Music Trades articles from March 2005

Music Trades archives from March 2005

NAMM show rants & raves.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Not to sound like an aging reporter on CBS's 60 Minutes, but do you really want to know what bugs me about our trade show? I really dislike the drum companies who don't seem to understand the importance of having their drums tuned. Mind you I'm...

Ad misquotes piano designer.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... The December 2004 and January 2005 issues of The Music Trades magazine carried an advertisement for Perzina pianos (Piano Empire, Inc.). This ad contains what is purported to be a direct quotation from a copyrighted essay I wrote for The Piano...

The perfect organization.(Letters)
March 1, 2005... Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500 employees and has the following statistics: * 29 have been accused of spousal abuse * 7 have been arrested for fraud * 19 have been accused of writing bad checks...

Music makes a difference for every student at Whittier City Schools.(Advertisement)
March 1, 2005... In 1996, Dr. Carmella S. Franco became superintendent of the Whittier City School District in Whittier, California. Since that time there have been two things that children at every grade level in the 7,300-student district have shared in...

Quarterly retail sales data.(Market Intelligence)
March 1, 2005... QUARTERLY RETAIL SALES DATA % CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS YEAR THREE MONTHS ENDED DEC. 31, 2004 PRODUCT CATEGORY THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPT. 30, 2004 THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE...

Market intelligence.
March 1, 2005... INDUSTRY SALES ADVANCED a strong 4.4% in the all-important fourth quarter according to retailers responding to The Music Trades' quarterly sales report. For the three-month period ending December 31, 2004, music dealer sales totaled $2.44...

Quarterly retail sales by region.
March 1, 2005... QUARTERLY RETAIL SALES BY REGION WEST TOTAL STORE SALES 5.4% Fretted Instruments 6.8% Instrument Amplifiers 6.7% Sound Products 6.2% MIDI Products ...

Using technology to end gray marketing.(Industry Briefings)
March 1, 2005... Manufacturers, retailers, and distributors can't adjust prices fast enough to keep pace with the continual fluctuations in world currency valuations, which gives rise to the problem of "gray marketing." Over the years, music industry...

The huge & growing ring tone market.(Industry Briefings)
March 1, 2005... Recorded music sales continue to slump, but the market for cell-phone ring tones is booming. Last year consumers spent a reported $2.2 billion on ringers based on pop hits. The trend has even persuaded a host of musicians to turn their talents...

Even heavy metal can ease pain.(Industry Briefings)
March 1, 2005... Music has long been known to calm and relax. But research from the Universite de Montreal suggests that it does more than merely create a distraction from pain; it induces an emotional reaction that can diminish pain by up to 15 percent. In a...

Retail vacancy rates decline as consumer confidence rises.(Industry Briefings)
March 1, 2005... The nation's retailers added space in the fourth quarter, pushing down vacancy rates in malls and strip malls while driving rents almost one percent higher, according to a new survey by Reiss Inc., a retail research company. Rents were up 0.8...

Costco now sells caskets.(Industry Briefings)
March 1, 2005... Music retailers large and small have been uneasy about the presence of guitars and keyboards on the shelves of warehouse retailer Costco. They're not the only specialty merchants with a gripe however. In September Costco began test-marketing...

The Korean wrecking crew.(Editorial)
March 1, 2005... There's a long-standing joke in the U.S. (probably dating back to the days of Thomas Jefferson) about running the other way whenever you hear the dreaded words, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." The Korean Federal Trade Commission...

Will the real Young Chang distributor please stand up? Heavy-handed Korean government creates confusion with decision to void Samick purchase of Young Chang. Dealers are left wondering where to buy pianos.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... THE CONTROVERSY AT the NAMM show between Samick Music Corporation (SMC) and AND Corporation over distribution rights for Young Chang and Kurzweil-branded products in the U.S.A. shows no sign of easing anytime soon. In what could be one of the...

PRS Guitars teams up with Corvette Racing.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... PAUL REED SMITH GUITARS has announced a partnership with General Motors and Corvette Racing. The agreement will feature a PRS logo on the brand-new Corvette C6-R racecar during the 2005 race season and Corvette logos on custom designed PRS...

