Music & Sound Retailer December 2019, Vol 36 No 12

THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

December 2019 Volume 36, No. 12

GLOBAL CROSSROADS THE NAMM SHOW GETS SET TO ONCE AGAIN TAKE ANAHEIM BY STORM (continued on page 58)

The Nominees Please …

This year’s Music & Sound Awards, Manufacturer Division, nominees show great innovation. (continued on page 24)

THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

VOTE Voting is officially open for the

34TH annual Music & Sound Awards at msretailer.com/vote

December 2019 Volume 36, No. 12

A record number of people voted last year. Let’s hope we break that record this year with even more votes for the Music & Sound Retailer’s Music & Sound Awards.

Manufacturer Division

Vote Online Now

Voting is officially open for the 34th annual Music & Sound Awards at msretailer.com/vote.

Hurry, the deadline is January 3.

We will not accept votes after this date. As a reminder of who is nominated for awards this year, please see below, as well as pages 24-33.

A total of 31 awards are up for grabs, including Best Wesbsite/App, a new category this year.

2019 Rep of the Year

Antonio Ferranti, Dexibell

Ana Jaramillo, Chauvet

Best

Lifetime Achievement/Hall of Fame

Misha Guiffre, The Music Link

Jeremy Payne, The Music People

Steve Long, Yorkville Sound

Iris Manus, Alfred Music

Larry Morton, Hal Leonard

2019 Product of the Year Dexibell VIVO S7 PRO Stage Piano Pioneer DJ Americas DDJ-1000SRT Taylor Guitars Builder’s Edition 717 Yamaha STAGEPAS 1K

2019 Best Website/App ADJ Lighting My DMX Go Chauvet DJ BTAir Bluetooth Lighting App Fender Play Roland Zenbeats

2019 Outstanding Community Service Award D’Addario C.F. Martin Yamaha KORG

2019 Manufacturer of the Year D’Addario Fender Taylor Guitars Yorkville Sound

Acoustic Guitar

Band & Orchestra Product

Electronic Drum Product

Bag/Case

Bass Guitar

Keyboard/Sound Module

Cymbals

Book/Video/Software

Guitar Accessory

Amplifier

Percussion Accessory

Accessory Product

Electric Guitar

Speaker

Wireless System

Outstanding Service Provider

Effect Pedal

Mixer/Console

Cabled Microphone

Non-Guitar Fretted Instrument

Multitrack Recorder

Lighting Product

Strings

Acoustic Drum Product

DJ Product

of 2019

Voting is officially open for the 34th annual Music & Sound Awards at msretailer.com/vote.

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Manhasset Acquires Monarch Specialties

Manhasset Stands acquired the assets of Monarch Specialties, manufacturer of injection-molded pencil-clip holders.

“Monarch Pencil Clip Holders have been big sellers as accessories for music stands for many years, and Manhasset is very pleased to add this music-stand accessory to our product line. We have been asked many times over the years for pencil-clip holders, and it will be great to be able to increase the availability of this accessory all over the world,” said Dan Roberts, president of Manhasset Stands.

Added Roberts, “The majority of the Monarch Pencil Clip Holders that have been sold were for use on Manhasset music stands, so it was logical for Manhasset to add this product to its assortment of accessories. We are excited about the opportunity for Manhasset to offer Monarch Pencil Clips to our domestic distributors and to our network of export distributors.”

Monarch Pencil Clip Holders are available in two sizes, the #3400 Manhasset Pencil Clip Holder and the #3450 for larger-diameter-shaft models.

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Armisen to Host TEC Awards

Actor, comedian and musician Fred Armisen will host the 35th Annual Technical Excellence and Creativity Awards, taking place Jan. 18 in Anaheim, Calif. The awards, which honor individuals, companies and technical innovations used in sound recordings, films, broadcast television and video games, were announced in Nashville at Summer NAMM. The TEC Awards are presented annually as part of The NAMM Show.

The in-demand actor, comedian, Fred Armisen writer, producer and musician is best known as an alumnus of “Saturday Night Live,” and as the co-creator of iconic series “Portlandia.”

Armisen assembled and is the bandleader and frequent drummer for the “Late Night with Seth Meyers” house band, The 8G Band. In 2018, Armisen’s one-hour Netflix special, “Fred Armisen: Standup for Drummers,” earned rave reviews from critics and viewers alike in what was described as “comedy for musicians but everyone is welcome.”

“I have really enjoyed attending NAMM in the past, and I am so happy to be a part of this upcoming convention,” said Armisen. “Music means everything to me. I’m looking forward to being there and to getting to meet musicians and music fans.”

While his TV and film credits are impressive, Armisen’s passion for making music ignited in the early ‘80s when he began playing drums in a local band with some high-school friends from Valley Stream, N.Y. In 1988, he moved to Chicago to play drums for the punk-rock band Trenchmouth, and in the 1990s, he played background drums with Blue Man Group. Armisen played drums on three tracks for Les Savy Fav’s 2007 album “Let’s Stay Friends,” as well as tracks for Matthew Sweet’s 2011 album, “Modern Art,” and Wandering Lucy’s 2015 album, “Leap Year.”

Buddy Rogers Receives Top Recognition

Buddy Rogers Music is one of 10 businesses in the country to be chosen by Synchrony Financial, celebrating small business leaders who shape their local community.

“We were selected largely because of our work with the Lonely Instruments for Needy Kids (LINKS) program, a local non-profit that provides donated instruments to children in need. We received $10,000 in cash to better help our efforts with the program, and [we were] flown out to New York to have a bunch of fancy stuff done for us. It was great optics for us, but also for our industry, as we were the only music store recognized this year!” the company stated.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

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THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

19

On the Cover

VOLUME 36 NO. 12

24 The Nominees, Please …

The Music & Sound Awards are back for a 34th edition, which includes a new category: Best Website/App. Find out all 123 nominees in 31 categories.

58 Global Crossroads

According to Joe Lamond, president and CEO at NAMM, there are three reasons MI retailers attend The NAMM Show: new products, education and networking/seeing friends/events. Learn how next month’s show plans to fulfill these needs.

22

Features 34 MI Spy Year in Review

A long look at the 11 MI Spy winners throughout 2019. What did they do so well?

There is only one way to find out.

40 Five Minutes With

To conclude 2019, we have two interviewees for the price of one. Scott Attebery, CEO, Kyser Musical Products Inc. talks about why his unique skill set is a boon for MI, while Meredith McClung, owner and president, talks about why Attebery was the perfect choice for the job. Of course, this story, spanning four pages, offers a lot more.

44 Not Your Average Column

It’s a consistent challenge to stay on task when running a MI business. Tim Spicer offers tips regarding how to unlock the secret to time management.

41

46 In the Trenches

Today, the list of payment options is overwhelming, and if you’re still accepting only cash, checks and cards as payment, you’re probably encouraging potential sales to go elsewhere.

48 Retailer Rebel

According to Gabriel O’Brien, one of the things independent MI stores struggle with most is telling their story, having a sure sense of their unique brand message and making sure they present it to customers. He offers some advice on how to promote what really makes your store special.

50 Shine a Light

Brandon Voorhees, showroom manager at Cincinnati’s Buddy Roger’s Music, has made some changes to help launch the retailer into the stratosphere.

20

52 Veddatorial

Although the technology industry has disrupted the entire retail industry, Dan Vedda is beginning to see some “cracks” in the public perception of the business models of companies like Amazon.

54 Under the Hood

Audio-Technica’s Streaming/Podcasting Packs could provide an extra boost for MI retailers hoping to augment holiday sales.

62 The Final Note

Simon Campling, marketing and artist relations, G7th, The Capo Co., still loves the “ThunderCats” animated series and would probably be doing something he hates — teaching math — if not for MI.

Buzz 50 6

22

5 Latest

14 People

18 Products DECEMBER 2019

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EDITORIAL

2019 in Review MI retailers must face certain challenges. Always have, always will. Some of these challenges have been discussed in the pages of this magazine throughout the year.

However, as we look back at 2019, with just a few scant days left, I believe we can say it was a good year for MI retailers. Anecdotally, MI sales have been good this year. Despite the staunch internet competition, many MI retailers placed a new emphasis — or redoubled their efforts — to focus on the customer experience, including being the best sources in the neighborhood for rentals, repairs and lessons, as well as some tremendous community events. These efforts have worked, which is evident in the fact that few MI stores closed this year, and the ones that did often cited reasons other than poor sales. Although I must say the losses of Owensboro Music and Rockley Music Center’s storefront sting.

Financially speaking, despite my calls to prepare for a negative turn that could happen, the economy held up well. The unemployment rate stayed low, and the stock market held up as of press time, meaning customers not only had money to spend at your stores, but were willing to loosen their purse strings. More positive economic news came based on reports that the United States and China agreed to “phase one” of a trade deal, meaning tariffs could be reduced or eliminated completely, at least in some categories of goods.

Whether a recession will come or not is anyone’s guess, but I can say this: Vibes are positive as we enter 2020. Hopefully, this is evident as you wrap up your holiday sales right now. Based upon this month’s cover story, The NAMM Show preview, there is a lot to look forward to next month in Anaheim, and hopefully you will get your 2020 off to a good start. In

addition to the Jan. 16 Breakfast of Champions hosted

by NAMM president and CEO, Joe Lamond, Jan. 17 will feature a breakfast session hosted by Ann Handley, a Wall Street Journal best-selling author who will tackle modern marketing. “The biggest missed opportunity in marketing in general is playing it too safe,” she said during a speech.

“We marketers need to get away from being order takers and instead own the narrative,” she added during an interview. “We need to own the customer relationship.”

That should be a fascinating speech, to be followed by Scott McKain on Jan. 18 with a speech entitled “How to Build an Iconic Business.” “From the customer’s perspective, how have you defined what makes you different?” he said during a speech. “Clarity is so important. It is so difficult for brands for this fundamental reason: You not only have to define what you are very precisely. You also have to have the courage to say, ‘This is what we are not.’”

On a final note, I want to congratulate the nominees for the 34th annual Music & Sound Awards, Manufacturer Division. It’s a great list of nominees appearing in this issue, which represents another tremendous year for product innovations. I hope you will take a few minutes now to vote for who you think should win in the 31 categories, including Best Website/App, which we added this year.

I wish you happy holidays and a happy new year.

December 2019 Volume 36, No. 12

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

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

DONOVAN BANKHEAD ROBERT CHRISTIE KIMBERLY DEVERELL JEFF KYLE JR.

MICHELLE LOEB WILL MASON ALLEN MCBROOM GABRIEL O'BRIEN

ROBERT L. IRAGGI Advertising Director riraggi@testa.com RICKY PIMENTEL Art/Production Assistant rpimentel@testa.com ROBIN HAZAN Operations Manager rhazan@testa.com VINCENT P. TESTA President/Publisher TIM SPICER DAN VEDDA LAURA B. WHITMORE Contributors

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

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DECEMBER 2019

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Another Successful Cascio Drummerfest Hands Drumming drum courses).

In addition to the live performances, attendees were able to get up close and personal with the featured artists for photos and autographs, win prizes (including a complete Ludwig drum set), and get into gear details with brand representatives from Drummerfest sponsors Pearl, Zildjian, Ludwig, Meinl, Remo, Vic Firth, DW Drums and ProMark.

“Once again, we are thrilled with audience response to Drummerfest,” said Mike Houser, CEO of Cascio Music. “What an experience to hear these amazing, world-class drummers in a small, intimate setting. We can’t wait for the 20th-annual Drummerfest in 2020!”

Allparts Goes All In New Berlin, Wis.-based Cascio Music welcomed more than 300 drum enthusiasts in October for Drummerfest 2019. The 19th-annual free drum event offers live performances and clinical instruction, giving fans and drummers exclusive access to some of the world’s best drummers.

Drummerfest kicked off with a performance by the Milwaukee Bucks Beats drumline, who marched their way through the 30,000-square-foot Cascio Music store before heading to the stage to share a preview of their new arrangements for the upcoming Milwaukee Bucks season.

Drummerfest attendees were then treated to performances from drumming superstars Calvin Rodgers (Fred Hammond, R. Kelly, Kirk Franklin), Gerald Heyward (Puff Daddy, Coolio, Beyoncé) and Carter McLean (NYC Jazz Drummer, Lion King on Broadway, 4HD: Four

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Allparts Music Corp. now offers The Leo Quan Co. products. The Leo Quan Co. has been a major supplier of bass bridges since the 1970s, with its product known for increased sustain, punch and improved intonation range.

“We are excited to carry on the fine tradition of the Leo Quan Badass products,” said Steve Wark, founder and president of Allparts. “Bringing them onboard is a big plus for both Allparts and our customers. These parts extend our product line as we strive to set the standard for guitar and bass parts. The Badass bass bridges enable manufacturers, guitar shops and luthiers to offer bridges that have been popular and in demand for years. We are pleased to add these products as we continue to expand our product line.”

‘Don’t Worry,’ McFerrin to Be at NAMM “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” because Bobby McFerrin and Gimme5 will perform at The Grand Rally for Music Education on Saturday, Jan. 18 during The NAMM Show.

Presented by the NAMM Foundation, The Grand Rally celebrates music education and honors its champions and advocates. Pre-show entertainment includes The Langley Ukulele Ensemble and The Legacy Ukulele Ensemble and features winners of the A Cappella @ NAMM contest.

Ten-time Grammy-winner McFerrin’s latest album, “spirityouall,” is a bluesy, feel-good recording, an unexpected move from the music-industry rebel who singlehandedly redefined the role of the human voice with his a cappella hit “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

The Grand Rally for Music Education will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Hilton Anaheim, Level 2, California Ballroom CD.

DECEMBER 2019

THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

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Aloha to Mahalo

KMC Music has been tapped to distribute Mahalo Ukuleles throughout the United States.

“The holiday sales season is upon us, and KMC has this iconic brand of ukuleles in stock and ready to ship,” said KMC Music vice president of merchandising, Roger Hart. “We have holiday promotions loaded into our system that are all set to go for our reseller partners. I encourage resellers to contact their KMC sales rep today to learn all about our amazing holiday promotion programs.”

According to Hart, Mahalo Ukuleles were previously only available in the United States from KMC’s sister company, Davitt & Hanser. “This new appointment strengthens and builds upon an already very successful partnership,” he concluded.

Sweet Honor for Sweetwater

For the second consecutive year, Sweetwater ranked first in the country in Newsweek’s annual list of America’s Best Companies for Customer Service in Musical Equipment (Online). Winners were selected based on an independent survey of 20,000 U.S. customers who have either made purchases, used services, or gathered information about products or services in the past three years. They were asked to assess brands in the following areas: quality of communications, technical competence, range of services, customer focus and accessibility.

“Sweetwater is honored to once again finish No.1 in our category,” said senior vice president of the Sweetwater experience, David Fuhr.

“Each day, we work hard to provide exceptional service and to put the customer first in everything we do. We take great pride in providing what we call the ‘Sweetwater Difference.’”

“I founded this company 40 years ago based on one principle: Always do the right thing,” Sweetwater founder and CEO, Chuck Surack, said. “That hasn’t changed. Our focus remains on providing the best service possible for our customers. I’m humbled to have been recognized for our achievements and will strive to continue to exceed our customers’ expectations.”

New Bundle From TASCAM

TASCAM announced it is bundling its black DR-10L Micro Linear PCM Recorder with a free, full version of iZotope’s audio repair and noise reduction tool, RX Elements.

The DR-10L/RX Elements bundle provides a recording and editing workflow solution to live productions where ambient noise and environmental distractions are common post-production challenges, including weddings, on-location films and documentaries, to name a few. RX Elements is a noise-reduction and audio-repair tool for anyone who just needs the basics. RX Elements includes a standalone audio editor with spectral editing, as well as four essential real-time noise-reduction plugins to fix clipping, hums, clicks and other unwanted background noise. Its Repair Assistant feature uses digital signal processing power to analyze audio and provide solutions to quickly correct common issues.

