Music Trades articles from July 2006

Music Trades archives from July 2006

Independents, backbone of the industry.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... The independent music retailers who have contributed to you Letters section in the debate over mass mercants have done an excellent job in providing perspective from all sides. It's clear that this discussion will continue for months and is now...

Do away with protected dealerships.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... In an era where every company is looking for more ways to increase product sales, they overlook the existing network of local music stores in favor of the national chains and/or the big boxes. In a sense, manufacturers have regressed to the...

Distribution is a two-way street.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... The world of the music business is changing just like everything else, and we have to find ways to cope with those changes. You can't stop those with a retail outlet from selling whatever products they want, and that is as it should be. Many...

The threat of corporate retailing.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... Large corporate retailing in the USA of all products, including m.i., is not good for our great nation... period. Doing business with corporate retailers only fuels the greed of "Corporate America's" board of directors and officers at the...

Sharp-eyed reader spots error.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... Your May issue of Music Trades was excellent as usual. One correction: Either the automobile parked outside the Messe (on an unusually clear day) is a dramatically altered '56 Cadillac or in fact a 1960 model 62 Coupe deVille. Having owned one,...

Imports post mixed results for Q1.(IMPORT TRACKER: What's Coming Into The U.S. And From Where?)
July 1, 2006... In a significant turnaround, imports of wind instruments advanced briskly in the first quarter of 2006, while imports of guitars and pianos posted significant declines. Rising wind instrument imports largely reflect the fact that more U.S....

Higher gas prices slow retail sales.(Industry Briefings)
July 1, 2006... Lukewarm retail sales in the month of May suggest that higher gasoline prices and the weakening housing market are taking a toll on consumers and slowing the economy. The Commerce Department reported that retail sales rose only 0.1% in May from...

Music May offer pain relief beyond medication.(Industry Briefings)
July 1, 2006... In a small study of patients with back, neck, or joint pain, researchers found that regularly listening to music provided pain relief beyond that achieved by standard pain management techniques. The study, which appeared in the May issue of the...

Largest concert hall pipe organ debuts in Philadelphia.(Industry Briefings)
July 1, 2006... The new pipe organ that made its debut at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia is dubbed the largest concert hall pipe organ in the U.S. Built at a cost of $6.4 million, the instrument boasts 6,938 pipes ranging from the size of a drinking straw...

Stradivarius sets new auction record.(Industry Briefings)
July 1, 2006... A Stradivarius violin almost 300 years old has smashed the record for the amount paid for a musical instrument at auction, selling for $3.5 million. The instrument, made in 1707, broke the previous record of $2.03m paid for a Stradivarius in...

Concert of video game themes.(Industry Briefings)
July 1, 2006... Video games are not usually considered fine art, but the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra recently performed a symphony composed of music from blockbuster video games to a sell-out crowd. Performed by a full orchestra and choir, "Play!"...

A zero-sum game.(EDITORIAL)
July 1, 2006... Musical instruments on the shelves of Wal-Mart, Costco, Target, and other mass merchants have sparked one of the more heated debates in recent memory. One side argues that mass merchants expand the market for music products by exposing...

Do independent retailers need a new association? Bill Stevens argues that the existing trade groups are not addressing the unique challenges faced by independent retailers. Can they change or do we need to form a new group?(GUEST EDITORIAL)
July 1, 2006... You only have to Google "Trade Association" to discover that every sort of industry has created an organization to define its views and work for their agenda. Lawyers, bicycle stores, manufacturers, farmers, even professional pet-sitters (they...

Get ready for a memorable show as the world's live music capital hosts NAMM.(NAMM PREVIEW: Summer Session In Austin)
July 1, 2006... Austin, dubbed one of the 50 "Must See" cities on the planet, pulls out all the stops for the Summer NAMM show, guaranteeing a great time for the music products industry. Build your business, find out what's going on, and have fun. Can you...

Sharpen your business skills in Austin: a complete guide to NAMM University educational sessions.(NAMM PREVIEW: Summer Session In Austin)
July 1, 2006... How do you keep a business profitable in today's market? NAMM provides hard answers with a series of educational sessions that deal with everything from online selling techniques to sales compensation programs. The equivalent of a retail MBA...

NAMM & Fender present Jimmie Vaughan at Austin concert.(NAMM PREVIEW: Summer Session In Austin)
July 1, 2006... FENDER WILL TEAM up with NAMM at the Summer Session in Austin to host "An Evening With Jimmie Vaughan & Special Guests" at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 14. The concert will be held in "The Hang" (Ballroom D500) at the Austin Convention Center and is...

