Music Trades articles from November 2005

Music Trades archives from November 2005

Much more than a trade paper.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... I was flabbergasted to read your very flattering story about me at age 90 and I wanted to thank you for taking the trouble to do this. You make me sound wonderful--almost like an obituary but I don't have sense enough to lie down and expire....

In praise of NAMM leadership.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... The election of Dennis Houlihan as chairman of NAMM is a monumental event. Never before has a manufacturer lead what was originally a dealers organization. In fact, the suppliers have traditionally been NAMM's customers. NAMM sells space at...

Thanks for industry support.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... All of us who were born and raised in New Orleans have been made well aware of the power of hurricanes. Most of us have developed a weird combination of sell-dependency and inter-dependency. For the most part, it was considered bad form to...

Should mail order sales be taxed?(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... Despite having a very strong internet presence, which lends itself to opposing your letter, I am all for requiring sales tax on internet and catalog purchases. My sales tax concerns are not limited, however, to catalogs and the internet. My...

Marketplace realities demand new approach to map policies: with fixed costs the same on all merchandise, a sliding pricing scale makes sense.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
November 1, 2005... Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policies arose as a way to simultaneously address the needs of both suppliers and their retailers. For retailers, by limiting the level of advertised discounts, MAP was intended to stave off the kind of...

Quarterly retail sales data.(Market Intelligence)
November 1, 2005... QUARTERLY RETAIL SALES DATA EST. DOLLAR VOLUME FROM SAME ...

Market intelligence.
November 1, 2005... AMERICAN CONSUMERS MAY BE defying predictions that they would cut spending after Hurricane Katrina pushed up gasoline prices and undercut confidence, according to music dealers reporting to The Music Trades magazine third quarter retail sales...

Quarterly retail sales by region.(Market Intelligence)
November 1, 2005... QUARTERLY RETAIL SALES BY REGION WEST TOTAL STORE SALES 3.2% Fretted Instruments 2.2% Instrument Amplifiers -.5% Sound Products 4.3% MIDI Products 2.6% Percussion Products 2.5%...

Spending on music programs edges up.(Industry Briefings)
November 1, 2005... The Instrumentalist magazine reports that funding for the average school music program advanced 4.5% in 2005, versus the previous year. Funding from tax revenues increased 2% while fund-raising proceeds were up 6%. Increased funds were matched...

Chinese classical pianist enjoys rock star status.(Industry Briefings)
November 1, 2005... Yundi Li, the 22-year-old Chinese pianist who recently won the International Chopin Competition, is acclaimed in musical circles for his soulful interpretations of Liszt, Chopin, and other great Romantic composers. In China, however, he enjoys...

Modeling software analyzes vibration.(Industry Briefings)
November 1, 2005... If a musical instrument has never been built before, how can you know what it will sound like? That's the question UC Berkeley graduate student Cynthia Bruyns is answering with Vibration Lab, software she's designing to simulate the sound of...

Is music good for the heart?(Industry Briefings)
November 1, 2005... For musicians trained to synchronize breathing with musical phrases, listening or playing music provides exceptional stress relief, according to a new study released by scientists from the University of Pavia and the University of Oxford. The...

Music and insurance, strange bedfellows.(EDITORIAL)
November 1, 2005... The music industry and the life insurance business don't seem to have much in common. But they're similar in one critical respect; both rely heavily on creative sales and promotion. With most mass consumer items, from automobiles to laundry...

$136 million Gibson transaction reflects power of trademarks: Bank Of America secured loans against Gibson, Epiphone, and Baldwin names.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2005... TRADEMARKS AND BRAND names don't appear on balance sheets, but they are increasingly viewed as critical assets, especially now that manufacturing facilities are shifting from country to country at an accelerating pace. But how do you go about...

FreeHand Systems goes public through acquisition.(FLASH)
November 1, 2005... FREEHAND SYSTEMS, INC., the maker of digital sheet music delivery sytems, has been acquired by U.S. Environmental, Inc. The acquisition was primarily a means for Freehand to rapidly go public. Upon completion of the transaction, the combined...

Forum members attend two-day open house.(Ernie Ball)
November 1, 2005... MORE THAN 160 Ernie Ball Music Man Forum members attended the first-ever Ernie Ball Music Man Open House September 16 and 17 at San Luis Obispo, California. The event celebrated the rising popularity of the Ernie Ball Forum, featured on the...

