Music Trades articles from March 2006

Music Trades archives from March 2006

Retailers report holiday sales continue into January.(Industry Briefings)
March 1, 2006... U.S. retailers, buoyed by gift-card redemptions and unusually warm weather, posted stronger-than-anticipated sales gains in January. An index of 60 retailers, tracked by Retail Metrics LLC, a market research firm, showed an average gain in...

Consumer confidence at three year high.(Industry Briefings)
March 1, 2006... Consumer confidence hit a three-year high in January, according to the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index, though a gap persists between consumers' positive assessment of current conditions and their Iower expectations for the near...

Amazon.com earnings tumble 43%.(Industry Briefings)
March 1, 2006... Brick and mortar retailers regularly complain about the growth of online competitors. However, disappointing results at Amazon.com indicate that life for "e-tailers" is no bed of roses either. Hurt by increased competition and rising expenses...

Expertise in obscure instruments yields scholarships.(Industry Briefings)
March 1, 2006... The right instrument can turn that C major scale into major cash in college. "Generally, more obscure instruments give you a better shot at a scholarship than more common instruments, such as a violin," said Lawrence Ferrara, chairman of the...

Mass merchants and risk.(EDITORIAL)
March 1, 2006... Months before the devastating stock market crash of 1929, Joseph P. Kenned;had the foresight to liquidate his vast stock portfolio. Years later, when asked what prompted him to sell, the scion of one of America's most famous political dynasties...

Quarterly retail sales data.(Market intelligence)
March 1, 2006... The just-ended year was clearly a forgettable one. That's not to say that it was a disaster. In fact, what little bias there was tended to be to the upside, as retailers reporting to The Music Trades' quarterly sales report posted an increase...

Samick to build pianos in new Tennessee plant: 210,000-Sq.-Ft. Factory in Gallatin, TN, to Build Knabe, Sohmer, and Pramberger Pianos. Production moved closer to the market in an effort to be more responsive.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... SAMICK IS ALREADY selling pianos in nearly 50 countries with products produced at state-of-the-art factories in Indonesia, Korea, and China. However, for the future, the company is betting that the best way to compete in the allimportant U.S....

Top chainsaw maker touts independent dealers in ad blitz.
March 1, 2006... STIHL, THE COMPANY THAT virtually invented the chainsaw in 1926 and remains the world's leading manufacturer, recently launched a broad print ad campaign touting its 8,000 independent retailers in the U.S. The ads, which are running in major...

Reunited after 37 years--the amazing Saga of Alan Poster's stolen Corvette inspires millions not to give up on lost causes!(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... WHEN A VOICE over the phone announced "We've got your car," Alan Poster's first reaction was puzzlement. "What car?" he asked. When the response came, "Your Corvette that was stolen in 1969," his next thought was, "This is some kind of...

Bill Carpenter acquires Hamilton Stands: U.S. manufacturing to be augmented by expanded import line, marketing & service efforts to be stepped up.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... HAMILTON STANDS, the company that invented the folding music stand in 1883, has been acquired by Bill Carpenter, an industry veteran who has held key management posts at Remo Inc., Rico Reeds, and The Music Group. Terms of the transaction were...

Yamaha: PAC distributes Paiste to independent dealers.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... YAMAHA HAS ANNOUNCED that its Pro Audio & Combo Division would distribute the entire line of Paiste products to independent music retailers in the U.S. Paiste manufactures critically acclaimed cymbals and gongs in Switzerland and Germany....

PRS Guitars: victory upheld in trademark dispute with Gibson.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... PRS GUITARS HAS WON another round in the long-running trademark dispute with Gibson Guitar Corp. over the award-winning PRS Singlecuts; a Court of Appeals has refused to rehear the case. On September 12, 2005, a panel of three judges from...

Breedlove Guitar: 2005 revenues jump 51% over 2004.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... BREEDLOVE GUITAR COMPANY, a premier guitar and mandolin maker, reports that 2005 revenues exceeded $4.7 million, up 51% from 2004's $3.1 million. In 2005 many factors contributed to Breedlove's growth. The company launched a record 24 new...

Musicland files Chapter 11: 284 record stores to be closed, guitar makers prepare for a financial hit.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... MUSICLAND HOLDINGS filed Chapter 11 on January 13, a victim of continued declines in the sale of recorded music. At the time of the filing, the chain, which operates over 800 Sam Goody, Suncoast, and MediaPlay stores, reported assets of $371.5...

