Music Trades back issues from June 2005:
No girls need apply approach to guitar marketing?(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
Jun 01, 2005; ... TODAY I RECEIVED marketing brochures from two different instrument vendors who wanted me to spend money on their products. One, Jackson, had the typical car show model sexing up a guitar. The other, New Sensor, had "a trio of Latin beauties" loving tubes with matching Penthouse-like text ....
Shrinking margins accelerate deflation.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
Jun 01, 2005; ... THE MUSIC INDUSTRY Census published in the April 2005 of The Music Trades contains a tremendous amount of useful market information and should be required reading for any person involved in the manufacture, distribution, or sales of musical instruments in the USA. The comments ...
Who's the longest running CEO?(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
Jun 01, 2005; ... Your April 2005 issue of The Music Trades contains an article about Hartley Peavey which states "Forty years later, Hartley is still at it and can lay claim to being the industry's longest running CEO." I take extreme exception to this misstatement of fact. My boss, Remo Belli, founder and ...
GC ... an asset to the market.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
Jun 01, 2005; ... With regard to GC's acquisition of the Music & Arts stores, the only thing I am sure of is that things will always be changing. "Price compression" is the real culprit eroding the rental market, not GC and Music & Arts. I think that the personal relationship issue will continue to diminish ...
Are Yellow Page ads losing their punch?(Industry Briefings)
Jun 01, 2005 ... For a large percentage of music and audio retailers, Yellow Page advertising represents a major promotional expense. Although Yellow Page ad rates continue to inch up, new evidence suggests that more consumers are turning to internet search engines to locate product sources and retailers ....
Will China revalue its currency?(Industry Briefings)
Jun 01, 2005 ... Speculation that China may be about to change the rules of its currency, the Yuan, has intensified in recent weeks. Chinese officials have often stated that they will eventually allow the currency, which has effectively been linked to the dollar since 1994, to trade freely. Conventional ...
China Watch II--a labor shortage?(Industry Briefings)
Jun 01, 2005 ... The consensus has been that China's nearly limitless supply of labor would hold prices down on Chinese goods indefinitely. Now however, some China watchers are thinking otherwise. An April 25 article in the International Herald Tribune noted that factories in the prosperous Guangdong and ...
Small stores--wave of the future?(Industry Briefings)
Jun 01, 2005 ... Over the past decade Best Buy Electronics thrived by adopting a "bigger is better" approach to retailing, with cavernous 40,000-square-foot stores, filled with a dizzying array of consumer electronics, computers, appliances, and DVDs. In an apparent about-face, the company is now ...
Time for new tactics in promoting school music?(EDITORIAL)
Jun 01, 2005; ... For as long as we can remember, educator associations and a host of other well meaning people have been warning of a grave budget crisis in education that threatens the future existence of school music programs. We have no doubt that among the 17,500 school districts in the U.S., there are ...
Indianapolis here we come.(EDITORIAL)
Jun 01, 2005 ... WE'LL BE SHORT AND TO THE POINT on this subject. Go to the NAMM's Indianpolis show July 22-24. Here's a quick recap of the reasons: With over 500 exhibitors clamoring for your business, you're guaranteed to walk away with some deals the will more than pay for the trip. Forget the bad jokes ...
Major profit turnaround at Loud Technologies: better deliveries boost sales, generating $9 million profit swing in fourth quarter. Also, St. Louis Music acquisition completed.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
Jun 01, 2005 ... STRONG DEMAND FOR new products, improved availability of imported products, and tight expense control resulted in a major profit turnaround at Loud Technologies, the parent company of Mackie Designs, EAW Loudspeakers, and St. Louis Music Company. For the three-month period ended December ...
Patent Office Rules for D'Addario in dispute with Gibson.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
Jun 01, 2005 ... THE U.S. PATENT & Trademark Office has rebuffed an attempt by Gibson to claim "EXP" as a trademark and prohibit J. D'Addario & Co. from marketing a range of guitar strings under the EXP name. In its petition to the trademark office filed in late 2000, Gibson management stated that it had ...
