Music & Sound Retailer October 2017, Vol 34 No 10

DRUMS AND PERCUSSION ISSUE DRUMS AND PERCUSSION ISSUE DRUMS AND PERCUSSION ISSUE THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

October 16, 2017 Volume 34, No. 10 BE SURE TO WATCH

MANUFACTURERS EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS TO MAKE PRODUCTS IN THE HOMELAND

By Brian Berk

STATUS ‘CYMBAL’ The Drum and Percussion Industr y Continues to Hold Its Steady Beat

By Brian Berk

There’s nothing like having our annual drum update just prior to International Drum Month. This year, we drew a panel of four standouts in the field to tell us about the state of the drum and percussion industry: Steven Fisher, marketing manager for Yamaha Drums; Drew Armentrout, product and artist relations manager, drums and percussion, for Roland Corp. U.S.; Kevin Packard, combo marketing manager for Pearl Corp.; and Luis Cardoso, marketing manager for Sabian and brand manager for Gon Bops. We asked this quartet these four questions: 1. What’s the hottest recent trends you’ve seen in the drums and percussion industry?

2. There’s been a lot of talk for years about an alleged lack of guitar heroes in MI. Does the same hold true for the drum industry, regarding a lack of heroes? If it is true, is it a concern at all? (continued on page 50)

PROUD TO BE

October may be a time when people think about fall, pumpkins, Halloween and candy. But we here at the Music & Sound Retailer choose to think about drums, and this feature, which shines a bright light on those who continue to manufacture products in the United States.

Clearly, keeping manufacturing at home — as well as jobs that go with it — was a key component of last year’s presidential election. But when it comes to MI manufacturers, how important are the four words “Made in the USA”? We asked them, as we have done for the past several years. Below is the exact question we asked manufacturers to answers, followed by what they said, presented in the order in which we received the answers.

Q: How important is the phrase “Made in the USA” compared to a few years ago? How proud are you to say your products are made in the USA, and do you believe the end user seeks these products as much as in the past?

“This is very, very important to me, our family and our company. We effectively manufacture 95 percent of our 7,000 SKU line in the USA. It is something we are very, very proud of. A little over 1,000 D’Addario employees make our music strings, drumheads, drumsticks, reeds and mouthpieces in our U.S. facilities. We have a total of eight factories located in New York, California, Tennessee, Texas and Connecticut.

D’Addario is also a very vertically integrated company, so our manufacturing includes not just the finished products that our dealers know us for, but the raw materials used to make those products. In New York, we manufacture high-carbon steel wire and phosphor bronze wire, as well as print 90 percent of our packaging materials. In Connecticut, we manufacture coated wires for our EXP string line. In Tennessee, our saw mill cuts massive hickory and maple logs into dowels for Promark drumsticks. In New York and California, our engineers and technicians (continued on page 26)

AMERICAN

MADE

50th Anniversary Limited Model

In 2017, Yamaha drums celebrates 50 years of drum craftsmanship and innovation. Since the release of our inaugural D20 and D30 kits in 1967, we have been inspired by a desire to be the first choice of artists. We have consistently developed unique concepts and technologies for each era and musical genre, and we are proud to have created classic kits to support so many drummers in their musical endeavors. We will continue to pursue sound and performance perfection and work towards delivering new values and experiences to our customers.

yamahadrums.com

L AT E S T

Hurricane Relief Roundup

In response to the ongoing devastation due to the floods in Houston and other cities affected by Hurricane Harvey, Guitar Center Inc. has teamed with MusiCares — a charity of the Recording Academy — to launch a dedicated initiative to help impacted musicians, songwriters, recording studios and audio professionals rebuild their lives. The goal of the program is to help the music communities of South Texas get back on their feet as quickly as possible to keep the music going.

For this program, Guitar Center is encouraging customers to donate at any of the Guitar Center or Music & Arts stores across the country at the register or online (via their brands’ homepages). For every dollar donated, Guitar Center will match the contribution in total, up to $25,000. All donations will go directly to MusiCares, who will interface directly with area musicians to help them replace their lost and damaged gear.

“We thank Guitar Center for their partnership in helping to address the hardship caused by this devastating flood,” said Neil Portnow, president/CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares. “When natural disasters like these strike, it is always tragic. And we have worked with Guitar Center in the past to provide much-needed resources when the Gulf Coast hurricanes struck in 2005 and again in 2010 to assist with Nashville flood-relief efforts. So, it’s comforting to know how effective and efficient our alliance is in providing help and hope to music people in need. Together, we believe that keeping the music going is an important step in the healing process after a disaster like this.”

“As the tragic events unfolded, as a result of Hurricane Harvey, there was no question that people would need help,” remarked Ron Japinga, CEO of Guitar Center. “Partnering with MusiCares will give everyone an opportunity to come together as one music community to help those in need, and we hope our partnership will provide much-needed aid to those individuals and families that were so dramatically impacted.”

In addition to working with MusiCares, Guitar Center will continue to work with the local communities to assure musicians and music professionals have support for reduced-cost repairs and replacement for damaged equipment, and will also support the needs of music-education programs in the area following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.

In addition, Yamaha and musician Vanessa Carlton went the extra “Thousand Miles” to replace a piano that was damaged by flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.

In a CNN interview on Sept. 1, the Grammy-nominated Yamaha Artist recounted how she had cried when she saw a viral video of Houston evacuee Aric Harding, who had returned to his flooded home to grab favorite stuffed animals and games for his seven children, ages 5 to 13. During the visit, he found his family’s Yamaha piano knee deep in flood water, which was of particular concern to one of his sons, an aspiring piano player. Harding sat down and began to play, documenting the performance in a video he posted on Instagram.

“I think it’s all finally sinking in a little,” Harding wrote in the Instagram caption. “What we used to have going as a city is gone. I really think God is going to do something completely new here. I am excited to see the new beauty in the suffering.”

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

The video caught the attention of CNN’s Anderson Cooper, and Carlton was deeply moved by the video.

“We were all ver y touched by Aric’s video, and when I spoke with him on the phone, I told him that Yamaha is ver y happy to replace his piano,” said Tom Sumner, senior vice president, Yamaha Corp. of America.

Also, Electro-Harmonix helped the hurricane Har vey relief efforts. The workers of EHX have donated relief in the amount of $1,000 to a number of organizations: the Texas Red Cross, the Center for Compassion and Global Health, the Salvation Army and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

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THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

VOLUME 34 NO.10

Features ON THE COVER Proud to Be American Made

32

How important is the phrase “Made in the USA?” Why is it so important to manufacture products in America? We find out from 10 manufacturers. Here’s what they had to say.

42

ON THE COVER Status ‘Cymbal’

The drum and percussion industry continues to hit the right beat. Find out the latest about the industry and how to best sell these products.

42 50 30 The Music & Sound Independent Retailer 32 Yamaha Goes Golden

The Music & Sound Retailer takes an in-depth look at the 50th anniversary of Yamaha Drums.

This month, we asked St. Louis Music chairman and CEO Mark Ragin to discuss plenty of things, including what separates St. Louis Music from its competition, and, in honor of this drum issue, we also asked for an update on Dixon Drums.

36 MI Spy

MI Spy finally stepped away from the New Jersey-Philadelphia area. This month, he/she ventured to Minnesota’s Twin Cities, to check out drum sets. Who won over Spy’s heart: Twin Town Guitars, Guitar Center, Music Go Round or Klash Drums?

40 Front and Center

The Women’s International Network this month brings us an interview with Jordan West, product specialist for Roland, as well as a drummer, vocalist and songwriter. Who were her influences growing up? What does she enjoy most about teaching others?

42 In the Trenches

Successful store owners know how to hit the "trifecta," Allen McBroom explains.

44 Shine a Light

For this month’s column, the Retailer secured a special interview with A&G Central Music, which just three months ago took home the top Dealer of the Year prize at the NAMM Top 100 Dealer 2017 event in Nashville.

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46

44

34 Five Minutes With

45 Retailer Rebel

Take it from Gabriel O’Brien, education makes a world of difference in MI retail.

46 Veddatorial

Amazon buying Whole Foods is just the latest example regarding how fundamental disruption continues to disrupt the retail community. So, according to Dan Vedda, when “Life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.”

54 Under the Hood

As the last entry in this drum issue, we take an in-depth look at D’Addario’s Promark FireGrain drumsticks.

Buzz

3 Latest 16 People 18 Products

54 OCTOBER 2017

EDITORIAL

Maybe There Is a Next Generation

Nate the Great

Unfortunately, MI retail has one problem other than internet competition: the next generation. It can be tough to find millennials who want to run a store, a refrain I heard at Summer NAMM this year.

“Where is the next generation of music retailers?” one retailer asked me. Sadly, I didn’t have a good answer.

I can say that misery loves company. Many other retail segments feel the same way. I can speak from experience that people who own mom-and-pop convenience stores face the same problem. And according to a recent conversation I had with a dog breeder, she quickly volunteered there is no next generation of breeders, especially ones who want to enter their dogs into Westminster Kennel Club-type shows.

“I won a dog show recently by default,” she told me.

Clearly, encouraging the next generation — who perhaps prefers more tech-savvy jobs, texting with emojis and Snapchat — to become retailers in the future is a problem. However, there’s one excellent piece of news.

Maybe they should become music retailers. This is because there is a next generation of musicians, which I witnessed firsthand after signing up my 5-year-old son, Nate, for music camp, hosted by Bach to Rock in my hometown. (He’s pictured above next to a drum set in honor of this month’s drum issue) If there were no next generation of musicians, his class would comprise a couple of kids, and Bach to Rock would be ready to close shop. Happily, I can report this

not to be the case, and following just one week of camp spanning three hours per day, my son got to perform in a group on the final day of camp, rocking out with sticks to “We Will Rock You,” singing “Down by the Bay,” showing off his air guitar skills and jamming on the xylophone as the clincher.

It’s impressive to see a sense of accomplishment as my son played a brief concert in front of me and other parents. I beamed with pride seeing how far you can come in one week. Take that, sports camp!

Sure, not every kid at this camp, and the many other Bach to Rock, School of Rock or camps you may host at your store, will continue to play music. But haven’t many manufacturers said that we only need to get a small percentage of these kids to keep playing to ensure that music instrument sales will fare well in the future? Some have said, if we can convert one in every 10 kids to play an instrument, we will be OK. By what I witnessed, I like our chances.

I also got to view kids a couple of years older than my son taking part in a full-fledged band, which made me wish I was 7 or 8 years old again. Experience is everything, and I’d like to jet myself back in time so I can be a part of it.

Of course, if the next generation can land a high-paying job at Google, Facebook, Amazon or any other so-called FANG company you can think of, more power to them.

Nothing should stop them from achieving that goal. But for most of us, MI retail is a noble profession where you get to make people’s dreams come true, and get to experience some awesome celebrity-filled trade shows to boot.

It’s also one of the few retail segments where independent retailers make up a majority of stores, and these stores are woven into the fabric as much as, if not more than, any other retailer in your respective communities.

This combination is hard to beat.

October 16, 2017 Volume 34, No. 10

BRIAN BERK Editor bberk@testa.com ANTHONY VARGAS Associate Editor avargas@testa.com MATT VAN DYKE Assistant Editor mvandyke@testa.com

DONOVAN BANKHEAD JEFF KYLE JR. MICHELLE LOEB

GEORGE HINES SKIP MAGGIORA Editorial Advisors

ROBERT L. IRAGGI Advertising Director riraggi@testa.com

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

RICKY PIMENTEL Art/Production Assistant rpimentel@testa.com

ALLEN MCBROOM GABRIEL O'BRIEN ALEX STONE

ROBIN HAZAN Operations Manager rhazan@testa.com VINCENT P. TESTA President/Publisher 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.

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OCTOBER 2017

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L AT E S T

Reverb.com Raises $15M in Funding

Reverb.com, the online marketplace for buying, selling and learning about music gear, announced that it has secured $15 million in funding. According to the company, its Series B2 funding round — which brings Reverb’s total funding amount to $47 million — will contribute to further establishing the online marketplace as the global destination for musicians and music lovers to buy and sell music gear.

Existing investors Summit Partners and Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, and more, are joined by new investors, including Max Levchin, co-founder of PayPal and current co-founder and CEO of digital lending startup, Affirm; Jon Oringer, CEO of Shutterstock; Adam Bain, former COO at Twitter; Roger McNamee, founding partner of Elevation Partners; and Fabrice Grinda, co-founder of global marketplace investment firm, FJ Labs. Several MI industry leaders — including Cathy Duncan of Seymour Duncan, Jon Haber of Alto Music, Tony Agnello of Eventide and Dave Fruehling of Strymon — also participated.

“We’re not just helping people buy and sell music gear, we’re helping mom-and-pop shops keep the doors open, empowering working musicians to gain extra income and affordable gear, and even putting artists’ gear into the hands of their fans,” said Reverb co-founder and CEO David Kalt. “Our momentum is undeniable — particularly as we continue to expand globally — and we’re overwhelmed by the excitement we’ve received from new and existing investors who want to support and be part of what’s next.”

Since launching in 2013, Reverb.com has grown to sales expected to reach $429 million this year, and more than 10 million musicians and music lovers visit the site monthly.

This announcement comes on the heels of Reverb’s introduction of Reverb LP, a new marketplace for buying and selling vinyl records and other physical music formats online. Slated to launch later this year, Reverb

r a t i u G The u o Y s t r Pa t e G o t Need one.

D s g n i h T 8

LP will provide record stores, collectors, fans and more with a record marketplace backed by the popular music gear website.

Reverb also recently announced that it will sell iconic guitars, amps and more used in the studio and on tour by Billy Corgan. The Official Billy Corgan Reverb Shop went live on Aug. 16.

Luna Guitars Donates to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Luna Guitars partnered with The Big 98 to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at the annual GuitarB-Que on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at Ascend Amphitheater. The annual concert event, hosted by iHeartMedia Nashville’s The Big 98, featured performances from artists such as Brett Eldridge, Chris Janson, Michael Ray, Devin Dawson, Ben Rue and DJ Sinister. Luna Guitars donated several acoustic guitars to be signed by the performing artists, including Brett Eldridge. The signed Vista Eagle guitar was auctioned for charity, and all proceeds went to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“Guitar-B-Que is a staple event in the Nashville scene. The locals love it, and we wanted to be a part of the fun, but more importantly, we hope the guitar donations help make a big impact in terms of donations for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Adam Gomes, director of marketing and artist relations for Luna Guitars.

Additionally, Luna Guitars operated a photo booth where attendees were able to take pictures with Luna instruments.

VIP attendees were able to try an instrument of their choice, ranging from guitars to banjos to ukuleles.

OCTOBER 2017

L AT E S T

Yamaha Marks Over 30 Years of Support for Drum Corps International With the culmination of the DCI World Championship finals at Lucas Oil Stadium in August, Yamaha celebrated 33 years of collaboration with Marching Music’s Major League. Yamaha is the official drumline brand for 20 total drum corps.

Yamaha corps have compiled an enviable record of accomplishments, including 17 DCI Championships and 14 Fred Sanford High Percussion Awards, since Yamaha percussion entered the activity in 1985. In

addition, corps that rely on Yamaha instruments have won a third of all gold, silver and bronze medals bestowed in DCI competition over that time period.

“Yamaha dominates DCI in no uncertain terms,” said Troy C. Wollwage, percussion marketing manager, Band & Orchestral division, Yamaha Corporation of America. “In 2017, for the first time ever, there were eight corps using Yamaha percussion instruments in the Top 12 Finale and nine corps using Yamaha wind instruments.” Wollwage added, “This is the most ever, and is a testament to the quality, consistency and manufacturing these corps need every day to perform at their highest level.”

This year’s DCI World Class Silver Medalist Santa Clara Vanguard received the Fred Sanford High Percussion Award for the second straight year. The award was presented to the corps by Yamaha B&O Director of Marketing Lisa MacDonald.

Audio-Technica Commences 600MHz Trade-In Audio-Technica is preparing for the upcoming shift away from wireless systems operating in the 600MHz band (614 to 698MHz), mandated by law as a result of the ongoing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wireless spectrum reallocation initiative. To meet the demands of this situation, A-T on Aug. 15 commenced a wideranging trade-in rebate program, intended to greatly assist wireless users in switching to a new system that accommodates the new guidelines, on their terms, through March 31, 2019.

“The transition period will create an uncertain operating environment for users of 600MHz wireless systems, who will be affected differently depending on their geographic location.

Some may need to switch to new systems right away or fairly soon, while others will be able to operate longer. A few may even be able to hold out until the FCC-mandated deadline of

10

July 13, 2020,” Audio-Technica wrote in a news release. “AudioTechnica’s longer trade-in rebate program allows additional flexibility and options for this important switchover. Due to the complexity of the reallocation and the number of parties involved, there is no way to accurately predict just how — or when — individual users will be affected by these changes. But there’s no need to panic. Unless your system is part of a mission-critical application, Audio-Technica recommends following a use-it-until-you-lose-it OCTOBER 2017

L AT E S T

Sweetwater Founder Donates $500K to Indiana Schools

Chuck Surack, Sweetwater founder and president, and his wife, Lisa, donated $500,000 and 100 orchestra and band instruments to the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Community Schools Foundation (FWCS).

