Music & Sound Retailer May 2020, Vol 37 No 5

THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

May 2020 Volume 37, No. 5 To watch video interviews with MI retailers on how they’re handling the coronavirus pandemic, go to msretailer.com/special-reports.

MI’s Virtual World

How MI Retailers Are Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic See page 25

The Good Stuff Great Things Going on in MI Today

See page 18

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L AT E S T

NAMM Presents COVID-19 Playbook for MI Retailers If you are an MI retailer today during the COVID-19 health crisis, what should you do? To answer this question, NAMM on March 26 presented “Music Retail in the Time of COVID-19” hosted by Bob Phibbs, known as “The Retail Doctor.”

Phibbs began by noting that consumers are still buying all sorts of things, including toys for children to play with and flowers to beautify a home. Stated simply, consumers are buying things to get them through the day. In fact, he noted that he spoke to an MI retailer who stated that customers are buying a lot of guitars.

“The time for wallowing is not now,” said Phibbs. “Turn off the notifications on your phone.” Importantly, Phibbs added MI retailers should not feel guilty when selling products during a crisis. “You need to get your head around the fact you are helping the customer out,” he said. “You’re not taking advantage of a crisis.” Phibbs added, “It is a great time to meet the needs of customers a different way.”

He proceeded to provide tips for MI retailers under separate scenarios, including if they are currently open, closed temporarily or need to close permanently due to the COVID-19 crisis. For those MI stores still open, Phibbs offered the following advice: • You will have to sell your way out of this.

• People are buying, but for different reasons.

• Traffic is down, but be sensitive. It is about their needs, not yours.

• People like to shop because it gives them a sense of control.

• Limit the number of people in the store, and make hand washing a priority.

To provide an example of how people derive a sense of control from shopping, Phibbs noted how toilet paper has become a hot seller.

“They are not buying it because they need it,” he said. “It is because it gives them a sense of control.”

Marketing is another big component, relayed “The Retail Doctor,” offering these tips: • Be of service.

• Keep marketing.

• Review your website.

• Send a newsletter.

• Carefully choose images.

Focusing on newsletters, Phibbs said the main goal is to get the point across that you are there to help. ‘The goal is [to] bring hope,” he said. “Do not limit marketing to the illness. This is the time for creativity, which is what you are already good at.” Phibbs recommended BombBomb, which offers free 14-day trials, as a way to reach your customers directly with a video email.

Phibbs added that, when selecting images for a newsletter or a website, retailers should make sure to convey that their store is clean. He also suggested that, while it is difficult to show your hands are clean in a photo, photos that show you’re wearing gloves at work are a great start.

Now is the time to improve your store, Phibbs stressed. “When shoppers do return — trust me, they will — you want it to look like a new store. You need it more than the [customer does]. Ultimately, you have to be prepared for when the switch goes off and the customer says, ‘I’m ready [to shop].’”

To succeed in having a better business in the future, training is a must, said Phibbs. He asserted that training of employees should be completed even if employees are not currently at your store. Phibbs offered these tips for training your employees: • Get rid of the “no time” excuse.

• If you’re paying them, they should be learning for when things get better.

• Role play interactions.

Once training is complete, retailers need to plan and prepare. Here are Phibb’s suggestions: • How will you make up for lost ground? Be of service now.

• Go over your financials.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

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• Make a list.

• Look at options like credit cards, rent reductions, borrow from the bank, reach out to the SBA (Small Business Administration).

“Talk to your bank about bridge loans and lines of credit,” said Phibbs. “Make sure you are getting the best prices from your vendors, such as internet and janitorial services. And talk to landlords about rent reductions.”

If you must close your store temporarily, as is mandated in some states, keep your employees informed of what is going on during the closure, but do not go too far, Phibbs stressed. “Try to keep employees informed, but don’t promise anything you can’t deliver,” he said.

If you need to close your MI store for an extended period, consider these three factors: • Is your business viable?

• Borrow from friends, life insurance, 401K. • Bankruptcy is used by some of the biggest companies. Talk to a lawyer or accountant for their advice.

No matter what you do, having the right mindset is key, Phibbs asserted. He quoted a TD Jakes saying: “Don’t give all your energy to where you are right now. Give most of your energy to where you’re going.”

Phibbs urged MI retailers to consider meditation if their stress levels are too high, but he emphasized “there is hope.” He also recommended the “5-5-5” principle, which entails naming five things you are grateful for that day, five things you are looking forward to tomorrow, and the next morning, when you wake up, five things you are looking forward to that day. “In hope, I am fearless,” concluded Phibbs.

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THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

COVER STORIES 18 The Good Stuff: Great Things Going on in MI Today

This annual feature takes on much more importance than ever before as we include plenty of the great things MI manufacturers are doing to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

VOLUME 37 NO. 5

25 MI’s Virtual World

An in-depth look at MI retailers have handled the coronavirus health crisis.

F E AT U R E S 26 Five Minutes With

Takaki Maeda, senior general manager of Casio Computer Co. Ltd.’s Electronic Musical Instruments Business Division, talks about 40 years of electronic keyboards and much more.

28 MI Spy

In MI Spy’s last in-person store visit prior to COVID-19-fueled lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders, he/she visited New York City’s downtown, as well as nearby Hoboken, N.J.

31 Who MI

A look at Adam Hall Group’s many brands and products.

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32 Front and Center

Kathy-Anne “KAM” McManus, Avid Chief Customer Experience Officer, talks to the Women’s International Music Network about whether she has seen more opportunities for women in technology, plus much more.

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36 Shine a Light

COLUMNS 34 Grassroots Marketing

Backstage Music is not only the source for the “In the Trenches” column in this magazine. The store, and specifically its partner Allen McBroom, have quite a story to tell.

35 In the Trenches

IK Multimedia’s iLoud MTM compact reference monitors provide design elements and technology advances intended to deliver pristine sound and unprecedented accuracy for its size and price point.

When you get a notice from village hall that the street where your store sits will be closed for half a day or more because of a parade, you have two choices: You can close early and go to the beach — or you can make the most of things.

Allen McBroom describes how he is dealing with COVID-19.

46 The Final Note

38 Veddatorial

The coronavirus pandemic will cause many changes that MI retailers need to be prepared for.

BUZZ 3 Latest 10 People 12 Products

40 Under the Hood

Misha Guiffre, director of sales, The Music Link Corp. counts his 1975 Fender Jazz Bass reissue at his most prized possession. It has been his constant companion for more than two decades.

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26 Pictured on the cover is San Diego Music Studio's Robin Sassi teaching lessons via Zoom.

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MAY 2020

EDITORIAL

Give Me Shelter This is the first time I have ever written my editorial letter from home in my two tenures as editor of the Music & Sound Retailer. Such is the world we live in.

As I write this, I am sitting in my home office, looking out the window and watching people on my street, some wearing masks and some not, walking their dogs or simply going for a walk to get some exercise.

I want to thank the entire staff of this magazine, who had to alter their workflow and process to produce this issue. So much change so quickly is not easy.

I also want to thank everyone on the front lines, including doctors, nurses and other hospital staff risking their lives every day. They are heroes in every sense of the word. Thanks to their efforts, all I am asked to do is work at home and social distance from others.

Despite this issue being fully completed from our respective homes, it offers all of the components you have come to expect. Of course, you will see COVID-19 coverage via a cover story about how MI retailers are dealing with the health crisis, as well as by way of our columnists, who had plenty to write about the crisis. And I want to place special emphasis on our other cover story this month regarding the good stuff going on in MI today. This story has never been more meaningful than it is now. It is a mix of great things manufacturers are doing in the wake of the coronavirus, as well as wonderful things some companies are doing, virus or no virus. I believe this makes for an excellent read.

For more on COVID-19, I encourage you to check out our website at msretailer.com/special-reports.

We’ve added a lot to the site in the last couple of months, including Zoom interviews I conducted with MI professionals about the state of the industry and how some MI retailers are faring during the crisis.

But other than the aforementioned items, I believe it is important to still focus on what we always do as a magazine. As “The Retail Doctor” Bob Phibbs said during a NAMM webinar in late March, watching TV news lately for more than 15 minutes can be detrimental to your health. I had to cut back on my CNN viewing. I feel the same way about a magazine in terms of its coverage.

Hence, if you are not COVID-19 reading inclined, I invite you to check out the several coronavirus-free stories in this issue. This includes MI Spy, who visited the hard-hit areas of lower Manhattan and Hoboken, N.J., shortly before the lockdown was enacted. Five Minutes With, The Final Note, Under the Hood, Product Buzz, Who MI, Grassroots Marketing, Shine a Light and Front and Center are more examples of articles that are completely coronavirus-free.

Being asked to stay at home really is not an awful request. Sure, no school for my children is not easy. But as long as we do not get sick, and as long as we have food, electricity and Netflix for shows like “Tiger King,” things are not so bad.

May 2020 Volume 37, No. 5

BRIAN BERK Editor bberk@testa.com ANTHONY VARGAS Associate Editor avargas@testa.com AMANDA MULLEN Assistant Editor amullen@testa.com DONOVAN BANKHEAD ROBERT CHRISTIE KIMBERLY DEVERELL JEFF KYLE JR. MICHELLE LOEB

JANICE PUPELIS Art Director STEVE THORAKOS Production Manager CIRCULATION circulation@testa.com FRED GUMM Digital Art Director

WILL MASON ALLEN MCBROOM GABRIEL O'BRIEN MIKE & MIRIAM RISKO

ROBERT L. IRAGGI Advertising Director riraggi@testa.com RICKY PIMENTEL Art/Production Assistant rpimentel@testa.com ROBIN HAZAN Operations Manager rhazan@testa.com VINCENT P. TESTA President/Publisher TIM SPICER DAN VEDDA LAURA B. WHITMORE Contributors

Editorial and Sales Office: The Music & Sound Retailer, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York 11050-3779. Phone: (516) 767-2500 • Fax: (516) 767-9335 • MSREDITOR@TESTA.COM. Editorial contributions should be addressed to The Editor, The Music & Sound Retailer, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York 11050-3779. Unsolicited manuscripts will be treated with care and must be accompanied by return postage.

Sound & Communications • DJ Times • Sound & Communications Blue Book The Music & Sound Retailer • The DJ Expo • IT/AV Report The Retailer Report • Convention TV @ NAMM • InfoCommTV News VTTV Studios The Music & Sound Retailer (ISSN 0894-1238) (USPS 0941-238) is published 12 times a year for $18 (US),

by Retailer Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050-3779.

Periodicals postage paid at Port Washington, N.Y. and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Music & Sound Retailer, PO BOX 1767, LOWELL MA 01853-1767.

MAY 2020

L AT E S T

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Deering Acquires ProPik

Deering Banjo Co. has completed the purchase of fingerpick brand ProPik from Californiabased Mapson Engineering, and has begun to manufacture the entire line of fingerpicks at its facility in Spring Valley, Calif.

The decision to purchase the popular fingerpick brand marks Deering’s first move into fingerpick manufacturing, coupled with the opportunity to carry on the legacy of a brand. Deering plans to continue manufacturing picks under the ProPik brand and will assume responsibility for the manufacturing of the extensive line of products, designed for banjo players, guitar players, dobro players and more.

Key Leaves Commences Music Store Stimulus Program

Key Leaves has announced a Music Store Stimulus program. The company will credit its dealers for direct sales received at keyleaves.com to help support the many brick-and-mortar stores suffering from COVID-19 closures. This program includes all music stores that are currently part of the Key Leaves dealer network in the United States and overseas.

Upon checkout, shoppers on keyleaves.com will be invited to name the music store from which they would normally be making their purchase, and if the store is part of the Key Leaves dealer network, Key Leaves will compensate the dealer the markup amount from standard dealer prices for that product. The program is effective immediately and will continue until the pandemic subsides and most dealers are open again for business.

“This health crisis is causing music shops around the globe to shut doors, refuse repairs and halt lessons,” said Rulon Brown, founder and president of Key Leaves. “If we do all we can now to give aid to local music stores, they will weather this storm and keep serving musicians, schools and communities. I want to give special thanks to Jody Espina of JodyJazz who started this innovative stimulus program in his business. It makes perfect sense for our industry to support each other this way, and I am proud Key Leaves can emulate Jody’s approach.”

NASMD’s Grisaffi: ‘We Will Get Through This’

On what was supposed to be the first full day of the National Association of School Music Dealers (NASMD) annual convention in Tampa, Fla., March 26, president Whitney Brown Grisaffi hosted the organization’s business meeting via Zoom video chat.

“We will look forward,” she said, clad in a pirate hat, in reference to the pirate theme for the Tampa event. “… We will get through this.”

Grisaffi, of Ted Brown Music in Washington state, acknowledged canceling the 2020 convention was difficult and “being in the epicenter in Washington, I stressed for weeks.” Just like all others, she added she could not have foreseen anything like COVID-19 canceling the convention. “I might have anticipated a hurricane,” she said. “Not a pandemic.”

On a positive note, Grisaffi said she hopes she can travel to the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Golf & Beach Resort in Puerto Rico in June, site of the 2021 convention, slated for March 10 to March 13, 2021.

During the meeting, NASMD also approved its 2020-21 board of directors, who are: Grisaffi, CJ Averwater of AMRO Music, Gayle Beacock of Beacock Music, Chris Behrens of Summerhays Music, Paul Finke of Willis Music, Tamara Kautzman of Eckroth Music, Rick Thacker of Plum Grove Music and Ryan West of West Music.

Clarus Acquires SKB

Clarus Corp. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held SKB Corp., a manufacturer of protective cases, for $85 million in cash and 1,153,846 shares of Clarus common stock. SKB will continue to operate independently as a wholly owned subsidiary of Clarus.

Headquartered in Orange, Calif., and founded in 1977 by Steve Kottman and Dave Sanderson, SKB designs and manufactures molded polymer transport cases engineered to provide superior protection for a diverse range of equipment. SKB’s products, known as “SKB Cases,” are utilized across industries, including consumer,

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sports, electronics, healthcare, music, photography and industrials.

In 2019, SKB generated $53 million in sales and more than $9.5 million of adjusted EBITDA. “We regularly evaluate potential acquisitions to add to and complement our portfolio, and SKB is a perfect match. We believe that the acquisition of SKB presents a compelling opportunity to extend our brand formula over a broader base and advance our strategy of growing both organically and through accretive, value-enhancing transactions,” said John Walbrecht, president of Clarus.

MAY 2020

L AT E S T

2020 Summer NAMM Show Canceled NAMM on April 7 announced that the 2020 Summer NAMM show has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Nashville show is next scheduled to take place July 15-17, 2021.

NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond and NAMM chairman Chris Martin issued the following letter, presented in its entirety: “Dear NAMM Family, After speaking with so many of you and closely following the latest news regarding the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Summer NAMM, scheduled for July 9–11 in Nashville. We sincerely recognize the importance of this annual mid-year gathering for our industry. However, the current circumstances make it impossible to hold the show or to undertake the many months of careful planning and preparation that are required to create a secure and organized event.

