KHS America
Recently, Jupiter and Mapex invited the Nashville Symphony and Nashville Metro Schools to their corporate headquarters for donations of musical instruments. Jupiter Band Instruments teamed up with the Nashville Symphony and the Predators Foundation for its school…

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The Music & Sound Retailer: One narrative that has emerged since the last recession has been that many product groups have refocused on lower and middle-range price points, given that some consumers are spending less readily. To what extent, if any, has this trend manifested in pro audio?
Ray van Straten: I cannot remember a time when we were without competition from low-price players. There is always room at the bottom. The challenge here, of course, is that, although pro audio continues to be a growing market segment, the channel is going to have a difficult time growing revenue with low-priced goods. I just don’t believe there are enough customers to whom the “pie” can be distributed. It’s my assessment that customers are, to a large degree, spending less because the channel is vigorously promoting low-priced goods to grab customers’ attention and make a sale—any sale. Although this might create earlier entry points for new customers, it does little to cultivate a relationship with the aspiring professional users who need performance tools with which they can make a living. It’s really not that different from putting a cheap guitar in the hands of someone who wants to learn how to play. Overcoming the shortcomings of the instrument…

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The guitar market is often lumped together as exactly that: an amalgam of all different types of guitars, and every manufacturer from small to large. That, however, isn’t really an accurate way to look at a market segment boasting such a high level of diversity and that evinces sales trends, even within the guitar universe, that sometimes move in opposite directions from one another. For that reason, we at The Retailer think it’s worthwhile to host “roundtable discussions” such as this one, in which we gather prominent members of the guitar manufacturing community, representing a range of company sizes and product focuses, and ask for their impressions about the relative strength of the market, trends manifesting themselves and ways of ensuring there are more guitar players in the future than there are now.t
This year, our respondents are Dennis Webster, Guitar Marketing Manager, Yamaha Corp. of America; Ken Haas, General Manager and Penny Haas, Public Relations, Reverend Guitars; Justin Norvell, VP of Fender Marketing; and Michael Ciravolo, President, Schecter Guitar Research.

The Music & Sound Retailer: The guitar market seems to be in a constant state of flux, impacted by music trends, the state of the economy and other factors. Speaking broadly, what is “hot” in the…

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What a difference two months can make. In February, a story titled “The State of Our Union,” written by this author, discussed how the hangover from the barely averted “fiscal cliff” and debt ceiling crisis were causing a lot of pain for the U.S. consumer. Now, however, with the fiscal cliff in the rearview mirror and debt ceiling talk delayed, the economy has seen significant improvements.

These improvements are most visible in the financial markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average benchmark set a new all-time high on March 5, with many Wall Street analysts predicting…

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The desire to make music and share one’s art—whether you’re a member of a rock ‘n’ roll band, you’re a gigging DJ or you fall anywhere on the spectrum in between—is simply irrepressible, which means music product retailers can rest assured that the market’s long-term future remains bright. But, as we continue to climb from the most recent recession, a confluence of factors—among these ferocious Internet competition and consumers spending money a bit less readily—have caused many retailers to draw from their well of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to seek ways to maximize their profits and find success in a challenging business climate. It is in this context that we observe retailers starting to establish rental programs that extend well beyond funneling band and orchestra products to schoolchildren. Far from being a “consolation prize” for not having made a sale, these rental programs actually complement stores’ sales efforts and serve as a separate, and quite viable, continuing profit center. The Music & Sound Retailer sought insights from Jack Long, Chairman, Long & McQuade; Alfred Gonzales, ADJ Sales Manager, ADJ Products; Tim Marshall, Marketing Manager, Yorkville Sound; and Brian Dowdle, Marketing Director, ADJ Products.

Long & McQuade, Canada’s largest chain of musical instrument retailers, began renting products back in the late ’50s, not long after the company’s creation. At the rental program’s inception, Long & McQuade essentially improvised as it went along; over time, however, it strove to improve and refine the system, work that continues even to this day. These continuing efforts pay off handsomely: Rentals contribute significantly to Long & McQuade’s enviable success, and programs such as its can contribute in equal measure to virtually any MI retailer’s bottom line if done right. “The business has changed in the last few years, and it has probably become more difficult for the independent music store to survive,” Long remarked. “But the demand for rentals has continued to grow and, for our stores, it has been a steady source of revenue.” In fact, revenue from renting a product can actually exceed that from selling it; renting it out a couple dozen times almost assuredly will bring in more revenue than a one-time sale could deliver.
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However, in recent years, the adoption of amplifier modeling technology has grown.

Between the various modeling amps, preamps, pods, apps and plug-ins, the modern guitarist now has more control over the desired sound than at any time before. Once the perfect sound has been dialed in, it can be stored and recalled as needed. Added to this new paradigm is the ability to embed all the effects into the modeling processor, providing even greater recall flexibility on the fly, and significantly lower signal-to-noise due to the elimination of patch cables. A great example of this technology is the Fractal Axe-FXII, which is used by a growing list of major artists.

Of course, amplifier modeling technology does present one major challenge for the modern guitarist: how to amplify his or her modeling processor on stage. Many guitarists are discovering that their traditional guitar amplifier is completely unsuited to this task, since it adds its own coloration and characteristics to the modeled replication of another amplifier. It’s like taking a recording of the guitar amp being modeled, and then playing it back through another guitar amp. Let’s face it: Guitar amplifiers are great at being guitar amplifiers, but they were never designed to reproduce an audio input accurately. Rather, they are designed to bring their own unique colorations and characteristics to the sound.