This donation kicks off a $3 million fundraising drive intended to support the FWCS “b instrumental” program.

The donation announcement took place Aug. 23 in the auditorium at North Side High School in Fort Wayne.

The Suracks and others who spoke were backed up by about 100 North Side and Lakeside Middle School band students, who stood behind them on the stage.

The “b instrumental” program provides musical instruments to students in seventh grade in FWCS schools, which the students can use throughout high school. The program also intends to provide increased use of new technology in music classes, training for music teachers, small group or individualized instruction, and a summer camp for students.

path: Begin budgeting for a new system, get as much use as you can out of your current 600MHz system (up to the FCC deadline), then make the switch once you encounter problems. This also may allow you to take advantage of any new wireless systems brought to market before you make your switch to a new wireless system.”

Audio-Technica is offering a “Trade In On Your Terms” program to help make the switch out of 600MHz when necessary. For each 600MHz wireless system traded in (regardless of manufacturer), applicants receive a rebate on an eligible Audio-Technica wireless system.

For terms, including how to trade in the 600MHz system, visit audio-technica.com/ 600mhztradein.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

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L AT E S T

Music & Arts Acquires Hot Licks Guitar Shop Music & Arts has acquired Hot Licks Guitar Shop in Waldorf, Md. For many years, Hot Licks Guitar Shop served the community as a respected music retailer and a Music & Arts rental affiliate. It is now being officially welcomed by Music & Arts as the 155th Music & Arts retail store location.

The store will continue to serve the residents of Waldorf and surrounding towns in Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties, and the

(L to R): Music & Arts’ Robbie Mellinger and Paul Martinson, Mudd & Fitzgerald’s Stephen P. Fitzgerald, Hot Licks Guitar Shop’s Paul and Cyn McDermott, and Music & Arts’ Steve Zapf.

outskirts of D.C., with expanded services now including private and group lessons, instrument rentals, repairs, and a wide assortment of instruments and accessories. Located at 3250 Old Washington Rd. in Waldorf, the store will also serve school music programs throughout nearby counties.

For more than 30 years, Hot Licks Guitar Shop has been the go-to music store in the Waldorf area for performing musicians of all styles and levels. “Hot Licks is a great fit,” said Music & Arts President Steve Zapf. “Proprietors Paul and Cyn McDermott built a terrific retail store, sup-

ported by a strong lesson and rental business. They have strong ties with the local community, an impressive assortment of gear and a great team of seasoned professionals supporting them — almost all of whom, we are happy to say, have elected to stay on with Music & Arts.”

Hal Leonard Now Distributes Walrus Audio Pedals, Accessories Hal Leonard was named distributor of Walrus Audio’s line of guitar pedals and accessories to U.S. and Canadian music stores, effective Sept. 1.

Oklahoma City-based Walrus Audio was formed in 2011 and has captured the attention of many musicians and recording engineers around the world with its unique sounds and distinctive pedal artwork. Walrus Audio is best known for pedals such as the Julia Analog Chorus/Vibrato, ARP 87 Delay, Deep Six Compressor and the Janus Fuzz Tremolo with Joystick.

“With growth comes demands,” said Colt Westbrook, president of Walrus Audio. “We knew we had to either hire an internal sales team and acquire more warehouse space, or partner up with a like-minded group that understands our product and is great in executing the dealer service portion of the business. We are excited to start our new phase with Hal Leonard. They have a focused team to dig into our line and present it with

the spirit of what we do, and they certainly are big enough to handle any market and dealer demand. We love their 24/7 service, and we’re a complementary fit with the other great lines they carry.”

Brad Smith, vice president of MI products for Hal Leonard, added, “We’ve been looking for this type of product line and now is the right time. Walrus Audio is a special company, and we are thrilled to partner with them.

They have organically grown from a group of guitar fanatics to making some of the coolest, most inspiring tools for the guitar market. Walrus now has the platform to concentrate on making more products as Hal Leonard handles the sales, marketing and distribution to our dealer network. We are excited to get these creative tools into the hands of our dealers that love to introduce new products to their customers.”

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OCTOBER 2017

L AT E S T

Casio Donates Keyboards to L.A. Elementary School

Casio teamed up with Adopt the Arts (ATA) to gift Rosewood Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, Calif., with more than two dozen Casio SA-46 mini keyboards for the program’s new keyboard classes starting this year.

Casio’s SA-46 mini keyboard is designed specifically for younger students, offering 32 mini keys and five drum pads in a lightweight, portable package. It even has an easy-to-read LCD panel and built-in speakers for playing aloud with an instructor.

“We are proud to work with an organization like Adopt the Arts to provide keyboards to students at Rosewood Avenue Elementary,” said Stephen Schmidt, vice president of Casio’s Electronic Musical Instrument Division.

“The benefits of learning to play a musical instrument at a young age are endless, and we are honored to provide these students with the tools they need.”

ATA was co-founded by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician Matt Sorum, and mother of two, Abby Berman, in 2012 in response to the Los Angeles Unified School District’s threat to eliminate its arts education budget for elementary schools. Supported by artists and musicians, ATA has developed a K-5 music curriculum that immerses students in music theory, instruments and vocal music.

“Elementary students all over Los Angeles depend on Adopt the Arts to provide instruments for their music classes, and the success of our program hinges on the support of the arts and music community coming together and believing in this cause,” said Sorum. “Casio’s generosity in providing keyboards to Rosewood Avenue Elementary goes beyond simply putting instruments in a classroom — this donation showcases an ongoing commitment to growing arts education programs and making it a priority for schools in the greater Los Angeles area.” (continued on page 25) MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist for Canva, speaks at The 2017 NAMM Show

ch Note From Za

NAMM.ORG ER 2017 • B O T C O • L DVERTORIA

A

Industry Education Designed With YOU in Mind In the real world, where not everyone gets a participation trophy, only the smartest succeed. That’s why The 2018 NAMM Show is your path to success.

We’ve long dreamt of building a giant clubhouse for industry education. A hotspot where NAMM members could network, share and, most of all, discover new ideas to grow their businesses and careers. A forum with a campus feel that served as an extension of The NAMM Show itself, featuring all the education a NAMM member could ever ask for— ranging from music retail to pro audio to event technology, and everything in between.

If that sounds like a good reason to join us at The NAMM Show, then book your travel now. In 2018, we’ll fulfill that vision, bringing you the ultimate industry-education center.

The NAMM U Campus When you arrive in Anaheim this coming January, you’ll find the education programs at their new home, a beautiful five-story campus in the Anaheim Hilton—right next door to the convention center.

The campus even has a name. Yep, you guessed it: NAMM U. And, in short, NAMM U is now much more than an education program. It’s a hang. It’s a destination within The NAMM Show.

And, of course, it’s a center of industry best practices, big ideas and world-class training opportunities, housing hundreds of sessions—and unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Highlights of what you’ll find at the new NAMM U Hilton Education Center include: Music Retail: NAMM U Breakfast Sessions each morning of the show, featuring free breakfast, music and insight from industry thought leaders, along with Retail Boot Camp the day before the show kicks off. And for retailers on the show floor, the NAMM Idea Center is staying right where it’s been, conveniently located in the lobby of the Anaheim Convention Center. (Think of it as NAMM U’s satellite campus.)

Audio Production: More than 300 sessions for seasoned and emerging pro audio professionals from the Audio Engineering Society (AES), TEC Tracks and A3E (Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange), plus Dante Certification Training.

Event Technology: Training and sessions on lighting, lighting networking, safety and rigging from Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA), Front of House, Projection Lights & Staging News and Lighting&Sound America.

Students and Educators: A robust program for music students and faculty, including GenNext College Music Society sessions and Music Education Days.

So make your travel plans. We can’t wait to see you in 2018!

Zach Phillips NAMM DIRECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Music Begins Here

“NAMM U sessions have become a focus of our attendance at the NAMM shows.

It’s invaluable to our business to get tips and tricks from the innovators who are on the ground engaging in the same business activities that we are. It’s fair to say that we have been able to pay for our trip by implementing what we learned at NAMM U.” Robert Christie A&G Central Music • Madison Heights, MI 2017 NAMM Dealer of the Year

NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond interviews Robbie Robertson at the NAMM U “Breakfast of Champions”.

ducation NAMM U E

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Hilton Education Center

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Level 4 - Concourse

Level 5 - Lanai Deck Get hands-on suspension and configuration training in the AES@NAMM Line Array Loudspeaker System Academy.

Ballroom Below

Ballroom Below Oral History

Level 3 - Mezzanine

Level 3 - Mezzanine Connect with the NAMM Foundation and the NAMM Oral History program.

Breakfast Sessions

Level 2 - Ballrooms Experience Retail Boot Camp, understand big-picture strategies in daily NAMM U Breakfast Sessions, and enjoy a variety of concerts and awards programs.

Level 2 - Ballrooms

Entertainment

Networking

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Level 4 - Concourse Participate in the AES@NAMM Pro Sound Symposium, and explore the latest in event technology and the future of audio with industry leaders.

Food/Beverage

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Level 1 - Hilton Lobby Welcome to the NAMM U Hilton Education Center, featuring a new, relaxed vibe; more amenities; education; and events—along with areas to connect and network.

Visit namm.org/attend1 to learn more about NAMM U and to register for The NAMM Show

PEOPLE

Orange Travels to Ireland

Tim Ireland was appointed Orange Music Electronic Co.’s managing director, effective Aug. 21. His new role includes global responsibilities for the whole group and the mission to drive the company forward in an ever-changing industry. Ireland has more than 15 years of experience in the audio industry, from a variety of senior roles, including CEO of Meridian Audio and head of product design at Bowers & Wilkins.

“I am looking forward to my role as managing director with a company with the heritage and reputation that Orange holds in the music industry,” said Ireland. “My aim will be to grow the brand even further, ensuring we deliver the best service possible to our everexpanding customer base.”

Cascio Doesn’t Fret

New Berlin, Wis.-based Cascio Music hired Christopher J. Houser as chief marketing officer and Matthew J. Freter as marketing manager.

Houser will lead Cascio’s overall marketing, ecommerce, advertising and merchandising plan and teams, as the company continues its strategy in the omni-channel consumer environment.

Freter will work closely with Houser, while leading the creative marketing and communications team. Houser joins the company from his ecommerce manager role at Topco Associates LLC, a multinational retail cooperative marketing and procurement operation based in the Chicago area. More recently, he served as director of ecommerce for Sendik’s Food Markets.

“Chris brings to us the experience of an omnichannel ‘brick-andclick’ business model, as we continue to develop our multi-channeled direct-to-consumer, retail, online and school customer business, both locally and nationally. It is the next step as we proceed with our longterm company organization, design and strategic plan for our future,” said Cascio Music CEO Michael Houser.

“Chris joins us at a key time in our company’s rich 70-year history, as we continue to evolve with our customers’ changing needs,” added Mike Cascio, Cascio Music’s president. Freter comes to Cascio Music from his role as marketing manager at Mindspike Design, a Milwaukee-based design and advertising agency. Freter specializes in digital inbound marketing, campaign development, and creative execution for both small and large businesses.

“The mission here is simple: get instruments in the hands of artists and would-be new players. How could you not want to be a part of that?” said Freter on what brought him to Cascio.

In Memoriam: Chris Climer

Chris Climer passed away in August. When he wanted to play the piano and organ at 16 years old, but did not have the money to purchase an instrument, he made an arrangement to work in a music store in Arkansas to earn the money to make the payments. He had been in the industry ever since taking that first position. He learned to deliver and service pianos before he was given the opportunity to sell the instruments. Chris took a liking to the process and relocated to Dallas in 1969 to work for Goodman Music. In 1980, Chris and his wife opened the Family Music Center in Dallas.

16

Longobardo Onboard

Faital Pro introduced Jason Longobardo as area and OEM sales, pro audio division, North America.

He has served Sam Ash, as well as worked for independent rep firm On the Road Marketing for 10 years, during which time he represented some of the leading brands in audio, including Martin Audio, RCF, Powersoft, EAW, Renkus-Heinz, Adamson, DiGiCo, PreSonus, One Systems, Mackie Designs, Ampeg, Audio-Technica, SKB Cases and Westone in-ear monitors.

In Memoriam: Ed Murphy

Ed Murphy, former president of G. Schirmer Music Publishing, passed away on Sept. 1. He saw many of the most significant changes that affected the print business, including buyouts and mergers, as well as the introduction of the copy machine and the internet.

He was proud of the organizations he represented over his long career and the many friends he made along the way. Murphy also served on the ASCAP Board and worked with the Music Publisher’s Association Board.

In Memoriam: Sonny Burgess

Sonny Burgess passed away on Aug. 18 at the age of 88. In addition to his noted career as a rockabilly recording artist for Sun Records in the 1950s, Sonny also ran a music store in Arkansas beginning in the 1960s. Burgess opened his own music retail store, which he ran for 20 years. He sold the store once his kids were grown and was once again able to go back out on the road. He performed with his band, The Pacers, up until July.

OCTOBER 2017

PEOPLE

In Memoriam: John Connolly Jr.

John Michael Connolly Jr., founder of Connolly Music Co., passed away on Aug. 26 at the age of 87. He was a beloved husband, father and grandfather, who was known for his witty (and refreshingly dry) sense of humor.

Connolly Jr. founded the company (then John M. Connolly & Co.) in 1969 in Fort Salonga, N.Y., after purchasing Wm. R. Gratz Import Co. of New York, where he was previously general manager. It was the exclusive distributor of products such as Höfner and Paesold, . among other brands, and Connolly Jr. was actively involved in marketing the “Beatle bass” in its heyday.

About that time, Connolly Jr. approached Margareta Infeld about getting the exclusive dis-

Korg Promotes Phillips

Matt Phillips, a veteran employee of eight years at Korg USA Inc., has been promoted to the new role of director of sales.

Phillips will be directly responsible for the management, leadership and results from the inside sales representatives, territory sales managers and district sales managers.

Phillips has held positions of increasing responsibility in his tenure at Korg. He started as an inside sales rep, then transitioned to a district sales manager for the Rocky Mountain Region. After relocating back to New York, Phillips was promoted to manager of the inside sales team. Phillips then led the creation of several campaigns, strategies and sales programs that have helped drive Korg USA to better service its dealer network.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

tribution for Thomastik-Infeld in the United States. Thomastik-Infeld had just developed the world’s first synthetic string, called Dominant, which was receiving mixed reviews when it was first introduced to the market. Infeld accepted, and Connolly Jr. became significantly instrumental in the rise of the world’s first “plastic” string, taking significant risk in convincing the multitudes that this was a true paradigm shift in the world of strings.

DECK YOUR HALLS WITH A LITTLE MORE GREEN The holidays are all about giving. This season, we’re offering D’Addario’s most valued customers the opportunity to stock up on our highest-quality products—from strings to drumsticks to instrument care. Items that not only spread holiday cheer for players, but perform for your margin, too.

800.323.2746 SALES@DADDARIO.COM

PRODUCTS

Presence Felt

Over view: Remo’s Powerstroke 3 Felt Tone Bass Drumheads Specifics: Remo’s Powerstroke 3 Felt Tone Bass Drumheads incorporate the traditional style of dampening a bass drum with a strip of felt. They feature a free-floating dampening strip built into the drumhead without glues or adhesives. Available in Hazy, Fiberskyn and Coated film in 18-inch through 26-inch sizes.

MSRP: Hazy: $91.90-$117.70; Fiberskyn: $103.50-$141.40; Coated: $105.70-$135.50 Ship Date: Now Contact: Remo, 661.294.5600, remo.com

Toss Me a Lifeline

Cocktail Party

Over view: Tama’s Cocktail-JAM Mini CJP44 Specifics: Tama’s Cocktail-JAM Mini CJP44 is a slightly smaller version of the original Cocktail-JAM, featuring drum sizes that are two inches smaller in diameter. It produces an even smaller footprint, and the entire kit (with hardware) fits into two bags, which are included. By adding Tama’s compact clamps (sold separately), drummers can add cymbals, hi-hat and cowbells to the Cocktail-JAM Mini for even more versatility. Other features include a poplar shell (eight ply, 7.5 millimeters), a 1.6-millimeter Triple Flange Hoop, two pieces of drum-pedal and single-tom attachment hardware, and a new bass drum mute for a punchier kick sound. Available in Candy Apple Mist or Hairline Blue finishes.

MSRP: $666.65 Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Tama, 215.638.8670, tama.com

Over view: Alfred Music’s The Drummer’s Lifeline: Quick Fixes, Hacks, and Tips of the Trade Specifics: Alfred Music’s The Drummer’s Lifeline: Quick Fixes, Hacks, and Tips of the Trade by Peter Erskine and Dave Black offers practical, yet “offbeat,” solutions to just about any drumming situation.