In spite of not being able to be together in Nashville, we will continue to connect our community to help everyone move forward.

Our focus remains on guiding our members to the financial relief that so many badly need through the CARES Act. In addition, the NAMM team has been sourcing and sharing the most creative strategies that are working in music retail and online music learning, vital tools to survive these unprecedented economic times. The NAMM website is your trusted and reliable place to get the latest news; please utilize this resource as our virtual gathering spot for the time being.

As difficult as these days are, we gain strength and inspiration from the generations of NAMM members who came before us, overcoming every obstacle in their way. And in that spirit, we can just imagine the heartfelt celebrations that will occur when we are all together again in Anaheim next January.

In the meantime, please stay safe and connected to each other; with perseverance, vision and passion, we will succeed.”

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

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Alfred, Keiser Southern Music Ink Distribution Deal

Alfred Music and Keiser Southern Music announced a distribution deal effective immediately for Edwin F. Kalmus, LudwigMasters Publications and affiliated catalogs. Alfred will have world-wide rights to the LudwigMasters catalog as well as Edwin F. Kalmus, minus the UK and Europe. (Note that this does not include the distribution of the Keiser Southern Catalog).

Future sales, orders and billing questions should be directed to Alfred Music at sales@alfred.com, as all aforementioned catalogs will be available for order as soon as possible. “The addition of these respected catalogs are a natural fit into the Alfred Music ecosystem, and we’re proud to be their distributors,” said Alex R. Ordoñez, vice president, sales and marketing, for Alfred Music and MakeMusic.

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PEOPLE

z z u B Prestigious Award for Sharon Hennessey

The Music People announced that company co-president Sharon Hennessey has been named a recipient of the Hartford Business Journal’s 2020 Women in Business award. A panel of independent judges selected 15 award recipients stemming from a wide range of industries, including TV, banking and nonprofits. According to the Journal, winners are selected for making a significant difference within their organization and their community.

“I am so honored to receive the 2020 Women in Business award,” Hennessey said. “When I first started out in business, most executives in all industries were male, so I had to overcome that stigma. Even working in the music industry, which historically is more welcoming to new concepts and ideas, I often initially found it difficult to find my ‘voice.’ Years ago, I remember entering conference rooms of 12 men by myself and having to learn to navigate this new world. I’ve been lucky to have several mentors over the years that have taught me if you are selling something you are truly passionate about, ultimately the results will have no limits. My message to fellow women in business is always believe in yourself, trust in what you do and stand up for your values.”

Hennessey has served as co-president at The Music People alongside her brother John since 1989. During her tenure, she has helped the company grow from 17 employees to 84, played an integral role in the creation of its overseas division and developed strategic relationships within the MI industry.

In Memoriam: Ed Boyer

Edward James Boyer, a highly respected music products manager for Yamaha Corp. of America, passed away on Wednesday, April 8, at his home in West Chester, Pa. He was 63.

Born June 19, 1956, in Reading, Pa., he was the son of Edward James Boyer and Shirley Boyer, and the husband of 36 years to Kathleen Hassinger Boyer.

Boyer attended West Chester University, earning a bachelor’s degree in music education. Upon graduation from college, he worked at Zapf’s music store in Philadelphia and, in 1983, was invited to join Yamaha as a district manager for the company’s then band and orchestral division.

For the past 20 years, he served as a regional sales manager, and was consistently recognized by Yamaha for his significant contributions to his sales team, having been inducted into the company’s President’s Club in 2016 and 2019. Over the span of his nearly fourdecade career with Yamaha, Boyer developed long-lasting partnerships with dealers while working with them to cultivate relationships with area school directors.

“We take great pride in the dealers that we have,” Boyer reflected in a NAMM Oral History video interview conducted in 2010. “It’s really important to us to have that relationship, and we value it.”

“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Ed, and our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends, including the many people he worked with here at Yamaha,” said Garth Gilman, corporate vice president, Yamaha Corp. of America. “Ed was always a consummate professional who drove those of us who worked with him to be better. The loss is immeasurable, but we are grateful for all the memories we have of Ed.” When he was off the road, Boyer enjoyed playing the drums and spending time with his family at the beach in Ocean City, Md. In addition to his wife and parents, Boyer is survived by a son Christopher Boyer, a daughter, Kathleen “Katie” Boyer and her fiancé Steven Clark.

Services and interment will be private. To honor Boyer’s memory, donations can be made to The West Chester University Foundation c/o The West Chester University Foundation, 202 Carter Drive, West Chester, PA, 19382. Please mark your donation “Wells School of Music in Memory of Ed Boyer.” For online donations, visit msr.io/boyer-wells.

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In Memoriam: Jean-Charles “JC” Costa

Industry veteran Jean-Charles Costa passed away on March 24 in New York City due to complications caused by an abdominal obstruction. Known to many as simply “JC,” he was a talented writer, musician, photographer, artist and storyteller. Underneath it all was a wonderful sense of humor and a true generosity of spirit and kindness.

A A brilliant and articulate communicator, Costa was widely admired by friends and industry colleagues alike for his creativity, talent and keen wit.

A graduate of Columbia University, Costa began his career at Rolling Stone magazine in 1969 as a music critic, features writer and editor. Among his many notable album reviews were 1971’s “Meddle” by Pink Floyd, “Frampton Comes Alive” (1976) and Bad Company’s “Burning Sky” (1977). From 1971-73 Costa worked at Atlantic Records, handling duties as staff writer, artist relations and public relations, a specialty that would define the last 20 years of his accomplished career.

At Atlantic Records, he wrote liner notes for albums by Eric Clapton; the Allman Brothers; Emerson, Lake and Palmer; Chic; and Roy Buchanan. He spent the next 20 years as a writer, reviewer and editor at various publications, including Gig magazine and Record magazine, while still doing freelance work for Rolling Stone and other publications.

In 2001, after decades as a successful marketing professional for Samson Technologies (vice president of marketing, 1993-2000) and the Manhattan-based Advertising/PR firm SR/A where he served as creative director, Costa combined his experience in writing, marketing, public relations, branding and music production to start his own PR firm based in New York City. His appropriately named Brainstorm Media offered creative marketing support, promotions and public relations to many pro-audio and MI brands, including Fishman, Martin Audio, Middle Atlantic Products and CAD Audio.

In a statement provided by Fishman, the company said “Those who knew Jean-Charles would attest that he was a wonderful husband, father and friend who will be greatly missed.”

Costa is survived by his beloved wife Rise, their son Brett, daughterin-law Jacqueline and granddaughter Tabitha.

Donations in his memory can be made to the Mount Sinai Health System at msr.io/costa-mount-sinai.

MAY 2020

RS E Watch the Music & Sound Retailer’s Video L I A T RE S Conversations With C T MI Retailers and U OD R P Manufacturers on COVID-19 Response SIC

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More than 20 interviews are now available on how they are responding to the health crisis and how business will change post-COVID-19.

See the full list of interviews at www.msretailer.com/special-reports

@MSRETAILER THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC PRODUC TS RETAILERS

PRODUCT

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Green Screen

Gig Gear LLC rolled out Cam-A-Lot, a dual-sided videoconferencing screen that provides a clean background during video calls. The Cam-A-Lot easily slides and secures onto the back of almost any chair — including folding chairs — and completely blocks out the entire background of a user’s video. The screen is dual-sided, with one side featuring a white background for a clean look while the opposite side features a green screen that can be used to project a virtual background.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Gig Gear, gig-gear.com

Perfect Centerpiece

CHAUVET DJ’s Freedom Centerpiece is a four-pack of 100-percent true-wireless, battery-operated uplights, specifically developed for the corporate event industry and wedding and event planners. Each fixture is IP54-rated to protect against spills or sudden light weather, while the housing can withstand elaborate floral pieces, decorative arrangements or sculptures up to 25 pounds. Capable of matching any color scheme, decor style or theme, the units are comprised of 39 LEDs arranged in concentric circles. The two center rings are quad-color RGBW LEDs, while the outer ring controls white tones with dual-color CW/WW LEDs. All four units will operate for eight hours of run time when all LEDs are activated or 16 hours with a single color. The polarized lenses eliminate unwanted glare for an elevated look. Control each fixture with included IRC-6 remote or via DMX. The Freedom Centerpiece includes black housing covers, a multi-charger and a carrying bag.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: CHAUVET DJ, chauvetdj.com

Born in the USA

Charvel announced the USA Select DK24 HSS 2PT CM and USA Select DK24 HSS 2PT CM QM models. Designed for modern players with discerning tastes, these instruments feature an alder body with a scalloped lower back bout that works in tandem with a sculpted “shredder’s cut” heel to allow for easy upper-fretboard access. The bolt-on caramelized maple “speed” neck has graphite reinforcement and a smooth, hand-rubbed urethane back finish for comfortable playability. Built for highly technical playing, a 12-inch to 16-inch compound-radius caramelized maple fingerboard features comfortable rolled edges, 24 stainless-steel jumbo frets, pearl dot inlays, Luminlay side dots, Graph Tech TUSQ XL nut and heelmount truss rod adjustment wheel. The HSS pickup configuration routing consists of a custom Seymour Duncan Full Shred SH-10B bridge pickup, custom Seymour Duncan Flat Strat SSL-6 single-coil middle pickup and custom Seymour Duncan Flat Strat SSL-6 RWRP single-coil neck pickup. The USA Select DK24 HSS 2PT CM is available in Quicksilver with chrome hardware or Satin Black with gold hardware, while the USA Select DK24 HSS 2PT CM QM features a distinctive quilt maple top wrapped in Autumn Glow or Blue Burst with masked-off natural binding and chrome hardware.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Charvel, charvel.com

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Stadium Rock

Godin Guitars launched the Stadium HT. This modern single-cut axe has a unique acoustic-inspired finish that gives the body a vintage look and feel, all the while allowing it to breathe and resonate more freely, and genuinely age and wear as played for a weathered look. Great sustain and tone come standard with the Custom T-Ashtray Hardtail Bridge complete with brass saddles, and notes are expressive via the Custom Godin Cajun at the bridge and Godin GS-3 at the neck, stated the company. Adding to the vintage vibe with a modern twist is the reinvented vintagestyle control plate, complete with volume, tone and slanted three-way switch. The Stadium HT comes in three finishes: Trans White, Matte Black and Havana Brown. The Trans White model comes with a rosewood fretboard, while the Matte Black and Havana Brown come with a maple fretboard.

MAP: $649 Ship Date: Now Contact: Godin Guitars, godinguitars.com MAY 2020

PRODUCT

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Music Medic launched its Sax Bell Rim Tools, designed to reach dents and dings in the very outer edge and flare of the sax bell. This allows burnishing or rolling right up to the rolled edge, a spot that’s difficult to get with other conventional dent tools, stated the company. Made for alto and tenor saxophone bells, each tool has two profiles: a modern bell flare and a longer “vintage” bell flair. The mandrel is threaded onto any dent rod with 3/8-16 threading. The mandrel

threads into the side of the tool so users can work in front of or behind the mandrel without the rod getting in the way. Also works for some sizes of small brass like trumpet and cornet bell flares. Sold in Alto and Tenor models, and available as a set of two.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Music Medic, musicmedic.com

Growing your business

In 1987, Hal Leonard and Pierre Bensusan collaborated for the first time with the release of “The Guitar Book of Pierre Bensusan.” Now, as Bensusan is preparing for the release of his latest album, “Azwan,” he is collaborating once more with Hal Leonard to release the new “Pierre Bensusan Guitar Collection.” This comprehensive book, written in both English and French, combines extensive instructional topics for intermediate to advanced fingerstyle guitarists with tab transcriptions of some of Bensusan’s most popular performance pieces and each song on “Azwan.” Additionally, the hardcover book comes with a spiral comb-binding, making for much easier page turns, and features a plethora of extras including photos and a foreword from Jean-Marie Ecay.

Transcriptions of Bensusan’s pieces include: “Chant de Nuit,” “L’Alchimiste,”” Silent Passenger,” “Wu Wei,” “If Only You Knew” and “So Long Michael.”

MSRP: $39.99 Ship Date: Now Contact: Hal Leonard, halleonard.com

Growing your business

Musicians Musicians by growing

Bilingual Book

z z u B

by growing

ADVERTORIAL • MAY 2020 • NAMM.ORG

Note From Joe

Working Together Our music community is coming together to help our members get through this crisis and fulfill our vision of a more musical world.

In January, our industry left The NAMM Show with enthusiasm for what was to be a record year. Since then, the world has changed forever. Our task now is to move past these historical challenges and lead our industry forward. Using a musical metaphor, it is incumbent upon all of us to read the music that’s coming up on the chart, not just the notes of the moment. Our musical score points to a successful climb out of this challenging time, and by directing our vision and energy to this future, we will lead our companies and the industry to better days ahead.

Joe Lamond NAMM PRESIDENT AND CEO

Your Trusted Guide to Business Relief Working with our industry partners in Washington D.C. to ensure that the voices of our members have been heard, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) has recently become law and more legislation may be on the horizon. We will do our very best to lead our members through this process and provide a trusted place for the most up-to-date information and guidance.

Taking NAMM U to You in Real-Time NAMM U Online is a resource containing the shared wisdom and creativity of our global membership base, sharing current survival strategies that are working in this new reality, as well as proven best practices and ideas in the music products industry. Members have 24/7/365 access to high-value educational programs designed specifically for the needs of our community, helping industry professionals better manage their businesses and careers.

Ensuring When Schools Reopen, There Will Be Music!

Hearing from our members and our music teacher colleagues has been heartbreaking yet inspirational. So many are finding creative methods to keep music education going, especially through innovative uses of technology. We will continue to share information to help our members and educators maintain their critical work and lobby policymakers and elected officials to ensure that support and funding for music education continue to be a priority in 2020 and beyond.

Learn about these resources and more on namm.org, our gathering point with reliable and up-to-date information that you can trust.

Despite any obstacle, NAMM and our members have moved the industry forward since 1901.

We are all in this together. namm.org

#MusicISLife

PRODUCT

z z u B

Work of Art

Ibanez unveiled the Steve Vai signature model PIA, which stands for Paradise in Art, a name truly reflective of Vai’s signature vision, style and musicianship, stated the company. The guitar is appointed with several exclusive features, the most prominent of which is the “Petal grip.” The rosewood fretboard is inlayed with an original design called the “PIA Blossom,” envisioned and designed specifically for this guitar. The PIA also features new, custom-designed DiMarzio pickups that give the guitar a suitable dose of that characteristic Vai sound, while also incorporating a new, distinctive voice. The pickups also feature a striking engraving pattern on the covers; another subtle detail that greatly enhances the overall character of the instrument. Color options include Stallion White as well as limited Envy Green, Panther Pink and Sun Dew Gold finishes. Finally, the guitar is adorned with a special holographic headstock logo, setting it firmly in a singular position within the Ibanez product line.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Contact company Contact: Ibanez, ibanez.com/usa

Let Your Soul Glow

Fender launched the Tom Morello Soul Power Stratocaster. With this release, Morello joins the ranks of other iconic artists like Eric Clapton, Ed O’Brien of Radiohead, Albert Hammond Jr, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and more. The Soul Power Stratocaster features an alder bound-top slab body, originally a limited-run Strat with slab body with binding; a “Deep-C” maple neck with compound-radius 9.5inch to 14-inch rosewood fingerboard; and 22 medium-jumbo frets and matching painted headstock. It also includes a kill switch that creates the “stutter” effect emulating DJ scratching that Morello is known for, a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails bridge humbucker pickup that delivers dynamics and range, and a Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo System that allows for radical Tremolo effects while staying perfectly in tune, stated the company.