"Apprentice" Kastner and his ovation elite LX.(Ovation Guitars)
Jun 01, 2005 ... DANNY KASTNER, the leisure suitwearing, guitar-strumming contestant from Season 3 of NBC's hit series The Apprentice, earned notoriety when he was called "a disaster" by Donald Trump on the 2005 season premiere of the show, and in the episodes that followed he became one of the most ...
World's tallest guitar soon to grace Biloxi casino.(NEWS FLASH)
Jun 01, 2005 ... A NEW HARD ROCK Hotel & Casino sign is sure to make a big impression on the citizens of Biloxi, Mississippi. Featuring a 112-foot-tall replica of Peavey's HP Signature guitar, this neon jaw-dropper is more than 40 feet taller than the sign built for Hard Rock's facility in Atlantic City, ...
Golden Eagle one of "101 Greatest Moments".(Paul Reed Smith Guitars)
Jun 01, 2005 ... THE STAFF OF Guitar Player magazine announced in its April issue "The 101 Greatest Moments in Guitar History." The staff assembled "the coolest, greatest, and most important moments in the history of the modem six-string." Included on the list is Paul Reed Smith's building of the Golden ...
Bob Zildjian wins MIPA Lifetime Award.(Sabian)
Jun 01, 2005 ... ROBERT ZILDJIAN, FOUNDER and chairman of Sabian Ltd., was awarded a MIPA Lifetime Achievement Award during ceremonies at the 2005 Musikmesse in Frankfurt. Presented by the Musikmesse International Press Association, composed of editors of 58 leading music publications, this special MIPA ...
New owners & management at Amati/Strunal.(Sabian)
Jun 01, 2005 ... AMATI/STRUNAL has announced changes in ownership and top management. Com Enterprise purchased the shares of Europe's largest string instrument manufacturer, Strunal spol. s.r.o., located in Luby, Czech Republic. The president/CEO of Strunal, Vlastimil Jirasek, and the vice-president, ...
Company's centennial celebration continues.(Vandoren Reeds)
Jun 01, 2005 ... VANDOREN REEDS, distributed in the United States by DANSR, is continuing its centennial celebration. The Vandoren centennial celebration rolled into April as Vandoren sponsored concert/clinics by Vandoren performing artists Steve Slagle, Jeff Coffin, Otis Murphy, the UC Long ...
Yamaha artist Mei-Ting Sun wins chopin competition.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
Jun 01, 2005 ... YAMAHA ARTIST Mei-Ting Sun, the 24-year-old classical piano sensation currently pursuing his doctorate at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, won first prize at the Seventh National Chopin Piano Competition. He was chosen by a jury of nationally and internationally acclaimed ...
Coming to the aid of Kazakhstan students.(Alfred Publishing)
Jun 01, 2005 ... ALFRED PUBLISHING hosted an unexpected, extended trip to the January IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators) convention in Anaheim, California, for 40 students, parents, and teachers of the Almaty Youth Jazz Band. Based in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic that ...
Davitt & Hanser goes nationwide with acquisition of NHF.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
Jun 01, 2005 ... ON MAY 1, DAVITT & HANSER completed the acquisition of select assets of NHF Musical Merchandise in Pennsauken, New Jersey. The deal between Davitt & Hanser and NHF owner Tim Zerone will provide Davitt & Hanser with NHF's 30,000-square-foot distribution center in Pennsauken, New Jersey and ...
Shure opens two China facilities.(NEWS FLASH)
Jun 01, 2005 ... SHURE has opened two locations in China: a manufacturing facility in Suzhou and a sales and marketing office in Shanghai. "China is a very important market for our strategic growth goals," said Sandy LaMantia, president and CEO. "This expansion will strengthen our company's ...