“We are excited to expand further on our collaborative relationship with iZotope, which began earlier this year with the bundling of our SERIES102i and SERIES 208i audio/midi interfaces with Neutron Elements,” said Paul Youngblood, director of product marketing for TASCAM. “Together, the DR-10L and RX Elements will solve a host of recording and post-production issues that have challenged videographers and filmmakers for years.”

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DECEMBER 2019

PEOPLE

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Shen Named New Remo CEO

Remo Inc. announced that Brock Kaericher is stepping down as its president and will be replaced by Robert Shen, who will take on the role in addition to his role as president of Remo – Asia. Kaericher will remain as chairman of the board and president emeritus while acting in an advisory role throughout the remainder of 2020. The new roles for Kaericher and Shen will become effective on Jan. 1.

“I have been very fortunate to work with a wonderful group of people, both within Remo Inc., and with individuals from all areas of the musical products industry,” said Kaericher. “I am so proud of the amazing accomplishments that have been realized during my tenure. The company has been able to follow and continue to foster the agenda of Remo Belli in remaining the undisputed world leader in drumhead technology and innovation while maintaining an unwavering pursuit of delivering products and programs developed as tools in furthering the application and acceptance of active participation in making music as an integral component of an individual’s well-being.”

Aloha to Kaimana

The Ball Is in Brian’s Court Ernie Ball Inc., manufacturer of guitar strings, musical instruments and accessories, promoted Brian Ball to CEO. In his previous role as president. Ball will continue to work alongside his father, Sterling Ball, and brother, Scott Ball, as they continue to build upon the legacy that his grandfather, Ernie Ball, created in 1962. In his new position, Ball intends to strengthen the company’s market position within the guitar industry. He has been with Ernie Ball Inc. since 2000 in various roles, including artist relations, marketing, sales and leadership positions.

In Memoriam: Bill Reglein

Brian Ball

Bill Reglein passed away at the age of 71 on Oct. 17. He played a key role in the growth and development of the JJ Babbitt Co. since taking over its presidency from his father, Bud. Reglein’s great uncle was the company’s founder, Jessie James Babbitt, who began creating musical instrument mouthpieces out of his small garage in Elkhart, Ind. The company, in large part due to Reglein’s efforts, has grown to include several well-known mouthpiece names and has developed into a place where musicians can count on top-quality production and even custom-made products. Reglein also donated to the Museum of Making Music and took out ads to benefit music programs around the world.

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From L to R: Robert Shen, Ami Belli and Brock Kaericher

Kanile`a Ukulele appointed Kaimana Souza as its director of sales and marketing. As the eldest child of company owners Joe and Kristen Souza, Kaimana has literally grown up with Kanile`a, from its humble beginnings in the Souzas’ garage to the current 7,000-squareKaimana Souza foot facility on Hawaii’s Kahuhipa Street. Because of this, he has learned all aspects of the family business including, but not limited to, the acquisition of wood, production, inventory, sales and marketing.

In 2016, Souza graduated with a degree in business administration with a minor in psychology. Immediately after graduation, he took lead of the Islander by Kanile`a Ukulele Distribution Center in Ir vine, Calif. In 2018, Souza returned to Hawaii to manage production of the Kanile`a ukulele factory while heading the marketing team in successful projects.

Asia Major

QSC named William Chan as senior director, North Asia, reporting to Markus Winkler, senior vice president Asia and EMEA. In this newly created role, Chan is responsible for sales and business operations in the North Asia region, including a focus on driving new revenue growth in Greater China and Japan for QSC Live Sound, Cinema and Systems portfolios. Additionally, Chan will be part William Chan of the APAC leadership team, developing and implementing the long-term expansion of QSC’s sales and support infrastructure across Asia.

Chan brings with him a highly successful career leading the Asia sales and marketing teams, with more than 15 years in senior leadership roles. Prior to QSC, Chan served as managing director for Shure Asia Limited, where he drove strategic direction and management of all vertical market teams in 14 Asian countries and carried the overall management responsibilities for Shure’s Asia Business Unit.

DECEMBER 2019

PEOPLE

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High Tech

Guitar Center appointed Ravi Balwada to the position of senior vice president, chief technology officer. Balwada is responsible for technology resources across the Guitar Center organization.

His strong understanding of software products and platforms, as well as foundational systems in infrastructure and ERP, will drive technology innovation and customer value in support of Guitar Center’s strategic initiatives.

Balwada has more than 25 years’ experience across multiple industries, including high-tech, retail and software as a service.

His retail experience includes serving as global vice president, digital engineering and operations at Best Buy, where, among other accomplishments, he defined its enterprise cloud strategy.

Immediately prior to joining Guitar Center, Balwada was senior vice president, technology,

All Hail Dale

Dale Ramirez

Yamaha Corp. of America hired Dale Ramirez as the marketing specialist for its winds and strings department. He reports directly to Brian Petterson, senior manager of winds and strings. In his new role, Ramirez’s core responsibilities include partnering with marketing managers to identify, develop and execute marketing efforts that support their departmental goals, driving projects forward as a project manager on the team and planning tactical initiatives to market to target audiences.

“Dale brings with him a wealth of marketing knowledge and project management experience.

He’ll be immediately able to build on a strong foundation created during his internship with us last year,” said Petterson. “It’s a pleasure to have him back on our team.”

Ravi Balwada

software and IT at Gogo, where he provided strategic leadership and devised the long-term vision for its software technology organization. He earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Birla Institute of Technology.

Note From Joe

ADVERTORIAL • DECEMBER 2019 • NAMM.ORG

A Winning Game Plan to Navigate a Complex Adaptive System Our industry operates in a complex adaptive system—which means that a perfect understanding of the individual parts does not automatically convey a perfect understanding of the whole system.

It seems to me that much like our industry, competition in life can be compared to any high-stakes sporting contest. Everyone continually adapts and hedges against offensive and defensive threats and strategies. Great teams know the best way to “win” is by anticipating, seeing opportunities first, innovating to make the most of those shots, taking advantage of every misstep of the competition and playing to their own strengths. This is the basis of a complex adaptive system (CAS), and they exist everywhere, from nature to sports, to industries to countries.

The thousands of NAMM member companies also operate in a CAS, always changing, evolving and compensating for the decisions made by others and any new developments in the ecosystem. Acknowledging this state of play implies a need to be prepared. And, those that neglect this need get blindsided— leading to some of the biggest failures in our industry, and in my opinion, making your attendance at The NAMM Show all the more vital to success.

The strength of a CAS lies in the fact that each player in the system observes the other players and makes decisions to improve their chances based on those observations. There is only one place where all these data points are on display in real time, and that is The NAMM Show!

The largest trade gathering for the music, sound and entertainment technology products industry allows you to take in the news of the day, observe your competitors, and glean insight into key business and technology trends. Not only will you improve your efficiency, but you might just find the next opportunity that could bring incredible growth to your company.

Successful leaders today all seem to have a particular ability adapt to the changing world, always moving to where the opportunities lie. And like a three-dimensional game of chess, for every move you make, thousands of others are adapting to your decisions with choices of their own. This CAS makes for a resilient and ever-improving industry—one best positioned to fulfill our shared vision of a more musical world.

Where will 2020 take us? While no one can answer that question with any certainty, I do know that the most important clues will be found when the global industry gathers at The NAMM Show. I encourage you to observe the trends: which segments and companies have increased or decreased their exhibits, what are the main themes in NAMM U sessions, what generates the most excitement, and what major headlines, announcements and awards are making waves? Through your well-informed decisions, large and small, you will create strategies toward your own personal definition of the “end zone.”

Make no mistake, even complex adaptive systems break down from time to time. History is full of examples where even the best and brightest have failed. And when the system does fail, there are always winners and losers. Knowing this and being prepared is the best way to position yourself for the inevitable growth and opportunities that come from these resets.

Join your fellow industry leaders at The NAMM Show to see for yourself!

Joe Lamond NAMM PRESIDENT AND CEO

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kills 3Ed0ucat0io+n Enhance Your S Sessions

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Explore the NAMM Campus with new planning tools

Learn retail best practices with author and sales guru Marcus Sheridan

Unite with the industry at The NAMM Foundation Celebration for Music Education

Connect with exhibitors through the Show Directory

Develop skills with targeted sessions, covering topics from website development to retail sales

Enjoy nightly concerts on the NAMM Yamaha Grand Plaza Stage

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Download the mobile app and have The NAMM Show at your fingertips!

Register and Book Your Hotel Today!

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Audio Production

Expand your business in rental, installs, live events and audio production

Be inspired by the Grand Rally for Music Education

PRODUCT

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Jingle All the Way

Alfred Music released new piano collections for the holiday season: “Popular Performer: Christmas Carols,” “Jazzin’ Up Christmas, Books 1-2,” and “Christmas Treats & Treasures, Books 4-5.” “Popular Performer: Christmas Carols” includes early advanced solo piano arrangements of traditional Christmas carols that capture a range of styles, textures, colors and harmonies. The “Jazzin’ Up Christmas” series, new from Mike Springer, offers carefully crafted, graded arrangements of favorite Christmas carols with jazz-style accompaniments. And “Christmas Treats

& Treasures” includes piano arrangements of holiday favorites for the intermediate/late intermediate student.

MSRP: “Popular Performer: Christmas Carols”: $12.99; “Jazzin’ Up Christmas” and “Christmas Treats & Treasures”: $7.99 Ship Date: Now Contact: Alfred Music, alfred.com

Set the Right Tone

Fender released the American Ultra Series, its most advanced series of guitars and basses. Replacing Fender’s American Elite, it features a Modern D neck with high-end rolled edges, along with an updated body design with new contours for enhanced playability. It also offers a smooth satin finish and redesigned Ultra Noiseless pickups intended to provide excellent clarity and articulation to meet the tonal needs of every player while looking like a “million bucks,” stated the manufacturer. Available in Cobra Blue, Texas Tea, Mocha Burst, Arctic Pearl, Plasma Red Burst, Ultraburst, Aged Natural and Butterscotch Blonde finishes.

MSRP: Starting at $1,899 Ship Date: Now Contact: Fender, fender.com 18

DECEMBER 2019

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P R O D UPRS CT Make your feel

brand new!

Out of This Earth

Earthworks debuted the M23R Reference Measurement Microphone. Each microphone within this series has the same frequency response and sensitivity, matched within ±0.5dB across the entire operating range of 3Hz to 23kHz. Proprietary Earthworks technologies allow for the matching of any microphone within the series regardless of its purchase date, stated the company. This allows companies and individuals to continue to build out their arsenal of measurement microphones over an extended time period and know that each new M23R is matched within ±0.5dB to previously purchased M23Rs. A true reference microphone, every M23R is individually tuned and calibrated, which allows for much tighter tolerances throughout the series than in any other measurement microphones.

MAP: $599 Ship Date: This month Contact: Earthworks, earthworksaudio.com

Direct-replacement PRS SE locking tuners

PRS Signature and Classic strings

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MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

PRS Signature and Classic cables

A few simple things can make your guitar feel brand new. Get the convenience of locking tuners on your PRS SE. Enjoy the comfortable tension and quality tone of PRS strings. Keep your signal pure with PRS cables. © 2019 PRS Guitars

Evans Drumheads introduced UV2 drumheads, an expansion of the UV-cured coating technology now in a two-ply format. UV2 is the first product in the Evans lineup to feature new packaging with the Sound Icon System. The packaging establishes a new look and feel for the brand. These drumheads are made using two plies of durable 7 mil film. They offer a slightly punchier tone than Evans’ traditional G2 drumheads, but with the same depth and attack that you expect from a two-ply drumhead, stated the company. The patented UV-cured coating process provides “unmatched durability and consistency of texture,” the manufacturer added.

MSRP: Varies Ship Date: Now Contact: D’Addario, daddario.com

PRODUCT

z z u B Class Is in Session

Step Up to the Mic

Goold IK Multimedia launched the iRig Mic Cast 2, iRig Mic Kristin Cast HD, iRig Mic Video and iRig Stream. The iRig Mic Cast 2 and iRig Mic Cast HD microphones offer featherweight, pocket-sized portability and clear voice recording using an iPad, iPhone or Android device.

Both reject off-axis noise for quiet recording and feature a unique magnetic mounting design for quick and easy on-the-go use. iRig Mic Video is a lightweight shotgun microphone offering professional features and multiple mounting options that make it compatible with the widest range of devices, including smartphones, tablets and digital single-lens reflex cameras. It’s also available as part of a mobile video creation kit with iKlip Grip Pro, for an all-in-one video-capture solution. Ideal for content creators and musicians, iRig Stream is a mobile audio interface that mixes multiple audio sources down to one track for recording or streaming in mono or stereo with the user’s mobile device and their favorite app, stated the company.

MSRP: iRig Mic Cast 2: $49.99; iRig Mic Cast HD and iRig Stream: $99.99; iRig Mic Video $129.99 Ship Date: Now Contact: IK Multimedia, ikmultimedia.com

Make Your Mark

Big D Guitars is expanding to include barrel tops from renowned Kentucky distilleries, including Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam and Wild Turkey. The Whiskey Barrel Top Custom T-Style Guitar is the brainchild of Big D Guitars founder Derek Lenard, a luthier and curator with nearly 20 years’ experience. After surface-sanding, the pieces sit for a month to dry out before they’re cut using a template. Lenard then hand glues the pieces together on the U-shaped oak-core body. The oak provides added strength, but has been hollowed out to lighten the guitar’s overall weight. For the back, Tennessee barnyard-reclaimed lumber was chosen for its weathered look as well as its light weight.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Big D Guitars, bigdguitars.com

20

Godin Guitars launched the Session HT guitar. It comes complete with a hardtail bridge for increased sustain and tuning stability, an optimized finish for enhanced tonal deflection and a H-S-S pickup configuration, as well as a Silver Leaf body, Maple neck and Indian Laurel fretboard. It is available in these finish options: Matte Black, Trans Cream and Bourbon Burst. Assembled in the USA from parts handcrafted in Canada.

MAP: $599 Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Godin Guitars, godinguitars.com

Ram Tough

Electro-Harmonix has unveiled a faithful re-creation of its original 1973 Violet Ram’s Head Big Muff. The new pedal is housed in a pedalboard-friendly die-cast chassis and equipped with a few select updates for convenience.

These include true bypass switching, an LED to indicate effect status and the option of being powered by a ninevolt AC adapter.

Street Price: $99 Ship Date: Now Contact: Electro-Harmonix, ehx.com

Ignite a Spark

Positive Grid introduced Spark, a smart guitar amp and accompanying app driven by intelligent technology to offer real-time Smart Jam accompaniment, Auto Chord detection and intuitive practice features for players of all levels, stated the company. Spark also functions as a full-range, 40-watt combo amp and features a variety of tone-shaping options plus amp and FX modeling built upon the company’s BIAS engine. Guitarists can play and practice using the Spark’s Auto Chord feature to access millions of songs on popular streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music. The Spark app automatically analyzes and displays chords for millions of songs in real time, and its easy-to-use controls let the player slow down the song’s tempo or loop a difficult section to practice.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Positive Grid, positivegrid.com/spark DECEMBER 2019

PRODUCT

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Three’s a Crowdfunding

With the growth of the internet, musicians now reach their fans through many different avenues, like streaming services and social media. Another platform — crowdfunding websites — allows musicians to mobilize their fans to support their next album, tour or project and create a fan-sourced income stream. In the latest book from Berklee Press, “Crowdfunding for Musicians,” crowdfunding expert Laser Malena-Webber outlines how to become a successful independent artist through these platforms. The book outlines effective strategies and components of successful campaigns, including networking, press relations, reward levels and more. Topics covered in the book include: choosing the right crowdfunding site that supports your needs, developing and mobilizing a fan base, structuring reward levels to inspire fan participation, promoting campaigns through

press strategies and social media, avoiding common crowdfunding mistakes, building online infrastructure for cross-platform integration, understanding business considerations, creating music videos, and more.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Now Contact: Hal Leonard, halleonard.com

Power Trio.