Whatever their musical preference or style, and whatever their level of drumming experience or expertise, drummers will find answers to questions they’ve asked before and questions they didn’t even know existed. Topics include more than 80 practice, performance, recording, gear and industry tips; tricks to achieve the desired sounds from your drums; care and maintenance solutions; music business advice, such as fee negotiation and self-promotion; instructions on choosing, changing and tuning drumheads; warm-up exercises and musical examples; and a glossary of drum-related terms.

MSRP: $12.99 Ship Date: Now Contact: Alfred Music, 646.449.0063, alfred.com

THE KYSER QUICK-CHANGE TWENTY COLORS. TAKE YOUR PICK. www.kysermusical.com

Guaranteed for life

MADE IN AMERICA

18

KYSER® MUSICAL PRODUCTS

OCTOBER 2017

PRODUCTS

Let It Ride

Over view: SABIAN’s HHX Shimmering ‘75’ Ride Specifics: SABIAN’s limited-edition HHX Shimmering ‘75’ Ride commemorates jazz legend Jack DeJohnette’s 75th birthday. Triple-hammered with a heavily hammered bell and buffed for shimmer and glassiness, the Shimmering ‘75’ was designed to DeJohnette’s exacting specification for a controlled,

musical ride, with great warmth and ample shimmer. Medium in weight, the tone is rich, the stick is always articulate and the bell is solid without being piercing. Only 75 of these cymbals have been produced.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Now Contact: SABIAN, 800.817.2242, sabian.com

300

Performance Audio Systems

SUB

Case in Point

Over view: BAM’s STAGE Cases Specifics: BAM’s STAGE cases are designed for the Stratocaster and Les Paul. The interior molding is made using the company’s direct-injection technique to create a mono block of polyurethane foam fused with the shell. This provides a secure fit for the instrument and protection against shocks and weather changes. These lightweight cases come in a Black Sabbath or Grey Thunder finish, with a set of neoprene backpack straps with metal carabiner hooks.

MSRP: $770 Ship Date: Contact company Contact: BAM, 201.342.7700, bamcases.com

EXPAND

Personalized Fishman-Quality Sound In A Portable, Powerful and Easy-To–Set-Up Package

Easily personalized for your specific audio needs, the Fishman SA Performance Audio System is the ideal solution for solo acoustic

performers, small combos, DJs, keyboardists, corporate presenters at trade shows or in conference rooms... any and all who need to be

heard in small to medium-sized situations where a portable, practical and sonorous performance amplification solution is required.

®

Inspired Performance TechnologyTM

CONTACT YOUR FISHMAN REP TODAY! 1.800.FISHMAN | fishman.com

PRODUCTS

Save Your Soul

Over view: T-Rex’s Soulmate Acoustic Guitar Effects Pedal Specifics: T-Rex’s Soulmate Acoustic Guitar Effects Pedal is designed to enhance the sound quality of an acoustic guitar rather than overpower it with effects. While the sound and quality of an acoustic guitar may be drowned out in the noise of other instruments, the Soulmate helps color the sound of the guitar without compromising quality or uniqueness. Built to accommodate a range of tone and volume, the Soulmate features dual stereo outputs (1/4-inch and XLR with ground lift). Its signal phase and impedance switches help to filter out additional noise that may merge into the sound quality of the acoustic guitar. The Soulmate allows users to loop phrases or entire songs with a built-in looper featuring up to five minutes of recording time. Other features include an input preamp with gain control, foot control over master volume and shimmer, and an automatic feedback kill switch.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: T-Rex, 813.221.4191, t-rex-effects.com

Hit the Lights

Over view: DrumLite’s Triggered LED System for Drums Specifics: DrumLite has released triggered lighting kits for drums. Designed for the everyday drummer, these new trigger systems allow DrumLites to react when the drum is struck. The triggers attach to the drum shells using 3M double-sided tape, picking up the vibration and eliminating crosstalk between DrumLites in multiple drums. The system combines all the features of previous DrumLite controllers (remote control, static color selection, preset flashing/fading modes), along with the ability to toggle in and out of trigger mode with the touch of a button. Two trigger packs are available: a bass drum trigger pack and a five-drum (full-kit) trigger pack, each including DrumLite LED strips, triggers, power adapter and cables for their respective setups.

MSRP: Bass Drum Trigger Kit: $99; Five-Drum Trigger Kit: $249 Ship Date: Now Contact: DrumLite, 612.548.4839, getdrumlite.com

First Things First

Over view: Hal Leonard’s Getting Started with Pro Tools | First: Audio Production Basics Specifics: Hal Leonard’s Getting Started with Pro Tools | First: Audio Production Basics by Avid Master Instructors Frank D. Cook and Eric Kuehnl teaches the basics of composing, recording, editing, mixing and processing audio using the free Pro Tools | First software. Designed for the beginner in digital audio, the book offers a first step for aspiring audio engineers, new media professionals and anyone else seeking better results for their audio endeavors. The authors cover basic computer and digital audio workstation concepts, audio and MIDI recording techniques, the Pro Tools user

20

OCTOBER 2017

PRODUCTS

Stand and Deliver

Over view: König & Meyer’s Premium Base Specifics: König & Meyer’s German-made, premium base fits all common distance rods with M20 threaded bolts, including K&M’s premiere distance rods, such as the pneumatic-spring and hand-crank versions. These easy-to-carry, flat bases serve as sleek and strong foundations for distance rods to accommodate speakers and lighting fixtures. The bases are intended for a variety of situations and are suited to tight spaces. The base features an integrated handle, cable management portal and four stable feet that are covered in felt. The tube combination can be set up to individual specifications using the included wrench. The base comes in three sizes and weights, ranging from 16 to 21 inches and 15 to 29 pounds. Optional bags for protection and storage are available, as are a five-year warranty and 10-year replacement parts program.

MSRP: Base Plate: starting at $179.99; Case: $45.99 Ship Date: Contact company Contact: König & Meyer, 800.644.5268, k-m.de/us

interface, techniques for selecting and navigating, fundamentals of mixing and signal processing, and options for creating a stereo bounce. This book serves as a resource both for Pro Tools | First users and for users of commercial versions of Pro Tools software.

MSRP: $24.99 Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Hal Leonard, 800.554.0626, halleonard.com MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

IMPERIALSTAR ABE CUNNINGHAM–THEN AND NOW

2006

“Fantastic sound! A very exciting and encouraging first drum set.”

2017

“After a decade... now even better!

Really great sounding drums, a THUMPIN’ kick, looks great and killer hardware.”

Abe revisits IMPERIALSTAR and is blown away! Now with NEW Stage Master 40 Series Hardware, IMPERIALSTAR continues to be the undisputed complete 5pc kit. Kit Includes: Hardware, Iron Cobra 200 drum pedal, throne, and MEINL HCS cymbals.

21

PRODUCTS

The ABCs of BBS

Over view: E.K. Blessing’s BBS-1287 Eb Baritone Saxophone Specifics: E.K. Blessing’s BBS1287 Eb Baritone Saxophone is specifically targeted for students and school band programs. The Standard Series BBS-1287 Eb Baritone Saxophone is presented in gold lacquer finish, with Yellow Brass keys, neck, body and bell.

It has both a Low A key and High F# Key, and Double Key Arms on low C and B keys. The BBS-1287 features fully ribbed construction, double body-to-bell bracing and guide bracing for improved stability. It also comes with an adjustable thumb rest, stainless steel springs and Pisoni Pads with metal resonators. The BBS-1287 comes complete with a durable hard-shell case with wheels, a mouthpiece, ligature and cap.

MSRP: $7,695 Ship Date: Contact company Contact: E.K. Blessing, 800.727.4512, blessingbrass.com

Here Comes the Rooster

Over view: Electro-Harmonix’s Cock Fight Plus Specifics: Electro-Harmonix’s Cock Fight Plus offers the tone of the original Cock Fight in a rugged, lightweight pedal and with a traditional rack-and-pinion-style operating mechanism. The pedal features two distinct wah sounds, as well as a switchable and adjustable fuzz tone. The wah toggle switch selects between the classic wah tones of the Crying Tone and the dual formant filter of the Talking Pedal, which creates vowel-like sounds. The bottom control blends back in clean bass frequencies to beef up the low end and make the wah sound more bass-friendly. The volume control sets the master output level. The fuzz section features a three-position toggle switch for off, pre-wah and post-wah settings. The drive and tone controls set the amount and overall brightness of the fuzz. Bias controls the amount of bias voltage supplied to one of the transistors in the fuzz circuit and can create a full, saturated tone or a sputtering, gated fuzz sound.

Street Price: $123.50 Ship Date: Now Contact: Electro-Harmonix, 718.937.8300, ehx.com

Naughty

by Nature T-Cord™ Rugged Exterior with Rigid Core Cushion-Soft™ Plush Interior Providence-Forge® Hardware 24/7 Protection® Lifetime Warranty

The Vectra® IPX™ electric guitar case

by TKL features a tough, reinforced exterior, a custom-formed, dual-density foam interior along with price that will fit any budget. Designed for progressive players and a wide range of instruments, it’s a major change from conventional cases and the shape of things to come.

TKL ProducTs corP. 1-804-749-8300 • www.tkl.com

Retailer and distributor inquiries invited.

22

Over view: Dream Cymbals’ Naughty Saucer Specifics: Dream Cymbals’ Naughty Saucer is the latest addition to the company’s Re-FX series. Created with cymbals collected from their recycling program, Dream and Scott Pellegrom created the Naughty Saucer while searching for a way to recreate digital/ electronic drum sounds in an organic way on an acoustic kit. The Naughty Saucer is a 14-inch effect cymbal featuring a 5.75-inch hole in the center that provides the drummer with two unique playing surfaces on any drum or cymbal it’s placed on. When used on a drum, the Naughty Saucer simulates the effect of a OCTOBER 2017

PRODUCTS

Make Your Pitch

Over view: Shure’s Super 55 Pitch Black Edition Specifics: Shure’s Super 55-BLK Deluxe Vocal Microphone Pitch Black Edition is available in a limited quantity. The new Super 55 Pitch Black Edition is a modern take on the classic Super 55’s look and performance. This limited-edition microphone features a matte black die-cast case, black foam and smooth frequency response for natural vocal reproduction. It comes with an integrated swivel-stand mount base and microphone bag. For vocal performers, the Super 55 Pitch Black Edition’s black-on-black OVER 3,500 PRODUCTS design is a twist on the classic and adds a sleek style to production. The supercardioid microphone cartridge rejects unwanted noise and prevents feedback. The shock-mounted MIXING CONSOLE CASES cartridge and tough, die-cast FITS MIDAS, BEHRINGER, MACKIE, PRESONUS, case reduces handling noise SOUNDCRAFT, YAMAHA, ALLEN & HEATH and protects it from damage.

MSRP: Contact company XS-MIDM32RDHW Ship Date: Contact company Fits Midas M32R w/ dog house Contact: Shure, and 4”x 4” Wheels 847.600.2000, shure.com/americas

IN STOCK

CASES - TRUSS - CABLES - PRO STANDS - BAGS & BEYOND

2X LOCKING

digital/electronically manipulated drum sound. When placed on a cymbal, it provides the drummer with an instant industrial stack effect. The Naughty Saucer can be added or removed instantly, providing drummers with quick and easy modification of their entire kit’s sound.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Dream Cymbals, 877.933.7629, dreamcymbals.com

EELS

4X S W

I

L&

WH

VE

DJ CONTROLLER CASES FITS PIONEER, NUMARK, DENON, ROLAND

XS-DDJSXWLT

w/ single unit rack space, laptop shelf & 2x Rubber wheels.

Fits Pioneer DDJSX2, DDJRX DJ Controllers

GROUND SUPPORT TRUSS SYSTEMS

The Outrigger base strut that attaches to both the base and the tower truss establishing a firm and steady installaltion.

2" Diameter Tube with Clamp and Bolted hinge.

64" Alluminum Assist Tube with Clamp 36" Steel Base feet

F34 SQUARE TRUSS & ACCESSORIES

Any trademarks, trade names or brand names appearing herein that do not belong to ProX cases are the property of their respective owners and/or companies, and such appearance does not and shall not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation by ProX.

For more information or to become a ProX dealer (718) 237-2299

www.proxdirect.com

PRODUCTS

Capo of Good Hope

Over view: Kyser Musical Products’ Maple Quick-Change Capo Specifics: Kyser Musical Products has released a new Quick-Change capo for six-string acoustic guitars featuring a maple wood design and maple-style finish. The Maple Quick-Change capo complements the look of instruments with maple tonewoods and fretboards.

American-made Quick-Change capos are aesthetically pleasing and deliver durable, reliable function.

MSRP: $24.95 Ship Date: Now Contact: Kyser Musical Products, 903.567.2770, kysermusical.com

Spinning and Winning

Over view: Roland’s DJ-505 and DJ-202 DJ Controllers Specifics: Roland’s DJ-505 and DJ-202 DJ controllers are equipped with features derived from the DJ-808. The DJ-505 is a two-channel, four-deck Serato DJ controller that comes with the complete Serato Tool Kit. It features a portable design and a pro-grade build. Two large, low-latency platters provide responsive, lag-free performance for turntable-style scratches, while eight pads with 13 modes offer dedicated controls for Serato DJ. Also included are built-in drum kits from Roland’s TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines. The DJ-202 is a Serato DJ Intro controller that gives DJs the features and layout of a full-size pro controller in a mobile unit. Its lightweight design and easy-grab handles provide portability for all types of events. Like the DJ-505, the DJ-202 includes two low-latency platters, a built-in drum machine with TR-808 and TR-909 sounds, and eight dedicated pads.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Roland, 323.890.3700, roland.com

Point of Sale + Website + Rentals

ALL IN ONE

cloud-based system • POS & Website (Integrated Inventory) • Rent to Own • Reverb Integration • Product Data Integration (Alfred & D’Addario) • Class Management • Service/Repairs Tracking

www.rainpos.com/music sales@rainpos.com • (801) 893-3680

Now includes marketing tools!

"Our year-over-year sales increased by 35% after switching to Rain Retail" ~Jeremy Chapman, Owner, The Acoustic Shoppe 24

Light the Fusion

Over view: Fusion Guitars Specifics: Fusion Guitars allow musicians to unplug, learn and create music anywhere life takes them. They incorporate a built-in amp, speakers and seamless iPhone integration for access to tones, guitar effects and apps. Fusion Guitars feature an Apple iPhone and iPod dock with 24-bit/96-kilohertz audio interface; full-scale maple neck with the option of rosewood or maple fingerboard; built-in 20-watt Class-D amplifier module with low noise (-90 decibels); two fullrange HD speakers, plus a higherfrequency tweeter aimed upward; a floating speaker box that allows the speaker to “float” in the guitar body on rubber mounts, which reduces the amount of vibration transmission between the guitar body and speaker to avoid audio feedback and improve volume; neck-through-body construction; rechargeable battery with four- to six-hour battery life; and a Hot-rail Bridge Humbucker with parallel/series options via push/ pull switch alongside a traditional neck Humbucker pickup.

MSRP: $1,399 Ship Date: Now Contact: Fusion Guitars, fusionguitars.com OCTOBER 2017

L AT E S T

(continued from page 13)

Lee Oskar Congratulates Tombo on 100th Anniversary

Lee Oskar Harmonicas, established in 1983 in collaboration with Tombo Manufacturing of Japan, congratulated Tombo on its 100th anniversary, to be celebrated in Japan in late 2017.

“At this important centennial milestone for Tombo Manufacturing of Japan, we congratulate the Mano Family and everyone involved in this great company on achieving 100 years of manufacturing excellence,” said Lee Oskar. “I feel truly honored to have worked collaboratively with Tombo on the manufacturing of Lee Oskar Harmonicas since 1983. They’re the perfect partner, and I’m excited about the future together.”

Lee Oskar added it has been manufacturing a consistent product with Tombo since Lee Oskar Harmonicas began 34 years ago.

(L-R): Tetsuo Mano, VP Tombo, Teruhisa Mano, Tombo President, and Lee Oskar.

18 UKES ONLY

$387

Zildjian Celebrates A Custom’s Silver Anniversary

INCLUDES FREE FREIGHT

The Avedis Zildjian Co. has commenced celebration of the 25th anniversary of its A Custom line of cymbals.

In 1992, the A Custom Series broke new ground in cymbal manufacturing techniques. A Custom is universally recognized

(7) Penguin Colorful Soprano (7) DDUK Design Soprano

for its bright, cutting sound and brilliant finish, and is played by many top international artists across all genres of music, according to Zildjian.

In honor of its silver anniversary, Zildjian will launch a limitededition, 23-inch A Custom 25th Anniversary Ride cymbal. Only 1,000 are in existence worldwide.