ITC stops Belgian retailer from gray-marketing Yamaha keyboards.(Breaking News)
March 1, 2005... BELGIUM-BASED Patrick Piens Music, which operates over a dozen websites, including www.synthplanet.com, www.guitarbargains.com, and www.keyboardshop.com, has gained notoriety among U.S. retailers as being a source of maddeningly low price...

Hartley Peavey: the face of Meridian, Mississippi.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... PEAVEY ELECTRONICS founder Hartley Peavey is the latest notable resident of Meridian, Mississippi, to be featured in a new billboard campaign aiming to stimulate tourism and investment in the region. A billboard has been placed on Interstate...

Fund-raising appeal for tsunami victims.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... INDONESIA WAS the country hardest hit by the tsunami that caused the deaths of close to 200,000 throughout Southeast Asia. This incomprehensible devastation has inspired AI Rich, CEO of the Pearl River Piano Group America, and his wife,...

Spain's Alhambra forms U.S. distribution arm.(Classical Guitars)
March 1, 2005... IN A BID TO boost its competitiveness in the U.S. market, Alhambra, one of Spain's largest guitar manufacturers, has started a U.S. distribution company in Asheville, North Carolina. Geoff Ferdon, an avid guitar enthusiast with years of sales...

JBL earns Grammy for audio excellence.(Corporate Honors)
March 1, 2005... IN AN INDUSTRY FIRST, the Recording Academy presented JBL Professional with a Technical Grammy Award at a special ceremony held prior to the 47th annual Grammy Awards that were telecast live on February 13. JBL Professional President and...

Horst Wittner takes 100% control of famed metronome firm.(Ownership Change)
March 1, 2005... HORST WITTNER and his daughter Sabrina recently completed the acquisition of additional shares of Wittner Gmbh from Hartmut Wittner, giving them 100 percent control of the 110-year-old metronome and music accessory manufacturer. "This...

Ultimate wins infringement suit against Peak: federal judge stops sale of select Peak Music stands.(Breaking News)
March 1, 2005... ULTIMATE SUPPORT SYSTEMS, Inc., a leading manufacturer of stands for the music and audio industry, has prevailed in an intellectual property suit against Peak Music, its supplier, Shanghai Max Precision, and principals of the two companies,...

New Schimmel piano models yield record sales in U.S.(Industry Forecast)
March 1, 2005... UNLIKE THE MAJORITY of European piano makers, Schimmel Piano of Germany has been actively pursuing the U.S. market for nearly 40 years. Decades of market-building work were rewarded in 2004 with the best U.S. sales in the company's history. ...

Viscount adds Galileo digital piano line.(New Products)
March 1, 2005... LOOKING TO PUT increasing emphasis on its Italian heritage, Viscount US has announced a major development of its digital piano collection. Introduced at the Winter NAMM show, the Galileo name will be used for a unique, one-of-a-kind digital...

Limited-edition Martin guitar honors U.S. armed forces.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... ON JANUARY 28 C.F. Martin employees paid tribute to the members of the armed services who selflessly defend our country with the presentation of a Veterans' Guitar to "The President's Own" United States Marine Band. U.S. Marine Band Director...

Levy's Leathers plant sports Canada's largest mural.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... LAST SUMMER Levy's Leathers commissioned local mural artist Charlie Johnston of C5 Artworks to paint its factory and office building, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The mural is a 16,000-square-foot continuous piece of art wrapping...

LP donates percussion instruments to Tito Puente Education Complex.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL in East Harlem, New York City, has been renamed The Tito Puente Education Complex. Formerly called Junior High 117M, the school is located at 240 East 109th Street between Second and Third Avenues, just blocks away from...

American Music replaces Korg as U.S. distributor.(Vestax DJ Gear)
March 1, 2005... AMERICAN MUSIC & SOUND (AM&S), the U.S. distributor for Allen & Heath audio gear, Walden and Hagstrom Guitars, among others, has been named the U.S. distributor for Vestax products. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Vestax Corporation manufactures...