MSRP: $1.399.99 Ship Date: Now Contact: Fender, fender.com

16

Tools of the Trade

AP International, manufacturer and distributor of Floyd Rose Tremolo Systems, announced exclusive worldwide distribution of the HexHider magnetic hex tool.

This three-millimeter Allen key was created to conveniently address the need for a wrench to unlock a Floyd Rose-equipped guitar. The patented HexHider design uses a neodymium magnet to hold the tool in place when in use and to store the wrench by magnetically gripping onto any metal tuning machine on the back of the headstock without permanent installation. The three-millimeter wrench works to unlock the nut for easier fine tuner resets, loosen the string lock screws at the bridge for quicker string changes, and make bridge post height adjustments on all authentic Floyd Rose Tremolos as well as many licensed versions. The HexHider comes with a lifetime warranty and comes in single-unit packs, two-packs and four-packs for those looking to save and bundle.

Street Price: $9.49 Ship Date: Now Contact: AP International, hexhider.com

It’s in the Bag

TASCAM introduced the CSModel 12, a custom-fit, rugged carrying bag that helps protect its Model 12 Integrated Production Suite multitrack recorder in onthe-go production environments.

Made of heavy-duty fabric and weighing less than two pounds, the CS-Model 12 carrying bag features an extra layer of padding sewn into the internal lining to protect knobs and switches from damage. The bag’s dimensions are custommeasured to match the Model 12’s small-format footprint and profile, helping ensure a snug fit during transport. The bag can be zipped up from both sides once the Model 12 is inside.

An external side pocket with two metal zippers provides ample room for storing mics, cables, SD cards or other peripherals. A heavy-duty shoulder strap with metal clasps securely sewn to the bag supports hands-free transport of the unit.

Additionally, two securely sewn-on fabric handles provide a handheld carrying option. While designed to specifically fit the Model 12, the CS-Model 12’s size and features, such as pocket, padding, strap, handles and rugged fabric, also make it a perfect option for transporting other types of gear, including small-format mixers, microphones, cables, TASCAM small-format Portastudios and trainers, audio/MIDI interfaces, handheld and field recorders such as the TASCAM DR-70D, and more, stated the company.

MSRP: Contact company Ship Date: Now Contact: TASCAM, tascam.com MAY 2020

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Set for August 10-13 at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, DJ Expo will present its winning slate of DJ-related exhibitions, educational seminars/keynotes, and sponsored evening events. Now in its 31st year, DJ Expo is produced by DJ Times magazine and its publisher, Testa Communications, and it remains America’s longest-running and most-successful DJ conference/exhibition.

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THE GOOD STUFF Great Things Going on in MI Today

By Brian Berk

GIG GEAR Gig Gear founder and CEO Daniel Shatzkes (left) has literally been on the front line in hard-hit New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’ve been a volunteer emergency medical technician for almost 19 years,” Shatzkes told the Music & Sound Retailer. “Now is one of those times when the community has needed first responders the most, so I’ve been putting in quite a bit of time on shifts and taking calls. The attached picture shows how we’ve had to go out over the last few weeks. It’s pretty crazy.”

To watch a video interview with Shatzkes about his experiences on the front lines of the pandemic and his perspective as an MI business owner, go to msr.io/gig-gear-ceo-talksbeing-nyc-emt.

GATOR CO. Gator Co. is leveraging its sewn-goods design and manufacturing abilities to help those in need during the COVID-19 crisis. It is answering the call for more masks with a line of fabric masks that include a pocket for replaceable filters and music-themed designs. The masks and filters will be available for retail and online sales, with sales proceeds going toward the donation of masks and filters to those in need.

“The demand for masks is very serious,” said Crystal Morris, founder and CEO of Gator Co. “I read the media reports and researched ways we can help with the mask shortage. We needed to respond, and we have the capabilities to make a positive impact. And we wanted to stick to our music roots with a few fun music patterns. We’re excited to be able to help in any way as we all rally to get through this.”

The masks are made from cotton fabric for comfort, with adjustable straps for a secure fit.

Each mask will be sold with a felt replacement filter cut to fit inside the mask. Five patterns are available now, including two music-themed patterns. Packages also include die-cut instructions for people to make their own replaceable filters. Felt replacement filters are also for sale in three-packs.

OMG MUSIC OMG Music offered a free mask initiative for music retailers, their employees and customers. The masks are made using a double layer of blue shop towels, as well as a third inner layer of tight-knit muslin cotton for comfort. They use strap shoelaces as ties and are washable and semi-disposable. “[They] will not last forever, but they keep effectiveness after multiple washes. [They] are non-medical grade [so they are] not meant as a replacement for N95 or other medical grade respirators,” the company stated. “[They] help to protect others from droplets/ particles when you cough/sneeze.” MI retailers can call or email their rep (or email OMG Music at info@ omgmusic.com). Retailers must provide how many masks they need and a shipping address.

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MAY 2020

This year’s installment of our annual “Good Stuff” feature takes on an extra meaning. Not only do we feature some great things companies do from year to year, but, this year, we also highlight actions companies have taken in the wake of the COVID-19 health crisis. So, look for a sprinkle of both throughout the story.

Editor’s note: This is only a taste of what has taken place. Many companies have stepped up and done fantastic jobs during these difficult times.

GIBSON Gibson’s leadership decided to provide all Gibson hourly factory workers with a $1,000 support payment to help get the team through the difficult health crisis.

The company has set up various communication platforms to keep the team informed, including the Gibson DIAL (Direct Information Advisory Line) for all employees.

“At the early stages of this unfortunate and ever-evolving situation, we took a proactive approach to monitoring and prioritizing the health and safety of our entire team around the world,” said James “JC” Curleigh, CEO of Gibson.

“I am proud of the way our teams have responded, and we now shift our focus to supporting each other to get through this together.”

Gibson also formed a partnership with Gibson Gives, Sweetwater.com and Amped Guitar Learning to offer new users three free months of Premium Access Membership to Amped Guitar. A limited quantity of subscriptions are available now on the Apple app store worldwide.

“In these unprecedented and uncertain times, we all could use a little inspiration for each other and for ourselves,” said Curleigh. “With Gibson Gives, Sweetwater and Amped, we are literally providing that inspiration and opportunity for anyone who loves music and has always wanted to learn to play guitar.”

Amped Guitar is a two-way online learning experience that listens to your playing and instinctively adapts the lesson versus a one-way instructional video. It interacts with the player and creates an additional guitar layer in real time that turns boring old guitar lessons into an empowering and immersive experience.

“Sweetwater was founded more than 40 years ago with one goal in mind: to help our friends make music. It remains our No. 1 priority. This partnership will allow even more people to harness the power that music has to unite, heal and inspire. That’s especially important during these trying times,” said Sweetwater founder and CEO Chuck Surack.

“For us, this is like one giant love letter to anyone wanting to learn, and we’re proud to team up with Gibson and Sweetwater to help people learn guitar. Amped Guitar allows anyone to pick up a guitar and get an energized experience in their first lesson. We teach beginners without making them feel like beginners, which is a very powerful thing,” said Daniel Katzenellenbogen, Amped Guitar CEO. And Gibson did not stop there. It also stepped up when severe storms ravaged Nashville, with Gibson Gives providing support for musicians and those in need. Gibson Gives worked to make guitarists affected by the Tennessee tornado whole again, providing immediate help by giving a guitar to any musician whose instrument was damaged or destroyed.

“Our goal is to get a guitar back into the hands of anyone who has had their guitar damaged or destroyed in the recent Tennessee storm,” said Dendy Jarrett, executive director of Gibson Gives. “As a Nashville-based company, we are also engaging with our artists and other partners to provide support across many areas.”

Musicians who lost their guitars in the recent storm can reach out to the Gibson Gives Guitar Recovery Plan via donation.request@gibson.com with their story. Guitars will be provided at Gibson’s sole discretion based on proof of damage or loss. Replacement guitars may be demo models, prototypes or shop-worn, across Gibson’s family of guitar brands.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

CASIO Casio is committed to growing music education programs, as the benefits of learning to play a musical instrument at a young age are endless. As such, Casio has partnered with several organizations to help bolster music programs nationwide, including Notes 4 Notes, Berklee City Music Network and the National Dance Institute, all of which received a variety of digital pianos and keyboards. Most recently, Casio partnered with the Keep Music Alive Foundation, which celebrated its sixth-annual Teach Music Week, during which new students at more than 850 schools and stores globally were provided with free music lessons and classes.

19

D’ADDARIO Even before D’Addario was forced to close its D’Addario string and Evans drumhead factories in New York, it immediately began devising a way to use its engineering and manufacturing expertise to help alleviate the dire shortage of protective gear for New York and the nation’s healthcare workers.

Led by chief innovation officer Jim D’Addario, the engineering team figured out they could fabricate protective face shields using the clear film from its popular Evans G2 drumheads. Working around the clock, three days later, the team had their first prototype. And since the company already produces physical-therapy products through its FDA-approved Dynatomy brand, it was able to work quickly on manufacturing and distribution solutions.

The plan is to mass-produce the Dynatomy Face Shield in the Evans Farmingdale, N.Y., drumhead facility, utilizing American-made materials.

The goal is a capacity of 100,000 face shields per week.

“We called this Project Excelsior after the New York State motto, which means ‘Ever Upward,’ because it captured the extraordinary determination and can-do spirit of our small team of engineers and product designers.

It also typifies our music company’s current credo during the COVID-19 crisis: #wewillplayon,” said John D’Addario III, CEO. “It’s our intention to manufacture these shields as long as they’re needed in New York or anywhere around the globe. We’ve watched the incredible efforts of our healthcare and essential services workers all across the world with great admiration. While we cannot match the immeasurable efforts of these selfless heroes, we feel an immense responsibility to do our part in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis,” added Jim D’Addario.

Also, for the third year in a row, 501c3 non-profit D’Addario Foundation and Guitar Center worked together to raise money on International Women’s Day in support of more girls in music. On March 8, half of the proceeds from all D’Addario products sold at Guitar Center or guitarcenter.com was donated to the D’Addario Foundation’s Music Education for Girls Initiative.

In 2019, more than $45,000 was donated to the D’Addario Foundation’s Music Education for Girls Initiative, which provides young women

with the resources and encouragement they need to study music, fostering both their personal and professional growth. This support not only serves to motivate girls to continue playing, but also to nurture them over the course of their educational journey.

The D’Addario Foundation’s Music Education for Girls Initiative helps fund: • instrument instruction programming for females, including Girls Rock!

Rhode Island • Continuing education scholarships for females including the Musicians Institute’s Women in Guitar Scholarship and the D’Addario Foundation College Scholarship Fund, where six out of the 10 2019 recipients are female • The D’Addario Foundation’s direct-service strings education program, which provides free instruments and instruction to youth in the local New York community, where 89 percent of students are female.

“The D’Addario Women in Guitar Scholarship is a life-changer because it shows a young female guitarist what’s possible,” said Beth Marlis, vice president of Musicians Institute. “The scholarship celebrates the dedication, talent and a job well done, and blows the doors off anything or anybody that says, ‘no, you can’t,’ and instead says, ‘keep on going’ with your music!”

C.F. MARTIN The Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation awarded 52 grants to Lehigh Valley, Pa., and national organizations in 2019. The Foundation was established in 1996 by Christian Frederick Martin IV to serve the charitable interests of the Martin Guitar Co. The Foundation supports 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with programs in Foundation target areas. The Martin Guitar Co. provides funds each year to support the Foundation’s programs. Since 1996, the Foundation has distributed $3.33 million in grants, including $355,000 in 2019.

The Foundation’s core principles are to support Martin Guitar’s engagement with nonprofit music, arts, education and environmental action organizations. The Foundation does not fund political or religious organizations or activity. The trustees manage the Foundation’s assets conservatively to allow for long-term planning and seek best value from Foundation grant-making for the people and causes that their grantees serve.

Lehigh Valley and regional organizations receiving Foundation support in 2019 were: Allentown Art Museum, Allentown Rescue Mission, Allentown Symphony Association, ArtsQuest, Community Music School, Da Vinci Science Center, Godfrey Daniels, Lehigh Gap Nature Center, Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley, Miller-Keystone Blood Center, Moravian Historical Society, Muhlenberg College, New Bethany Ministries, Northampton Community College Foundation, PBS 39, State Theatre Center for the Arts, WDIY-FM and several other Lehigh Valley charities. In Nazareth, Pa., the Foundation supported the YMCA, Memorial Library, Nazareth Area Food Bank and several other Nazareth-area charities.

The Foundation also made grants to national organizations with a strong arts presence and programs in acoustic guitar education and research: Guitars in the Classroom (San Diego, Calif.), International Bluegrass Music Museum (Owensboro, Ky.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix, Ariz.), Museum of Making Music (Carlsbad, Calif.), Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago, Ill.), Southern Folklife Collection at University of North Carolina, WHYY (Philadelphia), Woody Guthrie Center (Tulsa, Okla.) and several other organizations.

The Foundation will accept applications for 2020 grants between Aug. 1 and Sept. 1.

The Retailer also got a chance to talk to C.F. Martin CEO and NAMM chairman Chris Martin IV about how his company is handling the coronavirus pandemic and what needs to be done to host the 2021 NAMM Show.

To watch the interview, go to msr.io/cf-martin-coronavirus-response.

Guitars in the Classroom

20

MAY 2020

HAL LEONARD All teachers who have been thrown into the unchartered territory of trying to teach young students from home have challenges, but music teachers may have even more obstacles to overcome than most. A choir depends on multiple voices. A band requires lots of players, all with instruments that may or may not be home with the students. General music education usually involves lots of interaction within a classroom. So, what’s a teacher or band director to do when suddenly they have to provide instruction or guidance to their students from afar?

“We understand that school closures have forced teachers worldwide to create online learning environments. While this in uncharted territory for many, luckily music technology and online learning has been a focus of Hal Leonard for years, and we are doing everything we can to support educators in this time,” said John Mlynczak, a member of the Hal Leonard’s online music education leadership group. “We are offering extended trials and enhanced support for composing and recording music with Noteflight Learn, learning to play an instrument with Essential Elements Interactive, and learning songs in general music with Essential Elements Music Class.”