Each cymbal is numbered 1 to 1,000 and is personally signed

by Craigie Zildjian. This limitededition Ride will come in a special cymbal box that includes a certificate of authenticity.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

(7) UK120 • (3) Soprano • (2) Concert • (2) Tenor

21 UKES ONLY

Be Colorful This Fall $499

All Ukuleles Come Equipped with Matching Gig Bag

INCLUDES FREE FREIGHT (9) Penguin and (9) DDUK Tropical Ukuleles & MATCHING BAG

All Ukuleles Come Equipped with Matching Gig Bag

888 • 262 • 8471

888 • 262 • 8471 WWW.AMAHIUKULELES.COM WWW.AMAHIUKULELES.COM

25

PROUD TO BE AMERICAN MADE: MANUFACTURERS EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS TO MAKE PRODUCTS IN THE HOMELAND

(continued from the cover)

design and build our manufacturing equipment for all our divisions.

“It is very rewarding to know that in some small way, we are doing our part towards sustaining employment in America, while having a positive impact on our national trade deficit.”

— Jim D’Addario, CEO, D’Addario & Co. Inc.

“For Manhasset, the phrase ‘Made in the USA’ is extremely important to the purchasers of the company’s products.

Band directors and conductors, professional musicians, and students all know that Manhasset Stands represent the best quality and durability in the music stand business. They understand that by manufacturing these stands in the United States, Manhasset will be able to maintain its consistent high level of dependability to aid performers of all styles and experience levels. That reputation is not only important in the U.S., but throughout the world, as the increased demand by its international distributors for Manhasset Stands demonstrates. And the fact that Manhasset Stands offers a lifetime warranty on its music stands demonstrates the commitment to quality and longlasting performance, going well beyond the warranty period offered by competitors’ products.

Consumers also recognize the great value that Manhasset Stands represent. The company has been investing a significant amount of capital in each of the last five years to upgrade its plant and equipment so that Manhasset can reach even greater levels of part quality and increase throughput in the plant, with outstanding results. These outlays of capital into robotics-aided manufacturing and packing processes have helped the company stay lean in its plant operations. And an investment in a new prewash process (prior to powder coating) has helped the company become an even better steward for the environment, as Manhasset is now 100-percent ‘green’ in its plant operations.

“As an employee-owned company, there is great pride that Manhasset Stands are made in this country and are in high demand worldwide. Every employee recognizes the need to keep improving the company’s performance every day to keep Manhasset Stands ahead of the competition.”

— Dan Roberts, president and general manager, Manhasset Specialty Co.

26

“We have always taken great pride in the fact that every Zildjian cymbal is made in our factory in Norwell, Mass., and all of our drumsticks for both Zildjian and Vic Firth are made in Newport, Maine. We feel this is an important message to our customers around the world, as it shows that we are very hands-on with our manufacturing. Many employees never actually get to see one of their products being made, but every employee here gets to see and feel the instruments being crafted. With so many products being imported into the U.S., we do feel our message of ‘Made in the USA’ resonates strongly with our consumers, as it ensures a high level of quality and care. We are the only major cymbal manufacturer in the USA, and this helps create a point of difference with our competitors.”

— Dan Wiseman, director of brand activation, Avedis Zildjian

“It depends on the market.

The phrase still carries a lot of weight in the eyes of most consumers, but not all.

I believe the phrase is more important to our buyers and wholesale partners than it was a few years ago, which is a welcome change.

We have noticed a shift over the last few years, especially with our dealers and distributors. ‘Made in USA’ now carries a lot of weight, as our dealers and consumers know we will provide the best products and service possible. …We are extremely proud to offer products that are made in the USA by workers in our local community. Although some consumers may shop specifically on price, there has been a movement to support manufacturers that are based in the USA. We stand by our quality and craftsmanship, this is the legacy we want to maintain with our products being made in the USA. — Tim Pfouts, vice president, S.I.T. Strings Co. OCTOBER 2017

“Well, sure we’re absolutely 100-percent proud to say that our products are made in the USA, but aside from the pride that comes with that, from a standpoint of quality control, as an American-owned and -operated company, there is no better way to guarantee the levels of quality, consistency and service that our customers have come to expect from Lollar Pickups than to build it ourselves, right here, with our own hands.

We handle it all here, under one roof, to ensure that every step of the process, from design, to production, shipping, to customer service — before and after the sale — is maintained at that same high level. For us, as well as our customers, more than where something is made, how it’s made matters as much today as it did a few years ago, and will continue to for as long as I can imagine. Quality, consistency and service never go out of style.”

— Jason Lollar, co-founder, Lollar Pickups

“We are in the woodworking business. Everything we do revolves around a natural material that can react unpredictably from the forest to the stage. Creating ‘The Perfect Pair’ requires a level of hands-on expertise that simply can’t be outsourced.

Vic Firth drumsticks are designed by expert percussionists and crafted by the most skilled woodworkers in Newport, Maine. For some other products, perhaps local oversight may not be as important, but for us it’s absolutely critical. We proudly fly the flag on every stick we make.

— Andrew Tamulynas, categor y manager, drumsticks and mallets, Avedis Zildjian and Vic Firth

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

27

BASS DRUMHEADS

TRADITION MEETS STYLE AND INNOVATION

“‘Made in the USA’ is a tag that still carries significant weight. It doesn’t mean we look down on offshore manufacturing; it means taking significant pride in homegrown product construction down to a company’s exacting specifications. The ability to oversee those manufacturing processes, along with continuing to enact new safety procedures and discovering new ways to reduce energy waste and carbon footprint, are passed on to customers in the form of robust, reliable and high-performance products. At Bittree, these traits are meaningful not only to our American customers, but our growing global customer base.”

— Ari Baron, general manager, Bittree

• BUILT-IN FREE-FLOATING DAMPENING STRIP • IDEAL FOR VINTAGE AND CONTEMPORARY DRUM SET APPLICATIONS. • AVAILABLE IN COATED, HAZY OR FIBERSKYN® FILM • SIZES 18”, 20”, 22”, 24” and 26”.

DRUMHEADS

VINTAGE DRUM REVIVAL

Ambassador® Coated

Ambassador® Clear

Fiberskyn® Diplomat®

• MOdIFIEd dESIGn SPECIFICaLLY FOR VInTaGE dRUMS. • aVaILaBLE In SIZES 12”, 13”, 14”,16”, and18”.

• aLSO aVaILaBLE In a HaZY SnaRE SIdE, SIZES 13” and 14”.

“With each passing year, the message is more important — to both consumers and manufacturers. How proud are you to say your products are made in the USA and do you believe the end user seeks these products as much as in the past? ‘Made in the USA’ is the cornerstone of the Kyser brand. I am extremely proud that our capos are manufactured here in Texas, and that pride evolves from my hard-working team; and each team member is carrying on Milton Kyser’s legacy with their hard work, professional skills and dedication to our mission. Additionally, the end user wants a quality product at a competitive price, which makes it a challenge.”

— Meredith Hamlin, president/CEO, Kyser Musical Products Inc.

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OCTOBER 2017

“Historically, ‘Made in the USA’ has been a catchcry for high-quality musical instruments that professional musicians could rely on. The big difference today is that improvements in quality have made the global manufacturing industry for musical instruments far more competitive and have made it easier to produce high-quality products from anywhere in the world. But this doesn’t mean this has devalued what ‘Made in the USA’ means. In fact, one could even argue that it has even greater cache than in the past. With the internet, the biggest challenge globally today is no longer distribution or manufacturing tolerances, but differentiation; that is where the experience, history and uncompromising approach to quality over the last 100 years in the U.S. sets Heritage Guitar apart.

We’re incredibly proud to be bringing American-made guitars to the world and believe that 225 Parsons (in Kalamazoo, Mich.) is key to this.”

— Meng Ru Kuok, CEO and co-founder of BandLab Technologies and CEO of Rolling Stone International

“The phrase ‘Made in the USA’ has always signaled quality, care and dedication to the consumer, but with the current influx in cheaper and/or lowerquality imported goods, people are seeking out American-made products more than ever for any needs they have where quality is of the utmost importance.”

— Scott Marquart, owner, Stringjoy Guitar Strings

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

Blues Angel Music Celebrates 20 Years

Pensacola, Fla.-based Blues Angel Music celebrated its 20th anniversary on Aug. 15. Owner Jim Destafney posted the following on Facebook in honor of the milestone: “WOW!!! Blues Angel Music is 20 today! I never dreamed I’d still be in music 20 years after opening up Blues Angel Music on August 15, 1997! Never dreamed we’d be able to move our business from the old “Zoellners” Music Store on Navy Blvd to the former “Harris” Music Building on Pace Blvd. Certainly never dreamed I would be selling world-class Yamaha Pianos out of our store. Never dreamed we’d be named one of the Top 100 music stores in the USA for seven consecutive years. Never dreamed we’d have almost 30 fabulous employees working at Blues Angel Music.

Never dreamed we’d have a 501(c)(3) that provides financial support for music education, performance and therapy for needy Pensacola area citizens of all ages. None of these milestones could have been accomplished without the actual dreams of my wife and business partner, Nan Destafney. Her vision, planning skills, work ethic and philanthropy constantly amaze me. We would also not be here today without an amazing staff,

‘Pointy’ of View

By Anthony Mantova — Owner and Sales, Mantova’s Two Street Music, Eureka, Calif.

If you are running a music retail store and are concerned about advertising, there is an innovative internet startup company that can help.

It’s called Pointy (pointy.com/us). Here’s how it works.

It all happens at your front counter. Pointy sends you a little Wi-Fi box that connects between your UPC Scanner and your Point of Sale. As you scan barcodes during daily sales, the Wi-Fi box sends the codes to Pointy, and beautiful pictures of the scanned items appear on a custom-made website.

Besides giving you a free website, the experience is interactive for the customers. They will see the items on their phones or tablets when they search. The site allows for customers to ask if an item is in stock. As products are listed, it takes several weeks for the SEO of each product to rise in the Google rankings. As your list of products grows to several thousand, each product listing is a potential sale.

You have a lot of control over your Pointy page, including the ability to remove products and select items you want featured. You also have complete control over the store description.

With a one-time payment of $300, it is easy to make back your investment. Already, customers have purchased headphones and strings from my store due to these listings.

As you can tell, I am a raving fan, and I urge you to consider Pointy for your music retail business! To view my Pointy page, visit pointy.com/shops/usa/california/ eureka/mantovas-two-street-music.

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who work so hard, and always put the customer first. And finally, I have to thank first and foremost our customers and friends, not just on the Gulf Coast, but around the world, who shop in our store, and take music lessons, and rent band instruments, and allow us to repair your precious musical instruments. Without you, the local customer supporting us for all these 20 years, there would be no Blues Angel Music. Thank you so much.”

Bellevue American Music Closes

Bellevue American Music (BAM) officially announced on Aug. 31 that it had closed.

“The sun has set for Bellevue American Music,” the Bellevue, Wash., retailer stated in a Facebook post. “Many of you already know, and for those that don’t, we are now closed. We will miss seeing and serving all you great customers, and more than that, we will miss the great relationships that you have allowed us over the four decades we have been serving you in Bellevue. Thank you deeply from all of us at BAM. We love you.”

Customers now passing by the store will see the following statement attached to the window.

“Bellevue American Music has closed for business. We would like to thank all of our incredible customers for their support over the four decades we have been assisting musicians, schools, churches and families. You are all the very best anyone could have hoped for. Thank you.”

Music Gear Guys Closes

Multiple factors, including an upcoming rent increase of more than $2,000 per month, forced Denver’s Music Gear Guys to close its doors in September, reported Westword.

Gregory Decker acquired the 1,200-square-foot space 13 years ago, the website reported.

In addition to a rent increase, Music Gear Guys’ Decker said retail marijuana sales have also negatively affected his business. Since 2014, he estimates three out of every five customers who enter the store have come from out of state.

These out-of-towners don’t want to pay for him to ship their gear back to their home states, hence, they talk about the products but fail to buy anything, the news source added.

“I see them order it right in front of me on their phone [from online retailers like Amazon],” Decker told Westword.

OCTOBER 2017

Saving the Music

Tucson, Ariz.-based Instrumental Music Center (IMC) was chosen to play its part in helping to “Save the Music.”

Tucson High Magnet School applied for and obtained a grant under the Keys + Kids Piano Grant Program. The donation consisted of $10,000 worth of new keyboards, including one Casio Celviano Grand Hybrid Piano and three Casio WK-7600 music workstations.

In order to donate the keyboards, VH1 needed to purchase them from an MI retailer. Casio selected the retailer. IMC was chosen

by John Anning, sales manager for Casio Digital Pianos, because

Mega Milestone

Sterling, Co.-based Mega Music celebrated its 20th year on Aug. 26 and 27. The store was featured in an August edition of the Journal-Advocate. Mega Music offers a selection of guitars, basses, keyboards, drums and percussion, live sound equipment, and studio gear from brands such as Yamaha, Fender, Dean and Peavey. The store also offers full private music lessons for beginners and intermediate musicians.

“My favorite thing to do is get people started with music and get them what they need,” owner Todd Allen told the news outlet.

“Watching the new students come in and get their instruments and being excited about it ... that’s what still gets me motivated.”

The newspaper article added that a move away from traditional retail stores to online buying has led Allen to be even more flexible and expand his retail business to online through the Mega Music website. “Everything is shifting more to online buying, so we’ve made a major investment in our website,” he said.

“Soon we’ll have 15,000 to 20,000 items, so people can buy online from us.”

A Wonderful Journey

Newfane, N.Y.-based Redhouse Music was featured in an August issue of the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. It focused on owner Eric Koch, who mostly sells guitars and teaches lessons for many instruments. His students range in age from five to 72.

“My favorite aspect is teaching,” Koch told the newspaper.

“When I was younger, it was playing. I’ve played all over the U.S. and Europe.”

The news outlet also explained how Koch came to purchase the store. “I stopped into the shop in 2001, and the owner said the teacher had just quit and asked me to step in,” he said. “That exploded. It just exploded.”

One day, Koch said to the previous owner, “Why don’t you just sell me the place?”

“I bought it on a handshake,” Koch reminisced in the newspaper article. “It’s been a wonderful journey.”

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

“Instrumental Music Center in Tucson is one of the most proactive education-oriented music retailers in the United States. It is one of fewer than 20 stores who were invited to participate in the VH1 Save the Music program this year. The selection process is rigorous, and we are very proud to be working with IMC.” “It’s so exciting to help music education in our town,” said Leslie Faltin, co-owner of IMC. “We know that these instruments will make a difference in the lives of these students. We’re honored to be a part of this donation and celebration.”

Industry Veteran

Army veteran Anne Williams on Aug. 7 opened Gryphon Winds LLC in Newton Township, Pa., which offers professional woodwind and small brass repairs, maintenance and cleaning services, as well as used and restored instruments for sale.

“I had been working at a family-owned music store in Fredericksburg, Va., as a repair technician,” she told the Abington Journal. “Then, the opportunity came up here to buy my parents’ house and open a business nearby. I couldn’t pass up that opportunity; it was wonderful.

“I would like to be the go-to person for woodwind and small brass repairs,” she added. “If you have an issue with an instrument, you bring it to me, I fix it up and everybody’s happy.”

Feeling Groovy

Louisville, Ky.-based Mom’s Music hosted the Mom’s Groove-In jam session on Aug. 19 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

“Mom’s is inviting all pickers, beaters, slammers and jammers to sit in and make some groovy music this Saturday, August 19 at 2:30 p.m.,” the company wrote. “So, bring your axe, sticks or whatever it is that you play and come have a good time! We’ve got the mics, amps, drums and PA gear. Remember, if you’re not having a good time, do something else!”

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A N N I V E R S A RY

YAMAHA GOES GOLDEN

DRUM DIVISION CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Steven Fisher

By Brian Berk In the MI industry, the word Yamaha can connote images of so many instruments, which perhaps can only be properly visualized at the NAMM Show.

The company dates all the way back to 1887, with an impressive 130-year history. Also impressive is the growth of its drum products division, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The company, which celebrated the occasion on Sept. 30, during a

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seven-hour event at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles that featured performances by Larnell Lewis, Tommy Aldridge and Dave Weckl, first entered the drum market in 1967 with the launch of its D20 drum set, featuring the revolutionary AirSeal System.

“One impetus for Yamaha going into the acoustic drum market back then (and the guitar and bass market around that same time, for that matter) was the great number of combo instruments Japan was importing during the 1960s,” Steven Fisher, marketing manager for Yamaha Drums, told the Music & Sound Retailer. “Yamaha wanted to compete for that combo-instrument business, armed with our knowledge of wood-processing technology as applied to the crafting of fine musical instruments, like acoustic pianos. We also knew that with our knowledge of wood-processing technology, we could not only compete but succeed with making a better product.”

Yamaha was the first drum

company to pioneer acoustic drums and hardware, as well as produce ground-breaking electronic percussion products that integrate seamlessly with its acoustic counterparts, creating a new generation of hybrid products. “From research and development to design and manufacturing to sales and support, Yamaha goes to lengths that are simply beyond the capabilities of most drum makers,” Yamaha said in a statement to the Retailer. “However, an underlying dedication to music and the creation of fine musical instruments forms a steadfast foundation; one that values the pursuit of quality above all.”