Music Group sells winter case, Hofner to management.(Breaking News)
March 1, 2005... IMMEDIATELY PRIOR to the NAMM show The Music Group announced the sale its Karl Hofner and Jakob Winter Case divisions. Based outside of Nurenberg, Germany, Hofner manufactures a broad line of guitars and violins and is best known for producing...

Casio underwites top-rated PBS show, The Piano Guy.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... CASIO IS CONTINUING its support of music education by underwriting the weekly public television series, The Piano Guy, hosted by Scott Houston. Houston has been showing public television viewers how to the play piano like professionals in a...

Knilling String acquires "Perfection" Pegheds.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... KNILLING STRING INSTRUMENTS and Chuck Herin, founder and owner of Pegheds, Inc., completed an agreement that grants St. Louis Music, owner of Knilling String Instruments, perpetual worldwide license to manufacture and market Perfection...

D'Addario expansion speeds deliveries on all products.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... IN A BID TO REDUCE delivery times throughout the country, J. D'Addario & Company, Inc., has expanded its facilities on both the East and West Coasts. A new warehouse facility has been purchased in Pacoima, California, four miles from the...

Gibson buys out key European distributor.(Gibson Guitars)
March 1, 2005... GIBSON EUROPE and Monzino have announced a transition to full ownership of Gibson Med, Gibson Guitar's distribution unit located in Milan, Italy, that services Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Malta, and Cyprus. "Our new...

Tanglewood guitars debut at NAMM.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... TANGLEWOOD GUITARS made their U.S.A. debut at the NAMM Winter Show in Anaheim. Tanglewood guitars have earned the reputation as Europe's best selling brand of quality acoustic guitars and are just now being introduced to the North American...

Epanded hdq. moved to Mesa, Arizona.(Players Music)
March 1, 2005... PLAYERS MUSIC ACCESSORIES has moved its offices, manufacturing, warehouse, and shipping/receiving facilities from San Jose, California, to Mesa, Arizona. The new building is at 726 East Broadway Road in Mesa. The mailing address is P.O. Box...

Sheila E makes for memorable school night.(Toca Percussion)
March 1, 2005... SHEILA E, the acclaimed percussionist/drummer and Toca Percussion endorser, staged a solo concert at Landis Intermediate School in Vineland, New Jersey, last October. Six hundred people lined up outside the school on a chilly night; some were...

PianoDisc opens first two offices in China.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... PIANODISC HAS OPENED its first Chinese offices in the cities of Beijing and Shenzhen. Tom Lagomarsino, executive vice-president, said that the new offices were opened to better serve Northern and Southern China, where there is local market...

Line 6 to distribute Propellerhead line.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... LINE 6 HAS BEEN named the exclusive U.S. distributor of Propellerhead Software products, which include the top-selling Reason software synthesizer program. Propellerhead had relied on M-Audio for its U.S. distribution for the past five years....

Strong trade shows bolster NAMM revenue: market development expenditures up 17% to $5 mill.(Breaking News)
March 1, 2005... STRONG TURNOUT at the Anaheim and Nashville tradeshows helped increase revenues at NAMM eight percent to $17.1 million for the 2004 calendar year. In the annual report to members NAMM CEO Joe Lamond explained, "NAMM operates on a 'circle of...

Celebrates 25 years of innovation.(Rhythm Tech)
March 1, 2005... WHAT BEGAN 25 years ago as one drummer's effort to make his life as a studio musician more efficient and less awkward has transformed an ancient instrument into a modern success story and become the state-of-the-art for virtually every drummer...

Musiccorp honors Evets-Danelectro.(Breaking News)
March 1, 2005... MUSICORP RECENTLY NAMED Evets Corporation-Danelectro the recipient of the first annual "Supplier of the Year" award for excellence during calendar year 2004. The award, which is given based on criteria that include quality of products,...

Share prices of publicly traded industry firms.(Industry Forefront)
March 1, 2005... SHARE PRICES OF PUBLICLY TRADED INDUSTRY FIRMS PRICE AS OF P/E FEB 10, 2005 RATIO Allen Organ Corp. $65.07 15.49 Avid...

