Music Trades articles from October 2005

Music Trades archives from October 2005

Assessing the NAMM show in Indianapolis.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Don't blame Indy. Don't blame NAMM. While many manufacturers felt the Indy show was a bust, don't blame Indy. It's not the wrong place; many dealers who did attend spoke highly of the city--the cleanliness, the hospitality, the ease, the...

Sales tax exemption for direct sellers?(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Our August editorial, Sales Tax and Simple Fairness, which argued that the sales tax exemption enjoyed by direct sellers is unfair, generated an unusually large amount of commentary. Not surprisingly, most brick-and-mortar retailers are in...

Teenage pianist sues competition.(Industry Briefings)
October 1, 2005... A teenage pianist is suing a New Jersey music teacher for allegedly shutting a piano keyboard cover on his fingers as he played a Chopin composition during a recent Carnegie Hall recital. According to the suit, Bryan O'Lone, 16, claims that he...

Mom & pop appliance stores outperform chains.(Industry Briefings)
October 1, 2005... A new survey of more than 6,000 Consumer Reports subscribers indicated that independent "mom & pop" appliance stores did better in terms of service, prices, and selection than most nationwide chains, including Best Buy, Home Depot, Target,...

When do babies develop musical taste?(Industry Briefings)
October 1, 2005... At what point do babies begin to recognize and respond to specific types of music? Researchers at Cornell University and the University of Toronto recently tried to find out with a scientific test. Teams exposed newborns from Western parents to...

First Chinese Guitar Festival opens.(Industry Briefings)
October 1, 2005... The First Chinese Guitar Festival and the First Chinese Guitar Masters Competition opened on scenic Hainan Island on September 1. Sponsored by the China Guitar Society and China Musicians Association, the event is the first national guitar...

Why smart guys sometimes look dumb.(EDITORIAL)
October 1, 2005... The music and audio business isn't the place to go if you're interested in making a fast buck. This is hardly news for the majority of our subscribers. On a daily basis, our retail readers cope with cash-starved customers haggling for a better...

Music is its own reward: studies that focus on how music builds academic skills miss the point and divert attention away from the true benefits.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
October 1, 2005... My current concern is with the music-related research project, "Sounds of Learning: The Impact of Music Education," which examines music education's influence on academic achievement, child growth and development, how music is used in people's...

Imports from China cool as prices rise.(IMPORT TRACKER: What's Coming Into The U.S. And From Where?)
October 1, 2005... IMPORTS OF CHINESE produced musical instruments cannot grow forever. This is evidenced by our latest installment of Import Tracker, which details imports of all musical instrument into the United States. For the latest three month period ending...

Roland forms independent BOSS division: management of BOSS and Roland product lines split to sharpen focus, enhance marketing efforts.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... ROLAND CORPORATION U.S. has announced a top-down restructuring of the Los Angeles based organization. Effective immediately BOSS U.S. and Roland U.S. will function as two entirely autonomous companies, complete with separate management and...

Court rules that PRS "Singlecut" does not infringe on Gibson Les Paul.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... CONCLUDING A CLOSELY WATCHED legal contest, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit handed a decisive victory to the Paul Reed Smith guitar company, ruling that its PRS Singlecut model does not infringe on the Gibson's Les Paul...

Rodney Holmes join Vater Roster.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... RODNEY HOLMES, a multi-Grammy winner, is the newest name on the Vater Percussion artist roster. He has lent his talents to acts such as: Santana, Clyde Criner, Jean Paul Bourelly, Victor Bailey, Special EFX, Zawinul Syndicate, The Hermanators,...

P. Mauriat saxophones line debuts in U.S. market: European components combined with Taiwanese production yield artist-level quality at affordable prices.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... MONTEVERDE MUSIC, the exclusive North American distributor for P. Mauriat saxophones, has announced that the complete P. Mauriat line is now available in the North American market. P. Mauriat's reasonably priced, high-quality saxophones are...

Alfred consolidates Warner operations at its New York facility.(FLASH)
October 1, 2005... ALFRED PUBLISHING has completed the monumental task of moving over 35,000 printed titles from Warner Bros. Publications in Miami to Alfred's New York warehouse. On June 1 Alfred completed the acquisition of Warner Bros. Publications from Warner...

Gibson secures $52.5 million loan from American Capital.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... AMERICAN CAPITAL STRATEGIES Ltd. is providing financing facilities of up to $52.5 million to Gibson Guitar Corp. They take the form of second lien notes and a second lien committed acquisition line. Bank of America is providing a revolving...