(Bass power, that is.)

KS118

Deep and Commanding

KS212C Directional

KS112

6642-07-03-2019-EN

Ultra-Portable

WiFiOke is A-OK

For singers and karaoke enthusiasts looking for an all-in-one portable karaoke machine, VocoPro offers its WiFiOke system. WiFiOke boasts a 14-inch touchscreen to navigate the menus and see the lyrics on YouTube or other karaoke sites. And the two included professional wireless mics are perfect for singing along, stated the company.

The WiFiOke also doubles as an audio karaoke system to sing along to any music. Just connect to Bluetooth or use the Micro SD/ USB/MP3 player to play tracks.

The WiFiOke’s battery-powered and lightweight design makes this system portable enough to take the karaoke party anywhere, the manufacturer added.

MSRP: $499 ($349 MAP) Ship Date: Contact company Contact: VocoPro, vocopro.com MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

Introducing the K Subwoofer Series.

Three models. Three incredible approaches to low frequency sound reinforcement.

All 100% genuine QSC performance, quality and reliability.

Which subwoofer is right for your application? Find out at qsc.com/ks.

Best Loudspeaker

with Product Registration

*3 year standard; 6 years with product registration. ©2019 QSC, LLC. All rights reserved. QSC and the QSC logo are registered trademarks of QSC, LLC in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and other countries. PLAY OUT LOUD is a trademark of QSC, LLC.

PRODUCT

z z u B Bolt of Lightning

Super Soaker

Mod Kits DIY’s The Saturator is an overdrive pedal kit that covers a wide range of gain effects. It can transition smoothly from a massive Kristin Goold clean boost to a warm, saturated and sustained distortion with the turn of a knob, stated the company. The saturation is controlled with the Soak knob. The Soak dials in the amount of symmetrical soft clipping applied to the guitar signal. When fully counterclockwise, the signal is unaffected and clean. Rotating the knob clockwise will incrementally increase the soft clipping. The sound will morph from a clean signal all the way to a heavy saturated overdrive sound and then into distortion territory. The Level knob sets the overall volume of the clean or saturated output. Unity gain is roughly at “8 o’clock.” With the Soak set to clean, rotating the Level knob clockwise will increase the level to upwards of 30dB. MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Mod Kits DIY, modkitsdiy.com

The ProX XT-BT Series BoltX Professional Box Truss is professionally designed and engineered for many applications, including stage lighting and concerts. It has an innovative end plate designed and manufactured with heavy-duty aluminum material, welded on both sides, and ProX’s exclusive circular rings at each corner of the truss to reduce or eliminate damage to the main chord ends, stated the company. It is compatible with most other 12-inch professional box truss manufacturers utilizing 6.75-inch bolt center pattern.

It weighs approximately seven pounds per foot.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: ProX, proxdirect.com

PRODUCT

Instant Classic

KRK Systems, part of the Gibson family of brands, introduced the CLASSIC 5 Professional Bi-amp Studio Monitors. It features a multitude of features, including an innovative bi-amped Class A/B amplifier with built-in automatic limiter and a lowresonance enclosure for minimized

On the Mark

PRS Guitars introduced the SE Mark Holcomb SVN and the DW CE 24 Floyd. The SE Mark Holcomb SVN offers a 24-fret, 26.5-inch scale-length wide thin satin maple neck with 20-inch-radius ebony fretboard. Holcomb’s signature Seymour Duncan Alpha and Omega seven-string pickups provide the right amount of output and articulation whether you’re playing sophisticated chords or solos and whether you’re playing alone or working in the mix of a band. Other specifications include the choice of a quilted maple or walnut veneer, black hardware and a three-way blade pickup switch with push/ pull tone knob for coil splitting.

The model is topped off with coil-taps for the pickups and a string-through, plate-style, sevenstring bridge. The DW CE 24 Floyd model starts with the PRS CE bolt-on platform and includes a satin-finished maple neck, maple fretboard, a slightly modified Pattern Thin neck carve and Floyd Rose tremolo system. The pickups and electronics are also unique to Waring’s signature axe.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: PRS Guitars, prsguitars.com MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

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distortion and colorization. Additionally, the five-inch, lightweight, glass-Aramid composite woofer delivers clear midrange and tighter bass, and a one-inch soft dome tweeter with optimized waveguide.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: KRK, krksys.com

THE NOMINEES, PLEASE

This year’s Music & Sound Award, Manufacturer Division, nominees show great innovation.

By Brian Berk

Manufacturer Division

The nominees are in for the 34th annual Music & Sound Awards, Manufacturer Division. Here is the list of all 31 categories and 123 total nominations, including a new award: Best Website/App. Best Acoustic Guitar of 2019 C.F. Martin OM-28 Modern Deluxe

Best Bass Guitar of 2019 Fender Vintera ‘50s Precision Bass

Jackson X Series Signature David Ellefson Concert Bass CBXM IV — Snow White

Riversong Special Edition G2

Taylor Builder’s Edition 717

D’Angelico Bob Weir Bedford

Ibanez RGD71ALMS

Ibanez SR500E

Ibanez AEWC400IIB

24

Best Electric Guitar of 2019

Gibson 60th Anniversary 1959 Les Paul Standard

Spector Euro LT Series

PRS Guitars SE Paul’s Guitar DECEMBER 2019

Best Guitar Accessory of 2019

Graph Tech Bass Ratio: Synchronized Tuning Technology

C.F. Martin Luxe by Martin Bridge Pins

Fishman TriplePlay Connect

G7th Performance 3 Capo with ART

Best Effect Pedal of 2019

Electro-Harmonix BASS9 Bass Machine

Headrush Looperboard

Best Non-Guitar Fretted Instrument of 2019 Lanikai Soprano Ukulele Natural Mahogany

Ibanez TSV808

Peavey Electronics Trace Elliot Transit Series

Best Strings of 2019

Luna Vintage Mahogany Baritone Ukulele A/E — Satin Natural

D’Angelico Prohibition Bronze Acoustic Strings

C.F. Martin Authentic Acoustic Flexible Core Strings

Farida Ukulele Line

Amahi Penguin Ukulele

PRS Guitars Signature Series Strings

D’Addario XT

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

25

Best Multitrack Recorder of 2019

Best Mixer/Console of 2019 Zoom LiveTrack L-20R

TASCAM Model 16

Sound Devices MixPre-10 II

Allen & Heath DT168 Dante I/O Expander

Zoom F6 Multitrack Field Recorder

PreSonus StudioLive 32SX 32-Channel Digital Mixer

Solid State Logic Six

M-Audio AIR Series

Best Amplifier of 2019

Best Speaker of 2019 JBL EON One Compact

Yamaha STAGEPAS 1K

Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 Amplifier QSC KS 118 Active Subwoofer Tech 21 GED-2112 Geddy Lee

Blackstar The Fly 3 Def Leppard

Peavey Electronics invective Series IK Multimedia iLoud MTM 26

DECEMBER 2019

Best Keyboard/Sound Module of 2019

Akai Professional Force

Roland GO:PIANO88 Dexibell VIVO S7 PRO Stage Piano Casio PX-S3000

Best Band & Orchestra Product of 2019 Getzen 900DLX and 907DLX Eterna Trumpets

A WORLD OF SOUND & CREATIVITY

KHS America XO Brass 1634LT Tenor Trombone

Yamaha YVN Model 3 Violin

Hohner Billy Joel Signature Harmonica

CONNECTÂ TO THE POSSIBILITIES

TM

Play sounds and virtual instruments from your guitar Create & record loops from any sound Easily record & share your compositions online Play and edit loops and audio files with your guitar Import and jam to backing tracks or loops directly from iTunes

Download The Free TriplePlay Connect App

With TriplePlay Connect, your guitar and your imagination, you can create music, explore soundscapes, share, interact and have fun.

Contact Fishman Sales at: 800-FISHMAN | fishman.com

Inspired Performance TechnologyTM

Best Acoustic Drum Product of 2019

Best Electronic Drum Product of 2019 MukikiM Rock and Roll It CodeDrum

Crush Drums Sublime ST Evans Sound-Off (D’Addario & Co.)

Mapex 30th Anniversary Limited Edition 5-Piece Shell Pack

Roland V-Drums TD-1DMK

Pearl Masters Maple/ Gum 4-Piece Shell Pack

Yamaha Live Custom Hybrid Oak

Alesis Turbo Mesh Kit

Best Cymbals of 2019

Paiste Signature Mellow Crash

John Packer Musical Instruments 28

www.jpmusicalinstruments.com

Meinl Cymbals Classics Custom Effects Pack DECEMBER 2019

Best Percussion Accessory of 2019

Gon Bops Bucket Shekere

Audio-Technica PRO-DRUM4 Bundle

Remo Colortone Drumheads

The Model 24 has a New Baby Brother

model 16 By popular demand.

Introducing the Model 16!

A 14-input analog mixer, 16-track internal multitrack recorder, 16-in/14-out USB audio interface and built-in effects processor.

Tama Dyna-Sync Pedal

Record one track at a time, or the full performance simultaneously using the quick, easy and intuitive recording and audio control surface. Unit can be rack mounted with optional kit.

#1 Selling Brand of P ro f e s s i o n a l

Handheld Field

Recorder The longtime standard in digital handheld recorders now with USB audio interface capabilities.

Zildjian K Zildjian Cluster Crashes

Discover what sound designers, musicians, podcasters, photographers, indie ďŹ lmmakers and more use to get stellar recordings in the ďŹ eld.

Simply put, the best in sound quality, usability, functionality and durability available.

Sabian AAX Thin Crashes MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

Sound. Thinking.

www.tascam.com

29

Best Bag/Case of 2019

Gator Co. Levy’s Deluxe Gig Bag for Bass, Classical, Electric and Dread Guitars

On-Stage GBU4100 Series Deluxe Striped Ukulele Bags

Dexibell VIVO Pro Keyboard Gig Bags with Wheels

Odyssey BHS12BPBLK

Best Book/Video/Software of 2019

PreSonus Studio One 4.5 Recording and Production Software

Alfred Music “The Musician’s Lifeline”

Neil A. Kjos Music Co. “Creatures of the Night Sky”

Best Cabled Microphone of 2019

DPA 2028 Vocal Microphone

Austrian Audio OC18 Live Set

Hal Leonard “Yesterday”

Best DJ Product of 2019 Electro-Voice RE Series Premium Condenser Vocal Microphones (RE420 & RE520)

Chauvet DJ Hurricane Bubble Blaze

Earthworks SR314

Pioneer DJ Americas Inc. DDJ-1000SRT

Denon DJ Prime 4 Yamaha STAGEPAS 1K 30

DECEMBER 2019

Best Wireless System of 2019

Alto Professional Stealth Pro

AKG 100/300 Wireless System

Sennheiser XS Wireless Digital

Shure Axient Digital ADX Wireless Transmitter

Best Lighting Product of 2019

JMAZ Lighting Mad Par Hex 4S

ADJ Focus Spot 4Z

Blizzard Lighting Pocket Cosmos

Chauvet DJ EZLink Par Q4BT MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

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Best Accessory Product of 2019 Gator Cases Retro Rack Series Vintage Amp Vibe Rack Cases

Best Website/App of 2019 Shure MV88 + Video Kit

ADJ Lighting My DMX Go

Fishman TriplePlay Connect

Chauvet DJ BTAir Bluetooth Lighting App Roland Zenbeats

Fender Play

Graph Tech RATIO TUNE-A-LELE

2019 Product of the Year

2019 Outstanding MI Service Provider

Dexibell VIVO S7 PRO Stage Piano

2019 Outstanding Community Service Award Yamaha STAGEPAS 1K

Pioneer DJ Americas DDJ-1000SRT

Taylor Guitars Builder’s Edition 717

Two icons together at last.

Our Quick-Change® Capo is now available in classic sunburst finish.

MADE IN USA Since 1980 32

DECEMBER 2019

Lifetime Achievment/ Hall of Fame

2019 Rep of the Year

Antonio Ferranti, Dexibell

Misha Guiffre, The Music Link

Ana Jaramillo, Chauvet

Jeremy Payne, The Music People

Steve Long, Yorkville Sound

Iris Manus, Alfred Music

Larry Morton, Hal Leonard

2019 Manufacturer of the Year

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

33

M I SPY

TO THE VICTORS GO THE SPOILS 2019 MI SPY YEAR IN REVIEW

It’s been a banner year for the MI Spy. 2019 has taken your favorite covert consumer on a tour of some incredible MI stores staffed with dedicated, knowledgeable salespeople and stocked with tantalizing instrument offerings (plus several stores that left a lot to be desired in the customer-service and product-selection departments). To wrap things up this year, let’s take a look back through my old mission reports (never mind the coffee stains) and pay tribute to the winners of each month’s MI Spy installment.

Retailers, take note: You can learn a lot from these stores and the service they offer. Who knows? Following their lead just might save you from a bad review from a certain undercover operative.

JANUARY Sam Ash 1887 Franklin Mills Circle Philadelphia, PA 19154 215.612.1339

FEBRUARY Mo’s Fullerton Music Centers Inc. 121 North Harbor Blvd.

Fullerton, CA 92832 714.871.1805

34

I pulled up to the Sam Ash and discovered it was an anchor store in an outlet mall outside the city of Philadelphia. Sam Ash has its own entrance in the parking lot, but I decided to stretch my legs before starting my mission. I drove down a ways and entered the mall proper.

Philadelphia Mills is a bit unique in its architecture; very long with a slight zig-zag shape. It’s only one floor with a peaked roof, and most of the storefronts don’t reach all the way to the ceiling. It’s almost as if the stores were built inside a series of airplane hangars. The Sam Ash was more impressive than its neighbors, with an angular entrance that protruded into the mall and was made more interesting with a few basic architectural flourishes.

As I stepped through these pointed arches, I braced myself for a standard retail greeting. Surprisingly, there was no one nearby. Since the store does have an external entrance, I felt a little like I was sneaking in through the back. Stock in trade for a spy.

The store is shaped like a little mall itself, with a long display hallway connecting the two exits with the different types of instruments each in their own smaller “shops” on either side. I wandered the main hall briefly, doing my best “wandering customer” impression, all while keeping on alert for an approaching salesperson. Once again, my razor instincts went unused as I bent over to read price tags several times without any interference. I made my way into the keyboard showroom hoping that there might be an employee inside eagerly awaiting my arrival, but there was only another customer or two wandering through.

Tired of playing coy, I moved back into the main area and started toward the exit to the parking lot where I could see a few employees standing by the doors. Before I could actually say anything, I was intercepted by an employee with a shaggy suggestion of a mohawk. He asked if he could help me, and I launched into my cover story: My brother was interested in learning the keyboard, and my parents and I were going to buy him one as a gift. Being a dutiful child, I was out doing some research to save my folks the effort.

The man took me back into the keyboard showroom to show me a few basic models from a pretty wide selection. His two picks were a Yamaha, which was on sale for $449.99, and a Roland marked down to $699.99. As he played a simple melody on each, he explained I’d have to choose between weighted and semi-weighted keys.

The weighted keys make it feel more like playing a real piano, he said, which some people prefer. The Yamaha was mounted on a stand that looked like furniture legs instead of the traditional X-shaped keyboard stand. I asked if that was included and he said no, it costs an extra $100, but it looks nicer in a living room. Having satisfied my questions, he shook my hand and gave me his personal card.

