner of Weston Instruments in Ontario, Canada, provided PLEK machine setup and training for Twin Town Guitars technicians.

Glaser has been using the PLEK machine in his own shop for nearly 20 years. “The PLEK does everything I can do but with better eyes, better hands and a better memory. We’ve trained the techs at Twin Town Guitars, and they’re definitely offering you the best your instruments can be,” said Glaser.

May Designated as Guitar Care Month

Music Nomad introduced All May Long Guitar Care Month, an international marketing plan to promote May as the official month to maintain, enhance and educate musicians on the care of their guitars.

“This is an opportunity for our dealer network to band together to promote their service business by offering specials and discounts on re-strings, setups and repairs,” said Rand Rognlien, Music Nomad founder.

Music Nomad is supporting dealers by sending in-store posters promoting All May Long to those that opt in, a free bottle of polish to use on the bench with qualifying orders, along with online social media marketing and other vehicles to create awareness among both dealers and consumers.

“So many guitars and basses go unserviced and could look, sound and play better. We want this campaign to help musicians get their gear serviced by their local store that may pass on discounts and specials to them,” Rognlien said. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”

According to Music Nomad, this is one of many programs it is implementing to support its dealer network. It recently stopped selling direct on its website and instead put a “buy-and-find-store” button directing consumers to their dealer network.

10

APRIL 2019

PEOPLE

z z u B

New Leader for Yamaha Guitar Group

Yamaha Guitar Group Inc. appointed Joe Bentivegna as president of the Calabasas, Calif.-based company. In his new role, Bentivegna, currently the organization’s chief operating officer, will manage three brands: Yamaha Guitars, Line 6 and Ampeg.

Bentivegna joined Line 6 10 years ago, and as COO, he has been overseeing and building teams that manage the company’s product development, supply chain, information technology, logistics and customer support functions. He has been vital in leading the company through its continued growth and transition into a member of the Yamaha family.

Previously, he served a 16-year tenure at Avid, where he was COO for the video division.

“I’m thrilled to be passing the torch to someone who appreciates the company’s culture and our customers so much, and is such a great fit for the role,” said Marcus Ryle, who was president of Yamaha Guitar Group until March 31 and co-founder of Line 6. “With his history and proven track record, I’m confident Joe is the right person to lead the organization into the next phase of innovation and development.”

Line 6, launched in 1996 but originally founded as Fast Forward Designs in 1985, was acquired by Yamaha in 2014 and, under Ryle’s leadership, formed into Yamaha Guitar Group and acquired Ampeg in 2018. As he approached 39 years of leadership in the MI industry, Ryle decided at the beginning of 2019 that the timing was right for him to step down as president and transition into a consulting role.

“Our leadership team has shown great skill in managing and growing our guitar brands,” said Ryle. “I feel very lucky to be able to leave the company in such capable hands.”

“I am enormously thankful to Marcus Ryle for his many contributions to Yamaha Guitar Group. I am humbled and honored for the opportunity to now lead this amazing team into its next era,” said Bentivegna.

“We have great products, great customers and what looks to be an exciting future in front of us. I also look forward to building even stronger partnerships within all of Yamaha and throughout the industry.”

Big Mack

Greg Mack joined Minneapolisbased Schmitt Music Co. as director of marketing. Mack has extensive experience leading retail marketing teams. Most recently, at upscale grocer Lunds & Byerlys, he led significant initiatives in private label, branding, promotions and store décor. Prior to that, he held similar positions with SuperValu and General Growth Properties.

“We are thrilled that Greg has agreed to join our executive management team,” said Bob Baker, Schmitt Music chief operating officer. “Greg brings the experience and wisdom that will take our marketing efforts to a new level. And he is a talented musician! We could not have found a better fit.”

12

Tabor Tapped for Levy’s

Gator Cases appointed Jen Tabor as brand director for Levy’s Leathers. Tabor is an industry veteran, having worked at numerous music education organizations throughout Chicago. She has also served as an orchestra director and elementary school music teacher. Tabor graduated from DePaul University with a degree in music education and music performance. In 2004, Tabor united her two passions of music and design with the creation of Souldier, a music and fashion industry accessory brand.

“Levy’s is an iconic brand and I am privileged to honor its legacy and the generations of fans who have been the heart of its 45-year history,” Tabor said. “My first mission was to listen to the fans and create one-of-a-kind, beautiful, cutting-edge designs for every personality. I wanted the new brand elements to reflect everything Levy’s stands for, tradition and quality while innovating and engaging the next generation of fans.”

Tabor reimagined Levy’s classic styles by using new design techniques and unconventional materials, such as leather punchouts and amp grill cloth embedded into a guitar strap. “Jen is an outstanding addition to the Gator and Levy’s family,” said Gator Cases CEO Crystal Morris. “She brings a unique blend of music industry, manufacturing and design experience that will be instrumental in leading the growth of Levy’s.”

QSC Appoints Anet

QSC appointed Christophe Anet as product marketing manager for it’s live sound division. In this new role, Anet is responsible for the creation, presentation, curation and refinement of product marketing content for the company’s diverse portfolio of live sound products and solutions. Anet’s previous career experience includes work at Genelec Oy, where he held several positions over the years, including education and training manager and technical editor.

“I am very excited to be a part of the QSC live sound global marketing team, working with so many passionate and talented individuals,” said Anet. “My goal is to ensure that our live sound products’ features and benefits are well articulated and understood for the benefit of our channel and marketing partners, representatives and, of course, end-users. Dedication to serving the many needs of our customers has always been at the heart of QSC’s mission, and this new role allows us the opportunity to APRIL 2019

PEOPLE

z z u B

Sumner Named First American Yamaha Operating Officer

Tom Sumner, president of Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA), has been appointed as an operating officer of YCA parent company Yamaha Corp., effective April 1. This is the first time that the world’s largest musical instrument manufacturer, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, has named an American-born executive to its roster of ten operating officers.

Sumner will continue in his role as YCA president; he will be one of four new operating officers slated to succeed four who are stepping down as of April 1. Among the departing officers is Hitoshi Fukutome, Sumner’s predecessor as YCA president.

Sumner’s new role is the latest in his 31-year career with Yamaha. As president of YCA, he leads Yamaha operations in the United States and oversees the Americas. He has played a central role in making Yamaha more customer-focused and worked to streamline operations and eliminate internal conflicts and redundancies.

“I am honored and grateful at the opportunity to help shape the evolution of Yamaha as part of the company’s panel

expand our marketing capabilities even further.”

“We could not be more pleased that Christophe has accepted our invitation to join the live sound marketing team,” added Ray van Straten, senior director of global marketing for QSC live sound. “He brings an extraordinary level of product marketing skill, experience and passion to an already highly capable team, while also helping us to improve our international marketing effectiveness. Having collaborated with Christophe in the past, I am confident that our ability to serve our customers and stakeholders worldwide will be greatly enhanced by his efforts and look forward to working more closely with him in his new role.”

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

of operating officers in Japan,” Sumner said. “I look forward to working with our international team to help build an even better future for our customers our dealers, our employees and our brand.”

Steelwood Guitars from Mexico City, take home the award for Best Store Design at the 2016 Top 100 Dealer Awards.

Note From Causby

ADVERTORIAL • APRIL 2019 • NAMM.ORG

Deserve The Recognition Recognition Your Your Store Store and and Team Team Deserve The In July, we celebrate the ninth annual NAMM Top 100 Dealer Awards. The stores comprising the Top 100 keep raising the bar of retail creativity, excellence and results. I have personally learned much about this industry through the stories crafted and shared by our Top 100 nominees and winners.

My favorite part of this special event is that it’s made up of all types of retail operations, spanning one-store enterprises, all the way to large multi-chain businesses operating throughout the world. Regardless of your store’s size or location, we know you’re serving your community in an exceptional way, and we want to recognize that. The Top 100 program is your chance to shine.

It provides a unique opportunity to connect with your team to review the past year’s business growth. The program is also an opportunity to showcase to the world how you’re bringing music into more people’s lives.

Each year, we review the Awards program to ensure we are representing all the impactful changes occurring in our industry.

And through this process, we developed three new categories to reflect the evolving state of retail: Best Community Retail Store, Innovation Award and the Top 100 Customer’s Choice Award.

First, in my tenure at NAMM, I have learned just how passionate our retail members are for their community. I don’t believe they get enough recognition for this meaningful contribution to music and the lives they are changing in the process. That is why we created the new award category, Best Community Retail Store.

Next, retail continues to change and evolve. This leads us to a basic question: How do you build an innovative plan to successfully adjust with the times? I am seeing so many of our members adapt their business models and create meaningful points of difference for their stores. And this mold-breaking innovation deserves to be recognized, so this year, we are introducing the Innovation Award.

Finally, nearly all our members say they would not be where they are today without the support and contributions of their customers, their vendors and their communities. Also new this year is the Customer’s Choice Award. So if you’re in the 2019 Top 100, you will have the opportunity to engage your customer and support base to have them vote on your store for the Customer’s Choice Award.

At the end of May, we will announce our Top 100 Dealer list and then open up the voting process for the Customer’s Choice award.

This is an excellent opportunity for a social and community campaign to get your customers involved in your success.

Summer is just around the corner. Come July, we will be in Nashville celebrating the success, the courage and the aspiration of our Top 100 Dealers. Eight category winners and the Dealer of the Year will be announced at the can’t-miss ceremony, July 19, 2019. All are welcome to attend and celebrate with their peers, not to mention benefit from all of the best practices and ideas shared to elevate your operations.

I’m proud to say that this is one of my favorite events because the exceptional program is dedicated to our members and embodies the true spirit of our association, a community committed to your success. I can’t wait to celebrate your unique accomplishments.

See you in Nashville!

Causby Challacombe, CAE • NAMM Director, Membership

NAMM Chair Robin Walenta presents Lee Anderton of Anderton’s Music Co. with the 2018 Dealer of the Year Award.

Q&A Andertons Music Co., based in Guildford, England, was awarded our 2018 Dealer of the Year. I recently spoke with Lee Anderton about his Top 100 experience:

07.19.2019 DAVIDSON BALLROOM

MUSIC CITY CENTER

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Q: How has winning NAMM Dealer of the Year impacted your store?

Lee Anderton: We got some great local and trade press around the award, bringing international attention to our store. Our staff also felt a real sense of pride by earning this distinction.

Q: What would you tell your fellow retail members from around the world on why they should enter their store in the Top 100 Dealer Awards?

Lee Anderton: We’ve entered the Top 100 Awards for the last 3–4 years, and I know my marketing team always enjoy putting the pitch together. It often reminds them of all the great things we have done throughout the year.

Being recognized by a prestigious organization like NAMM not only empowers your staff but is also an important part of building your retail brand up and will give you a competitive edge over other music retailers.

Watch Lee’s hilarious Top 100 video at namm.org/andertons.

Visit namm.org/top100 to learn more including: • • • •

Descriptions of the Top 100 Dealer categories Tips on how to submit a winning entry Judging process and program details How to attend the big night, July 19, 2019

Register and book your hotel starting April 17, 2019.

JULY 18–20, 2019 • NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE MUSIC CITY CENTER • NAMM.ORG

PEOPLE

z z u B

Academic Masters

Yamaha Artist Services Indianapolis named Jeffrey Grogan, Barry Houser and Michael Pote to its Master Educator Program. They join 19 other distinguished academics, clinicians, consultants and authors who provide inspiring professional development opportunities and artistic music collaborations for music educators at the local, state and national levels.

Grogan is the director of orchestral activities and professor of music at the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University and artistic director of the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra in OklaJeffrey Grogan homa City, Okla. He is internationally acclaimed as both a conductor and teacher who ensures that students know and understand the value of focus, teamwork, passion, and communication in their responsibility to the music and each other.

Houser is the associate director of bands, director of the Marching Illini and director of the Fighting Illini Athletic Bands at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, Ill. As a nationally recognized guest conductor and clinician for both the marching and concert mediums, he holds a firm belief that the students are the most important part of teaching and that they must have a comprehensive understanding of the process that leads to success.

Michael Pote is director of bands at Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind. Named the 2019 Indiana Outstanding Bandmaster by the Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Mu, he has led the Carmel High School ensembles to win numerous nationally recognized awards by dedicating his work to improving students’ listening and critical thinking skills through purposeful practice using focused repetition to build musical reflexes.

“Jeffrey Grogan, Barry Houser and Michael Pote represent

Michael Pote

Barry Houser

many facets of musical excellence,” said John Wittmann, director of artist relations and education, Yamaha Artist Services Indianapolis.

“Whether it be conducting notable orchestras, hugely successful collegiate marching bands or nationally renowned high school wind ensembles, it would be hard to name three men who affect students’ lives more profoundly.”

The Yamaha Master Educator Program was developed in 2016 in conjunction with Yamaha Corp. of America to reinforce the company’s longstanding commitment to music education and music educators. The Yamaha Master Educator group, as well as the roster of Yamaha Performing Artists, come together to inspire teachers and students at the middle school through collegiate levels to realize their full potential. Yamaha Master Educators take part in speaking and conducting appointments with state Music Education Associations; district meetings for music teachers and fine arts departments; district-wide in-service days; and clinics at middle schools, high schools, colleges and conservatories.

Reverb Reenergizes

Reverb hired Kristen Cho to lead the company’s marketing efforts and Jessica Reid to head the finance team as chief marketing officer and vice president of finance, respectively.

“In just six years, Reverb has grown from an e-commerce website to an online community where musicians come to learn, get inspired and connect with one another. The team here has built a brand that the music community not only trusts but relies on daily for everything from crucial extra income and affordable music gear to industry news and expertise,” said Cho. “There’s a huge opportunity to continue growing the brand internationally and into new areas, such as records, and I’m looking forward to leading the team that will make that happen.”

Cho joins Reverb with extensive marketplace experience, having led the marketing teams at designer consignment marketplace Luxury Garage Sale and SpotHero, the Chicago-based parking reservation platform. Reid brings with her nearly 20 years of finance and operations experience within the technology, education and healthcare industries. Most recently, Reid was senior vice president of finance and operations at Regroup, a rapidly growing venturebacked behavioral health telemedicine company.

“For musical instrument sellers all over the world — from large retailers and manufacturers to brick-and-mortar shops and entre-

16

Kristen Cho

Jessica Reid

preneurs — Reverb is an extension of their business. They rely on our marketing, finance, customer service and tech teams to help them get their instruments into the hand of musicians all over the world,” said Reverb CEO and Founder David Kalt. “The addition of Kristen and Jessica to our leadership team is a testament to our commitment to our community. Kristen and Jessica each bring a set of skills and a level of experience that can only elevate the incredible work that our marketing and finance teams are already producing.”

APRIL 2019

PEOPLE

z z u B

In Memoriam: Robert Shriver

Robert C. Shriver, a highly respected music products manager, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, Feb. 24, in Camas, Wash. He was 63.

Defined by his exceptional music talent, creative sense of humor, and outward love for family, friends and business colleagues, he dedicated much of his professional and personal life to the pursuit of music, building an enviable, 38-year career working for Yamaha.

Born February 27, 1955, in Pennsylvania to William and Lois Shriver, Shriver grew up in Valparaiso, Ind. He married his wife, Jeanne, on April 7, 1984.

He got his start in the music business in his late teens, working at Nelson’s Pianos and Organs in Merrillville, Ind., and he later joined the Everett Piano Co. as a district manager. Yamaha had purchased Everett in 1973, and on June 15, 1981, Shriver was invited to join Yamaha as a district manager for electronic keyboard products, serving piano retailers, mostly in the northwest United States, for nearly four decades.

Shriver was consistently recognized by Yamaha for his significant and creative contributions to his sales team, as well as for superior service in his territory, evidenced by the deep respect he earned from his long-time piano retail customers. He was named overall “District Manager of the Year” in the company’s keyboard division on several occasions, most recently in 2014, and was a member of the company’s President’s Club, which recognizes top

sales achievement, in 2010, 2014 and 2015.

“Bob spent nearly 38 years sharing his unbridled passion for music and our instruments with our dealers and customers,” said Dan Rodowicz, general manager, keyboard division, Yamaha Corp. of America. “He was rarely seen without some type of Yamaha logo wear and, like every good salesperson, forever carried his signature gold pen with the Yamaha tuning forks, always prepared to take an order. He had a heart of gold and will be sorely missed.”

When he was off the road, Shriver actively pursued his love for praise music, performing on the organ with his praise and worship team at the Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin, Ore. Shriver is survived by his wife, Jeanne; his son, Robert W. Shriver; his daughter, Alyssa Shriver; and his grandson, Jaxtyn.

A memorial service for Shriver will be held in Washington. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Humane Society for Southwest Washington in his name.

“Wireworld makes a great sounding cable that is true and transparent – worthy of a badass guitar player. I highly recommend them .”

MARK FARNER FROM GRAND FUNK RAILROAD

Patented design clears the signal path for pure tone Unique Kevlar core provides strength and durability Custom blended insulation controls electrostatic energy

wireworldproaudio.com

Super flexible with high quality construction Silver, nickel and Amphenol switching plugs available

18

APRIL 2019

PEOPLE

Marketing Maven

z z u B

firm could offer. All of our lines complement one another.”

This linecard includes Adamson, Danley, Deva, FBT and RCF loudspeakers, Powersoft amplifiers, Polar Focus rigging and mounts, Xilica DSP processing and JTS microphones.

“We have formulated a linecard based on representing top manufacturers in the industry that hold the highest quality standards,” said company CEO Don Ludwig. “Our goal is to connect dealers with the best loudspeakers systems available and provide everything they need for the installation.”

Ludwig Marketing added industry veteran Mark Fuchs to its sales support staff. Fuchs will handle the Illinois and Wisconsin territory.

“It is a territory I am very familiar with, having grown up in the Chicago area, and most recently demonstrating loudspeaker products in the region for another firm,” said Fuchs. “Joining the team at Ludwig Marketing is the best move I could make in the industry. Ludwig has built up one of the best linecards a pro-audio rep

Jenn Angkahan

A Rare Breed

Gibson Brands hired Mark Agnesi for the newly created position of director of brand experience. In this new role, Agnesi will take responsibility for reimagining and implementing creative ways of delivering the Gibson experience to the company’s extended fan base of guitar enthusiasts. Agnesi came to Gibson from Norman’s Rare Guitars. He joined the company in its Nashville-based headquarters and reports to Gibson’s chief merchant officer, Cesar Gueikian.

“I am excited to bring Mark on board at such a pivotal stage for Gibson,” said Gueikian. “He is the perfect fit to help us turn our vision into a reality and I can’t wait to see what Mark will bring to our team, our brands and our business.”

