Music Trades articles from September 2003

Music Trades archives from September 2003

Breaking news: piano tuners not always in accord.(Industry Briefings)
September 1, 2003... In the "who would have ever have guessed" department, Paul Pringle, a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, reports that piano technicians are a "cantankerous bunch who can't agree on much." He writes, "Tuners can't agree whether their ranks...

Record industry widens download crackdown.(Industry Briefings)
September 1, 2003... Parents, roommates--even grandparents--are being targeted in the music industry's new campaign to track computer users who share songs over the internet, bringing the threat of expensive lawsuits to more than college kids. "Within five minutes,...

Musical robots on display.(Industry Briefings)
September 1, 2003... Humans might soon wake up to a robotic massage while mechanical musicians play soothing tunes and other machines sniff out potential environmental contaminants outside. Those possibilities were the subject of "Robot," a four-day festival held...

Is the economy turning the corner?(Industry Briefings)
September 1, 2003... The Commerce Department reported that new orders for "durable" goods--costly manufactured products expected to last at least three years--increased by a solid 2.1 percent in June from May. That represented the biggest advance since January and...

The Steinway story.(Editorial)
September 1, 2003... One way to measure the brilliance of a musical instrument design is to count how many times it s been copied. In that respect, the Stradivarius violin represents the pinnacle of instrument-making genius: The number of Strad knock-offs produced...

Fender teams with Chrysler: "Spirit of Rock & Roll" Jeep show car taps automotive marketing muscle to reach broader consumer market.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... TOP MARKETING EXECUTIVES at Daimler-Chrysler have concluded that the electric guitar and rock 'n' roll hold the promise to burnish the image of the Jeep product line. That's why the car company recently teamed with Fender Musical Instruments to...

NAMM teen website draws one million hits.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... NAMM's WEBSITE FOR its new teen music-making initiative "The Music Edge" has received more than one million hits since launching in late May. The new site, www.themusicedge.com, is designed to connect young people with each other and the world...

JBL sponsors Dave Mason tour.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... JBL PROFESSIONAL is sponsoring this summer's Dave Mason Tour. A rock music staple, Mason is playing 15 dates nationwide from July through September. In addition to sponsoring the tour, JBL is on stage by way of custom monitors designed...

Elixir on the road to build brand awareness.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... ELIXIR STRINGS, the pioneering manufacturer of coated fretted instrument strings, took to the road this summer to build its brand awareness and educate the public about the benefits of coated strings. For the months of July and August, a van,...

Extreme isolation adds distributors.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... EXTREME ISOLATION Headphones have been picked up by new distributors outside the U.S.A. through popular demand. EX-29 isolation headphones are now available in 20 countries through master distributor Audio Agency Europe and in New Zealand...

Akai sets up U.S. distribution.(News Flash)
September 1, 2003... AKAI PROFESSIONAL has set up direct distribution facilities and headquarters in the Los Angeles area to better serve its customers. The new Akai Professional organization will be the first step in improving every level of dealer, customer...

Tenth anniversary for Parker guitars.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... IN JULY 1993, AFTER TWO years of perfecting his bold and brilliant new guitar design, Ken Parker shipped the first Parker Fly guitar for retail sale. Since then Parker Guitars has shipped thousands of instruments worldwide, introduced several...

Mackie lays off 200, moves factory jobs to Asia.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... MACKIE DESIGNS HAS announced that it will lay off 200 production workers at its Woodinville by September 30. The move is part of Mackie's previously announced plan to manufacture its lower-priced products overseas. "For several years Mackie has...

E.M.M.C. opens Chicago facility to better serve Midwest market.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... TO MEET THE GROWING demand for its products among customers in America's heartland, Entertainment Music Marketing Corporation (E.M.M.C.) has undertaken a major expansion step in the Midwest. The supplier of band and orchestral instruments,...

Freehand systems acquires sunhawk digital, names Anton to board.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... FREEHAND SYSTEMS, INC., developer of the MusicPad Pro, has acquired Sunhawk Digital Music LLC of Seattle, Washington, for $2 million. The company has also appointed Fred S. Anton, CEO of Warner Bros. Publications, to its board of directors. ...

Expanded headquarters for Maestro software.(News Flash)
September 1, 2003... MAESTRO, A DIVISION of RSSS, L.P., has relocated its headquarters to the American Bank Plaza in downtown Corpus Christi Texas. The move facilitates the company's expected growth and is being undertaken in response to adding several new...