Here’s a look, in chronological order, at some of the milestones Yamaha has achieved since its first drum set debuted in 1967.

• 1972: Al Foster becomes the first signed drum artist.

• 1975: Yamaha introduces the industry’s first hideaway boom stand.

• 1976: Yamaha launches the System Drum and System Hardware concept.

Yamaha 1970s

• 1977: Yamaha introduces the innovative tom ball mount, along with the YD9000 drum set, the precursor to Recording Custom.

• 1986: Yamaha launches its first electronic drum set, the Electronic Percussion System.

• 1988: Yamaha launches the Super Rack System.

• 1989: Yamaha presents the Rock Tour Custom drum set.

• 1991: Yamaha introduces the Maple Custom drum set and small-body lugs placed at the shell’s nodal points.

• 1993: Yamaha unveils the YESS mounting system, along with locking hi-hat clutch system.

• 1996: Yamaha launches the Stage Custom series, redefining entry-level value.

• 1998: Yamaha debuts the Absolute series.

• 1999: Yamaha unveils the HipGig series, creating a working drummer’s compact kit without sacrificing sound.

• 2002: Yamaha manufactures the first 100-percent oak shells for the Oak Custom series.

• 2003: Yamaha releases the innovative Nouveau Lug, the

precursor to the Hook Lug. • 2008: Yamaha introduces the PHX series, the pinnacle of drum craftsmanship and sound.

• 2011: Yamaha launches the 100percent kapur Club Custom series.

• 2016: Yamaha redefines the iconic Recording Custom drum set in collaboration with legendary artist Steve Gadd.

• 2017: Yamaha celebrates 50 years with limited-edition anniversary drum sets inspired by its Absolute Maple drum set.

“After the modern drum set configuration took form in the 1930s, manufacturers began refining the concept. The number of drums, cymbals, and the different materials, sizes and colors were the most visible changes, but huge innovations have taken place since then that have made a significant impact on the modern set,” said Fisher. “Remo Belli was responsible for a major invention: the synthetic drum head in the late ’50s that gave drummers more consistent tonal and resonant qualities. Yamaha drums came into the picture in 1967, and, from the beginning, pioneered processes to manufacture drums that would give drummers more of that same consistency and quality. The staggered diagonal seams and air seal system resulted in remarkably solid and round drum shells; a process

Yamaha 1980s

we still use today. We’ve also had other innovations like the hideaway boom cymbal stand, locking hi-hat clutch, YESS (Yamaha Enhanced Sustain System) for open, organic shell resonance and the tom ball mounting system. All of this works toward improving the sound, feel and functionality of the drum set.

Overall, throughout Yamaha’s 50-year history, we’ve pioneered significant drum and hardware advances that the larger drum industry has since adopted.”

Of course, as with anything, Yamaha Drums has been presented with challenges during the past half-century. “One of our biggest challenges is outdoing our own technological advances on a regular basis. We’ve developed fresh, new drum and hardware products for 50 years, and it’s not just about innovation for its own sake or passing off new colors as ‘innovation,’ but improvements and inventions that benefit the player,” noted Fisher. “With our priority always being sound, we continually make improvements in our quality and consistency with the goal of creating an expressive instrument.

“We have a lot of great artists demanding an instrument to express their individual voice,” continued Fisher. “When you

have Yamaha Drum Artists like Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, Larry Mullen Jr. and the rest of the hundreds of artists in between on our roster, all looking for an exceptional and reliable sound, that’s a challenge. In a more general sense, there is the task of creating the whole drum set system, including hardware. Yamaha believes that to create ‘one total sound’ from the instrument, you need to consider the whole drum set, including the hardware, which is something that a lot of other drum companies don’t even consider.

Fisher added, “Another big undertaking for us was the move of our manufacturing operations for our higher-end drums to our Xiaoshan factory, where we now make the Absolute Hybrid, Live, Custom and Recording Custom series drums. The PHX line is still handcrafted in Japan, but our goal was to use those manufacturing techniques we developed with the PHX line and vertically integrate them into the other drum series. That’s something you can only do in your own factory with your own specialized equipment and your own skilled workers. We also needed to be able to increase our production capacity to make sure we could reach the production volumes we need.”

In addition to designing innovative products, artists have been a huge part of Yamaha Drums’ success. Here are just a few of the comments artists made about Yamaha Drums’ 50th anniversary.

Anton Fig: “The Late Show with David Letterman,” Joe Bonamassa, session great, Yamaha artist since 1985: “Yamaha drums sound great and are consistent from drum to drum. The groove is up to you, and these drums will help you sound your best.”

Matt Cameron: Pearl Jam/ Soundgarden, Yamaha artist since 2002: “I am very honored to be a member of the Yamaha family. I bought my first Yamaha drum set in 1979. I was a huge Steve Gadd fan in my late teens (still am!). After watching him play on TV with Paul Simon, I was shocked to see a Yamaha logo on his kick drum. I knew they made pianos and my dream motocross bike the YZ125, but I had no idea they built drum sets! I was determined to have a Yamaha kit … Thank you, Yamaha drums, for being a huge part of my musical life.”

Shannon Larkin: Godsmack, Apocalypse Blues Revue, Yamaha artist since 2002: “Fifty years of Yamaha Drums!

I’m so proud and honored to have been a part of the family for (continued on page 53)

Yamaha 2010s

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FI V E M INUTE S W ITH

MARK RAGIN CHAIRMAN AND CEO, ST. LOUIS MUSIC

By Brian Berk At 95 years young, St. Louis Music (SLM) continues to exude impressive strength. Headquartered just minutes away from the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium, the division of U.S. Band & Orchestra Supplies Inc. is the corporate owner of Austin Guitars, Knilling String Instruments, Perfection Planetary Pegs, SIGMA Guitars USA, Union Station accessories and Zonda Instruments & Reeds. It is also the exclusive worldwide distributor and producer of Alvarez and Alvarez-Yairi guitars, and exclusive USA distributor of Dixon Drums & Hardware.

St. Louis Music also distributes more than 10,000 products from more than 150 brands, including Audio-Technica, C.F. Martin, D’Addario, Dunlop, Korg, Manhasset, Rico, Remo, Selmer, Vandoren, Vic Firth, Yamaha and many more.

Given all this information, we probably could ask Mark Ragin, chairman and CEO of St. Louis Music, a million questions. But since we only have five minutes, we reduced the question list to 10. Find out about Ragin’s background, how the company distances itself from the competition and, since this the drum and percussion issue, we find out about, specifically, how Dixon is doing. Enjoy.

The Music & Sound Retailer: Discuss how you first became involved in music and what you enjoy most about the industr y.

Mark Ragin: Like many people in our industry, I started as a musician in school. I played clarinet/sax and enjoyed band and, unbeknown to me then, I was starting a lifelong career in the music business with this coming January being my 44-year anniversary. What I have enjoyed most about our industry are the people and a feeling that we are doing something beneficial as we all try to make a living. Music helps us all, it helps our kids, it helps society as a whole in a multitude of ways, from making us feel better, improving education, breaking down 34

barriers, and this is simply a fun business to be in. As for the people I have met along the way, I feel blessed to have met so many interesting, intelligent, inspiring and committed professionals.

The Retailer: Tell us about your work experience and career.

Ragin: In 1974, at the age of 17, I started working for St. Ann Music, a Missouri school music dealer that had five locations. I was stocking shelves to begin with, and over the years worked hard and rose through the ranks to become president of the company in 1986. In 1998, the owner of St. Ann’s decided to sell the company, and I managed to purchase its wholesale division, Wolf Imports, and renamed it U.S. Band & Orchestra Supplies Inc. We were a small distributor with just myself and four other people, but retail had taught me what dealers expected from a distributor. I started putting many of those ideas to work, and we grew quickly and started picking up some great band and orchestra accessory lines. By 2007, we were doing well and started adding more combo accessory products.

In 2008, I approached LOUD Technologies, who had purchased St. Louis Music in 2005, to see if they were interested in selling the Knilling brand of violins. I thought they’d be interested in selling, as they were more focused on audio and amps, and Knilling would have been a great fit for us. At first, my offer was declined, but a few months later they came back to say Knilling was for sale, and so was St. Louis Music, along with Austin Guitars, other small goods brands and a warehouse full of accessory inventory. We put together a business plan, acquired bank financing and purchased SLM in November 2008. The last nine years has been an incredible roller coaster ride. We have added 60 additional employees, and our company has become one of the largest general distributors of music products in the United States.

The Retailer: What is the best part about your job? Tell us about your job and who/what you are responsible for.

Ragin: The best part of my job is working with the incredible employees here at St. Louis Music; some have worked here 50 years. We approach our challenges and opportunities as a team, to make sure we grow and remain relevant, even treasured by the dealers who support us day in and day out. As the owner, my main responsibilities are to meet with most of the managers on a regular basis, and talk with customers and suppliers. Daily, I keep an eye on inventory and make sure our financial picture is in good shape, which will allow us to grow and take advantage of any opportunities that can bring further prosperity to our company and our customers.

The Retailer: What differentiates St. Louis Music from competitor manufacturers?

Ragin: We’re big enough to compete and small enough to care. We are still a family-owned business with core values for service, fairness and loyalty. We carry everything for the school music dealer and offer the largest range of band and orchestra accessories in the business, as well as world-class products from Hamilton, Knilling, Blessing and P. Mauriat. For combo, we carry most of the major string brands and thousands of other essential products, as well as what we believe to be one the best acoustic guitar lines in the business, Alvarez. Percussion is also a very important sector for us, and Dixon drums goes OCTOBER 2017

from strength to strength, and we have all the big names in percussion accessories. We have become a major supplier offering more than 13,000 different products backed up by super-proactive sales and marketing initiatives, all aimed at increasing margin dollars for our dealers.

The Retailer: Tell us about your approach when it comes to the brick-and-mortar channel and how dedicated you are to this channel compared to the internet.

Ragin: I think our approach is simple: do what we can do best, support and supply a service that we can be proud of; that comes first. Breaking that service down, or tailoring it to what type of dealer you are, is mainly handled by our sales and marketing teams who know our customers the best. Also, a large percentage of independent stores have an ecommerce platform that can be a huge part of their business, and conversely, many of the large national internet dealers are also independent, even family-owned, businesses. So, we don’t split our approach to supplying dealers who have an internet store and those who don’t. If you are an authorized dealer for one of SLM’s instrument brands or on our Advantage Accessory dealer program, we support you. This includes offering further discounts, better terms and monthly specials, enabling you to make more margin on our products.

development, amazing artists and true value. No doubt, the drum business has faced its challenges over the past few years, but we are doing well and Dixon grows year after year. The best profit center for dealer’s drum departments is parts and hardware. Dixon has expanded its parts, offering more than 150 of the best-selling service parts with great POP [point of purchase] packaging. We support that with the “orbiter” free-standing display and Plan-o-gram setups for dealers’ slat walls. Dixon hardware has expanded a complete offering for B&O dealers with a concert cymbal stand, plus a wide selection of extendedheight snare stands. The newest drum set is called the “Little Roomer,” which is designed to be ultra-compact (continued on page 53)

The Retailer: Do you have any advice for retailers when selling your products?

Ragin: We produce endless amounts of sales and product information from websites, brochures, videos, ads, banners and merchandise. We have 24 reps on the road offering training and product knowledge. We do clinics, social marketing support and more. My advice is to please call us so we can share whatever knowledge we have to help your business. We constantly strive to improve the tools we offer to help you sell more product and increase your bottom line. We have monthly, weekly and often daily specials. We also have the amazing “Retail Catalog Program” where we will produce for the dealer their very own full-color, 300-page accessory catalog. We have freight incentives, extended terms initiatives and more. At SLM we work to become a partner, not just a supplier, and that sort of approach seems to have served us well.

The Retailer: Since this is a drum issue, can you tell us how Dixon is doing and the state of the overall drum industr y today?

Ragin: I believe Dixon is quite simply one of the best drum brands in the world. Superb quality, constant research and MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

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M I SPY

Drums are a complicated thing to sell. For one thing, they’re loud. In order for serious buyers to make a decision on a kit, they need to be allowed some volume. I, the MI Spy, love volume. So, I told M (my boss of course) that I wanted to search for a drum set this month. She agreed, considering this is a drum issue and all. I awaited her call on my Spy Phone, otherwise known as an iPhone 6. The phone rang, and she asked me if I heard that Daniel Craig would be returning to the James Bond franchise.

“Who?” I responded.

“I can’t believe you don’t know. Anyway, Spy, I want you to head to Minneapolis. It’s an underrated city and you don’t need to worry about losing your precious tan. It’s great there in the summer.”

“That can work.”

DRUMMING UP BUSINESS IN THE TWIN CITIES Twin Town Guitars

3400 Lyndale Ave. S.,

Minneapolis, MN 55408

A quick Google search confirmed what I already knew: Twin Town Guitars has a cool location, it sells all the best brands and has lots of vintage gear, But what’s the store like in person? And what’s its drum department like?

Walking into the store, I was greeted with a couple well-organized walls of guitars and a handful of interesting amps. The store was small, but was organized in a pretty efficient way that made it easy to navigate. The front room was where it kept the Fenders and the Gibsons. There was a second room to the left that was much larger. This was the room where it kept most of the amps, some of the lesser-known electric guitar brands, and the acoustic and classical guitars. From this room, you could get to a small waiting room where a few moms sat on their phones, waiting for their children to finish their guitar lessons. Through the waiting room, you could enter Twin Town Drums.

The first thing I noticed about the drum section of Twin Town was that it was a bit small. The second was that there wasn’t much on the floor. There was a small forest of cymbal stands and high-hats set up on one side of the room. One wall housed a handful of synthesizers.

Another wall had a few small kits tucked into it — most of them just stacked, not set up. There was a single employee sitting on the computer at the register doing some kind of inventory. He didn’t greet me.

Most of the drums were stacked high up on the shelves lining the walls. They were marked with a price and not much else. That said, I saw many of the big brands there: DW, Pearl, Ludwig. And they had some high-end stuff. I saw one kit going for $8,000 and quite a few others in the $2,000 to $3,000 range.

The store had a pretty good balance between new and used gear, but ultimately, there wasn’t enough to look at. And after that, I just 36

612.822.3334

kept waiting around, hoping the employee at the register would ask if I needed help. But after a handful of minutes, I realized that I would need to make the first move.

Upon approaching the salesman, I was greeted with the typical “what do you need” face. I explained to him that I needed a drum kit.

I told him that I wanted a high-end drum kit that could be used for live performances in a variety of styles of music. I also told him that I was not myself a drummer and that I did not know exactly what I was looking for. And in all fairness, once he started talking about drums, he did lighten up a bit. A quick note about the staff — and this employee in particular — many of them play in very popular and talented bands around the city and are extremely knowledgeable about both music and the equipment used to make it.

I was recommended a kit by Gretsch — a five piece that even included a snare — that was marked down to around $850. He did not offer to let me play it — probably because there’d be no room in the store to do such a thing. I asked if there were any other kits I’d want to look at, and he said that out of what they had, this would be my best bet.

From there, he told me I’d need cymbals and hardware. He told me the store offered a basic hardware kit for around $250, and I asked about the benefits of more expensive hardware. Durability and weight were mostly discussed. He told me where the cymbals were but neglected to show me any or talk much about them.

I asked if there was anything else I should know or consider, and he said no. I asked for his card, and he said that there were cards for the store at the front desk. And, so, I left. I was a little bit grateful that he wasn’t trying to hard sell me on something, but I left not knowing much more than when I came in.

OCTOBER 2017

Guitar Center Edina

3650 Hazelton Rd., Edina, MN 55435 952.929.1680

The next stop on my itinerary was Guitar Center. Around Minnesota (yes, I’ve been here before), the Edina Guitar Center has typically been known for having higher-quality equipment than the other stores. It’s also been around longer than most of the other Guitar Centers in the area, so the store has more of a barebones layout. Unlike the Maple Grove location, there aren’t any fancy signs on the acoustic room or the drum room — just equipment lining the walls.

Right off the bat, Guitar Center’s drum department earned a leg up over most of the competi-

tion with one simple luxury: There were drums that I could play. There were several sets — ranging from entry level to high end — set up and ready to play.

There were even drumsticks laid out at each kit.

I did a quick lap around the store: There was a very nice, well-organized little room full of cymbals to check out and a rack of snare drums ready to test. Most of the equipment they were selling was new — though there were a few used items here and there. Most of the items were also on the floor, ready to be inspected and, in some cases, even played. This

contrasted greatly with other stores I visited, where most of the percussion stuff was kept on shelves, out of reach.

By the time I finished my lap, a sales associate was already asking if I needed any assistance. I explained to him my situation and my price range, and he recommended a kit by Yamaha.

The kit was around $750. He told me that, with cymbals and hardware, the kit would end up falling right into my $1,500 price range.

On that note, this salesperson was the first and only to offer me any insight into what I should be spending on drums versus

cymbals. His take was that you should try to spend just about as much on cymbals as you do on the kit. He then took me into the cymbal room and showed me a pack that would work well with the kit and my price range. From there, he walked me through the hardware I would need and then gave me his card.