“Joining the most iconic guitar company in the world is the opportunity of a lifetime for me,” added Agnesi. “I have been playing, finding and selling Gibson guitars all my life, and now I get to join Gibson for real.”

“As we set the stage for the future, we need leaders who balance our iconic legacy with a creative lens on the future, and Mark is that guy,” said James “JC’ Curleigh, CEO of Gibson.

go play

outside

MAUI 5 GO ®

Combining outstanding sound quality and stunning compact design with the amazing versatility of battery-operated speakers, we’ve created an ultra-portable PA system for you: meet the MAUI 5 GO. Powered by a high-capacity Li-Ion battery, the MAUI 5

ULTRA-PORTABLE

GO allows you to play your music wherever you feel like. And thanks to the optional,

BATTERY-POWERED

quick-swappable battery packs, you can also play for as long as you like. Now nothing can

COLUMN PA SYSTEM

hold you back – so GO play outside!

DESIGNED & ENGINEERED

IN GERMANY

LD Systems® is a brand of

SOUND TECHNOLOGY

LIGHT

TECHNOLOGY

STAGE EQUIPMENT

GO PLAY OUTSIDE AT:

LD-SYSTEMS.COM/MAUI5GO

HARDWARE FOR FLIGHTCASES

share the experience at

adamhall.com

PRODUCT

z z u B Watch and Learn

Soundbrenner debuted the Core, a multi-purpose music tool featuring wearable technology.

It features a vibrating metronome, allowing musicians to actually feel the beat, replacing the intrusive audible “click” with vibrations seven times stronger than the average smartwatch, said the company. It can be used stand-alone or in synchronization with up to 10 devices worn by other musicians to keep the entire band in sync. A magnetic contact tuner attaches to any guitar, bass guitar, ukulele or violin. Thanks to its built-in piezo contact microphone, the Core is capable of detecting micro-vibrations from the strings and of providing accurate tuning, even in the noisiest environments, stated the company. Its decibel meter is designed to minimize the risk of hearing impairment that musicians are exposed to, stated the company. The device also serves as an everyday smartwatch.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: May Contact: Soundbrenner, soundbrenner.com

Travel in Style

Bootlegger Guitar introduced the Spade, a full 25.5-scale six-string guitar, and the Ace, a full 34-scale four-string bass guitar, which the company calls the next generation of headless electric guitars. The guitars are perhaps the lightest pro guitars on the market and are ergonomically designed for playing while sitting or standing, stated the company. Also known as traveler guitars, they come with a stiletto hard case that easily fits in airplane overhead compartments, stated the company.

End users can hook up their favorite mini amp like the Vox Ampplug.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Bootlegger Guitar, bootleggerguitar.com

Take a Stand

König & Meyer launched the Omega E keyboard stand. This electric-powered, height-adjustable keyboard stand offers comfort with quick and easy adjustments for an end user’s desired seated or standing height just a click away, stated the company. The keyboard stand is based on the Omega 18810, but with continuous height adjustment through its integrated electric motor that can be controlled by a smartphone. Using the memory setting (including display), three different heights can be preset. After the system is set up, all that is needed is a tap of the control unit, and the table assumes the pre-set height. The adjustable height is between 23.503 inches and 49.488 inches.

MAP: $1,359.99 Ship Date: Contact company Contact: König & Meyer, connollymusic.com

The Kyser® Low-Tension Quick-Change® Capo.

Optimal fit and less tuning for low-action guitars.

MADE IN THE USA Since 1980 www.kysermusical.com

20

APRIL 2019

STUDIO QUALITY SOUND ON LIVE STAGES

In the studio or on the stage, the award-winning Audix VX5 professional condenser microphone’s wide frequency range, excellent transient response, and smooth, accurate frequency response deliver a very clean, natural sound with exceptional clarity and detail. Durable, versatile, and affordable, the VX5 is adept at capturing both vocals and instruments.

“My impression is that its tonality sits midway between that of a good dynamic model and a studio capacitor mic…It sounded just the way I’d want a live mic to sound: full and balanced but very clear.”

— Paul White, Sound on Sound

AudixUSA.com | 800.966.8261

PRODUCT

z z u B

Taking Flight A Sound Investment

SoundTree, the Educational Division of Korg USA, Inc., introduced SoundKEY, an entry-level education keyboard designed for students of all musical abilities. SoundKEY fully connects to the Korg GEC Lab System with a single cable, a feature that allows a seamless setup for educators to easily and adequately design a firstrate learning lab for students, stated the company. The two together will enhance communication between the instructor and the class, providing an intimate group-learning experience for budding musicians, stated the company. The SoundKEY can also integrate with any MIDI-compatible apps and software programs with included USB cables, and it includes more than 20 embedded sounds such as pianos, violin and percussion for use without a device. SoundKEY comes equipped with a simple user interface and includes built-in stereo speakers for enhanced audio capabilities.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Spring 2019 Contact: Korg, korgusa.com

Odyssey Innovative Designs introduced the Flight Zone FZCHINTSD155W professional case, specifically designed to house and transport two Chauvet DJ Intimidator Spot Duo 155 compact LED moving heads. The professional case includes corner wheels, a pullout extendable handle, heavy-duty ball corners, recessed latches and spring-loaded handles.

MSRP: $599.99 Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Odyssey Innovative Designs, odysseygear.com

Get a GRIP Full Contact OUTput Jack

PTT5 Mono/Stereo Barrel

THAT STANDARD 1/4” GUITAR JACK IS NOW OBSOLETE! The Pure Tone jack features 100% greater surface area at all contact points creating a more stable connection for optimal signal and lowest possible noise. No more crackle caused by pressure grounds! The mono PTT1 1/4” jack contains dual tension grounds and dual positive tips, whereas the PTT2 stereo version boasts dual positive tips and opposing tensions on the jack ring and sleeve. New PTT5 long-threaded barrel jack design can be used in both mono and stereo applications.

PTT1 Mono

PTT2 Stereo

Music Nomad Equipment Care’s GRIP Puller features a patent-pending design that allows end users to easily pull bridge pins. Simply slide the GRIP Puller under the pin and pull straight up. Alternately, a rocking motion can be used to roll back and lift the pin. The ergonomic, rubber- lined comfort grip design has no moving parts and is a one-handed operation. Metal-free construction with a rubber exterior makes it safe on delicate wood, and all bridge pin types can be used on acoustic guitars.

MSRP: $7.99 to $8.99 Ship Date: Spring 2019 Contact: Music Nomad Equipment Care, musicnomadcare.com

puretonetechnologies.com

Pure Tone Technologies is exclusively distributed by AP International. For more info, visit apintl.com or call (732) 919-6200

22

APRIL 2019

MORE CAJON TONE

With an expanding line of innovative cajon models, Rhythm Tech continues to offer the products that make life better for drummers. The unique snare with on-and-off adjustment and integrated bass port deliver our next chapter of innovation. Partner with us to bring this next level of sonic control to drummers.

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM

A division of JAM Industries USA

Your Partner in Profit 855-417-8677 KMCMusic.com

PRODUCT

z z u B

Loud and Clear

IK Multimedia debuted the iLoud MTM, a compact, no-compromise reference monitor designed to deliver pristine sound and a high level of accuracy for near-field monitoring in modern, computer-based professional and home studios. According to the company, it challenged its design team to create a new compact design with a sound quality that would rival monitors several times the price and provide innovative features not found anywhere else. iLoud MTM offers an ultra-flat frequency response, but more importantly, a truly linear phase response as well, to provide natural, true-to-life sound.

RG50 0 0

SERIES

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: IK Multimedia, ikmultimedia.com

Attack!

RG 5 1 2 0 M

RG R5 2 2 7 MF X

Fishman® Fluence Modern Humbucker Pickups

Bare Knuckle Brute Force Pickups

Coil-tap Switch Fishman® Fluence Voice Changing Switch

The Newest Heavy Hitters from The brand-new RG5000 Prestige models have been loaded from top to bottom with a number of special features that truly represent a major step forward and a new evolution for the Prestige Series.

RG5 1 21

RGR 52 2 0M

24

STANDARD ON ALL RG5000 PRESTIGE • Stainless Steel Frets • Luminlay Side Dots • 5pc Maple/Wenge Neck

Electro-Harmonix unveiled the Attack Decay pedal, an updated version of the original with the addition of modern features for extra convenience and enhanced functionality, stated the company. Like the early version, Attack Decay produces volume and reverse swells, backward tape sounds, artificially short staccato notes and bowed instrument effects.

It can produce a single volume envelope like the original, or with its new Poly mode engaged, put separate volume envelopes on each note played.

The built-in Harmonix fuzz is now a fully controllable distortion with gain, tone and volume controls. The effects loop allows the musician or sound designer to place the volume envelope onto whatever signal is present at the Return jack.

Street Price: $125 Ship Date: Now Contact: Electro-Harmonix, ehx.com APRIL 2019

PRODUCT

z z u B

In High Definition

Peterson Strobe Tuners debuted the StroboStomp HD, which offers several heavily requested user features, such as a variable multi-color display, pop-less true-bypass function and buffered output mode. The multi-color display is LCD-based and LED-backlit. Users can select a variety of preset colors that will globally change the display color for unique viewing preferences, or if desired, users can also associate a color to any specific tuning preset for quick and confident identification at the gig. Configuration of custom colors can also be done using the Peterson Connect website app and by updating the StroboStomp HD via USB. Street Price: $129.99 Ship Date: This month Contact: Peterson Strobe Tuners, petersontuners.com

Yorkville Sound released EXM Mobile 12, a lightweight 12-inch battery-powered speaker with a one-inch horn driver. The product has three inputs and has up to six hours of battery performance at full power. The EXM Mobile 12 can be linked to multiple EXM Mobile and EXM Mobile 12 units with an XLR cable to run all speakers simultaneously. By using the link feature, all three inputs on each speaker are available to the user and can be summed together.

Equipped with Bluetooth technology, the EXM Mobile 12 allows the user to stream content from a mobile device.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Yorkville Sound, yorkville.com

Š 2019 PRS Guitars / Photos by Marc Quigley

Going Mobile

DISCOVER YOUR SOUND

PRS SE Acoustics are built from an array of beautiful, solid tonewoods and tonewood veneers, each with its own unique voice. Sharing the DNA of our Private Stock acoustics, PRS SE Series acoustic guitars come in either our Angelus Cutaway or Tonare Grand body shape and feature PRS hybrid X/Classical bracing, so you can choose just the right details to complete your sound and style. Go to your local PRS SE dealer to find the one that connects with you or visit www.prsguitars.com to hear more.

OVERALL GUITAR DOLLAR SALES ENJOY A MORE THAN 5-PERCENT YEAR-OVER-YEAR INCREASE, WITH MANUFACTURERS AFFIRMING 2018 WAS A GREAT YEAR.

ONE OF THE BEST YEARS EVER?

By Brian Berk

Protect your gear from harmful UV rays.

SILVER SIDE DEFLECTS SUN’S HEAT & UV RAYS

guitar

COVER

• Fits acoustic, electric & most bass guitars • Deflects sun’s heat and UV rays with either • Reversible...use silver or black side visible Water repellant • • Cover height: 43” REVERSIBLE: SILVER/BLACK

drum

COVER • Reversible...use with

either silver or black side visible • Weighted corners for stability and easy folding • Corner grommets for securing Drum Cover • Water repellant SILVER SIDE DEFLECTS SUN’S HEAT & UV RAYS

DEALER INQUIRIES Ph: 1.800.371.3509 • 316.684.2229 service@maloneystagegearcovers.com View our complete product line at maloneystagegearcovers.com

Last year, in our guitar industry update, we declared the “the slow, secret death of the six-string electric,” as alleged in a 2017 Washington Post story, was a bunch of hogwash. This year, not only is this electric guitar decline clearly in the rear-view mirror, but we are pleased to say that the guitar industry is “kicking rear ends and taking names.” According to MI SalesTrak, overall dollar sales of guitars, including basses, roared to an increase of 5.3 percent in 2018 compared to 2017. And this follows a 2.2-percent gain the guitar industry enjoyed when comparing 2017 to 2016.

Hence, these 2018 results represent two solid years of guitar sales gains, following 2016, when electric dollar sales finished the year down 0.3 percent vs. 2015, and acoustics dropped to the tune of 3.1 percent compared to the prior year.

In 2018, as the accompanying chart in this story shows (see page 30), electric guitars comprised 48 percent of guitar dollar share by type, with acoustic/electrics coming in at one-third of sales and acoustics making up 19 percent of sales.

“Guitars enjoyed robust sales growth throughout 2018,” Jim Hirschberg, president of MI SalesTrak, told the Music & Sound Retailer. “Electric guitars led the growth early in the year, with acoustics coming on strong later in the year. In total, dollar sales of new guitars (including basses) were up 5.3 percent vs. 2017.”

Looking at color trends for electric guitars, as the chart on page 32 shows, sunburst was the most popular choice early on in 2018, but black was the most popular color in April, and also during the allimportant holiday season of November and December. Red was the third-most-popular color, with blue finishing fourth.

“Black is back,” said Hirschberg. “Sunburst finishes were the most popular choice for electric guitars in 2017. But by November/December of 2018, black was again the most popular color.”

To get their take on guitar sales in 2018, as well as the early stages of 2019, we enlisted the help of several manufacturers.

Joining us are: Yoh Watanabe, director of marketing, Pro Music division, ‘Sales-wise, 2018 was Yamaha Corp. of America; the strongest year we Fred Poole, general manhave seen as a busiager, product developness. Yes, we were quite ment, Peavey Electronics; pleased.’

Ken Fuente, general — Jim Cullen, manager, North American PRS Guitars sales and business devel-

‘On the guitar amp front, the invective.120, designed in collaboration with Misha Mansoor, has been an amazing success.’

— Fred Poole, Peavey Electronics Peavey HP2

opment, Peavey Electronics; Tom Appleton, sales strategist, guitar and electronics for Hoshino USA; Jim Cullen, director of sales for PRS Guitars; Tammy Van Donk, executive vice president sales, Americas and EMEA, Fender Musical Products; Max Gutnik, vice president, Fender Electric Guitars, Basses and Amplifiers; and Billy Martinez, vice president, category manager, Acoustic and Squier Division for Fender Musical Instruments Corp. (Also, check our “Five Minutes With” interview with C.F. Martin’s Chris Martin IV in this issue on page 40.)

Let’s kick it off by seeing if manufacturers agreed with MI SalesTrak data that 2018 was quite strong regarding guitar sales. In one word, the answer is an emphatic “yes.”

“Yamaha guitar sales were strong in 2018, and we are thrilled with the results,” said Watanabe.

“Sales of our A Series acousticelectrics, as well as models featuring TransAcoustic technology, sold well during the holiday season. We’re riding the wave of enthusiasm for these products, and we anticipate that this will continue through 2019.”

“2018 was a great year with strong double-digit growth in electric guitar sales,” stated Van Donk. “Holiday 2018 was a record-breaking season for us across all categories and retail partners.”

“We had a very strong 2018,” MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

‘[NAMM] booth traffic seemed up from last year, driven by several exciting Peavey and Trace Elliot product launches.’

— Ken Fuente, Peavey Electronics

‘Signature products perform very well and are some of our most anticipated product launches each year.’

— Max Gutnik, Fender

Fender American Acoustasonic Telecaster

‘We will continue to pursue product innovation in all areas of the company, and we are excited to see the overwhelming positive and enthusiastic response to [the American Acoustasonic series].’

— Billy Martinez, Fender

‘2018 was a great year with strong double-digit growth in electric guitar sales. Holiday 2018 was a recordbreaking season for us across all categories and retail partners.’

— Tammy Van Donk, Fender

responded Appleton. “Starting in January, sales were through the roof and continued [to be] throughout the rest of the year.

Even the typical slow summer period saw us posting considerable increases. All indications pointed to a strong holiday season for our dealer base, as they were ready to bring in our new lineup as soon as it was released.”

“Our guitar sales were very good,” he added. “In fact, we saw double-digit increases, which is exceptional considering the growth we saw last year.”

“Sales-wise, 2018 was the strongest year we have seen as a business. Yes, we were quite pleased,” stated Cullen. “The holiday season was quite strong, but that came with a lot of work and help from our partners. We had some nice product releases in November, but we also had some hiccups with introducing a new ERP system in the beginning of the fourth quarter that slowed down the ship a bit. As failure was not an option, we put in a lot of additional hours to be able to just slightly exceed our goals for 2018. That could not have been done without the strong support of our retailers, distributors, field

reps, employees and customers.

Thank you for standing by us!”

Focusing on the types of guitars that sold best, electric guitars led the way, followed by basses and then finally acoustics, said Appleton. “It is hard to pinpoint exactly what is going on with the market. We’ve all read articles proclaiming that the electric guitar is dead, but I’ve always disagreed with that sentiment.

Electric guitarists by nature are collectors, and most own several — if not a dozen or more — instruments.

It is of my opinion that, during any economic downturn, you see less electric sales primarily because they are making do with what they have.

The economy has been steadily improving over the last eight years, and we are seeing consumer confidence once again at all-time highs. As long as the economy is strong, I have no reason to believe electric guitar sales will be slowing anytime soon.”

“We introduced the new John Mayer Signature model [the Silver Sky], so bolt-on/single-coil guitars were up for us,” answered Cullen.

“To be fair, this was essentially a new business/market segment for us, so while we certainly stirred the pot with this introduction, it has grown into a great success story. The MT 15 amplifier also did extremely well for us last year. Really, all categories saw growth, but those two products really stood out. On the acoustic side, we released a bunch of new colors and features on our SE Series Acoustics for 2019, and that has been going extremely well.”

“My guess is the attention we put into the details [is a big reason for success], which translates into the overall quality of the instruments,” he added. “I’ve said this same thing so many times, please excuse me if you’ve heard it before. We are focused on making great instruments, which in turn is building a strong brand, but we don’t really look at ourselves as a ‘brand’ first. It is important that we remember we are guitar makers as our footprint grows and strive for greatness our children’s children will enjoy.”

“Electric guitars continue to be our greatest growth category,” added Van Donk. “Our mid-year launch of the Player Series in June of last year has been a tremendous success and widely popular with consumers and dealers alike. The Players Series replaced the Standard Series and is the new foundational offering and first official step into Fender’s electric guitar product APRIL 2019

lines. Built for players who dream of taking their art to the next level, these guitars have a signature sound and classic look that only Fender’s iconic models can provide. We are still catching up with delivering post-holiday orders as this series played a big role during gift giving season. We also launched American Performer in December, pre-NAMM, to allow our retailer partners a new series to offer consumers during the prime holiday season. This series provides a great price point to consumers as they step into our American-made Corona line.”