With phase one of my mission completed, I swung my spy car onto Interstate 95 south. Just ahead, I could see downtown Philadelphia rising up through the fog, just behind a surprising number of billboards for personal injury lawyers.

Mo’s Music Center is an establishment that has been a musical landmark of age and service for more than 73 years in this southern California region. It is in a good-sized building in the downtown area of Fullerton.

My disguise hit pay dirt right away at this store. I was greeted almost instantly by an attentive young helper who was a rock guitar player. He unabashedly confessed to his utter ignorance of the fine points of brass instruments and volunteered to search out help for my trombone quest.

As I snooped around, I discovered that Mo’s has a popular feature not in evidence in most other music stores.

There is a large internal boutique with all sorts of music-related items. Need a musical tie featuring an oboe to pair with your suit? No problem. How about a music-themed wall clock to encourage practice time? Got it. Besides large aisles filled with all sorts of fun things to buy, there is a kids’ corner for the very youngest to have their love of music nurtured. Think tot-sized instruments that actually sound decent. They have it all covered.

My new assistant introduced himself as the oldest broom pusher on the payroll and saved me from what could have been many an hour in the boutique if I wasn’t careful. On the way to the brass wall for a look at the trom-

DECEMBER 2019

bones, I discovered a wall with a great selection of harmonicas and some serious banjos that I couldn’t go past without a few chords being played. Even a steely professional operative like me needs some fun.

My helper was patient and full of information about Mo’s and the history of the business and the company outlook on things in general. When I outlined my quest for a pro tenor trombone with an F key attachment, he was happy to lead me to the brass selections while letting me know the sorts of options that were in stock at the moment.

There were the usual candidates of new instruments, all ranging in price from the few-hundred-dollar student models up to the pro instruments. More interesting for this current search was a Courtois Buffet series from Europe at around $3,845 with the F-attachment, which is a good price for that line. Lower down were the Conn 88H at $2,659, a Selmer, a Blessing at $1,749 and a Bach at $3,340. So, there was a large selection for my trombone-playing cover. My attendant let me know that all instruments will be price matched or sold lower than the big chains.

Since the shop caters to professionals, there was also quite a nice second-hand selection of older instruments, including a Conn 88H with a trigger at $2,200 and a King at $2,639, which of course for a trombonist is just fine.

The older instruments they had on hand were “made differently in the old days” according to my assistant, who seemed to know everything about how all the brass should function and why. It made him a thorough source of information for a pro who needed the views of a master.

With almost no encouragement, my assistant told me that the original owner of the store way back had a philosophy that was based on an idea that customer service should be the major focus of its business. Happy, taken-care-of customers would return. Mo’s wants happy musicians, and it doesn’t feel like it has to be in competition with other vendors. The owner kept telling her staff that there was room for everyone as, “There are a lot of people who love music out there.”

My helper turned out to be out to be one of the master craftsmen from the full-service repair shop, which I was encouraged to take a tour through. The facility offers guaranteed satisfaction, and judging by the evidence of tools and various instrument problems being dealt with, I’d believe it. Many a professional name have sent their horns to the master craftsmen there, apparently. Minor to medium-sized repairs, as well as a couple of complete restorations, were going on.

All in all, my experience here was a very positive one given the professional instrument and support I was looking for. A quick check of the competitive business websites verified that the experience I had there for help and service is very common, indeed universal among the clients who bother to write reviews online.

MARCH Haight Ashbury Music Center (Now Closed) 1540 Haight St. San Francisco, CA 94117 415.863.7327

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

Haight Street, the stuff of legends. Having visited this fair city many times since 1973, I can state with certainty that “the Haight” has changed a lot over the years. To a great extent, it is much more commercial than it had been, and skeptics scoff at the higher-priced tie-dyed apparel being hawked in stores.

But some things do have staying power on Haight Street, and one of them is the Haight Ashbury Music Center, which opened in 1972. It has had the same management for more than 30 years, impressive credentials for an independent store.

MI Spy took a family with me [borrowed a friend’s family] to get more perspectives on the visits to each store. I found the store easily, with its burgundy-colored canopy, and strolled inside. The older teen with me honed in on the sheet music section, and was impressed by the deep selection of genre books. The younger teen checked out the many acoustic guitars, both new and used. MI Spy’s partner rummaged through the store’s signature T-shirt in bins, available in shades of blue, yellow, white and more.

As soon as we shuffled through the entrance, a gray-haired fella at the counter asked us “How’s it going?” And later, I went back to him to inquire about the Theremini. MI Spy had not previously encountered this gem of an instrument, a synthesizer version of the Theremin. “What is this thing?” I asked him. “Well, it’s an update on the Theremin.

Did you try it?” I told him I had, after watching two other customers grow giddy with its features (and yes, you pass your hands over and around it, like the classic Theremin). “It’s like a magnet for some folks,” he said with a dry chuckle. “But it’s more than a gimmick. It has a lot of possibilities for certain kinds of bands.” When I couldn’t recall the last name of Clara, the noted female musician who gave concert tours playing the Theremin, the music store guy smiled and said “Rockmore.” (Wikipedia confirms this.) I asked him if the Theremini was a holdover from the days of New Wave rock, and he shook his head. “It’s a more recent invention. And different types of bands like it — rock, pop, jazz, experimental. It has a lot of possibilities.”

The Theremini aside, the most floor space at Music Center is devoted to guitars of many types and prices. New and used, beginner models and sophisticated axes, guitars filled the walls and free-standing areas, along with accessories and amps. At some point, the older teen was gazing at Telecasters and Strats, of which there were several.

Toward the back of the store, a teenager was playing a Lenny Kravitz song, fairly well, while his friends attempted to keep pace on percussion.

There were about two dozen customers in the store when we visited, and while some just seemed to be having fun, testing out gear and instruments, a few older folks were buying effects pedals, strings and a music stand. Music Center stocks some oddball instruments, including plastic skull shakers in a rainbow assortment of hues, as well as various ethnic instruments, such as steel pans and Latin percussion pieces.

35

M I SPY

We were glad to see so much sheet music, and the older teen settled on a book of blues numbers for the guitar. We chatted about this with a younger guy working there. “We sell a lot of sheet music here, and people of all ages come for it. We have guitar sheet music, also a lot of piano and vocal mostly, but also flute and others.” He pointed out ukulele books as well.

Music Center is a fun and serious store for musicians and students alike. It has an impressive inventory, and the staff have a laid-back but helpful attitude. It’s the type of place to go with specific items in mind, but it’s also good for impulse shopping. It is crowded but orderly. Prices are clearly marked and there is a wide range.

APRIL Guitar Center 111 Old Country Road Carle Place, NY 11514 516.248.2020

MAY Sam Ash 5533 Westpark Drive Charlotte, NC 704.522.9253

36

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

Foreigner’s “Double Vison” was the choice of song when I walked in. I looked around at the wide array of new and used guitars on the walls and then moved toward the sales desk to see if I got noticed. I definitely did get noticed and was pleased. The salesperson shook my hand and told me his name. He asked for my name. Although it was a brief encounter, I really liked getting to know him on a first-name basis. He asked me what music the gift recipient played. I said “metal,” and he proceeded to show me several guitars. He recommended Randy Rhoads Jackson guitars and said a Steve Vai signature model could be good also. “Ibanez or Jackson would be a great choice for you,” he said. “Of course, Fenders and Gibsons are always great, but for a metal guitarist, I like Ibanez or Jackson.”

Despite my $1,000 budget, I really liked that he didn’t automatically steer me toward a more expensive guitar.

In fact, he steered me toward a black Jackson JS32T Rhoads electric guitar with white bevel, retailing for $269.99, and a black Jackson JS32RM Rhoads electric guitar, retailing for $399.99. He did say there were expensive options if I so chose, but these were good options. Another plus: The salesperson recommended I go online to retrieve a coupon for 15 percent off my purchase. I never asked for that information, and it was great to know. He said to let him know if I wanted him to take any high-reaching guitars off the wall. I told him I would let him know. I thanked him, glanced some more and headed out to the next store.

The family-owned Sam Ash music chain was MI Spy’s first stop on this foray into the Charlotte ‘burbs, in part because of its proximity to uptown. It is roughly halfway between Interstate 277, the freeway that rings Charlotte’s inner business district and oldest neighborhoods, and I-285, the outer freeway.

The store is in a well-traveled shopping district right off the Bill Lee Freeway (I-77). That and its mammoth selection makes it a must for parents shopping for any type of musical gear.

Helping to navigate that big selection was a store manager who, sadly, was clearly suffering from a cold. Sniffles aside, his outline of the selection and the pros and cons of each model was both extensive and useful.

“We sold a lot of flutes when school started but have slowed down,” he noted. He also explained that parents can score the best deals on rentals in late August and early September. Leases are also only available at the start of the school year.

The store’s Jean Baptiste private-label line provides an economical alternative for virtually any beginner instrument, including flutes. At the time MI Spy visited, the store was offering a nice discount of 33 percent off list price on this line.

Among these, the JBFL284 provides the beginner with an excellent balance of durability and ease of use. It offers a silver-plated body and drop-forged silver-plated keys. List prices typically begin in the $500 range, but the store usually offers a hefty discount.

Next up, in order of price, are models by Selmer and Gemeinhardt, with store discounts of 21 percent and 51 percent off list prices, thus making them sell for $379 and $479, respectively. And among this store’s best sellers is the Yamaha YFL-222, which at $549 is 43 percent off list price.

“All of these should last through the middle-school years and possibly into high school as well,” the manager said. “By that point, they might really, really like playing the flute and be looking to purchase a higherend instrument.”

At that point, he added, students would be able to select more ease-of-use features as well as ones giving them more control over sound quality.

DECEMBER 2019

read price tags. And I was pleasantly surprised to see the sheet music to the musical “Kinky Boots” (which closed on Broadway on April 7).

If there was any slight disappointment with this store, it was afterward, when I tried to navigate its website, which has some problems and delays.

JUNE Downtown Sounds 21 Pleasant St. Northampton, MA 01060 413.586.0998

Downtown Sounds is the biggest in size of the Northampton trifecta of musical instrument stores, and this store is a riot of color: a rainbow assortment of new and used guitar effects pedals and various stringed instruments, as well as a rainbow selection of guitar picks (six colors which encompass light, medium and heavy) with the store name stamped on them.

And the slight rhyming scheme to its name makes Downtown Sounds memorable.

Downtown also has several music instructors associated with it; a handmade poster by the main door features photographs of these teachers. And it had a stack of postcards that advertised a free lesson if you buy an instrument priced at least $50.

When I walked in, there were two guys working the floor, dealing with a few other customers, and two salesmen promoting drums and accessories.

I was greeted within two minutes of walking in, and the man who spoke with me showed me two showcases packed with guitar pedals. “We have delays in the $100 range, and the more boutique, expensive ones are in the other room.” Some effects brands it stocked included Earthquaker, Coppersound, Electro-Harmonix and others.

Downtown has plenty of electric and acoustic guitars, basses and other stringed instruments.

It also stocks some kitschy, toy-like instruments and a yellow plastic trombone.

One of the most aesthetically intriguing acoustics it had on display was a folksy Seagull traveling guitar for $149. Most of its instruments had easy-to-

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

M I SPY

JULY Mr. Music 128 Harvard Ave. Allston, MA 02134 617.783.1609

AUGUST Steve Maxwell Vintage and Custom Drums 242 W. 30th St. New York, NY 10001 212.730.8138 SEPTEMBER Imperial Guitar & Soundworks 2A Cherry Hill Road New Paltz, NY 12561 845.255.2555

38

OK MI Spy fans, I have to admit it: I had so much fun inside the Mr. Music store (even though those wild turkeys had been pestering me just 10 minutes earlier!) that I felt like that proverbial kid in a candy store. Boy oh boy, I enjoyed my time there so much that I bought a T-shirt — a heather-red shirt with designs on the front and back. I also picked up a guitar strap for a teenager I know.

From the sidewalk, this store seemed more like a concert venue, with a few large window photos of famous rock musicians. A large sign promises “We Pay Cash For Musical Instruments,” and another sign features two spy-like men (my people!) and the slogan “Allston Rocks.” (There’s also a banner that reads “Rockin’ Boston.”)

Inside, there are displays of instruments and memorabilia that are kind of like the ones you’d see at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but done in a shticky fashion. Someone had fun devising these displays. But they serve more than one goal: Not only are they fun, but they also contribute to the atmosphere in the store, and the vibe invites you to become a customer and a fan. I mean, they have a kiddy car being driven by a giant banana; shrine-dioramas that feature Eric Clapton, Jerry Garcia, Led Zeppelin and Elvis Presley; several stuffed animals; a skeleton wearing sunglasses; and more.

Two older men were working on the floor when I arrived, in addition to another younger worker. They were all friendly and had details galore to share about whatever I and the other customers pointed to.

The price tags were large and clear, and there were a lot of lower-priced items here. There were also expensive new and used guitars that were quite impressive.

Mr. Music stocked a lot for a moderately sized store. It had concert equipment and various types of percussion, including some more exotic types; hollow-body guitars and other electrics; plus acoustics and banjos. You could also pick up a “Guitars of the Gods” magnet set.

It also stocks the Brazilian Giannini brand, namely a $349.99 acoustic model. One of the workers and I had a discussion about this gem, and it did have a gorgeous, rich tone. “It’s a bowl design. Gorgeous tone. Wanna try it?” I was actually too intimidated by it; it’s a beauty.

When I bought a guitar strap for a young acquaintance of mine, the worker explained to me in detail how to connect it to the body of the guitar. “The kid could watch a video on YouTube about how to attach this strap, but watch here, I’ll show you on this other guitar and you can explain it to your friend.” He made it seem very easy, but was clear and not at all condescending while explaining it. “And it’s a nice strap. This rainbow design looks good on stage.”

In what was perhaps the clincher here, the employees had what sounded to my ears to be genuine Boston accents. Maybe they didn’t sound exactly like the Kennedys, but still, they had those Boston accents that a visitor like me wants to hear around town, but which are becoming harder and harder to find.

I ventured just a few blocks away to check out 30th Street. On the same block as the well-known Rogue Guitars is Steve Maxwell Vintage and Custom Drums, which, as the name states, sells drums, drums and more drums.

It’s hard to describe exactly why, but despite it being a small store, I really felt comfortable in there. It started with feeling welcome to come into the store in the first place. The doors to the store were wide open on this beautiful day, which was different than other New York stores I have visited, even in ideal weather conditions.

The salesperson was laid back and easy to talk to. He was available to chat with me.

The crash of cymbals could be easily heard in the background as I asked about a beginner electronic set. I figured asking about an acoustic set might be too easy for these guys, so I went the electronic route. The salesperson was up to the task. He immediately pointed out the Roland V-Drums TD-1DMK as his top choice for a beginner. It carried a $699 price tag. I then tried to dig deeper by asking if he thought an electronic set could rival the sound of its acoustic brethren. He said electronic sets couldn’t quite yet match the sound of an acoustic set, but the Roland drum set sampled many acoustic sounds, which he really liked. He also added that it makes a lot of sense to buy an electronic set if I don’t want the sound of an acoustic to disturb others.

The salesperson never put on the hard sales pitch, and I definitely wanted to come back and visit again.

I wandered into the town of New Paltz, which has a Woodstockian vibe filtered through a modern sensibility. Imperial Guitar & Soundworks, just minutes away from State University of New York at New Paltz, is a top-notch guitar shop. This is fitting because SUNY New Paltz has an excellent music program, with strong concentrations in both jazz and classical music.