Hal Leonard has multiple online resources that educators have already been using. During these extenuating circumstances, most of the sites have added extra tools or limited free accessibility to get through the next few weeks: • Noteflight Learn: Ideal for K-12 or college, Noteflight Learn allows students and teachers to create, share and record music online for any device. Noteflight is extending this service for free through June 30.

• Essential Elements Interactive: Ideal for teaching today’s band and string students both in the classroom and at home, EEi is an easy set of technology tools for online learning, teaching, assessment and communication. EEi is already free with the purchase of an Essential Elements Method Book and is now offering enhanced support for existing teachers and students signing up for accounts for distance learning.

• Essential Elements Music Class: Ideal for K-5, Essential Elements Music Class allows teachers to access hundreds of songs with activities and lessons. Songs can easily be shared with students to use at home with no login required. EE Music Class is offering an extended 30-day trial period for distance learning.

Hal Leonard has also posted a page of additional resources and FAQs that teachers can use during this time. To view these reseources, go to halleonard.com/distancelearning.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

ULTIMATE EARS Ultimate Ears Pro announced the #MusicFromHome campaign to help address the concerns of working musicians and crew members currently out of work during this difficult time. Ultimate Ears Pro plans to donate $10,000 to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund via its UE Cares initiative.

The donation goes hand-in-hand with highlighting a variety of emerging and established artists through a series of weekly live performances and an online sweepstakes on @UltimateEarsPro social channels.

21

LYON & HEALY Paoletti Guitars offered a $500 discount on any guitar or amp purchased in North America between April 7 and May 3. Ten percent of the proceeds of these specific sales were donated to the World Health Organization and its COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, which aids to ensure patients get the care they need and frontline workers get essential supplies and information, and to accelerate efforts to develop vaccines, tests and treatments. Lyon & Healy Corp. is the North American Distributor of Paoletti Guitars.

ROLAND Roland partnered with Skoove to offer three months of free online piano lessons. Owners of qualifying Roland pianos will receive unlimited access to hundreds of songs and interactive courses they can access anytime on their computers, smartphones or tablets.

“At Roland, we’ve always believed in the power of music and the benefits that it brings,” said Roland Americas vice president of marketing, Chris Halon. “And in these uncertain times, when we’re advised to reduce contact with others, being able to sit at an instrument and play could help us more than we realize.”

Skoove is the software developer behind interactive apps for learning piano, including the popular “Skoove: Learn Piano." Users learn how to play piano step by step, receive real-time feedback and can play some of yesterday and today’s most popular songs. The platform is a great way for music teachers to work with students online and keep in contact with pupils from the comfort of their home.

22

ALFRED MUSIC Alfred Music and MakeMusic, both part of the Peaksware Holdings LLC portfolio of companies, announced the offering of free Premium access to SmartMusic through June 30 to schools impacted by COVID-19 closures.

Schools with current web-based subscriptions can also add to their educator and student seats to accommodate all students remotely.

With so many schools around the world making plans for distant learning instruction during COVID-19 closures, the last thing that Alfred Music and MakeMusic want is for teachers to be burdened with the extra stress that comes with a disruption to their classes. “What our communities are dealing with right now is obviously an extraordinary situation. We feel it is our obligation to offer help through our platform and educational content to those that help our communities every day as they navigate this new remote learning environment,” said Johann Gouws, senior vice president, global marketing and sales.

To sign up for this free SmartMusic access for the rest of the school year, teachers — not students — should fill out a form and specify their needs, including country, email address, and the number of teachers and students requiring access. The school will then be set up with a SmartMusic platform that will allow educators to invite their students to join a class at the Premium Access level through the use of a class code. This means they will be able to receive and submit assignments teachers send them, get instant feedback on their performance, as well as explore the full SmartMusic library of content from more than 400 publishers.

For those not familiar with SmartMusic, student privacy is protected, is COPPA, FERPA, CCPA, and GDPR compliant, and is suitable for band, orchestra and choir students of all ages.

For more on Alfred Music’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, watch the Retailer’s video chat with vice president of sales and marketing Alex Ordoñez at msr.io/ alfred-music-covid-19.

MAY 2020

RED PANDA Red Panda, a five-person boutique guitar pedal company in metro Detroit, partnered with Reverb and some of its favorite artists to release a charity album on Bandcamp featuring original songs using its Tensor “time warp” pedal. Artists included Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie), Nels Cline (Wilco), Kid Koala, Noveller and Henry Kaiser. The album and a limited run of holographic finish pedals raised money for Women of Banglatown, a women and girl’s community arts organization serving the growing immigrant population in Hamtramck, Mich., whose mission is to provide a welcoming and culturallysensitive space for girls and young women within the community. Donations continue to come in through Bandcamp, and Red Panda have raised more than $1,700 for the organization so far.

FENDER Playing an instrument offers both mental and physical health benefits like de-stressing, increased creativity and boosting the immune system. While concerts and shows are off the table for the time being, music lovers can still play their favorite songs and make some noise at home.

Fender offered new users a free three-month subscription to Fender Play, the complete online learning app for guitar, bass and ukulele. The platform uses instructor-guided videos to assist those embarking on their musical journey. From classics like Led Zeppelin to contemporary artists like Sia and Shawn Mendes, the Fender Play library allows users to pick their favorite genre and instrument of choice and start jamming.

Whether it’s dusting off an old guitar, learning a new skill or entertaining tiny hands, Fender hopes offering Fender Play for free will reinforce the positive benefits that music has on the mind.

To find out more about Fender's response to the coronavirus pandemic, check out the Retailer's interview with Tammy VanDonk, executive vice president of sales, Americas and EMEA, at msr.io/tammy-vandonk-fender-covid-19-response.

POSITIVE GRID Positive Grid, creator of the BIAS FX 2 desktop software, invited guitar and bass players to create with its BIAS FX Mobile application with a 90-day free full download.

Users who downloaded the app through April 24 were able to sign up for a new ToneCloud account and utilize every feature offered in the BIAS FX Guitar Amp & Effects app at no charge for 90 days.

“It can be difficult for many musicians to remain creative and positive right now,” said Robert McCullar, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Positive Grid.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

“We want to create an opportunity for them to keep playing and stay connected to music.”

BIAS FX Mobile turns an iOS device into a guitar amps and effects processor built on the backbone of Positive Grid’s pro-level software. Like the desktop version, the BIAS FX app also comes with a library full of realistic-sounding guitar and bass amps, effect pedals, and studio racks for players to create tones using only an iPhone or iPad. BIAS FX Mobile also seamlessly integrates with Positive Grid’s BIAS AMP 2 Mobile and BIAS Pedal Mobile applications to let players dive deeper into limitless tone customization. Cross-platform ToneCloud access allows users to share and download thousands of custom presets, for easy mobile access to their favorite sounds.

23

A child open up gifts at the 2019 Project Give a Christmas celebration.

A child open up gifts at the 2019 Project Give a Christmas celebration.

David Jewell, partnerships and alliances manager, Yamaha, hands off gifts donated by Yamaha employees to Buena Park Police Department officers, Nancy O'Dette, Nadia Semaan and Tina Tran for the 2019 Project Give a Christmas celebration.

Left to r: Tom Sumner, president, Yamaha; Patrick Nettesheim, founder, Guitars 4 Vets; David McMahon, WWII Navy Veteran; David Jewell, partnerships and alliances manager, Yamaha; and Terry McMahon, David McMahon's son, attend the Guitars 4 Vets 100th chapter celebration in 2019.

YAMAHA CORP. OF AMERICA Yamaha Corporation of America continues to uphold its long-standing tradition of giving back. Every year, Yamaha donates musical instruments and countless hours of volunteered time to local charities as a way of enforcing the company’s mission to support humanitarian causes, and 2019 was no exception.

For the better part of four years, Yamaha has proudly partnered with Mercy Ships, an international organization that uses hospital ships to provide valuable medical services to hundreds of adults and children in third-world countries.

In January 2020, Mercy Ships purchased $10,000 worth of Yamaha products, which were sold to them at a significant discount, for a theater in their second floating hospital, Maiden Voyage. These Yamaha instruments will enrich the lives of the patients onboard, as well as the medical staff that works tirelessly to treat them.

MUSIC MEDIC Music Medic announced a way to keep musicians employed by offering two months of saxophone lessons with purchase of a Wilmington Alto Sax. Anyone who purchased a The Wilmington Alto through May 15 received eight free weeks of saxophone lessons.

“MusicMedic is a company run by musicians for musicians and the technicians that keep them going. All of our musician friends were greatly impacted by COVID-19 and we’re eager to help. One interesting thing that has happened during the pandemic is that there is a huge amount of wonderful players now teaching online, and students from anywhere in the world can connect with them and learn. This program brings awareness to this unique situation and helps support the music community and the meaningful bonds that it creates and the passions it inspires,” said Curt Altarac, owner and founder of Music Medic.

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For the past eight years, Yamaha has supported Guitars 4 Vets (G4V), an organization that has been providing free Yamaha guitars, lessons and a forum for veterans with post traumatic stress disorder since 2007. “By supporting G4V over the years, Yamaha has helped the organization provide solace for U.S. veterans who suffer from PTSD and hopes to reduce the number of veteran suicides,” the company stated. In 2019, Yamaha was the organization’s presenting sponsor in support of its 100th chapter and donated 100 guitars to mark the occasion. In addition, Yamaha has donated guitars to the charity annually since 2012 and will continue to do so this year.

Also, Yamaha employees joined the Buena Park, Calif., community in giving children of low-income families a reason to smile this past holiday season with “Project Give a Christmas.” Through the program, which is led by the Buena Park Police Department, Yamaha employees purchased and handed out gifts to 75 underprivileged children during a special holiday party.

David Jewell, partnerships and alliances manager at Yamaha, explained the importance of the company’s contributions: “Whether we’re supporting global organizations, or charities closer to home, giving back to underfunded communities is an integral part of our company’s mission. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that our musical instruments can lift the spirits of Mercy Ships patients from around the world and make a difference in the lives of students right in our backyard.”

Yamaha has also partnered with the Buena Park Boys & Girls Club, the local chapter of the national organization that provides after-school care for young people.

The company has donated hand percussion, among many other musical instruments, in support of their music programs as part of this effort.

Yamaha has worked closely with the Anaheim Elementary School District, sitting on its Creative Council since 2014, and has donated more than $20,000 worth of musical instruments and cash donations over the years. Through the company’s support, the district reached its goal of achieving instrumental music classes in each of its 23 elementary schools with full-time music teachers and three floating music teachers. This year, Yamaha was honored by the district for its dedication, ensuring that every child in the district receives a quality music education.

The Retailer also spoke to Yamaha about its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To watch our interview with Tom Sumner, president of Yamaha Corp., go to msr.io/yamaha-tom-sumner-covid-19-interview.

MAY 2020

To watch video interviews with MI retailers on how they’re handling the coronavirus pandemic, go to msretailer.com/special-reports.

Robin Sassi

MI’s

VW

irtual orld

How MI Retailers Are Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Michelle Loeb

Kimberly Deverell

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic has sent shockwaves throughout the entire United States, not to mention the entire world, changing the way we live our lives almost overnight.

That is especially true in MI, where a business model that is based on community and togetherness in music-making is now expected to continue from the safety of social distancing.

With guidelines varying from state to state, retailers are having to approach the problem in unique ways based on their location and business model. As San Diego Music Studio's Kimberly Deverell, director of educational development and advocacy, and Robin Sassi, president, put it, “Everyone is going through this and has their own story. What’s happening right now could happen to anyone. It just happens to be happening to everyone at once.” (continued on page 42) 25

FI V E M INUTE S W ITH

Takaki Maeda

Senior General Manager, Electronic Musical Instruments Business Division, Casio Computer Co. Ltd.

By Brian Berk For a special edition of Five Minutes With, we reached out to Japan to contact Takaki Maeda, senior general manager of Casio Computer Co. Ltd.’s Electronic Musical Instruments Business Division, a position he has held since April 2018. Maeda has served Casio in various capacities since joining the organization in 1986, immediately after graduating from college. Before being named senior general manager, his role in the keyboard business pertained to the domestic sales of keyboards in Japan. In 2012, Maeda became the general manager of the electronic musical instruments business strategy department in the global marketing headquarters, due to his contribution to cultivate new markets with the compact Privia line, and the keylighted line of portables. In 2017, his role changed to the product planning department as a general manager. It was in this capacity that Maeda oversaw the development of the entire EMI product lineup. He continues to explore new and unique concepts to add to the Casio line in order to advance the industry globally. He is a native of Tokyo, and his main hobby is playing the keyboard, particularly in the rock genre.

The Music & Sound Retailer: Please take us through your background and career up until today. Also, please tell us about your family.

Takaki Maeda: I studied classical piano from the age of 4. Upon entering junior high school, I became interested in rock music and formed a rock band with my friends. Since then, I have enjoyed a variety of music — rock, funk, jazz and fusion, etc. — and have continued playing in a band with various friends. When I was a college student, I dreamed of becoming a professional musician. My parents, however, persuaded me to get a proper job, and I joined Casio in 1986. I worked in front-line sales in Japan for about 10 years then. I became involved in sales planning, marketing and business administration for the global market at Casio headquarters. I was able to take charge of not only musical instruments, but also Casio’s various business segments, so it was exciting to acquire new knowledge and experience. For the last about 10

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years, I have been focusing on musical instrument business strategy and new product planning.

My family also loves music; music is played all day at my home on weekends. Our listening tastes vary. We especially like Earth, Wind & Fire; TOTO; Deep Purple; Return to Forever and The Crusaders.

I also listen to music from various countries, especially African and Southeast Asian music. My wife also plays the piano, and my grown son plays the guitar. My daughter loves to sing, and her first name in Japanese means “beautiful sound” in English.

The Retailer: What are some of your business philosophies?

Maeda: It is my hope that Casio products and services bring new value to the world. It’s my belief that, to provide the best products, you must have a passionate team to help you in the process. Casio’s global MI team is very passionate. We work well together to bring product to market for each region. This is what I am most proud of and derive the most satisfaction from. After all, a band is also a team, isn’t it? I’ve become aware of this as I watch the activities, songs, performances and comments by the many bands I have loved in my life. Passion drives success.

The Retailer: Take us back to Casio’s entr y into the electronic keyboard market 40 years ago. Why did you make the move?

What market niche were you tr ying to fill?

Maeda: The philosophy of Casio’s musical instrument business is “to spread the enjoyment of playing a musical instrument.” This was an extremely important belief of Toshio Kashio, an inventor and one of the four brothers who founded Casio

MAY 2020

Computer. Casio entered the musical instrument industry in 1980 with “Casiotone 201,” which became notorious for its ability to play various instrument sounds in one keyboard. I would say that, rather than entering the industry, we created a new consumer market of musical instruments. Casio’s aim is to combine people’s interest in music and musical instruments by making it easier to play a keyboard, enabling the people to pick up a keyboard and learn to play it with little difficulty.