Shadows fall endorse wasburn guitars.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... WASHBURN ENDORSERS Shadows Fall have returned to the U.S. with one of Metal Hammer magazine's coveted "Golden Gods" Awards. The highly acclaimed band opened the first-ever Metal Hammer Awards ceremony with a blistering four song set and then...

Peavey joins in Lynyrd Skynyrd 30th anniversary celebration.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... THIRTY YEARS INTO ITS rock 'n' roll legacy, Lynyrd Skynyrd is hard at work turning a nearly disastrous 2003 into one of its biggest years yet. But, as anyone Familiar with this band's story knows, disaster is rarely enough to stop Lynyrd...

Rincon H.S. wins Conn-Selmer jazz contest.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... RINCON-UNIVERSITY HIGH School of Tucson, Arizona, has won the fourth annual Big Bad Voodoo Daddy high-school jazz band competition sponsored by Conn-Selmer. Second place was awarded to last year's overall winner, Deer Valley High School from...

Industry execs attend aid children in need.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... THE CHILDREN'S LIFESAVING Foundation of Malibu, California, held its annual fundraising dinner on June 29. The master of ceremonies was Michael Chiklis, current Emmy and Golden Globe winner for his role on the TV show The Shield and former star...

Kaman music posts sales and earnings gain.(Corporate Earnings Digest)
September 1, 2003... KAMAN CORPORATION reported net earnings for the 2003 second quarter of $3.3 million, compared to a net loss of $50.4 million the previous year. Net sales for the 2003 second quarter were $216.3 million, compared to $209.1 million the previous...

Share prices of publicly traded industry firms.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... SHARE PRICES OF PUBLICLY TRADED INDUSTRY FIRMS PRICE AS OF 52-WEEK JULY 30, P/E RANGE MARKET 2003 RATIO...

CE distribution reports record year.(News Flash)
September 1, 2003... CE DISTRIBUTION HAS reported record sales in the past year. The company started in 1999 as the exclusive U.S. importer of Jensen musical instrument speakers and has grown remarkably, becoming a leader in wholesale parts for guitars, guitar...

Geneva publishes concerto magazine.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... IN AN ONGOING ENDEAVOR to provide dealers with information, entertainment, and useful sales tips, Geneva International has introduced the Geneva International Concerto. The Concerto is a quarterly publication geared toward the dealers of the...

Frankfurt Messe shortened to four days; new show format to have only one public day, 6% discount offered to exhibitors who register early.(Industry Forefront)
September 1, 2003... AT THE SUGGESTION of the German Musical Instrument manufacturers and industry associations, Messe Frankfurt has shortened its annual trade show to four from five days from March 31 to April 3, 2004. Instead of running from Wednesday through...

Illinois piano dealers square off in court; Biasco pianos and five other dealers trade charges of deceptive trade practices.(Retailer Update)
September 1, 2003... REFLECTIVE--IF NOT symptomatic--of the piano market's harsh business climate, six Chicago-area dealers recently filed suit against one of the area's dominant competitors for what they claim to be violations of the Illinois Deceptive Trade...

Guitar center sales up 14.9%; musician's friend surges while store performance lags.(Retailer Update)
September 1, 2003... A DECREASE IN OPERATING income at Guitar Center's retail stores was offset by a surge in sales and income at the Musicians' Friend direct response. For the three-month period ended June 30, the industry's largest retailer posted sales of $291.6...

Piano mill helps Boston Pops celebrate with Petrof.(Retailer Update)
September 1, 2003... THIS PAST INDEPENDENCE DAY the Boston Pops celebrated the birth of our nation in glorious fashion, and Petrof was in attendance. This annual holiday performance is highly anticipated and draws approximately 600,000 spectators to Boston's Hatch...

Audio Light & Musical uses peavey loudspeakers at commissioning of USS Ronald Reagan.(Retailer Update)
September 1, 2003... LONGTIME PEAVEY DEALER Audio Light and Musical of Norfolk, Virginia, used nearly 40 individual Peavey loudspeaker enclosures at the commissioning of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. As Vice-President Dick Cheney and former first lady...

