FEATURES
-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!

-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

2009 was a rough year to be a celebrity. Understandably, manufacturers cut back on celebrity appearances at the NAMM show. But in 2010, celebrities are back with a vengeance. Here, we’ll provide a few of the appearances you can check out. Of course, the list is nowhere near comprehensive. Many more appearances will be announced post-press time. This is just a small taste of what you’ll see in fact. But it’s always great to look forward to those we already know will be there, and this list allows you to adjust your schedule accordingly.

Before the show starts, on Wed. Jan. 14, make sure to check out an all-star lineup at the Hilton Anaheim, California Ballroom D, presented by Behringer. Playing will be American Idol icon Blake Lewis, Gannin Arnold, Michael Ripoll, KJ Sawka, Allen Hinds, Rufus Philpot, Ronnie Gutierrez, Dave Hooper, and John Beasley.

Friday, Jan. 14, will mark the return the return of Yamaha’s Dealer Concert at Disney’s Hyperion Theater. The concert did not take place last year, but Yamaha did find a huge celebrity replacement, Alicia Keys, who played in the company’s Anaheim Marriott booth. Yamaha did not have the lineup finalized at press time. Check January’s VNewsletter for the stars who will perform.

On Saturday, Jan. 16, Rotosound will have a heavy lineup of heavy metal rockers. James Lomenzo of Megadeth will kick off the festivities at the company’s booth, No. 5596. Guns ‘n’ Roses star Duff McKagan will be on hand at 1 p.m. Eva Gardener, who just toured with Pink, will stop by at 2 p.m. Star bass player Billy Sheehan will appear at 3 p.m. And at 4 p.m., The Ratt Band will stop by.

On Sunday, Jan. 17, Fender will have Auto Vaughn, winner of the “Road Worn Contest,” playing in the company’s Spirit of R-n-R Theater. The company’s booth is located at Room 304A.

[ pages: 1]