The Retailer: What are your keys to success? And what will keep electronic keyboards popular in the future?

Maeda: The needs and culture surrounding musical instruments continue to change, depending on the country and cultures. We are always proposing new functions, services and designs, and reflecting the trends of the current era. We also evaluate other interests in our target market to incorporate any trends that can be used within a musical instrument. My desire is that people will purchase musical instruments, not just to learn, but because they dream of how that instrument will enhance their life.

The Retailer: Casio is also known for many nonmusic products. Tell us the importance music products have at the company.

Maeda: Casio aims to contribute to society through a variety of products within the electronics industry. In general, musical instruments aren’t a necessity of life, but they do contribute to humanity. I personally think that, without music, society would be missing out on something important because music connects us in a way that guides us as people and then, in turn, as a community. As a business for Casio, it’s important because it stems from our early development as a company. As I stated earlier, Toshio Kashio oversaw the development of this product category, and as such, it is a part of the company’s roots.

This plays an important role for the entire Casio brand. Considering that the musical instrument business is very popular among young university graduates, those graduates will hopefully seek out a company that supports their passion and interest. So aside from the revenue side of the business, it is also important in terms of securing future human resource needs.

The Retailer: 2019 seemed strong for the MI industr y. How was it at Casio? Are you encouraged about the rest of 2020?

Maeda: In 2019, the business grew significantly with the launch MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

of many new products, all of which were well received in the market.

With the launch of the newest additions to our Privia line and the Grand Hybrids as well as Casiotone, our customers are pleased with the direction we’ve taken. It is our belief that in 2020, we will be able to cultivate many new customers with these new products and our retail partners.

The Retailer: Regarding the overall music products industr y, are you optimistic today? Why or why not?

Maeda: Changes in the trends of computers, smart media and even the way that artists are creating new hit songs have forced the music industry to undergo a structural transformation. We have seen a rise in the number of people who are interested in making music as witnessed by some of the programs that are broadcast on the internet and TV. This makes us optimistic that people will continue to want to create music and learn to play an instrument.

The Retailer: Tell us about some recent product launches you’ve had and why they are cool.

Maeda: Our latest introduction in the Privia line has been successful. I believe it’s because the new cosmetic design combined with the updates to the product are changing consumers’ minds about digital pianos in general. The consumers who feel an acoustic piano is necessary for an authentic sound have discovered the advancement in digital technology and are now reconsidering their opinions of digital pianos.

This is exciting. Also, the Casiotone rebranding is introducing a whole new generation to the benefits of portable play and how they can now make music anytime, anywhere.

The Retailer: What is your philosophy toward music instrument retailers? How do you keep them happy as partners?

Maeda: At the start of my career, I visited MI retailers every day as a salesperson, and my territory included 30 stores. I was also responsible for a much larger number of non-musical instrument retailers.

As partners, MI retailers and I had a bond and trust, since we both would benefit from a positive sales environment. If sales struggled, we worked together to find a solution. I am convinced that this experience (continued on page 44) 27

M I SPY

FINDING A BEGINNER GUITAR IN LOWER MANHATTAN/HOBOKEN, N.J.

Editor’s Note: These store visits were conducted prior to nonessential businesses being shut down in New York City due to the coronavirus.

I was texting a lady friend when the phone rang. The caller ID read “Chief Concern,” which is how I have the Chief entered in my contacts. (Don’t tell anyone, though; the Chief doesn’t know, and he has his ways of finding out, so it will have to be our little secret.)

Of course I was annoyed by the interruption, but hey, the Chief’s calls mean more money in my pocket (although not as much as you’d expect for someone with my unique set of skills).

I answered the call.

The Chief’s gruff voice immediately blasted forth from my phone without so much as a greeting. “Spy, I need to send you on another assignment,” he said.

“Since when are we close enough for you to just call me ‘Spy?’” I quipped in response. “Please refer to me by my proper designation, ‘MI Spy.’ Or if you’d prefer, ‘Grandmaster.’” “’Grandmaster?’” the Chief scoffed. “Grandmaster of screwing up, maybe. OK then, ‘MI Spy’ it is. I need you for a mission.”

“I’d love to help you out, Chief, but I’m feeling kind of tired lately,” I replied. “It must be burnout. Maybe I should take a vacation with those big bucks you pay me.”

“Burnout is definitely the right word to describe you,” the 28

Chief shot back. “You just spent two months in Chicago.

Most of our agents would kill for an assignment like that.

All you had to do was check out some music stores.”

I brushed aside the Chief’s casual dismissal of my work.

“How many years have I been doing this without a break, Chief?” I protested. “There are probably stores I’ve spied on that are up to their third generation of management by now.”

But the Chief was having none of my protests. “The mission never stops, MI Spy. And we never sleep. Which brings me to your assignment: I need you to file another report on the MI retail scene in New York City.”

“Fine, but my dating life comes first, Chief. And my shaken-not-stirred drinks.”

“Spoken like a true professional, MI Spy,” the Chief groaned. “Just get me that report, and save the drinks and the dames for after you’ve filed.”

It hadn’t been long since my last New York City mission. I had scoped out some stores in the city last year, but in order to protect my identity, I would have to choose some different targets this time around.

My first thought was lower Manhattan, as in Greenwich Village or thereabouts. I selected three stores in the area, but needed a fourth, so I decided to check out one more store right across the Hudson River in Hoboken, N.J., as well.

MAY 2020

Rivington Guitars 73 E. 4th St. New York, NY 10003 212.505.5313

As I stepped off a train in midtown Manhattan, I knew I needed some fuel for the day ahead.

So, I ventured to one of my favorite sub sandwich shops, Potbelly. The chain is based in Chicago, and I always love stopping in when visiting the Windy City. The first thing I noticed at the New York City location was a sign on a bulletin board telling me that “Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar.” Considering this advertisement for guitar lessons was one of the first things I saw on this mission, I knew it must be some kind of omen. I ordered a chicken-and-cheddar “bigs” sandwich, along with a bag of Sun Chips and a bottle of Coke Zero, and scarfed it all down while trying to come up with a cover story for the mission, while also wondering why polar bears are on Coke bottles if they don’t drink soda.

But I digress. After leaving Potbelly, I decided to walk downtown to my first target, Rivington Guitars. It was not a beautiful day, and I was dodging puddles at several intersections, but the weather was unseasonably warm and I like walking the Manhattan streets, so it could have been worse. It actually was quite a walk, but I Rudy’s Music enjoyed it. On the way to Rivington, I decided 461 Broome St. what my story would be. Drawing inspiration from the music lesson ad in Potbelly, I decided New York, NY 10013 I would look for a beginner guitar for my son, 212.625.2557 a 10-year-old boy. I figured I would steer the I took another long but conversation toward acoustic guitars first, but nice walk over to Rudy’s was interested to see if the stores would try to Music — yes, this is the sell me on an electric, which would require an famous Rudy’s that used amplifier purchase as well. to be a key cog of New Upon walking into Rivington Guitars, I was York City’s Music Row on greeted immediately. I told the salesperson my 48th Street, although that cover story, and he responded that most people location is long gone. The first thing I noticed at Rudy’s was how clean and beautiful the start on an acoustic guitar. However, he menstore is. I also found it to be spacious, especially considering the huge cost of real estate tioned that he started on an electric guitar. where it is located. Although the size certainly does not rival a Guitar Center or Sam Ash, “If I started on an acoustic, I probably never its excellent layout made its two floors seem like a really nice, impressive space. Several would have played [music],” he said. “Because staff members were working when I walked in, and I noticed both male and female emwhen I was 10 years old, I said I wanted to ployees, which is always nice to see. I quickly glanced at some guitars and Rudy’s Music play like that guy.” By “that guy,” he meant T-shirts before finding my way into an acoustic guitar room, where an employee was one of the electric guitar gods of his youth. ready for me.

He acknowledged that today is a bit different, First, I brought up Rudy’s former famous 48th Street location and asked how long it and not as many kids immediately want an had been since the store had moved and what the reason was for the move. The salesperelectric guitar. And he noted that an acoustic son responded it must have been a decade since they moved and that Music Row, as 48th may make the most sense for my “son.” So, he Street used to be called, was no longer a thing, unfortunately, so a move was required. recommended I go next door, where Rivington I then got into my cover story. The salesman pulled a Taylor off the rack, and instead has a separate acoustic guitar room fronted by of just describing it, he played it for me for about 10 seconds. I really liked that. Hearing another employee. the Grand Acoustic Academy 12 made me want to buy it more than if I were just told I made my way next door. The salesman was about it. The price was $649, including a gig bag and lifetime warranty. The salesman working in the back, but immediately came then proceeded to play the guitar again. I told him I would have to think about it, so he out to greet me. I told him my cover stor y, invited me to go upstairs and check out some more guitars. which reminded him of his own beginnings I proceeded up the stairs, where there was one customer and another employee waitas a guitar player. “I started at 10, and my paring at the ready. The room is dedicated to C.F. Martin, with several guitars behind a glass ents got me a toy guitar,” said the salesman. case. I heard the salesman explain several of the models to the customer, such as which “That didn’t work.” were the newer models. The salesman seemed to be on a roll. I did not want to break his He recommended an Ibanez with a cutaway stride, and hence did not ask for help. So, I just let him talk to the customer and checked for $179. Then, he asked if I had heard of out the Martins myself.

Takamine, to which I answered “yes.” He also I made my way back downstairs in an effort to leave, but was impressed that another noted that a Jasmine could do the trick. When salesperson approached me and asked how I was doing. He then welcomed me to check asked about acoustic versus electric, he noted out any electrics I wanted to. I told him I was considering acoustics, specifically a Taylor, for a starter guitar, acoustic would work well. I and he noted that the store has much more than Taylors, including a Gibson J-45 for sale. thanked him, and off I went.

“We have a little bit everything,” he said.

I thanked him and was on my way. The one thought that went through my mind was that Rudy’s exuded class throughout my visit. Clearly, it is a well-run organization.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

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TR Crandall Guitars 156 Ludlow St. 5th Floor New York, NY 10002 646.692.4235

I took another lengthy walk through some beautiful areas of Manhattan to TR Crandall Guitars. It was slightly different from the first two stores I visited in that I had to ring the buzzer to be allowed inside. Once inside the building, I took the elevator up to the fifth floor. I walked back to the acoustic area and got to hang out on my own for a while. So I checked out some guitars, took a brief look out the widow and sent out some texts to spies who report on other industries. Even with all my experience, I always like to get advice form the people in my field.

I was approached by a salesman after eight minutes, and it was worth the wait.

He acknowledged TR Crandall may not be the best place for beginner guitars because it sells mostly high-end products. In fact, most sell for $1,000-plus, I was told.

But that did not stop him from showing me several guitars. He said he specifically liked a Harmony guitar they had in stock. He noted it was pricier than a normal beginner guitar, but “Once you buy this, you won’t need another guitar. You might originally think it is a great beginner guitar, but then you realize, this guitar is for me.” He proceeded to play the guitar for me, so I got a better feel for the instrument, which was a nice touch.

I told the salesperson I would think about it, and said an electric guitar could maybe The Guitar Bar work for my son as well. He asked if I had 160 1st St. an amp at home. I said no. But he still Hoboken, NJ 07030 showed me an electric guitar, which he also 201.222.0915 played for me, noting I could easily buy a After leaving TR beginner amp for $50 or $100. “Eventually Crandall, I made my you will want a [Fender] Stratocaster, but way to the PATH train to you can start with an another [electric] get from lower Manhatguitar,” the salesman said. tan to Hoboken. I tried Then he asked me something the other to get directions from stores did not. “Are you going to teach Waze, but for some reahim?” he asked, referring to my 10-yearson, it did not recognize the Christopher Street PATH station. So instead, I turned old son. “No,” I responded. He followed up to the trusty Google Maps. It told me I needed to walk 1.7 miles to the PATH by saying he teaches lessons if I am ever station, which I did (remind me to invoice the Chief for some new walking shoes). interested in signing my son up. In fact, he Once at the PATH, I paid the $2.75 fare and took a short eight-minute journey to wrote down his phone number on a Post-It Hoboken, N.J., known as the “Mile Square City.” After about a 10-minute walk from note for me to call should I go that route. I the station, I was at Guitar Bar’s 1st Street location (there is also a Guitar Bar Jr. thought he went above and beyond the call second location in uptown Hoboken). of duty, which I really liked. I thanked him, As I walked into the store, I was immediately approached by an employee. I premade my way back to the fifth-floor elevasented my cover story for the fourth time. The employee’s first question was how tor and headed back outside. tall my son is. I said about four and a half feet. He then asked if the guitar would be a surprise, as in a gift, to which I answered “no.” He then recommended that I bring the 10-year-old boy into the store so he could “size him up.” This certainly made sense, considering how many different shapes, sizes and neck profiles there are available on the guitar market. Of course, it would be impossible to fulfill his request, unless I could get the signoff from HQ to bring in one of our more undersized junior agents.

With my fictional son unavailable for the moment, the salesman showed me some acoustic guitars just to give me a taste for what I might be buying. “Many of the guitars we have are in the $79 to $159 range, depending on how serious he will be,” the salesman said. “Here’s [an Ibanez] for $149, but it comes with everything you need: the bag, tuner and strap. But I also have a used [guitar] with a bag we can sell for $89.” He said the sizes of these particular guitars would likely work for a 10-year-old boy. I thanked him, and off I went.

The Sale

I made the short walk back to the PATH station and took a 15-minute journey back to where my mission began: midtown Manhattan (33rd Street and 6th Avenue to be exact). I knew picking a winner would not be an easy call. The only thing I did know was I needed to sit down after all that walking; all told, I clocked 10.8 miles worth of steps for the day.

All four stores are well run, and none hosted a bad experience. In fact, all four were really good. I was treated well at all four locations.

And all of the salespeople were clearly experienced and knowledgeable. We definitely were dealing with no rookies on this trip. I

30

certainly could have purchased a guitar for a 10-year-old boy and been happy with the decision.

So, the decision comes down to where I felt most comfortable and where I could really see myself buying the guitar from. I really liked the look and feel of Rudy’s Music. It is hard to explain, but something about that store made me want to open my wallet. The space was impressive, the displays were nice and the salespeople were friendly. To sum it up, at Rudy’s, I felt happy while I was in there. It is a place I would want to jam and hang out in. That’s why it earns the edge in my book, and is therefore this month’s winner.

MAY 2020

WH O MI

ADAM HALL GROUP In 1975, Adam Hall founded Adam Hall Ltd. in the English city of SouthendOn-Sea (near London) as a manufacturer of high-quality, robust flight-case hardware. Today, more than 45 years later, the Adam Hall Group has developed into a global manufacturer and distributer, with comprehensive solutions for the event technology industry. Since then, numerous brands have been created and developed at the current company headquarters near Frankfurt, Germany. In 2018, the company opened Adam Hall North America based in Riverdale, N.J., to

serve the U.S. and Canadian markets.