Bruhn & Taylor join sweetwater.(Retailer Update)
September 1, 2003... SWEETWATER, A LEADING direct response retailer, has hired Mark Bruhn and Royal Taylor as sales engineers. Both join Sweetwater with extensive experience in recording and music technology. Before coming to Sweetwater, Mark Bruhn spent six...

Retailers take heed: is your business's name secure? (Retailer.(Update)
September 1, 2003... IMAGINE SEEING A ROADSIDE billboard bearing your store's name erected where lots of consumers could see it. Sounds good, eh? But now imagine that the contact information on the billboard directs those consumers to a competitor's store! For a...

Hix Bros. Music hosts Ken Parker.(Retailer Update)
September 1, 2003... HIX BROS. MUSIC, in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, recently hosted Ken Parker, founder of Parker Guitars, for an evening clinc. The event drew an SRO crowd of Parker Guitar owners and guitar enthusiasts. Parker began his informal talk...

How do you compete with eBay? At the NAMM show in Nashville, we posed this question to a panel of successful retailers. In the space below, we present their often surprising responses.
September 1, 2003... On eBay there are more than 700 listings for guitars, including one for a "buy it now" price of $37 and a $49 package that gets you a guitar, amp, case, and instructional video. As a dealer who's trying to make a serious profit, how can you...

Bringing Baldwin back to life: eighteen months after buying Baldwin, CEO Henry Juszkiewicz dismisses industry rumors and reports that debt has been slashed, factories are in great shape, and the dealer network is being rebuilt. He adds, "the hardest part is behind us.".(Company Profile)
September 1, 2003... Baldwin Piano has been a source of industry rumor and speculation ever since Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz acquired the bankrupt company in late December 2001. Juszkiewicz readily concedes that he has a knack for "stirring up controversy," but...

Hot show revs up sales: after a lackluster second quarter, retailers turned out in force for the Nashville show, indicating that business is picking up, and sparking hopes for an improved second half.(Nashville NAMM Report 2003)
September 1, 2003... In an industry that includes everything from elegant grand pianos to graffiti-adorned electric guitars, consensus is a hard thing to come by. Yet there seemed to be near universal agreement that business in the second quarter was tougher than...

Better traffic and buying and Nashville is still number one!(NAMM Show Survey)
September 1, 2003... BASED ON RETAIL TURNOUT and purchasing levels at the show, industry suppliers are forecasting improved results during the second half" of the year. Although NAMM has announced that it is exploring Austin Texas; Indianapolis; and Washington,...

Alesis enters amp market with "spitfire".(Nashville NAMM report 2003)
September 1, 2003... BEST KNOWN FOR its pioneering role in the evolution of signal processing and digital recording. Alesis Studio Electronics has taken a bold step into a new arena. Using the summer NAMM convention as its platform, the Cumberland. Rhode...

Bluegrass night in Nashville.(Nashville NAMM Report 2003)
September 1, 2003... SAGA, SHUBB, and CMH Records sponsored an evening of kickin' bluegrass music at Nashville's historic The Station Inn. The jam-packed room of bluegrass enthusiasts thrilled to the sounds of Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time. Having recently...

$99 List Behringer guitar pack redefines low price.
September 1, 2003... ASK A MUSIC RETAILER to name their biggest challenge and the most likely response is "deflation." Sinking prices in the majority of product categories have placed pressure on profits throughout the industry, from Guitar Center down To the...

Yamaha redefines easy-play features.(Nashville NAMM Report 2003)
September 1, 2003... YAMAHA WOWED NAMM attendees with several exciting innovations aimed at enticing young and first-time customers to begin participating in music. Jim Presley, Yamaha manager of portable keyboard marketing, pointed out the key features of two new...

Gator makes strong case for reps.(Nashville NAMM Report 2003)
September 1, 2003... FLORIDA -- BASED GATOR CASES honored outstanding sales rep performance at an informal awards ceremony during NAMM's Summer Session. Gator's Sales Achievement Awards were presented to top reps firms, pictured below, by Gator President Jerry...

Korg donates triton to Nashville Hard Rock Cafe.(Nashville NAMM Report 2003)
September 1, 2003... AS PART OF A yearlong celebration of Korg's 40th anniversary, the company has donated a Korg Triton Studio to the Hard Rock Cafe. It will become part of the Hard Rock's permanent collection of rock 'n' roll memorabilia, which is currently...

