CLASS OF 2008 ISSUE
February 15, 2008
VOLUME 25 NO.2

THE MAGAZINE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AND SOUND PRODUCT MERCHANDISERS

 
 

   
 

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Music & Sound Awards
INSIDE NAMM 2011


Table of Contents
Digital Issue Download


FEATURE
Class is in Session
We feature many of the new, hot companies that exhibited at NAMM in January.

Gibson
Indictments Likely

Gibson Guitar is expected to face charges due to alleged illegal wood imports.

NRF Talks Jobs,
Jobs and More Jobs

The key to retailers' success for 2011 is, you guessed it, jobs. But a lot more was discussed at the 100th NRF Annual Convention.

It’s a Record!
We give you a huge review of last month’s NAMM show. Were retailers and manufacturers optimistic for the rest of this year?
MSR Exclusive Interview
Zildjian and Vic Firth have teamed up to form a percussion powerhouse. We met with Craigie Zildjian and Vic Firth at NAMM to give you all of the details about the merger.
Music Group's Master Plan
We get an exclusive look at the future of The Music Group, parent of Behringer, Bugera and more. We get an exclusive look at product launches, as well!

Knock it Off With the Knockoffs!
Counterfeit products are killing the MI industry. But one company is fighting back big time. We’ll tell you how badly knockoffs could affect the industry if left unchecked.

Music & Sound Award Nominees
We release the full list of nominees for Music & Sound Awards. See if your favorite product, person or company is nominated.

Taylor-Made For Europe
Taylor Guitars will sell all of its products directly to dealers in Europe beginning on Jan. 1. Find out why the big change was made and where Taylor’s European headquarters will be. We interview Brian Swerdfeger about it first.

We Cover it All!
For the second time, we honor instruments that get zero or little press...

A ‘Super’ Party on Kent Island
Experience PRS loaded up on celebrities, new products and much more. Get the full scoop...

‘Father of RMM’ Passes
Karl Bruhn, a tireless music industry devotee, mentored many and made awareness of health and wellness together a lifelong initiative.
Don’t ‘Skip’ this Story!
Skip’s Music Celebrates 30th Anniversary of its Special Event

I Just Wanna Bang
on the Drums All Day

Your One-Stop Shop For The Holidays!
Heathcare Provision Could
Be a Nightmare

America the Beautiful

Not Doubting Thomas
Mendello Retires, Thomas Named Fender CEO

Music City Myster
y

-The Latest, Industry, Dealers, People and Product Buzz and Showcases.

COLUMNS
NAMM in Photos
A lot happened at NAMM in January to say the least. We capture plenty of it within our three-page NAMM photo collage.
The Music & Sound
Independent Retailer

We cover the sad passing of two prominent retailers and another named the "Citizen of the Year."
Music & Sound Award
Dealer Winners

Our list of dealer winners for the 25th Music & Sound Awards.
Music & Sound Award Manufacturer Winners
Our list of manufacturer winners. And, this time, we got them to provide comments on the victories.
Five Minutes With
Learn tons about Yamaha with Takuya (Tak) Nakata, president of the company's USA division.
MI Spy
Spy took a long flight from the cold of New York to the less cold, but quite windy, San Francisco.
Appraisal Scene Investigation
Rebecca Apodaca takes another look at the legendary guitar builder R.C. Allen.
Sales Guru
Unfortunately, Gene Fresco couldn't attend NAMM for health reasons. But he does have great information about a topic he hasn't covered before. He will help you get into your own head and make you believe. Believe what? Gene will tell you.
Business & Marketing
Carl Mandelbaum will present tips on how to develop your Web site.
Veddatorial
Dan Vedda did attend NAMM. He has a lot of thoughts to share about the show.


FORMIDABLE FEMALES

Sharon Hennessey: Loves our industry, you will find out. She'll also tell you why she ultimately decided to join The Music People! And yes, she will definitely fill you in on her goals as a new NAMM board member.
Carla Alger: Being in the music industry is definitely the most exciting opportunity Carla Alger, chief financial officer at Two Old Hippies, has ever had. Find out why.
Dawn Werk
:Dawn Werk, Alpha Books’ director of marketing, heads a group that is responsible for 450 non-fiction books. Now that’s a lot! Music is a small, but very important, part of that catalog.
Sonia Vallis: Sonia Vallis might be an only child, but she grew up with a sibling that has now become like another child to her.-
Catherine Polk

Cyndi Fritz
Janet Deering
Kathy How
Sarah Heil
Sue Avant

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Class of 2008

Freshman companies and fresh new products
from Winter NAMM
[February 2008 - Page 1]

After the dust has settled and the necessary back and foot massages have been administered, it’s time to sit back and sift through all of the new products you’re considering for your store. Some are exciting products from familiar faces, and some are new companies trying to make an impression on you. While this story is in no way comprehensive, here are some of those companies and products that made you take a second look.

One of the biggest trends the industry’s been buzzing about is music making, video-game style. Certainly “Guitar Hero,” “Rock Band,” and their contemporaries could be seen all over the show floor. NAMM had a “Guitar Hero” setup on the second floor, and those who got hooked could see the Peavey AG RiffMaster Guitar Controllers. They’re wooden controllers for Guitar Hero modeled after Peavey guitars. Not to be left out, companies like Roland, Vater, and Ludwig offered “Rock Band” demos at their booths.

Capitalizing on this trend, SoundTech Professional Audio and Allegro Multimedia unveiled their new collaboration. The SoundTech Ediface Digital Guitar Interface, combined with Guitar Wizard software, features a pickup and converter that attaches to the player’s guitar and turns it into a controller for Guitar Wizard’s video game lessons.

Also new on the software front was IK Multimedia’s ARC, or Advanced Room Correction, System. It’s designed for any DAW-based studio to help eliminate the sound problems that come with home studios and their room acoustics by correcting for both frequency and phase response.

Peavey also debuted new ReValver software on the heels of its acquisition of Alien Connections. ReValver Mk III lets users alter the components of 15 amps, including Peavey’s 6505, JSX, ValveKing, and Triple XXX amps. Users can drag and drop individual components and devices, like preamps, power amps, stomp boxes, and effects to create what the company describes as essentially a custom amp.


QSC made a splash with its new amps. The GX Series celebrates the company’s 40th anniversary. Its two models utilize linear toroidal power supplies similar to those used in RMX amps, and they feature dynamic processing that the company says “guarantees full, peak power without harmful levels of distortion.”

Making its NAMM debut in the pro audio market was JZ Microphones. The company is based in Latvia and was literally formed months before the NAMM show. But they were there in full force to show off the Black Hole, a microphone with two independent opposite-placed large capsules inside its head, plus three switchable polar patterns—omni, cardioid, and figure 8.

Kenny G brought star power to the B&O market with the U.S. debut of his new line of saxophones, which had previously only been seen at Music China. The company unveiled its G-Series soprano sax, which features an advanced harmonic key design and adjustable thumb rest, and the E-Series educational soprano sax, which ranges up to high G for students to have an easier time reaching difficult notes.

Another new product you may have seen at another show was the N-Tune onboard chromatic tuner. It had been buzzed about at last year’s Summer NAMM and finally made its debut at this year’s show. Available in Fender- and Gibson-style designs, the tuner is installed discretely on the guitar and lets the user tune the guitar just by pulling on the volume knob.

The Facelift, on the other hand, is anything but discrete. These custom-cut removable and re-usable vinyl overlays come from British-based Rockano Productions Limited and let Telecaster and Stratocaster players customize their guitars with nine different colors and designs.


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