 Columns, New and Old
Speaking of independent dealers like Vedda, one of our most recent creations was “the Music & Sound Independent Retailer,” which launched in April 2007. The monthly column is entirely dedicated to independent MI dealers. The Retailer’s initial foray into a similar topic was called “Dealer Dossier.”
Another column we had was “Toy Store,” which later became known as “Curtain Call.” In the feature, we interviewed several prominent musicians and asked them about their gear and MI store experiences. Among those interviewed were The Beatles’ Pete Best, Mick Fleetwood, Sammy Hagar, Randy Jackson of American Idol, Dave Navarro, and Rick Springfield.
“Retailer Review,” where musicians review MI products, and “Birth of a Product,” with its self-explanatory title, have been other recent column launches.
Last year we started “Formidable Females,” which, as the title says, focuses on prominent women in our industry. We also added the “Sales Guru,” Gene Fresco, who provides sales tips for you and your staff. That column was preceded by Ravi’s “Pure Profit,” which provided a perspective from a gigging musician’s point of view.
 Time to Reminisce
It would take us months to reminisce about all of the news we’ve printed in the past 25 years. So we had to leave out many items.
But let’s look back at some selected items. It’s sure to jar some memories. On January 15, 1987, we reported Peavey Electronics introduced the first Uniform Product Codes (UPC) to the industry.
On April 15, 1987, we said The Guitar & Accessories Music Manufacturers Association declared April “International Guitar Month.”
In April 1988, we told you Apple Computer signed up its first music retail store as a “full-fledged dealer of its hardware and accessories. But company officials say that selling MACs through Gand Music and Sound of Northfield, Ill., is the exception, not the rule.”
How about in our February/March 1989 issue, when we reported Atari, yes, the manufacturer of the 2600 and 5200 video game systems, debuted its first music instrument? It’s true. The MIDI controller was called the Hotz Box.
On May 11, 1992, we mentioned that NAMM’s membership approved bylaw changes to allow commercial members to vote and serve on its board of directors and executive committee. Roland’s Dennis Houlihan would later become the first manufacturer NAMM chairman.
Speaking of NAMM, we reported on November 15, 1992 that its president, Larry Linkin, met with Testa and the Music & Sound Retailer staff at the magazine’s Long Island offices. Among the topics of discussion: changing the Winter NAMM show days from Friday to Monday to Thursday to Sunday—which happened—and making Sunday a public day—which has not.
 Speaking of Houlihan, we reported on July 24, 1993 that he left his post as general manager of the Technics keyboard division and became Roland’s U.S. president. “Houlihan’s strong management background in the home keyboard market and fluency in the Japanese language reinforce Roland’s prediction of a closer relationship between R&D and marketing,” we wrote.
On June 19, 1994, we told you that Kaman opened its new and current headquarters in Bloomfield, Conn. And some of you may recall what else we reported in that issue: NAMM teaming up with MTV to launch a joint $1 million “MTV Beach House Band Search.”
On March 19, 1995, our cover featured an Ibanez Iceman guitar featuring some MI Spy comic strips. In that issue, we mentioned that NAMM president and CEO Larry Linkin was considering moving the Winter NAMM show to Las Vegas. “Yes, there’s talk of Vegas,” said Linkin. “It is an option we talked about and we have dates on hold at The Sands Expo Center, but not the main hall.” Clearly what happened in Vegas stayed there. It never materialized.
In 1998, we reported about the third NAMM Global Economic Summit. Who gave us the lowdown on the event? None other than Joe Lamond, NAMM’s recently appointed director of market development. Among the things Lamond mentioned was that music education with regard to NAMM promotional efforts was expanding. “The concept of music education is something people are taking seriously throughout their lives,” said Lamond, who of course is now NAMM’s president and CEO. “That gives us some wonderful opportunities for the future.”
 On June 7, 1999, we discussed that Linkin would retire after the 2002 Winter NAMM show. “A replacement will be secured and will work alongside Linkin for approximately a year. However, no replacement has been found at this time.” Of course, as we all know, Lamond would become that person.
On November 12, 1999, it was a hurricane everyone was worried about and whose name wasn’t Katrina or Ike. It was Hurricane Dennis, and despite it hitting many areas of the Southeast, more than 4,000 attended the DJ Expo in Atlantic City.
The same 1999 issue also had a cover report on the new president of Hal Leonard, Larry Morton. “I am very confident that Larry is the perfect person to lead Hal Leonard into the next century,” said Hal Leonard chairman and CEO Keith Mardak. “His experience here, combined with his extensive background in retail sales and music education, provide him with a unique understanding of many facets of the music industry.”
Our Darkest Hour
Nobody will ever forget September 11. It was perhaps our darkest moment as a country. So many were affected by the tragedy, directly or indirectly. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first found out New York City’s Twin Towers were struck. Our November 2001 issue focused on how MI was affected. In fact, Michael Kramer, AST president, was walking to work at the moment the first plane hit the Twin Towers. “I heard the American Airlines jet overhead,” he told us. “It just missed the building I was walking past, and as I turned the corner, about one second elapsed before I witnessed the crash into 1 World Trade Center. As we watched in horror, we could only speculate: accident or terrorism? Then we saw the second explosion and we all went crazy. People were falling to the ground in prayer, others were running away.”
Now, more than seven years later, it’s still difficult to keep our eyes dry when we reminisce about that horrible morning. It was one day when the only things that mattered were unity, patriotism, and the hope for a better future. Even though those events were horrific, the world had to go on. Although the world was changed forever, MI became a release for many people: a cathartic reaction to the world’s ills.
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