NAMM to aid Chinese music market.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... CONTINUING ITS LONG TRADITION of working closely with music products associations around the world including those in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Canada, and Spain, NAMM has entered into a new partnership with the China Music...

Zildjian: Fender new German & Austrian distributor.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... ZILDJIAN NAMED FENDER Musical Instruments GmbH its exclusive distributor in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland effective January 1. Fender Musical Instruments GmbH. based in Duseldorf, Germany, currently sells, markets, and distributes a...

G&L Instruments: Bassist Johnny April signs as endorser.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... JOHNNY APRIL, the bassist with Staind, is the latest artist to endorse G&L instruments. "The L-2500 is really all that I play," he said. The bassist, who purchased his first two G&L L-2500 five-string basses online, uses both of them onstage as...

Pearl River Marks 50th with all-out celebration festivities included top Chinese artists and were televised throughout China.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... MORE THAN 2,000 local and government dignitaries, long-time company employees, and dealer representatives from around the world traveled to Guangzhou, China, on January 8 to help Pearl River, the world's largest piano manufacturer. celebrate...

Conn-Selmer: Bach 50th Anniversary celebrated with new "Chicago" C Trumpet.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... IN APRIL 1955 Vincent Bach completed and delivered six C trumpets to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Four were selected by individual members of the trumpet section and purchased by the orchestra. The remaining two were sold to a music store...

Sabian: new display system stimulates sales and builds brand awareness.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... SABIAN DEBUTED its new Retail Vault cymbal display system at NAMM. The system has already generated acclaim for offering dealers a new level of merchandising flexibility and convenience. Though it comprises very few components, the system can...

Whacky Music: business booming with 4 million sold.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... WHACKY MUSIC, INC., manufacturers of the award-winning Boomwhackers Tuned Percussion Tubes, announced that its sales have surpassed four million tubes. First introduced in 1995, the patented Boomwhackers are unique instruments made of brightly...

QRS explores acquisition of NEMC.(FLASH)
March 1, 2006... QRS MUSIC TECHNOLOGIES, best known for its line of reproducing pianos, announced that it had entered into a letter of intent to acquire National Educational Music Co. (NEMC). The letter gives QRS exclusive rights to negotiate a purchase for a...

Buffet Crampon acquires Courtois Paris.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... BUFFET CRAMPON recently announced the acquisition of Courtois Paris, the famous French brass instrument company. Over the next few months Buffet Crampon will integrate production, distribution, and customer service to provide the best quality...

Publicly traded industry firms.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... PUBLICLY TRADED INDUSTRY FIRMS PRICE AS OF P/E 52-WEEK RANGE FEB. 15, 2005 RATIO HIGH-LOW Allen Organ Corp. $56.20 13.83 n/a Apple...

Altieri website offers potent information for retailers.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... ALTIERI INSTRUMENT BAGS has launched a new website, www.altieribags.com. "We welcome and encourage music dealers, music stores, and instrument makers to view our site and then contact us about dealer prices, merchant packages, and custom...

KHS marks 75th year with opening of stunning 12-story headquarters.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... TO CELEBRATE A DRAMATIC 75-year ascent, from a small bookstore in Taipei to a leading manufacturer of musical instruments, KHS hosted a gala party on December 8 2005 to dedicate its new 12-story headquarters building. Friends and associates...

Yamaha: artist affairs moves to Franklin, Tn.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
March 1, 2006... WHETHER IT'S NORAH JONES warming up a New York nightspot, Elton John melting down a Las Vegas theater, or Van Halen's Michael Anthony laying down the bass line at Cabo San Lucas, more than 3,500 famous and soon-to-be famous musical artists have...

Vater expands artist roster.(FLASH)
March 1, 2006... VATER PERCUSSION has announced its latest roster of endorsing artists: Kim Thompson of Mike Stern; Scott Ellis of She Wants Revenge; Meg White of White Stripes; Tony Escapa of Ricky Martin; Pedro Martinez, Lusito Quintero, and Steve Miller of...