She continued, “Our consumer marketing continues to be a strength for us. Add that to the success we are seeing with Fender Play, and we have many factors supporting our growth and the market overall. We believe Fender Play plays a strong role in our market and driving an increase in guitar sales. Our research shows once a player gets through the initial 90 days and through the abandonment phase when learning to play a guitar, they are a player for life.

Those then purchase up to 10 to 12 guitars in their lifetime.”

Stated Watanabe, “We seem to have hit a sweet spot by making high-end quality and unique features available within the $500 to $1,500 price range, especially for acoustic-electrics. The feedback we’re getting from our customers is that when they hear our A Series guitars and the models with TransAcoustic technology — especially when listening objectively against other brands’ products — they are pleasantly surprised by the benefits of Yamaha guitars.”

to our new production introductions. As a result, we left NAMM with record-breaking sales coming from all regions.”

As for products Fender launched at The NAMM Show, Martinez immediately pointed to the American Acoustasonic Series. “The American Acoustasonic Telecaster is an entirely new guitar that is appealing to both acoustic and electric players. Its versatility allows for multiple new sonic experiences in one guitar

that the market has never had available. We will continue to pursue product innovation in all areas of the company, and we are excited to see the overwhelming positive and enthusiastic response to this new guitar platform.”

“Booth traffic seemed up from last year, driven by several exciting Peavey and Trace Elliot product launches,” said Fuentes.

“In addition to Peavey dealers visiting our booth, our Crest Audio

division participated in the Loudspeaker ‘shootout’ [System Showcase]. This new event provided us an additional forum to showcase our products to dealers who might not otherwise visit our booth. Our new product launches were well received at both locations.”

Added Peavey’s Poole: “Playing on the success of the Trace Elliot ELF bass amplifier, which has been the best-selling bass head arguably in the industry, we launched two new Trace

NAMM-Tastic?

Of course, many of the products previously mentioned were released at The NAMM Show. We asked our panelists how the show went for them and to expand on products they launched.

“Our marketing and operations teams delivered a booth that once again exceeded our dealers’ expectations and set the stage for a great show,” answered Van Donk.

“We are continuing to set the bar high and deliver new experiences each year. Our artist relations team also secured numerous artists to perform throughout our time at NAMM as well, which added a new element, in addition MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

29

GUITARS - DOLLAR GUITARS - DOLLAR SHARE

BY TYPESHARE BY TYPE GUITARS - DOLLAR SHARE BY TYPE

‘Starting in January [2018], sales were through the roof and continued [to be] throughout the rest of the year. Even the typical slow summer period saw us posting considerable increases.’

— Tom Appleton, Hoshino USA

Elliot Combo bass amplifiers.

These bass amplifiers are not only among the smallest and most portable bass amps on the market; in the tradition of Trace Elliot, they sound amazing. It’s difficult to make a tiny bass amp sound like its larger counterparts, but the Trace Elliot Combos deliver. On the guitar amp front, the invective.120, designed in col-

Ibanez Axion Series RGA61AL

2017 2017

2017

2018 2018

2018

Electric 47.7% Electric 47.7%

Electric 47.7%

Electric 48.0% Electric 48.0%

Electric 48.0%

Acoustic 19.6% Acoustic 19.6%

Acoustic 19.6%

Acoustic 19.0% Acoustic 19.0%

Acoustic 19.0%

Acoustic/Elec 32.7% Acoustic/Elec 32.7%

Acoustic/Elec 32.7%

Acoustic/Elec 33.0% Acoustic/Elec 33.0%

Acoustic/Elec 33.0%

laboration with Misha Mansoor, has been an amazing success. In 2019, we launched the invective.

MH, a remarkable low-watt, portable version of its big brother.

Orders for the invective.MH have already exceeded expectations.

Always known for innovation in sound reinforcement, Peavey was proud to introduce the LN 1263 at NAMM. This extraordinary new portable column array provides guitar players, singer-songwriters, and all calibers of musicians a portable sound reinforcement solution that is more powerful and lighter in weight than its competitors. Complete with iOS Bluetooth streaming and control, this exciting product drew a lot of attention at NAMM.” “We had a fantastic NAMM,” responded Watanabe. “Yamaha launched the ‘Make Waves’ campaign at this year’s NAMM Show, and, as a company, we want to continue to empower our customers to Make Waves with their music and sound. Specific to guitars, we had more dealers and other visitors than we’ve had in the recent past, so we were happy to tell them about the innovative features and high quality of our guitar products.

It’s always great to see and hear people trying out our guitars and amps. We got a lot of compliments on our booth, especially related to the special listening space we set up so our visitors could try out our acoustic and TransAcoustic guitars for them-

selves and hear them clearly.

“The CG-TA and CSF-TA are definitely our most significant NAMM launches and are likely to get the most love as they expand our TransAcoustic technology into classical and parlor guitars,” he added. “In addition, the limitededition Revstar electric guitars are really exciting for us as they expand upon the foundation that the existing line established. They give players even more options for producing unique tones, and frankly, they just look cool.” “[We were] quite pleased with the traffic,” said Cullen. “We’re definitely going to need a bigger ‘boat!’

Because the show is turning more and more into an end-consumer event, it changes how we present ourselves a bit. Most retailers are only there Thursday to Saturday, so we closed the booth from 9:30 to 11:30 each morning to try to cater to them. When the booth was open to everyone, it was so full, it was almost hard to do business.”

Regarding PRS product launches at The NAMM Show, Cullen said, “Looking back, in 2018, we launched the Silver Sky, which basically opened up new business opportunity for us. That same year, we introduced the MT 15 amplifier. These signature products were both huge success stories for us. This year, we announced an updated Core Paul’s Guitar and also an SE version of this model for the first time. To have our namesake be a guitar player who is still heavily invested in the day-to-day APRIL 2019

business is rare and something we are very grateful for. It’s great to have his signature model available in a wide range of prices.

What better way to get to know our company than by playing the man’s signature guitar? We also introduced a new SE model with Carlos Santana, who played a huge role in starting our company.

We were very proud to have him at our press conference this year speaking to about why he chooses to work with Paul and PRS. Looking forward, our 35th anniversary is coming up in 2020, which is a great opportunity to show the world even more creative diversity of our product offerings.”

“Attendance for us was up slightly over last year, and the booth was very busy,” answered Appleton. “It is always a pleasure getting to see all our friends in the industry, and this year was no exception. We introduced so many new products that it is always hard to narrow down what are the most important launches.

In our electric line, we introduced the Axion Label series. Axion Label, like our Iron Label series is geared toward the progressive metal player but offers even more features. We currently have three different body styles (RGA, RGD and S Series), and all come with either Macassar ebony or Birdseye maple fretboards, sub-zero treated frets, branded pickups (Fishman Fluence, Bareknuckle Aftermath or DiMarzio Fusion Edge), Schaller strap locks, Gotoh MG-T locking tuners.

Luminescent side dot inlays and a five-piece Panga Panga/Walnut Nitro Wizard neck.

“In basses, we’re pretty excited about the SR Mezzo series,” he continued. “Based on our fast and easy to play Soundgear series, the SR Mezzos feature 32-inch medium-scale necks which are very well suited to those with smaller hands. The SR Mezzo is available in several attractive finishes and has been very well received by the market thus far. As far as acoustics are concerned, we just released a new electric-acoustic subset of our Artwood line designed with a minimalist approach. There are three models in the new Artwood Unbound line, a Grand Concert, a Dreadnought and a 12-string Dreadnought. They all feature a polished forearm contour for MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

extreme comfort, an open-pore natural finish, solid spruce tops and bone nut and saddle. With its open-pore finish and laser-engraved rosette, and lack of body binding, there’s nothing to tame the natural vibration of the wood, and the tone is incomparable.

These guitars really sing.”

Signature series models have also been an important part of manufacturers’ repertoires. We asked our panelists the importance of such models for their

companies.

“We have a long history of signature models going back over 40 years,” answered Appleton.

“This year, we’ve introduced almost a dozen new signature models. There have been several additions to the AZ line with signature models from Andy Timmons, Marco Sfogli, and new signature artists Tim Henson and Scott LePage of Polyphia, along with Mario Camarena and Erick Hansel of Chon. We also

added new premium models for Steve Vai and Jake Bowen. Luke Hoskin of Protest the Hero just got his first signature model with us and Joe Satriani’s Chrome Boy has entered our regular lineup.

At this point, it’s hard to say how well they’re doing, but the initial reactions from our dealers and consumers has been very good.

I would like to mention that in 2018, we introduced the Nita Strauss model, which has done very well.”

We Manufacture Cases That Fit Pioneer • Numark • Denon • Roland • Yahama • Akai • Allen & Heath • MIDAS • Behringer • PreSonus & More

DJ Cases & Mixer Console Cases Mobile DJ & Console Cases w/ Wheels

Includes Doghouse for Cables

Sliding Latop Shelf

1U Rack Space Includes: Easy mountable Brackets

XS-DDJSXWLT

Fits Pioneer™ DDJ-SX3, SX2, SX

Low Pro Wheels

XS-DDJ1000WLT

XS-AHSQ6DHW

Fits Pioneer™ DDJ-1000 DJ Controller

Fits Allen & Heath™ SQ5 / SQ6

Utility Cases

Incudes ( 1) Large (2) Small Road Cases

Utility Trunk ATA Style Cases XS-UTL4

Int. Dim: 21"l x 21"w x 21.5"h

XS-UTL9

XS-UTL10

Int. Dim: 18.5"l x 18.5 w x 13.5" h

ProX® Truss F34 Universal Square Truss

XT-BPF3030A-BG Foldable Baseplate

F34

Square Truss

XT-JB6W-2W XT-JB6W-4W-BLK

2 way / 6 Way F34 Corner Block

Become a dealer today!

XS-UTL3PKG

Int. Dim: 45.5"l x 14.5"w 13"h

NEW Powder Coated Black

Int. Dim: Sm: 21"l x 21"w x 21.5"h Lrg: 24"l x 43.9"w x 21.5"h

XT-STAR1082 (10 pcs) Truss Star Sections

XT-CH984-4X90

(4) 90˚ Truss Circle Sections

Manufacturing Cases Since 1984 www.proxdirect.com

@proxcases

MI SalesTrak

Decemb Ele Decemb Color Trend Electric Electric GuitarsGuitars Dec

Signature models have been fantastic sellers for PRS, noted 100%Cullen.

Color Trend Color Trend - Unit Share - Unit Share White “We are proud of our alignment 90% 100% Sunburs with these artists, and I think that December December 2018 2018 Red White 80% 90% Other shows in the products we collaboSunburs Orange Red 70% 80% rate on.” He added that end-user Natural 100% Other Green 60% excitement has been strong Orange 70% for 90% Gray/Sil Natural 100% 100% such products. “I think the artist 50% Gold Green 60% White White 80% 90% 90% Burgund alignment adds another layer of Gray/Sil Sunburst Sunburst 40% Red Red Brown 50% 80% 80% Gold 70% validity to the products that people Other Other Blue Burgund Orange Orange 70% 70% 30% 40% Blonde Natural Natural can really connect with.”

60% Brown Green Green 60% 60% Black Blue 20% Gray/Silver Gray/Silver “Our invective.120 amplifier 30% 50% Amber 50% 50% Blonde Gold Gold Burgundy Burgundy designed with Misha Mansoor Black 10% 40% 40% 20% 40% Brown Brown Amber Blue Blue has been an incredible hit,” 30% 30% 0% Blonde Blonde 30% 10% Black Black stated Poole, “so much so that we 20% 20% Dec '17 Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec '18 Amber Amber 20% 10% 10% launched a mini version of0% that Dec '17 Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec '18 0% 0% 10% head this year at NAMM. Unlike Dec '17 Jan Dec '17 Feb Jan Mar Feb Apr Mar May Apr JuneMay JulyJune Aug July Sept Aug Oct Sept Nov Oct Dec '18 Nov Dec '18 0% some of our other traditional highDec '17 Jan Feb Mar Apr May June JuneJuly July Aug Aug SeptSept OctOct Nov Dec '17 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Nov Dec Dec'18 '18 gain amps, this amp has much Amber 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.1 1.0 1.2 0.8 0.5 0.8 1.2 1.1 1.0 broader appeal due to its clean and '17 Jan 20.0 Dec '17 Feb Jan Mar Feb Apr AprJune May19.4 July JuneAug19.1 JulySept Aug Oct SeptNov Nov Dec 21.0 '18 Black 20.3 19.1 19.3 20.5 18.4 18.7OctDec '1819.6 22.2 Dec '17 Dec Jan Feb Mar AprMarMay 19.2 May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec '18 Amber Amber 1.1 1.3 3.8 1.1 1.3 1.33.6 1.6 1.3 1.14.11.6 1.0 3.3 1.1 1.2 1.0 3.5 0.8 1.2 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.5 1.2 0.8 1.1 1.2 1.0 1.1 1.03.8 Blonde 2.9 4.0 4.2 3.4 3.1 Amber 1.1 1.3 1.6 1.119.319.2 20.5 1.019.4 19.219.1 1.2 19.418.44.3 0.8 0.5 0.8 19.622.2 3.7 1.2 1.0 Black Black 20.3 19.1 1.3 20.320.0 19.1 19.3 20.020.5 19.118.7 18.4 19.6 18.721.0 21.0 22.21.1 tight settings, opening up a wide Blue 10.2 10.1 8.8 10.4 9.8 11.3 10.4 9.8 Blonde Blonde 2.9 4.0 10.1 2.9 3.8 4.0 3.6 3.8 4.1 4.1 3.5 3.310.8 4.3 3.5 4.211.7 4.3 3.4 4.2 3.7 3.4 3.8 3.8 3.110.1 Black 20.3 19.1 20.0 19.3 20.53.6 3.3 19.2 19.4 19.1 18.4 18.73.7 3.1 10.0 19.6 21.0 22.2 Blue2.5 10.2 Blue 10.1 3.1 10.210.1 10.1 8.8 10.110.4 11.710.4 11.3 10.0 10.410.1 10.0 9.8 2.8 10.1 9.81.8 Brown 2.1 2.7 2.78.8 9.8 10.4 2.510.8 9.8 11.7 2.5 10.811.32.6 2.8 2.8 2.0 Electric Guitars range of potential customers.”

Blonde 2.9 4.0 4.2 3.4 2.8 3.1Nov Dec '17 Feb Mar 3.3 May Aug Dec '18 Brown Brown 2.5 2.1 3.8 2.5 3.1 Jan 2.13.6 2.7 3.1 2.74.12.7 2.5 2.7 2.5 Apr 2.5 3.5 2.6 2.5 2.8 4.3 2.6 June 2.8 2.8 2.8 July 2.8 1.8 2.0 3.7 1.8Sept 2.03.8Oct Burgundy 0.9 1.1 0.9 1.3 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.7 1.5 1.3 1.0 Burgundy Burgundy 0.9 1.1 10.1 0.9 0.9 1.18.8 1.3 0.9 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.610.8 1.2 1.2 1.411.7 1.2 1.7 1.4 1.5 1.7 1.3 1.0 10.0 1.3 1.010.1 Blue 10.2 10.1 10.41.3 1.6 9.8 11.3 10.41.5 9.81.1 Amber 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.1 1.0 1.2 0.8 0.5 0.8 1.2 1.0 “For Yamaha, these are preGold 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.0 Gold1.7 Gold 1.7 1.7 1.1 1.7 1.1 1.71.5 1.5 1.1 1.41.41.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.8 1.5 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.4 1.5 1.0 1.5 1.4 1.01.4 Brown 2.5 2.1 3.1 2.7 2.7 19.32.5 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.8 1.8 2.021.0 Black Gray/Silver 20.3 20.0 19.2 18.4 22.2 Gray/Silver 2.2 2.5 2.2 2.7 19.1 2.52.8 2.8 2.7 2.72.72.8 3.1 2.7 2.8 20.5 3.1 2.8 3.1 2.8 2.8 3.1 3.1 19.4 2.6 2.8 2.919.1 2.6 2.3 2.5 2.9 2.3 18.7 2.52.319.6 Gray/Silver 2.2 2.5 2.7 3.1 2.8 2.6 2.5 Burgundy 0.9 1.1 0.9 1.3 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.7 1.5 1.3 1.0 Color Trend Unit Share GreenBlonde Green 4.1 5.4 4.1 4.3 4.0 5.4 4.6 4.33.8 5.2 4.6 4.4 5.2 5.0 4.1 4.4 5.9 5.0 5.9 5.5 5.0 4.3 5.5 5.1 5.0 5.1 3.4 4.8 2.94.3 3.6 4.4 3.35.5 5.9 3.5 5.5 4.24.8 5.0 3.7 3.8 3.1 mium models, and they have a Green 4.1 5.4 5.5 5.5 4.8 Natural 4.0 5.2 4.0 5.2 10.1 5.24.6 4.7 5.2 4.05.2 4.0 3.6 10.4 4.6 5.0 3.9 3.6 3.9 10.8 4.9 4.5 4.611.7 4.9 4.6 3.3 1.5 4.6 10.4 3.35.1 Gold 1.7Blue Natural 1.7 1.1 1.5 1.44.7 4.6 1.8 1.6 1.7 4.6 1.410.0 1.010.1 10.2 10.1 8.8 1.5 9.84.5 1.8 11.3 9.8 Orange Orange 1.1 1.4 5.2 1.1 1.7 1.44.7 1.4 1.7 1.44.01.4 1.1 4.6 1.4 1.3 1.1 3.6 1.3 1.3 1.6 3.9 1.3 1.1 1.6 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.1 4.6 1.3 1.14.6 Natural 4.0 5.2 4.5 4.9 3.3 prestigious place in the market,” Gray/Silver 2.2 2.5 2.8 2.75.5 5.0 2.8 2.8 2.6 1.2 2.51.8 Brown Other 2.52.7 2.1 3.1 2.7 3.1 2.7 2.53.9 3.1 2.5 3.9 2.6 2.85.2 2.9 2.8 5.22.3 2.8 2.0 Other 5.9 4.3 5.9 4.7 4.3 5.5 4.7 4.8 4.8 4.7 5.0 3.9 4.7 3.9 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.5 4.2 4.5 Orange 1.1 1.4 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.1 Green 4.1 5.4 4.6 5.210.611.8 4.412.3 1.6 5.0 12.3 5.5 5.5 10.8 4.81.3 Red Red 10.5 12.310.7 1.1 10.5 10.6 10.7 11.2 11.811.1 12.35.9 11.111.4 10.8 1.2 11.412.7 13.8 5.0 12.7 1.7 13.85.1 1.5 Burgundy 12.3 0.94.3 0.9 1.3 11.2 1.6 1.2 12.3 1.4 1.0 December 2018 said Watanabe. “We have sevOther 5.9 4.3 4.7 5.5 4.8 5.0 4.7 3.9 3.9 4.2 4.2 4.5 5.2 Sunburst Sunburst 23.1 21.7 23.1 21.3 21.7 21.2 21.3 20.2 21.2 21.1 20.2 21.1 21.1 20.5 21.1 19.8 20.5 22.4 19.8 21.7 22.4 20.8 21.7 21.4 20.8 21.4 Natural 4.0Gold 5.2 4.6 1.7 4.6 1.5 3.31.4 1.75.2 1.74.7 1.1 4.0 1.5 4.6 1.4 3.6 1.5 3.9 1.8 4.5 1.8 4.9 1.6 1.0 White White 7.7 9.6 10.7 7.7 9.2 9.6 10.4 9.2 8.8 10.410.0 11.8 8.8 8.8 10.012.3 8.8 8.8 9.311.1 8.8 8.4 9.3 9.2 8.4 8.2 9.2 7.8 10.8 8.2 7.812.7 Red 12.3 10.5 10.6 11.2 12.3 11.4 13.8 Gray/Silver 2.2 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.7 3.1 2.8 3.1 2.8 2.6 2.9 2.3 2.5 Orange 1.1 1.4 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.1 eral signature series guitars and Sunburst 23.1 21.3 21.4 Green 21.7 4.1 5.421.2 4.320.2 4.621.1 4.8 Other 5.9 4.3 4.7 5.5 4.8 5.0 5.2 21.1 4.7 4.4 20.5 3.9 5.0 19.8 3.9 5.9 22.4 4.2 5.5 21.7 4.2 5.5 20.8 4.5 5.0 5.25.1 White 7.7 9.6 9.2 10.4 8.8 10.0 8.8 8.8 9.3 8.4 9.2 8.2 7.8 Natural 10.5 4.0 5.210.6 5.211.2 4.711.8 4.0 12.3 4.6 11.1 3.6 12.3 3.9 11.4 4.5 10.8 4.9 12.74.6 3.3 basses in our lineup, and they Red 12.3 10.7 13.84.6 Copyright © 2019 Copyright Marketing © 2019 Information Marketing Services, Information Inc. All Services, Rights Reserved.

Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Orange 1.1 1.4 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.1 Sunburst 23.1 21.7 21.3 21.2 20.2 21.1 21.1 20.5 19.8 22.4 21.7 20.8 21.4 certainly solidify our position Other 5.99.2 4.310.4 4.7 8.8 5.510.0 4.8 8.8 5.0 8.8 4.7 9.3 3.9 8.4 3.9 5.2 White 7.7 9.6 9.2 4.2 8.2 4.2 7.84.5 Red 12.3 10.5 10.7 10.6 11.2 11.8 12.3 11.1 12.3 11.4 10.8 12.7 13.8 as a guitar brand that incredibly Sunburst Copyright 23.1 21.7 21.3 21.2 20.2 21.1 21.1 20.5 19.8 22.4 21.7 20.8 21.4 © 2019 Marketing Information Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

White 7.7 9.6 9.2 10.4 8.8 10.0 8.8 8.8 9.3 8.4 9.2 8.2 7.8 talented players have confidence White Copyright © 2019 Marketing Information Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved. in and want to be associated with.

Sunburst the two longest-running signanot possible without all the support Red Whenever we produce one, it Copyright © 2019 Marketing Information Services, Inc. Rights Reserved. ture guitars in the lineup.

Other weAllreceive,” said Cullen. “The year Other Orange generates a lot of interest.” popular signature artists over is looking to be another strong Natural “Signature products perform the years have been Jeff Beck, one for us as we ramp toward our Green Gray/Silver very well and are some of our The Edge, Stevie Ray Vaughn, 35th anniversary. We have sevGold most anticipated product launches Burgundy Jimi Hendrix, Eric Johnson, eral launches teed up throughout Brown each year,” noted Fender’s Gutnik.

Brad Paisley, Ed O’Brien, Flea the year spanning over multiple Blue “Eric Clapton had the first Fender Blonde and even our youngest signature categories. Typically, we have Black signature Stratocaster, followed artist in Fender history, Grace more ideas than capacity to bring Amber

by Yngwie Malmsteen, which are VanderWaal, among many more. them to market, which has forced Our most current signature, the a much-needed discipline within Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec '18 Jimmy Page Telecaster, has a these walls.” great story behind it, from the “We are on track to have Yardbirds with Jeff Beck, to an outstanding 2019,” added Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelin and Peavey’s Fuentes. “Proactive y June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec '18 0 1.2 0.8 0.5 0.8 1.2 1.1 1.0 classics like ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ customers seem to be optimistic, 2 19.4 19.1 18.4 18.7 19.6 21.0 22.2 When you have a historic guitar, and we intend to work with those 3 3.5 4.3 4.2 3.4 3.7 3.8 3.1 8 10.8 11.7 11.3 10.4 10.0 10.1 9.8 like Jimmy’s Telecaster, or accounts to maximize our mutual 5 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.8 1.8 2.0 6 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.7 1.5 1.3 1.0 Clapton’s Blackie, customers love business.”

5 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.0 1 2.8 3.1 2.8 2.6 2.9 2.3 2.5 to get their hands on it, capture “It’s a little early to say objec4 5.0 5.9 5.5 5.5 5.0 5.1 4.8 some of their favorite artist’s 6 3.6 3.9 4.5 4.9 4.6 4.6 3.3 tively how pleased we are with 1 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.1 mojo or just thrill in the chase sales thus far this year,” noted 0 4.7 3.9 3.9 4.2 4.2 4.5 5.2 8 12.3 11.1 12.3 11.4 10.8 12.7 13.8 for great tones.

Each signature Watanabe. “However, having just 1 21.1 20.5 19.8 22.4 21.7 20.8 21.4 0 8.8 8.8 9.3 8.4 9.2 8.2 7.8 guitar is a milestone in the hisannounced two new models with tory of guitar music, whether TransAcoustic technology — the it’s a guitar, bass or amp.

The CG-TA and CSF-TA models — we Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved. signature is relevant because the have ever y reason to expect our artist has contributed something previous success to continue. special, and we love being a small Based on the feedback we’ve part in celebrating that.” received from our dealer network, we’re well positioned for the future.”

Strong 2019 “We’ve been happy with the Also positive for the industry results thus far,” said Appleton. are 2019 sales.

Respondents were The original active accessory. emgpickups.com “Being this early in the year, it is quite positive about sales thus far still hard to tell how the rest of the this year. year will shake out. January, how“Yes, quite pleased. Again, it’s COPYRIGHT © 2019 EMG INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

MI SalesTrak MI SalesTrak

SOLDERLESS SOLDERLESS SOLDERLESS

32

APRIL 2019

‘We had a fantastic NAMM. Yamaha launched the “Make Waves” campaign at this year’s NAMM Show, and, as a company, we want to continue to empower our customers to Make Waves with their music and sound.’

— Yoh Watanabe, Yamaha

Yamaha TransAcoustic Classical

ever, was much stronger than last year, and incoming orders have been great, so we are well poised for another year of tremendous success.”

“We expect to see double-digit growth again in 2019,” stated Van Donk. “With the lineup of new products we presented during The NAMM Show this past January, and more on the way midyear, we are hopeful for another record-breaking year.”

Keeping on the 2019 theme, we asked our respondents what we may see from their companies the rest of this year.

“It’s fair to say that NAMM was just the beginning this year for Yamaha Guitars. We will have more products to announce as the year progresses and we will be active at several events,” responded Watanabe.

Said Poole: “Continuing our dealer education will be high on our agenda this year. It’s important to Peavey to make sure our dealers have the information and education they need to be successful selling Peavey products.

In addition to our seminars in Meridian, Miss., Peavey has plans to take the show on the road to our dealers and will continue to increase our commitment to educating our customers.”

“As you are probably aware, our merchandizers and designers

never rest, and in my opinion, they are the best in the business,” noted Appleton. “There is sure to be a bounty of exciting new releases coming.

However, I am not at liberty to discuss any of these new releases at this time.”

“We are continuing to have a strong focus in

our electrics category, adding a few limited-edition roll outs with the Alternate Reality and Rarities collections,” said Van Donk. “We also have six new effects pedals and numerous amplifiers launching as we continue to expand the Fender signal chain. Lastly, keep an eye out for more news on the digital front.”

And responded Cullen: “Our goal is to continue the vertical integration of our products; growing our strongest product families

through new price points with a focus on the best quality, period.

As for events, our Experience PRS event is every other year now, so we look forward to hosting that in 2020. This year, we’ll be out with ‘The Music Experience’ at a good amount of festivals. We also have a slew of dealer events and some regional shows we are attending, all of which can be found on the event page of our website.”

As awesome as many of these products are, MI retailers still

need to sell them effectively. We asked our panelists to provide their best retail sales advice.

“There are unlimited resources for product information, and today’s consumers are better educated about products than ever before,” answered Fuentes.

“Retailers and their salespeople must be able to speak honestly and skillfully when communicating with them. Peavey Electronics is coming up on our 54th anniversary, still owned by Hartley

Peavey. We continue to come out with the most innovative products on the market. Take the time to make sure you understand the breadth of our offering so you will be able to inform your customers about our products and how they compare to the competition.”

“I strongly encourage our retail partners to take advantage of Fender Academy, our online training tool geared toward educating retail associates around new products arriving in store,” advised Van Donk.

Fine tune your equipment with the best matching available.

“Our data shows retailers encouraging active participation in Fender Academy are showing higher growth than retailers who do not. It makes sense to have a highly informed sales staff who understands the selling points of our brand.”

“We have probably the most breadth and depth of any MI company in the market right now,” stated Appleton. “We have something for everyone, and we also have many products that are designed for specific jobs which can’t necessarily be found in other brands.

Guitars, whether they are electric, bass or acoustic, are essentially tools for musicians. We make the proper tools for the proper job at all levels of musicianship, from the beginner to the professional.”

“Education!” Cullen exclaimed.

“Education equates to confidence, which leads to an increase in turn.

Sales is the transference of enthusiasm. Confidence makes it easier to be enthusiastic.”

“Yamaha emphasizes sound quality, so your customers need an opportunity to play and hear our guitars to truly be able to experience the fundamental differentiating value,” said Watanabe. “Let them plug in, especially our acousticelectric models, so that they can hear the full range of benefits they get from Yamaha guitars.”

Industry Update

ApexMatching.com

To wrap up our guitar feature, we asked our respondents to glance outside of their companies.

Are they optimistic about the overall guitar industry today?

“Absolutely optimistic! There has been a whole lot of chatter around the guitar dying by some people, but we have not seen it,” asserted Cullen. “We have seen significant growth during the last two years, and it looks like we are poised to make that happen again in 2019.

The challenge is to keep PRS ‘front of mind’ through everything. We need to answer the ‘Why PRS?’ question without anyone asking us. As I said earlier, education on what makes us different or unique combined with good-old-fashioned high-quality guitar building is paramount. People buy with their eyes first. If the guitar looks cool, you’ll want to pick it up. Then they buy with their hands. If the neck feels great and it balances well, you’ll want to plug it in. Then they buy with their ears. If it sounds great, you just bought yourself another APRIL 2019

guitar, in theory anyway. Point being, if we can hit those three senses, hopefully observations on attention to detail follow, and we have the opportunity to develop a lifelong customer.”

“We’re in an interesting place,” said Watanabe. “Data seems to indicate that the industry is growing slowly overall. Without delving deep into the underlying implications, it appears that the industry needs to make a concerted effort to engage new players. While this is nothing new, the data suggests that there hasn’t been much traction in this area. Given that most people in the guitar industry are aware of the situation, there is reason to be cautiously optimistic that breakthroughs are possible.”

“People have lamented the lack of guitar heroes for years, but I’m not seeing any shortage of kids that want to play,” responded Appleton. “Music school franchises are cropping up everywhere, and I know that many of our dealers also have robust lesson programs. As I stated earlier, I think the slump we faced after the 2008 financial crash was more about economics than interest in music. As long as the economy is on the right track, I don’t think we’ll be seeing a major shift anytime soon. I am optimistic we’ll have another great year in 2019.”

“Our industry is growing. I am extremely optimistic,” said Van Donk. “Music consumption from live music to digital streaming is at an all-time high.

Live Nation recently reported that last year alone 100 million fans attended a live music event.

In terms of Fender, we are doing a good job at being a contemporary provider of product and a contemporary marketing partner as well. We have stepped up our game in terms of marketing investment, dealer focus, and more to appeal to expanded audiences, genres and more female artists, which has been paying off.”

Before we go, we asked our panelists if they had any parting notes. Here is what they said.

“Passion. Passion is a part of our moral fiber at PRS, and the crew here is passionate about making the best products [guitars, amps and accessories] we can,” stated Cullen. “We try

hard, and we [make sure] we’re doing our absolute best and continually asking ourselves how we can make it better than it is right now. It’s a blessing and curse, but it’s what we do. We are a group of guitar builders, and our focus is making magical instruments to inspire and create with. We obviously focus on other things to keep the business running, but at the heart, it is making heirloomquality instruments. That mantra runs deep in our veins and into

all of our products from Private Stock on down.”

“Our commitment to providing innovative, quality products from analog to digital is expanding by the day,” said Van Donk. “We are always looking to set new standards of excellence across the brand and are grateful to have such strong dealer partners as we go through this journey.”

“We look forward to having a great year and we thank everyone for their support,” responded

Watanabe.

Concluded Fuentes: “The industry is counting on you. Stay relevant. Develop your niche.

Focus! Know what you do best and hone it. Be mindful and see to it every one of your customers is taken care of. Owners/managers: lead by great example. Rediscover the affection that brought you into the business to begin with.

Lastly, in today’s retail environment, our customers have options.

Make sure you are option No. 1!”

THE WORLD’S BEST-SELLING ACOUSTIC AMP. NOW WITH BLUETOOTH® CONNECTIVITY. The Loudbox Mini is designed to faithfully reproduce the sound of acoustic instruments.

With Bluetooth®, you can now easily add backing tracks or other accompaniment to your performances.

CONNECTIVITY

S PEC I AL T O THE R ETAIL ER

MAKING MUSIC A LIFELONG ACTIVITY

By Danny Shatzkes

If you’ve ever asked anyone who works professionally in music how they feel about their job, you’ve likely heard something to the effect of, “I’m so lucky. I get to do what I love every day!” The same goes for those weekend warriors who will work all week and then gig all weekend instead of taking their hard-earned rest. Why? Simple: They love it.

And we’re all familiar with the kids and teens (and sometimes adults!) who can spend hours of their free time sitting in their local music store noodling on any and every instrument they can get their hands on. The reason? You guessed it. It’s the same reason each time. It’s that indescribable love — that emotional connection — that attracts them to music as strongly as gravity keeps us grounded.

It’s this same love that drives the MI industry and all of the businesses therein. This force is what brings people into stores and compels them to buy, collect, play, trade and sell instruments and gear. It is the lifeblood of the industry.

Industry stakeholders vastly agree that one of the main goals of the industry as a whole is to create, foster and develop these lifelong music makers in order to continue to allow the industry to thrive. However, buried within that statement, there is a key component that has been largely ignored, yet should be a vital element in today’s world.

And it’s one that, if given some attention, can help give MI retailers an additional leg up on getting customers to continue to patronize their stores and lesson programs. It asks not how we can create more lifelong music makers, but rather, how can we help music makers continue to do what they love for longer? How do we actually facilitate music making as a literal lifelong activity? This key component? Health and safety within music (which includes playing, performance and production). And it’s about time that it be recognized as something vital to the continued growth of the MI industry.

Let’s be honest: Health and safety is not a sexy topic. Pairing it with an industry like music might seem like pairing peanut butter and tuna fish. However, as I said earlier, our customers do what they do because they love it. Whether it’s for work or pleasure, if we can help them do it continuously 36

It

asks

not

create

how

we

can

more lifelong music

makers, but rather, how can we help music makers continue to do what they love for

longer ?

throughout their lives (outside of just supplying them with products and instruction), then we are providing them with an invaluable service — one that is good for business and the industry overall. So, while not necessarily sexy, it should be taken seriously. The longer your customers are able to play and participate in music making, the longer your business can continue to serve and sell to those customers, adding dollars and cents to your bottom line. And isn’t that the goal?

So, there are two questions that I’m sure you’re wondering about: What kind of health and safety issues need to be addressed, and how is a music retailer equipped to address them? These are loaded questions. Let’s tackle the latter first.

There’s a good chance that you, your staff and your lessons program teachers are already addressing health and safety issues during the course of the day without even realizing it. While these sometimes may seem like minor details, approaching them with emphasis on the customers’ health will communicate a sense of concern for their well-being. This kind of personal attention is what will keep your customers coming back to the store. Allow me to give an example from my own experience that, while seem-

ingly trivial, illustrates the point perfectly.

I teach many students on numerous instruments. When I teach beginner guitar students, they often hold their pick the wrong way. They usually don’t understand, or frankly, don’t care why it matters how it’s held. The easiest thing to do is show these students the right way to hold the pick, mention that it will allow them to play more advanced techniques in the future and leave it at that. I don’t leave it at that. I APRIL 2019

tell these students that, while it might seem insignificant in the beginning, bad technique will lead to fatigue, discomfort and even pain in the wrist. This will hamper their ability to play and may even cause them to stop playing altogether — all of this from the way the pick is held. I then ask my students with a chuckle, “Is your ultimate goal to stop playing guitar?”

The response is the obvious “No,” but more importantly, the lesson is well learned, and my students understand that I care deeply about their well-being and their ability to play long into the future.

This example is something that you and your staff can implement immediately, not only in the lesson room but right on the sales floor. If you see a kid trying out a guitar and he/she happens to be holding the pick the wrong way, take a minute to show him/ her the right way and explain why it matters. It’s likely that there’s a parent standing nearby (who also happens to be the one with the wallet) who will appreciate the extra

care and attention you gave his or her child.

As we all know, these seemingly inconsequential and costless moments often lead to making a sale, creating new customers and keeping existing ones.