Eminence speaker opens first Chinese plant.
November 1, 2005... EMINENCE SPEAKER HAS established Eminence Dongguan in the Chinese province of Guangdong. Dongguan is strategically located 56 miles from Shenzhen to the south and 31 miles from Guangzhou to the north. It is only 62 miles from Hong Kong. The...

First Act opens Boston retail guitar showroom.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2005... FIRST ACT CELEBRATED THE grand opening of its first retail guitar store, The First Act Guitar Studio, on September 9. The gala event featured a performance by Paul Westerberg, founder of legendary rock band The Replacements. Located at 745...

Violinist Chieyn Tan signs as endorser.(Shadow Electronics)
November 1, 2005... SHADOW ELECTRONICS HAS signed violinst Chien Tan as an endorser. A native of Nova Scotia, Canada, Chien played the piano, ukulele, and recorder before finally settling on violin at the age of ten. She received her undergraduate degree at the...

Technote keyboard launched by ex Technics software engineers.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2005... TECHNOTE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS might seem like a new name in the music industry--but it isn't. It produced most of the software and accessories for Technics over the last 14 years. The company is based in Tampa, Florida, and changed the direction...

Pickup guru honored by Duquesne Univ.(Seymour Duncan)
November 1, 2005... SEYMOUR W. DUNCAN, pickup guru and co-principal of Seymour Duncan Pickups, Santa Barbara, California, was given the "Outstanding Achievement in Guitar Electronics" award on July 26 by Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The award...

Contest celebrates Yamaha's ten millionth wind instrument.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2005... YAMAHA'S BAND & ORCHESTRAL Division is celebrating the milestone production of its ten millionth wind instrument with an essay contest to thank the schools and educators who have supported the company through the years. A first prize of $20,000...

Samick sends guitars to U.S. troops in Iraq.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2005... SAMICK MUSIC CORP. provided four Greg Bennett Design guitars to U.S. troops in Iraq by way of its dealer, Columbia River Music in The Dalles, Oregon, and store owner Greg Weast. The guitars were greatly appreciated and brought joy to the troops...

Canadian dealers & coast music hosted.(Vic Firth)
November 1, 2005... VIC FIRTH RECENTLY hosted its exclusive Canadian distributor, Coast Music, and its key Canadian dealers at the Vic Firth manufacturing plant in Newport, Maine. The 48 guests from more than 20 dealers enjoyed an evening with Vic Firth...

Roland outfits music lab at Berklee.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2005... ROLAND RECENTLY SUPPORTED Berklee College of Music by providing the school with some prize-winning Roland products. Founded in 1945, Berklee is the world's largest independent music college and the premier institution for the study of...

Bassist Mark Mendoza to tour U.K. with G&L.(G&L Musical)
November 1, 2005... BASSIST MARK "THE ANIMAL" Mendoza, a G&L/BBE endorser, will be touring the U.K. in November with his Twisted Sister bandmates in the company of Alice Cooper. He will be sporting three custom-finished G&L L-1500 basses; two of these are painted...

Co-sponsors concert in the Bronx.(Latin Percussion)
November 1, 2005... LATIN PERCUSSION, the world's leading manufacturer of Latin and ethnic percussion instruments, recently co-sponsored a concert featuring longtime LP artist George Delgado and his band. The joyous and crowded innercity neighborhood event...

Distribution deal for Watson-Guptill Catalog.(Hal Leonard)
November 1, 2005... HAL LEONARD has negotiated an agreement with Watson-Guptill Publications to exclusively distribute selected reference titles to the music trade. The deal, which took effect on October 1st, was negotiated by Brad Smith, senior sales and...

Publicly traded industry firms.(Share Price)
November 1, 2005... PUBLICLY TRADED INDUSTRY FIRMS PRICE AS OF P/E OCTOBER 12, RATIO 2005 Allen Organ Corp. $62.50 15.38 Apple...

B&J to distribute Antigua Winds in Canada.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2005... ANTIGUA WINDS HAS named B&J Music, a Kaman company, as its exclusive distributor in Canada. "We are pleased to announce our alliance with B&J," stated Joe Ramotowski, president of Antigua Winds. "Antigua Winds has grown into an internationally...