Nuttin But Stringz signs as endorser.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... THE MEMBERS OF Nuttin But Stringz are the newest addition to the Super-Sensitive Strings family of endorsers. Brothers Tourie and Damien Escobar are accomplished classical, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop violinists. They recently appeared on The Jay...

Pearl River piano and Ashton announce global joint venture.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... MAJOR CELEBRATIONS WERE held on June 8 in Guangzhou, China, to formally launch the joint venture between Guangzhou Pearl River Piano Company and Ashton International, a division of Australis Music Group. The joint venture company is known as...

Innovative MI Tech websites provides retail and Tech training: 50 online courses offered in sales, marketing and management.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... AFTER SIX MONTHS of research, development, and testing, the Scher Group officially launched www.MusicIndustryTech.com at the Summer NAMM convention in Indianapolis. CEO Rob Scher and group publisher Len Scaffidi were at the show to...

New York police choose Pro-Mark.(Pro-Mark)
October 1, 2005... PRO-MARK CORPORATION recently became a sponsor of the New York City Police Department Band. Pat Brown, Pro-Mark's director of sales and marketing, commented, "This group is a part of the department's Ceremonial Unit and actually consists...

Gregoletto, Soderberg endorse Kustom Groove bass amps.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... KUSTOM AMPLIFICATION has announced two new endorsers: Paolo Gregoletto, bass player for the Roadrunner Records band Trivium, and Bryce Soderberg, bass player for the Geffen records band Lifehouse. Both Gregoletto and Soderberg have chosen...

Schilke marks 50th year with expanded production facility.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... SCHILKE MUSIC PRODUCTS is celebrating 50 years of instrument making by introducing 50 Limited Edition Model B 1 Trumpets. This highly ornate instrument will be produced in honor of Renold Schilke, the founder of Schilke Music Products. The B1...

Drummer Aaron Spears endorses impact cases.(Impact Industries)
October 1, 2005... AARON SPEARS, RECORDING and touring dummer with Usher, has signed on as an endorser with Impact Industries and will use the company's cases and bags. He is currently on the American Idol tour with his his Impact case protection. The 2005...

Angel and Gemeinhardt form alliance.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... ANGEL INDUSTRIES COMPANY, LTD. and Gemeinhardt Company, LLC, have entered into a long-term agreement to collaborate in the development, manufacture, and distribution of high-quality student-, intermediate-, and professional-level flutes. Both...

Earl Slick signs as endorser.(Babicz Guitars)
October 1, 2005... EARL SLICK, quintessential guitar-slinger for John Lennon and David Bowie, has joined forces with Babicz Guitars USA. "Earl's unique style and sense of dynamics has been heard by millions of people on recordings as diverse as John Lennon's...

Support for school's AVID program.(ESP Guitars)
October 1, 2005... PUTTING STUDENTS ON a path to success is the primary goal for teachers at the middle school and high school level. Ranchero Middle School in Hesperia, California, has a special program called AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) that...

Santorella Publications acquires JT/Heartland.(FLASH)
October 1, 2005... SANTORELLA PUBLICATIONS, based in Danvers, Massachusetts, has acquired JT Publications/Heartland Music, based in Peoria, Illinois. Under the terms of the deal, Santorella Publications acquired the rights to all of the Heartland titles,...

Yamaha U. Hones retail sales skills: 300 dealers learn how to trade customers up to the piano they really want.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... WHAT'S THE MOST effective way to respond to a piano customer who is concerned only with price? How can you use the innovative features Yamaha's new Mark VII Disklavier player system to attract customers who may never have considered purchasing...

Pearl to distribute Hughes & Kattner amps.(INDUSTRY FOREFRONT)
October 1, 2005... PEARL CORPORATION, best known for its top-selling line of percussion products, has has been appointed the exclusive U.S. distributor for Hughes & Kettner amplifiers. "We are very proud to be associated with the H&K name and all that it...

Oliginos face 20-year sentence after guilty plea in $1.0 mil. fraud: former Clinton's piano owner admits to bilking finance companies out of $1.0 million in inventory scam.(RETAILER UPDATE)
October 1, 2005... DENNIS AND SALLY OLIGINO, who owned and operated Clinton's Piano & Organ in Hartford Connecticut since 1982, until declaring bankruptcy in 2003, have pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to defrauding three finance companies out of $1.0...

Musician's friend enters Canadian market, industry's first international retailer.(RETAILER UPDATE)
October 1, 2005... MUSICIAN'S FRIEND, the direct response unit of Guitar Center has announced plans to begin shipping product into Canada. Initially, the company will use its website and associated internet marketing devices for reaching music buyers throughout...