This guitar pick example falls under the category of ergonomics, which is most certainly a sub-category of health and safety.

There are many similar examples that you can address in your store where this approach can be applied.

Remember, as a retailer, you want your customers to know that you provide them with the right products, an excellent staff with great service and first-rate customer support. This is the minimum expected these days in order to succeed and compete with other retailers, and in particular, online outfits. In order to stand out, you need to go the extra mile. In this case, the extra mile can cost you nothing and be priceless to your customers. You are helping them do what they love longer.

Health and safety in music is a vast subject and it cannot be addressed entirely in just one article. My goal here is simply to create awareness.

In my next article, I’ll start getting into the nitty-gritty of what areas of music can be looked at through the lens of health and safety and how we can better our customers’ experiences by giving them the attention they deserve.

Danny Shatzkes is the CEO of Gig Gear, a manufacturer of accessory products designed to make the jobs of music and production professionals easier, safer and more efficient.

He is also the president of Harmony Studios Inc., a music and audio production company offering studio, live and installation and integration services. Shatzkes is also a New York State EMT and has been volunteering in his community in New York City for more than 17 years. He can be reached at danny@ gig-gear.com.

WE TAKE PRIDE IN OUR DIVERSE LINE OF UKULELE. THE WOODS WE CHOOSE ARE NOT ONLY BEAUTIFUL, BUT THEY HELP TO CREATE THE PERFECT TONE. FROM PACIFIC WALNUT TO ZIRICOTE, EVERY ASPECT IS METICULOUSLY DESIGNED TO LOOK, FEEL AND SOUND AMAZING. KALABRAND.COM

FRO NT AND CE NTER

APRIL SAMUELS

Founder of Breast Cancer Can Stick It!

By Leslie Buttonow Editor’s Note: “Front and Center” is brought to you by the Women’s International Music Network (The WiMN). The interviews showcase accomplished women who work in the music and audio industries, spotlighting successful female performers, manufacturers, retailers, educators, managers, publicists and others. Visit thewimn.com to view the weekly interviews and to learn more about how to be featured.

Upon being diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in 2010, professional drummer April Samuels was immediately motivated to do something to help others in her situation. That year, she paired her will to fight breast cancer with her love of drumming and created the motto “Breast Cancer Can Stick It!” That motto can now be seen on shirts, water bottles, bags, bass drum heads and cars across the country, proudly displayed by people supporting her efforts to raise awareness and funds for research, clinical trials and a cure for breast cancer.

In 2011, Samuels assembled a team and they got to work organizing breast cancer awareness walks and music-related fundraisers. By 2013, Samuels had turned Breast Cancer Can Stick It! into a full nonprofit foundation to raise awareness and funds for a cure.

Since 2010, Samuels and her dedicated team of volunteers have raised nearly $200,000.

For more information, find Breast Cancer Can Stick It! on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or visit breastcancercanstickit.org Women’s International Music Network: Thank you for joining us. How have you been feeling these days?

April Samuels: Thanks, I’m feeling great! I celebrated eight years cancer-free on November 10, 2018, and this past summer, I was released from my oncologist!

While it’s exciting, it’s also scary to be back out into the world, not being monitored.

But I’m thrilled to hit the eight-year milestone. At this point, my oncologist says I’m just as likely to get cancer now as someone who was never diagnosed.

The WiMN: Please share a little about your musical background.

Samuels: When I was five years old, my mom and I were hanging out in a music store, waiting for my brother to finish his guitar lesson. I ran across a pair of drumsticks and tugged on my mom’s leg, begging her to buy them for me. She finally did. I began beating on everything in sight at home. My parents put me in drum lessons and said if I kept up with it, at age 11 they’d buy me a drum set. Sure enough, age 11 rolled around and they bought me 38

Photos courtesy Debra Gloria Photography

APRIL 2019

my first kit. My brother and I jammed with friends at our house, but it wasn’t until I was 19 that I really started playing out. Since then, I’ve gigged or recorded with nearly 50 different groups. Currently, I’m in three bands: Metal Shop Dallas, who I’ve been with since early 2012 — we play around 120 shows per year across Texas and Louisiana; The Breast Cancer Can Stick It! Band that I created in 2015, mostly for events for our nonprofit; and an original rock-pop-funk-jazzy project called 49th Vibration, started in 2006. We just released an album available through Amazon, Spotify and iTunes.

The WiMN: How did your foundation come to be, once you created your motto after your initial diagnosis?

Samuels: I came up with the slogan “Breast Cancer Can Stick It!” just a few weeks after my diagnosis in late 2010 out of a deep desire to help others facing the disease. The decision proved to be therapeutic. I was able to focus on something positive during a tough time. I was diagnosed, then had a double mastectomy just two weeks later, followed by four months of chemotherapy. Still, with

all this going on, I was struck by the desire to combine my passion for drumming with my passion for fighting breast cancer to help others. The idea started off with just making shirts and selling them to raise funds for existing breast-cancer-fighting nonprofits. The shirts were selling so quickly I had to start ordering them in bulk. I also found other inventive ways to raise funds through gigs, contests, auctions, etc. Finally, my accountant said to me, “You’re raising so much, it would make more sense to form a nonprofit yourself.” And by May 2013, we were an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Since then, we’ve raised more than $200,000 in the fight against breast cancer, funding mammograms, financial assistance, and research and trials. We are 100-percent volunteer, and you’d be hard pressed to find another 100-percent volunteer nonprofit making this kind of impact. Our volunteers and donors are like no other.

The WiMN: How have you been able to combine your love of music and your musical background with events to help raise money and awareness?

Samuels: Year after year, we hold events

all over Texas, but starting our annual Drummathon in 2015 was a game changer. A friend reached out to me with the idea, recalling a Drummathon event they held in the 1980s where a handful of 10 drummers or so would go door to door getting pledges in advance of their Drummathon event. The day of the event, normally held at a park, each drummer would solo as long as they could. Many times, they’d solo for over an hour straight! I wanted to take the idea and change it up so that drummers could raise funds online, then the top 35 fundraisers would earn a two-minute solo on a stage at the beautiful Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas. They’d perform in front of friends and family, as well as celebrity guest drummers we’d have. The event has already seen legendary drummers Carmine and Vinny Appice, drummers from Jason Aldean, P!NK, Joan Jett, Big & Rich, and more.

The top fundraiser solos are interspersed with live bands, drumlines and more, in the midst family-friendly, festival-like events such as autograph sessions, raffles, auctions, vendor booths and food trucks. (continued on page 60)

Award Winning Brands World-Class Service We are dedicated to Music Retailers We are St. Louis Music T: 800-727-4512 F: 314-727-4710 E: sales@stlouismusic.com W: www.stlouismusic.com

SLM Marketplace Everything In Accessories

260 Brands 13,000 Products

FI V E M INUTE S W ITH

CHRIS MARTIN IV CEO, C.F. Martin & Co.

By Brian Berk

Chris Martin IV, CEO of Nazareth, Pa.-based C.F. Martin & Co., established in 1833, certainly needs no introduction, both regarding his company and his role as vice chairman of NAMM and chairman of the NAMM Foundation. So, let’s dig right in to our interview that coincides with this month’s guitar issue.

The Music & Sound Retailer: C.F. Martin has an impressive histor y. When you think about it, what memories/special moments come to mind? How do you see yourself in that histor y?

Chris Martin IV: The story I tell, particularly when I am in the [C.F. Martin] Museum, is I get to a certain point in the museum when I am very involved in the business. My father and grandfather had a really great run starting with the folk boom in the ‘50s and all the way through the folk-rock boom in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Music changed and instruments changed, and that [era] went away. In fact, in our museum, we have a Yamaha DX7. I use it to point out that by the late 1970s and early ‘80s, folk rock was getting a little stale. People were looking at disco as possibly the next great thing. The DX7 and other digital sampling keyboards came along and gave some people the impression a guitar player wasn’t needed anymore. All we need is someone who can play a keyboard. We don’t need a guitar anymore. They pushed the guitar button, or bass button or drum button. That’s what I came into from the outside. My parents were divorced. So, at the time, the company was struggling. But then, “MTV Unplugged” came out.

I talk to people in business, and there are two different camps in terms of luck.

There’s this whole group of businesspeople who say, “Look. Forget it, it’s not about luck.” I’m not here to say you can create luck. But if luck walks your way, pay attention. That was a lucky thing for the Martin Guitar Co. MTV decided to create “Unplugged,” and coincidentally asked us if they could borrow guitars to help make those shows. That reignited the spark. It really showed how cool the acoustic guitar is.

40

The Retailer: Of course, it’s a family-run business. But did you ever consider doing anything else? If you were not at C.F. Martin, what profession do you think you would be in?

Martin: The divorce with my mom and dad was bad. My mom went out of her way to keep me from my father. So, I grew up with my mom’s side of the family. Her father was a physician. She never mentioned to me someday joining the family business. But I knew I had to do something for a living and thought about what I liked. I planned to attend the University of Miami to study marine biology.

That would be my career.

But as I got a little older, I would come out for a couple of weeks to Nazareth, stay with my grandfather and mess around at the plant. One time, Fred Walecki came to visit. Fred had a music store in Westwood, Los Angeles.

He was a friend of my dad, and they played golf together. Somehow, I got to hang out with Fred and he asked me what I was going to do after high school. I said I would apply to the University of Miami and study marine biology.

He said, “OK, you want to get out of town.” I said I had lived at home way too long and wanted to go somewhere. He said, “Did you ever think about the family business?” I said, “I am curious.

When I do come to visit, it looks interesting.” He asked if I would consider getting a little exposure to it. I asked how. He said, “If you come to Los Angeles, you can probably go to UCLA. And I will give you a job in my music store.”

I said that sounded like fun. My grandfather, Mr. Martin, said, “A good foundation, if you are going to join the family business, is to study economics.”

So, I went to UCLA as a freshman to study economics. I was overwhelmed. I was a schleppy kid from back east thrown into the melting pot of southern California, where people were better looking than me and seemed to have more APRIL 2019

money than me. While working in the music store, Fred and I quickly realized I didn’t have a clue. I think Fred thought I would come into the music store knowing what I was talking about. It then dawned on me that if I were to join the family business, maybe I should find out what the business is. UCLA was on a quarteryear system. In the middle of the second quarter, I called my mom and said I just couldn’t [attend school] any more. “I’m lonely. I’m not happy. I’m quitting college.”

There was deafening silence on the phone. “I’m coming back to Nazareth, and I am going to work in the factory.”

She said, “You are going to do what?”

I said, “I need to find out what this business is. So, I came back and started to work in the factory.

I was allowed to work in one department for a couple of weeks, then move to another department for a couple of weeks. And then my grandfather and mother said I needed to go back to college.

So, I went to the local community college at night. I then ultimately went on to Boston University and got a degree in business. But I would say for the first 14 or 15 years of my life, there was no thought whatsoever of joining my family’s business.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

The Retailer: Were you into music growing up then?

Martin: But for two or three years, I could have been a hippie. I remember, in junior high school, coming home one day and saying, “Hey mom, all the seniors are going to Washington, D.C. to protest the war.”

She looked at me and said, “You’re in eighth grade, you are not going.” I grew up on psychedelic rock and still, at night, I put it on and say, “I still love this stuff.”

The Retailer: It was an active NAMM Show for you.

Please tell us about some of your product launches there and what makes them cool.

Martin: The most significant Nazareth product is the Modern Deluxe guitar, where we took the traditional, standard D-28 platform and asked what new technology that we’ve already made available through limited editions or the custom shop could we use in terms of a production guitar

— something you can just buy without it being a custom or a limited edition.

I’m a big Porsche fan. There are two different camps when it comes to owning a Porsche.

One is if you could just own a Porsche 911 from the ‘60s. Another camp asks, what Porsche should I buy? The newest one you can afford. That’s where we are. If you want a D-28, we’ve got it. You want a museum replica?

We’ve got it. You want a modern 21st-century Martin guitar? We have that too.

The Retailer: Were you pleased with booth traffic at The NAMM Show this year?

Martin: Yes. Some of the larger companies have separate rooms [at NAMM]. But I’ve always loved being out on the floor in the middle of it. When people walked by the booth, they said, “Holy mackerel, you guys are busy.” That’s a really good endorsement. I’m wearing two hats because of my involvement

with NAMM. So as much as I love being in the booth, I also get asked to go to NAMM functions to help represent the brand of NAMM.

The Retailer: This interview is running in our guitar issue. Without giving specific numbers, can you tell us how 2018 was for the company in terms of sales? Were you pleased?

Martin: Back during the election year (2016), the consumer was nervous. They didn’t know who was going to be elected and weren’t quite sure what would happen. That was a tough year, and we’ve been digging ourselves out of that. But last year, we definitely recovered. I will say though that I read a couple of newspapers a day, and I am a little anxious about the global economy. We have a commitment to be an international company. We focus as much on international distribution as (continued on page 60) 41

M I SPY

LET’S GO ISLANDERS… MUSIC STORES

It was an interesting winter on Long Island. A significant snowstorm in November was followed by no snow in December or January.

Frigid “Polar Vortex” temperatures in February were followed by 60-degree weather only a few days later, and then below-freezing temperatures once again.

On the sports front, the world is topsy turvy. Other than the powerhouse Yankees, the New York Islanders hockey team had the best season of any New York-area team, making the team relevant again for one of the few times since its last Stanley Cup appearance 35 years ago. Yes, the New York Islanders are good again, providing plenty of pride for Long Islanders, despite the fact the team plays in two home arenas, Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and NYCB Live, also known as the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and “The Barn” in Uniondale, N.Y. Music has always been a sense of pride on Long Island. Of course, it produced the great Billy Joel, who currently has a monthly residency at Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden. Long Island has also served as the home to Lou Reed, Harry Chapin, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, Blue Öyster Cult, Vanilla Fudge, Idina Menzel, Debbie Gibson, Laura Branigan, Taylor Dayne, Flavor Flav, Busta Rhymes, Jordan Rudess, Joe Satriani, Brian Setzer, Dee Snider and Steve Vai. So, although Long Island will never get the music-mecca acclaim that places like Nashville, New Orleans, Los Angeles or neighboring New York City often receive, Long Island really holds its own, thank you.

Regarding MI stores, Long Island is of course home to Sam Ash, which is based in Hicksville. Considering the music history on Long Island, I admit I had high standards heading into the MI stores. The toughest part was selecting which MI stores to visit. Long Island has a ton of music stores. I certainly didn’t have a scientific process. I simply decided to select one store in western Nassau County, one store in eastern Nassau County, and two stores in western Suffolk County, where I could end my day with a visit to the plethora of bars that Huntington Village provides.

I decided my mission to was to look for a guitar as a gift for a rock/metal guitarist with a budget of $1,000, give or take a few bucks. I started with Guitar Center.

42

I started my mission by heading down Glen Cove Road and making a brief right onto Old County Road. As is often the case on Long Island, I needed to wait out a brief construction delay at the intersection of Glen Cove Road and Hillside Avenue. Once past some sort of utility telephone pole work that closed one lane, I reached the shopping center that houses Guitar Center. Other than the MI store, the shopping center features a Stop & Shop supermarket, a P.C. Richard & Son appliance store, a Red Robin restaurant and one of the few Barnes & Nobles left standing on Long Island. As an added bonus, Long Island Railroad trains can often be heard rumbling just past the shopping center to the north. I sidled into the store and was surprisingly not noticed for a few minutes.

(My excellent spy skills were at work). However, I heard everyone else being greeted right when they walked into the door. I definitely thought that was a good sign.

Foreigner’s “Double Vison” was the choice of song when I walked in. I looked around at the wide array of new and used guitars on the walls and then moved toward the sales desk to see if I got noticed. I definitely did get noticed and was pleased. The salesperson shook my hand and told me his name. He asked for my name. Although it was a brief encounter, I really liked getting to know him on a first-name basis. He asked me what music the gift recipient played. I said “metal,” and he proceeded to show me several guitars. He recommended Randy Rhoads Jackson

Guitar Center 111 Old Country Road Carle Place NY 11514 516.248.2020

APRIL 2019

guitars and said a Steve Vai signature model could be good also. “Ibanez or Jackson would be a great choice for you,” he said. “Of course, Fenders and Gibsons are always great, but for a metal guitarist, I like Ibanez or Jackson.”

Despite my $1,000 budget, I really liked that he didn’t automatically steer me toward a more expensive guitar. In fact, he steered me toward a black Jackson JS32T Rhoads electric guitar with white bevel, retailing for $269.99, and a black Jackson JS32RM Rhoads electric guitar, retailing for $399.99. He did say there were expensive options if I so chose, but these were good options. Another plus: the salesperson recommended I go online to retrieve a coupon for 15-percent off my purchase. I never asked for that information, and it was great to know. He said to let him know if I wanted him to take any high-reaching guitars off the wall. I told him I would let him know. I thanked him, glanced some more and headed out to the next store.

After Guitar Center, I took the Meadowbrook Parkway north to the Northern State Parkway east, exiting at South Oyster Bay Road. I initially passed All Music, dubbed “Long Island’s Biggest Little Music Store,” so I needed to call to find out where it was. A friendly female voice said it was between a Modell’s sporting goods store and a Starbucks. That made it easy to find. Other than those two retail locations, All Music is a tremendous stop for any spy that may get hungry. The store is surrounded by a sushi restaurant, poke bowl restaurant, an Italian restaurant and a Thai restaurant. Not bad at all, I thought.

I walked down a small staircase into All Music and was immediately greeted by a salesman. Like the salesperson from Guitar Center, he shook my hand, introduced himself and asked for my name. I told him my story and then parlayed the story of what I needed. The salesperson thought for a moment and led me to a Jackson guitar. To be exact, it was the Jackson Pro Soloist SL2Q MAH with a mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, Seymour Duncan distortion and Mayhem humbuckers. The guitar fit my budget exactly: $999.95.

“Jackson makes classic ‘shredder’ guitars,” he told me. “It’s ergonomic, warm and natural sounding. It’s more for someone like Eddie Van Halen, who wants to do some tricks.

“Charvel and Jackson are under the Fender umbrella,” the salesperson added. “They were both really big brands in the ‘80s [when metal was huge].”

I thanked him for the info, checked out some more guitars, and headed back up the steps and ventured to my next destination.