Austin NAMM show exhibitor list.(NAMM PREVIEW: Summer Session In Austin)
July 1, 2006... (Compiled by NAMM as of June 6, 2006) ABLETON AG 614 ABSARA AUDIO LLC 367 ACCESS BAGS AND CASES 2302 ACCUTRONICS ...

Hyundai pays $74 million for control of Young Chang; new owners provide solid financial platform and pledge stepped-up R&D spending.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... HYUNDAI DEVELOPMENT CO. has acquired an 87% stake in Young Chang Akki Ltd. for approximately $74.3 million. The transaction, which was completed at the end of June, ends Young Chang's eight-month stay in bankruptcy court and places the...

U.S. Supreme Court hands PRS guitar victory in trademark battle with Gibson; six-year legal battle is finally and definitively over ... There's no one left to hear an appeal.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... THE UNITED STATES SUPREME Court has denied Gibson Guitar's final appeal of a Court of Appeals decision upholding PRS' right to make a single cutaway-style guitar. When first introduced more than six years ago at the NAMM show, the PRS Singlecut...

Captive sales force to replace independent reps.(Loud Technologies)
July 1, 2006... LOUD TECHNOLOGIES HAS implemented a new direct distribution system in North America that it estimates will reduce selling costs by about $1 million in 2006 and by at least $2 million annually beginning in 2007. Chairman and CEO Jamie Engen...

New sensor's Russian Turf war captures worldwide media attention.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... THE BATTLE FOR New Sensor Corporation's ExpoPUL vacuum tube factory in Saratov, Russia, received international exposure with a feature article in the May 16 New York Times. Also covered in The. Music Trades (February 2006), the ongoing dispute...

New KMCOnline version launched.(Kaman)
July 1, 2006... SIX YEARS AGO Kaman introduced KMCOnline to enable customers to place and track their product orders online. Accessible 24/7, KMCOnline simplifies the ordering and tracking process for its customers with features such as real-time pricing and...

The incredible sales power of music.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... REFLECTING THE NEAR UNIVERSAL appeal of music and musical instruments, Xerox has been using images of two Gibson guitars in a series of ads touting the benefits of their new line of color copiers. The ads are running in major business...

Gemini Sound is now GCI.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... AFTER 34 YEARS OF servicing the professional audio and DJ markets, Gemini Sound Products has changed its company name to GCI Technologies. GCI Technologies will act as the corporate umbrella for the Gemini brand, the iKEY Audio brand, and the...

School music group elects new slate, steps up promo activities.(NABIM)
July 1, 2006... NABIM, The International Band and Orchestral Products Association, held its annual meeting in conjunction with NASMD's April 2006 conference in Florida. The organization elected the following Board of Directors: president--Neil Lilien, Meisel...

Hoshino celebrates Bill Reim's 25th Anniversary.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... THE SELF-EFFACING Bill Reim, president of Hoshino USA, was initially startled, then slightly uncomfortable with the attention, but ultimately gratified when his co-workers at the company staged a surprise celebration to mark his 25th year with...

"Guitar Starter Pack for Dummies".(Kona Guitars)
July 1, 2006... KONA GUITAR COMPANY has teamed with Wiley Publishing to launch an exciting new addition to the For Dummies line of consumer products. The two companies will produce a "Guitar Starter Pack for Dummies," which will include a deluxe 39" Kona...

Tech magazine marks fifth year in U.S.(Sound On Sound)
July 1, 2006... SOUND ON SOUND, Europe's leading music technology and project studio recording magazine, marked the fifth year of its USA edition with another ground-breaking issue. Launched in 2001, Sound On Sound USA brought a new look to project- and...

Super-Sensitive's "pink" line promotes breast cancer awareness.(FLASH)
July 1, 2006... SUPER-SENSITIVE MUSICAL String Co., a division of The Cavanaugh Company, has developed a line of "pink" products to promote breast cancer awareness. This new line will include a pink stop-pin, a pink Spector mute, and pink rosin. The new...

D'Andrea named to U.S. distributors' list.(Hotpicks USA)
July 1, 2006... HOTPICKS USA has added D'Andrea USA to its list of U.S. distributors. D'Andrea is one of the premier producers and distributors of guitar picks in the world. With the addition of the Monster Pick and It's Alive Pick lines, as well as other...

