FI V E M INUTE S W ITH
JAMES ‘JC’ CURLEIGH CEO, Gibson Brands Inc. By Brian Berk Whether it was its acquisition of Mesa/Boogie, collaborations with Gene Simmons and Nancy Wilson, or one of the many other developments under way, Gibson Brands Inc. has made plenty of news recently. We ask Gibson CEO James “JC” Curleigh about these topics, plus get his thoughts on NAMM’s virtual Believe in Music Week event and plenty more.
The Music & Sound Retailer: Let’s start with NAMM’s Believe in Music Week in Januar y. Did you enjoy the virtual show, and did you set any goals as a company there? “JC” Curleigh: Of course, we would love to be there with live concerts and 100,000 of our closest friends at NAMM to talk about the past, present and future of music. That was not the case this year. But what I will say is that NAMM was clear and decisive months ago, saying, “It’s not going to happen [in person].” By the way, that was 100 percent the right call. They did not wait. They did not put businesses in limbo. They said to us, “We are going to try this virtual NAMM. We would like you to participate. We need you to bring some content to light. Let’s try this. Let’s all work together.” The way NAMM organized and planned with our team in advance and communicated in advance [was excellent]. And then, when it started to unfold, I thought it was a great experience. [NAMM president and CEO] Joe [Lamond] was very clear. It was not about replicating a live NAMM Show. It was about bringing information, inspiration and some concrete new product ideas to a market that otherwise would not have existed if we did not do this. We would have had to go dealer by dealer, the old, old-fashioned way of connecting all the dots for the dealers. Believe in Music Week was a way to connect all those dots. It really worked for us. We will see how that communication gets traction regarding the ideas and announcements. But if nothing else, it was a concentrated period of time at the beginning of the year when people were thirsty for information and industry insight. It was a great way to learn to literally set the stage this year. NAMM did it. I think they pulled it off. The Retailer: No question that NAMM had no choice but to have a virtual show. It is amazing the difference a year makes regarding Gibson’s impressive booth at the 2020 NAMM Show. But you still had plenty of announcements regarding acquisitions, partnerships and new products. Can you fill us in on some of the important announcements you made for the MI industr y? Curleigh: Think about the change a year made. We had lots of food at our booth [in 2020]. We had Slash and friends at The Grove [in Anaheim]. Thankfully, after the challenges we faced a few years ago, we have gotten ourselves into a position now where last year, we felt we could not be stronger. Gibson was clearly on the right path. We relaunched Epiphone for every stage with Epiphone Originals and Epiphone Inspired by Gibson. We even put energy behind Kramer and KRK, our studio monitors [brand]. We had this great momentum, and then April [2020] came where manufacturers were shut down and dealers’ doors were shut. But all of a sudden, all this creativity was sparked. We did all the right things regarding COVID protocols and adjusted our business accordingly. More importantly, we are setting our business up for the future and preparing for opportunities. We announced the Peter Frampton Phoenix and the Nancy Wilson Epiphone Fanatic, which is going to be awesome. But we are also working with people I call emerging, like Marcus King, and are even working with some guitarists who people know but maybe not their names. And The Roots guitarist Kirk Douglas, Captain Kirk — we have a signature guitar with him. Also, in addition to all the new guitars we are launching, Epiphone Inspired by Gibson is something we are going to put some attention on, including made-in-the-USA Epiphones. And Kramer continues to grow. When I think about vintage, I usually think of the ‘50s and '60s. But I was talking to my son and he said vintage is “really on. I love the ‘80s.” I said 30
APRIL 2021