Company holds first "Premier Drum Day".(Premier Percussion)
November 1, 2005... PREMIER PERCUSSION, based in the U.K., recently organized its first "Premier Drum Day," which provided a mix of product training, new product launches, and day-only specials. The event took place on September 9 at the Walker Stadium in...

Zildjian hosts New York artist session.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
November 1, 2005... THE AVEDIS ZILDJIAN Company recently hosted a get-together for a number of its East Coast artists and friends. Held on September 27 at Studio Instrument Rentals (S.I.R.) in Manhattan, the fourth annual event provided a convenient, relaxed...

Hurricane Katrina devastates gulf coast music retailers: in aftermath of epic natural disaster, retailers predict a long rebuilding process, but remain optimistic.(Retailer Update)
November 1, 2005... HURRICANE KATRINA was largest natural disaster ever to hit the U.S. Heart-rending broadcast images of the destruction, of lives lost and families torn asunder, and harrowing tales of survival elicited the nation's sympathy and charity as well...

Neal Peart tour starts in Boston store.(Daddy's Junky Music)
November 1, 2005... DADDY'S JUNKY MUSIC was recently honored to be the first stop on the much anticipated Neil Peart drum set tour, "The Voyage of the S.S. Professor." The highlight of the event, sponsored by Sabian, DW, Remo, and Pro Mark, was Peart's longtime...

Joly named sr. vice-president.(Musician's Friend)
November 1, 2005... GENE JOLY HAS been appointed senior vice-president of merchandising at Musician's Friend. Effective immediately, he assumes responsibility for all merchandising functions at Musician's Friend. He will lead the continual development of...

Margaret Rosinski named sales associate.(Cooper Music)
November 1, 2005... MUSIC INDUSTRY VETERAN Margaret Rosinski has been appointed a sales associate at Cooper Music Co. of Atlanta, one of Georgia's oldest and largest piano dealers. She will be responsible for the sale of acoustic and digital pianos and church...

Stanton's Music's Jim Strouse honored by Hal Leonard for "Lifetime of Achievement".(RETAILER UPDATE)
November 1, 2005... AT THE END OF A UNIQUE sales meeting on the morning of September 14th, Hal Leonard President Larry Morton presented Stanton's Music Chairman of the Board Jim Strouse with a plaque honoring him as the first-ever recipient of the Hal Leonard...

Sound of Music celebrates 21st year.(RETAILER UPDATE)
November 1, 2005... SOUND OF MUSIC in Kokomo, Indiana, is currently celebrating 21 years in business. The full-line music store provides service and products to beginners and professionals alike. Owner and President John Rosborough started the store in the summer...

Business 2.0 details inner workings of Guitar Center.(RETAILER UPDATE)
November 1, 2005... A LENGTHY FEATURE ON Guitar Center in the July issue of Business 2.0 offered an inside look into the workings of the industry's largest retailer. From compensating salespeople to motivating store managers, author Paul Sloan provided a sharply...

Where's your next customer coming from? You don't have to take big newspaper ads and blanket the airwaves to generate store traffic. Take a lesson from other industries and try a combination of personal notes, coldcalls, and email blasts next time sales slow down.(BOB POPYK ON SELLING)
November 1, 2005... If you've been in the music business for any length of time, you've probably noticed that every once in a while things start to get a little slow. It s not gangbusters |every day of the week, every week of the year. Maybe it s the weather, the...

Roland charts a bright future for the organ market: top Atelier organ dealers travel to Las Vegas for two-day presentation.(INDUSTRY MARKETING)
November 1, 2005... THE MESSAGE PRESENTED by Roland management to top Atelier organ dealers gathered at a luxury resort in Las Vegas for two days last month could not have been more straightforward. "The time is right for growth in the organ market, and we're...

Ranking the industry's websites: everyone's got one, but who is getting the traffic?(Internet Survey)
November 1, 2005... At this point, virtually every enterprise and a surprisingly large number of individuals have a website. In this issue of The Music Trades, to cite but one example, over 90% of all ads contain a web address. Websites within the music products...

School music: state of the union.
November 1, 2005... Is the glass half full or half empty? Despite disheartening reports of mass-merchants flooding the market with cheap horns, school budgets under siege, and declining student interest in band and orchestral programs, a cross section of school...