AMC names USA's 101 most musical communities.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
Jun 01, 2005 ... FOR THE SIXTH YEAR in a row a nationwide survey conducted by a partnership of leading music and educational organizations has identified the "Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America." But because of an unprecedented tie, this year's "Best 100" actually comprises 101 ...
Top retailers visit Conn-Selmer.(Veritas)
Jun 01, 2005 ... CONN-SELMER RECENTLY hosted a gathering of Veritas Instrument Rental's (VIR) top producing affiliated retailers at its home office in Elkhart, Indiana. The three-day excursion included tours of the brass and woodwind factories, product sessions in brass, woodwind, percussion, and ...
Guitarist Gilewitz chooses M1 and Para DI.(L.R. Baggs)
Jun 01, 2005 ... MASTER GUITARIST and clinician Richard Gilewitz has adopted the M1 and Para DI as his amplification system of choice for his Breedlove guitars and is currently touring the U.S. and conducting concerts and clinics. Gilewitz commented about his current L.R. Baggs setup: "The flexibility ...
Big Bang & Bosphorus Cymbals.(NEWS FLASH)
Jun 01, 2005 ... BIG BANG DISTRIBUTION is the new U.S. distributor of Turkish-made Bosphorus Cymbals. The origins of fine cymbal making can be traced to Turkey, and Bosphorus continues this tradition with a full line of handmade cymbals. From the earthy, ...
Report on cause of string breakage.(Graph Tech)
Jun 01, 2005 ... GRAPH TECH GUITAR LABS, the guitar industry's nut and saddle leader, has published its definitive report on the root cause of guitar string breakage. Graph Tech pioneered the development of impregnated nuts and saddles designed to alleviate string breakage and was granted the first patent ...
U.S. Music steps up production with new facility.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
Jun 01, 2005 ... U.S. MUSIC CORP., parent company of Washburn guitars, Randall amplifiers, Eden electronics, Sound Tech audio, and Oscar Schmidt instruments. has expanded with the acquisition of a 57,000-square-foot distribution facility outside of Chicago in Mundelein, Illinois. The company will also ...
Custom series brass to tour retail stores.(Getzen Company)
Jun 01, 2005 ... GETZEN HAS ANNOUNCED its all-new Custom Series Small Brass Tour (SBT) program. The SBT is the trumpet player's chance to check out Getzen's industry-leading Custom Series small brass instruments. Each event will be hosted by a Getzen dealer and will feature the six Bb trumpets, ...
Five Bechstein grands at Kennedy Center.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
Jun 01, 2005 ... FIVE C. BECHSTEIN 280 9'2" concert grand pianos were flown in from Berlin, Germany, especially for an April 16 concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The performing pianists were from the U.S. Army Band. Approximately 800 attended the concert. The pianists will also ...
Steve Gadd clinic tour.(Zildjian)
Jun 01, 2005 ... ZILDJIAN STAGED an in-store clinic tour with Steve Gadd in April. Gadd has been the driving force behind musicians such as Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Steely Dan, Chick Corea, and many more. This was Gadd's first performing clinic in nearly 20 years. Traveling in the ...
Support for troops in Kuwait.(Gemini)
Jun 01, 2005 ... SGT. DAMON EYERLY put it best when he said, "The Army has us fighting during the day, but Gemini has us dancing at night." Members of the 642nd DASB currently in Kuwait are helping support about 1,200 coalition soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom 3 (OIF3). Their 18-month tour of duty began ...
Nordiska 9' grand stars at piano competition.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
Jun 01, 2005 ... AS THE PERFORMERS at the 29th Annual Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra Piano Concerto Competition took to the stage, they approached a piano with which many of them were not familiar. The nine-foot polished ebony Nordiska 275 concert grand that graced the stage was not "the usual suspect" ...
Publicly traded industry firms.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
Jun 01, 2005 ... <Pre> PUBLICLY TRADED INDUSTRY FIRMS PRICE AS OF P/E 52-WEEK RANGE MAY 13, 2005 RATIO HIGH-LOW Allen Organ Corp. $60.07 14.78$70.98-$45.86 Avid Technology$50.71 23.79 ...