Avalon music: Katrina victim drummer given new start.(RETAILER UPDATE)
March 1, 2006... Last November Avalon Music in Wenatchee, Washington, held a drum clinic featuring Tommy Clufetos, best known for his no-prisoners drumming with Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, and most recently Rob Zombie. The event was sponsored by Sonor drums,...

Daddy's Junky Music: Baker named exec. vp of sales & marketing.(RETAILER UPDATE)
March 1, 2006... BOBBY BAKER has been promoted to executive vice-president of sales and marketing for Daddy's Junky Music, the 21-store retail chain headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire. Baker's career at Daddy's began in 1989 as manager of the...

Ed Roman Guitars: Vegas dealer acquires all Hohner headless guitars.(RETAILER UPDATE)
March 1, 2006... ED ROMAN GUITARS recently acquired Hohner Guitar's entire inventory of headless guitars and basses and will now be the exclusive supplier of Hohner headless guitars, basses, and parts for the United States. Ed Roman Guitars is the only...

Gand Music & Sound: CD release party for battle of the bands.(RETAILER UPDATE)
March 1, 2006... GAND MUSIC & SOUND of Northfield, Illinois, recently held a CD release party for its summer Battle of the Bands promotion. Thirty-two bands participated in the summer-long contest for a total of $7,000 in manufacturer-sponsored prizes and...

Progressive percussion: third location opens in wake forest, NC.(RETAILER UPDATE)
March 1, 2006... PROGRESSIVE PERCUSSION Drum Studios, Inc., parent company to Progressive Music Center, has opened a new store in Wake Forest, North Carolina; it is the third location for the company. The new store features a small retail area with...

Guitar Center crowns Jamil Byrom the best "undiscovered drummer".(RETAILER UPDATE)
March 1, 2006... SHOWCASING HIS CHOPS in front of more than 2,000 screaming fans and some of today's most prominent drummers, Jamil Byrom of Dallas was crowned the nation's best undiscovered drummer at Guitar Center's 2005 Drum Off Grand Finals. In addition to...

Guitar Center Sales & earnings surge but wall street is unimpressed.(RETAILER UPDATE)
March 1, 2006... GUITAR CENTER REPORTED that sales advanced 20% to $562.8 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2005, up from $468.9 million a year ago. Net earnings advanced 23.6% to $33.5 million versus $27.1 million a year ago. For the full year, sales...

Are you addressing the hobbyist market? Only 7% of the population has tried a musical instrument, but the other 93% would like to. Reaching out to them is a great way to stimulate your business.(BOB POPYK ON SELLING)
March 1, 2006... THIS WAS A HECK of a trade show in Anaheim. Hundreds and hundreds of manufacturers, both big and small, from all over the country, and tens of thousands of dealers from the far reaches of the planet as well. My sessions in the NAMM Idea Center...

Blockbuster NAMM ... sign of a strong 2006? Attendance topped 80,000, and despite a lackluster fourth quarter, everyone seemed charged about the prospects for the coming year. Is it a case of mass delusion or could the industry be on the cusp of a dramatic upswing?(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... Consolidation has been one of the oft-cited trends that's supposedly reshaping the music products industry. Pessimists reason that in an age of unforgiving global competition and e-commerce, only the big can hope to survive, and smaller players...

Exploding product lines.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... One of the reasons that consolidation is slow in coming is the fact that, thanks to technology, the definition of music products keeps expanding. Exhibits at the first NAMM show in Atlantic City were limited to a handful of pianos. At this...

The Verdict on christmas.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... Firmly established January dates have made the NAMM show something of a referendum on the critical fourth quarter. A strong holiday selling season translates into robust turnout at the NAMM, while a bad Christmas usually means empty aisles in...

The mass merchant issue.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... The concern runs deepest among those serving guitar buyers. Several Guitar Center execs confided that guitars in mass merchant channels trimmed their entry-level sales by over 20% in the fourth quarter. The problem was exacerbated, they said,...

Prices begin to stabilize.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... While sinking prices may be a thing of the past, China remains more important than ever. More than 100 Chinese companies exhibited at NAMM, and at least 65% of all exhibitors present had some goods on display that carried the "Made in China"...

What to do about china.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... What's the proper strategy for a retailer to exploit China as a source? From our vantage point, it's some variation on "watch closely and wait." Some piano dealers are successfully importing their own private label pianos. However, success...