The Original Swab Company: Dave on sax mutes.
November 1, 2005... This, Dudes and Dudettes, is not a donut... I is a highly 'phisticated thingamagig, I use it to "chill" my 'phone. I just drop it in my bell flat or straight up... and then when I blow, I'm in better "tune" with my world... ya dig?...

Taking the school bull by the horns: how Rieman's forceful advocacy has benefited Iowa music programs.(SCHOOL MUSIC: State Of The Union)
November 1, 2005... THREE YEARS AGO THE STATE of music education in Des Moines was "just terrible" according to Frank Rieman Music president and CEO Paul Rieman. Running the seven-store business his father started in 1950, Paul has learned a thing or two about the...

Piano promotions that work! Despite rising oil prices, concern about a housing bubble, and unease about the nation's economic prospects, creative retailers continue to find ways to encourage customers to buy pianos. Six retailers outline the promotional strategies that are driving their business.(HOW TO MOVE PIANOS)
November 1, 2005... The piano business seems to revolve around--some would even say survive on--all things special. It takes special sales, special events, and special promotions to drive customers into stores and motivate them to open their checkbooks. "Ordinary"...

Mixing pianos and fine art: how Manny Perez uses fine paintings to attract an upscale clientele to his Coral Gables, Florida, store.(HOW TO MOVE PIANOS)
November 1, 2005... PIANO & ART GALERIA enjoys numerous intrinsic marketing assets. In addition to instruments made by Baldwin, Bosendorfer, George Steck, Petrol, Schimmel, and Young Chang, CEO Manny Perez displays and sells select works of fine art. "Visual art...

Creative Christmas greeting generates player sales: how Daye Music uses a holiday song CD to pull in customers for a surprisingly small expenditure.(HOW TO MOVE PIANOS)
November 1, 2005... LAST YEAR DAYE MUSIC capitalized on the Naples, Florida, area's strong market for player pianos. At the end of October, leading into the 2004 Christmas shopping season, the store sent a holiday greeting card to about 50 individuals on its...

Private sale promos work even with wary consumers: heavy direct mail yields powerful results.(HOW TO MOVE PIANOS)
November 1, 2005... THE MID-SOUTH'S largest piano and school band store, Amro Music, was founded in 1921 and is operated by the third and fourth generation of the Averwater family. According to Amro Music Vice-President Rick Jefferies, general floor traffic is...

"Slightly used": Prosser Piano appeals to value-conscious customers with offer of unique opportunity.(HOW TO MOVE PIANOS)
November 1, 2005... PROSSER PIANO MOUNTED a "Slightly Used" Steinway promotion last February in connection with the high-profile Virginia Waring International Piano Competition. Steinway shipped about 20 Steinway pianos for use in the competition, which was held...

"Factory selection": the promise of unlimited selection proves an irresistible draw for piano buyers.(HOW TO MOVE PIANOS)
November 1, 2005... ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST successful and respected music dealers, College Park, Maryland-based Jordan Kitt's Music won "top dealer" awards from Kawai, Lowrey, Roland, and Samick at this year's winter NAMM show. In addition, Jordan Kitt's is the...

Doctor in the house: Schmitt Music taps physician talent to raise money and stimulate sales.(HOW TO MOVE PIANOS)
November 1, 2005... SCHMITT MUSIC'S Sioux Falls, South Dakota, store has hosted a number of events that achieved stellar results for its modest-sized market of 130,000 people in town and 250,000 within an 80-mile radius. In March 2005 Keyboard Manager R. Scott...

Yamaha realigns PAC division sales team.(PEOPLE)
November 1, 2005... YAMAHA CORPORATION OF AMERICA has announced new appointments and promotions within its Pro Audio & Combo (PAC) Division. The updates include newly created and re-assigned district manager and supervisory positions as part of a recent effort to...

Mark Reynolds new product manager.(Pro-Mark)
November 1, 2005... MARK REYNOLDS HAS joined ProMark as the company's new product manager. The appointment was announced jointly by Maury Brochstein, Pro-Mark president, and Jim Rupp, owner/president of Columbus Pro Percussion. Reynolds has previously been...