New Hampshire names Daddy's "Retailer of the Year".(RETAILER UPDATE)
Jun 01, 2005 ... DADDY'S JUNKY MUSIC, based in Manchester, New Hampshire, was recently named "Retailer of the Year--Multiple Locations" by the Retail Merchants Association of New Hampshire at the annual New Hampshire Retail Summit held in Manchester. The awards were based on sales growth, creative ...
audioMIDI.com stages "synth legend symposim" with Moog, Oberheim, and Smith.(RETAILER UPDATE)
Jun 01, 2005 ... AUDIOMIDI.COM HAS used the internet to build a thriving music software retail business. However, thunder Russ Jones recently shifted from the virtual to the real world to stage a symposium featuring electronic music pioneers Bob Moog, Tom Oberheim and Dave Smith, founder of Sequential ...
Cascio strengthens management team.(RETAILER UPDATE)
Jun 01, 2005 ... CASCIO INTERSTATE MUSIC in New Berlin, Wisconsin, has strengthened its management team, hiring Elwood Winn as chief financial officer; Jeff Settano, as vice president of procurement/operations; and Fred Miller, as director of information technology. Winn most recently served as ...
Birenbaum sells store to longtime employee.(Drum Headquarters)
Jun 01, 2005 ... ROB BIRENBAUM sold Drum Headquarters, with two locations in the St. Louis area, to longtime key employee Jim Uding, effective May 1, 2005. Birenbaum started Drum Headquarters in 1981 and built it into one of the most successful and respected drum specialty operations in the ...
Strong sales and better margins power 35% earnings gain at Guitar Center: retailer cites "uneven" sales patterns and pledges to step up promotions to meet competitive challenges.(RETAILER UPDATE)
Jun 01, 2005 ... STRONG SALES GROWTH, improved gross margins, and reduced interest expense combined to increase Guitar Center's net income by 34.8% for the three-month period ended March 31, 2005. For the quarter the retailer posted sales of $396.4 million, an increase of 13.3% over last year's level of ...
Senseney Music names Supinie executive V.P.(RETAILER UPDATE)
Jun 01, 2005 ... Senseney Music of Wichita Kansas has promoted Lori Supinie to the newly created post of executive vice president and chief operating officer with responsibility as General Manager. Supinie joined the company in 1995 and most recently served as chief financial officer and division manager ...
England Piano opens 50,000 sq. ft. super store in Atlanta.(RETAILER UPDATE)
Jun 01, 2005 ... ENGLAND PIANO purchased a 50,000-square-foot facility in December 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia. The facility is a very modern showroom located with complete visibility from 1-85. It is located within one-half mile of the major Atlanta intersection of 1-85 and 1-285. This highly visible ...
Music Center sponsors Nathan East clinic.(RETAILER UPDATE)
Jun 01, 2005 ... MUSIC CENTER of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Yamaha Guitars recently sponsored a clinic that featured Fourplay and Nathan East, the bassist with Eric Clapton. The private evening, held at Kenosha's world-famous Brat Shop, drew an audience of approximately 150 musicians and fans of all ages from ...
What happened to the organ market? Was there ever really any demand for those big keyboards or was it just a question of selling consumers with the promise of free lessons and easy musical fun?(BOB POPYK ON SELLING)
Jun 01, 2005; ... I was invited to speak at a Lowrey Organ sales training seminar a few weeks ago in Chicago. The program was to be on how salespeople could find customers on their own, without relying on dealer advertising or store promotion. The topic was i How To Find Customers Your Competition Doesnt ...
Finding new ways to add value: Annual Print Music Convention in Biloxi Probes shifting role of the retailer in an online world and how best to adapt.(RPMDA: The State Of The Print Music Market)
Jun 01, 2005 ... "I SPENT THE BETTER PART of two hours visiting three local retailers in search of an obscure jazz guitar CD, and none of them could help me find it, let alone buy it," related Paul Freeling of Art's Music. "By the time I finished, I realized that, as a consumer, their inventory, their ...