Five-star drum shops & PAS in partnership.(FLASH)
October 1, 2005... THE PERCUSSIVE ARTS Society (PAS) and Five-Star Drum Shops recently announced a new partnership that brings added value both to PAS members and to drum shop customers. Through the relationship PAS members will receive a ten percent discount on...

Employee discount promo spurs piano sales: borrowing a tactic from general motors, piano music center posts banner results in July.(RETAILER UPDATE)
October 1, 2005... COMING INTO THE SUMMER months saddled with excess inventory, General Motors took the novel step of offering its standard employee discount to all consumers. Ads declaring "You'll pay the same price as our employees, and not a penny more," were...

National sales team expanded.(Full Compass)
October 1, 2005... FULL COMPASS SYSTEMS, Ltd. has added Manny Figueroa, Shawn Tallard, and Erin Pray to its national sales team, bringing the total number of onsite sales professionals dedicated to the U.S. domestic market to 31. Manny Figueroa is a...

4th annual business conference held.(PSMG)
October 1, 2005... THE PIANO SALES Management Group (PSMG) recently held its fourth annual business conference in Park City, Utah. The three-day meeting included a business review of sales productivity results of each member company for the 12 months ending...

California piano dealer survives another attack: motorists have been making a habit of driving through the windows of Piano City.(RETAILER UPDATE)
October 1, 2005... SLUGGISH SALES, SHRINKING margins, credit stresses, employee hassles. Retail can be tough. But now and then you hear of a dealer whose experience makes your problems seem, by comparison, pretty manageable. The Piano City store in West Covina,...

Guitar center sells out Clapton 335 in three days.(RETAILER UPDATE)
October 1, 2005... GUITAR CENTER purchased at auction the Gibson ES-335 guitar used by Eric Clapton on numerous landmark recordings over the last 40 years, including the enduring Cream hit "Crossroads." This year, in less than three days, the company sold 175...

Instead of customers, employees come first: take a lesson from Wegmans, a regional grocery chain that Fortune says is the best company in the country to work for. If investing in peole works well for them, think what it could do for your business.(BOB POPYK ON SELLING)
October 1, 2005... A couple of months ago The Music Trades ran its list of music store sales-by-employee productivity rankings. Trying to make sense of it was a little tough because teachers and technicians affect the rankings. Music stores that have a large...

Renewed vitality in Canada's music market: a stronger Canadian dollar and rising awareness of the benefits of music making are pumping up sales north of the border.(THE CANADIAN MARKET)
October 1, 2005... REMEMBER THE "BLACKOUT of 2003" that temporarily crippled the Northeastern U.S. and parts of Ontario? Although that year's MIAC trade show was held in Montreal, travel plans were disrupted and shipments of some exhibit materials were delayed,...

Happy Birthday Henry! Marking his 90th birthday, Henry Z. Steinway, great-grandson of Steinway & Sons' founder, continues to be the piano industry's most able ambassador. But don't be fooled by the low-key manner. The ever-affable "two-legged Steinway" is the one who took the tough steps to pull the renowned piano maker back from the brink.(THE PIANO MAN)(Company Profile)
October 1, 2005... HENRY ZIEGLER STEINWAY, great-grandson of Steinway & Sons founder Henry Engelhard Steinway, marked his 90th birthday on August 23. In a 68-year career in the piano industry that began with an apprenticeship on the factory floor and progressed...

Tapping in to the power of apple's popular Garageband: new Hal Leonard TrackPaks are designed to give the four million GarageBand owners the most positive musical experience possible.(SHORT TAKE)
October 1, 2005... "I'VE BEEN MUSIC A listener for most of my life," wrote Jeff Carlson in a July 15 Seattle Times column. "When Apple introduced GarageBand music recording software as part of iLife, I decided to explore music performance for the first time."...

What's driving guitar sales? Retailers with strong guitar sales discuss the trends propelling the industry's leading product category.(THE GUITAR MARKET)
October 1, 2005... "Rock and roll will always be, it will never die." WHEN DANNY & THE JUNIORS sang "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay" in 1958, how many adults thought the song's lyrics would still ring true nearly 50 years later? Truth be told, few in our...

PRS guitars: catalyst for change: twenty years ago, when Paul Reed Smith launched his guitar company, his goal was to build the best instruments humanly possible. Along the way he also spurred the rest of the industry to raise quality standards, ushering in what many have called the true "Golden Age" of the guitar.(THE GUITAR MARKET)
October 1, 2005... SCRAMBLING TO RAISE seed capital to launch his guitar company in 1985, Paul Reed Smith found himself making a pitch to famed CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite. After the presentation, though, Cronkite replied, "Why would I want to invest in a...