Frank Huffman joins as regional sales mgr.(Wyman Piano)
November 1, 2005... FRANK HUFFMAN, a music industry veteran with over 40 years of experience at both the wholesale and the retail level, has joined Wyman Piano Company as a regional sales manager. He held key sales management positions at Wurlitzer and later at...

Founder honored for lifetime achievement.(John Hornby Skewes)
November 1, 2005... JOHN H. SKEWES, who founded the musical instrument distribution company John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd. of Leeds, England, in 1965, received an industry Life Achievement Award at the Music Industries Association's Annual Awards Dinner held at the...

Newly formed buffet USA sets sales & marketing team.(PEOPLE)
November 1, 2005... BUFFET CRAMPON USA, Inc., has announced new positions for eight employees and new hires. The company is the sole U.S. distributor for Buffet Crampon SAS, one of the world's leading woodwind instrument manufacturers. It also distributes...

John Patton new Shanghai operation g.m.: Steinway Pianos.(PEOPLE)
November 1, 2005... JOHN PATTON HAS been appointed general manager of Steinway Piano Shanghai Co., established last year to market Steinway & Sons and Steinway-designed Boston and Essex pianos throughout China, the world's fastest-growing piano market. Patton...

Yamaha P140 digital pianos combines compact size & styling.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... YAMAHA'S NEW P140 Series of contemporary digital pianos offers a range of models with the right features and realistic touch and tone. Consumers in the market for a compact, contemporary-looking, piano-focused instrument have new options with...

Takamine's Brazilian rosewood OM-style guitar.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... TAKAMINE'S EF75J OM-STYLES guitar is made with an AAA Sitka sprice top with solid Brazilian rosewood back and sides. This new and very limited model is another example of the superb art and craft of guitar making that Takamine is well known...

Symphony series brass mouthpiece: Schilke.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... THE SCHILKE COMPANY has unveiled the new Symphony Series brass mouthpieces for trumpet, comet, and trombone. Utilizing concepts from the standard Schilke mouthpiece line, the Symphony Series models are conceptually conceived to meet the demands...

Electro-Harmonix DVD demos top pedals.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... Electro-Harmonix has released a new DVD that provides a professionally produced look at how to make the most of a wide range of E-H effects gear. Twenty-one of the groundbreaking company's most popular pedals get the star treatment, with clear,...

Two new series aimed at young musicians: Santorella Publications.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... SANTORELLA PUBLICATIONS HAS issued two new series targeting the under-served youth musician market, ages 6-12. Let's Play Jazz Piano & More by Jay Latulippe is the first series of its kind. It simultaneously teaches children how to play...

Moral white line for growing church market: U.S. Music Corporation.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... THE OSCAR SCHMIDT division of U.S. Music Corporation has introduced its new Moral White line of instruments. This line includes a white electric mandolin and a white acoustic-electric thin-body guitar. Tom Ferrone, manager of the Oscar...

Universal chromatic tuner: Planet Waves.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... THE NEW UNIVERSAL Chromatic Tuner from Planet Waves has a built-in stand that doubles as a bracket to hang the tuner from an acoustic guitar's soundhole. The bracket simply folds backwards for use as a stand with any instrument, from mandolins...

Czech-ease portable acoustic double-bass: David Gage.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... IN RESPONSE TO the difficulties that have burdened the traveling double-bassist, David Gage String Instrument Repair has unveiled the Czech-Ease double-bass. The acoustic string bass has always encumbered those who love it enough to travel with...

New "Untold History" of Ibanez guitars.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... A NEW BOOK makes a perfect holiday gift for a guitarist or bassist, according to Ibanez. Ibanez--The Untold Story tells the seemingly improbable story of how a 19th century Japanese book store owned by the Hoshino family of Nagoya, Japan,...

Super-Quad instrument cable: Spectraflex.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... THE UNIQUE NEW Spectrafiex Super-Quad instrument cable features four independent center conductors for greater frequency response, ultra-low noise, maximum shielding, and increased flexibility. The hand-machined aluminum "superduty" barrel...

Full line of bags & backpacks: Ritter.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... RITTER'S RANGE OF fashion accessories includes backpacks, hold-alls, and laptop bags, plus the MiniPack--a miniature guitar bag design downsized to become cool backpacks and pencil/cell phone cases. Key features of the Computer Bags are: three...