NAMM U.(Nashville NAMM Report 2003)
September 1, 2003... At every tradeshow, NAMM sponsors a slew of educational seminars covering everything from merchandising to personnel management. In short, the sessions teach retailers how to make a profit selling the stuff they buy on the show floor. Below is...

Yamaha & NAMM award $330,000 to charity.(Nashville NAMM Report 2003)
September 1, 2003... NAMM and Yamaha Corporation of America awarded a check for $330,000 to NAMM's nonprofit charities as benefit from The 2003 NAMM Concert Honoring Sir Elton John, presented by Yamaha. The proceeds from the concert, which was held in Anaheim,...

The most famous name in music; how the Steinway family perfected the piano, invented modern marketing, enriched America's cultural heritage, and transformed the music industry, and why the company they launched continues to thrive 150 years later.(Steinway & Sons At 150)
September 1, 2003... The story of Steinway & Sons, the world's most renowned maker of pianos, begins on Saturday, March 5, 1853. Bacon & Raven, New York's largest piano maker was on strike, and four of its best workmen, a father and his three sons, chose that day...

The Steinway-Mercedes connection.(Steinway & Sons at 150)
September 1, 2003... ONE OF THE MORE intriguing chapters in Steinway history involves the company's brief foray into the auto industry. In 1888, when William Steinway was traveling in Europe, he chanced to hear that Gottlieb Daimler of Cannstatt, Germany, was...

Today's Steinway; with a single-minded focus on product quality, limited production, and retail profitability, Steinway & Sons' current management has done the near impossible: making the Steinway tradition shine brighter than ever.(Steinway & Sons at 150)
September 1, 2003... Immediately after CBS put Steinway & Sons up for sale in 1984, retailers, uncertain about the company's future, slowed their piano purchases to a trickle. A year later, after the company had been sold and Bruce Stevens took over as president,...

Henry Z. Steinway's role.(Steinway & Sons At 150)
September 1, 2003... AFFABLE, ENGAGING, and steeped in piano lore like no one else, Henry Z. Steinway is the best goodwill ambassador the piano industry has ever had. Whether greeting customers at a retail opening or discussing the illustrious Steinway tradition on...

Conn-Selmer reorganizes sales force.
September 1, 2003... IN A MOVE TO BETTER align the company with today's market and its customers, Conn-Selmer, Inc., has reorganized its sales team. This final step completes the reorganization of Selmer and UMI into Conn-Selmer and positions the new company to...

Prince heads sales and marketing at Casio's music division.
September 1, 2003... MARK PRINCE HAS joined Casio, Inc., of Dover, New Jersey, as director of sales and marketing in the company's Electronic Musical Instruments division. He will report to Neil Roberts, senior vice-president of sales and marketing for the...

Music link promotes Johnson & Garcia.
September 1, 2003... THE MUSIC LINK HAS appointed former sales representatives Anthony Johnson and Jun Garcia to national sales coordinators. The two have served many years as top sales reps for the quickly growing company. Johnson, a native of Louisiana, said...

Rock 'n' roll icon Jim Marshall turns 80.
September 1, 2003... ON JULY 29, 2003, Jim Marshall, creator of the Marshall Amplifier, celebrated his 80th birthday. Back in 1923 no one would have suspected he'd become the man responsible for one of modern music's most recognizable sounds, name, and logo. ...

Hohner reintroduces Rockwood Jr. drums.(Product News)
September 1, 2003... THE REDESIGNED Rockwood Jr. drums were reintroduced by Hohner at the NAMM show in Nashville. The new Jr. kit targets the young player and consists of a 4x12 wood snare, 10x16 bass drum, 6x8 and 6x10 mounted toms, and a 10x13 floor tom. The set...

Community unveils M12 stage monitor.(Product News)
September 1, 2003... COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL has introduced the M12 loudspeaker system. At 10-1/2" high and 21-1/2" inches wide, the sleek, low-profile device is a curvaceous replacement for traditional wedge-shaped floor monitors, providing knockout looks as well...

Southcoast offers piano instruction book.(Product News)
September 1, 2003... SOUTHCOAST MUSIC Distributors is offering Play Piano in a Flash! by Scott ("The Piano Guy") Houston, published by Houston Enterprises Press. The author believes that anyone can learn to play the piano well enough to have fun and sound good at a...