Time to get a grip.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... A major goal of most show attendees is to try to gain a better grip on what the coming 12 months has in store and figure out how best to prepare. An exhibit hall full of thousands of retailers and suppliers is an unusually good place to pick up...

Fishman pickups celebrates 25th.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... ACOUSTIC PICK-UP PIONEER LARRY FISHMAN celebrated the 25th anniversary of his Fishman Pick-ups with a gala party a Disney'e Elegant Grand Californian Hotel. Above (l-r) Larry Fishman, CEO; Paul Majeski, The Music Trades; Stuart Specter, Specter...

Marshall works with Hendrix Family to create limited-edition Hendrix Stack.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... IN CLOSE CONJUNCTION with Experience Hendrix, the family company established by the late father of the legendary guitarist, and after many months of painstaking research, Marshall Amplification has introduced a limited-edition, handwired Jimi...

Justified optimism or rose-colored glasses? Poll of exhibitors reveals widespread confidence that 2006 will be a banner year and that strong NAMM attendance figures were not based on hype.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... Based on your experience, show attendance with U.S dealers at this year's show compared to last year was: No Change 12% Up 5% 15% Up 6-10% 23% Up over 10% 27% Down 1-5% ...

Exhibitors speak: candid comments on business, the NAMM show, dealers, and what to expect in 2006.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... "We noticed a lot of dealer discussion about mass merchants. This has always been a major issue. However, with Target and Best Buy now showing an expanded offering of industry-standard brands, it has become an even bigger concern." "The...

GAMA expands guitar education drive.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... ROUGHLY FOUR MILLION KIDS sign up for school music programs every year, creating a large and predictable market opportunity for horn makers and their retailers. Trying to create a similar opportunity for fretted instruments, the Guitar and...

Fender marks 60th year with autographed guitar auction: over $450,000 raised for Local Community Center.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... FENDER Musical Instruments celebrated its 60th anniversary in dramatic style with an auction of autographed guitars. Proceeds will support the Fender Center for the Performing Arts, a nonprofit organization in Corona, California, that provides...

Success stories: industry execs Peavey and Lewis, along with Mick Fleetwood, Governor Mike Huckabee, and Sir Ken Robinson.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... HOW DO YOU CHART a successful career in the music products industry? Although there are no pat answers, NAMM assembled some standouts from inside and outside the industry to offer useful insights. Joe Lamond, NAMM CEO, moderated a far-ranging...

Mail order and sales tax? Is the playing field really level?(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... TO RAISE THE BLOOD PRESSURE of any brick-and-mortar merchant, all you have to do is mention the sales tax advantage enjoyed by catalog and internet merchants. Brick-and-mortar stores and their online counterparts essentially offer the same...

Sabian cymbals turns 25.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... SABIAN CELEBRATED ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY with a birthday cake and unveiled its new HHX Legacy line of cymbals. Extending the highly successful line of cymbals created with input from Dave Weckl, this introduction offers up the darker, richer, and...

Samick recognizes retail excellence.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... SAMICK TOP DEALER AWARD--BAIK Lee, chariman, SMC USA; Ed Hermanson, Washburn Piano; Bob Jones, pres.; J.S. Kim, Chairman. SAMICK TOP DEALER AWARD--Denise & Lisa Wunderlich, Southern Nevada Music, Las Vegas, NV, flank Bob Jones, pres. ...

Lowrey's innovative "quick start program" draws new demographic to organ.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... DEALERS TOOK THE STAGE at the opening of this year's Lowrey dealer breakfast to convince their peers that a now-completed test market of the company's QuickStart market development program had generated phenomenal results. "Simply put,...

MAP policies on trial: do they help? Do they hurt? Is there a better way?(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... MINIMUM ADVERTISED PRICE policies, better known as MAP: Do they help manufacturers maintain brand prestige and keep retailers profitable? Are they largely ineffectual? Or are they a destructive force that is squeezing the life out of...

Gator honors top performing reps.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... GATOR TOP SALES AWARD--Mark Stone, v.p. gen. mgr.; Pat Lee, Cowser Lee Marketing; Jerry Freed, pres.; Rich Anders, Jim Cowser, and Chris Stephens, Cowser Lee Marketing. GATOR TOP SALES AWARD--Mark Stone, v.p. gen. mgr; Dean Hinton, Mike...