All Music 397 S. Oyster Bay Road Plainview NY 11803 516.433.6969

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

I took the short drive north on South Oyster Bay Road and made a right onto Northern State Parkway east again, on my way to New York Route 110. If I had made a right on 110 from the highway, I would have passed an absolute paradise for furniture lovers, where every store is a furniture outlet center, with occasional fast-food locations and a regional airport sprinkled in. However, I made a left, into a more congested area that leads up to Jericho Turnpike. My first stop was at Huntington’s Sam Ash, a longtime mainstay of the community.

Sam Ash is next to an IHOP and across from the Walt Whitman Shops shopping mall. The large standalone store has a nice layout with several rooms for different instruments, including a room just for acoustic guitars. I did not enter that room, instead checking out the electric guitars on the wall and behind the counter. I was not approached for several minutes, so I got a good feel for the store. But I decided I wanted to be helped, so I approached a salesman. Admittedly, I discovered there were too many electric guitar options for a metalhead. Therefore, the kind salesperson had trouble deciding what to recommend to me, but he did ask something the other salespeople did not. He asked what guitar the gift recipient had played in the past.

“Gibson,” I responded, and he said it was probably best to stick with a Gibson then. He showed me several Gibson electric guitars on the wall, but said it was too difficult to recommend one in particular. He did say he thought Gibson Les Paul models may not be the best choice for a metal guitarist.

I thanked the salesperson for his honesty, when a customer offered up that he loved one of the metal guitars on the wall. Unfortunately, at $2,200, it was not in my price range, but I thanked him for the thought.

Sam Ash Music Stores 269 Old Walt Whitman Road Huntington Station NY 11746 631.421.9333

Although Murphy’s Music is technically in a different town than Sam Ash, it is literally a three-minute drive away from it. It’s located in a shopping center with a dry cleaner, bagel shop, Chinese food take-out location, an adult video store, salon, foot spa and Chipotle Mexican Grill. I delivered my story, and the salesperson pointed to guitars hanging above the sales counter. He specifically mentioned G&L guitars, taking down the guitar from the hanger to show me. “This was Leo Fender’s last company before he passed away,” the salesperson told me. “Leo Fender’s wife still works with the company.”

He handed the G&L Legacy to me and told me to check out how lightweight it is. “It weighs absolutely nothing,” said the salesperson. “Believe it or not, the guitar [comprises] one piece of wood that grows in Japan slowly.”

Murphy’s Music 447 Walt Whitman Road Melville NY 11747 631.549.4510

43

He then asked if the gift recipient would be playing the guitar out on gigs and I said, “no.” The salesperson then continued saying that G&L would be great as it is almost a “custom shop” model as the Legacy he showed me was “handpicked.” The guitar sells for $1,499 at Murphy’s Music, with an MSRP of $2,150. But the salesperson did note he would “work with me on the price” if I was interested. I thanked him for his help, and he responded by handing me his business card and encouraging me to contact him if I had any more questions. I thanked him and made the short walk back to my car.

The Sale

Before making my way to the fun bar scene of Huntington Village where I once saw Skid Row play, I stopped across the street from Sam Ash at the Walt Whitman Shops, ate at a fastfood joint named Bango Bowls and ordered up an acai bowl. (I am a spy and am therefore fancy.) I ordered the Bango Bowl (surprise, surprise), which came with oats and honey granola, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, coconuts and a drizzle of honey. As I enjoyed my meal, I knew I had a tough decision on my hands regarding which MI store won this month.

Sam Ash had too many options for what I was looking for, but it’s hard to say that if I asked for a different product it would have yielded a different result. I would have preferred that someone approached me in the store, but the service was good, especially when the salesperson asked what guitar the gift recipient had played in the past. Overall, I will give the Sam Ash visit an incomplete, but this grade may have been my wrongdoing.

The other three stores all had knowledgeable salespeople. I liked learning the history of G&L at Murphy’s Music, and All Music offered good information about Jackson and Charvel.

In this case, because it is so close, I have to go based on feeling alone. This includes the vibe, friendliness of staff, options I was offered and knowledge of the salesperson. So, I determined Guitar Center earned the victory this month. I liked the personal introduction by the salesperson, being offered multiple options for the gift I had planned to buy and the recommendation of guitars that were well under my budget.

I also liked the recommendation to go online and get the 15-percent-off coupon. The salesperson could have sold me a guitar without alerting me to this option, but he volunteered this information, which is something I really liked.

QRS-Connect Hardware, Software & Sensors to Capture, Track and Archive

QRS-Connect.com - Cloud Ecosystem for Analytics, Sharing, Archiving & More

QRS Widgets - Application Specific Functions That Utilize the I/O - Programmable & Assignable

From long distance learning and performing To capturing your creativity without tech in the way

QRS Music Technologies, Inc.

qrsmusic.com/qrs-connect.asp

adqrsc/010119

©2019 FMIC. FENDER, FENDER in script and the distinctive headstock commonly found on Fender guitars are registered trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

O R I G I N A L D E S I G N S . F E N D E R TO N E .

T R E M O LO . R E V E R B .

THE SOUND OF FENDER. IN D E PE N D E N T T RE M O LO A N D RE V E RB E NG I NES P L AC E C L ASS I C F E N D E R A M P E F F E C TS AT YO U R F E E T. ‘6 3 / ’6 5 / P L AT E R E V E R B V O I C I N G S A N D M U LT I P L E T R E M O LO M O D E S W I T H TA P T E M P O G I V E I T S O N I C F L E X I B I L I T Y.

‘ H I R E’ LEA RNING

YOUR COMPANY’S DNA

By Will Mason

DNA is a molecule that exists in every cell of your body. It carries an unbelievable amount of genetic information in an impossibly tiny form. In fact, scientists are currently working to harness the chemical properties of DNA for the purpose of data storage. One study found that just a few grams of DNA could potentially store an exabyte of data for 2,000 years. That’s insane. But the most amazing property of DNA is that it self-replicates. It literally recreates itself and makes exact copies around the clock.

Companies have DNA too. It may not be shaped in a double helix, and it’s not something you can observe under a microscope, but it’s there, driving and influencing behavior, attitudes, assumptions, decisions and other organizational habits. And most importantly, like DNA, it also self-replicates. You may hear it called “culture,” “the vibe,” “ethos” or something else, but for our purposes, we’ll use DNA (because, you know, science and all).

One of the hardest things to do in business is create and protect your company’s DNA. It’s also one of the most important.

Anything that is of significance to an organization must become a part of its DNA. If it is to survive, it must become self-replicating.

No matter how small your team is, changing or adding to your DNA is a big job. This is, after all, the foundation upon which your entire business is built. Imagine the work required to add to the foundation of a building when there is already so much weight resting on it.

So, what’s with all the talk about DNA? I thought this column is about customer service?

Well, I believe customer service is an expression of your company’s DNA — just like green eyes or brown hair are expressions of a person’s DNA. If you want your company to be known for its great customer service (and I’m guessing you do!), you’re going to have to do the hard work of ingraining it in your DNA. Before we do that, we need to define what great customer service looks like. We need to figure out the genetic code before we start replicating.

As you may have already noticed, a high level of customer service is required in the new marketplace. There was a day and an age when you could get away with mediocre customer service if you had a good enough 46

product. Those days are quickly fading. Every entrepreneur who opens a new business obsesses over finding a competitive edge to make space in a crowded market for their ideas to gain traction and succeed. Increasingly, the level of service, or the “experience” of the customer, is the battleground for winning fans over to your shop instead of your competitor’s.

Great customer service tends to be qualified by these characteristics: • Respectful — Does your staff treat your customers as equals? Or do they look down their noses if a customer has “dumb questions”? We’re all on a path of learning here!

• Knowledgeable — Can your sales staff answer questions about the products you sell? If not, why would someone not just buy online?

• Communicative — Can your sales staff communicate their knowledge effectively? These are two different skills. Spend time working on each individually.

• Obser vant — Do your people know what to watch for in a customer’s behavior? Can they anticipate when someone is going to have a question based on their expressions, pattern, etc.?

• Available — Do you have enough people working at peak

times so your customers aren’t getting annoyed by a long wait?

• Problem Solving — Does your team have a posture of helpfulness or of enforcing policy?

• Positive — Above all else, this one matters most. Staying positive, even in the heat of the moment, can dissolve tension, brighten someone’s day and make a difference for your bottom line.

Plus, isn’t life just better when you are around positive people?

A helpful exercise would be to rate your team on a 1 to 5 scale for each of the above attributes.

Invite your team to participate and average your scores. Which ones are below a 3? Start there!

Which ones are 4s and 5s? Give yourself a pat on the back!

Make a list of the areas you can improve in, and tune back in to my next article, which will dive into how to effect change to your company’s DNA.

Survey Results

In my last article (in the Febraury issue of the Retailer), we looked at how to gather information from your customers through surveys to gain actionable insight. This is a great first step into figuring out where to apply your efforts to make improvements. The next logical step is to determine what to do with that insight. When

reviewing your survey responses, here are some questions to ask your team to get some good discussions started: What feedback did we get that was surprising?

What feedback did we get that confirmed something we thought was true?

What did we hear for the first time?

What have we heard before?

What are three things we can do differently moving forward as a result of this information?

Who should do each one? An individual? A department? The whole team?

By what date?

These discussion questions will lead your team to some conclusions that will move you toward an even higher level of customer service. Remember listen, learn, lead from last time? This is the “lead” part.

So how do you change your company’s DNA? I’m going to borrow from one of my favorite leaders here: Andy Stanley. These are his six steps to institutionalizing change (changing your DNA).

Step 1: Name it. Create a name for it. Pretty self-explanatory, right? That’s why it’s step 1.

This might look something like saying, “We want to improve our APRIL 2019

self-replicating, we have to create that momentum internally.

Rewarding and incentivizing adoption of these new ideas is imperative to their long-term success.

High standards for customer service are an integral part of every successful company’s DNA.

We cannot hire someone and assume that they will magically know how to treat our customers. Sure, they may have experience with customer service, but they don’t know how you do customer service.

It is imperative that, as a part of your onboarding and training

www.G7th.com

customer service.”

Step 2: Brand it. What are the right words to make this idea stick? What ideas are you trying to communicate, and what phrases or terms do you want your team to use to talk about it? Consistency is key here. This is why no one remembers Jeb Bush’s platform from the 2016 election campaign, and no one can forget Donald Trump’s. Not a political statement here, just a principle of communication. This step may also include images to go along with the phrases that suit the ideas best. This might look something like, “customers first” or “customers = heroes” or some other phrase that connects with your staff.

Step 3: Wear it. “Model it.”

How seriously will your team take your commitment to great customer service if they don’t see you doing it every day? You have to put skin on it.

Step 4: Teach it. Whatever change to your DNA you want to bring about will require more conversation than you think.

My temptation is to talk about something one time and assume that the rest of my team “gets it” and doesn’t need to hear it anymore. That’s lazy leadership.

If it’s important, it will become a part of regular conversation.

Share articles, read books, listen to podcasts on the topic of great customer service. Take your team to a restaurant that has great service and make notes on what they observe. It takes a lot to get everyone on the same page.

Step 5: Institutionalize it.

Make it part of the rhythm of the organization. This means it gets integrated into onboarding and training new team members and becomes a self-sustaining habit.

Step 6: Recognize it. When you see something, say something. People crave feedback and rarely get enough of it. Make sure you give shoutouts to team members who are demonstrating great customer service and reward them when appropriate. Remember, what’s rewarded is repeated, and that’s what we’re going for.

If our new DNA is to become

processes, you work with new hires to teach them how you do things uniquely different at your business. This training and subsequent coaching are key to developing a culture of service that will deliver a consistent experience to your customers time after time.

The Capo Company

MEET THE NEW PERFORMANCE 3 CAPO ADAPTIVE RADIUS TECHNOLOGY WITH

A REVOLUTIONARY STRING PAD THAT INFINITELY ADAPTS TO MATCH ANY GUITAR PERFECTLY

For US dealer enquiries: Davitt & Hanser. A Division of JAM Industries USA, LLC Tel: 866-817-3822 E: info@davitthanser.com

www.G7th.com KMC Music. A Division of JAM Industries USA, LLC Tel: 855-417-8677 E: sales@kmcmusic.com

I N T H E T R ENCHE S

Source Diversity

By Allen McBroom If you read websites or blogs written for journalists and newsroom denizens, the term “source diversity” is sort of a popular topic these days. In a nutshell, source diversity is the idea that, as one prepares a news story, having just one source for your information is not as good an idea as having multiple sources with different viewpoints. The idea is that multiple sources will produce a more balanced and reliable article or report. We’ll revisit the term “source diversity” in a bit and see if we can make that phrase work for us.

At one time, product availability was almost a given in the MI world. Most products were made in America, and if a manufacturer ran low (or out) of a certain item, replenishing the supply was a matter of producing more and getting it back into the supply line. It was easy to have brand loyalty, and if a particular item was out of stock, it was usually temporary, and you could restock as soon as the wheels of production churned out more. That ready availability helped foster brand loyalty, and there was little reason to keep a list of alternate stock sources at hand.

Today, living in an industry where a huge percentage of accessories, and even serialized products, are now made offshore (i.e., China, Indonesia, etc.), brand loyalty is much harder to maintain than it used to be. Production targets are often planned months in advance, and if a product sells more than anticipated, it may now be months before more product can be produced, shipped across the water and then trucked across the country.

When buying product for our store these days, it’s not unusual to get an order confirmation showing that many products are “backordered” or simply “out of stock.” If you 48

are an MI retailer, you know the angst caused by calling the manufacturer or distributor and being told, “That’s out of stock, but we expect to have more in 90 days,” or hearing a much more dreaded phrase, “We’re out, and no restock date is available.” In other words, the manufacturer expects to have some later, but they don’t have any idea when “later” might be. If there is no predicted arrival date, you may as well expect to not see that product for months.

This puts the MI retailer (you) in a tough spot. While you’d like to be loyal to your long-term manufacturers, you really can’t expect your customers to keep visiting a store that seems to be out of product on a regular basis. It’s way too easy to go online and buy the product from some warehouse that still has a few boxes of the item available, and you can’t risk eroding a customer’s store loyalty. It’s up to us to make sure we don’t lose our customers’ loyalty.

Let’s go back to the journalism term “source diversity.”

To prevent being out of stock in our stores, and risking a loss of customer loyalty, we need to keep certain items in stock. The list will change depending on the focus of your store, but let’s say mic stands are at the top of your list. You’ve got several styles of mic stands that have been good sellers for years, and you know if you’re out of stock on those stands, you’re losing money. The customer will buy what they need elsewhere, and customer loyalty may erode.

(I picked mic stands as the item because I think every music store, regardless of instrument emphasis, probably carries mic stands.)

There are couple of ways to approach having source diversity, but if your mic stand supplier has given you the “90 days out” response, you need mic stands, and you need them now. You can’t wait 90 days. Dig into the bag of propaganda you collected at your last NAMM Show, ask about alternate sources in the IMSO forums, and talk to some of your other existing suppliers and distributors. Either switch your source to a supplier who has a solid track record of always (or almost always) being in stock or divide your stock up among more than one supplier.

Having a good working relationship with more than one supplier of the same type of product is critical these days for a store’s inventory health.

If you’re thinking about diversifying (there’s that word again) your store products, make a small order with the new supply contender before making a big order. If you do your research now, you’ll be in a good position to transition your ordering should the need arise. When the new product arrives, go check it out personally. Pull it out of the packaging, look at it, feel it, get an idea of how it will seem to your customer, ask yourself if it feels solid or cheap. Ask yourself, “Would I feel confident buying this myself?” If the product passes that examination, hand it to a couple of your employees for their opinions. If it’s an affordable product, give one to one of your regular gigging customers and ask them to try it out and give you their opinions. (Want to create a loyal customer? Show a local player you value them and their opinion by asking him/her to field test a product for the store.)

You may have to weed out a few brands before you find a winner, but that’s OK. Finding the right alternate must-have product is worth the extra trouble when you encounter availability crunch-time.

Keep in mind not every product line needs, or can even have, an alternate source. If you have a unique or singular product, the brand may be inextricably bound to the product, and there is no acceptable alternative. In those cases, if that product sells well, maybe stock a bit deeper than you normally would to make sure you can cover an occasional out-of-stock scenario.

But for products where the brand isn’t so important to the customer, do your due diligence to your store and plan some source diversity. This diversity could be your ace in the hole when your favorite source dries up and your stock count is low.

Happy trails.

APRIL 2019

Retail Print Music Dealers Association

SET YOUR SALES FOR MISSION BAY! May 1 – 4, 2019 Hyatt Regency Mission Bay

FIRST-CLASS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• 17 sessions packed with best practices and new ideas to grow your business • Must-see speakers: Joe Lamond (NAMM), Frank Alkyer (Music Inc.), Jenn Herman (World’s Forefront Instagram Blogger), and many more

TOUR NAMM HQ & THE MUSEUM OF MAKING MUSIC • A VIP private evening visit to NAMM’s global headquarters for a dinner reception, guided tours of the Museum of Making Music, Live music, and more. This will be a special evening not to be missed!

AWESOME SOCIAL EVENTS • Padres Baseball: Friday night outing to a San Diego Padres home game • Boat Cruise: Join us for a 3-hour tour around Misson Bay and San Diego Harbor –“What could possibly go wrong?”

• Party: Two hosted cocktail receptions and our ‘Yacht Rock’ themed closing banquet and awards will provide plenty of fun networking • Extend your stay and explore some of the best food, activities and weather that Southern California has to offer. So much to do, so little time!

Registration now open

Visit printmusic.org for details You Stay Classy, San Diego!

SHINE A LIGHT

OREGON’S SHINING STAR

By Michelle Loeb

“I don’t just own the store; I live and breathe music. I have for most of my life.”

Ask David Locke why he and Brenda, his wife of 33 years, decided to launch LAWK STAR Guitars in 2013, and that’s exactly what he’ll tell you. Locke is passionate about music and has been ever since he “got the bug” in his youth, when he started playing the drums before getting his first guitar in his late teens. An avid musician, he has been playing guitar and bass ever since, and he also “loves to dabble with his ukulele and mandolin” when he has time.

Despite his overwhelming love for music, Locke didn’t jump right into the MI game, working first as a carpenter, then a car salesman and eventually a commercial construction superintendent before deciding to go into business with his wife. Even though he dreamed of selling musical instruments ever since he walked into Portland’s Apple Music Co. in 1984, Locke took the time to build his sales skills and business acumen before finally opening an online store of his own. He puts those skills to use every day when dealing with his growing, loyal customer base.

“We offer an online experi50

ence with a personal touch,” explained Locke. “My thing is just being forthright. I sell on my enthusiasm. I’m trying to be the opposite of some of the salespeople I’ve dealt with because no one wants to hear from a slick salesperson.”