Romanian string firm Hora produces 110,000 units annually.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... HORA MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS of Reghin, Romania, was founded in 1951 and has since built over three million instruments. It now makes 110,000 instruments per year: 30,000 bow instruments--violins, violas, cellos, double basses, and historical...

Mason & Hamlin Retail Academy hones sales skills & marketing focus: top dealers attend and celebrate 10th anniversary of PianoDisc's acquisition of the famous piano maker.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... TOP MASON & HAMLIN dealers converged on the company's factory in Haverhill, Massachusetts on May 4 for three days of sales training and factory tours. Participating dealers from North America were immersed in all-day sessions at the company's...

Fine instruments auctioned for a lot ... and much less: recent Christie's sale highlights appeal of vintage instruments ... a Les Paul goes for $192,000!(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... CHRISTIE'S IN NEW YORK recently held an auction of fine musical instruments. The selection of well over 100 items included violins, violas, cellos, bows, flutes, guitars, and a 1912 Lyon & Healy harp. The true star of the event was the 1707...

Sabian cymbals takes over Meductic for 25th anniversary celebration.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... SABIAN CYMBALS literally took over Meductic, New Brunswick, the tiny village it has called home since the inception of the firm in late 1981, as it celebrated "25 Years of Innovation" on June 2. With the proclamation of "Sabian Day" by Mayor...

Palmetto Musical makes debut at summer NAMM.(New Source Of Supply)
July 1, 2006... PALMETTO MUSICAL Wholesale, Inc., founded in 2004, will be exhibiting at a national tradeshow for the first time in Austin. Headed up by Basil W. Lefter, who previously spent more than 11 years at MBT International/Musicorp, Palmetto...

Boomwhackers debut on Tonight Show.(Whacky Music)
July 1, 2006... WHACKY MUSIC'S award-winning Boomwhackers Tuned Percussion Tubes were featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on May 18. The performance by comedy juggling duo In Capable Hands is the first nationally televised performance featuring...

New owner for bankrupt Musicland chain.(FLASH)
July 1, 2006... TRANS WORLD ENTERTAINMENT has acquired Musicland Holdings Corp. out of bankruptcy court for $104.2 million in cash and $18.1 million in assumed liabilities. The transaction merges two of the largest retailers serving the struggling recorded...

"Shell-less" Traps Drums now offered in U.S.(Cappello Music)
July 1, 2006... TRAPS DRUMS, a product of Alchemy Engineering and Design Ltd., U.K., has entered into an agreement with Cappello Music Co., Inc., of Woodbury, Connecticut, to be the North American distributor for all Traps Drums products. Traps drums have been...

Management solutions for music stores.(Edge Technologies)
July 1, 2006... EDGE TECHNOLOGIES IS offering an affordable solution for inventory control management/POS software for the music retail industry. This retail management system, called Profit Premier, features a rent-to-own, season rental, and real-time...

EMG benefit auction at P.O.D. concert.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... EMG'S LATEST TRIP to a P.O.D. show at the Fillmore West in San Francisco was anything but ordinary. Aside from enjoying a spectacular performance from multi-platinum recording artist endorsers, the highlight of the evening came during "Youth of...

Interactive internet station for guitarists.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... MUSIC PLAYER NETWORK, publisher of Guitar Player magazine, has partnered with TrueFire TV, a major internet TV broadcast network, to launch the first internet-based TV station for guitar players. Guitar Player TV (www.guitarplayertv.com) is a...

Sales incentive offered for guitar companies.(MJS Publications)
July 1, 2006... MJS MUSIC PUBLICATIONS has launched a guitar manufacturers' sales incentive program. Mark Sternal, author and president of the lesson book publishing company, said that new program will conjoin participating instrument makers with domestic and...

Trash Kat drum stars on Daytime Emmys.(FLASH)
July 1, 2006... RODGER CARTER, dummer for Rick Springfield, played a Trash Kat floor tom in his drum kit at the Daytime Emmy Award Show in May. The Trash Kat is made by ThunderEcho Drums of Medina, Ohio. The company, located just off Medina's historic town...

Spanish added to website.(GHS Strings)
July 1, 2006... GHS STRINGS has introduced a language selector on its website, www.ghsstrings.com, providing a choice between English and Spanish. "This is part of our effort to address the growing Hispanic market," commented GHS President Russ McFee. ...

Charles Dumont & Son a leader in print music distribution.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... CHARLES DUMONT & SON, Inc. is one of the world's leaders in print music distribution. Its Voorhees, New Jersey, facility has been servicing music stores worldwide since 1945, and it has satellite offices in New York, California, and Florida....