Despite his extensive knowledge and desire to answer my questions, I never felt like he was trying to make a hard sell, and he didn’t press me when I said I’d think about it. Guitar Center turned out to be a fantastic experience that definitely exceeded my expectations.

Music Go Round Minnetonka 11319 Highway 7, Minnetonka, MN 55305 952.856.2706 Music Go Round is a chain of stores that deals primarily in used equipment and has a handful of locations — there were about three within a short drive from my base of operations.

I chose the Minnetonka one because it, for some reason, was open one hour later on Sundays than the others.

Walking in, the first thing I noticed was that the store was pretty small. There was a main room with a guitar wall and a few amps, and a drum wall on the other side. In the center of the

main room was a big square of registers where the employees sat and greeted me. Up a halfstairway, there was a slightly bigger area with more amps, some acoustic guitars, one or two of the more expensive guitars, some mandolins and banjos, and some basses.

The drum kits here were by far the most poorly presented of any of the stores I’d been to.

They were tucked onto a rack in a way that made it very difficult to see and interact with them.

Playing one of these kits would

have been completely out of the question. It would’ve been quite difficult to even get to, or pick up and inspect, some of the shells — and since this was all used gear, that’s something I would’ve definitely wanted to do.

I didn’t see much more percussion on the floor. There didn’t seem to be a place for cymbals or hardware. I’m sure there must’ve been a display of drumsticks, but I can’t seem to recall seeing one.

After my short lap through

the store, I found an employee and talked drums. I told him what I wanted, and he didn’t hesitate to point me to a kit by Pork Pie. It was a four-piece kit for about $825. He pointed in the general direction of it and didn’t tell me much about it. He didn’t know the dimensions of the drums off the top of his head. He also mentioned that he himself was not a drummer, and since he didn’t offer to get a sales associate who was, I can only assume that did not have a “drum expert” onsite that day.

Klash Drums 211 Lowry Ave. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418 612.208.5716 The final location I visited was a small locally owned drum specialty store in Northeast Minneapolis called Klash Drums.

From the outside, it didn’t look very big, but walking in, I was surprised to find that there was quite a bit to look at. On the main floor, there were four or five kits set up and ready to play — with drumsticks at the ready. And many of the kits that were displayed on shelves were also set up — as opposed to just sitting in a pile. It also had a small wall MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

of guitars, but this was clearly a drum specialty shop.

I didn’t finish a lap around the store before a sales associate politely asked me if I needed any help. I told her I was looking for a higher-end kit, and she pointed me to a used Tama four-piece that fit right into my budget. We then discussed hardware options; unlike the other stores, the hardware it had in store did not come in packages. I was told that they deal mostly in used gear, but are authorized retailers of a handful

of brands and, as such, can order new things, if I wanted — this applied to drums and cymbals, too.

My overall impression of my interaction with the sales staff was very pleasant. The store assessed and quickly understood my needs, and didn’t try to up or down sell me. They were very knowledgeable of their inventory and seemed happy to have me in the store.

After discussing the available shell kits, the sales associate told me that I should check out

the basement for cymbals, so I did. I was happy to get to browse on my own — it definitely wasn't trying to make a hard sell, which was respectful, since I told them I was mostly doing research. I was also encouraged to pick up some sticks and try out some of the equipment.

The basement was lined with a variety of new and used cymbals and some world percussion gear.

There was a lot of room to walk around, and there were plenty of things set up to try out. There 37

Walking into the store, I was greeted with a couple well-organized walls of guitars and a handful of interesting amps. The store was small, but was organized in a pretty efficient way that made it easy to navigate. were drumsticks everywhere, too.

Upstairs, it had even more drum kits that were ready to play.

But, despite there being four kits set up and ready to go, the room didn’t feel very crowded. Everything in the store was laid out in a very smart way.

I left Klash Drums feeling happy that I’d decided to check it out, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to buy a kit. There’s plenty of stuff to try out, meaning it’s a fun experience to go to the store. The staff is happy to be there and happy

to have you there. The inventory is unique and interesting and diverse.

Outside of the “regular” brands, it also had quite a lot of vintage gear.

Most of all, though, it’s a cool place to be in. The store looks nice and feels good to walk around in. The drums are presented in a way that suggests pride and makes them feel as valuable as the price tags on them suggest.

The Sale

It was extremely close, but my first choice, by an eyelash, was

Klash Drums. But it should be noted that it specializes in drums, perhaps providing an advantage. I think for a drummer looking to upgrade to a serious kit, this is hands down the place to go. And since it deals in used stuff, I’m sure it’d be really easy to trade up. It might be a little intimidating for a beginner to buy a whole new kit here, though, because it doesn’t sell pre-curated hardware packs like Guitar Center or Twin Town. That said, there’s no doubt in my mind that the sales staff here would be

able to get any person set up with a truly awesome kit to take home.

My second choice would have to be Guitar Center. The store was well organized, there were plenty of drum kits to play, and none of the other stores I visited could even come close to the inventory of new equipment it had on display. If you’re looking to buy new, Guitar Center is probably the place to go.

My third choice would be Twin Town Guitars, followed by Music Go Round Minnetonka.

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F RONT AND CE NTER

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

Once in a while, you meet someone with so many abilities you wonder if they snuck back on line when the talents were being handed out. Jordan West is one such woman. In her Los Angeles-based band Trackless, West makes use of her talents as a drummer, vocalist and songwriter, and she uses her business savvy as the group’s manager and booking agent. Her original music has been featured on various radio stations, and she’s won several music industry songwriting contests. The

band recently recorded its first single with Bob Clearmountain (Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen) in Los Angeles. It features a prominent guest guitarist and was released in September.

West also travels to festivals and trade shows as a product specialist demonstrating Roland drum and percussion products, and conducts clinics. Her gig as a Roland product specialist has taken her to the NAMM Show, CES, Starry Nights, SXSW, Gearfest and PASIC. Below, she shares some reflections from her musical journey, describes some challenges along the way and offers insights about successfully matching one’s talents to various career paths in the music world.

Women’s International Music Network: You’re a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and vocalist. Please share the progression of things — how and when you came to discover each of those talents and interests, and your musical training.

Jordan West: I went to a fine arts magnet school, where they made each student choose an instrument to learn in third grade. I wasn’t sure what I wanted my official instrument to be, so my parents took me to a musical aptitude test where there was one of every instrument in a room, and I got to try everything. The woman running the test told me I should highly consider playing drums and percussion. So naturally, I chose French horn! After a year of whole notes and running out of breath, I switched to a drum set. I was lucky enough to continue on to a middle school with an excellent music program. I was trained mostly in jazz throughout middle and high school and began gigging professionally in college while taking

DRUMMER, VOCALIST, SONGWRITER AND ROLAND PRODUCT SPECIALIST

JORDAN WEST

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OCTOBER 2017

private lessons. Around age 21, I enrolled in a songwriting class for fun.

I didn’t really know music theory at that point, but the class forced me to go outside of my comfort zone. I started my band, Trackless, so we could play original music, and now that’s one of my main professional focuses. I drum, sing and write songs in the band, and love how it utilizes different aspects of my musicality. I also play piano and guitar, mostly to accompany myself at solo gigs or to write.

The WiMN: Did you have any musical influences growing up?

West: My parents have always loved a wide variety of music. I grew up listening to everything from System of a Down to Cher to Bob Marley to Tool and everything in between. Much of my drum training was centered in jazz, where I learned about legends like Elvin Jones, Max Roach, Joe Morello and Tony Williams. I love listening to innovative drummers like Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Mark Guiliana, Sput, Steve Jordan ... the list goes on forever. In terms of songwriting, I love Bill Withers, Carole King, Karen Carpenter, Amy Winehouse and countless others.

West: Stick with it. Music isn’t an easy career choice and can be unstable and discouraging at times. There’s no one way to be successful, no clear path to take. But that’s also exciting and freeing. If you want to be a player, focus on the music, work hard and always stay true to who you are as a musician. My private instructor told me, “You’re never going to be Steve Gadd, and he’ll never be you.” If you want to be in the industry, know your stuff. Be up on the latest products, music, festivals, etc. Whatever aspect of the industry you’re interested in, know about it. Live it. Breathe it. Become a part of that world.

The WiMN: When did you clearly know that music was what you wanted to do for a living?

West: I think I was 12. Middle school was really where I felt music was something I wanted to center my life around.

The WiMN: Drums are your main instrument. As there are considerably fewer female drummers than male ones, were there ever instances where you were faced with discrimination, and if so, how did you overcome it?

West: There have been plenty of times over the years where being a woman seemed to matter more than anything I played — for better or for worse. Some people are impressed that I know how to hold sticks and play quarter notes; others accuse me of being (or use me as) a novelty item. It used to make me really mad. I was letting it get to me and forgetting about the fact that, when it comes down to it, all I care about is the music. If I’m working hard on what I love, and proud of what I’m doing, that’s all I can do. Other musicians who are focused on being their best will gravitate to that; the rest is just noise.

The WiMN: You’ve had a wide array of performance experiences, including recording sessions, live club dates and jazz festivals, and trade shows/clinics. What do you like about each?

West: To me, there is nothing better than playing live for a great audience. Whether at a huge festival or a club or hole-in-the-wall show, I love that feeling. The energy is amazing. I really enjoy being in the studio, too. It’s fun to build a song and add what you can to it; that can be a really creative atmosphere. Clinics and trade shows are fun because they challenge me — it’s half performance and half public speaking and teaching.

I love interacting with other musicians and showing them cool stuff they can use. I like the combination of each of those experiences. It keeps me on my toes and forces me to think in different ways.

The WiMN: As a Roland product specialist, you demonstrate percussion products and teach people how to use them. What do you enjoy most about teaching others?

West: I especially love teaching young people just starting out. Their excitement is contagious and they’re like sponges. They don’t have any preconceived opinions, so they’re usually open to trying everything.

I also like showing drummers how to integrate technology into their setups. It can be intimidating to enter the electronic world, but it opens up a whole new set of possibilities.

The WiMN: What advice would you give to young girls looking to possibly pursue a career in music, either as a performer or in some other aspect of the industr y?

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

41

I N T H E T RENCHE S

HIT THE TRIFECTA

By Allen McBroom

In the business of running an MI store, it takes three parts to make the commerce machine run. Obviously, the first part is the store owner. Equally obvious is the second part of the machine, the customer.

Store owners usually understand the first part of the commerce machine really well.

They know their own situation, their employees’ strengths and weaknesses, and they understand their need to meet the customers’ needs. They also know that, ultimately, they have to make money.

A successful store owner makes an effort to understand the second part of the machine as well as possible. They know their customers by name, they know the names of their spouses, where their kids go to school, what kind of instruments they like, their preferred string brand, etc. Every bit of customer information a store owner can retain for instant recall helps them connect with the customer, helps make the customer feel special and helps the customers see the store owner as a friend, not just a guy who wants them to spend their money with him. The more the store owner can get his or her employees to adopt the same mindset of getting to know the customers personally, the better the store’s chance of running as a well-oiled commerce machine.

If you’ve been nodding your head a bit while reading this and thinking “Yeah, I know all that, what’s your point?”, let’s go back to the first sentence. There are three parts required to make the machine run, and the better the quality of that third part, the better your commerce machine will run.

The third part of your machine is your reps.

Yeah, I know, the last thing you want to hear when you’re in the middle of some transaction, 42

or your first quiet cup of coffee, is “Hey, the Acme rep is on line two.” If you’re not familiar with the Acme name, they used to supply strap-on rockets and giant magnets to Wile E. Coyote back in the ’60s. Once cartoons went digital, Acme picked up a line of MI products, and Bob (everyone calls him “Acme Bob”) has been calling you for years trying to sell you Acme tuners, Acme nylon straps and Acme tube guitar stands. Sometimes you can dodge him, but just as often, you end up answering the phone and you’re hung up talking to Acme Bob while your coffee grows cold.

If you’re seeing these reps as work-interrupters, I think you’re missing a great opportunity to refine the third part of your machine. Fostering some sort of personal relationship with your reps (even the ones you don’t buy from often) can pay huge dividends over time. When a rep calls, take time to get his or her number, and make sure you know all the product lines he reps for. Ask him to email you his line card, and you may find out he’s got a line you’ve thought might be interesting for the store. Ask him how his week’s going, and make some small talk with him about something that’s not related to whatever he or she is trying to sell you. Let them get to know you a bit, as well. When you know Acme Bob’s wife has been sick, but is on the mend, and his daughter’s doing well in college, and she’s coming home at Christmas, he becomes more than just a rep on the phone, he becomes a real guy trying to make a living by helping you make a living.

Bob, just like all your other reps, has a pretty tough job. He’s got to make contact with you, and somehow convince you to buy product from him instead of all the other reps who are calling you each month. He’s either on the road constantly, or tied all day long to a phone.

He’s got x number of calls he needs to make each day and y number of stores to visit, and he’s constantly interrupted by late orders, wrong deliveries, damaged goods and calls about some product that’s just not working as it should. Life as a rep can leave Acme Bob pretty frazzled at the end of a day.

Granted, some reps are easier to talk to than others, and reps who start each call or visit with a hard sales pitch can be taxing. Maybe the rep is kind of new, and hasn’t figured out yet that the hard push approach doesn’t work well with you. Maybe he’s calling just to get you off his call list. But, each and every rep who calls is using some of his limited daily time allotment to give you a call. If whatever he’s selling isn’t part of your store arena, and never will be (i.e., he’s selling stage lighting and you’re a violin store), thank him for the call, and just tell him you don’t stock or sell any lighting products. This will save time (and money) for him in the long run, and cut down on your interruptions. If he’s selling products that are in your arena, but you just don’t want any right now (or don’t want the brand he’s selling), let him know that, and take a moment to ask how things are for him otherwise. Sure, you don’t need him right now, but some companies change reps the way I change socks, and chances are that rep will be handling products you do need in the future. When he calls you, or drops into the store, and he’s now the area rep for your No. 1 instrument supplier (and you know that happens), you’ll be glad you’ve already established a rapport with him.

There’s no way to overstate the value of a good rep. A good rep is your go-to guy when something goes wrong, or your shipment is three days late. He or she can pull strings to get an order out quicker, or to make sure backorders aren’t delayed. A good rep can help with pricing, or she’ll call you when there’s a freight deal on gear she knows you buy. A rep can make your machine run smoother, as well as help you make more money. And I really think how good your rep is depends, in part, on how much time you’re willing to invest in seeing your rep as more than just a voice on the phone, or a guy with a notebook standing at the counter.

Every store owner knows at least one Acme Bob. If we never see him as more than that, I think we’re shortchanging our store, as well as the reps. Helping Acme Bob become the good rep we all appreciate may be as much up to us as it is up to Bob. So, invest some of your time in getting to know your reps.

And, when Acme Bob calls, see if he still has any of those jet-powered roller skates. I’ve always wanted a pair.

OCTOBER 2017

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SHINE A LIGHT I try to empower all my co-workers to do what is necessary to have the best outcome for our customer, while still being fair to A&G. “This requires a lot of trust, training, communication and personal responsibility,” he continued, “but operating this way allows us to be immediately responsive to our customers, and I find that operating in this way also builds a strong team spirit. We pick each other up and are able to accomplish more together without concern for who gets credit or blame.”

By embracing A&G Central Music’s staff in this way, Christie has helped to foster a community of people who care about the store and its customers, which Christie says is key to the store’s continued success.

“Perhaps our biggest competitive advantage is our people. We are a goal-oriented bunch who offer a personal level of service that’s difficult for most companies to match,” said Christie. “Virtually all of us have some musical background. About two-thirds of my co-workers have what I would call extensive musical background, up to and including post-graduate-level study. Together we are a human database of successes and failures. Sharing what we know about what works and what doesn’t can be extremely valuable to our customers.”

Christie also feels that some credit for the store’s success belongs to its size, which he describes as “big enough to have what our customers need and small enough to be agile in the marketplace.” The original location, which started out at 1,000 square feet, has grown to 5,500 square feet today, and the second location opened approximately seven years ago. Christie hopes to continue growing the store in the years to come, but in a slow and steady way that maintains A&G Central Music’s core identity.

“As we identify areas of the market we wish to impact more deeply, we plan out how to reach long-term goals through series of short-term projects. Focusing closely on growing in one market segment at a time allows us to build infrastructure and financing without jeopardizing our competitive advantage in segments where we are already strong,” said Christie. “While the ‘shotgun’ A&G Central Music method has worked well for many businesses, we find

323 E 11 Mile Rd. our more focused strategies are best for long-term Madison Heights, MI 48071 growth.”

By Michelle Loeb 248.541.6843 One area in which Christie has had to grow the busiA&G Central Music, winner of the Music Makes a Difness considerably is in the community’s school music ference and Dealer of the Year awards at NAMM’s Top 100 51170 Romeo Plank Dealer 2017 event in July, is also one of the most respected Macomb Township, MI 48042 programs, which have been struggling more and more 586.677.3784 in recent years. According to Christie, in the past five full-service band and orchestral music stores in the Detroit www.schoolmusiconline.com years alone, he identified several troubled programs in area, having cultivated a knowledgeable and communityMon. – Thu. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. the store’s sales territory, where funding has become minded brand over the past five decades. What started Fri. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. a big issue. A&G Central Music has been working out as a musical instrument repair shop in 1968 has now Sat. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Robert Christie, President closely with those programs to provide “nontraditional grown to offer band instrument rental, lessons, repairs, services, up to and including educational assistance in and retail and institutional sales across two store locations. the classroom,” to help keep them afloat, Christie said.