The current brand portfolio includes products in pro audio and sound technology, pro lighting solutions, stands and stage equipment. In total, the Adam Hall Group has more than 7,000 products immediately available from the warehouse, and offers customers, dealers, event service providers and integrators an all-around package of innovative quality products for various applications in event technology and installation. Here is a look at Adam Hall’s MI brands.

LD Systems ld-systems.com Starting as a full-scale line-array company, LD Systems (formerly LD Premium) began building pro sound systems in 2001. Since that time, the company has been an innovator in columnarray technology and was one of the first brands to introduce portable powered column speakers to musicians around the world with the MAUI Series. Recently, LD Systems introduced the CURV500TS portable array system. With state-of-the-art design elements, this system is the first portable, scalable PA that can be used as either a single point-source system or split up into four separate smaller systems providing audio to multiple locations, stated the company. It can also be permanently installed or flown from truss.

In addition to powered and passive loudspeakers for DJs, bands and installation at all price ranges, LD Systems manufactures a wide variety of audio products including wireless microphone systems, in-ear monitoring systems, live mixers and a variety of battery-powered portable PA systems.

Cameo cameolight.com With its own Zenit series W600, B200 and B60 having all been awarded the Red Dot Award, Cameo is on par with some of the top industry standards, stated the company. With a range of fixtures spanning from profile moving heads, wash lights and fresnels, Cameo can provide lighting for almost any situation. Cameo is being used by everything from theatre and concert venues to TV and movie studios. With no retail or online sales offered, Cameo caters to integrators, production and rental houses, installers and professional lighting designers throughout the world.

Gravity gravitystands.com Design meets quality with the Gravity brand, which helps emerging artists tear through their gigs without a hitch and gives the seasoned veterans of the industry the assurance they need to confidently rely on their equipment so they can focus on their audience, stated the company.

Stability, durability and reliability are the main needs musicians have both onstage and in the studio, and Gravity exceeds those requirements by making the stands look as good as they perform, according to the Adam Hall Group.

Easy-to-use features, a five-year warranty and countless replacement parts all come together as innovative techniques Gravity uses to better serve the musicians they want to support. Gravity’s new Touring Series set of stands lends a hand to the roadies that go constantly underappreciated by creating a bulkier stand with unique features that make for longer-lasting efficiency.

Palmer palmer-germany.com Palmer, one of Adam Hall’s “heritage” brands, has a long history of dynamic-changing audio tools and has been used by countless acts and bands all over the world. As of recently, the brand has gone through a major facelift, both in its logo and in the products being manufactured. Palmer’s Pocket Amp series is a major tool for musicians playing live, practicing or playing in their studio. Merging the stage and studio is no unfamiliar territory for Palmer, but the MONICON series has been taking home recording to new levels, stated the company. Geared toward studios and experience levels of all kinds, Palmer gives users more precision and flexibility with their monitor levels than ever, added Adam Hall.

Defender defender-protects.com The Defender brand is a line of cable-protection technologies that provide security and structure to your cabling needs. Originally used to protect electricity cables and to avoid people tripping over cables at rock concerts, Defender cable-protection systems now include several applications in industrial, commercial and public areas. All Defender products are DEKRAcertified, PVC-free, made with 90-percent recycled materials, and feature German-made quality and innovation, stated Adam Hall. All Defender products come with a five-year warranty and are built to last. Defender is used for purposes ranging from office use to professional-grade use by companies like Shell Gasoline, Volkswagen vehicles, Bosch technologies and more.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

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FRONT & CENTER

KATHY-ANNE “KAM” MCMANUS,

Avid Chief Customer Experience Officer

By Leslie Buttonow

Women’s International Music Network (The WiMN): Congratulations on your recent promotion, and for being a pioneer in this newly created role! What was the impetus behind the creation of this new position?

For many years, Avid has been a major global name in audio and video communities, offering a wide range of hardware, software and software subscription, and software as a service (SaaS) solutions, including its Pro Tools digital audio workstation.

The company recently expanded the role of Kathy-Anne “KAM” McManus, its senior vice president, global customer solutions and services. McManus is now also Avid’s CCXO (chief customer experience officer). In this newly created position, she calls upon her vast experience in both media technology and customer satisfaction to lead the design and implementation of ongoing companywide programs and processes that ensure an excellent user experience across all touchpoints, whether they are a first-time user, part of a seasoned media team or anyone in between.

McManus shares her thoughts on what she hopes to achieve, the landscape of women in technology and advice for offering exceptional customer service.

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Kathy-Anne McManus: As Avid continues its journey into SaaS models, we need to focus on what it takes to ensure the customer has a positive experience — from the beginning of the purchasing process, when the customer explores buying our products and then placing an order, to licensing and onboarding, to the ongoing support and continuous adoption of our products and solutions. Customers expect a faster time to value, and customer onboarding is critical to how a customer rates their experience.

As CCXO, I will ensure that all functions across Avid can collectively deliver the greatest possible satisfaction and value for all types of customers, including creative individuals, production teams and media enterprises, in every interaction throughout their journey.

The WiMN: What kind of experiences do you hope customers have using Avid products? Is there an overarching mission when it comes to customer experience at the company?

McManus: Everything we do at Avid is focused on enabling our customers to become more creative with their content and more successful in their businesses. We’re extending our customercentric mindset to every type of engagement, whether that’s a music student downloading and subscribing to Pro Tools in the Avid Store for the very first time, or a massive media company with a global footprint of deployed Avid products that’s now transitioning to the cloud.

Every touchpoint can inspire our customers and repeatedly affirm they’ve made the right choice with Avid.

The overarching mission is for every Avid employee, no matter what their role is in the company, to think about customer experience in everything that they do. It’s not just how a customer uses or experiences our products and services, it’s every touchpoint — like searching our website, receiving an invoice, making a

payment or calling one of our global offices. The customer experience is everything.

The WiMN: The technology landscape has changed greatly since most of us were kids. What are some of the events that first led you to pursue a career in technology, particularly at Avid?

McManus: I knew before I left high school that I wanted to work in television. I studied as a television engineer in college. In the mid-‘80s, I was one of only three women in the program of 40 students. After college, I was employed at a leading Australian television network, editing news and then current affairs, documentaries and reality programs. A few years later, I was able to combine my love of technology with production when I took my first role at Avid running customer services and designing and building the Avid training portfolio in Australia.

There were very few women in technical roles in the early ‘90s, and it was a constant battle to prove that I had the ability and experience to be in those roles when my peers and managers were all men. That said, I was blessed to have wonderful male role models very early on who always supported me. They encouraged me to push forward and helped me be the best I could be, reaffirming that gender had no relevance to my skills and experience. Those men are all still in my personal and professional life today and I am forever grateful for their support and encouragement during those early years in technical roles.

The WiMN: Have you seen more opportunities for women in tech roles over the years, specifically in the audiovisual industr y?

McManus: Definitely! Particularly in the last 10 years. As more women rise up to senior roles and executive positions and actively support other up-and-coming women, I’ve seen many more doors open and opportunities created and filled by talented women. Over the years, I’ve created a wonderful professional network that I pride myself on staying in touch with, as well as mentoring talent locally and around the world.

To maintain the momentum, women need to continue to pay it forward. They need to give MAY 2020

their time and encouragement to young women entering the media and entertainment industry and create and nurture strong professional networks. For example, giving references for good talent and helping them find jobs that allow them to demonstrate their experience.

My network of relationships, of people who have worked both for me and alongside me, along with customers I’ve done business with for years, has helped me on my journey. That’s the secret sauce to success. Relationships [are] built on trust and integrity.

Throughout this year, Avid is supporting the many associations and forums that support women in the media and entertainment industry and encouraging other businesses in the industry to support our rising female talent as well.

The WiMN: In closing, from your perspective, what advice would you give to the women in our audience running a small business or offering a ser vice to customers, in order to retain happy customers?

McManus: People skills are your greatest asset. Understand the business of your clients and really listen to their needs. Always go that extra mile in treating your clients’ businesses and money as if they’re your own. You will gain their trust and demonstrate that their business is in safe hands: yours.

The WiMN: Like many other companies in the audiovisual industr y, your customer database is presumably comprised more heavily of males. What are some ways you plan to encourage or invite more women to use Avid products?

McManus: I’m thrilled to see the number of women entering the industry, not just in creative roles, but in technical roles too.

We still have a long way to go, but I believe we’ve made a great deal of progress. There are two key imperatives for the industry. First, promote and encourage women and demonstrate that it’s an attractive and exciting industry to be a part of. Second, create a smooth journey that provides opportunities for young women to succeed and progress in their career.

Some of the ways we’re inviting more women to use our products and services is by providing programs and forums that attract not only women, but the next generation of users and creatives. We provide communities and forums where people can promote their skills, like the Avid Link mobile app and Avid Community forums.

We nominate young women and men to join our Avid Customer Association committees and to provide their voice and experience into our company strategy and our next generation of products and services.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

33

GRASSROO TS MAR KETING

BEFORE THE PARADE PASSES BY

By Mike and Miriam Risko When you’re a brick-and-mortar business run by a mom and pop on Parades are always well attended in Ossining, N.Y., where Mike Risko a Main Street, sometimes you have Music is located. to deal with situations that complicate your life, such as the occasional parade. When you get a notice from village hall that the street where your store sits will be closed for half a day or more because of a parade, you have two choices: You can close early and go to the beach — or you can make the most of things.

In our case, every August, our village hosts a firefighters’ parade to which fire departments, sometimes from all over New York State, send shiny red trucks and big brass bands.

The participating fire departments park on all the side streets around the building we bought for our music store/school 10 years ago, and wait their turn to make their way downtown.

The first year this happened, we closed early and went home. But then we said to ourselves, “Wait a minute! At what other time can we count on having hundreds of people march by our building while hundreds more line the sidewalks and watch?” Right away, we realized this was a great opportunity to do some serious grassroots marketing, while helping to celebrate our fire department and the emergency medical technicians who work so hard to keep our town safe.

We started in the following year by inviting area residents to bring folding chairs and watch the parade from the comfort of our parking lot. This, at once, earned us a story in the local paper!

In the years since, we’ve expanded the parade-watching party by bringing in food trucks, live music, a DJ, games and lots of chalk for kids to create artwork on our asphalt. We also give the kids crayons and coloring books we created that feature our building.

Nowadays, at each parade, we set up a full PA system to read the parade’s fire department lineup. From a booth in our parking lot, we also do a Facebook Live video of the event, which, in effect, positions us as unofficial emcees. During lulls in the parade, we invite different businesses to come to our booth and be interviewed. Ms. Westchester County and the Westchester County Executive are among the celebrities who’ve visited with us.

Every year, during the parade, our parking lot is packed with families whom we encourage to come into our air-conditioned store and cool off if it’s too hot outside. We also let them use our restroom, and give out water bottles, guitar picks and other swag. At this year’s parade (should it occur), we plan to make shirts, and we’ve also created a hashtag: #riskomusicparadewatchingparty.

The point is, we’ve succeeded in turning what might otherwise have been a day off for us into our biggest marketing opportunity of the year. Parades and similar events are great for local economic development, and businesses can piggyback on them to attract attention and customers.

If you’re on a street that sometimes closes for a parade or similar activities, don’t just shrug your shoulders, lock your doors and go home. Make the parade work for you and your business. Create your own event inside the event, at which you can promote your brand.

Remember: Even if such occasions may not immediately translate into sales for your business, they help people get to know you and connect you with your community. So, strike up the band and show the world what a great product you have! You’ll end up being glad you decided not to close early and go to the beach.

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MAY 2020

I N T H E T RENCHE S

HOW I AM DEALING WITH COVID-19

By Allen McBroom I’m sick of hearing about COVID-19, coronavirus or whatever euphemism the media is using at the moment. Sick of it. But, much like a toothache, I really can’t avoid it until the problem gets fixed.

I’m going to guess you’re in the same spot right now. So what can we do? In the immediate term, what you can do to stay in business depends on what the government will allow you to do.

If you are dealing with a shelter-in-place order or a dictum that requires your “non-essential” business to close (“Nonessential?” It’s pretty dang essential to me, but I didn’t get any input into the government mandates.), there are things you can do. No. 1, push selling online. If you don’t have any online sales markets operating (Amazon, Reverb, eBay, etc.), go to a computer, open the needed accounts, and start listing products. You can package the sales and drop them in a postal pickup box, and never see a human in the process. You can do this without opening the store. You don’t even have to turn on the lights, just work in the back.

If you are in an area that has not shut you down, good. Start using social media to push curbside service. Tell folks all they have to do is pull up out front, phone in the order, and you’ll run the card and hand deliver their order to them at the curb.

Tell them they can call it in ahead of time.

If restaurants in your area are doing home delivery, so can you. Right now, Amazon Prime has a five-day delivery lag, but you can deliver same day. You’ve got Amazon beat, but you have to use social media to get the word out so others will know. Oh, you’ve never done that before? Neither have we, but we can’t continue to live like it’s four weeks ago. We’re offering free home/office delivery on all orders of $10 or more.

If someone calls and wants to know what instrument to buy, lay the phone down and play different models for them, then offer to bring some to them so they can decide. If you have a Square account (or something similar), you can stick the little white tile in your phone and process customers’ cards while standing on their doorsteps. (Make sure you wear gloves to keep your customers at ease.) If you make a home delivery, don’t forget to carry some accessories they might like to buy as well. We need to play “The Fuller Brush Man” for the next few weeks, and make our communities love our door-to-door efforts.

Use your smartphone to video someone sterilizing the door handles and touchscreens in your store, and post it all over social media.

MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

Hey, I saw that. You, the guy in the back … Stop shaking your head and muttering. Do you want your store to stay open and survive this pandemic? Nobody else is going to do this stuff for you, so get off your duff and get busy. Start early, and work late. Ask your employees for ideas. Make the home deliveries yourself.

Honestly, if your response to all of this is to gripe about how unfair this situation is, and not improvise, adapt and overcome, then there’s a good chance you won’t have to deal with this situation much longer. Commercial natural selection is a thing, too, and whether you rise or succumb is purely up to you.

Marines are, by training and instinct, somewhat cocky and self-assured in their approach to life. “Improvise, adapt and overcome” is an attitude they are very comfortable with.

They’ve trained to be confident and calm in crisis situations.

Most of us have never had that training, but we have to adopt that same view of approaching life and work at the moment.

Let’s call this OJT (on-the-job training) in crisis management.

If the government or social distancing impedes your usual revenue stream, think outside the box and do whatever it takes to get customers taken care of. Right now, you can do what Amazon, Reverb and eBay can’t do, and won’t do. Will you do it?

This crisis is not going to last, and to borrow a term from the politicians, we don’t need to let a good crisis go to waste.

We need to adapt to the situation, and be the stores our customers need right now.

Go ahead and do it today.