Go to church ... and make money: how changing styles of worship are creating major new opportunities for music and audio retailers.(Cover Story)
Jun 01, 2005; ... Go to church to make money. It sounds crass, but it is perhaps the best business advice you will receive this year. While music retailers have witnessed slow growth and withering competition in every other market segment, the booming church market looms in sharp contrast as a haven of ...
Make a joyful noise! What churches are buying and how to make sure they come to you with their shopping list.(THE CHURCH MARKET)
Jun 01, 2005 ... North America is home to as many as 400,000 houses of worship, a number that has climbed steadily for more than a decade. This rise parallels a veritable explosion of Christian-influenced music into mainstream media as exemplified by such multi-platinum sellers as Switchfoot, Casting ...
Peavey shows commitment to church market with expanded Sanctuary Series.(THE CHURCH MARKET)
Jun 01, 2005 ... Peavey Electronics made a strong commitment to the church music market with the launch of its Sanctuary Series mixers, loudspeakers, and power amps at the 2004 winter NAMM show. All products in the line were designed for ease of operation and to maximize house of worship sound systems' ...
Innovation in motion: Motion Sound, a manufacturer of high-end amps and speaker cabinets, has redoubled its success with a line of products aimed squarely at the gospel music market.(THE CHURCH MARKET)
Jun 01, 2005 ... Many of today's music store owners were gigging musicians, road warriors, in the '70s and '80s--the heyday of the pop and rock club scene. Most, at one time or another, had the dubious pleasure of humping a Leslie rotary speaker (usually as a warm-up for the Hammond B3) up a couple of ...
Serving the spirit with music: a noted worship leader and ministry consultant offers retailers some "golden rules" for building relationships with church market customers.(THE CHURCH MARKET)
Jun 01, 2005 ... In 2001 Steve Young moved from southern California to northern New Jersey to help launch a new church. When his friends heard that the church's "congregation" numbered just over a dozen, they said he was crazy. But Young based his leap of faith on tested ideas about how contemporary ...
Going beyond the basics: how Morgan Music has found a lucrative market selling churches more than the the typical guitar, sound, and keyboard products carried in M.I. stores.(THE CHURCH MARKET)
Jun 01, 2005 ... The historic view of music in the church put an organ in one corner and a piano in the other. That paradigm has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades, first with gospel groups in the South and major cities, and then with the broader embrace of the contemporary Christian ...
Lowrey trial organ promo offers retail growth opportunity: creative new consumer outreach plan unveiled at training event to dealer raves.(MARKETING STRATEGIES)
Jun 01, 2005 ... More than 100 Lowrey store owners, salespeople and teachers traveled to Chicago April 26-28 for three days of training at Lowrey University. "If we were in the commodity business we would not need training," remarked Lowrey National Sales Director Mel Wisniewski. "But this is a highly ...
PRS founder celebrated at Red Rocks.(PEOPLE)
Jun 01, 2005 ... PAUL REED SMITH was presented with an award from Colorado's famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in honor of the 20th anniversary of PRS Guitars. The award, presented at the January 2005 NAMM show, is made of sandstone, the material that creates Colorado's great basin of sound. World-famous ...
Mary Luehrsen named to White House council.(NAMM)
Jun 01, 2005 ... MARY L. LUEHRSEN, NAMM's director of public affairs and government relations, was named to the steering committee for the Mini-Conference on Creativity and Aging held May 18-19 at the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC. The purpose of the conference was to develop policy ...
Pritikin new sales mgr. for Digital Pianos.(Pearl River Pianos)
Jun 01, 2005 ... RICH PRITIKIN has been named sales manager in the Digital Pianos Division at Pearl River Piano Group American Ltd. The new position was created as Pritikin readies the introduction of Pearl River's first line of digital pianos in the U.S. and Canada. Pritikin, whose resume ...