Steering that ship successfully into the future has been “Providing teachers for individual instruction during the school day, Robert Christie — an educator, a performing musician playing drums inventory maintenance agreements, assistance with grant writing, staffand vibraphone, and a NAMM Scholarship recipient with degrees ing and operating jazz and popular music programs, educating parents in music and business from Valparaiso University. Christie came to on the value of a musical education and then offering them the opporA&G Central Music as general manager after meeting the daughter tunity to learn alongside their child, and preparing and printing concert of George Welder: “The ‘G’ of A&G,” Christie explained. “Within a programs are just a few of the programs we offer,” Christie explained. few short weeks [of that meeting,] we had a handshake agreement “Our industry has done a commendable job in spreading the word that came with a commitment that, if I proved worthy after five years, on all the cognitive, social and even physical benefits of music making.

I would have the opportunity to purchase the company. By the close I believe that appropriate funding of school music programs has been, of 2007, a deal was signed and I was the new owner of A&G Central and will continue to be, positively affected by these efforts. But, we can Music!” do more,” he continued.

Christie oversees a staff of 19 — including his wife Peggy, who steps Not only does this pursuit help to grow A&G Central Music’s bottom in to help with school rental programs during the busy season — but line, as the relationships it builds increase sales and rentals, but, Chrisif you ask him, Christie will be the first to tell you that he sees himself tie hopes, it’ll also make these efforts unnecessary down the road. “We more as their equal than as their boss.

“Here at A&G, we have a very different way of operating. We have no recognize that if we want to expand the community of music makers, we need to be creative in finding ways to bring opportunity to both children traditional manager or supervisory roles,” he explained. “My former and adults,” he said. “Beyond just creating more customers, having more employer, one of A&G Central Music’s competitors, had layers of manactive music makers may increase the volume when it comes time to agement, very strict limits on employees and an environment that disdemand proper funding of our school music programs.” couraged input on operations from all but the top tier of management.

A REAL CLASS ACT

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OCTOBER 2017

R E TA I L E R R E B E L

Build an atomosphere of teamwork among your staff, where staff members aren't afraid to watch out for each other, where they know that they

THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION

don't have to guard their sales from other people and, instead, can tap into their expertise and share knowledge of their own to benefit everyone.

By Gabriel O’Brien In the April 2015 issue of the Music & Sound Retailer, I talked about user reviews and how bad customer service experiences in stores have led to the breakdown of trust between customers and service representatives, driving those customers to online resources for information because they can no longer trust salespeople in stores. This is primarily an issue many of us have observed in big-box stores, and continues to be an ongoing problem today. Building trust between sales staff and customers is a glaring issue in retail. Gone are the assumptions of expertise and ascendant are user forums for every product imaginable. Given this rift that has appeared, one might begin to ask what the value is in having a highly knowledgeable, trained sales staff. After all, big-box stores — even most of the ones who supposedly specialize in musical instruments — mostly employ minimum wage, part-time employees who can look things up online as easily as the next person.

What then is the virtue in being an expert, or in making sure your staff is well trained?

When I visited Sweetwater a few months ago, one of the things that was stressed by each and every person I talked to was the breadth of expertise in the building, and the extensive training all the staff have in every part of the MI retail industry, so when fielding calls from customers they can answer with confidence and offer knowledge and support to the person on the other end of the phone. And, while not everyone can be a true expert in every field, there’s plenty of information sharing and no one is ever afraid to ask for help from a fellow staff member.

I’ve been in MI retail for what feels to me like a long time, and seems like a long time among most of my friends, to hold the same position.

Suffice to say, I’ve picked up some things in that time, but I’m by no means an expert on every facet of this business. For instance, I know enough to answer basic questions about school band instruments, to tell if a trumpet’s valves aren’t being oiled enough or a clarinet’s pads are torn, but I can’t show you how to play those instruments or speak with any authority about the differences between most of them the way I can guitars. So, while I can certainly help many of my customers, I am keenly aware that there’s a ceiling to the service I’m able to provide without assistance. For this reason alone, not to mention the many school accounts we service, we absolutely require a school band instrument expert on staff.

We, in fact, have two experts and two repair technicians. All these people are resources I can tap into if I’m stumped, and I often do.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

Because I have these resources, I can focus on other areas in which I can best serve my customers while still meeting the needs of most of the band instrument crowd. You don’t have to be an expert in every field, but having them around sure does help. It’s also helpful to understand the virtue of handing a customer over to an expert when the situation calls for it.

Commission, by nature, breeds competition, so making sure staff feel comfortable handing off a sale to a more knowledgeable staff member, instead of risking the loss of one by trying to hold for fear of losing money, can be challenging. By attempting to hold on to a small part of their paycheck, they may in fact be losing your store money.

Reward systems have to reward diligence and not just dollars. Sometimes, doing what’s best for the customer, and to ensure the store gets the sale, is handing them off to someone who is able to better serve their needs. I don’t mean to imply this is some great selfless behavior.

In fact, it’s the opposite: self-preservation. If your own ego or fear of a lower paycheck costs a sale, it’s costing a sale from your whole team.

The entire bottom line is affected, not just your paycheck, so it’s important to see the bigger picture. While you may lose your 5 percent in the short term, the overall growth of the store is more important.

It’s important to acknowledge that exercising good judgment also contributes to the bottom line. There is such a thing as trying to take on customers you shouldn’t, and if you’re more focused on inflating your own check than affecting a positive outcome on the company’s bottom line, you’re sacrificing the overall health of the company — and potentially the future of your own job — for a small reward. The bigger reward is building an atmosphere of teamwork among your staff, where staff members aren’t afraid to watch out for each other, where they know that they don’t have to guard their sales from other people and, instead, can tap into their expertise and share knowledge of their own to benefit everyone.

One of the simplest ways of implementing some knowledge sharing is by talking about areas of expertise with other staff members. I love talking pedals with other staff members, for instance, because I don’t gig anymore and typically don’t experiment with new sounds in a band situation. Gaining insight into that is a valuable resource.

An easy safeguard to make sure you’re the best staff member for a sale is to qualify the customer. By identifying that a customer is a beginning band student or is an advanced player looking for intermediate or professional instruments, I can optimize the likelihood that I can be of service to them. If someone is looking for a basic drum set for a beginner, I can talk him or her through his or her options just fine.

If they’re looking to compare the tonal differences of ride cymbals, I introduce them to Dan, our drum guy. If someone comes in with PA or recording questions, Dan introduces them to me. Taking the initiative to do this means each customer is getting the best information possible from the person best equipped to deliver it to them.

What are some steps you’ve taken to ensure that your staff members are sharing information and making sure customers are getting the best service possible from the right person?

Write to me at gabriel@larrysmusiccenter.com 45

V E D D AT O R I A L

APPETITE FOR DISRUPTION

By Dan Vedda Disruption. We hear about it in every industry, and if you’re not a consumer, it can be scary. Unless, of course, your business is part of the disruption. Then it’s exciting, potentially lucrative and empowering. Whether it’s the Amazon Whole Foods purchase or the waves of “Uber-for-whatever” startups, no industry or process seems immune from a shakeup.

We’ve certainly had our share of turmoil in MI, mostly in the form of channel disruption. Big-box chains versus mom-and-pop, internet versus brick-and-mortar, and dealer versus direct-to-consumer sales have caused dramatic changes in the makeup of the industry — and arguably, some improvements. I think our (surviving) physical stores are better managed and merchandised.

There is a greater diversity in brands and products.

Most of all, we can now sell a decent product at an entry-level price attractive to the newbie consumer.

The opportunity to grow new music makers has never been greater.

Yet, despite disruptions, improvements and opportunities, we’ve only faced echoes of the challenges that have transformed our economy at large. Any product sold on Amazon has been part of this. Any task we do on a smartphone has disrupted the previous version of that task. So, buying guitar strings on the internet isn’t fundamentally different from buying printer ink online.

We’ve been riding the ripples of the wave, and despite the changes we can list, we’re still doing business in fundamentally the same way. Metaphorically speaking, we’ve switched from hand tools to power tools, but we’re still sawing boards.

This means we’re ripe for fundamental disruption of our business practices and perhaps a reboot of the very concept of what the music industry/consumer interface can or should be.

When you think about our self-imposed industry categories, it becomes apparent that they’re loosely based on long-standing habits having more to do with industry convenience than consumer needs. This is far from a homogeneous industry: The “traditional” marketing disciplines and inventory management of band and orchestra, combo, piano or print overlap like a Venn diagram rather than match completely. This diversity, though, has more to do with the manufacturers’ output than with consumer 46

preferences. Dozens of families that visit my store simultaneously inhabit all four divisions within their household. Yet we persist in defining our stores in categories that reflect business practices that mean little to consumers.

What about those business practices? Companies that define themselves as “school music dealers” are often repeating formulas that were forged in the late 1950s. Parent nights, rent-to-own programs and collusive relationships with local band directors are already precarious. I know some dealers will swear it isn’t so, but in my market, some schools are already closing off the campus to outside business reps. No deliveries of instruments. No visits. No vendors at parent nights. Perhaps this stems from security concerns, or the optics of handling money on campus, but it’s happening. How well does the model work without school access?

The piano segment of the industry has been rocked by changing consumer purchasing habits and the costs and availability of inventory financing. The long life of a decent piano comes back to haunt a business model that concentrates on big-ticket sales without consistently supporting long-term players. As I’ve said before, we have only a fragmentary grasp of the units and dollars on the used instrument side of our industry, and piano dealers likely suffer the most. When your business model is essentially selling a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, any

I’m working with an update to the old platitude “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

In my version, when life gives you lemons, you come up with a book titled, 101 Lemon Recipes. Hardcover, paperback, audio AND Kindle versions. person that stops playing is a potential competitor. In this age, owning a piano is not a goal for every upwardly-mobile consumer, which means that many of the still-used marketing ploys and sales tactics were conceived with a different world in mind.

Combo shops can no longer be testosterone filling stations for young men.

Women are a growing force, whether or not some shops believe it, and rock ‘n’ roll is in its fourth generation, with an active, even growing, batch of AARP-ready participants. Add another hundred or more splinter styles and sub-genres attracting interest and it’s more than time for a reboot.

There are stores that have grasped this and done brilliant pivots within the context of their market. There are also, I’m sure, old-school retailers doing as well as always, perhaps better, thanks to failed competitors, who wonder what planet my store is on. But the disruptions we’ve witnessed in our economy should illustrate that complacency — or worse, stubborn resistance to the new — is the path to oblivion. We’ve overcome disruption many times in our history. Theater musicians were decimated when talking pictures came into vogue; the player piano fell to the radio. The Second World War even made us unable to make instruments, and The Beatles helped create the combo store virtually overnight. We found ways to pivot, but at each juncture, voices were raised trying to preserve the status quo or to denigrate the new direction as a fad.

What’s needed now, though, isn’t just a matter of using new tools like social media or streamlining operations with new software. I don’t think it’s all online, all direct, or all anything. I think we’re just ahead of transformation, and if we take control, it will be a great ride. But if we so much as blink, some other entity will come in, seize the ball and push us off the playing field.

So, I’m working with an update to the old platitude “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” In my version, when life gives you lemons, you come up with a book titled, 101 Lemon Recipes. Hardcover, paperback, audio AND Kindle versions.

OCTOBER 2017

You’ll Soon Be Featured PR

U OD

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Make Sure MU R FO E ZIN A Everyone Knows AG M WS E EN T HAbout It! SIC

The best way to find out if you’ve been included in your pages is to subscribe, of course, but after that, don’t forget about our fantastic DIGITAL EDITION, the free, online version of our magazine. With digital, it’s never been easier to share that you’ve been featured in MI’s favorite magazine!

Aug. Page 30 – The Music Zoo (Roslyn, N.Y.)

Sept. Page 50 – Straight Music Co (Austin, Texas)

July Page 42 – Bill’s Music (Cantonsville, Md.)

Every month, we sponsor retailers in almost every section of our magazine. This month, we celebrate a major milestone with Blues Angel Music in Pensacola, Fla. (page 30) and shine a light on Michigan’s A&G Central Music (page 44).

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STATUS ‘CYMBAL’: THE DRUM AND PERCUSSION INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO HOLD ITS STEADY BEAT

Ad Index

Company

(continued from the cover)

Pg

AAMAHI UKULELES................25 AUDIX..........................................7 BOURNS PRO AUDIO................53 CHAUVET LIGHTING............C-III CHEM-PAK..................................52 D'ADDARIO.................................17 DRUMDOTS................................53 GALAXY AUDIO........................3 FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS.......19 HAL LEONARD..........................9 HOSHINO.....................................21 KALA BRAND MUSIC CO........51 KIRLIN INDUSTRIES.................12 KYSER MUSICAL PRODUCTS.18 MANHASSET SPECIALTY COMPANY..........6 NAMM.....................................14-15 ODYSSEY INNOVATIVE DESIGNS...................................27 PIRATE PETE'S TRIPSTICK......53 PRO X...........................................23 RAIN RETAIL SOFTWARE........24 REMO...........................................28 REVERB.COM.............................5 ROLAND................................. C-IV STRING SWING..........................20 TECH 21.......................................11 THE CAVANAUGH COMPANY................................41 TKL PRODUCTS.........................22 TRUSST........................................10 U.S. BAND & ORCHESTRA SUPPLIES.................................29 VIC FIRTH...................................39 VOCOPRO....................................13 WD MUSIC PRODUCTS............8 YAMAHA................................. C-II ZILDJIAN.....................................38 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.

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3. For smaller MI stores, drum sets and related accessories may be tough to display due to space concerns. What’s the best way for them to show these products in their stores?

4. Can you provide any advice for MI retailers who choose the internet to sell their drums and percussion products? What pitfalls should they avoid when doing so?

Here’s what they had to say.

Fisher noted, regarding drum percussion trends, that he’s noticed a “rise in interest in products to help drummers practice with something similar to their acoustic instrument in feel and sound, like the Zildjian low-volume cymbals. Also, drummers looking for solutions to make their own YouTube videos. For acoustic drums, we’re experiencing good sales, in general, of our high-end series of drums, and we’ve also seen an increase in 13-inch toms in all of our series of drums. Not that 13-inch toms are ‘hot,’ but it illustrates the delicate balance for manufacturers and dealers catering to drummers that are always looking for something unique, but at the same time want to get in on rising trends. Additionally, we get a lot of calls from drummers wanting to put together hybrid set solutions. Since hybrid drum sets have been gaining in popularity, there are few dealers who have the right products plus a knowledgeable staff who can help drummers put a solution together.”

“Trends obviously come and go, and what’s old sometimes becomes new again,” responded Armentrout. “With acoustic drums, smaller setups like four-piece kits

or five-piece kits (with one up, two down) are very common, as well as using different materials (acrylic or exotic woods, for example) with a wide variety of finishes.

And with advances in electronic percussion (including Roland’s breakthrough digital triggering technology), the use of electronic drum kits is also a hot trend.

“The increased use of a hybrid setup (integrating electronic percussion within acoustic setups) has become the norm,” Armentrout added. “Our TM-2 trigger module and RT triggers are a big hit and are used by many of the top touring bands throughout the world as a way to enhance their live drum sounds.

With electronic drum kits, the market is moving away from a ‘race to the bottom for the lowest price’ trend of the last few years to more feature-rich products at the mid-range price point. To make this point, our TD-25, TD-30 and TD-50 kits (which range from $1,999 to $7,499) make up the volume of our sales. This not only creates more choices for the consumer, but also further validates the continuing strength of the electronic percussion market.”

Armentrout continued, “Additionally, the strength of e-drums is supported with the number of drummers, like Butch Vig with Garbage and Jimmie Paxson with Christine McVie/Lindsey Buckingham, who have traded out their acoustic kits for our TD50KV kit for their current tours.”

Packard added, “Whether they are buying a cymbal felt or a high-end snare drum, a personal, direct approach is what most players are looking for. With as many choices as there are for the modern drum buyer, Pearl

is seeing a move to higher-end, traditional, boutique-type drum sizes and finishes. The standard ‘out-of-the-box’ preconfigured drum set is still definitely a factor, but most drummers want a very personal experience from the gear they play and buy. This is prompting buyers to move to higher-end offerings to get the features and personal feel they are looking for. This has been excellent for our Music City Custom Shop and Masterworks Sonic Select drum offerings, as these instruments feel more like a collaboration between the drummer, the dealer and the builder. We are also seeing a move to minimalist setups with multiple voices, so our Modern Utility snare drums are a simple, low-cost option for the player who wants a wider palette for less money. And, we are grateful to say that there are still plenty of new drummers out there purchasing their first kit, and our all-in-one Roadshow series kits are in constant demand for students and first-time drummers.”