The other limitation with a traditional guitar amplifier—something that is almost never considered—is the fact that the full-range woofer cone of a guitar amp has its own inherent coverage pattern. What this means is that, as the frequency gets higher (treble), the sound starts to narrow or beam; this behavior is even worse with duo and quad cabinets, which are extremely directional (both mid and treble). This is why many guitarists are forced to prop up their guitar amplifier to aim directly at their ears; if they stand or move anywhere off axis, then they are effectively outside the coverage pattern of the speaker at higher frequencies, resulting in loss of clarity and brightness. Thus, the rest of the band might never hear the guitarist, but the FOH engineer is cursing him for being too loud.

So, what is the solution? What is really needed to take full advantage of a modeling processor is a loudspeaker system designed for accurate audio reproduction, high output, ruggedness and smooth off-axis response. Curiously, many guitarists have discovered that their modeling processor sounds fantastic through a stereo pair of high quality reference studio monit ors, where the wide stereo imaging and sonic accuracy reproduce every nuance of the performance. Although a pair of high quality studio monitors might be the perfect solution for the confines of the studio, they are completely unsuited to the rigorous demands of live performance. The modern guitarist requires stage amplification that not only offers true and accurate sound reproduction, but also has enough total output level to project across stage while making a convincing musical statement when called on.

Guitarists who are discerning are increasingly discovering products like QSC’s K Family of loudspeakers. They not only offer studio-quality fidelity but also, with 1,000 watts of pure Class D power per cabinet, are quite capable of playing at volumes that keep up with the other instruments on stage, while punching through on leads and solos. Furthermore, extremely flat off-axis response is achieved using DMT Technology; this results in more intelligible sound for the other musicians on stage, and wider stereo imaging when employed as a stereo pair.

At kformusicians.com, you can learn more about how artists are using the K Series to amplify their modeling processors.

“There’s no question that Guitar Center is North America’s leader in musical instruments and related products, and there’s a long legacy of success that I greatly admire,” said Pratt. “Over the last few months, I’ve had the chance to look at the company even more closely, and I came away very impressed with its dynamic, multi-format business model with strong in-store and Web-based brands. I’m excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with Guitar Center’s management team and dedicated associates to build the business at retail and online.”

Pratt will be working closely with other members of Guitar Center’s management team, including John Bagan, Executive Vice President & General Merchandising Manager; Michael Doyle, Senior Vice President, Guitar Merchandise; Dennis Haffeman, Executive Vice President of Human Resources; Frank Hamlin, Executive Vice President/General Manager of E-Commerce & Marketing; Gene Joly, Executive Vice President of Stores; Tim Martin, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Michael Walter, Senior Vice President, Drums, B&O and Accessories; and Bill Wrightson, Senior Vice President, Technology Merchandise & Proprietary Product Management.

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This year’s NAMM show hosted an impressive display of instruments, lighting, sound systems, software, hardware and all the accessories that go along with them. In an industry that is constantly evolving, it is an annual ritual to check out the goings-on in Hall E, where many (but not all) of NAMM’s freshmen reside. This year, there were nearly triple the amount of new exhibitors as there have been in years past, proving that this show is only continuing to grow. The NAMM newbies had a lot to take in and plenty to learn from veterans. Most of all, though, they were just happy to be there, showing off what they’ve got to the 95,000-plus people in attendance.

NAMM’s
Newbies
Show
Their Stuff

Innovation Reigns Supreme
It was a pleasure to speak with Mike Miltimore, Founder of Riversong Guitars, a Canadian guitar company from British Columbia. Miltimore, who refers to himself as a “passion igniter,” certainly has a passion for the guitars he and his team introduced to NAMM show attendees. A second-generation retail store Owner, Miltimore began seriously building guitars about five years ago. Riversong Guitars, all of which are handmade in Canada with Canadian and traditional guitar woods, are built with the neck running through the back of the guitar. The neck joint is infinitely adjustable for angle, height and intonation, so adjustments can be made in real-time under string tension. “We’re building high-quality, innovative guitars with features and benefits that stand out from the crowd. That’s why we have a worldwide patent pending on it,” said Miltimore. “We call it ‘evolutionary,’ because ‘revolutionary’ is just a catchphrase.” This invention, a first for acoustic guitars, received a lot of attention at this year’s NAMM. MSRP is $995 and up, depending upon features and materials.
Jason Truda, President and CEO of Tru Tuner, has been working on his project for about four years. He is a musician who had the idea to create a

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By Brian Berk

Just prior to President Barack Obama delivering the 2013 State of the Union address, The Music & Sound Retailer reached out to retailers in an effort to deliver its own “state of the union,” although on a smaller scale.

The results show that the state of the MI industry is solid, but not spectacular. However, in a post-recessionary economy that continues to struggle, a solid industry is definitely a positive, and one that retailers are happy to accept. For the most part, the retailers to whom we spoke saw either sales or profitability increase in 2012 as compared to the prior year. In addition, most hold at least a cautiously optimistic view about this year.

That’s not to say there aren’t challenges. The “fiscal cliff,” referring to a host of income tax increases for individuals and dramatic spending cuts, certainly presented a new challenge. The Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index—a key measure of consumer willingness to spend money—fell 9.8 points last December, reaching its lowest level in four months. “Americans have become increasingly worried over their personal finances, business conditions and the economic outlook,” the report concluded. “The culprit is plain and simple—the fiscal cliff debate and fear of higher taxes.”

The fiscal cliff was avoided (albeit a day or two late). However, sometimes, the fear of an action taking place is worse than the action itself. In addition, even (continue reading)