Guitar Center buys Music & Arts for $90 Mill: American Music Group Stores will be rebadged as Music & Arts Stores under direction of CEO Ken O'Brien. Guitar Center's Marty Albertson predicts 400 stores and $500 million in revenue in five years.(Retailer Update)
March 1, 2005... GUITAR CENTER HAS entered an agreement to pay $90 million in cash to acquire the 60-store Music & Arts Center chain. The deal, which is slated to close in the second quarter of 2005, also calls for Guitar Center to assume approximately $8...

18% sales gain drive Guitar Center sales over $1.5 billion.(Retailer Update)
March 1, 2005... GUITAR CENTER POSTED banner results for the fourth quarter and the full year, surpassing Wall Street expectations. Net sales increased 18.5% to $468.9 million from $395.8 million in the comparable period last year. Consolidated net sales for...

Record year prompts major expansion.(Sweetwater Sound)
March 1, 2005... RIDING A CREST of record-breaking 2004 sales, Sweetwater is planning for major expansion in 2005, including the addition of up to 40 new sales engineers to accommodate the dramatic growth in business. The pro audio and musical instrument...

Blackwell and Rabb at Midwest Drum clinics.(Retailer Update)
March 1, 2005... MIDWEST DRUM & PERCUSSION of Wichita, Kansas, promoted International Drum Month with special promotions including a duo of drum clinics featuring John Blackwell, drummer for Prince, and drum guru Johnny Rabb. The Blackwell clinic was...

Schmitt & Jordan Kitt's acquire Chicago's Beautiful Sound.(Retailer Update)
March 1, 2005... SCHMITT MUSIC CO. OF Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Jordan Kitt's Music of Washington, DC, the nation's two largest piano retailers, have announced a purchase agreement to acquire the assets of The Beautiful Sound in Chicago, Illinois. The...

Interstate Music DrummerFest draws thousands.(Retailer Update)
March 1, 2005... INTERSTATE MUSIC in New Berlin, Wisconsin, held its fourth annual DrummerFest on November 20. The store said the 2004 DrummerFest was "bigger and better than ever." Drum enthusiasts from the Milwaukee area and as far away as Pennsylvania sought...

Expanded New York facility opens.(Dale Pro Audio)
March 1, 2005... DALE PRO AUDIO of New York City has introduced a state-of-the-art technology showroom and Pro Parts Department created by Walters-Storyk Design Group (WSDG). Scrupulously planned to meet the training and demo needs of Dale's skilled sales team,...

Pecknel sponsors flute clinics.(Retailer Update)
March 1, 2005... TWO FLUTISTS and clinicians from Leesburg, Virginia--Judith Lapple Kashak and her daughter, Jennifer Lapple--visited a number of South Carolina schools recently to promote clinics for area flute students. The clinics were sponsored by Pecknel...

Full Compass jams with Starin Marketing.(Retailer Update)
March 1, 2005... REPS FROM STARIN Marketing of Chesterton, Indiana, headed north to Middleton, Wisconsin, in December for their yearly jam with members of the Full Compass sales staff. The latest gathering was held at Tallard's Station, a bar in Middleton.

Fields Pianos hosts Steinway's Peace Piano.(Retailer Update)
March 1, 2005... FIELDS PIANOS, the authorized Steinway dealership in Los Angeles, recently presented the 2005 Los Angeles engagement of the Steinway Peace Piano. The event benefited the youth education program of the Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance...

What a great show! Excitement, great music, amazing new products ... no wonder thousands make it a point of going to NAMM. Is this a great business or what?(Bob Popyk On Selling)
March 1, 2005... Winter NAMM 2005 was definitely one for he record books. I don t know what the final attendance figures were, but it was wall-to-wall people on most of the days. Navigating the aisles at times was a trick. Trying to get near some of the booths...

Enthusiastic dealers, increased attendance, and an optimistic forecast: exhibitors assess the NAMM show.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... PUT NEARLY 1,500 companies selling everything from accordions to zithers under a single roof for four days and then ask them how things went. Needless to say, the responses are going to vary significantly, from wildly enthusiastic to...

GAMA guitar program yields millions in plus sales.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... GUITAR INSTRUCTION IN the public school curriculum has been a dream of the guitar industry ever since the folk music began rising in popularity in the '50s. Ten years ago, under the auspices of the Guitar and Accessory Manufacturers Association...