“We are finally seeing renewed interest in conga drums, which is a welcome development, as this market has been flat for so long,” stated Cardoso. “More importantly, we are seeing this at all price points, from high-end to budget drums. Drum set accessories continue to be hot.”

We Don't Need a Hero

Panelists all agreed there is no lack of “drum heroes.” In fact, social media is adding to the number of drum celebrities.

“In my opinion, there is no concern, but rather endless opportunities,” Armentrout told the Retailer. “Many of the ‘drum heroes’ of the past are still OCTOBER 2017

inspirations to both older and younger players. I see many younger players seeking out the legendary players, while many young players with amazing talent and skill continue to emerge in their own right, influencing players of all ages and skill levels.

Between YouTube, other social media and other drum-specific sites, there is a wealth of product information, knowledge and inspiration from every style of music, from any era, past or present. In the electronic percussion arena, these resources are invaluable, especially for consumers who may reside hundreds of miles from a store that carries and displays electronics.”

Packard held a similar sentiment. “If anything, social media and YouTube have made everyone a hero!” he asserted. “In previous generations, we had fewer and more specific ‘heroes’ of the instrument because there were fewer stages on which to see them shine. Giving every drummer a media platform to make their voice heard in the modern age has opened the door to an unprecedented field of amazing players that are elevating the art form to new heights. But with so many remarkable drummers springing up every day, the new drumming heroes are the ones that are taking a different approach to the instrument to make their voice stand out. This platform has also allowed the drummer to take the spotlight, and move away from the ‘drummer joke’ clichés to being true entertainers. This is a tremendous thing for new players because it gives them plenty of inspiration out of the gate and a desire to push the art even further, so it is truly an exciting time MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

to be a drummer.”

“Jojo Mayer, Chad Smith, Tony Royster, Matt Chamberlain, Mark Guiliana, Chris Dave, Alex Acuña, Luisito Quintero, Eliel Lazo, Eric Hernandez — and that’s just a quick, short list off the top of my head, taken from our artist roster. But I think it answers the question!” responded Cardoso.

“Drummers as an instrument group are very communally minded, and always interested in what other drummers are doing,” noted Fisher. “I think there are just as many, if not more, drum heroes out there as ever, and with the advent of YouTube and the huge followings some of those popular YouTube drummers have, the drummer community has become at the same time farther-reaching and more tightly knit.”

modate a drum set footprint.

Cutting back on displays on the ground will free up space, so leave a small kit or open stands for customers to try out items off the wall rather than having so many kits set up that they can’t navigate around them.”

“We have certainly seen plenty of dealers do the classic ‘drum set pyramid’ display of several stacked drum sets,” noted Packard. “This may be necessary by space constraints, but in most cases, it is still possible to create a showcase for key items that invites the customer to experience it firsthand. We’ve seen dealers have success with a constantly revolving showpiece to keep things fresh and keep people checking back. Creating

a ‘destination’ space that people want to experience isn’t necessarily just about having a stockpile of high-end gear, but it’s definitely about stocking something people want to see in person and creating a space with it that demands their attention. Combining this with a unique video plan for social media will do so much more to sell these items than stacking them in a corner.”

Fisher added, “Although smaller stores want to stack up drum sets to show more offerings and save space, we want Yamaha dealers that give customers the best experience and have our products retail-ready for customers to play, and that means both acoustic and electronic sets.

Sound is what separates Yamaha

Out of Space?

Space concerns when it comes to displaying drum and percussion products are certainly not a new problem, but can continue to be a challenge for smaller brick-and-mortar stores. Here’s what our panelists said, regarding how their clients can handle this age-old problem.

“For full sets, when space is limited, stack, stack, stack.

Another option is to put a row of tom toms up, each one representing a brand/model/color of the corresponding drum sets, which are kept in storage or a warehouse unit (ideal for back-stock, extra colors, etc.),” responded Cardoso. “An info tag can be attached to each tom tom, with size, color, model and pricing. Retailers can also build shelving and displays to accom51

from other drum manufacturers for both acoustic and electronic drums, and if customers can’t experience them, they can’t understand the value. As I’ve heard before, ‘What sounds better, a can of soup or a drum set sitting on a shelf? Actually, the can of soup if it’s close to lunchtime.’”

“In stores of any size, acoustic drums are often stacked due to space limitations,” responded Armentrout. “Taking advantage of any available vertical space for display can help to increase the ‘we have everything’ perception for the consumer. Regardless of any space limitations, it is imperative to create and maintain displays that are functional, clean and visually inviting to the customer. This is especially criti-

cal with electronic percussion.

An electronic drum set that is not properly set up and maintained can give a customer a negative impression about the product and the retailer. All displayed products should be retail-ready before the doors open each and every day.

Imagine a display of the latestmodel TV covered in dust or not even powered up in a retail store.

This would likely influence your decision about wanting to shop there. Additionally, displaying accessories in a practical setting not only increases the visibility of the products, it is a great way to show real-world applications that lead to additional sales. This can be as simple as mounting an add-on accessory to a drum kit, or setting up a hybrid drum set to show the creative possibilities of adding acoustic triggers, sound modules or dedicated electronic percussion pads, like Roland’s new SPD::ONE series.”

Online Advice

Of course, many MI retailers select the internet to sell their wares, and drums and percussion products are no different. As a clincher to this story, we asked our panel to provide some tips when doing so.

“Create a presence for yourself and your shop in social media (especially on sites you are not necessarily familiar with) and ecommerce,” relayed Packard.

“This is easy enough to start, and pretty much everyone has done it, but keeping the content fresh and engaging is the true challenge.

Also, use every resource your vendors have created to populate your online presence. Pearl has strived to keep at the forefront of ecom-

52

merce since the dawn of the internet, with resources like our Pearl Drummer’s Forum, our constantly updated YouTube videos and our dealer-accessible media content library. We have gone to great lengths to set up photo, descriptive, shipping and video content for our key products and events, so everything a dealer needs to educate the customer is easily-accessible.

Being a percussion retailer is a lot like being a ‘drumming hero’ on YouTube, it’s all about what you can offer that no one else can. Personal customer interaction and experience are certainly the element that will help clinch the sale, so creating that experience is more important than ever.”

“Invest and commit to online (email and/or chat) as well as phone support to answer any specific questions on a product pre- and post-sale, and include comparison charts and buyer’s guides on the dealer’s website with links to the product page(s) on the manufacturer’s website,” said Armentrout. “Knowledge is power, and being able to provide these services fuels customer loyalty. Whether it is differences in drum shell wood types, cymbal comparisons, or programming a TD-50 Drum Module or a TM-2 Trigger module, the impact of professional advice and recommendations should not be underestimated.

“It’s easy for a consumer to search and click for the lowest price, but in many cases, the lowest price is not necessarily the best deal,” Armentrout continued. “Fundamentally, internet customers should be approached no differently than the in-person, face-to-face customer. You’re not just moving boxes; you’re earning the customer’s business and developing a relationship for return business, customer satisfaction and loyalty.”

“There are many pitfalls here,

but also a huge opportunity,” relayed Cardoso. “Let’s start with a website, your hub for online sales. Your website should have an easy-to-follow, intuitive checkout and cart system. Shipping rates should be pre-negotiated, and a proper shipping calculator is crucial: Don’t overcharge for shipping, and consider offering free shipping. Clearly state your return and exchange policy to prevent conflict with customers. To help your buyers, have a robust search engine that works. If not, this can lead customers to look elsewhere.

If you can’t afford to put all your products onsite, list all of the brands you carry.

“Definitely utilize videos and multimedia, as creating compelling video is essential in our video age,” Cardoso added. “Produce professional-quality videos, but keep them personal, allowing your store’s personality to shine through. You can do this by having your staff do product walkthroughs. Keep your videos looking and sounding fully professional by making sure drums are well tuned and clean, heads tightened, and be sure to strike each drum individually. Don’t forget that the easiest campaigns are totally free with Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, so do post every day to keep your customers engaged. That means responding to any customer inquiry ASAP before they move on to the next web store. Work with manufacturers or distributors that dropship. And last, but not least, adhere to MAP!” “We want Yamaha dealers who deliver the best customer experience with our products in-store or online,” concluded Fisher. “Although we probably have the best customer support in the music products industry available to anyone purchasing a Yamaha product, having knowledgeable customer support, along with great content, is what separates the good ecommerce dealers from the great ones.”

OCTOBER 2017

FIVE MINUTES WITH: MARK RAGIN, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, ST. LOUIS MUSIC

(continued from page 35) and low volume, and is getting a lot of interest.

The Retailer: Please tell us about cool new products you have released recently/at Summer NAMM. Ragin: We were excited to recently partner with Warwick Music Group to distribute the P-Instrument line of band and preband instruments. We see this as an excellent opportunity to inspire and enhance music education programs in North America. We introduced the newly revamped line of Austin Guitars that are ready for the selling season. The acoustic guitars are open-pore, satin-finished for a big sound at a very affordable price. We’ve introduced the Compass ligature. The Compass is a universal ligature for soprano, alto and tenor sax.

This year, we have seen Alvarez release its Armrest guitars, which have been a big hit. The new Nicolo Gabrieli American luthier-built, premium European tonewood, pre-professional violins, violas and cellos are garnering impressive accolades from top professional shops and players. Hamilton won the [NAMM] Best in Show award for the new KB130E iPad/Tablet holder. E.K. Blessing is back as

a full line again, with the addition of Standard Series Woodwinds, along with the expansion of the Performance Series Brass, including an improved design of the classic Blessing 1541 Flugelhorn.

The Retailer: What can we expect from SLM in the future?

Ragin: We are currently working on our new B2B online ordering system, which will make doing business with us even easier. Our product managers are in the middle of their development for NAMM 2018 product launches, and our operations team has just installed a state-of-theart telephone system, so we can service our customers better and more efficiently. You can expect us to keep pushing ourselves to be true business partners. We are committed to improving our technology. We continue to develop awesome instruments and add world-class brands. If we continue to put our customers first, we will continue to grow as we have in the past 10 years for decades to come.

celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2022 and has been a legendary name in the music business.

Even with the recent purchases of Hamilton Stands, E.K. Blessing, Zonda, etc., we are still looking to acquire additional companies and brands. I cannot say thank you enough to our dedicated em-

w

ployees. Our management team consists of the very finest in the industry. An extra thank you goes to our customers and vendors who support us day in and day out. SLM is committed to dealer satisfaction, and dealers are welcome to pick up their phone and call me directly, anytime.

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The Retailer: Anything you’d like to add?

Ragin: St. Louis Music will be

YAMAHA GOES GOLDEN

(continued from page 33) the last 15 years. In all honesty, it’s not only because the drums are simply the best in the world for tone, variety of woods, and innovative ideas, hardware, pedals and craftsmanship ... but it’s just as important to me to feel a personal attachment to the spirit and soul of the companies I love, and to feel as if I’m recognized and accepted, as well … Yamaha Drums is the best on all levels, and I’m proud to be part of the family, representing the best drums, the best people and the sacred art of drumming. Happy 50th, Yamaha Drums!”

Tommy Aldridge, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, Yamaha artist since 1980: “I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent the majority of my professional career behind Yamaha drums. To say I depend on them would be a huge understatement. The sound and beauty of a Yamaha kit is unmistakable … matched only by MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

their bullet-proof quality. Though I cherish each and every one of my Yamaha kits, I also subject them to some serious abuse. Day in and day out, city after city, and they’re still there. Thank you, Yamaha Drums, and happy 50th anniversary.”

In the future, Fisher relayed the industry will continually change depending on artists’ needs and wants, as well as music styles and trends. “In general, we see a lot of growth opportunities at Yamaha through providing creative musical solutions for drummers.”

He concluded, “With our broad and deep resources in acoustic and electronic drums, hardware, DSP technology, and sound reinforcement, we are uniquely positioned to present drummers with the products that will inspire them for new musical applications. You will see evidence of how we’re addressing drummers’ changing needs in the coming months.”

53

UNDER THE HOOD F5AFG

mind, the company devised its own flame-powered method of strengthening and preserving wood.

“Promark’s proprietary and patented flame-tempering technique was developed by D’Addario’s in-house engineering team,” explained Navarro.

“Each drumstick is individually passed through a flame tunnel and receives an exterior char. In addition to creating a unique aesthetic, the open flames crystalize trace amounts of tree sap resin that remain in each stick, which builds an ‘exterior armor.’

This delays denting, chipping and fraying, which ultimately prolongs the life of each drumstick.”

Thanks to this unique flame-tempering technique, the FireGrain product line offers superior durability over typical hickory drumsticks. “Generally and conservatively speaking, players can expect a pair of FireGrain sticks to outlast two pairs of their standard hickory stick,” said Navarro. “FireGrain is well-suited for all styles of music and playing styles.

However, the greatest benefit will be realized by drummers who play heavier styles of music that require heavier hitting.”

FireGrain drumsticks are made from hickory dowels that are manufactured at the new Elkton sawmill, which is capable of two times the dowel output of its predecessor. This allows Promark a high degree of control over the materials that are used to create its products — right down to the selection of individual logs.

“The sawmill is located in the heart of the Appalachian hickory region in Tennessee, where 90 percent of the world’s American hickory comes from, and it is the only sawmill in the world designed to optimize the output of drumstick wood,” said Navarro. “All other sawmills are slaves to the larger industries they serve, which include flooring, construction, furniture, agriculture and more. Given that drumstick dowels represent the smallest demand across all industries, it’s commonplace for drumstick dowels to be the lowest in the priority hierarchy. Promark has the advantage of selecting only the most premium logs to yield the most premium dowels, which ultimately are processed into finished, premium drumsticks. Having full control over the raw materials as far upstream as the log itself allows us to have the greatest degree of consistency, from the forest to the stage. With the advancements in dowel selection at the sawmill combined with the flame-tempering process, FireGrain proves to be the most durable hickory drumstick Promark has ever made.”

Navarro pointed to some other unique features of Promark’s manufacturing process that contribute to FireGrain’s high degree of durability and quality. “High-capacity kilns are also part of the sawmill process, in which wooden square dowels are dried to the ideal moisture content before being turned into round dowels,” explained Navarro. “The kiln process removes or restores moisture content in the wood. Because Promark dictates its own production timelines, moisture is removed at a low temperature and at a slow rate. It takes about twice as long to yield a full kiln’s worth of wood, but it ensures a more stable piece of wood, which helps guarantee a straight, durable drumstick.”

He added, “The Promark factory, located in Houston, utilizes a centerless grinding process to finish premium dowels into premium drumsticks. Ninety-five percent of the industry uses backknife lathes, which causes tremendous stress to the dowel and the drumstick and creates much inconsistency from stick to stick. While FireGrain sets a new benchmark in durability, consistency in feel from pair to pair proves to be another industry-level-setting advancement. The longstanding industry challenge for drumstick manufacturers has been addressing the natural weight variation in hickory. Currently, any given drumstick model can range up to 40 grams from pair to pair.

Promark’s raw material control capabilities at the sawmill allow FireGrain to put this challenge to rest once and for all by limiting the weight variance to an indiscernible six grams from pair to pair.

What this means for drummers worldwide is that each time they purchase their favorite FireGrain model, they can expect a virtually identical-feeling pair of drumsticks.”

FireGrain drumsticks are available in the following models: Classic 7A, Classic 5A, Classic 5B, Classic 2B, Rebound 5A, Rebound 5B, Forward 5A and Forward 5B. All models carry an MSRP (continued on page 61) of $22.60.

R5AFG

PROMARK’S

TX2BW

FIREGRAIN

TX5BW

DRUMSTICKS

By Anthony Vargas Generally speaking, fire is not great for wood. However, when applied using the proper technique, fire can actually strengthen wood or make it malleable enough to be shaped into our favorite instruments and accessories.

Promark by D’Addario learned the dual effects of fire on the manufacturing process firsthand in 2014, when flames consumed the company’s old sawmill in Prospect, Tenn. While the blaze was a tragedy for the company in the short term, it led to the opening of a new 75,000-square-foot sawmill in Elkton, Tenn. It was also the spark that ignited the idea for Promark’s innovative new line of drumsticks: FireGrain.

“Inspired by the devastating fire at D’Addario’s previous sawmill in 2014, the Promark development team began researching a new way to increase wood strength using open flame,” revealed Elijah Navarro, product manager for Promark. “Some early findings pointed to other industries using flame-tempering techniques to harden baseball bats and hammer and axe handles, as well as arrowheads. One in-depth search turned out an ancient Japanese wood-hardening and preservation method that originated in the 1700s: Shou Sugi Ban. This method is still popular in the construction industry. Its benefits include enhanced durability, UV ray protection, improved longevity and the repelling of insects.”

With these historical and contemporary applications of open flame in woodworking in 54

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