“Imperial” sounds like a high-falutin’ name for a guitar store, but it’s actually the owner’s last name. With its striped guitar pick logo, Imperial Guitar is a place you will remember if you are a guitar player, or if you aspire to be. There is a deep variety of new and used acoustic and electric guitars here, with a smattering of other instruments (saxophones, stand-up basses, mandolins, ukes, etc.). Amps? Accessories? Guitar parts? Plenty of these and more are on display.

I was particularly enamored of an expensive but gorgeous Valente acoustic guitar. The guy working the floor explained to me that, “It’s tuned D to D, and sounds like a mandolin.” He picked it up and played it for a minute, and the sound was excellent.

DECEMBER 2019

Nicole Row

Panic! At the Disco

“We also stock a lot of less-expensive guitars, guitars in all kinds of price ranges, and we have a lot of accessories.” He pointed out different groupings of accessories and repair items. “We do a lot repairs too, for students and instructors at the college, some at the high school, local teachers and others.”

When I stopped by Imperial Guitar & Soundworks, it was near closing time, so I was concerned the workers might rush me out, but they were relaxed and did not pressure me while I browsed.

OCTOBER Makin’ Music 5795 Ridge Road Parma, OH 44129 440.885.2227 Makin’ Music occupies a corner store in Downtown Parma, Ohio, about 10 miles south of downtown Cleveland. Downtown Parma is rather quaint.

This area is known to locals as “Parma’s Polish Village,” and across the street is a diner specializing in homemade pierogies. Makin’ Music, which opened in 1995, is the youngest of the four music stores I visited on this mission.

Almost immediately after I entered the store, a salesman offered his recommendation: a Cort 8110 OP. With a sticker price of $199, the guitar provides excellent value in a model that’s a “cut above” beginners’ models, he explained. All instruments come with a 30-day “no-questions-asked” return policy, he added.

Nearby was an eye-catching used guitar, a Carlo Robelli F-414CE with a striking red finish. This model is both thinner and lighter than most, and as such, might be easier for a smaller woman to handle, he said.

On this particular Saturday, the guitar could be had for $179. “This would be the guitar for you if you want to get your sister something a bit different,” said the salesman. “A new model would cost at least double that price, and it’s in excellent condition.”

Should I to want to move up a bit in price, the salesman suggested two Luna models: the Luna SW140 and Luna Gypsy 42310. Both are in the $300 range. “These would be great choices as well,” he said.

NOVEMBER Sam Ash Music 95 Amity Road New Haven, CT 203.389.0500 The Sam Ash chain has roots in the Northeast, and Greater New Haven is no exception. This Sam Ash is barely within New Haven’s city limits, straddling the city line with the affluent suburb of Woodbridge, fronting Connecticut Route 63 (Amity Road). This district of New Haven is officially known as Westville and has its own downtown farther south on Route 63. It’s a genteel area of older colonial and Tudor-style homes, and one might surmise that a great deal of its residents are Yale professors. The Sam Ash location occupies a standalone building in a shopping district with lots of other standalone buildings. Next door is a music school, and a large Toyota dealer is across the street.

The midsize store is divided into three walled rooms, with its brass-and-woodwinds section in the middle.

When I went there early on a weekend evening, nobody else was in the room. A man wandered into the brass-and-woodwinds section with a boy of perhaps 12, followed by a salesperson. They were shopping for a cello (perhaps a better name for the section might be “school instruments”) and found what they needed in short order.

This Sam Ash outlet gets almost five stars on Yelp for service, and your MI Spy’s query about a trombone was handled with similar dispatch. The salesman gave me the lowdown on the pros and cons of each model, the costs to rent an instrument and the price tag for purchasing new versus used trombones.

There were several new models hanging on the wall in plain sight, as well as a used trombone. The lowestpriced model was the Benjamin Adams TB-100, priced at $219. Also on display was the Jean Baptiste ST 390, priced at $359. Both instruments come in a package that includes the instrument case and mouthpiece, as well as the trombone itself. The salesman explained that the Jean Baptiste offered several advantages for a beginner. “The machining on the slide is better, which makes it less ‘sticky,’” he said. “We also have noticed that the metal used is less susceptible to dents.” He added that the Jean Baptiste ST 390 is built to last longer than lower-priced trombones.

The highest-end model available, the Yamaha YSL-354, represented a steep jump in price. It lists as $1,337 on the Sam Ash website, but discounts are likely to be had in late summer or at the beginning of each school year. It would be appropriate for the most serious of music students, such as those in high school or college.

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39

FI V E M INUTE S W ITH

SCOTT ATTEBERY MEREDITH McCLUNG

CEO and

Kyser Musical Products Inc.

owner and president

By Brian Berk It’s impressive how far an email to Kyser Musical Products, when requesting an interview for the company’s 40th anniversary, can take you. Although the Music & Sound Retailer asked Meredith McClung for the interview, we quickly learned we would get two interviews for the price of one. That’s because McClung revealed that Scott Attebery had taken over as CEO on Sept. 4. (Attebery was brought on because McClung wanted some more time to spend with her children, as will be discussed in the interview, but she still has a major role at the company as owner and president.)

This interview presents a great opportunity to learn tons of information about Kyser’s new CEO right off the bat. Attebery comes from outside the MI industry and offers a unique perspective. He also yearns for information about the industry. In fact, after the interview, we chatted for a long period of time about MI, the publishing industry and more. Enjoy.

The Music & Sound Scott Attebery and Meredith Retailer: Scott, you McClung attended a leadership were recently named training called “Downrange,” CEO of Kyser Musical Products. Please tell us which is led by former and ac- business skills from, and about your background Meredith was one of tive Army Rangers, Seals and and Meredith’s new role those people who would Delta One Force. “Very impres- take time for you any as owner and president. sive organization and we try to time, answer questions Scott Atteber y: Meredith and I go back several and give insight. send one or two employees to years. My background In 2008, my wife passed that every year,” said McClung. is in ministry. I was away in an automobile executive director for a accident, leaving me with non-profit in Arkansas that a three-month old son. provided camps, conferences curriculum and I had always wanted to bring my son closer consulting for about 1,200 churches. Meredith to where [my wife’s] family lived, spend time sponsored a musical act we brought in for one with them and get to know them a lot better. of our conferences. That’s how we met. We They are all from Texas, and so we moved quickly became really good friends. Later, she there in 2018. Of course, Meredith lives in went on one of our conference cruises. The Texas, and before you know it, she offered me more we got to know each other, the more we a job as a strategist. Later, she decided to take realized our like-mindedness when it comes to some time with her family after working on business and leadership. I was fascinated by the business nonstop for six years. (McClung, her business and wanted to learn more. All of the niece of company founder Milton Kyser, my training up to that point had been theowas named CEO in 2012.) She asked if I could logical. I was looking for people I could learn fill in for her. That just evolved, and soon Mer40

edith asked me if I was willing to take over the position. I was flattered.

After the announcement, the very first thing I said to the staff was, “Out of everybody in this room, I have the least experience in the music industry. I will be the first to admit that. But I will use that to my advantage. I am asking questions because I genuinely want to know. Hopefully, if I am spending time with each of you on the staff, it is making us all better. Maybe it is not just me learning. It could cause us to think, Why do we do it this way? How can we change our processes to be more efficient? How can we have stronger communication? Why do we offer these products and not others? There could be a million different questions. I love every person on our staff. They are a dynamite team. They are very talented. Everyone knows their position. They understand their role and are very skilled at it. That’s the kind of scenario any leader would love to walk into, where you DECEMBER 2019

'The Great wall of Kyser reflects our tradition of handmade craftsmanship, and our heritage as a Texasbased, family-owned company,' Kyser stated on Facebook.

don’t have to coach people. Instead, you encourage them and give them the tools they need to do what they do.

The other thing I told them is, “Since you guys are skilled in your roles, I won’t presume to tell you what to do. Instead, I’ll be expecting you all to give me informed recommendations. So let’s make it a team approach. When a call needs to be made, I don’t mind making those calls. But I love the aspect of a strong team that gets along well, respects each other’s questions and constructive criticism, runs with it and makes a better product out of it.” So far, [being CEO] has been a great experience.

The Retailer: Meredith, why did you choose Scott as CEO? Why is he the best person to lead Kyser forward?

Meredith McClung: The first thing I saw with Scott was integrity and loyalty to the Kyser brand. He is a solid person, one who has excellent executive leadership skills and experience. In the history of the company, I am not sure we have ever had anyone of his caliber. Milton chose me [as CEO], and I had no business experience whatsoever.

I did the best I could by building a really good team. Ronald Reagan would probably admit he wasn’t the smartest person. But he surrounded himself with really strong leaders. You could relate that to other effective leaders as well.

Finding people you can count on and trust to take care of things while you are not there all the time is really important. When I took MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

the job as CEO, I didn’t realize how busy I would be taking care of legal matters and all of the small details that eventually take more time than you actually have. My job as CEO was built more around maintenance than innovation instead of overseeing things.

Scott has a fascinating background. I got to see Scott and his staff in Arkansas, and I was impressed. I did not poach him, I promise.

But when he and his son moved to Texas, the more I talked to him, the more I knew how competent he was. I found myself asking him advice in different areas. I also saw how well he meshed with everyone here. I said, “I have so much on my plate plus CEO duties plus being a single mom.” I asked him if he wanted to take on the CEO role. He was ecstatic. He was excited for the challenge. It just really fell into place.

The Retailer: Meredith, what are some of the things you have more time to do now?

McClung: I have a home office and am able to take my kids to school. I wasn’t always able to do that. I have a child involved in sports and another involved in drama. So, I can be there for them. Previously, as CEO, my morning started very early, reading a devotional and enjoying the quiet — getting ready, getting the children ready, then heading to one of our two locations (manufacturing plant or distribution center). After a full day of work, then it’s home, supper, homework, and you never knew when you would need to set your alarm clock for a 2 a.m. call with Japan or Australia. It was too much. I still put in a lot more hours than I probably should. But I have been blessed with a legacy that I want to preserve and protect.

Kids come first. Then, I give plenty of time to the business. And now, I may have a little bit of a social life. There is also nonprofit work our company does that I would love to play a bigger role in. What’s the point of all this work if we can’t give back?

41

FI V E M INUTE S W ITH The Retailer: Scott, you have an outside perspective. What is your take on the MI industr y and how do you think you can make your mark?

Atteber y: Even though my education is in theology, I have always had a heart for music.

Probably like everyone else in the music industry, I played in my school music program.

For me, it was playing bass in the orchestra. I had been playing a violin, but the band director said we needed bass players. So I thought, Free bass lessons. Maybe I can be in a band! I always loved visiting music stores and playing with the gear. So, I got my free bass lessons from the orchestra and I turned it into playing in a band for our church and youth group. Before long, I was playing in a band that played at conferences.

My love for music goes way back. In fact, when I was in college, a friend of mine was an owner at a PA company, and I would unload the truck and load the truck for him. It was fun because I got to go all over the place. I got to see some really big acts too. It was fun being around professional musicians and seeing how they operate.

My parents always encouraged me to do what I liked, and I remember in junior high

school, they bought me a Yamaha MIDI keyboard that I hooked up to a computer. I remember sitting in my bedroom and writing songs. When home and digital recording became popular, I bought any gear I could save up enough for. In fact, I always wanted to build a studio. It is still my dream to do that one day.

The first NAMM Show I attended was Summer NAMM in 2018. That was before I was working for Kyser. I came as a guest. Walking around, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Everything I was interested in was there, row after row.

Everybody told me, “If you think this is big, wait until you go to Winter NAMM.” Sure enough, Winter NAMM blew my mind. That inner junior-high kid came out again.

These days, I love to talk to my friends that are guitar players and ask them, “What about this product? Have you tried this? Have you tried our products?” It never ceases to amaze me how many people email us or communicate through social media that they are big Kyser fans. Anything Kyser, they love.

The Retailer: Speaking of The NAMM Show, it is coming up next month. I am sure you must be excited for that as well.

Can you tell us what we might see from

Kyser there?

Atteber y: NAMM is such an exciting experience because you can not only share with the world everything you have coming down the pike, but also see what everyone else is doing. For us, 2020 is our 40th anniversary.

The No. 1 thing we want to communicate is, “We have been here 40 years, and we will be here for many more.” We will always be the handcrafted, high-quality, affordable, madein-the-USA product we have always been. We want to communicate the message that Milton Kyser created such a great product that has withstood the test of time. Milton’s capo set the standard!

The Retailer: Anything else you can tell us about Kyser’s upcoming 40th anniversar y?

Atteber y: We have an anniversary capo that will be on display at The NAMM Show, and before long, will be available. It is a signature capo, so it has Milton’s signature replicated on it. It comes in premium packaging with a certificate of authenticity. Each certificate in the box will be numbered and hand-signed by Meredith. It will be a special piece. Folks are going to love it.

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The Retailer: Scott, you are the first non-family-member ser ving as CEO of Kyser. Is that something you’ve thought about, and how do you uphold the company’s family tradition?

Attebery: It’s flattering and humbling to be CEO. More than anything, it says Meredith is putting a lot of trust in me. I do not take that lightly. Kyser is always going to be a family business. That’s a commitment that Meredith made to Milton. We have members of Meredith’s family and Milton’s family still working in the business. In fact, two or three times a week, I see Meredith’s mom and Meredith’s dad, who do work on a part-time basis, and Meredith’s brother, who works on a full-time basis. To me, it almost feels like I have been adopted into the Kyser family. To me, it means I have been adopted into something I don’t deserve. I don’t have the engineering credentials that Milton had. The man was a genius. To think he designed his own tools and machinery built to his specifications to develop the capo is amazing.

To know I have been brought into the business despite my lack of qualifications in that regard, that is humbling. I am honored.

The Retailer: Meredith, what are your thoughts about Scott being the first nonfamily CEO to run the business?

McClung: It was a tough decision. Milton did the best job he could do with what he was gifted with. He was not a businessman. He was a creative person. He wasn’t really a CEO. He was the “nutty professor” in the laboratory working on inventions. He had other people come in to manage things. Unfortunately, we had some management issues, so he called me in and I cleaned everything up.

I spoke to other family members about Scott. My cousin (Milton’s daughter) met him and knows him. I asked her what she thought of Scott as CEO. She thought it was a great idea. At the end of the day, the company has to survive. The company has to come first.

There are no other family members I know of that possess the gifts Scott has. It was such a seamless, natural occurrence. Everyone is very confident in Scott’s skills.

I have 35 employees in both companies, and they deserve competent and present leadership from someone who can give them plenty of attention. Kyser has made the right choice, and it’s fun to watch him having fun!

The Retailer: Scott, can you tell us your leadership philosophy?

Atteber y: I have led several organizations, including a college ministry, a church as a pastor and a denominational ministry. It doesn’t matter if you are involved with nonprofit or a for-profit business. Leadership is leadership.

Since everyone sitting around your table is a human being, there are some similarities no MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

matter where you are. Speaking theologically, when God created Adam and Eve, he created them to work. It wasn’t a curse because he gave them work in the Garden of Eden before sin came into the world. Work is a great thing.

It is a blessing, not a curse. So, when people come to work, I believe there is a God-given desire to do good work. I don’t have it mastered, but the key to leadership is to capitalize on the fact everyone on your team has this desire — whether they realize it or not — to work and do good work needed to be fulfilled as a human being. You can tap into that. That’s where my ministry background comes in.

Ministry involves spending a lot of time with people. You learn what motivates them and what’s important to them. If you can turn that energy into something aligned with everyone else on your management team, so everyone is working in sync toward a common goal that fulfills them, that’s a win no matter what organization you are in.

Almost in a way, I haven’t stopped doing ministry. I am just ministering to my leadership team.