Decide which side of commercial natural selection you’ll end up on, and get busy making it happen.

Does this approach guarantee you’ll make it and still be viable when things return to normal? No, it doesn’t. But, it sure beats the heck out of fretting over things as they are now, and trying to conduct business as usual. And, if you don’t make it, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you went down swinging as hard as you could.

Now, decide what your approach is going to be, get busy, and remember to wash your hands. We have a lot to do today, and it’s time to get started.

Happy trails.

E E R F

35

SHINE A LIGHT

Backstage Takes Centerstage Backstage Music 115 Highway 12 West Starkville, MS 39759 (662) 323-3824 www.backstagemusic.com Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Allen McBroom, Partner/Grand Imagineer

36

By Michelle Loeb When businessman Allen McBroom first started shopping at north Mississippi music store Backstage Music in 1980, it had been approximately two years since founders Jim Beaty and Bruce “Bird” Crain, both bass players, opened up their guitar shop in a shopping center next to a record store.

“The two stores actually shared a door that connected the two businesses,” explained McBroom. “A customer could walk into one business, shop, mill around, and then move into the other business. Since one business’ focus was vaguely related to the other store’s focus, it wasn’t a bad coexistence.”

The store focused on guitar, bass and drums at the time. Gibson, Takamine and Pearl were the first large brands willing to give a chance to two recent college graduates with no business experience. McBroom would soon add his own years of business acumen to the mix when he became Backstage Music’s third partner.

“I would like to come into the store and hang around, and after a while, I approached Jim and I asked him to sell me the business.

He said ‘no’ but offered to make me a partner,” recalled McBroom.

McBroom has a long background as a business manager; he ran his first business when he was 14 years old — a dairy bar at a recreational lake. “That’s when I found out how easy it is to not make money,” he said, jokingly. Since then, he has worked in a variety of industries ranging from restaurants to garment factories to radio stations to hospitals. It’s those experiences that he draws upon when setting the tone for Backstage Music’s customer service.

“In the hospital, I dealt with people who had to have what it was they were paying for, and we had to work out the business end any way we could to get them better so they could go back to work,” said McBroom. “The music industry isn’t that way. Customers will get something because they’ve always wanted to try it or because it was cool. But I try to look at them the same way as I did those who had no choice,” he continued. “If they have a desire, then something inside them is saying that they need that. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be here. So, I try to make that happen for them.”

That philosophy applies not only to in-store sales, which are handled by a staff of “three and a half,” according to McBroom, but also to the AV contracting, MI repairs, PA rentals, band instruMAY 2020

ment rentals and lessons that drive Backstage Music’s revenue.

And McBroom makes sure that the people he hires share that philosophy because, unlike musicianship and salesmanship, compassion can’t be taught.

“We’re not hiring them to do concerts or impress the public; we’re hiring them to match customers with the gear that best meets their needs,” said McBroom. “Our customers want to be appreciated, and they want to feel like they are being serviced, not processed. We sell the same stuff as everyone else. All that sets us apart is the people.”

That focus on relationships has helped to foster decades of customer loyalty. Someone who bought their first set of strings at the store 40 years ago is likely to still be coming into the store today. That’s due to the honest and personal approach that Backstage Music puts into every interaction.

“I have customers who come in and want to buy a violin for their 8 year old, and I tell them not to because they’ll outgrow it and they should rent. Let us take care of it, and you build credit toward buying a new instrument.

They appreciate that,” McBroom explained. “There aren’t many businesses where you say that you want to buy something and they say you have better options.

“You’ve got to meet the customer where they are,” he continued. “When they come in here, they are looking for their best day. I want them to walk out and tell their spouse what a great experience they had here.”

Being part of the community is something that is important to McBroom, and that sense of togetherness is evident in the way he treats those who enter his store.

“We live in a small town of 23,000 people. I’m going to run into them at church, at Walmart, at the grocery store, and I want them to say ‘Oh, that’s the man (continued on page 45) MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

L to R: West Music's Robin Walenta, Allen McBroom, Jim Beaty, and NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond.

Backstage Music backs its community, as evidenced by its support for a local youth basketball team

37

V E D D AT O R I A L

When I wrote my last column, it was the second of March. Shelter-in-place orders had not yet been issued, March Madness was still on, as was the NBA season, baseball home openers and the Tokyo Olympics. It was still impossible to conceive that churches would cancel Easter services. You know the litany; you’ve watched it play out like all of us, and likely now you’re sitting around wondering if and how your business will survive.

Sure, well-capitalized businesses, those with access to credit or recipients of government aid will have an easier time of it. But even those of us that come out of the pandemic tunnel intact

HOME ALONE

By Dan Vedda

will be faced with tremendous challenges — and perhaps opportunities.

Despite the fact that I didn’t foresee the scope of the social disruption coming in March, I stand by my conclusions about the aftermath. Thinking specifically about our industry, there’s a lot to process. Certainly, people’s perception of things like store cleanliness will be far more critical. And like customer service, the customer’s experience will weigh far more than any claims about how clean your establishment is.

Expect questions about your cleaning regimen as part of the lesson signup process, for example.

There are other changes we’ll see, of course. Adjustments on the supply side regarding sourcing and inventory levels will all be re-examined. Many retailers who had been brick and mortar only in the past will look at some sort of online selling presence, even if it’s affiliate-based. After all, if the governor closes your store on you, online is a lifeline.

Here’s where I see a lot of opportunities, though: We’ve already seen that a sudden surge in online purchasing wreaks havoc. That fiendishly efficient Amazon machine is actually a precariously balanced stack of blocks. Increase the demand dramatically, and unpredictably change the product blend so carefully spun into algorithms of desire, and all that “free two-day shipping” stuff goes by the wayside, mistakes multiply and workers rebel. I suddenly got calls from people grateful that I could sell them reeds or strings, because even with schools closed, the kids had to post playing tests online now … and Amazon couldn’t get the goods to them until the end of April, six weeks away.

Despite mandated closing, I have personally kept a light on for our community, answering the phone myself for several hours a day, picking up and delivering repairs, and making sure in a safe and contactless way that we take care of our community. We’ve been posting daily on social media, from information to our own performances, and with everyone cocooned at home, our engagement went up an astounding 33,000 percent almost overnight. (Of course, now it’s stable at a higher level, so the changes are not that dramatic any longer.).

One of the things I’ve been very grateful for is that our community — and yes, this is what I’ve been harping about for several years when I talk about a “community music store” — has stepped up to support a local business closed by edict. People have purchased gift certificates for future use, brought in instruments they had not planned to repair yet, and shared our messages at large. If we 38

survive, it’s because of our community.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of all this, though, is that the first thing I heard when the schools were closed and people started staying at home was, “I’m getting my old (guitar, flute, violin, etc.) out. I need something to do if I’m going to be sitting at home for weeks.” Yup, for many, the first thought was music, and we went through strings, reeds, setups and cleanings like wildfire for a few days. At first, because most people didn’t envision anything as extensive as the “shelter-in-place” situation that developed, we even had people calling for lessons. I saw much the same thing after 9/11: Even people who were laid off by the airlines came in for our help playing music.

It is, I think, the one thing we have going for us: People again and again tell us they want and need music, for comfort, for community, for intellectual stimulation. The response to posted musical performances — from artists and professionals to home-grown family bands — has been gratifying. Our own “Music for Shut-ins” series on our Facebook page has certainly reached an audience, despite its off-the-cuff nature.

I hope that, as people are given the time to pursue music, we will observe the seeding of a customer base that will sprout quickly once some strictures are relaxed. Heading into summer, I envision many who will still be uncomfortable with travel and large-scale events, but hungering for what I think of as the “smaller satisfactions.” If we remain in our customers’ view, I really think we’ll see business come back to us as the dust settles. No, we won’t just jump in where we left off. Guidelines will be relaxed slowly, so business will return slowly.

But with any luck, it will come back with a broader base and deeper consumer interest. That can make up for lost time, played properly.

So as far as I’m concerned, “job one” for the moment is to keep our name in front of our audience and help as many people as we can in the context of current conditions. People will remember us as helpers, and the source for something that helped them get through all this. When we all start emerging again, a “new normal” of a clean and comfortable environment can attract customers back to us. Hopefully they’ll be tired of screens and contactless interaction and craving exactly what we can provide: a community of music.

If you have a comment, feel free to share it on the “Veddatorial” Facebook page. And, as always, post an inquiry if there’s another topic you’d like to see covered here. (Please post to the page rather than DM, so others can see the dialogue.)

MAY 2020

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U N DER T H E HOOD

IK MULTIMEDIA’S iLoud MTM Compact Reference Monitors

By Brian Berk

IK Multimedia’s iLoud MTM is a compact reference monitor designed to be used by engineers and producers for nearfield monitoring while mixing tracks in a project studio, as a space-saving desktop monitor in home studios or as a secondary monitor for commercial studios. It builds upon its predecessor, IK’s iLoud Micro Monitor, which, when it was originally launched, produced loud, crisp, clear sound to a degree that was unexpected for a monitor at that size and price point, stated the company. iLoud MTM takes things to the next level by using a combination of design elements and technology advances intended to deliver pristine sound and unprecedented accuracy for its size and price point. The result is a monitor that offers balanced, uncolored, true-to-life sound that minimizes ear fatigue even when used for hours at a time, IK noted. “iLoud MTM was inspired by the success of our award-winning iLoud Micro Monitors,” Dan Boatman, IK Multimedia’s U.S. sales and marketing director, told the Music & Sound Retailer.

“With the iLoud range of compact nearfield monitors, we’re very focused on addressing the realworld issues musicians can encounter, whether it’s working in untreated or makeshift studios, on the go or in a budget-conscious desktop setup. We didn’t see other manufacturers designing for these users specifically, despite them being the largest share of the monitor market.

“After the honestly incredible response to iLoud Micro Monitors, we felt there was an opportunity to show what our speaker design and DSP team could do with a slightly larger volume,” he added. “Whereas iLoud Micro Monitors were aimed at the three-inch to five-inch speaker market, iLoud MTM aims to deliver performance as good or better than a six-inch or even eight-inch monitor, but with half the size for working in smaller spaces; again primarily for use in home, project or mobile studios.

“Everything in the design process was focused on ensuring the absolute best-in-class performance for that usage,” Boatman continued. “From the MTM (midwoofer-tweeter-midwoofer) speaker arrangement, to the onboard auto-calibration, even down to the range of degrees the included tilt stands allow for, every decision was guided by the question, ‘What issues will arise in the real world, and how do we minimize them through this product?’” iLoud MTM delivers unsurpassed clarity, 100 watts RMS power and 40 hertz to 24 kilohertz frequency response, stated the company. It also offers an ultra-flat frequency response, but more importantly, a truly linear phase response for “true-to-life sound,” which is a new feature available only on a handful of products costing considerably more, the company stated. Another feature is the symmetrical MTM design (two 3.5-inch high-performance woofers and one-inch highdefinition tweeter), which provides precise, point-source sound that can’t be achieved by two-way systems at close distances, for more natural sound that minimizes ear fatigue.

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“iLoud MTM was inspired by the success of our award-winning iLoud Micro Monitors.

With the iLoud range of compact nearfield monitors, we're very focused on addressing the real-world issues musicians can encounter."

MAY 2020

“I think the first thing people notice is the bass extension, which at 40 hertz is much lower than you’d expect from a monitor of this size. But overall, it’s the clarity and quality of the sound. iLoud MTMs offer amazing clarity, including linear phase sound, which is normally something you find on monitors [priced] above $1,000. And the stereo imaging is incredible. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from users who love working and listening to these, not only because of the quality of the sound, overall, but because they can listen for hours on end without ear fatigue,” said Boatman. “Aside from the sound quality, people love the built-in auto-calibration feature: a reference mic is included for the calibration process, and in just a few seconds you’re able to adjust the monitors to fit the room you’re working in. It lets you mix more confidently, without worrying your mix will fall apart when you take it elsewhere.

“But there are a lot of smaller touches, too,” he added. “For example, the included stands feature a wider range of adjustable angles, so you can point them properly at your ears even at very close distances, allowing you to work from the sweet spot, even on a laptop. Also, you can adjust the low-end cutoff, in case you don’t have the room or budget for multiple systems. We put a lot of thought into creating monitors that can make your workflow easier and your life more convenient, and I think users really appreciate that.”

Designing the product took a lot of thought — two years’ worth, in fact. “There were the initial discussions, outlining the design goals for the product and making the initial decisions like using the ‘MTM’ speaker arrangement. After that, there were many rounds of prototyping, tuning the overall cabinet, and auditioning different speaker materials until we got the interaction between the cabinet and speakers dialed in,” relayed Boatman. “In addition to the analog design side, our DSP team developed the digital crossovers and tuned the performance-management system, which is pretty unique. They actually digitally constructed a physical model of the speaker itself, so the onboard DSP can anticipate and maximize the performance of the system in real time. So, we had two separate teams working in sync on the analog and digital sides throughout the entire process. And of course, all that had to be periodically checked and rechecked against the real production units from the factory, to account for any variations from the prototypes. Finally, starting at The 2019 NAMM Show, we presented units to a group of VIP engineers, to get their feedback and make final adjustments, and that process lasted another couple months. Our colleague, famed engineer Tom Lord-Alge, still has the last evaluation pair we sent him in his studio, and he said he uses them so much he won’t ever give them back.”

their lives easier, that offer them something new or unique and that show a manufacturer is listening to them. The iLoud series is a great example. We designed a product that delivers premiere sound quality and a lot of features you’d normally find on very high-end speakers, and it’s been a massive success. Similar-sized products in the past that seem to be focused purely on reducing price had not been nearly as successful, despite coming from more established brands.

So, with all our products, we’re really focusing on offering solutions that make life easier, or offer something unique, instead of competing on price.

“Similarly, I think musicians’ workflows have changed,” Boatman noted. “They don’t sit down and record an album, and then go tour the album. Today, musicians are releasing songs one at a time on Spotify, or running a YouTube channel, or building an Instagram following. They prioritize constant, daily and much less formal interaction with listeners.

They’re recording on the road or shooting promos from the studio.

“A good example of how we’ve reacted to that is our Creator Series, which are all low-cost accessories designed for folks who share and (continued on page 45)

Meeting Customer Demands

But even if a company has a great product, they need to produce it in an industry where there’s growth and customer demand. Boatman believes the recorded music industry is just the place. “We’re absolutely seeing [industry] growth, both as a company and as an industry.

Part of that is our position in the market,” he said. “IK is very much focused on expanding access to music-making, whether that’s on a mobile device, a home studio or building an Instagram following, so we meet and speak with a lot of musicians who might not be ‘in the business’ the way a band on a label is. And they’re doing very well, which helps to expand the market overall.