Organ Power goes to Broadway.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... ROLAND/RODGERS' seventh annual Organ Power concert presented, as always, a cavalcade of luminaries from the organ world, but this year's event followed an especially appealing theme: music of The Great White Way. "Back To Broadway" represented...

U.S. Music films documentary at NAMM.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... IN WHAT IS PROBABLY a first, U.S. Music Corporation, the maker of the Washburn Guitar, turned part of its NAMM exhibit into a venue for filming a documentary on the guitar. Titled appropriately enough "Guitar," the upcoming film celebrates the...

Yamaha VIP dealers honored.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... AT A BANQUET honoring a select group of VIP dealers, Yamaha Piano division management pledged to further burnish the already illustrious Yamaha brand and increase retail sales and gross margins. "Our goal is to help you sell more and at a...

Guitarists "who's who" perform at PRS 20th bash.
March 1, 2005... CELEBRATING HIS company's 20th anniversary, Paul Reed Smith hosted a concert and party at that generated one of the biggest buzzes of the 2005 Winter NAMM. Held at The Grove in Anaheim, the event's talent lineup included some of the most...

First Act rocks Disney.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... FIRST ACT HOSTED an industry party and jam session at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. The First Act All-Star Jam Band featured Lance Keltner, Carmine Rojas and Tal Bergman (all of Simranking and Ulftone/Edel Records; Bernard...

Kawai details 3-year initiative to strengthen global operations.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... AT A DINNER HONORING Kawai dealers on January 20 at the NAMM show, Kawai President Hirotaka Kawai reported that the company recently embarked on a three-year global plan to bring renewed focus to its core businesses and to realign operations in...

Mason & Hamlin 150th celebrated.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... Kirk and Gary Burgett, principals of PianoDisc and its Mason & Hamlin subidiary, celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Mason & Hamlin piano at a dealer dinner during the NAMM show. Tom Lagomarsino, Pianodisc exec. v.p., with his wife...

Gemini sound honors top rep.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... GEMINI SOUND--Jeff Handis, dir. of sis.; Alan Cabasso, co-CEO; Robert Louis, RL & Assoc.; Keith Veshecco; Mark Bowden; Bernie Fryman; Artie Cabasso, co-CEO. RL & Associates was named Rep of the Year. ACE PRODUCTS---Greg Bissonette, Alan...

Korg's high-powered new keyboard.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO Korg revolutionized keyboard synthesis with the introduction of the M-l, the first true workstation. At this year's NAMM show, the company carried the "all-in-one" workstation concept to its logical conclusion with the...

Gator cases names top rep firms.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... Jerry Freed, CEO; Mike Knudsen & Dean Hinton, Rocky Mountain Music Sales; Mark Stone, sis. mgr. Jerry Freed second from left, and Mark Stone, fourth from left, with On The Road Marketing's John Stafford, Doug Brown, John Gagne, John Krupa,...

Remo sees "recrational music" as source of industry growth in 2005.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... AT AN INTERNATIONAL SALES meeting held during NAMM, Remo Inc. executives reviewed sales gains made during 2004 and ongoing initiatives and programs aimed at enhancing the company's image and reach worldwide. Typically, CEO Remo Belli's focus...

Fender receptions honor top retailers.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... Surprise guest Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top fame (second from left) with Fender CEO Bill Schultz, Mike Lewis, Gretsch prod. mgr.; and Bill Mendello, pres. Bill Mendello (left) and Bill Schultz (center) present performance awards to Greg Golden,...

Ibanez teams with Alien creator.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... H.R. GIGER MAY not be a household name, but anyone who has seen the blockbuster film Alien is familiar with his work. Since 1962 the prolific "Fantasy Realist" artist has produced acclaimed sculpture, paintings, and illustrations, culminating...

Sonare Winds hosts dealer reception.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED Caption: SONARE WINDS--Pascal Veraquin, Pascal Veraquin Inc., Montreal; Roberta Gillette, Powell Flutes; Steve France, Summerhays Music Center, Murray, UT; David Kilkenny, genl. mgr. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED ...