Numark group teams with Berklee to honor trailblazing musicians; gala celebration will focus on noted DJ artists and musicians.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... NUMARK, ALESIS, AND AKAI Professional, leading manufacturers of audio equipment, studio electronics, and professional DJ equipment will honor the trailblazers of musical innovation with Milestones, a gala event that will feature an eclectic...

Sulton bass on tour with the New Cars.(Interstate Music)
July 1, 2006... ARCHER GUITARS' new K Sulton Signature Bass Guitar is being used by Kasim Sulton in a national tour with The New Cars, with a worldwide tour to follow. The New Cars are headed by rock renaissance man Todd Rundgren along with original Cars...

Stick maker teams with Orange County Choppers.(Vater Percussion)
July 1, 2006... VATER PERCUSSION HAS teamed up with Orange County Choppers (OCC) for the "OCC in America" tour, scheduled for four event locations in 2006. The tour will feature the OCC Band, and parts of the tour will be filmed for the extremely popular...

Veterans Lambert and Volz team up to form new distribution agency.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... MUSIC INDUSTRY VETERANS Lyndle Volz and Jerry Lambert have established Lambert & Volz International, Inc. (LVI), a full-service distribution, marketing, and sales consultant agency specializing in the U.S. music retail industry. Combining...

Launching new book on the Beatles in the studio.(Harman Corp.)
July 1, 2006... HARMAN PROFESSIONAL audio companies AKG, dbx, and Lexicon recently help support the launch of Here, There and Everywhere (published by Gotham Books), the new book from legendary engineer/producer Geoff Emerick and renowned industry journalist...

U.S. marketing division formed.(Hailun Pianos)
July 1, 2006... HAILUN PIANOS of Ningbo, China, which made its U.S. debut at this year's Winter NAMM Show, has incorporated Hailun Distribution, LLC, in Georgia. It will be the sole source of Hailun pianos in the U.S. Theresa Perry, Hailun's U.S. director,...

On the Road Marketing hosts "pre-summer show".(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
July 1, 2006... LOOKING TO PROVIDE additional service to its retail clients, On The Road Marketing, a leading Northeastern rep firm, recently staged a day long "mini-show" complete with exhibits, entertainment, and clinics. "This is our way of keeping all our...

Guitar Center acquires four Hermes retail stores in Texas; Hermes founder Alberto Kreimerman will continue with Mexican distribution business.(RETAILER UPDATE)
July 1, 2006... GUITAR CENTER, INC., announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets of Hermes Trading Company, Inc., a Texas-based musical instruments distributor and retailer. The acquisition includes four Texas retail...

Goo-Goo Dolls at Falcetti Music for mini-concert.(RETAILER UPDATE)
July 1, 2006... IN THE MIDDLE OF an arena tour that reaches from San Francisco to Stockholm, the Goo Goo Dolls visited one of their more intimate venues with an April 14 mini-set performance at Falcetti Music's Springfield, Mass., store. Listeners from local...

Annual "Woodstick" sets world record.(Donn Bennett Drum Studio)
July 1, 2006... DONN BENNETT DRUM STUDIO of Seattle, Washington, hosted its fourth annual "Woodstick" event at the Qwest Field Events Center in Seattle. The goal was to break the Guinness World Rcord by assembling the largest number of drummers with drumsets...

Jim Strouse passes the Baton at Stanton's Sheet Music.(RETAILER UPDATE)
July 1, 2006... JIM STROUSE, Stanton's Sheet Music's chairman of the board, announced that he was retiring from day-to-day operations of the Columbus, Ohio, company he has run for more than 30 years. His son, Eric, will assume the duties of president, and...

Tracy Leenman honored by Phi Beta Mu.(Pecknel Music)
July 1, 2006... TRACY E. LEENMAN, director of sales and marketing for Pecknel Music Company in Greenville, South Carolina, has been named the winner of the 2006 Outstanding Contributor Award by the Theta Chapter of Phi Beta Mu, the international bandmasters...

Ernie Beck attends Peavey Seminar.(Bill's Music House)
July 1, 2006... BILL'S MUSC HOUSE in Baltimore recently sent outstanding salesperson Ernie Beck to the Peavey Seminar in Meridian, Mississippi. Beck picked up the latest information on Peavey Pro Audio, including the new line of Versaray stadium speaker...