For Locke, relationships are the key to everything that happens at LAWK LAWK STAR Guitars STAR Guitars.

11705 SE 222nd Dr. Damascus OR 97089 Customers 503.915.5824 who reach out www.lawkstarguitars.com noting that it’s the to him will David Locke, CEO and only “free tool” availCo-Founder have the virable, and he makes tual red carpet himself available via rolled out for text, as well as phone and email. them, and Locke won’t stop until The retailer has amassed a social they are satisfied. “We’ll do whatmedia audience of approximately ever they ask for because it’s all 60,000 combined followers about the customer. When they between Facebook, Instagram call, everything stops until they and Twitter in less than the are taken care of,” said Locke, five years it has been in busiwho added that the same service ness. Locke also maintains his and consideration is offered personal social media presence even to those who don’t end up so that his customers can follow buying from his shop. his career as a musician outside “You don’t have to buy from of the store. us to get an answer from us,” “A lot of my customers know he continued. “We like to help me on Facebook, and they see people, and if we have the time me play,” said Locke, who is to do something and say we are also a permanent member of the going to do it, we will — not to country/southern rock band get something in return, but Cage & Focx based out of Nashbecause we want to help.” ville. “Originally, I had tried to Locke is very active on social keep that separate from the busimedia to reach his customers,

ness,” he continued, “but people like to see me out there.”

To help facilitate the shopping experience, Locke makes sure that every listing on the retailer’s website is replete with information, photos, and audio and videos when available.

Locke’s wife, who serves as chief of operations/vice president of LAWK STAR Guitars, while also working part-time at an insurance firm, is tasked with handling the majority of the content that goes up on the website and its Reverb store, in addition to other back-end tasks. Brenda chuckles about working seven days a week for the MI store, plus three days a week somewhere else. “She’s very talented and is definitely not afraid of hard work,” asserted Locke.

The Damascus, Ore.-based APRIL 2019

store only carries new items — nothing used — from brands including D’Addario, Dean, Gretsch, Schecter, Dunlop, AER, Breedlove and more.

Locke works hard to cultivate the perfect product selection for his customers, including many items that he himself performs with, in addition to gear he has learned about at NAMM shows and from his various contacts in the music industry. “I know a lot of people in the industry, so I am able to get a good handle on what’s hot,” he said.

“The trickiest and most interesting part is making sure you have the right SKUs in stock without overextending,” he continued. “You want to do what you can while staying debt-free and being careful with your dollar; however, you can’t sell it if you don’t have it. I have a lot of optimism, and I look to keep picking top brands.”

Not only does Locke work hard to pick out the best products, he also focuses on finding companies with which he can cultivate a strong relationship, much in the same way he relates to his own customers.

“When it comes to the manufacturers, we are their customer,” explained Locke. “So, if I can’t have a relationship with our manufacturers, then I don’t want to be involved with the brand.”

The care and consideration Locke gives to his customers — and expects from his manufacturers — is equally evident when customers make and receive their purchases.

“We pride ourselves on the fact that everything is kept in its original packaging and not handled by a lot of people before it gets to the customer. We do, however, unbox and inspect each product before it ships, and sometimes do pull an instrument out to take real photos at the buyer’s request,” said Locke.

Locke and his wife go out of their way to make sure each package purchased from the company is special, adding in a MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

little special treat, a thank you, and some swag, such as picks or stickers to delight the customer.

“The package is like a present from LAWK STAR,” he said.

Locke’s goal for the future is to

“keep doing what we are doing and keep growing. We could have opened a whole bunch of LAWK STAR Guitar stores, but our intention was to market not just to one city but to the world,”

Locke concluded. “We’re not the biggest, and we’re also not the smallest, but we believe we have something here that is pretty special. We want everyone to love us like we love them.”

V E D D AT O R I A L

Curating Inventory

By Dan Vedda

Curating inventory — at least in concept — isn’t a futuristic retail trend. We’ve been doing it in some fashion as long as brick and mortar has existed — further, in fact, going at least back to the caravans on the old Silk Road. You don’t schlep anything but the most desirable and profitable inventory across the desert, after all.

Yet for the future of the brickand-mortar landscape, a curated inventory isn’t just advisable, it’s a survival solution. “Curating” sounds a bit stuffy, I’ll grant you, but it simply means that the selection of products in your store should be carefully considered, in much the same way that you might select groceries and plan meals in your home. Some households are focused on nutrition above all, others on speed and simplicity of preparation.

Some stock junk food and never clean the fridge. But we all know someone who sets a great table, is the sought-after grill master or manages to put great meals together within a limited budget.

In similar fashion, then, curating our inventory is the way we present great products consistently for all needs and budgets. It allows a store to stand above the retailer that simply stocks the cheapest, the same-old same-old or even the most expensive products.

In a properly curated inventory, there needs to be a justification for every item — not just every SKU, but the quantity of each — in your store. That justification has to be more than “I think it’s good” or “I can double my money.” Neither of these ideas addresses the actual purpose, because they do not take into account the likelihood that a buyer (or hopefully, many buyers) will give you money for them.

That’s not to say that you should only carry products that are specific customer requests, or that you should carry every product that every customer

52

requests. Curating an inventory means that every item must be analyzed, and its shelf space awarded because you’ve either 1. chosen to develop the demand for a product you believe in, or 2. believe that the product has enough market demand that your chosen demographic will not only buy the product, but buy it regularly and feel that you are a less-satisfactory shopping location without it. In short, you choose your battles while striving to serve your customer.

Note that either case is subject to change. Despite your best efforts, you may not develop a market for your favorite product and need to consider the battle lost. Your customers, despite their loyalty to certain items, may change their minds, drift away, or react to a manufacturing change in price or quality.

That means your curated inventor y must be dynamic, fluid and detached from your ego.

A curated inventory is dynamic in that every sale affects the data you use to determine the items and quantities that make it up.

Whether you track sales by the seat of your pants or via a sophisticated point-of-sale system, today’s ideal inventory can be different because of a new hot product, an old-school teacher moving into your market or a seasonal trigger like back-to-school shopping.

Fluidity is your ability to adjust to the data and make the changes it suggests. If you do a monthly analysis, you catch broad trends.

But being able to jump on the front end of a product release or to be in stock for the band festival

next week requires you to be aware of your numbers and the influences in your market in real time.

At the core of a curated inventory, though, is the taste and discernment of the person(s) making the stocking decisions.

If your store caters to a uniform clientele that listens to your recommendations readily without budget restrictions, it may be a snap. But few of us achieve Kardashian-level influence. So, it’s hard work to do it right, because you’re trying to distill the best products and values for a moving target of diverse users. For that reason, a product you think is the greatest thing since digital may not fly with your customers. It’s like being an interior decorator. You need to find a great solution that addresses the customer’s needs. It may not be what you would choose for your home. So, bring your knowledge and discernment, but not your ego.

If you get your curated choices right often enough, you will build a level of trust that can allow you to influence customer buying decisions to a greater degree — but only if you continue to get it right.

Manufacturers can be a great partner in this quest. The most proactive marketers are all too happy to help you tout their catalog, often offering free or discounted product, promotional art and a host of professionally created collateral. What they want, though, is a retailer that will truly use the materials to promote effectively. Admittedly, it’s harder to forge that connection today.

Retailers don’t want to build an audience for a product only to be cut

out when the company starts selling directly. Manufacturers don’t want to waste their promotional budget on dealers that won’t — or can’t — promote the product effectively. In last month’s issue, we talked about vetting suppliers, and this is certainly a part of that vetting process.

Ultimately, you’re looking for that perfect blend between “discovery” products (like a great new pedal, woodwind mouthpiece or other innovation), “best value” items (it’s not about having 10 models of guitar stand: it’s about selecting the best-of-show), and staple items that many people ask for specifically (brand and gauge of guitar strings, reeds, method books). Every trip into your store should provide something needed, something interesting or something surprising. If you can manage all three, you’ve got magic.

Of course, the ideal curated inventory doesn’t just happen one day when you sit down with a few catalogs and order. Adding an item every week may even be difficult for the budget. But if you actively search, choose and stock a selection that meets the curated ideal, over time you’ll see the benefits in sales, in store traffic and ultimately in profitability. It won’t happen overnight, but keeping focus with a plan in mind will yield gratifying results.

If you have a comment, feel free to share it on the Veddatorial Facebook page, and as always, post an inquiry if there’s another topic you’d like to see covered here. (Please post to the page rather than PM, so others can see the dialogue.)

APRIL 2019

AUGU

AUGUST 12-15 2019

ST 12 -15, 2 019

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

REGISTER AT WWW.THEDJEXPO.COM OR CALL 516.767.2500

REGISTRATION IS OPEN

For exhibition and sponsorship information, please contact Rob Iraggi at 516-767-2500 Ext.519 or r i r a g g i @ t e s t a . c o m

/djexpo

/thedjexpo

@djexpo_ #djx19

thedjexpo.CoM

U N DER T H E HOOD

SONARWORKS REFERENCE 4 AND SONARWORKS SR

By Brian Berk

With a goal of establishing a “groundbreaking new digital sound,” Riga, Latvia-based Sonarworks introduced its Reference 4 sound-calibration software. Sonarworks also offers a complete calibration package that unifies both headphones and speaker tonal response under its Studio Reference (Sonarworks SR) standardization technology. “Due to this, Sonarworks Reference 4 seems to be the most popular studio calibration solution on the market,” Martins Popelis, co-founder and vice president of products at Sonarworks, told the Music & Sound Retailer.

The main idea for Reference 4 is to make sure that end users on the listener end can enjoy the music to their fullest, Popelis added.

“Of course, it’s easier said than done! We’re tackling the problem from the creator and listener side simultaneously. Studio headphone and speaker calibration allows artists and engineers to work more efficiently. Calibration on the listener side of things assures that the hard work done in studio reaches the masses unmolested by tonal coloration.”

Perhaps Reference 4’s greatest asset is that it helps greatly with the problem of translation. “When someone attempts to release a piece of music (or sound design), the greatest challenge is making sure that the material has the same aesthetic impact on every playback system out there. If one’s monitoring system is colored, then everything that’s made with it will get colored as well,” said Popelis.

One key feature of Reference 4 is zero

latency. What exactly does that mean? “Zero latency is crucial for monitoring recording sessions where any lag between input and monitoring output would be annoying. Same goes for playing all kinds of instruments, like midi keyboards, where you want to have immediate feedback as you interact with them,” explained Popelis.

As is always important with software, updates are a crucial component, to ensure consumers use an ever-improving product.

Sonarworks has released multiple updates to the product. We asked Popelis to explain the importance of Sonarworks’ latest update.

“The latest update solved an issue where people would leave the plugin on while rendering their DAW projects, thus ruining their tracks. It’s not a new feature per se, but our clients have been asking for this forever. As it always is with updates, we did fix a lot of issues with certain exotic device setups.”

Reference 4 is the result of tons of love and care exhibited by the people behind the product. “We’re all music lovers here at the office and more than half of us record our own stuff.

Hence, Reference 4 is developed partly from team input and, of course, from listening to our users, so we always strive to address what matters. I can’t say for sure how much that dif-

Martins Popelis

fers from how products are developed elsewhere, but everyone on our team can have their hand in what sees the light of day at the end,” said Popelis.

With Reference 4 having been on the market more than a year, Sonarworks has 54

had plenty of time to review feedback, which Popelis stated is “overall positive, but you know how it is. There’s always more to do! Every feature we add, every bug we fix — it’s a journey that never ends.”

The MSRP for Sonarworks’ Reference 4 starts at $99 for the Headphone Edition, and goes up to $699 for the Premium Bundle, which calibrates speakers with the included measurement mic and ships with a calibrated pair of Sennheiser HD650 headphones.

Sonarworks SR

Starting with the latest update to Reference 4, Sonarworks SR is now included in all of Sonarworks’ software products, effectively reducing the need for professionals to check their mixes on different listening systems while dramatically improving workflow and production times. Sonarworks SR is patented, research-driven technology that sets the frequency response to be like completely neutral speakers in a treated room. The calibration of headphones is done using a calibration profile pre-measured in Sonarworks’ lab, while the speaker calibration profile is produced by a consumer using Sonarworks measurement software on the spot.

Sonarworks SR also employs speaker measurement methodology that captures sound from 37 data-source points, determined by Sonarworks researchers to be the optimal point count, providing superb accuracy and measurement repeatability, the company stated.

“By establishing Sonarworks SR, we have an opportunity to align the entire audio industry on a common audio reference that works with unprecedented accuracy across different locations, devices and operators. We want to liberate music creators from monitoring translation issues, so they can focus on musical decisions rather than working around the physical limitations of their room and gear,” said Popelis.

Added Grammy-award-winning engineer Smith Carlson (Maroon 5, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato), “Truly accurate monitoring that allows you to be fully confident in your mixes; an absolute must-have for the studio.”

To help promote all Sonarworks products, the company is always present at the largest pro audio trade shows, including January’s The NAMM Show, and works closely with educational institutions.

APRIL 2019

INTERNATIONAL DRUM DRUM MONTH MONTH INTERNATIONAL

✮

MAY 2019 2019 MAY

This May, one lucky winner will win a “Roadie For A Day” experience with

Cindy Blackman Santana Including special meet & greet plus backstage passes at a concert or attendance at a VIP recording session.

Sign Up to Be a Registered PMC International Drum Month Retailer at: www.playdrums.com/idm-retailer-sign-up The PMC will ship each participating store a life-size stand-up PoP IDM (International Drum Month) display for placement in your store or drum department. All participating retailers will be featured on the PlayDrums.com website for IDM month.

More Info at PlayDrums.com

@playdrumsdotcom

Percussion Marketing Council Members:

The Percussion Marketing Council is a non-profit 501-c corporation dedicated to the advancement, understanding, and enjoyment of drums and percussion.

Percussion Marketing Council | P.O. Box 33252; Cleveland, OH | (440) 582-7006 PMC Get Involv Retailer 2019-5.indd 1

2/27/19 4:47 PM

The

Retailer's Mall

For advertising rates and deadlines...

Call Rob Iraggi 516-767-2500 x519 or email at riraggi@testa.com

AUGU

ST 12 -15, 2 019

See those Churches and Schools you drive past everyday?

The Easy Sell.

Inlightened Jewelry Design

Chances are they DON’T have a secureable, easy-to-use, and beautiful HSA Rolltop Desk A/V Workstation. So it’s YOUR chance for an easy sale by helping them organize and secure their Audio, Video & Lighting Control systems.

Your trusted source for fretted instruments Buy • Sell • Trade • Consign

Guitar Pick Jewelery

Make your next sale the easy way - call or email HSA today for dealer info and design ideas!

appraisals@elderly.com

(888) 473-5810

www.hsarolltops.com 574-255-6100

www.elderly.com

The Rolltop People

tm

Inlightened Jewelry Design AUGUST 12-15 2019

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

REGISTER AT WWW.THEDJEXPO.COM OR CALL 516.767.2500

REGISTRATION IS OPEN 30 YEARS STRONG

Guitar Pick Jewelery

30 YEARS STRONG

For exhibition and sponsorship information, please contact Rob Iraggi at 516-767-2500 Ext.519 or r i r a g g i @ t e s t a . c o m

56

/djexpo

/thedjexpo

@djexpo_ #djx19

thedjexpo.CoM

Celluloid, Wooden and Metallic Designs Handmade with attention to detail and quality Custom orders welcomed great for gifts etsy/shop/inlightenedjewelry.com inlightenedjewelrydesign.com

516-972-5051

The

Retailer's Mall

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

For advertising rates and deadlines...

Call Rob Iraggi 516-767-2500 x519 or email at riraggi@testa.com

57

Ad Index

Company

Pg

AMAHI UKULELES...................29 ADAM HALL...............................19 AMI MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS........................17 AUDIX CORPORATION.............21 BANDLAB TECHNOLOGIES....33 BOURNS PRO AUDIO................61 CE DISTRIBUTION....................34

Prodigious Print INDUSTRY HAD STRONG 2018 THANKS TO MOVIE TIE-INS AND MORE

By Brian Berk

CHAUVET LIGHTING................10 CHAUVET LIGHTING................11 CHEM-PAK..................................59 EMG PICKUPS............................32 FARIDA GUITAR & UKULELE.................................59 FENDER.......................................7 FENDER.......................................45 FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS.......35 G7TH, THE CAPO COMPANY....47 GALAXY AUDIO........................3 GATOR CASES............................C-II GROOVETECH TOOLS..............61 GROVER/TROPHY MUSICAL PRODUCTS...............................60 HOSHINO.....................................24 KALA BRAND MUSIC CO........37 KMC MUSIC................................23 KYSER MUSICAL PRODUCTS....20 MALONEY STAGEGEAR COVERS....................................26 MANHASSET SPECIALTY COMPANY................................6 MUSIC NOMAD..........................30 NAMM 14-15 NEUMANN..................................5 ODYSSEY INNOVATIVE DESIGNS...................................27 OMG MUSIC................................28 PEAVEY....................................C-III PRO X...........................................31 PRS GUITARS.............................25 PURE TONE.................................22 QRS MUSIC TECHNOLOGIES....44 TAYLOR GUITARS.....................9 TECH 21.......................................51 U.S. BAND & ORCHESTRA SUPPLIES.................................39 VOCOPRO....................................13 WD MUSIC PRODUCTS............8 WIREWORLD..............................18 YORKVILLE................................C-IV While every care is taken to ensure that these listings are accurate and complete, The Music & Sound Retailer does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors.

58

Here’s some news that’s fit to print: No matter what the print industry has had thrown its way in the past several years (such as the alleged “death of print”), it not only continues to do well, but is thriving. The music print industry had another good year in 2018, and things look strong again this year. There are a lot of reasons for this success, which we will let our two panelists explain. But one such positive trend has been the impressive strength of movie tie-ins. Last year, two movies had tremendous tie-ins: “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “A Star is Born.” 2019 should prove to have at least one more movie tie-in when “Rocketman,” the Elton John biopic, debuts in theaters on May 31. But movie tie-ins are not the only thing lifting the print industry, as our panelists David Jahnke, senior vice president, national sales for Hal Leonard and Alex Ordoñez, vice president, sales and marketing, North America for Alfred Music, will explain.