Graphic top guitars from Indiana.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... THE INDIANA GUITAR Company, a division of SHS International of Indianapolis, has introduced a new Graphic Top series of dreadnoughts. These new models will have retail prices ranging from $140 to $180. The current line has six models: USA Flag,...

Paragon custom drums, new double pedal: Peace Drums.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... PEACE DRUMS and Percussion has introduced the Paragon Custom Pro Choice, which gives drummers the chance to custom-build the kit of their dreams. They can can pick any color, size, and configuration they can think of. The drums feature nine-ply...

XtraFlex Super L.E.D. music light: Gold Crest.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... GOLD CREST, originator of the Mighty Bright Sight Reader Music Light, has introduced the latest in lighting technology with the unveiling of their all-new XtraFlex Super L.E.D. Music Light. This is no regular L.E.D. (Light Emitting Diode)....

Multipurpose rack with wing attachments: String Swing.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... STRING SWING'S NEW Multipurpose Rack has wing attachments that allow users to add sections to a current display. This multipurpose frame is a great space saver and will hold fixtures that display amplifiers, drums, guitars, or keyboards....

Visual sound offers three models of workhorse amplifiers.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... VISUAL SOUND HAS introduced the Workhorse line of amplifiers: the 60W 212 Stallion, the 60W 112 Mustang, and the 30W 112 Pony. Built with military-spec construction, all Workhorse amps include Celestion speakers, Accutronics reverb, hand-wired...

HT-5 headset microphone: Audix.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... AUDIX'S HT-5 IS an omni-directional headset microphone designed for fidelity, functionality, and durability. The versatility of the HT-5 allows it to be used for a wide variety of applications including theater, presentations, houses of...

John Mayer signature stratocaster: Fender.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS has teamed with Gramrny-winning guitarist, singer, and songwriter John Mayer to create a unique new instrument based on Mayer's own personal electric guitars. A combination of classic Fender specifications and newly...

Free set of strings for EXP challenge: D'Addario.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... D'ADDARIO IS giving guitarists and mandolinists a win-win deal. Players can try EXP extended play coated strings. All musicians have to do is buy a set of EXP guitar or mandolin strings between September 15 and December 31, 2005, and try them...

Majestic bass drums: Jupiter.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... JUPITER BAND INSTRUMENTS, Inc., has begun distributing Majestic's line of concert bass drums to the U.S. market. Crafted in Holland, Majestic's fine line of orchestral percussion is renowned in Europe for its quality, features, and performance....

Great gift choices for 20 years: A Little Bit Of This.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... THE EXPRESSION "a little bit goes a long way" certainly applies to A Little Bit Of This, a California distributor that has been offering a wide variety of high-quality music gift items and novelties for more than two decades. Last year...

Modern drummer festival three-DVD set: Hudson Music.(PRODUCT NEWS)
November 1, 2005... HUDSON MUSIC and Modern Drummer Publications have released Modern Drummer Festival 2005, a three-disc, seven-hour DVD package that features highlights of the incredible performances from the event as well as exclusive backstage interviews and...

Louis Viel.(Deaths)
November 1, 2005... LOUIS J. VIEL, a longtime music retailer in Edison, New Jersey, died October 8, 2005. He was 84. Born in Belluno, Italy, Viel founded Viel Accordion School in 1946. Twenty years later he opened Lou Rose Music Center, the first family-owned...

Eugene "Bud" Reglein.(Deaths)
November 1, 2005... Eugene "Bud" Reglein, the longtime-owner and chairman of mouthpiece maker J.J. Babbitt, died on October 13. He was 87 years olf. In 1939 Reglein began making mouthpieces for saxophones and clarinets at jj Babbitt, the company his uncle...

Yellow fever problems.(100 YEARS AGO)
November 1, 2005... With the passing of summer, the revival of business has been slow in coming in Savannah, Georgia. Dealers point to the fact that strict quarantine regulations against the fever-infected parts of the country on the coast are hampering the...

New movies boost print sales.(75 YEARS AGO)
November 1, 2005... Important additions to the music writing staff at the Fox Film Corporation lot in Hollywood assure the trade of the inclusion of many song hits in the 48 upcoming Fox movies produced at an outlay of $25.0 million. Based on this good news, Pat...