FEATURES
FEATURES
America the Beautiful 2010 has been a good year for American patriotism. And we don’t just mean annual rituals such as the Fourth of July.
Not Doubting Thomas
Mendello Retires, Thomas Named Fender CEO Former Guitar Center CEO Larry Thomas has a new gig: CEO at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.
The ‘Spin’ on the DJ Market Whether your store carries a full line of DJ products, just a few or none at all, it’s hard to dispute that these products have carved a major indentation in the MI marketplace.
Music City Mystery Summer NAMM had many highlights, but attendance dropped 4 percent compared to last year. The future of the show is a topic on many minds.
The Canadians’ Club Changes galore took place at this year’s installment of the MIAC show in Toronto. The date changed to May. The location changed. Why were the adjustments made? Did the alterations work?
Floyd Rose Sued Geoffrey McCabe, an inventor and guitarist, has sued Floyd Rose Guitars and distributor Davitt & Hanser Music for patent infringement.
Pay It Forward! You’ve heard enough bad news. We take a look at the fantastic things happening in MI today.
-‘MIM is the Word The Musical Instrument Museum opened in Phoenix to a lot of fanfare. Rebecca Apodaca, an expert on antique instruments, gives you a rundown of the latest thing to hit MI.
-‘Loud and Clear Pro audio products continue to sell. We get the scoop from four top manufacturers.
-‘Open Door’ Policy NAMM makes a big change by allowing member-invited guests on the last day of Summer NAMM.
-Musikmesse A-107K! Attendance at Musikmesse and Pro Light + Sound dipped slightly, but optimism was up.
-It’s in the Cards ! You need to have PCI DSS-compliant terminals to handle credit card transactions by July 1. What are we talking about? Don’t worry, we’ll explain.
-Unplugged Acoustic guitar sales grew dramatically in 2009 and the beginning of 2010. Is this the beginning of a new trend?
-Head of the Class! We shine the spotlight on many of the new companies that launched at NAMM.
-Musicorp Mourns Mike Murphy We honor the sale rep’s life that ended way too soon.
-Is a New Healthcare Plan Just Snake Oil? We take a thorough look at how a new public healthcare plan can affect you and your employees. ?
-Bonanza! Behringer Buys Bosch Brands Behringer’s parent company added the Midas and Klark Teknik brands to its stable.
-The Stars Will Come Out…This Weekend We highlight a few of the celebrity appearances at NAMM.
-What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been!!! We reminisce as we close out the first decade of the new millennium. It was a tough 10 years for many. How about for the music industry though? What’s ahead?
-It’s Voting Time! Here are your nominees for the 24th annual Music & Sound Awards.
-Here We Come to Save the Day!!We provide a plethora of accessories that manufacturers assure you will provide excellent margins.
-For Those Who Make Lesser Publicized Instruments, We Salute You!!For the first time, we pay tribute to instruments and products that get little press coverage. We provide a well-deserved spotlight for these products!

-Kathy How:Now here’s a story you don’t hear connected to MI every day. A woman who grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, studied medicine and later moved to England.
-Sarah Heil:We’ve all heard the stories about people beginning in the mailroom and later becoming the CEO of a major corporation. Those people are rare, but it does happen.
-Sue Avant is a trailblazer. She’s also someone who
has varied interests. And she is, indeed, formidable.
-Mary Ann Giorgio It sure sounds like a great job to cover soap operas like Days of our Lives and speak to celebrities on a daily basis. But MXL’s Mary Ann Giorgio was never comfortable in that industry. She sure is comfortable at MXL Microphones though.
-Fusion Bags For the first time, we feature multiple people in this column. We look at the genesis and growth of the all-women founded business, Fusion Bags.
-Linda Arink is one of the very few female executives at a DJ company. Learn how she became involved and why she hopes we won’t even need to have a column about top industry females in the future.
-Debbe Stephenson stumbled upon MI shortly after college, but is sure glad she did. She’s now president and COO of Pro Co Sound.
-• Mary Peavey
-• Jennifer Tabor
-• Tarina Dunwoodie
-• Stacey Montgomery-Clark.
-• Cathy Duncan
-• Bee Bantug
-• Dale Krevens
-• Melanie Ripley
-• Susan Grund
-• Toby Nady
-• Shawna von Behren.
-• Berenice Chauvet
-• Sue Kincade
-• Tish Ciravolo
-• Vikki Hayward
-• Roxana Ramirez
-• Susan Lipp

Are you on the fence about if you should attend Summer NAMM in Austin, Texas, from July 27 to 29? Well, to start, there are three facts that are probably indisputable about the show. 1. You have the opportunity for more face-to-face time with suppliers than at Winter NAMM. 2. The active nightlife. 3. The bats.

If that’s not enough, you’ll see different wrinkles at this year’s show. “First of all, buyers will get the chance to see some new exhibits—more than 80 new companies—and that means [you’ll] be able to see some cool new products not shown in Anaheim or last year in Austin,” said Scott Robertson, NAMM’s director of marketing & communications. “Another new feature is NAMM’s first-ever exhibitor-to-dealer product training sessions, which allow buyers to get the new product knowledge they need for themselves and their staff. We’re hoping this idea catches on and this show can serve as a hub for this type of critical product training in the future. Finally, this year ‘The Hang’ stage will host a very special concert event on Saturday—one of the regional semi-finals for the Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands competition. This is where the best of the “Weekend Warrior” type bands from America’s largest corporations battle for bragging rights and a ‘rock star’ trip to the 2008 NAMM Show. It should be quite an event for these very influential recreational music makers and a treat for the audience as well.”

Speaking of The Hang, you can attend NAMM’s party there on July 26 at 7 p.m. The event is good for networking purposes and oh yes, the free beer and food. “NAMM’s Pre-Show Party at The Hang is unique because where else but the music products industry could you assemble ‘Weekend Warrior’ jam/cover bands made up of show attendees and exhibitors and produce the type of energetic, live performances that we see year after year?” asked Robertson. “That party shows how much this industry believes in music and it’s our honor to host it again this year.”

Another reason to go to Summer NAMM: the morning NAMM University Breakfast Sessions. Don’t believe it? Well, the proof is in the numbers, with Robertson reporting attendance at these sessions doubling in the last couple of years. “The morning sessions serve a free hot breakfast, which helps attendees find an extra hour of time in an already busy day,” he said. “They also feature good music followed by some fantastic presentations that you can only experience at a NAMM trade show. This year, NAMM President and CEO, Joe Lamond, will interview another panel of industry icons in an in-depth discussion about the current state of the music products industry. On Saturday, NAMM will again host its popular Town Hall meeting, which this year will focus on the best practices/ideas that are working for retailers and suppliers across the country. We’ve heard these sessions contain real take-home value for attendees and given this period of industry change, it’s not a time to settle for business as usual.”

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