Celebrating Gretsch's 125th anniversary.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... Kaman President Bob Saunders (left) and Fred & Dinah Gretsch presided over the cutting of a cake decorated with the Gretsch's logo. In recognition of this milestone, Gretsch also introduced 50 one-of-a-kind snare drums that feature vintage...

Piano manufacturers probe purchase process in exhaustive survey.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... WHO ARE THE typical piano purchasers, and what motivates them to buy? The Piano Manufacturers Association International (PMAI) recently probed these and other critical questions with an extensive consumer survey, conducted by The Phelps Group,...

Digidesign & M-Audio instruct and entertain, aided by Microsoft & Dell.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... DIGIDESIGN AND M-AUDIO (the latter acquired by Digidesign parent Avid Technology in 2005) conducted more than 20 product demos in their booth on the NAMM show floor. Additionally, Digidesign presented top-drawer acts such including The Goo Goo...

Yamaha 10 millionth horn essay winner crowned.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... YAMAHA CORPORATION of America, Band & Orchestral Division, announced the winner of an essay contest it held last autumn to celebrate the milestone production of its ten millionth wind instrument. Dr. Ella Steinberg, the band director at...

Mick Fleetwood at NAMM.(Report From NAMM)(Sound recording review)
March 1, 2006... FLEETWOOD MAC DRUMMER Mick Fleetwood appeared at the Sony booth to discuss Mick Fleetwood: Total Drumming loop library. He was joined by the project's producer, Jonathan Todd, and Sony Sound Development Manager Mike Scheibinger. After...

PMC pursues expanded educational initiative for drumming.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... THE PERCUSSION MARKETING Council held its annual all-member meeting, where percussion industry representatives discussed ongoing market-building activities including an expanded Roots of Rhythm curriculum, International Drum Month (IDM), and...

Roland hosts worship summit.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... AT THE ROLAND WORSHIP Summit, Roland Marketing Team Manager and worship leader Corey Fournier discussed the huge and rapidly growing worship music market. Fournier illustrated the music industry's rising awareness of this market with a...

Raising the bar on customer satisfaction: nothing can stop a business with the right attitude about customer satisfaction," states President Stevens.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... "THE LIFEBLOOD OF OUR present business and our future success is customer satisfaction," declared Bruce Stevens, president, Steinway and Sons, to a crowd of 300 Steinway dealers and retail sales personnel from around the world gathered at the...

Ovation guitars marks 40th anniversary at NAMM.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... OVATION GUITARS AND 1,000 top dealers, distributors, and artists marked the 40th anniversary of the unique round-back guitar with a star-studded concert at Winter NAMM. The party got started with a slideshow celebrating the various artists that...

Yamaha gets its groove back.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... AFTER TAKING a break in 2005, Yamaha Drums' former Groove Night, held from 2000 to 2004, returned to NAMM this year with its newly christened "Groove All Stars" concert. Previously held at a club in nearby Santa Ana, this year's event was...

Kawai makes big gains in 2005 high-powered institutional sales initiative unveiled.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... A FAR-REACHING GLOBAL Reorganization plan embraced by Kawai two years ago is now paying big dividends, according to company executives who addressed dealers at Kawai's 43fd annual President's Dinner held during the 2006 Winter NAMM Show. "The...

Young Chang thanks dealers for progress in 2005, company set for sale.(Report From NAMM)
March 1, 2006... A TURBULENT YEAR for Young Chang did not dampen the spirits of dealers gathered at a dealer dinner during this year's NAMM Show. Only 12 months ago the company resumed a stand-alone U.S. distribution company and showed up at NAMM with a handful...

D'Addario bolsters management, hiring Drumm as pres. and Vai to head sales.(PEOPLE)
March 1, 2006... MUSIC INDUSTRY VETERAN Rick Drumm was named president of J. D'Addario & Company, Inc., (JDC) effective February 1. Weeks earlier, the company had named David Vai as vice-president of sales. Jim D'Addario, who had held the title of...

Rick & Jack's excellent adventure: ex-GE chief participates in music industry personnel selection.(PEOPLE)
March 1, 2006... IN MID 2005, Jim D'Addario attended an exclusive two-day business management seminar led by Jack Welch, the celebrated former CEO of General Electric. During a one-on-one meeting, D'Addario related to Welch his challenge in finding a president...