“In terms of what musicians are looking for, I think that’s changed over time,” Boatman continued. “The recording market feels more crowded now, I think because of the easy access to Chinese manufacturing. It’s easy for a brand to bring a generic product to market, and since they’re all functionally very similar, musicians have started to really expect more. They’re looking for the products that make

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Your trusted Show off “Our vendors have been very your Band source for responsive,” said Jansky. “We told or Corporate fretted Logo in a them we need some flexibility, instruments unique and and we’ve been calling to cancel creative way.

Buy • Sell • Trade • Consign backorders. We also talk to them appraisals@elderly.com about the cash-flow issues that we www.LizzzCreates.com (888) 473-5810 anticipate when we finally reopen, Where Art Meets Life www.elderly.com and they have all been very nice about working with us.”

What is keeping the store MI’S VIRTUAL WORLD L Creates MSR 1x2.indd 1 12/26/2019 2:03:49afloat PM is rentals, specifically those (continued from page 25) that are participating in Allegro Music’s autopay program. “I’m With repairs falling under Allegro Music owner Charlotte not sure how other stores are the Department of Homeland Jansky and general manager going to make it through this Security’s guidance on essential Clarence Berry are facing a simiunless they have an alternate services, Sassi and Deverell are lar issue, directing customers to stream of revenue. For us, that’s able to keep their business open, email or leave a voicemail if there our rentals,” said Berry. “That’s but in a modified fashion. Only is anything they need. saving us.” one repair technician is able to “It’s hard to not pick up the Rentals are also proving to be a work in the store at the same phone. It goes against our whole short-term boon for Buddy Rogtime, and extreme measures are business model,” said Berry, ers Music, which was mandated taken to ensure cleanliness. who comes into the store to to close by the state of Ohio. (It “We have them disinfect meet with Jansky for a few hours since reopened on May 12.) “The before and after every shift, and each day. “But I don’t want to schools here have pivoted to they all are wearing gloves,” pick up the phone, because that online learning, and I know that explained Sassi. “While they person will inevitably say, ‘So my own daughter’s band director each have their own bench, they glad you’re open!’” is giving her assignments as part might share tools, so we have to Allegro Music has a small of the curriculum,” said Brandon clean those.”

Reverb presence, but online sales Voorhees, general manager. “So, Sassi and Deverell make use are not a large part of its busimusic education is still continuof the 4,000 square feet of space ness, so the movement of product ing remotely, and people are supwithin their store, staying in has been limited to the occasional porting us by still renting their different rooms and using walkie accessory sold through curbside instruments.” talkies to communicate. To keep pickup. Therefore, Jansky and Voorhees and the rest of Buddy store traffic down, customers Berry have been in contact with Rogers Music’s leadership team have been advised to email ahead their vendors in order to keep the are taking this time to look at for an appointment. “There is no dialogue open in the short term, new ways to keep the business walk-in traffic,” said Deverell. “It’s as well as to prepare for issues relevant during the shutdown, just one at a time, very controlled, that may lie ahead as their busi“such as providing resources to and it’s all people we know.” ness, along with the economy as 42

our band directors to help them grow band projects for the next year,” Voorhees explained. “We are still in communication with them through a lot of email, Zoom and chatting.

“We are pivoting to new opportunities, and my advice to other retailers is to stay calm and use this time wisely,” Vorhees continued. “Figure out ways you can turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Try to be most effective at the things you can do.”

Saied Music Co., which primarily operates in Oklahoma and Arkansas, with one location just over the Oklahoma border in Sherman, Texas, is one of the rare MI stores that so far has been allowed to remain open, but even it had to make big changes to its day-to-day operations.

“We have placed signs at our entrance, at all counters, in all instrument areas and on pianos instructing customers, ‘We are glad you are here! Due to COVID-19 precautions, please ask for assistance before handling any instrument. Thank you!’” said manager Kim Koch.

All customers are escorted through the store, at a safe distance that complies with CDC guidelines, and any instrument that is touched is then sanitized.

But Koch noted that customers who come in during this time are not shopping and loitering as they may have done in the past.

“The customers coming into MAY 2020

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our stores are very intentional,” Koch said. “They are coming in to buy, not browse.”

Saied Music offers FaceTime browsing for customers who would rather not come into the store, and they, like Allegro Music and San Diego Music Company, have developed a curbside pickup program. While store traffic is down, Koch has noticed an uptick in sales for one accessory in particular. “We had a bit of a run on guitar strings, the toilet paper of the musical world,” she joked.

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For Sassi and Deverell, accessories have also been a big seller during this time, thanks in part to delivery issues that are plaguing the likes of Amazon.

“You can’t find certain products on Amazon, like reeds, and they are prioritizing some items over others, so there can be a delay. So, any music store with stock right now is probably doing well,” said Deverell.

“The music teachers in our community are taking their lessons online and, lo and behold, they are finding that they need sheet music,” added Sassi. “A lot of the publishers aren’t shipping right now, so teachers were trying to order direct and weren’t able to get their shipments. So, we are still placing pretty regular orders, and if they are local, we will drive by and deliver it to their door the same day.”

Online lessons have also been a great source of revenue for retailers, as students are eager to continue their lessons while they are socially distancing at home.

“Some of our teachers have been moving their lessons online, using Skype,” said Berry.

“One of them is coming in here to use Skype because they aren’t able to do it at home.”

Saied trained all of its private lessons teachers in how to conduct their lessons via Zoom and even held dress-rehearsal lessons “so that each teacher could experience the process and we could see what the student would see,” said Koch. “We wanted to make sure each teacher had a professional setting and could be clearly heard and understood from the student’s point of view.

Parents were also super grateful for the continuity of instruction and some structure in their kiddos’ days.”

Sassi and Deverell have taken on the online teaching duties themselves after having to furlough their staff. “It’s not the most ideal situation, but we are working with what we have for now,” said Deverell.

Both Deverell and Sassi had effectively retired from teaching at this point, but they are more than willing to step up to do what’s best for their business and their employees. “We know that we will be able to rehire our staff again; the question is when.

That’s why Kimberly and I are teaching so much and why the store is doing so many repairs.

It’s to make sure that they have jobs to come back to,” said Sassi.

“The way we think about it is that we have a ship with a crew, and right now, we need to put the crew on an island while we take the ship back out to weather the storm. And we will come back to get them.”

Each of these retailers has been open for decades, surviving every curveball that has been thrown at them over the years.

The feeling of confidence is pervasive throughout the industry, with MI professionals believing that they will all come out stronger on the other side.

“Having something like this happen wakes you up,” said Voorhees. “We are confident that we’ll be able to pivot and stay in business. We’ve been open for 60 years, and we have survived a lot of ups and downs, so I have no reason to believe we won’t be here for 60 more years. We’re looking forward to coming back.”

FIVE MINUTES WITH

(continued from page 27) and how I managed the business is why my territory expanded to include all of Japan, and eventually the global market. This is the only customer contact point when you can provide customized proposals according to the customer’s needs, aside from price and specifications. It is important to plan and promote the product in a manner that is suitable to each retailer’s location, demographics and psychographics. Ideally, sellthrough is much greater when the sales staff has knowledge of the benefits of the product than when product is merely merchandised, and no one is available to assist the consumer. I would like to establish a mechanism to

share the necessary marketing information with our partners to ensure success for all.

The Retailer: Let’s end with a fun one. What do you most enjoy doing when not at work?

Maeda: Spending time with my family. We often drive the suburbs and enjoy hot springs.

If we find a reputable hot spring, we will go even by airplane. We also go to music concerts with the whole family. We have been to Earth, Wind & Fire; TOTO; Deep Purple; Lee Ritenour; Ray Parker Jr.; etc. Maybe I am imposing my own tastes on the whole family….

COMING IN THE JUNE ISSUE OF THE MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER: • • • • •

44

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SHINE A LIGHT

(continued from page 37) from the nice music store,’” McBroom said. “Your business has to be viewed through the lens that we are locals like them, we are knowledgeable and our knowledge is at their disposal.”

That sense of community is evident in many of the music store’s events and activities, such as its annual Spring Cleaning Day, where it invites the public to use its parking lot as their own music-related yard sale area, complete with doughnuts, coffee

and music. But it also extends outside of the business. McBroom is a member of the local BSA council, a former Scoutmaster and a fifth-degree black belt in Kukkiwon Taekwondo, who has taught free martial arts classes for more than 20 years as a community service. His business partner, Jim Beaty, is also a local church leader and an Eagle Scout. McBroom believes that being involved in communityoriented activities like these is

important for understanding what your customers’ lives are like and what they may be going through.

It also helps him and his staff to see beyond themselves and offer a kind ear and exemplary customer service that will set them, and the store, apart from everyone else.

“It’s important that the music store not be your whole life,” said McBroom. “Find a way to volunteer and plug into your community. That will educate you

on what customers deal with outside of the store and that will make you a better person and, in turn, a better employee.

“There are 100 ways to do it.

If you can’t find a way, create a way,” he concluded. “The most important people in our lives are those who serve us without reward. Then, back at the store, you understand them and they trust you. You’re not some guy trying to take their money. There is no substitute for that.”

answer this question.

Guiffre: The continuing evolution of brain-computer interfaces could change the creative process drastically.

Imagine making music at the speed of thought, directly from your mind.

here because of the high level of innovation, perfect weather and overall quality of life.

THE FINAL NOTE

(continued from page 46) Joey DeFrancesco at Steamers Jazz Club in Fullerton, Calif. He played a Friday night right after The NAMM Show wrapped up.

I was floored by the level of musicianship on that stage. Having dinner with John “JR” Robinson while watching the show and listening to his commentary on the music really took that night over the top.

The Retailer: If you could see any musician, alive or deceased, play a concert for one night, who would it be and why?

Guiffre: Led Zeppelin playing the entire “Led Zeppelin II” album. I wore that record out growing up. A huge influence on my musical development.

The Retailer: What musician are you hoping to see play in the near future?

Guiffre: Tough to say just one!

MonoNeon, JD Beck and Domi Degalle, Kevin Parker and John Vanderslice are certainly near the top of my list.

The Retailer: What song was most memorable for you throughout your childhood, and what do you remember about it the most?

Guiffre: My dad would blast Vivaldi’s “Winter” while fourwheeling through the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains on our annual Yosemite trip. The powerful music added so much to the experience.

The Retailer: What are your favorite songs on your smartphone/iPod? Guiffre: It’s impossible to MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER

The Retailer: What’s the most fun thing you saw/did at a NAMM Show?

Guiffre: Participating in the NAMM Young Professionals mentorship program was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the meetings and chats with my mentor.

It’s an experience I’ll forever cherish and remember. I highly recommend it to anybody who is interested.

The Retailer: If you had to select three people, past or present, to have dinner with, who would they be and what would you ask them?

Guiffre: I’d choose Antonius Stradivari, Laurens Hammond and Leo Fender. I’d ask what inspires them most.

The Retailer: What is the best thing about the MI industr y?

Guiffre: The best thing about working in the MI industry is the people I’m blessed to interact with on a daily basis. Being a part of our highly specialized industry forges lifelong relationships and friendships.

The Retailer: Who do you admire most outside of the music industr y and why?

Guiffre: I admire all the doctors and research scientists doing groundbreaking work on cures for the world’s health problems. Their work impacts thousands of lives.

The Retailer: What technology could change MI down the road?

The Retailer: If you weren’t in the music industr y, what would you be doing and why?

Guiffre: I’ve been in the MI industry since I was 16 years old. I can’t imagine doing anything else!

The Retailer: Tell us about your hometown and why you enjoy living there.

Guiffre: I was born and raised in Sunnyvale, Calif., the heart of Silicon Valley. I enjoy living

The Retailer: What are your most prized possession(s) and why?

Guiffre: My 1975 Fender Jazz Bass reissue has been my constant companion for over two decades. It’s been my main instrument for numerous bands, recordings, shows and tours.

The Retailer: What’s your favorite book and why?

Guiffre: “The Music Lesson”

by Victor Wooten. I have now given away three copies of this book to my musician friends. A great read about music and life written with humor and depth.

UNDER THE HOOD

(continued from page 41) stream music on social media.

Again, that’s because of the way the business works now. If you’re in the studio, you share a quick Instagram snippet of your project to build hype, then release it on Spotify in a couple weeks.

If you’re at band rehearsal, you stream it to build anticipation for your shows. And users appreciate that we’re creating solutions with their workflow in mind,” Boatman added.

Thus far, end-user reaction to the iLoud MTM has been enthusiastic. “Being new to the market, our primary focus has been on educating customers about our unique advantages and value. We’re lucky to have a massive and enthusiastic user base from iLoud Micro Monitor, so sharing their excitement has

been key, too. In particular, social media has been a great way to present this to new users and see the reaction from other users like them, and we’ve invested a lot in organic content there, in addition to paid ads,” Boatman concluded. “That’s built up a lot of interest and curiosity about the line, so the other focus for us has been giving people a chance to listen to the monitors. We’ve made demo units available to as many dealers as possible, and we highlight those locations heavily on our site. It’s a great combination when you have enthusiastic testimonials and easy access to listening stations, so we plan to continue this in the future.”

The MSRP/street price for iLoud MTM is $349.99 each, or $699.99 a pair.

45

THE FINAL NOTE

MISHA GUIFFRE

Director of Sales, The Music Link Corp.

By Brian Berk

The Music & Sound Retailer: Who was your greatest influence or mentor and why?

Misha Guif fre: My parents were and still are a huge influence on me. My father owned his own business, a successful design company in Silicon Valley, for more than three decades. He continually demonstrated the value of working hard and never giving up, even when the chips were down. My mother was a Pacific Bell executive for many years. She was masterful at bringing groups of diverse people and personalities together to execute largescale telecommunications projects.

The Retailer: What was the best advice you ever received?

Guif fre: On my first day of employment at the Haight Ashbury Music Center, the owner and my mentor, Massoud Badakhshan, taught me how to correctly coil an instrument cable. He also told me, “You don’t need a ring, just ask her!” That worked out great. My wife and I are still happily married 14 years and two kids later.

The Retailer: What was your first experience with a musical instrument?

Guiffre: One of my earliest childhood memories was seeing a hi-hat on a TV show. I was fascinated, obsessed and knew I had to play one in person. This led me to eventually joining the grade-school band as the snare drummer. I demanded the band director provide a hi-hat or I’d choose another instrument. I was the only drummer in the school!

The Retailer: What instrument do you most enjoy playing?

Guiffre: I most enjoy playing the electric bass guitar.

Being in control of the lowest frequencies is a subtle yet powerful form of expression.

The Retailer: Tell us something about yourself that others do not know or would be surprised to learn.

Guiffre: My grandfather worked at Ampex Corp. for many years, and I grew up in a community of Ampex employees and their families.

The Retailer: What’s your favorite activity to do when you’re not at work?

Guiffre: My favorite activity outside of work is spending quality time with my wife and two boys. We love to go on adventures, try new cuisine and seek out interesting nature spots. And of course, playing music by myself or with friends.

The Retailer: What is the best concert you’ve ever been to?

Guiffre: The best musical performance I’ve ever seen was (continued on page 45) 46

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