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-Guitar Hero is all the rage for consumers.
-Need to take a break from searching for the latest gear during The NAMM Show? Here are some celebrity appearances and parties to check out.
-Attendance increased at Music China and Prolight + Sound, and Kenny G made a big splash.
-Improving next month's NAMM Show is like making the 1972 Miami Dolphins better. But NAMM is certainly not resting on its laurels.
-We reveal all of the manufacturer nominees for Music & Sound Awards to be handed out next month at The NAMM Show.
-Counterfeiting on MI products, particularly guitars, may have received minimal national press, but the problem is real and not going away.
-Find out how to sell products your customers are probably not looking to buy.
-M&SR features its second annual independent retailer roundtable. What's on dealer's mind's this year. Are things better than last year?
-Females playing musical instruments now outnumber males, according to a NAMM/Gallup survey.
-Industry leaders paved the way for the next 10 years.
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-The Latest, Industry, Dealers, People and Product Buzz and Showcases.
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-Dan Vedda shares every thought not appearing in his monthly column right here.
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-Robert Gault, president of Eminence Speaker, knows a massive amount about China and the pro audio industry. Enough said.
-To say Kurt Ballou, Converge's guitarist, doesn't treat guitars well is like saying the New England Patriots are a decent football team. Ballou had to find a guitar to take a pounding. Here's why he chose First Act's Sheena.
-The amazing story of how Gear Source Music reopened days after a flood took it apart. Spy ventured to the Pacific Northwest to the great city of Seattle. Five minutes with a great wealth of knowledge in the percussion industry, Remo Belli.
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-John Flansburgh, They Might Be Giants' John Flansburgh is a big fan of several independent dealers as well as a host of manufacturers.
-Matt Rubano, the bass player for the red-hot band Taking Back Sunday. Even better, he likes to shop for MI gear.
-Paul English, Willie Nelson has had four wives in 40 years, but only one drummer in that same time frame.
-John 5, When your name is a number, you must be cool. John 5, who played with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, says idolizing Eddie Van Halen was a big mistake. How is that possible?
-Luke Pritchard may be “all together Kook-y,” but he has cool memories from the days he visited retail stores.
-Eddie Ojeda; Lead guitarist for Twisted Sister.
-Will Lee; Getting that gig isn’t easy and took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.
-Imogen Heap writes songs, plays piano and the nail violin,Does she plan to design her own instrument?
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THE ASIAN CONTAGION
The Counterfeit Problem Continues to Escalate |
| By Carl Cunningham |
[November 2007 - Page 2] |
Could this sudden surge in counterfeit Chinese guitars remain a "dirty little secret?" Except for local coverage in North Carolina and Long Island, N.Y., about a couple of counterfeit guitar seller's arrests, the problem has so far managed to stay out of the limelight. Not even KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was aware that his signature model Gibson and Epiphones were being faked in China. His Les Paul models are some of the most counterfeited guitars available. Frehley declined any further comment.
Influential jazz guitarist Al Di Meola, was also surprised to learn of counterfeit Chinese guitars. "Honestly, I wasn't aware of the problem until your call," said Di Meola. "People with the power and the clout to do something about it need to get with the attorney general and get this issue addressed. It's piracy, and it's illegal. People go to jail a long time for stuff like this."
Despite sparse headlines about counterfeiting this year, news emanating from China has been anything but. Beginning in March, thousands of pet owners around the world unknowingly fed their animals store-bought pet food that contained a pesticide derivative. In June, counterfeit Colgate toothpaste originating from China was found to contain diethylene glycol, a toxic ingredient in antifreeze. The most recent contaminated products from China involved Disney-brand toys made by Mattel, which recalled over nine million toys because of lead poisoning and choking risks to children.
Poison dog food and lead-tainted baby bibs may seem far removed from the proliferation of fake music instruments, but if you ask North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall, it is all interconnected. "The same supply chain that brought in these counterfeit guitars can just as likely bring in weapons, dangerously-substandard electronics, or medicines," said Marshall.
One of Marshall's Trademark Enforcement Section investigators arrested a counterfeit guitar seller in June for selling fake Gibson Les Paul guitars out of his home. Steven F. Sexton pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal use of a counterfeit trademark for selling the guitars. Sexton had allegedly sold counterfeit Gibson's to at least three victims, including a 15-year-old boy. "Some say counterfeiting like this is a victimless crime, but when people have been injured, either physically or emotionally, that is more than someone getting ripped off," said Secretary Marshall.
"It's fraud, no way around it," said George Gruhn, founder of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville. "As an expert, they look fake to me, but maybe not to the average consumer."
Gruhn believes ineffective international copyright and trademark laws contribute to the counterfeiting problem, along with the availability of cheap Chinese labor and the advent of Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) machines.
Paul Specht, communications director with Hoshino, which includes Ibanez Guitars, was relieved to hear that media coverage was finally focusing on the problem. "If the product coming out of Gibson or Fender or Ibanez or any legitimate guitar company was garbage, I might be more sympathetic to the counterfeiters, but it's still theft," said Specht. "That's just not the case, though. The authentic product quality from all the genuine manufacturers is remarkably high. They're really good instruments and they're backed with great service."
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