It’s common to hear people talk about taking work home with them. But as leaders, we’ve got to remember that every employee brings home to work. They bring their hurts, pains, fears, hopes, dreams, desires and interests. Sometimes, my most important task of the day is to ask a team member about their spouse’s illness or their child’s struggle in school. A good leader has to care for his or her people.

The Retailer: Scott, let’s finish by talking about the economy. The economy has been strong the past two years. But as a manufacturer of accessories, you would likely be one of the first to notice if any economic changes happen. What are thoughts on the economy right now?

Atteber y: With our manufacturing, we use aluminum, so we are watching what has been going on with tariffs. Any time you have a workforce, you look at how the economy is treating them, because it often determines how they feel when they come to work. Right now, I feel like the economy is in a good place.

I am trying to keep my finger on the pulse to understand what is coming up and what people are forecasting. In listening to our team, I have learned that history has shown that even in a bad economy, the good thing about being an accessory that is affordable is that guitar players still want to buy capos.

Especially if you know it is high-quality, has a lifetime guarantee and will last so you get your money’s worth, it is a win. So, we feel like we have one of those products that, on the sales side, is almost recession-proof. The manufacturing side is what I look at most closely, looking at the forecasts and the economy and how it can affect prices. But as of right now, we are feeling good about the economy.

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N OT YOUR AV E R AGE COL UMN

Unlocking the Secret to

By Tim Spicer If you are anything like me, it’s a consistent challenge to stay on task when running an MI business. It seems the gas pedal is constantly all the way down as we lean forward to grow our business, but at times it can feel like we are simply spinning our wheels instead of driving ahead by precisely contributing to our business growth.

Running a small or mid-size business can be especially challenging due to smaller teams, shared tasks and workflow challenges. As we near the end of 2019, it’s time to review the year and see where we are crushing it and where we are missing the mark. Are we on track to meet our annual goals? Or are we finding that 2019 was another year of half-met goals?

Why do certain MI businesses continue to grow and flourish into large companies, while others seem to stand still? I believe it all comes down to goal setting and how you focus on and approach these goals.

Until recently, I spent a lot of time focusing on business goals. I would meet with my team at the beginning of the first quarter each year, and we would work together to set two to three large-scale goals and then define key benchmark goals to support the main goals. We would then work on tasks to complete each benchmark goal as we moved along toward our main goal. It feels great to set goals.

We would begin each year excited and enthusiastic about what we planned to accomplish.

However, I’ve come to realize there are two key problems with this mindset. The first problem is that nothing in business ever seems to go as planned. Fires are started daily that seem to need the undivided attention of the manager, owner, CEO, etc. The plans look perfect on paper, but things never seem to happen as neatly as they do in our heads. It’s easy to see how quickly one can fall off track. The second problem with setting goals and then working to achieve them is that it’s easy to meet a goal and then stop to celebrate.

Real growth occurs when you push past your initial goal.

So, what would happen if we changed our approach to goals? A precise change in mental focus has the potential to drastically set your

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business on an explosive growth trajectory.

I think it’s safe to say we all want our businesses to grow. I’ve never met a business leader who has told me they are happy standing still.

In order to grow consistently, we need to be intentional about where our focus is during day-to-day business operations. We don’t need to be fooled into thinking our businesses are doing well just because things are not currently going bad. We are making profit and we are growing, but are we growing to our fullest potential? I’ve recently adjusted the metrics I use to judge our business growth and success. I am now focusing more on time and attention instead of on goals.

We have a lot going on each day at our store. We sell, rent and repair a broad spectrum of inventory. We teach private lessons and group lessons, and we install sound systems. We host a lot of in-house and community events. Collaboratively, this broad revenue stream makes up our business model.

But each revenue portions of our business. The majority stream is not equal in of our time each day was spent on tasks profitability. After taking a and opportunities that were less profitdeep dive into our numable. During the business day, it’s easy bers, I began to shift my to get off track. Emails, meetings, phone focus from overall revenue calls, customer interactions, employee to the specific activities management and a grocery list of other that are generating that tasks can demand your focus. revenue. I realized that we Although all of these are important were investing the least tasks that must be completed, it’s importime on the most profitable tant to step back and look at the bigger picture. Are the tasks that take up the majority of my time each day getting us closer to the real goal of business growth: generating more revenue? I now set personal and business goals on how my time and my employees’ time is spent, instead of only focusing on revenue goals. It’s a complete shift in the revenue/time equation.

We are still setting revenue and business growth goals to give us something to aim at, but instead of putting all of our focus on reaching that goal, we focus on the time spent to achieve that goal. By spending 80 percent of our day working on tasks related to our most profitable

DECEMBER 2019

MANAGEMENT revenue streams, we are beginning to see real growth in these areas. We are pushing the daily tasks that aren’t as profitable into the other 20 percent of our time. We have to be comfortable with the potential of making less revenue on the less-profitable portions of our business.

It sounds like such a simple concept, yet so many of us complain about never being able to complete our daily goals and tasks. We end up spending the majority of our time reacting to opportunities that aren’t as financially productive as we’d like.

What could happen to our bottom lines if we focused intently on the activities that drive the right kind of growth for our businesses? Our growth trajectories could be completely altered.

I believe the potential of growth with this mindset is endless. What if we all ran or worked in a business that focused the majority of our time and energy on the tasks that were most profitable? What would our industry look like if we all took charge of our businesses, instead of letting our businesses take charge of us?

I would love to hear your thoughts on time management and goal setting. What does your business do to set and achieve goals? Are your business goals task-focused or timefocused? Send me an email at tim@spicersmusic.com and fill me in on your thoughts!

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

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I N T H E T RENCHE S

UNDERSTANDING TODAY’S PAYMENT OPTIONS

By Allen McBroom

Occasionally, I unintentionally remind myself that I’m a lot older than I feel like I am.

For example, I recently had a conversation with our youngest employee, and I jokingly mentioned S&H Green Stamps as a payment option. I got a quizzical look in return, which was his way of saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” So, I explained the concept of Green Stamps to him. If you’re reading this and displaying your own quizzical look at the moment, Green Stamps were a customerloyalty program years before the term “customer-loyalty program” came into vogue. At Sperry & Hutchinson (S&H) member businesses (primarily gas stations and grocery stores,

46

many decades ago), for every dollar you spent, you’d receive a green paper stamp about the same size as a postage stamp.

You’d collect those stamps in S&H stamp books, and the books were redeemable only at S&H stamp stores. Eight books might get you a toaster, 25 books might get you a blender. Green Stamps faded from our society about the same time credit cards were becoming a common-use item.

When Green Stamps were being used, cash was king. If you wanted to pay for an item, there were three options at the store: Cash was No. 1, checks were No. 2 and in-store credit was usually No. 3. Credit cards eventually replaced most in-store credit accounts. Personal checks have pretty much been supplanted by the ever-more-present debit card.

Today, the list of payment options is sort of overwhelming, and if you’re still accepting only cash, checks and cards as payment options, you’re probably encouraging potential sales to go elsewhere. As a society, we’re now slaves to convenience, and cards are used for everything from a soft drink at the corner store to a new car at the dealership. There is also a host of digital wallet apps like PayPal, Venmo and Apple Pay to contend with.

To keep up with today’s available money, you need to have (at the very least) a card strip reader, a chip reader and the newest kid on the block, which is the contactless (aka “tap”) card reader.

The tap card reader works ex-

actly the same as your regular card reader, but the customer merely taps the reader with his card. The tap reader reads the card, your machine dings and the money’s on its way to you. Just as importantly, the tap reader will also accept Apple Pay, Google Pay and other digital payment methods.

Customers may wave their phone or watch over the reader and pay that way. It’s not necessary to know which specific method the customer is using, as long as your card reader notes the payment as received. If you are a Square merchant, the tap reader is already built into your chip reader.

If you’re not already seeing a demand for tap payments in your store, that is about to change. All Chase Visa cards will be tap cards by the end of 2019, and some companies are offering bonus points to users who increase their use of the tap payment method.

Simply put, if you don’t want to miss out on sales, you need to be to be able to take most forms of payment your customers have on them when they walk into the store. But what if your customer is in the store and doesn’t have a form of payment that will cover the gear they want to buy? What if the customer needs (fasten your seat belt) … credit? The days of in-store credit are long gone for most MI merchants, but you can still offer credit to your customers without risking your own resources.

Synchrony Financial offers store-branded credit cards with a credit limit that will let your customers buy from you and DECEMBER 2019

use the Synchrony money to pay, over and over again. Your store completes the application online, gets an almost instant answer, and if approved, the customer walks out with the gear right then. Your money arrives in a couple of days, minus a small transaction fee similar to credit card fees. There are some merchant fees involved, so ask questions about fees when signing up.

Local finance companies in my area are very competitive in trying to get merchant business. We have two in our small town that will finance any purchase $300 or more as long as they pre-approve the buyer’s credit. The approval is now done online with even the smallest of finance companies, so we’re able to offer our customers six months financing on their purchases, same as cash (i.e., no interest). We complete the application online for the customer, we have an answer in five minutes or less, and if approved, the customer walks out with the gear, and we get the check. If your local finance folks want to charge you a percentage (usually 3 percent to 3.5 percent) to do the financing, call some other finance companies. The aggressive nature of their business means at least one of them will probably waive the merchant fee just to get the business.

There’s an operation now called Snap Finance that is willing to finance customers that other companies decline.

I can’t say much about them from personal experience, but one MI store owner has told me he’s made a significant number of Snap-financed sales that he would have otherwise not made. With what little I know about Snap, it sounds like if the customer is breathing and he/ she has some degree of income, they’ll probably qualify. If you check into this as a financing source, gather your own info and use your best judgement.

Be sure you know what fees and interest rates are involved.

I guess the bottom line of MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

this column is this: Since we’re no longer living in the days of cash, check or credit, we need to be ready to take payment in any form offered by the customer, and if the customer needs credit, we need to have a list of available financing sources that we’re comfortable with that will make

the sale happen.

Have the list of available financing options printed and posted beside the counter. Make sure every salesperson in the store knows how to use the credit apps. It’s up to us to make it as easy as possible for customers to buy in our stores, because

if we don’t, the next store down the street sure darn will. And if they don’t, the internet will. Just look at Reverb or other sales platforms, and you’ll see that financing is available just about everywhere. Make sure it’s also available from you.

Happy trails.

R E TA ILER R E B E L

Everyday Extraordinary

By Gabriel O’Brien

I’ve written about topics like customer service, store design, content marketing and social media over the years. One of the things I think independent music stores struggle with most is telling their story, having a sure sense of their unique brand message and making sure they present it to customers. Recently, I experienced a very clear example of the sort of defining characteristics many great independent stores possess but fail to talk about in a public-facing manner. This all began with a problem and finding the solution.

One thing was clear: I definitely needed a chainsaw. That was the defining solution to a whole lot of overgrown shrubs and small trees in my yard that needed to go away before winter. There are two problems with this scenario: I know nothing about chainsaws, and I haven’t used one in my adult life.

I had to run and buy some lumber and other larger supplies. En route to buy lumber, I noticed a small engine- and gas-powered tool shop that advertised Stihl products. I walked into the modest shop and immediately noticed a few things. It was incredibly clean, especially for a place in the middle of Amish country where I knew all the local workmen shopped and got things serviced. Nice wood flooring, tidy well-lit displays, great signage and clear sight lines allowed me to find the chainsaws immediately. After letting me peruse a few minutes, the friendly clerk came over and walked me through all the options, giving me his thoughts and experiences on which things would work best for a first-timer and which were easiest to maintain. I was not buying an expensive item, but he treated me like I was.

Instead of just taking me to a register, handing me my purchase and leaving me to my devices, the clerk ushered me into the repair area, which was incredible. It was the cleanest, most organized repair shop I’ve ever seen. The clerk took me to his bench and taught me how to replace the chain, adjust the tension, add oil and gas, and everything else I needed to know about operating a chainsaw.

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“All right, let’s go outside and fire it up.”

On a cold, rainy November day, we stepped out onto a covered patio where a large log waited. The clerk taught me how to fire up the chainsaw, then how to make proper cuts. It was so helpful. My stepdad, who was with me, commented on how, if he had a shop like this near him, it would be the only place he’d shop.

I spend a large part of my time helping companies and brands tell their stories through video content, and this is exactly the kind of thing a business should be highlighting that sets themselves apart from everyone else. It’s also the kind of thing that seems commonplace if it’s what you do every day. Social media is more about you than it is about products — it’s about telling your story. Sharing your aspirations and the things that you care about will only bring your customers closer into your store family.

Any one of the experiences I had in this store would have been great topics for social media posts. A video post explaining how to properly use a chainsaw, followed by one showing what can happen if you use it improperly, followed by a “chainsaw nightmares” tongue-in-cheek post, followed by an invitation to come learn how to cut properly at the store would be a great sequence interspersed with posts about their new displays and other in-store improvements.

They could create behind-the-scenes posts showing the making of these videos, posts detailing why they teach people how to use chainsaws, how they set up the log out back, basic safety tips and more. The opportunities are endless, and all those things are sharable. Sharable posts increase reach and build your audience. Then, if you create a post highlighting the specific products you’ve been using in all these videos, you’ll likely begin to see those products that you’re targeting move in greater numbers. This allows you to track return on investment and allows you to determine what people want to see so you can continue to build your online presence.

If all you’re sharing on social media are product and event posts, you’re missing a huge opportunity to build a relationship with your audience. This is a great opportunity to exercise the 80/20 rule of social media marketing: 80 percent of your content should inform, educate and entertain your audience, and 20 percent should be about promoting events and sales. This ratio will vary some for everyone, but the point remains. If you’re spending all your time feeding your audience the same thing, you will see engagement drop. If you start breaking up your posts by sharing more personal, educational and entertaining posts, you will see engagement rise.

Look at your business’s social accounts. Now look at your personal social accounts, and the things you’ve engaged with. Compare these with the type of posts your customers are most often engaging with, and I believe you’ll find you get far more engagement out of things that seem less promotional and more personal.

Want advice on engaging your customers with content? Write to me at gabriel@upperhandstudios.com.

DECEMBER 2019

IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE IS TRYING THEIR HAND AT VIDEO THESE DAYS. CONVENTIONTV@NAMM HAS BEEN DOING VIDEO THE RIGHT WAY FOR 35-PLUS YEARS. ConventionTV@NAMM, produced by The Music & Sound Retailer, is the only news broadcast authorized by NAMM. Each episode reaches 115,000+ show attendees, plus thousands more who can’t attend in person.

It’s incredible to think how many people you can connect with!

Interested in advertising on the show?

This year, we’re offering even more opportunities than ever before: • product placement on our studio sets • product demonstrations live from the show floor • sponsored interviews covering your company’s latest news

Contact Rob Iraggi at 516-767-2500, ext. 519, or riraggi@testa.com for sponsorship opportunities.

THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

SHINE A LIGHT

THE CINCINNATI KID

By Michelle Loeb

It has been five years since Brandon Voorhees began his official tenure at Cincinnati’s Buddy Roger’s Music. He had previously held a part-time position there as a salesperson, before branching out on his own and doing some consulting work. And when he did make his way back to the store, his return was not supposed to be permanent.

“At the time, I was between jobs and saw this as a placeholder, but little did I know,” said Voorhees, who quickly began rising through the ranks and found himself in a management position one month into his tenure.

Even before that, Voorhees was a long-established customer of the store, having accompanied his father to the store as a child to check out their guitar inventory. These trips resulted in his first taste of what retail customer service could and should be.

“I watched the owner at the time take the neck off of one guitar and put it on the body of another guitar,” said Voorhees, admitting that is a big no-no in certain circles. “But he was taking care of my dad in a customized, specific way,” he continued. “It was one of the first

Kim Koch

Buddy Roger’s Music 1939 West Galbraith Road Cincinnati, OH 45239 513.931.6780 www.buddyrogers.com Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Brandon Voorhees, Showroom Manager

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Brandon Voorhees

retail examples I saw, and I was thrilled to be there with him.”