Meinl hosts Five-Star percussion retailers.(RETAILER UPDATE)
July 1, 2006... MEINL BROUGHT the board of directors of the Five-Star Drum Shops group to Germany for three days in late May for what turned out to be a valuable experience for the dealers and Meinl personnel. In addition to side trips to the historic cities...

Frank & Camille's open Long Island showplace.(RETAILER UPDATE)
July 1, 2006... IN A BOLD MOVE TO further expand its' position in the tri-state New York market, Frank & Camille's Keyboard Centers has opened a new 6,000 square foot showroom in Carle Place, New York, Situated, on one of the area's most heavily traveled...

Why don't you have a store newsletter? A well written newsletter is a subtle and inexpensive way to remind indifferent prospects about you why you are better than the other music stores in the area. It's a great value-added service too.(BOB POPYK ON SELLING)
July 1, 2006... I am amazed at the number of small music dealers who send out a monthly newsletter on upcoming events, sale items, playing tips, concert schedules, lesson programs, and so on. You might not think of it as any big thing, but I think it's pretty...

Apple Music Row's unusual success formula: with a passion for guitars, an eye for value, and an uncommon appreciation for human capital, Kelly Howard has turned his three-store Apple Music Row into the destination store for Portland, Oregon, musicians.(RETAIL PROFILE: APPLE MUSIC ROW)(Company overview)
July 1, 2006... You might say that fate lit a fire under Kelly Howard. An avid collector of guitars since his teens, by 1973 he had crammed more than 200 instruments into his apartment. That's the year the entire complex caught fire. As the ladder trucks...

Creating the market, not following it: Numark's creative use of technology yields unique, "must have" DJ products. The next big step: marrying video and music.(INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2006... IN THE EARLY '80s urban music pioneers began artfully scratching, slowing down, and reversing LP records, giving rise to the DJ art form. It was only natural that the turntable would emerge as their primary creative tool: The LP record was...

New beginning for famed French clarinet maker: under new ownership, Buffet moves U.S. headquarters to Jacksonville, Florida, and pledges an improved level of service for artists and retailers alike.(NEW HOME FOR BUFFET)
July 1, 2006... SIGNIFYING AMBITIOUS plans for growth in the U.S. market, French clarinet maker Buffet Crampon recently hosted a grand opening celebration for a new 10,000-square-foot headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida. The significance of the grand opening...

Hello Larry...? After fine-tuning his entire line and venturing into new product categories, Hartke Systems' founder is very eager to talk to musicians about what his company has to offer.(Creative Marketing)
July 1, 2006... CALL HIM CRAZY, BUT LARRY Hartke is publishing--in fact, advertising-his personal cell phone number and inviting musicians to call him. The new "Call Larry" ad campaign is the cornerstone of Hartke's reinvigorated marketing and artist relations...

Bringing the past to life! Unprecedented new Martin Guitar Museum traces company history, the development of the modern guitar, and the evolution of popular music. The industry's first major tourist draw?(INDUSTRY HISTORY)
July 1, 2006... The saga of the Martin family and their famous guitar making enterprise is the kind of drama that makes for a compelling read. The brief version of the story goes like this: A young Christian Frederick Martin travels to Austria to apprentice...

Mick Fleetwood: Total Drumming Fleetwood Mac's co-founder/drummer suggests to music retailers, "It's a new world. Recording with loops and samples will clearly play a part in it.".(Innovative Technology)
July 1, 2006... IT SHOULD COME AS NO surprise that a drummer known for his strong, idiosyncratic, and instantly identifiable playing style has some challenging ideas about music. Much to our industry's gain, Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood has become...

Understanding who you're selling to: if you don't know the difference between Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y, it's a sure bet you're missing a lot of sales.(CREATIVE RETAILING)
July 1, 2006... When it comes to marketing, one of the golden rules is "know your prospect." That couldn't be more relevant today, with consumer groups so diverse and fragmented. Do your business a favor and spend some time thinking about the likely targets...

Advancing the art of brasswind manufacture: since taking over the venerable Schilke company three years ago, Andrew and Julie Naumann have managed to double production while preserving a five-decade tradition of product quality. Retailers looking for an alternative high-end trumpet are taking notice.(SCHILKE TURNS 50)
July 1, 2006... Using a steady hand and a sharp, square-edged chisel, skilled craftsmen at the Schilke plant in Melrose Park, Illinois, meticulously scrape away all solder residue from each of the 48 joints that make up a completed trumpet body. It's a...