“2018 was an exceptional year for music education,” Jahnke told the Music & Sound Retailer. “The school music side of our business (essential elements, choral, concert band, orchestra, jazz band) saw record gains in 2018, and when that is combined with hits like ‘Greatest Showman’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ it’s the making of a great year. The vibe at The NAMM Show provided us with a level of retail optimism that reinforced our commitment to working with our retailers in new and innovative ways. We really appreciated the amount of time retailers gave us at NAMM to discuss in earnest ways to help them grow their business.”

“The state of the music publishing industry is solid, and 2018 was no exception,” responded Ordoñez. “Although challenges exist due to many online factors, such as

illegal downloading and photocopying, the health of the school music business remains strong. This is a great sign for the entire industry. 2019 is off to a great start!”

Regarding what’s driving the industry today, Ordoñez pointed to a closer relationship between physical and digital formats.

“Both equally provide a lot of value to both students and teachers, but not at the detriment of one over the other.”

“The trend in print is to harness new technology to take the educational possibilities and enjoyment of making music to a whole new level,” added Jahnke. “The ability to add enhanced audio and video content online through our ‘MyLibrary’ program opens up a new world of options for print.”

One for the Ages

Both Alfred and Hal Leonard pointed to having an excellent NAMM Show this year.

We asked both what products they launched at the trade show and followed up by asking which items are currently their best sellers.

“The publishing world is a little different than the rest of the MI industry when it comes to NAMM,” answered Jahnke.

“Instrument manufacturers will target NAMM for the release of new products, whereas we’re creating and releasing new products daily. We use NAMM as a place to showcase important series in addition to new releases. That being said, our ‘New at NAMM’ list had more than 300 new and recently released titles represented.

Among some of the standouts: Guardians of Guitar gave a NAMM 2019 Top Pick to ‘Vaideology — Basic Music Theory for Guitar Players’ by legendary guitar virtuoso Steve Vai. It’s a remarkable book offering a rare glimpse into the brilliance of Steve’s basic teaching philosophies spelled out APRIL 2019

at an approachable level for the rest of humanity. Our ‘Real Book Multi-Tracks Play-Along’ series won a SBO Best Tools for Schools — Best Jazz Teaching Tool award for 2019. This series is a perfect example of the marriage of print and technology because it combines traditional, easy-to-read print lead sheets with customizable audio tracks delivered online.” “‘Our Essential Elements Band’ and ‘Orchestra’ method series continues to grow,” he added regarding today’s bestselling products. “This isn’t too surprising, since it’s a proven pedagogically sound method that

‘The school music side of our business (essential elements, choral, concert band, orchestra, jazz band) saw record gains in 2018, and when that is combined with hits like “Greatest Showman” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” it’s the making of a great year.’

— David Jahnke, Hal Leonard

appreciate accessing demo and play-along tracks, they’re coming to expect them. If we release a book without audio, we get customers contacting us asking where the audio is. Our editorial team is definitely keeping that in mind for all new releases.”

“We are seeing that both physical and digital products have a seat at the table simultaneously and actually complement one another rather than replace,” responded Ordoñez. “Alfred Music embraces

‘“Guitars for Vets Easy Guitar Tab Songbook” was a huge hit at this year’s Winter NAMM show.’

— Alex Ordoñez, Alfred Music is enhanced with a vast wealth of online educational support for teachers, parents and students.”

Queen is also a best seller, he continued. “If you need proof of the power of movies and music, just watch ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’

Not only has it reminded us original Queen fans of the brilliance of the band, it has introduced their music to a new generation, too.

Demand for middle- and highschool choral and band/orchestra/jazz ensemble arrangements of Queen is extraordinary. We’re eagerly waiting for the release of ‘Rocketman’ to see if it will have the same impact on Elton John’s vast catalog of music.”

And on the piano side for Hal Leonard, “We are honored to be partnering with Randy and Nancy Faber in the distribution of Faber Piano Adventures. Their mission of creating musical minds through a solid combination of pedagogy and artistic creativity at every skill level has gained their methods worldwide acclaim.” “‘Guitars for Vets Easy Guitar Tab Songbook’ was a huge hit at this year’s Winter NAMM show,” stated Ordoñez. “This is an organization that directly impacts military veterans dealing with PTSD by providing them with guitars, a forum to learn how to play, and as of Feb. 1, the official songbook is absolutely free. Also, our ‘Sound Innovations Band & String Method’ continues to grow MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

with the addition of new resources to include all of book one free in SmartMusic, SI Online, Sound Percussion and newly released Sound Leadership by Scott Lang.”

Best sellers today include school music, such as methods and performance/supplemental music, added Ordoñez.

Hooray for RPMDA

Depending upon when you are reading this, the Retail Print Music Dealers Association (RPMDA) Convention is just a few short days from now, taking place May 1 to 4 at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay in San Diego. In addition to the education sessions taking place there, attendees can take part in a visit to NAMM’s headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif., take a view of the Museum of Making Music, attend a San Diego Padres game and enjoy a San Diego harbor cruise. We asked each panelist what their goals are for this year’s show.

“Continue to discuss creative ways in which we can work together with retailers outside the norm, as well as leave with a better understanding of challenges retailers are currently seeing on the front lines and how we can help provide solutions through our products and services,” relayed Ordoñez.

“The real advantage of RPMDA goes beyond the amazing educational and thoughtprovoking sessions,” responded Jahnke, who serves as 20182019 RPMDA president. “Our goal is to provide a platform where retailers and print-centric manufacturers of all sizes can gather to share ideas and gain inspiration. We know there are a lot of questions surrounding print and media in the 21st century, and we’re not saying we have all of the answers, but working together, we can put plans in place to move businesses forward.”

Perhaps discussed at the show, at least anecdotally, will be possible shifts in how consumers consume media products. We asked both panelists to discuss this topic.

“We have seen tremendous growth in the number of people accessing our online audio and video,” answered Jahnke. “In fact, in the first two months of 2019, we’ve already had as many code redemptions as in all of 2018. Consumers not only

• Vintage Style • Fine Sound • Great Value

Ask about our startup offer

Available now in the USA and Canada Learn more at faridausa.com or call (517) 372-7888

59

FRONT AND CENTER: APRIL SAMUELS

technology and knows that end users are constantly looking for new ways to consume. This is something that we continue to be extremely mindful of when developing new or updating older products.”

We wrapped up our print update by asking our respondents to provide MI retailers with advice on how to best sell their products.

“Our team of world-class influencers, such as our composers, authors and arrangers, are here to help you. Whether it’s providing original content for your blog/social strategy, participating in online forums, presenting clinics or reading sessions at your store, or sponsoring a session at your local MEA [Music Educators Association] show, our team is here to help.

Depending on the scope, a lot of these can be accomplished with very little expense,” said Ordoñez.

“Merchandising, communication and lesson programs,” noted Jahnke. “On the merchandising

side, we’re living in a somewhat attention-deficit society, so we need to make it really easy for the people walking into the store to find things. Crossmerchandising (putting drum books by drum sets, ukulele books by ukuleles, etc.) is so important. Communication with your favorite publisher is also extremely important. We want to use our expertise in our product lines to help you achieve your personal goals for your store and your type of customers. Lesson programs: We always encourage store owners to inquire about the teaching materials that their studio teachers are using. Their store’s reputation is reliant on the educational experience that develops in those rooms. If a teacher is not using a method book, how can they measure their students’ success? Additionally, if their teachers are not using method books, the store is losing revenue.”

Jahnke concluded, “We know people have questions about print music. There is so much amazing content available that it can be overwhelming to think about. Let us work with your team to ensure you have the right products to meet the demands of your clientele. We’re here to help.”

(continued from page 39) The first Breast Cancer Can Stick It! Drummathon in 2015 raised over $13,000, and [that number] has grown consistently each year. In 2018, we broke our goal of $50,000, by reaching more than $55,000.

The WiMN: How have you seen the MI community come together to support this important cause?

Samuels: We’ve had wonderful support from a number of companies.

For example, each year for Drummathon, Sabian collects autographed items from their artists for our auctions. They also participate by donating their own products for our auctions, goodie bags and prizes. Aquarian Drumheads has been providing new drum heads for Drummathon since its inception. They too provide a lot of product for goodie bags, auctions and prizes, and they have been our volunteer booth sponsors as well. SKB Cases and Toca Percussion have both been Drummathon celebrity sponsors and have supplied products for goodie bags, the auction and prizes. Los Cabos Drumsticks supplies pink Drummathon drumsticks each year, as well as special offers for us to sell pink

drumsticks year-round to raise funds. A number of additional MI companies offer products for our Drummathon goodie bags and prizes as well. Companies can visit drummathon.org to check out opportunities to get involved.

The WiMN: Where can our readers see you perform these days?

Samuels: I play primarily throughout Texas and Louisiana with Metal Shop, plus a handful of shows per year with The Breast Cancer Can Stick It! Band and 49th Vibration. My calendar is at aprilsamuels.com.

The WiMN: In closing, are there any upcoming foundation initiatives or new research you’d like to share?

Samuels: Each year at Breast Cancer Can Stick It!, we raise our contributions for our three main programs of research and trials, financial assistance for treatment and mammograms.

The research and trials we support are making strides each year, both in immunotherapy and in honing in on genes that can lead to breast cancer. It’s exciting to see the progress year after year. The trials continue to show great promise, and we are honored to be a part of it.

FIVE MINUTES WITH: CHRIS MARTIN IV

(continued from page 41) domestic. There, I see some storm clouds. For example, Italy, a nice market for us, is in a recession. If your country is in a recession, are you going to feel like going out and buying a $5,000 guitar?

The Retailer: How has 2019 looked thus far for the company?

Martin: Like a lot of bigger companies today, we have a contractual agreement with our dealers and distributors. We are in a “re-up” period where everyone commits to being a partner. That gives us orders in the first and second quarter as everyone’s chance to reaffirm our partnership. Summer is a time for a lot of bluegrass festivals; people have already bought their guitar to take to the festival. So, summer can be a little slow. And in Europe, they go on vacation for a month. Sometimes, we don’t even ship to Europe in 60

August because the warehouse is closed. But so far, 2019 looks good. I do [acknowledge] though that I look at the guitars we make and our competitors make, as well as ukuleles, and wonder Where are they all going?

The Retailer: Please tell us about your work with the Collings Foundation.

Martin: Because NAMM is a non-profit, it has been able to keep some money in its back pocket. We have a reserve fund.

The NAMM Show is the fuel behind it all. That’s what funds NAMM and all the good work it does. If for some reason the show was interrupted, such as a massive earthquake in southern California, and the show doesn’t go on, NAMM needs a reserve fund to carry it through to the next year. But more money is

Bill Collings

generated from the trade show than we need for the reserve fund. That was going into what was called the NAMM Foundation. But NAMM’s attorneys said the Foundation was getting significant enough that it needs to be split off from NAMM. So, we went through an arduous process of making the Foundation independent. The bylaws for that new entity state the vice chairman of NAMM, which is my current position, will simultaneously be the chairman of the NAMM APRIL 2019

Foundation. That’s a two-year gig.

Next year, I become chairman of NAMM. Joel Menchey, treasurer of NAMM, will next year become vice chairman of NAMM and chairman of the NAMM Foundation. [NAMM President and CEO] Joe Lamond is on the board of the NAMM Foundation, as well as three selected independent outsiders, who are [former Yankees superstar and star musician] Bernie Williams, [Sweetwater founder] Chuck Surack and [Two Old Hippies’] Tom Bedell.

The Foundation does a lot of wonderful things, some of which I can really relate to and some of which I cannot relate to. When Bill [Collings] passed away, I

thought about a way to inspire people to give money to the NAMM Foundation to promote the guitar, the guitar in schools, the guitar with veterans — anything specifically regarding the guitar. That was what I said I can do as chairman of the NAMM Foundation. I could carve out this niche opportunity, and those funds would be dedicated to creating new guitar players.

The Retailer: As you mentioned, you will become NAMM chairman next year.

Please tell us what you hope to accomplish in that role. Are you excited to take on the role?

Martin: When I was asked to

join the NAMM executive board some six years ago, I didn’t know what I was getting into. It’s an eight-year commitment. This will be a chance for me and Joe [Lamond] to be out there reminding people that this is a really cool industry. It is special, and we need to support it. Our ultimate goal is to get more people to play and to keep people playing. Fender conducted a study that found out a lot of people try to play the guitar, but a lot of people give up.

That’s not good. The trying part is great. But the sticking with it part makes the difference. Don’t just give it a shot. Stick with it.

This is something you can do the rest of your life.

The analogy I use is that, when I was young, I wanted a camera. My mom bought me a used 35mm camera. Holy mackerel, was that thing complicated. I ran off a couple of rolls of film before I knew even half of what I needed to know to take a decent picture. A musical instrument is ver y much like that. But today, if you have a cell phone, you have a really good camera. All you need to do is point and click. People think ever ything is like that today and ever ything is that easy. No, it’s not. Musical instruments are not that easy, but if you dedicate yourself to them, it is something you will appreciate forever.

THE FINAL NOTE: BRAD PRICE

(continued from page 62) Grisman. I’d want to learn how he sees his place in the Bluegrass firmament, having disrupted it memorably and wonderfully in the ‘70s, and where he sees swing music going in the years to come. Also, I’d like to play a bunch of tunes with him.

The Retailer: Tell us about your most memorable experience with an MI retailer (without naming them).

Price: I was the MI retailer.

I was running the counter at a music store in Santa Cruz, Calif., and became good friends with George Winston, the pianist.

Did you know he played guitar?

That’s what we talked about. He gave me a super-rare Leo Kottke record.

The Retailer: What is the best thing about the MI industr y?

Price: The dress code.

The Retailer: Who do you admire most outside of the music industr y and why?

Price: Barack Obama. He had to put up with a lot in a very heated and irrational environment, but [he] kept his cool and his integrity intact.

The Retailer: What technology could change MI down the road?

Price: Easy. Computers will take over many functions we now assume are hardware devices.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

The Retailer: If you weren’t in the music industr y, what would you be doing and why?

Price: My wife says I’d be teaching economics or history in some college. I agree, that sounds like fun!

The Retailer: Tell us about your hometown and why you enjoy living there.

Price: I’ve lived in Portland, Ore., for 29 years. I love it here because, for a small town (only 2.2 million people or so in the metro area), it has so much going on that is creative and enterprising. People here are warm, generous and accepting, and the streets are small and cozy. It’s been a great place to raise a family, giving my children direct examples of people creating their own livelihoods doing what they like.

www.bourns.com/proaudio

The Retailer: What are your most prized possession(s) and why?

Price: They’re both guitars.

One is a Telecaster my dad gave to me when we were drunk at Guitar Center (true!) back in 1982. It’s a good one that I’ve used on more than 1,500 shows.

The other is a custom acoustic made by friend, truly a one-of-akind instrument of the highest quality that I just love to play and can’t really replace.

The Retailer: What’s your favorite book and why?

Price: “The Poisonwood Bible” because that’s a heckuva story.

61

THE FINAL NOTE

BRAD PRICE

Product Marketing Manager, Audinate

By Brian Berk

The Music & Sound Retailer: Who was your greatest influence or mentor and why?

Brad Price: Dr. Amar Bose. I studied acoustics with him and was his teaching assistant for a year. He was dedicated to his subject and to his students with utter sincerity and loved exploring how we experienced sound and music.

The Retailer: What was the best advice you ever received?

Price: “You’re way less likely to get fired or burned out doing something you can stand doing.” — paraphrasing my dad.

The Retailer: What was your first experience with a musical instrument?

Price: A frustrating time with a really awful guitar when I was 12. I figured out the notes, but nothing sounded good at all. Ugh. The Retailer: What instrument do you most enjoy playing?

Price: Acoustic guitar, an especially lovely custom instrument built by a friend of mine. I’ve come a long way since that first one.

The Retailer: Tell us something about yourself that others do not know or would be surprised to learn.

Price: I can dowse for water. I have no idea how it works, but it does. Try me.

The Retailer: What’s your favorite activity to do when you’re not at work?

Price: Playing music with my friends, especially folk and bluegrass.

The Retailer: What is the best concert you’ve ever been to?

Price: Dire Straits at the Paradise Club in Boston, 1979. It was their first week in the USA. The Retailer: If you could see any musician, alive or deceased, play a concert for one night, who would it be and why?

Price: I want a time machine to see Emmylou Harris and her Hot Band play in 1976. Why? Crushingly good songs from Rodney Crowell, the Louvin Brothers, Suzanna Clark and others performed by an angelic singer backed by James Burton, Albert Lee, Ricky Skaggs, Glen D Hardin and more. Simply the most tasteful country music ever produced. Spoiler alert: I saw this show. I just want to see it again.

The Retailer: What musician are you hoping to see play in the near future?

Price: Richard Thompson doing solo acoustic.

The Retailer: What song was most memorable for you throughout your childhood, and what do you remember about it the most?

Price: Tough one. There are so many. “Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Byrds because it was a big part of the anti-war movement in the ‘60s. I heard it and sang it many times with my parents at various protests. It left a mark.

The Retailer: What songs are on your smartphone/iPod, etc. right now?

Price: My iPhone says there are 34,289 songs on it and so that’s a difficult question. The best answer is “a lot of them.” Just played: “Walk Away” by Durand Jones and the Indications.

The Retailer: What’s the most fun thing you saw/did at a NAMM Show?

Price: I got to play the new C.F. Martin D-28 1937 authentic guitar, and it was pretty darn fabulous.

The Retailer: If you had to select three people, past or present, to have dinner with, who would they be and what would you ask them?

Price: Ken Jennings (of “Jeopardy!” fame). I’d want to discuss ideas around economics with him because he is a very broad thinker and one funny guy. Noam Chomsky. I’d want to talk about human morality and how groups of people can encourage constructive behaviors in functional social contexts, and I want to know how he feels his work impacts others on an emotional level. Also, linguistics. David (continued on page 61)

62

LEGENDARY HIGH-GAIN PERFORMANCE AND PEDAL-FRIENDLY CLEAN invective™ .120 Head

PEDAL-FRIENDLY DESIGN

INTEGRATED MIC/CABINET SIMULATOR

TUBE TONE x10

VARIABLE NOISE GATE

PERFORMANCE APPROVED

BY MISHA MANSOOR Lead Guitarist: Periphery / Bulb

High-gain performance amps are typically just about gain. The invective™ starts with the no-compromise, high-gain performance that legendary Peavey® amps like the 6505® are known for, then adds a level of versatility that is unprecedented in an amp within this class. Switch from death metal to a flawless classic rock tone, then click to a deep clean jazz tone; it’s all there and everything in-between.

BECAUSE YOUR SOUND MATTERS

LEARN MORE AT PEAVEY.COM/INVECTIVE