D'Addario marks 100th year at NAMM.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... J. D'Addario & Co., the leading string manufacturer and parent company of Evans drumheads and Rico reeds, took the opportunity at the NAMM show to celebrate its 100th year of string making in the U.S. At a cake-cutting presentation, John...

New model, focused marketing fuel Steinway growth: company finishes the year with major institutional sales and gains in market share.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... CONTRASTING A CHALLENGING and sometimes uncertain piano market, Steinway & Sons announced to its dealers gathered at the company's 20th annual dealer meeting that 2004 will go down in the record books as one of the most successful in the...

Loud technologies rebounding.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... LOUD TECHNOLOGIES hosted a breakfast/press conference to discuss initiatives contributing to the company's return to profitability. Formerly known as Mackie Designs, Inc., Loud Technologies engineers, manufactures, and markets professional...

Lowrey dealers honored for strong performance.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... FOLLOWING A YEAR That saw a 25% rise in students entering beginning Lowrey Organ lesson programs, executives from this Chicago-based organ company are pushing dealers to set a goal of 30% for 2005. At the company's annual dealer meeting at the...

Taylor's new electric guitar.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... MOST OF THE PRODUCT development work in the guitar business centers around coming up with new finishes, different woods, and enhanced inlay work. Not so with Taylor's new T-5, a distinctive thinline electric that uses a proprietary pickup...

Vandoren celebrates century of reed making.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... FAMED FRENCH REED MAKER Vandoren, celebrated its centennial with a gala reception at NAMM. Even the wine served at the event was from the vineyard of company principal Bernard Vandoren. Above (l-r) Patrick Scheidecker, Vandoren; John Stoner,...

78 new products for Behringer.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... HOLDING TO ITS LONG-STANDING promise of "double the features at half the price," Behringer introduced a record 78 new products at NAMM, all of which dramatically pushed the value envelope. Covering every link in the audio chain, from wired...

Refined agenda for percussion council.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... THE PERCUSSIVE MARKETING COUNCIL gathered to discuss the association's advocacy and market building activities over the past year and to refine its agenda for 2005. Raising awareness of the benefits of drumming peaked last year thanks in part...

Seymour Duncan debuts "Tweak Fuzz".(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... SEYMOUR DUNCAN generated plenty of noise in the guitarist community at NAMM when it introduced its new Tweak Fuzz pedal for guitar and bass. Alex Saraceno, Tweak Fuzz's chief designer, explained the pedal's development history and design...

Samick recognizes top dealers.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... SAMICK MUSIC CORP. hosted a dinner and awards ceremony to thank its top-producing piano dealers of 2004. The Multi-Million Dollar Dealer Award went to Jordan Kitt's Music, College Park, Maryland. Million Dollar Dealer Awards were given to...

The first completely wireless solution.(NAMM 2005)
March 1, 2005... PHONIC CORPORATION has broken new ground with the introduction of the first wireless active p.a. speaker. Unveiled at NAMM, the Performer Series active speakers utilize the ultra-fast 2.4 GHz bandwidth to communicate wirelessly with mixers and...

Piano Manufacturers honor sales reps.
March 1, 2005... WHETHER YOU REFER to them as Piano Travelers, district sales managers, or reps, the individuals who represent piano manufacturers in the field and call on retailers perform a vital, although often-overlooked function. This year The Piano...

Seiler piano launches new U.S. sales & marketing effort.(People)
March 1, 2005... SELLER PIANOFORTEFABRIK announced its new U.S. sales and marketing team and introduced the flagship of its professional piano line, the Seller 9'2" concert grand piano, at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim. Seiler pianos will be represented in...

Sonor head Althoff joins Hohner board.(People)
March 1, 2005... MATTH. HOHNER AG, based in Trossingen, Germany, has appointed Stefan Althoff as vice-member of its management board. Althoff, 43, will continue in his role as managing director of the Hohner subsidiary, Sonor GmbH.

Industry vet Maher joins marketing team.(American Sejung)
March 1, 2005... INDUSTRY VETERAN John Maher has joined America Sejung Corp. (ASC) as fretted instrument vice-president of marketing. He spent the last three years learning about the music retail chain business as vice-president of marketing with Brook Mays...