By the time Voorhees was in charge of managing the showroom, however, there were no guitars on the floor.

Around the time he joined the company full-time, Buddy Roger’s Music changed its business model, consolidating multiple locations into one showroom that focused solely on band instruments and eschewed the lessons programs that had put them in competition with the teachers who would now become one of their main client bases.

“This move allowed us to go back to our roots and become an education center for band directors, parents and students,” said Voorhees. “Since we made this focused switch, we have seen an uptick every year. It’s been really great to see our customers respond to us.”

In the five years since, this growth has allowed Buddy Roger’s Music to become a trusted place DECEMBER 2019

for those in the professional communities to purchase their instruments, as well as a knowledgeable and friendly store where private teachers, college professors and band directors can feel comfortable sending their students.

“It’s about more than what we carry; it’s our attitude and the way we approach these professionals,” Voorhees said. “We meet with them one on one, and we have a culture of listening.

We focus on what we can do, not what we can’t, and we have the courage to say no when we can’t do something. As a result, we can earn their trust.”

In addition, Voorhees noted, “Staffing the showroom with qualified experts ensures they know that if they send a fifthyear flute student to us, that student will be talking with someone who has proficient knowledge of the instrument.”

Though he may not be selling

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

guitars like the salespeople he recalls from his youth, Voorhees has been able to translate the lessons he learned growing up as a customer of Buddy Roger’s Music into the incomparable service that his customers have come to expect from the store.

“I want our store to be the best in the country,” said Voorhees.

“I want our customers to have an experience, not just compared to other music stores, but in comparison to the positive experience they may have going anywhere.

We want the time that they spent

in the showroom to be the best part of their day.” Voorhees continued, “The big part is how they are treated and engaged with. We make sure to learn their name and understand why they are here. We see a strong community (continued on page 53)

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V E D D AT O R I A L

PRECARIOUS PLATFORM

By Dan Vedda

First of all, I hope you are seeing great traffic and a lot of new faces this holiday season. Whatever we manage to achieve in the last quarter of 2019 sets the stage for months, even years to come. If the trends I’ve been seeing in my market show up in yours, we’ll both have an opportunity to capture customers who might have stayed online even a couple of years ago.

Speaking of the ebb and flow of online shopping, a quote by Charles Durhigg in The New Yorker in October caught my eye, particularly because it is such a departure from the internet cheerleading we hear so often.

“For the first time — for all of the tech industry, but Amazon is front and center on this — you’re seeing this reevaluation on the part of shoppers and consumers and voters and politicians to say, ‘This thing we thought was great — now we’re beginning to understand there are vast downsides associated with it.’ Before, we couldn’t even perceive the downsides. What’s happening right now is, there’s this very complicated and very challenging reevaluation of the age we’re living in. Part of that is saying, ‘Let’s look at these companies with a more gimlet eye,’ but also, ‘Let’s look at our lives with a more critical eye.’”

Perhaps this hasn’t been evident to you, but I’ve certainly seen enough to agree. Even if we ignore the Google-dissing and Congress’ “Zuckerberg piñata” events and just concentrate on the buying and selling activity, there’s a change happening.

Amazon, first of all, gets much of its revenue from cloud services, advertising and fees it charges merchants on its platform. In-house selling is almost incidental to its revenue. Of course, much of the selling it actually does could be considered predatory, in that it comes up with its own products nearly identical to hot-selling items, and then leverages popular brands to position its goods at the front of the line; these practices have placed Amazon in the sights of anti-trust regulators.

But cracks are growing evident — both in the news and behind the scenes. We’ve heard the stories about the extreme conditions facing Amazon warehouse workers. The new delivery drivers, many encouraged to start their business with Amazon seed money, are starting to make Uber drivers look glamorous. (The old line from Tennessee Ernie Ford’s “Sixteen Tons,” “I owe my soul to the company store,” has new resonance here — the song was even featured in a recent episode of “South Park” that took many shots at Amazon.) Not a good look, especially since we’ve already seen Amazon summarily cut off other delivery services. Does anyone really think these new worker ants will be treated any better than Marketplace sellers were? They’ll squeeze them 52

dry and throw away the husks when they find something newer or cheaper.

Amazon is also reportedly spending more than a billion dollars (reported as “billions” in some articles) to create new controls to ensure that Marketplace sellers adhere to standards of freshness and safety (attempting to counter the proliferation of expired food and tainted drug sales ... wait, why was that even possible in the first place?), and to police knockoffs and counterfeits more aggressively. While this is a good thing, it comes primarily because prominent brands and concerned consumers are abandoning the platform. If Amazon really wanted to “do the right thing,” these standards would have been baked in from the beginning. No, this is evidence that supports the point Durhigg makes. We are rethinking this digital cornucopia thing at the government, corporate and consumer level, and it all smells a little off.

But this isn’t just a gleeful Bezos-bashing, satisfying as that might be. It’s a call to action for anyone in the brick-and-mortar world. In particular, it is an opportunity for all of us in the music products industry, because we are also riding a wave of unprecedented interest in music-making. The zeitgeist is in our favor, and people are noticing. Many have seen the inadequacy of video lessons, been confused or burned online, and are looking for help. But they don’t know we can help, and of paramount importance, they don’t know we are willing to help.

So, this is the time to take any boost we’ve gotten from the fall and holiday selling season and leverage some of it with advertising (of any sort that reaches your target).

Do some cosmetic updates. A fresh look to the store will both welcome your new customers and impress and invigorate your existing ones. Start some events: a weekly jam, a piano teacher reception or a “how-to” seminar. Get a YouTube channel or push information out on social media. Show up at community events. You don’t have to spend a ton of money, but for goodness’ sake, do something. It will not just bring people into your store, it will remind them what it’s like to shop in a nice, welcoming environment. This is almost intoxicating to the generation that has spent its youth online. In some ways, analog still beats digital. Think of the first time you heard a tube amp. Or vinyl. It’s an experience that many people either didn’t know could exist or believed long extinct, and the discovery is almost like an epiphany.

I’ve been finding that people want to spend time (and money) in a place that takes an interest in them. OK, that’s not a surprise, but it has been ignored in retail too often. Given the strife we see everywhere, the prospect of spending a little time in an oasis where others share your passion and are willing to help and mentor is downright appealing. Think of it as inviting these people into your home. Perhaps that will cultivate a winning approach. But do it in some fashion. This is the time.

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

DECEMBER 2019

SHINE A LIGHT

(continued from page 51) of customers go from student instruments to step-up instruments, and we build relationships that hopefully will last a lifetime.”

Follow-up is a big part of that customer engagement, with Voorhees and his team of five showroom employees striving to be as interactive and communicative with customers as possible. “We send video messages explaining the instruments to parents, and we’ll communicate through text, email or live chat on our website,” explained Voorhees, who, for the past two years, led the team that overhauled the store’s online presence.

The new website, which officially launched in February, allows customers to make appointments — particularly those who have been referred by the band directors, lessons teachers and college professors with whom the store’s road reps have cultivated strong relationships. But Buddy Roger’s Music is hardly appointmentonly. The retail store is open to walk-ins and designed to wow all those who enter its doors, according to Voorhees.

“We are a wonderland of woodwind and brass,” he said of the store, which is located in a century-old building that had once housed a grocery store.

“The optics are for there to be instruments as far as the eye can see, all the way around the store.

It is 360 degrees of instruments and accessories, with the counter in the middle like an island.”

There are sections for woodwinds, brass, percussion, used instruments and a dedicated Yamaha “Shokunin Select Instruments” area, with no displays that might crowd the view. There is space for parents to sit and relax, maybe to talk terms on a rental or maybe just to use the store Wi-Fi. “The store is well lit and open, and the walls are painted in calm colors — taupe, green and blue,” said Voorhees. “It’s just a fun atmosphere.”

What makes Buddy Roger’s Music a success, in Voorhees’ opinion, isn’t just the clientele or the awe-inspiring layout of the store. It’s the mix of people — 23 in all — who work at the store in all of its various departments and support one another day in and day out.

“This store, as amazing as it is,

is just one part of what makes us great,” Voorhees said. “We have a repair shop that is vital, and our office and IT department and all the behind-thescenes people support us in creating a great experience for the customer. We respect each other’s jobs and how we need each other to get things done.

It’s a very open place to work, and we have a culture of relying on one another.”

S W I S S P R E M I U M G U I TA R S

S W I S S P R E M I U M G U I TA R S

U N DER T H E HOOD

By Brian Berk Audio-Technica (A-T) manufactures four bundles catered to content creators, including podcasters, videographers, live-streamers, YouTubers and beyond. Developed in direct response to customer input, these bundles are designed to provide turnkey microphone/ headphone solutions for all aspects of content creation. Two bundles feature USB outputs to directly connect with computers, while two feature XLR outputs for more flexibility to connect with professional mixers or digital interfaces. All bundles feature a microphone with mount, ATH-M20x professional monitor headphones and a new custom boom arm with desk mount. The boom arms are pre-threaded with the appropriate USB or XLR microphone cable compatible with the included microphone for a sleek, clutter-free appearance.

The AT2005USBPK bundle includes an AT2005USB cardioid dynamic USB/XLR microphone with ATH-M20x headphones and custom boom arm. The AT2020PK bundle includes an AT2020 cardioid condenser microphone, ATH-M20x headphones and custom boom arm. The AT2020USB+PK bundle includes an AT2020USB+ cardioid

Gary Boss

AUDIO-TECHNICA'S STREAMING/PODCASTING PACKS condenser USB microphone, ATH-M20x headphones and custom boom arm. And the AT2035PK bundle includes an AT2035 cardioid condenser microphone, ATH-M20x headphones, custom boom arm and shock mount.

“Audio-Technica has been working with the streaming/ gaming market for some time now. We are in a unique situation because we sell gaming headsets for PC and game console use, as well as manufacture high-quality professional recording studio microphones and headphones that were quickly adopted by the streaming community,” Gary Boss, Audio-Technica marketing director, professional markets, told the Music & Sound Retailer. “Because of this, we have regularly been exhibiting at gaming shows like PAX East and West, as well as the SXSW gaming show, displaying not only gaming products but pro and consumer headphones and studio mics. This gave us firsthand experience talking to hundreds of users and figuring 54

Wilcher out their needs andGordy pain points.

We also sponsor some of the top Twitch streamers (TimTheTatman, LIRIK, GoldGlove, FemSteph and summit1g), who have been invaluable with insight and feedback. If you haven’t heard of these folks before, let me give you some perspective. We featured a signing with TimTheTatman at the recent TwitchCon. Not only did he need to be escorted in from the rear of the hall to our booth, he had to have two security guards. Show management also had to cut off the line due to crowd control.

“One of the first things we discovered is that, while streamers, by nature, are very tech savvy, that does not equate to being audio savvy,” continued Boss.

“That’s where we come in. We noticed that a large percentage of the people we spoke to were unfamiliar with standard audio terms we take for granted, like how to search for and purchase something like a boom arm for mounting the mic. We decided to simplify the purchasing process for these folks by creating four turnkey bundles that include the mic, boom arm and headphones.

As an added bonus, and to keep things neat, we pre-threaded the boom arm with the correct XLR or USB cable.”

Still a fledgling market, content creation is growing exponentially, Boss stressed. “If readers have not heard about the

DECEMBER 2019

streaming revolution happening, then they have not been looking.

Between the top three streaming platforms — Twitch, Mixer and YouTube Live — there are about 8 million unique streaming channels. (Twitch still hosts the lion’s share of this activity.) Another thing to consider is that YouTuber/vlogger/streamer consistently rises to the top of the list when children are asked what they want to be when they grow up. Musician is still in the top 10, thank goodness, but streamers are the new rock stars.

“The other trend we are actually seeing is that many of the streaming platforms are actively courting musicians,” continued Boss. “While streaming channels have traditionally hosted gaming content, platforms like Twitch are encouraging musicians to monetize their music while streaming online. At a recent show, I heard of one artist who is actually livestreaming their entire creative process from writing to recording, all live online. Also, artists we support, like Daria Musk and Richie Castellano, have embraced and taken livestreaming music to a new level to bring live music online. A-T is really in a unique position with our MI and consumer audio experience, as well as our product offering, to take advantage of this trend.”

So how can MI retailers take advantage of this trend? “Retailers are always looking for new markets and revenue streams,” answered Boss. “Getting into this market may not have ever occurred to an MI store. With the streaming channels courting music programming, a large percentage of musicians actively seeing themselves as gamers and the A-T streaming/podcast packs available as a low-cost turnkey streaming solution, there has never been a better time to jump in and become streaming audio experts.

“As part of understanding streamers, we also conducted online surveys for a quantitative look at the market to enhance

our qualitative user interviews,” has become the audio expert in he continued. “This analysis this space. Also, because these indicated that streamers have no customers require a bit of expert true retailer loyalty for purchases. opinion and advice, it just seemed Almost all respondents indito me that the standard MI retailcated they do their purchasing on er has not only the staff with the Amazon.ad_Odyssey-MSR_Dec2019_(210mmx295mm)_v1.pdf No one retailer or chain proper audio expertise but also 1 12/3/19 5:14 PM

the correct audio gear to become the authority for streamers.”

Added Boss, “As a side note, there are a tremendous amount of musicians who are also gamers/ streamers. I remember meeting (continued on page 61)

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ADAM HALL...............................18 AMAHI UKULELES...................45 AUDIX CORPORATION......... C-III BOURNS PRO AUDIO................61 CE DISTRIBUTION....................47 CHAUVET LIGHTING................12 CHAUVET LIGHTING................13 CHEM-PAK..................................59 FENDER.......................................9 FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS.......27 GALAXY AUDIO........................5 GRAPH TECH..............................39 HOSHINO.....................................25 IK MULTIMEDIA........................23 JMAZ............................................60 JOHN PACKER............................28 KYSER MUSICAL PRODUCTS.....32 LYON & HEALY..........................53 MALONEY STAGEGEAR COVERS....................................43 MANHASSET SPECIALTY COMPANY................................8 NAMM.....................................16-17 NEUMANN..................................7 NEW SENSOR.............................31 ODYSSEY INNOVATIVE DESIGNS...................................55 PEAVEY....................................C-II PETERSON ELECTRO-MUSICAL PRODUCTS...............................30 PRO X...........................................33 PRS GUITARS.............................19 QRS MUSIC TECHNOLOGIES....42 QSC...............................................21 SHE ROCKS AWARDS...............61 TASCAM......................................29 TECH 21.......................................37 VOCOPRO....................................15 WD MUSIC PRODUCTS............10 WIREWORLD..............................51 YORKVILLE.............................C-IV While every care is taken to ensure that these listings are accurate and complete, The Music & Sound Retailer does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors.

58

GLOBAL CROSSROADS

THE NAMM SHOW GETS SET TO ONCE AGAIN TAKE ANAHEIM BY STORM

BY BRIAN BERK

2020 is nearly here, and after the holidays will, of course, come the “granddaddy of them all”: The NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., taking place from Jan. 16 to 19 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Despite putting on one of the premier trade shows on the planet, NAMM is always trying to improve the show, just like MI retailers constantly need to think of new ways to improve their stores. Next month’s new addition to The NAMM Show is the Retail Financial Summit, which will provide the critical financial training all music retailers need to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace, while looking at new trends and developments that are certain to impact your business. Presented by industry financial experts Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe of Friedman, Kannenberg & Co., the pair will address new financial trends and regulatory updates and highlight recent changes in sales tax and labor laws that are impacting you and your business. Plus, they’ll address specific audience questions, intended to allow MI retailers to walk away with a clear picture of how to take control of their store’s financial health. This program will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

According to Joe Lamond, president and CEO at NAMM, there are three reasons MI retailers attend The NAMM Show: new products, education and networking/seeing friends/events.