A look back--pioneer Ted McCarty and the humbucking pickup.(THE GUITAR MARKET)
October 1, 2005... HE NEVER HAD A GOLD RECORD. His name was never on the headstock of a guitar. He can't even play. Yet has has had a lasting effect on guitarists and players around the world. He is Ted McCarty, the man who guided the Gibson Guitar company during...

This is summer camp? With a summer program that gets kids playing, Music Matters offers a potent retail template for expanding the market, building unsurpassed customer satisfaction, and competing against larger rivals.(THE GUITAR MARKET)
October 1, 2005... WITH GUITAR SALES SOARING, many dealers report that young beginners represent the majority of their buyers. Guitar's ongoing reign in pop music, a flood of affordable instruments, and parents' support of music making in general and--due to...

D'Addario's American century: in 1905 Charles D'Addario passed through New York's Ellis Island. The only thing he had of value was an understanding of how to transform gut into musical strings. In a uniquely American success story, his descendents parlayed his skill into an internationally recognized manufacturer of instrument strings, and more.(THE GUITAR MARKET)
October 1, 2005... THE DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE of 1905 left the Italian village of Salle in ruins. Faced with the prospect of destitution if he stayed, 17-year-old Carmine D'Addario, decided to seek opportunity in the United States. Like the millions of other...

Dr. Mardak: VanderCook College bestows honorary degree on Hal Leonard CEO Keith Mardak.(PEOPLE)
October 1, 2005... KEITH MARDAK, CHAIRMAN and CEO of Hal Leonard Corporation, has received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. The ceremony was held on the evening of July 29, when 64 students received their Master of...

Bud Reglein receives 65-year service award.(JJ Babbitt Co.)
October 1, 2005... IN 1939 EUGENE (Bud) Reglein began making mouthpieces for saxophones and clarinets at jj Babbitt, the company his uncle Jesse James Babbitt had founded. Bud was 19; the company was 20. In December 2004, during the company's 85th anniversary...

Top management shift with three new hires.(Conn-Selmer)
October 1, 2005... Conn-Selmer has filled three new top management posts with executives who formerly served at Ames True Temper, a leading manufacturer of gardening equipment that was headed by John Stoner, before he became Conn-Selmer CEO in 2002. Grant...

Management realignment following Warner merger.(Alfred Publishing)
October 1, 2005... ALFRED PUBLISHING HAS promoted six as part of its restructuring related to the recent acquisition of Warner Brother Publications. Carol Cuellar has been promoted to vice-president, creative and pop music acquisitions. She is responsible for...

New management team installed.(Gibson Guitar)
October 1, 2005... GIBSON GUITAR HAS NAMED William P. Antonace chief operating officer, Steve Horn chief marketing officer, and Roxanne Khazarian senior vice-president, general counsel, and secretary. William Antonace will focus on all operations management...

QSC founders endow Susi Q senior center.(FLASH)
October 1, 2005... PAT QUILTER, THE "Q" in QSC Audio, is one of the four sons of Elizabeth Howe Quilter, a legendary figure in the town of Laguna Beach, California. "Susi Q," as she was affectionately known by all in the town the Quilters adopted as their own in...

The father of electronic music Robert Moog: reflections on his life, work, and contributions to the art of music making worldwide.(TRIBUTE)
October 1, 2005... Robert Moog, the man who invented the keyboard synthesizer and ushered in the era of electronic music, died on August 21 at his home in Asheville, North Carolina, of an inoperable brain tumor, detected in April. He was 71 years old. During a...

Gretsch teams with ZZ top to create "Billy-Bo" Jupiter Thunderbird.(PRODUCT NEWS)
October 1, 2005... ROCK LUMINARIES Billy F. Gibbons and Bo Diddley have joined forces to bring guitar aficionados everywhere a 21st century version of the elusive Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird guitar, now dubbed the "Billy-Bo." First conceived in 1959 by the...

Dan Donegan amps launched at NAMM.(Randall)
October 1, 2005... RANDALL AMPLIFIERS LAUNCHED the "1086" Dan Donegan of Disturbed signature preamplifier module for its Modular Tube System at the Summer NAMM Show in Indianapolis. Donegan has endorsed Randall Amplifiers for four years and plays through an...

Phosphor Bronze sets unveiled at NAMM.(Elixir Strings)
October 1, 2005... ELIXIR STRINGS, the pioneer of long-life string technology, has introduced a family of acoustic guitars strings for players who prefer the unique and textured sound of phosphor bronze strings. With the unveiling of its new Phosphor Bronze...