KORG names Sands new DSM.(PEOPLE)
March 1, 2006... KORG USA has appointed Eric Sands as district sales manager for the Carolinas and Georgia. Sands will be responsible for implementing dealer sales and support programs. He brings to Korg 15 years of sales experience in the computer display...

Steinway & Sons: Gough named manager of institutional sales.(PEOPLE)
March 1, 2006... GLEN GOUGH has been appointed manager of institutional sales at Steinway & Sons. He will be working closely with the institutional managers of Steinway's authorized dealers in North America in coordinating the proactive cultivation of this...

Alfred: Houghton joins editing staff.(PEOPLE)
March 1, 2006... STEVE HOUGHTON, internationally renowned jazz drummer, percussionist, clinician, author, and educator, has been appointed associate percussion editor, school and church publishing at Alfred. Houghton iinitially received acclaim at age 20 as the...

International Audio Group: new top management team announced.(PEOPLE)
March 1, 2006... INTERNATIONAL AUDIO GROUP (IAG) has appointed Costa Lakoumentas to the newly established role of president of the lAG Professional Division. The company has also named Lisa Baldwin its director of marketing and Wayne Newitt its director of...

Cerwin-Vega Pro: Kim Comeux named national sales manager.(PEOPLE)
March 1, 2006... KIM COMEUX has been named national sales manager at Cerwin-Vega Pro, the professional products division of Cerwin-Vega, Inc. Comeux, an audio industry veteran with over 20 years of experience, will be based at Cerwin-Vega's Chatsworth,...

Steinway & sons: Malinosky new v.p. of finance.(PEOPLE)
March 1, 2006... MARK MALINOSKY has been appointed vice-president of finance at Steinway & Sons. He is responsible for overseeing the company's budgeting, operational analysis, and financial reporting activities from Steinway's New York headquarters. Bruce...

Lekas heads sales team at the music link.(FLASH)
March 1, 2006... MARK "CHRIS" LEKAS has been promoted to sales team manager at The Music Link. He has been with the company for four years as a sales representative and will now manage a team of sales representatives, enforce The Music Link's MAP policy,...

Sabian: Houlden new executive director.(PEOPLE)
March 1, 2006... SABIAN LTD. has announced the appointment of Jackie Houlden to the newly created position of executive director. In addition to overseeing Sabian European Sales and Marketing activity, Houlden will now join the Meductic, New Brunswick-based...

Freehand Systems: Dingley to head public relations.(PEOPLE)
March 1, 2006... ROBERT M. DINGLEY has joined Freehand Systems International as director of publisher relations. Dingley has been involved in educational and performance-based retail music merchandising and publishing for over 30 years. He has developed a...

Weril's new pro Sax line.(PRODUCT NEWS)
March 1, 2006... WERIL, THE BRAZILIAN manufacturer that exports to more than 40 countries around the world, launched a new pro-level saxophone at NAMM. Developed and tested by leading sax players in Brazil and other countries, Weril's new Supremo Professional...

Behringer offers new keyboards.(PRODUCT NEWS)
March 1, 2006... [telephone] BEHRINGER PLUNGED into the keyboardinstrument segment of the industry at the winter NAMM show in Anaheim with the launch of the EuroGrand EG2040 and EuroGrand EG1040 digital pianos and a brand-new umx series of master keyboards:...

Washburn: new Mandolin debuts at NAMM.(PRODUCT NEWS)
March 1, 2006... WASHBURN UNVEILED two additions to its line of Bluegrass instruments at the Winter NAMM Show: a banjo, the B160, and a mandolin, the M120. Played by National Banjo Champion Sonny Smith, the Washburn B160 features a rosewood fretboard for...

Woodies: G-Band Capo demo DVD.(PRODUCT NEWS)
March 1, 2006... RESPONDING TO NUMEROUS dealer and distributor requests at the winter NAMM show, Woodies G-Band is offering a DVD with detailed demonstrations of musical applications for his company's G-Band and G-Band 11 capos. Woodies G-Band President Colin...

Valuetone: Tyro Clarinets launched at NAMM.(PRODUCT NEWS)
March 1, 2006... THIS YEAR'S NAMM show saw the introduction of a new line of premium-level student clarinets designed by world-renowned performer and teacher Mitchell Lurie. The new line is being marketed under the Tyro brand, a name which literally means "a...