Grantano to rep Pleyel Pianos.(PEOPLE)
Jun 01, 2005 ... VINCE GRANTANO has been appointed the U.S. sales and marketing representative for Pleyel Pianos of Paris, France. Grantano started in music retail in 1962 in Philadelphia and then was a district sales manager for Aeolian, Kawai America, Kohler & Campbell, ...
New posts for Anderson, Von Behren, & Madsen.(Yamaha PAC)
Jun 01, 2005 ... YAMAHA'S PROFESSIONAL Audio and Combo (PAC) division has promoted Mark Anderson to portable keyboard marketing manager and Shawna Von Behren to accessories marketing manager. Dane Madsen has joined Yamaha PAC as marketing manager for digital pianos. Mark Anderson, who began ...
Allied Piano founders lead PTG seminar.(PEOPLE)
Jun 01, 2005 ... ALLIED PIANO'S Ruth and Webb Phillips will be presenting a two-day hands-on finish repair seminar August 5-6. The seminar is being hosted by the Piano Technicians Guild at its new home office in Kansas City, Kansas. This popular course concentrates on the repair and polishing of ...
Dorwart named V.P. of sales & marketing.(Stanton Group)
Jun 01, 2005 ... TIMOTHY DORWART has been appointed by The Stanton Group as the new vice-president of sales and marketing for Cerwin-Vega and KRK. He will report to Dave Froker, CEO of The Stanton Group. A seasoned veteran with 25 years of experience, Dorwart previously was with the Bose ...
Adam Weems named manager of education.(Zildjian)
Jun 01, 2005 ... ADAM WEEMS has joined the Education Department at Zildjian as manager of education. He will responsible for developing the company's educational, drum corps and marching band markets including clinics, trade and educational shows, product training and development, and artist management ....
Lane, Jacoby join marketing department.(Remo)
Jun 01, 2005 ... AT REMO, Professor Johnny Lee Lane has joined as director of educational marketing, and Bruce Jacoby as manager of marching and education. Lane is one the nation's foremost college percussion educators. He has taught at Tennessee State University, Eastern Illinois University, ...
QRS Ancho controller combines universal disk reader, plus high quality sound card.(PRODUCT NEWS)
Jun 01, 2005 ... QRS MUSIC TECHNOLOGIES has spiced up its controller line with the addition of the Ancho, a new advanced playback controller for player piano systems. Loaded with super-hot features (which is why it's named after a Mexican pepper), the Ancho can be used for performing, recording, and ...
New guitar products now shipping.(Alesis)
Jun 01, 2005 ... THREE NEW PRODUCTS from Alesis are now shipping: the PlayMate Guitarist guitar effects processor and CD player; the RoadFire 15 guitar amplifier; and the XGuitar. The PlayMate Guitarist is a powerful guitar performance and practice tool that enables guitarists to jam along to ...
Levy's expands hand tooled strap line.(PRODUCT NEWS)
Jun 01, 2005 ... LEVY'S LEATHERS has added more pattern choices to its line of tooled leather guitar straps. Levy's carving leather guitar straps are now available with acorns & oakleaves, basketweave, paisley, or zodiac tooled ...
New custom trombones from Kanstul.(PRODUCT NEWS)
Jun 01, 2005 ... KANSTUL MUSICA INSTRUMENTS has unveiled four new models of professional trombones. At the recent conference of the International Trombone Festival in New Orleans, Kanstul premiered its new 1608 ST tenor trombone with slide tuning. It features an Elkhart 8H-style bell taper, but this new ...
Catalog now available in CD format.(DavidD E. Smith)
Jun 01, 2005 ... DAVID E. SMITH Publications, LLC, continues to expand the catalogs of David E. Smith Publications, Psalm 150, Majestic Music Publications, Washington Music Ministries, River Song Productions, Ken Bauer Productions, and Light Of The World Music as well as access to other major sacred music ...