Electro-Harmonix Flanger Hoax phaser.(PRODUCT NEWS)
October 1, 2005... ELECTRO-HARMONIX HAS unveiled the Flanger Hoax. This flanging phaser modulator lets users invent an array of new modulation combinations. The company website, www.ehx.com, features an MP3 demo of the Flanger Hoax. [telephone] (718)...

Chadwick 50-watt, two-channel amp.(Krank Amplification)
October 1, 2005... THE CHADWICK 50-watt, two-channel classic valve amp from Krank Amplification is a "fully Kranked" version of the classic British tube amp JMP/AC-30, but with more tone and more muscle. The Chadwick pumps out 50 watts of classic tube tone laced...

JamMan pedal with 6.5 hours of loop time.(DigiTech)
October 1, 2005... DIGITECH PIONEERED loop-based audio with the development of the PDS 80000 pedal. Now the company is taking looping from the original eight-second volatile recording memory of the PDS 8000 straight into the 21st century with the innovative...

Thermion 120-watt all-tube guitar head.(Ibanez)
October 1, 2005... THE THERMION ALL-TUBE amp from Ibanez features 120 watts of power, very conservatively rated, and has matching angled and straight front cabinets. The Thermion head boasts two independent channels, a heavy-duty, maintenance-friendly design,...

Numark Fusion 494 DJ Package.(PRODUCT NEWS)
October 1, 2005... NUMARK'S FUSION 494 DJ Package has everything necessary to start spinning like a pro. It includes two Numark Axis 4 CD players, the DM950 mixer, and the HF 125 headphones--all pre-wired and shipped with the CS-6 hard case for easy transport....

New "Duet" case for violin.(Ace Products)
October 1, 2005... ACE PRODUCTS GROUP has introduced the new Kaces "Duet" Series violin case line. This revolutionary new case design combines the strength of a wood shell with the modern features and comfort of a lightweight polyfoam case. The result is...

Fresh Approach Starter Pack.(Vic Firth)
October 1, 2005... THE FRESH APPROACH Starter Pack from Vic Firth is an educational pack designed to supply the serious beginning percussion student with the best tools available at an affordable cost. The items in the pack were specially selected for their...

AIM offers new totes, bags, briefcases.(PRODUCT NEWS)
October 1, 2005... AIM GIFTS HAS expanded its line of totes, bags, and briefcases with over 50 new styles and designs, including a piano tapestry handbag, the "Totefolio," a sactchel bag, the Urban canvas tote bag, and the Beetle briefcase. Thse bags make...

Charles "Bernie" Vance.(DEATHS)
October 1, 2005... MUSIC RETAILER AND MUSICIAN Charles "Bernie" Vance died on July 8 at the age of 87. He owned and operated a small chain of full-line music stores throughout southern Indiana. In 1948 he opened his first store, The Music Center, in Bloomington,...

Johnny Haws.(DEATHS)
October 1, 2005... JOHNNY HAWS, who spent 55 years on the sales floor of Wells Music in Denver, Colorado, died on August 28 at the age of 88. Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, he began his sales career selling lye soap to steelworkers. During the Depression, his...

Commission fiends.(100 Years Ago)
October 1, 2005... Estey Company manager Edward Read comments,. "There is a certain class of professional hangers-on who make a business of claiming commissions on sales which they may not have had the remotest connection in consumating. By this class, I mean...

Lack of confidence.(75 Years Ago)
October 1, 2005... Assessing grim business conditions in 1930, E.E. Shumaker, president of RCA-Victor, writes, "We do not think there is anything fundamentally wrong with business at present except a lost of confidence, and doubt as to the future. Until this...

New Kimball plant.(50 Years Ago)
October 1, 2005... The $2-million Kimball factory under construction in Melrose Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, is well ahead of schedule with structural steel and masonry work in place. The 200,000-square-foot piano plant will include complete manufacturing...

Steinway marks 100th in Germany.(25 Years Ago)
October 1, 2005... Over 1,400 guests from 23 nations attended the centenary celebration of Steinway & Son's Hamburg, Germany branch. The famed piano maker was originally launched in New York City in 1853. The German factory was opened in 1880 to better serve the...

Peavey builds Van Halen guitar.(10 Years Ago)
October 1, 2005... Peavey Electronics has reached an agreement to build a guitar for Edward Van Halen. The agreement expands the existing relationship between the Meridian, Mississippi, company and the renowned guitarist. For the past two years, Peavey has been...

Sam Ash opens in Miami.(10 Years Ago)
October 1, 2005... In its first break from the New York retail market, Sam Ash has signed a lease on a 43,000-square-foot superstore in Miami, Florida. The location is situated on the Palmetto Expressway, one of Florida's busiest roads. "Like New York, Miami not...