Steinway debuts new Essex line; new lower-priced Essex piano gives Steinway an entry in all major price points, signaling a major drive to expand marketshare. "Mercedes has 'C', 'E', and 'S' classes, we have Essex, Boston, and Steinway.".(NEW PRODUCT INTRO)
July 1, 2006... In a break from tradition, and as part of an effort to highlight the significance of a major product launch, Steinway & Sons hosted a mid-year dealer meeting for the company's entire North American dealer organization. Dealers at the three day...

Augsburger new Harman Pro Pres.; Mark Terry steps down.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2006... THE HARMAN PRO GROUP has announced changes to its senior management team that will become effective at the conclusion of the Group's current fiscal year on June 30, 2006. Blake Augsburger is promoted to President of Harman Pro Group. Mark...

Rossi heads Fender sales, marketing, & R&D.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2006... FENDER HAS PROMOTED Andy Rossi to the newly created position of senior vice-president of global marketing, sales, and R&D. He will lead personnel in each department and be responsible for the coordination and implementation their efforts...

Pritikin heads Adagio sales.(Kaysound Imports)
July 1, 2006... RICH PRITIKIN has been appointed vice-president of sales for the Adagio Piano Division of Kaysound Imports Inc. The Adagio Pianos brand has been established to meet dealers' requirements for a complete low-cost, reliable, and high-quality...

MacDonald named vp of domestic sales.(Loud Technologies)
July 1, 2006... MICHAEL MacDONALD has joined Loud Technologies as interim vice-president of domestic sales. He will be responsible for Loud's domestic sales team as well as the company's network of independent domestic reps. He will also be responsible for...

Pro-Mark names click new product manager.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2006... DON CLICK, founder and executive director of Music City Mystique, has joined Pro-Mark as product manager. He will be responsible for all new product development as well as evaluating and updating designs of existing products. Click's...

Riley, Griffin to support retailers.(Yamaha)
July 1, 2006... YAMAHA'S PRO AUDIO and Combo Division has hired two new product specialists to support its guitar and drum dealers. Jimmy Riley, the new product specialist for guitars, and Tom Griffin, the new product specialist for drums, will report to Tony...

Carolyn Manley named vp of marketing.(Gemstone)
July 1, 2006... CAROLYN MANLEY has been appointed vice-president of marketing at Gemstone Musical Instruments. She will manage all marketing components for the company's instrument lines, which include Gemeinhardt flutes and piccolos, Roy Seaman piccolos,...

Fung named strings product specialist.(Yamaha B&O)
July 1, 2006... VIOLINIST CYNTHIA FUNG has joined Yamaha's Band & Orchestral Division as strings product specialist. She will assist with marketing efforts for strings, including advertising, promotions, sales training, product development, and demonstration,...

Korg fine-tunes management team with Stockdale, Bradley, and Rhodes.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2006... KORG USA announced key changes in its management as a result of two appointments and one promotion. Michael Stockdale was recently appointed district sales manager for Korg USA's Mid-Atlantic region. He will be responsible for implementing...

The Music Trades Triathlon team.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2006... BRIAN AND PAUL MAJESKI, The Music Trades' editor and publisher, respectively, were the only "brother" team among the 680 participants at the annual Mighty Montauk Triathlon, held June 10 on the eastern tip of Long Island, New York. Enduring...

Chesbro expands senior management team.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2006... CHESBRO MUSIC COMPANY has added three men to its senior management team. Terry L. Orme has been named president; Marvin Kropielniski has been named vice-president of operations; and Arie Van Der Noot has been named vice-president of marketing...

Chris Statham to head Mel Bay Music Ltd.(Mel Bay Publications)
July 1, 2006... CHRIS STATHAM has been named managing director of Mel Bay Music Ltd., a new business venture of Mel Bay Publications of Pacific, Missouri. He will report to William Bay, president of Mel Bay Publications and will head the new Mel Bay Music Ltd....

Ovation marks 40th year with limited edition models.(PRODUCT NEWS)
July 1, 2006... FORTY YEARS AGO aeronautical wizard Charlie Kaman introduced his Roundback Ovation guitar to the world. Shortly after, blues legend Josh White became Ovation's first endorsee. To help commemorate this milestone anniversary, Ovation is...

New finishes for VX, QR, Q-Series: Mapex.(PRODUCT NEWS)
July 1, 2006... MAPEX HAS DEBUTED new finishes into each of the company's three entry-level drumset lines. Polished Black lacquer will be added to the six existing finishes in the VX Series. The VX Series features off-the-shell ITS mounts on basswood shells...