Reunion blues' new rawhide collection.(Product News)
September 1, 2003... REUNION BLUES LAUNCHED its new Rawhide Collection at the recent NAMM show in Nashville. The show afforded the perfect opportunity to show off its new Western-style dreadnought bag, designed to appeal to the country, Western, and bluegrass...

Gibraltar adds new hardware solutions.(Product News)
September 1, 2003... GIBRALTAR HARDWARE, the "all-brands" solution for drum hardware and accessories, has introduced a new lineup of SC (Service Center) spare parts and accessories. SC Spare Parts are developed to work with most major brands of drums and percussion...

Lucida offers new classical guitar.(Product News)
September 1, 2003... LUCIDA GUITARS, available from The Music Link, has unveiled the new, highly affordable, and feature-rich LG-529 classical guitar. This valuable instrument has all of the features that students need at a suggested retail price of just $99.95....

Casio debuts new digital pianos.(Product News)
September 1, 2003... CASIO, INC. HAS INTRODUCED three new beautiful styled digital pianos for the home market. Each model retails for $1,499.99 and combines beautiful cabinetry, hammer action keyboard, advanced featuring, and stunning sound quality to provide a...

Kawai introduces "vari-touch" piano.(Product News)
September 1, 2003... KAWAI INTRODUCED a revolutionary new acoustic upright piano with a variable touch action at Summer NAMM 2003. The unique VT-132 is equipped with a "Variable Touch Control" system that allows the pianist to adjust the weight of the keys from...

Date Slate--Industry trade shows and event for 2003-2004.
September 1, 2003... OCTOBER 2003 THE COLLEGE MUSIC SOCIETY Oct 2-5 Miami, FL-Hoph Inter-Continental Miami CMS, 2002 West Spruce Street, Missoula, MT 59802, PH: (406) 721-9616, FAX: (406) 721-9419 e-mail: cms@music.org * www.music.org CHINA-MUSIC...

Mexicans kidnap piano dealer.(100 Years Ago)
September 1, 2003... Charles Oberlander, a piano dealer in San Diego, recounted his experience of 1892 when he was kidnapped by Mexicans and condemned to death. His offense was that he had been active in protecting his Chinese workers from the predatory attacks of...

Accordion popularity.(75 Years Ago)
September 1, 2003... Surveys indicate that piano keyboard accordion sales will break all records this year because of the instrument's rapidly growing popularity. Small goods jobbers and dealers are hounding their source of supply for the goods while manufacturers...

Record summer NAMM show.(50 Years Ago)
September 1, 2003... A record-breaking attendance registration of 8,448 persons marked the 52nd annual NAMM Convention held at the Hotel Palmer House in Chicago. Two hundred and seventy-four exhibitors, an all-time high, displayed their products and, from informal...

One hundred years ago.(Flashbacks)
September 1, 2003... ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, the player piano market was in its infancy and the performed roll had yet to be standardized. Pioneering manufacturers like the aptly named Perforated Music Roll Co. encouraged dealers to get behind this dramatic new...

Vast rise in population.(50 Years Ago)
September 1, 2003... According to Census reports, children five years old to nine years old show a gain of 49 percent over the year 1940. The farther down you go in the age-bracket scale, the greater such percentages increase. At the current birth rate in the U.S.,...

Twenty five years ago.(Flashbacks)
September 1, 2003... TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO, Leo Fender (above) returned to the the guitar business with the introduction of the Music Man line of guitars and basses. After selling Fender Musical Instruments to CBS in 1967, a ten-year non-compete contract had kept...

Banner year for music.(25 Years Ago)
September 1, 2003... The American Music Conference reports that sales of musical instruments and related accessories topped the $2 billion dollar mark for the first time in 1977. While the gain in dollar volume was nine percent over the previous year, AMC estimates...

Crate amp output up 20%.(10 Years Ago)
September 1, 2003... To meet growing demand for its Crate and Ampeg product lines, St. Louis Music has added 10,000 square feet to its electronics manufacturing and R&D complex in St. Louis. According to Stan Morgan, sales manager, "Orders for our electronic...

Top dealers fare well.(10 Years Ago)
September 1, 2003... Anxious consumers may have been reluctant to spend, yet you wouldn't know it from reviewing the sales figures of the 100 largest retailers. Total industry sales advanced four percent to $4.13 billion in 1992 while the Top 100 fared even better,...