MMR Editor Dies
Don Johnson, who for 25 years has been editor of Musical Merchandise Review (MMR) passed away following an 18-month bout with cancer. Johnson dedicated his life to a career in journalism, starting with a stint at a local weekly newspaper in his home state of Ohio and ending with MMR. He is survived by his wife Charlene, who he met working at MMR’s publisher—Symphony Publishing—and his two daughters.
“Don Johnson was a fantastic journalist and even better man,” said Brian Berk, editor of the Music & Sound Retailer. “Although we were competitors, he always took time out of his busy schedule to discuss the music instrument industry with me. He was friendly to me from the moment we first met at a NAMM show. He will be severely missed.”
D'Addario Ends MAP
D'Addario sent out a letter on May 5 that said—effective immediately—it was discontinuing its MAP pricing. Confidential discount price sheets will be sent out electronically, but in the meantime, the company said, “all D’Addario & Company, Inc. direct dealer accounts will receive discounts taking the previously referred to Market Development Funds into account. There will be no change at this time in your netted pricing due to this decision.” Dealers with questions can e-mail map@daddario.com.
Sound Control Files for Bankruptcy
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U.K.-based MI and pro audio chain Sound Control filed for bankruptcy last month, leading to the immediate closure of 14 stores in the chain. Twelve others were kept open for 90 days in an attempt to turn business around and get the best price from bidders. The news could hurt manufacturers and suppliers like Roland, Sennheiser, and AKG that have products sold in the stores and were allegedly denied access to retrieve their stock. Sound Control Holdings also owns several brand names that are now at risk, including Media Tools, Turnkey, and Soho Sound House.
Guitar Center has long been rumored as interested in purchasing Sound Control.
Judge Rules Style Data is Intellectual Property
A Chinese judge awarded Yamaha a favorable ruling regarding a lawsuit it filed against Deli Electronics and three other companies in 2006. Yamaha sued in Bejing’s Second Intermediate People’s Court, claiming the defendants infringed copyrights on “accompaniment style data incorporated into its electronic instruments that was created originally by Yamaha.” According to Yamaha, the Beijing court’s judgment was the first in the world to recognize that “Style Data is intellectual property that is subject to protection under copyright laws” and that “unauthorized copying of such Style Data is an infringement of copyrights.”
According to Yamaha, it classifies the genres of automatic accompaniments into various preset patterns, which include pop, jazz, Latin, and dance music styles. The company said Style Data is data of such music styles that provides these accompaniments.
Deli Electronics could be reached for comment.
NAMM OFFERS HEALTHCARE
Through a collaboration with NAMM’s health care broker, Mercer, NAMM members can now get discounts on health and lifestyle expenses. Users who visit www.marshsbi.com/NAMM can get their free prescription drug card, which NAMM says can save them up to 40 percent. The card also offers discounts on chiropractic and alternative medicine, doctor visits, dental and vision supplies, and more. According to NAMM, “employers who can’t afford to provide insurance to their staff members may opt to provide a selection of discounts as an employee benefit package or as a supplement to an existing plan.” In addition, Mercer offers NAMM members the option to purchase discount cards for services like pet care, movie tickets, dining, hotels, and home repair.
Senseney Retires
 Denny Senseney decided it is time to retire. The owner of Senseney Music in Wichita, Kans., retired on March 31. He sold the business to Lori Supinie, who has worked for the store for 12 years, reported The Wichita Eagle. Supinie said she expected few changes at the store. Senseney opened the store in 1978.
 Numark-Serato Partnership Announced
DJ software company Serato and DJ product manufacturer Numark have come together in a strategic partnership the two companies hope will “drive the integration of high-performance software and hardware into the DJ experience.” The first collaboration between the two companies is the Numark NS7 motorized software controller, which has an integrated audio interface that locks to the included Serato Itch software.
Take Flight
Taylor Guitars co-founder and president Bob Taylor made an appearance at San Diego International Airport to announce a Taylor exhibit in the airport’s commuter terminal, part of the Airport Art Cultural Exhibits Program. Taylor gave a presentation where he looked back on his 35-year career, and then signed Taylor T-shirts for some of the young fans in attendance. Vice president of marketing Brian Swerdfeger and product development director David Hosler then demoed some of the company’s new electric guitars. The Taylor Guitars Airport exhibit, which features four glass cases sporting Taylor guitars and other items, as well as specially-created posterized graphics, ends this month.
Rico endorser Kenny G visited the Rico Reed factory in Sun Valley, Calif., to benefit A Place Called Home, an L.A.-based charity that offers lessons, equipment, and practice facilities to inner-city students. Kenny G is pictured with (l-r) Thyonne Gordon, Ph. D Charyn Harris, and Rico’s Robert Polan.
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Steinway Goes the Right Way
Steinway also had an excellent holiday season evidenced by earnings that increased sevenfold in the quarter ended Dec. 31 compared to the same period last year. The band and orchestra and piano concern earned 91 cents per share as opposed to 13 cents in the prior year period. Revenues jumped 14 percent. The biggest growth was seen in band instrument sales, which rocketed 30 percent. The company said band instrument sales soared due to “improved availability of professional horns from the company’s Elkhart, Ind. brass plant.”
During its investor conference call, Steinway mentioned a preliminary agreement to sell its property on 57th Street in New York City had been reached.
 Brownie Bowl
Fender Musical Instruments Corp. invited a Brownie Troop of girls ages 7 and 8 to its headquarters, where the girls were treated to “Rock Band” videogame demonstrations, live music performances, and a “Brownie Board Meeting,” which included a mock research and development meeting and branding session in the main conference room.
In other company news, Fender teamed up with Ford Motor Company at the 37th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event in Scottsdale, Ariz. Fender is making a 100-piece limited-edition run of Stratocasters that match the 40th Anniversary Ford Shelby GT500KR “King of the Road” Mustang coupe. The first guitar in that series—serial number 000—was auctioned off with the car, raising $550,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Daddy’s Does the Twisted
Twisted Sister hosted an exclusive in-store meet and greet at Daddy’s Junky Music in Warwick, R.I. The event was held in conjunction with The Station Family Fund, which was created by survivors of the Station Nightclub fire and offers financial support toward the ongoing treatment some survivors require. Guests were asked to make a donation at the door in order to meet and take pictures with all of the members of the band. In all, $1,200 was raised for the charity.
“Twisted Sister is proud to be associated with Daddy’s Junky Music stores,” said Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French. “This is such an important event, and nothing exemplifies the support of this great cause more than having a music store that is so community based.”
 The Great Pumpkin
A new compilation CD featuring Smashing Pumpkins, as well as employees of Guitar Center, was released at Guitar Center locations on March 11. Fifty thousand copies of the CD, called Fresh Cuts Vol. 2, are available for free and are part of Guitar Center’s GAIN Program. The store submitted songs from employees’ bands and the Smashing Pumpkins selected the acts to appear on the compilation CD, according to Reuters. That same CD also includes the song “SuperChrist,” which Smashing Pumpkins plays live but had never before been released.
“Guitar Center asked us if we would be interested in contributing a song to this compilation of young artists to help draw attention to the bands,” Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan said in a statement released to Billboard.com. “We loved the idea, and think Guitar Center is way ahead of the curve of what is possible between musicians and reaching new audiences.”
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