“Education can change your life,” he told the Music & Sound Retailer regarding The NAMM Show’s educational offerings. “It is broken down into so many segments. Think about it as a large university campus. You have individual tracks within this whole university campus — NAMM University, breakfast sessions and the all-day sessions before the show might be [considered] the school of business.”

Specifically regarding why NAMM added the financial summit, Lamond said MI retailers often want to take more control of their finances.

“Maybe [MI retailers] didn’t get an accounting degree before they opened their businesses,” Lamond stated. “Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe have seen so much in this industry. They will show in this session exactly how to set up your business. It’s a whole-semester course in one day.

And it’s all free. [The only thing to consider is] can you set the time aside and be there? If you can, I think it will definitely change the trajectory of your store.”

Lamond channeled what MI retailers interested in the financial summit may be thinking: “I need to absolutely understand where my money is going and where I am making my profits so I can manage

my business better.” He stressed that, while retailers will have a lot to learn from the seven-hour event, they are not the only ones who stand to benefit from attending. “Everyone that has run a business has an interest in improving their skills in finance,” noted Lamond. “The event is designed for dealers, but I can see other elements of the industry being interested as well.”

The Retail Innovation Summit, which took place the day before the 2019 NAMM Show commenced, will also return. At this event, best-selling author and sales and marketing expert Marcus Sheridan, previous host of two NAMM U Breakfast Sessions, will walk attendees through the changing behavior of consumers and strategies to deliver what consumers are looking for. At this summit, attendees will discover how the shift in buying will influence sales and marketing in the retail music business going forward and what types of content and messaging do and don’t move the revenue needle. He’ll also reveal how to integrate video effectively into your sales and marketing efforts, and how you can set up an in-house media company at your own business to increase traffic, both online and in-store.

Just before The NAMM Show officially opens on Jan. 16 at 8:30 a.m., the “Breakfast of Champions,” long a favorite of NAMM attendees, will return. Lamond will again moderate the event.

“Crossroads” will be a major theme of this session.

“I think the industry is at a crossroads,” Lamond said. “I think NAMM is at a crossroads. Most importantly, we want to be the crossroads. We want to be the place, throughout 128 countries, so that everyone involved in music and sound technology will be at NAMM the third week in January.”

According to Lamond, NAMM wanted the current state of retail to be reflected in The NAMM Show’s programming. “We thought about the industry’s position right now,” he said. “In all retail, not just MI, a good dealer is someone who has customers who continue to love them. They love the inventory, staff, training and everything else about them. They are loyal shoppers of that store. Then, there are people who shop at a retailer because they have no other choice based on product availability or geography. The internet has changed that equation. Those who used to be shopping at a store because they had no choice have plenty of options now. So, in many cases, these customers have left those stores and gone other places. The sales still happen. They just went somewhere else. That left stores with fewer customers, and they have to think about how they will gain customers, keep customers they have and then find ways to replace revenue they lost DECEMBER 2019

Much like The 2019 NAMM Show, plenty of music is on tap for the 2020 show.

Ann Handley

Scott McKain

when customers went elsewhere.”

Hence, during the crossroads-themed breakfast session, Lamond will discuss MI retailers who are doing more in their local community and adding more services in addition to taking care of the product needs of their customers. “I will have guests that succeeded in this area,” said Lamond. “I thought about the local music dealer. There is so much opportunity. Dealers are often experts not only in music, but in sound, lighting and event technology. I think about places where two or more are gathered.

In these locations, a PA, lights, audio/visual support and increasingly, video, are needed. Why not have the music dealer in that community be the one-stop source for all of those needs? The breakfast session will be a 360-degree of music, sound, video and lighting; anything related to [producing] an event.”

On Friday, Jan. 17, digital marketing pioneer Ann Handley will address the fast-paced and always-on nature of modern marketing and answer the question, “Is ‘fast’ really the best path to drive marketing transformation at your business?” as she presents “Transformative Marketing.” She’ll reveal why the companies seeing the most success in marketing and social media are those that slow down, do less and obsess over key areas.

And on Saturday, Jan. 18, global customer-experience expert and musician Scott McKain will share the five key characteristics of successful organizations in “How to Build an Iconic Business.” McKain will offer specific, practical steps for delivering the ultimate customer experience, creating distinction in the marketplace and taking your business to the next level.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

Why did NAMM choose these topics and speakers for next month’s breakfast sessions?

“We look at all of the data points, including [this] magazine, to determine what is on the minds of all the dealers,” responded Lamond. “What are the top things they are concerned about or looking for more direction on? We have an idea to fill in the slots with a topic. Only then do we think about who we will have to present that topic. The presenter always comes after the selection of the topic. Zach Phillips [NAMM’s director of professional development] does a great job of looking at this whole world of presenters and seeing who is being talked about, is influential, or has a book out, and can offer some new things to the conversation. And then, we go out and ask them.

More often than not, people want to go to The NAMM Show. A lot of speakers are musicians themselves and want to come to the show. A lot of them have heard about it, want to be there and are honored to be at our show speaking to our members. There is a great respect these speakers have for the music industry.”

tion, new skills, new product lines and strengthening relationships? I think it helps to write out exactly what the end zone is before going and then think, Who do I need to bring to accomplish that? How do I schedule meetings with vendors, education sessions I want to attend and events I want to attend? I just wouldn’t drop yourself into The NAMM Show, look around and say, ‘I don’t even know which direction to go in.’ There is too much at NAMM. It is like Dorothy landing in Oz and not knowing which direction to go in.”

Finding the End Zone

Beyond education, Lamond said The NAMM Show is a must-attend event because it is the only place to “see the whole system as it is operating.

The ecosystem is in full operation in front of you at The NAMM Show. That is one of the most important reasons to go.” He added, “For dealers, I think it is important to think about what their ‘end zone’ is. What do they want to come home with after their trip to California as far as new informa59

of more playing music and fewer to quit.”

Of course, concerts and other events will be omnipresent throughout NAMM. There are too many to note in this story, so check the Music & Sound Retailer’s website at msretailer.com for up-

Although some may not think about it, Lamond stressed that showgoers should be proud of what they are doing to support the overall cause of “more to start playing, fewer to quit.” According to Lamond, “Being part of the show fuels NAMM’s activities. Research that is funded

by NAMM and lobbying that is funded by NAMM is all possible because people have supported The NAMM Show. Everyone who goes should feel a source of pride that they have been a participant in furthering the cause

60

with Sarah McLachlan kicking it of on Thursday night.

“I want every person to know this is their clubhouse, this is their home, this is their show,” Lamond emphasized. “As complex as The NAMM Show is, I always wanted to make it so simple that when someone walks

together. In a world of infinitely connected devices, people still want to get out and experience events with like-minded people.

There is a huge yearning to be together, and music is the perfect place for that.”

The 2010s have proven that music has prevailed, Lamond

The 2019 NAMM Show Breakfast Session lineup was packed with industry thought leaders, and legendary performers like Bob Weir (above left) wowed NAMM attendees with their musical talents.

dates. But Lamond emphasized that the Grand Plaza outside the Anaheim Convention Center will be rocking Thursday to Saturday with top-notch music. In fact, instead of just one night like at previous NAMM shows, Yamaha will host events all three nights,

in, they literally feel like they are home among friends and family.

It is tougher the bigger it gets, but that is still the goal.”

Decade of Decadence

Once a new year starts, a lot of people think about a blank slate. An empty canvas, if you will. Although technically not a new decade, next month takes on a bigger meaning as we enter the 2020s. Whether we will enjoy a repeat of the “Roaring ‘20s” or not is anyone’s guess. Economically speaking, the 2010s started out poorly as the nation was still recovering from The Great Recession. But much improvement followed, with several years of economic prosperity. We asked Lamond, who was president and CEO of NAMM during the entire 2010s, summed it up this way.

“I think the headline would be music is more vibrant than ever,” answered Lamond. “There were thoughts [early in the 2010s] about how music changed technology and if anyone was still going to want to play music. I think we answered that. Live music is healthier than ever. There is more touring. There is more participation in live events. That has been a huge success story.

People want to experience music

continued. “Also, dealers have been absolutely ingenious when it comes to sorting out the new ways people look for and purchase instruments.

Whereas 10 years ago, you might have thought the end is near, a decade later, there is nothing but opportunity,” he said. “Is it difficult?

Absolutely. But it probably wasn’t on anyone’s radar then that G-Brat’s Guitars could do $2 million in sales online out of their bedroom. It is now. The improvement in how much more efficient dealers have become is incredible as well.”

Looking ahead to the 2020s, NAMM’s president and CEO predicted the next decade will be as disruptive if not more disruptive than the 2010s have been. He stressed that the word “disruptive” does not necessarily have to be all negative. “Disruptive also means lots of opportunity,” asserted Lamond. “The next years in particular are ones you want to stay on the ball. It is a period when you have to stay really engaged in your business. You have to watch everything. You need to go to shows and conferences. After this [next couple of years], I think we will see unbelievable prosperity. But I think the next couple of years are going to be more disruptive, and we have to absolutely stay in the game at every level.”

DECEMBER 2019

THE FINAL NOTE: SIMON CAMPLING

(continued from page 62) The Retailer: What are your favorite songs on your smartphone/iPod? Campling: I have a Spotify account, so I have lots of stuff on there. Cory Wong is getting a lot of listens at the moment. My children seem to like it, which helps, and it makes a nice change from the soundtrack to “The Lion King,” which is their favorite at the moment.

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

Campling: Before I worked for G7th, I came along to help on the booth. I was allowed to roam the floors and met so many famous drummers. My friends from music college are still very jealous.

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

Campling: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brad Pitt and Ryan Reynolds. I’m a movie buff, so I’d just grill them about their movies and try to come up with a premise for a movie starring all three of them.

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

Campling: I was in my mid20s, no money to my name, and I was in a music store while a friend was buying some gear. I was surrounded by expensive Lowden acoustic guitars in a little room off the main floor. I picked the cheapest one I could find and dare to pick up, and had a little strum. Sounded lovely. One of the staff walks over and says “Here, try this one.” I had a play for a few minutes. It sang like a choir of heavenly angels. I asked, “How much is it?” “£8,000” he replied.

I quickly and carefully handed it back before I either damaged it or sold both my kidneys to buy it.

The Retailer: What is the best thing about the MI industry?

Campling: I’m surrounded by music all day, every day. I work with people who love music and exist to enable people to make more music and spread the joy of music, and I work with some of the best musicians in the world.

Who could ask for more?

admire most outside of the music industr y and why?

Campling: A guy named Dave Silber, who was the principal of the music college I attended after university and is currently the director of operations at “The Wall of Answered Prayer.”

He’s a man of passion, vision, a mind-blowing drummer and an incredible cook. He’s always involved in amazing projects, and he’s an inspirational leader.

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

Campling: Mind-reading tech.

Will we soon be able to think music into creation?

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

Campling: Probably still teaching high school math and hating it.

I love teaching and working with kids, but being a teacher is not a fun profession at the moment.

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

Campling: Peterborough, UK. My friends are here, my family is here and my church is here.

There’s plenty to do, and it’s easy to get to other places from here.

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

Campling: My drum kit because it’s huge and ridiculous and awesome, and my Fender Tele Elite Thinline because it’s the most fun electric guitar I’ve ever played.

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

Campling: The Bible. There’s so much in there to know and learn, to share, and to live out in daily life. And I wish more of the world would “love your neighbor as yourself.” The world needs more of that.

The Retailer: Who do you

UNDER THE HOOD

(continued from page 55) folks from Kerrang! magazine (a British hard rock and heavy metal publication) at the PAX gaming show one year. When I asked them what they were doing there, they said they surveyed their readers, and almost 100 percent of them considered themselves to be gamers. Kerrang! specifically came to a gaming show to understand their readers better.

Music and gaming are pretty closely tied together, it appears.

The streaming packs also double as a great way to get high-quality audio into a computer for in-game chat, Discord chat or Skype for those users who aren’t streaming and don’t prefer headsets.”

Thus far, feedback for the bundles has been overwhelmingly positive, noted Boss. “Users appreciate that the bundles not only represent a great value, but also ease the hurdle to getting quality audio on their stream,” he said. “Also, Audio-Technica’s strategy for this market has been to approach the microphone needs from a professional mic design philosophy MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

rather than a consumer philosophy.

Rather than see if we can make our mic look like a robot, add a ton of features and blinking lights, we take our core competency of transducer design and base the mic around that. It just so happened that our 20 Series studio mics checked all the performance and price boxes for streaming, as well as recording. It just came down to packaging and communications.

I think that streamers appreciate the fact that we are an audio-first company and not a PC peripheral company that just sourced a microphone to add to their keyboard and mouse assortment.”

MSRPs for the bundles are the following: packs with USB output: AT2005USBPK $139 and AT2020USB+PK $219; packs with XLR output: AT2020PK $169 and AT2035PK $199. They are all packaged in “very brick-and-mortar friendly, attractive packaging,” stated Boss. Expect the streaming/ podcasting bundles to be featured prominently at Audio-Technica’s NAMM booth next month.

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2020 Honorees: Lzzy Hale • Linda perry • gloria gaynor suzi quatro • beatie wolfe • ebonie smith (Atlantic records) • tara low (guitar girl magazine) • Suzanne d’addario brouder (the d’addario foundation) • myrna sislen (middle c music) • judy schaefer (PRS Guitars) Opening Act: d_drive

Get tickets: sherocksawards.com Photo of lzzy hale by Judy Won

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020 • 6:30 P.M. House of blues Anaheim 61

THE FINAL NOTE

SIMON CAMPLING

Marketing and Artist Relations, G7th, the Capo Co.

By Brian Berk

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

Simon Campling: Probably my dad (Nick Campling, G7th chairman). He’s always been a big advocate, and he’s been there to help and guide [me] in both good times and bad.

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

Campling: Don’t practice until you can do it right; practice until you can’t do it wrong.

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

Campling: I have gone to church since I was born, so it was my dad playing his guitar. Not sure I can remember exactly my first experience, but I remember when my dad got me my first acoustic guitar, a little Yamaha 3/4 size. I had that for years until I gifted it to a friend who started learning to play and my dad gave me one of his old guitars, a stunning old handmade Bailey.

The Retailer: What instrument do you most enjoy playing?

Campling: Drums, closely followed by guitar. I’m a much better drummer than guitarist, so I can be much more expressive and creative when I’m drumming. Guitar is much harder work!

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

Campling: My favorite TV show when I was a kid was “ThunderCats.” Secretly, it still is.

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

Campling: I have two very young kids, so usually I’ll collapse 62

in front of the TV when they’re not awake. I love movies, and we’re in an incredible age of high-quality TV shows.

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

Campling: Incubus at Brixton Academy on the “Light Grenades” tour. Mike Einziger is still one of my favorite guitarists, and José Pasillas is a favorite drummer. I remember the show blowing me away; so much energy and creativity coming from the stage.

The Retailer: If you could see any musician, alive or deceased, play a concert for one night, who would it be and why?

Campling: Prince. I thoroughly regret not knowing his music until so close to his death, and so I never had the opportunity to see him. Such an incredible musician.

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

Campling: I’ve been enjoying Cory Wong’s solo album, and he’s in London in February 2020.

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

Campling: Despite the church upbringing and fairly constant exposure to music, it took a while before I started getting into it myself. “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead made a big impact on me and was probably the first “difficult” song I learned to play on the guitar. I still love it and the rest of that album (“OK Computer”) today. (continued on page 61) DECEMBER 2019

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