Upfront

Gibson Brands Sponsor the Institute Guitar Scholarship

The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance has announced that Gibson Brands will be sponsoring two of eight scholarships available for students hoping to join its intensive one year Higher Diploma course. The award offers the successful entrants fully-funded places (worth £5,950 for UK based students and £7,200 for international students) on the course, which is specifically designed to fast-track students' development and encourage them to discover their creative potential. Alongside the scholarship, Gibson will provide each guitar winner with a Les Paul Futura 2014 Guitar.

NAMBACKER B2B Networking Group Welcomes New Members

NAMBACKER B2B networking group announced the addition of three new NAMM exhibitor manufacturers as dues-paying members since the 2014 Anaheim show.

The first new member is Rick Schubb, owner of the legendary Schubb Capo Company, celebrating his 40th year in the business. Here is one of Rick’s greatest quotes… “Dave Coontz and I formed a partnership on a handshake in 1974 based on a solid premise: no compromises.”

Kidder Music Celebrates 40th Anniversary

2014 holds exciting news for family-owned Kidder Music as they announce their 40^th anniversary. The store kicked off their anniversary celebration at the Illinois Music Educators Conference in January, and has plans for events, sales, and specials throughout the year.

Fender CEO Larry Thomas to Retire

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) has announced the upcoming retirement of CEO Larry Thomas, effective May 31, 2014. Thomas was appointed to the FMIC Board of Directors in 2009 and later appointed CEO on Aug. 1, 2010. Current interim COO Scott Gilbertson will assume the role of interim CEO until the company completes its search for a successor.

Gilbertson is a partner at TPG Growth and currently serves on the board of Fender Musical Instruments and has also served as interim COO since Oct. 2013. Previously, he held a variety of executive positions at leading companies including J.Crew, Under Armour and Bally International. 

Shure Announces Venue Lineup for National Open Mic Night

Shure Incorporated has announced the official venue lineup for its third annual National Open Mic Night, a week-long series of events that unites singers, musicians, and spoken word artists. In observance of the Company’s 89th Anniversary, Shure is sponsoring 48 venues that will host National Open Mic Night events Monday, April 21, to Sunday, April 27, 2014, across the country.

JEN Conference 2015 Exhibitor Enrollment Now Open

Exhibitor enrollment for the 2015 Jazz Education Network Conference, which takes place in San Diego January 7-10, is now open.  JEN invites all past and current exhibitors to log in at the jazzednet.org website to reserve a place at the leading jazz education conference.  Current JEN membership is required to purchase exhibitor space online, and users must be logged on as current members for the registration forms to work correctly.

Interview: RPMDA President Carol Wilbur

The Retail Print Music Dealers Association (RPMDA) will host its annual conference April 30 - May 3 in Dallas. The conference, a diverse collection of retailers in charge of print specialty stores and print departments along with reps from the industry's leading music publishers and retail services, offers members of this active segment of the market a chance to learn new tricks and socialize.

This year’s conference updates the usual program by offering new “track” schedules, allowing attendees to select specific weekend-long groups of sessions targeted for the novice print music employees, the print buyers or managers, and the owners or general managers. Larger group sessions include " Salesperson’s Guide to Consumer Print Music" and "Branding U: Stand Out in a Crowded Market Place."

We caught up with RPMDA president Carol Wilbur (Pender's Music Co.) to discuss some of the show's new changes and the goals that have remained constant throughout the years.

Registration Open for Summer NAMM

Major brands and buying power prepare to meet at Summer NAMM, as badge registration and hotel bookings open. Held July 17-19 in Nashville, this year’s Summer NAMM features an additional exhibit hall, more entrances to improve traffic flow, star-studded events and a new stage. Responding to the industry’s renewed enthusiasm for NAMM’s Nashville-based event, exhibitor bookings are up nearly 27% over the same time last year and a resounding 44% over 2012.

Facebook Cymbal Set-up Contest Winner visits Paiste Factory

Jamie May a drummer from Brighton, UK visit the Paiste Cymbal Factory in Nottwil, Switzerland after winning the 2013/14 Paiste Facebook Cymbal Set-Up Photo Contest.

Winners of First Carol Klose/Hal Leonard Composition Competition

At the Music Teachers National Convention held in Chicago, Hal Leonard Corporation announced the winners of the inaugural Carol Klose/Hal Leonard Composition Competition.

Hal Leonard created this online student piano composition competition in honor of Carol Klose (1945-2013), a popular piano teacher and prolific Hal Leonard composer. The purpose of the competition is to encourage the creative musical spirit that Carol always fostered, by giving piano students a platform to compose, perform and share their original pieces.

MUSIC Group Buys Sound Forums Network

The MUSIC Group has entered into a $1.1 Billion USD agreement to add the popular online discussion site Sound Forums Network (SFN) to its portfolio of brands. The announcement was made at a special press conference attended by the principals of both companies, broadcast from the SFN corporate headquarters at 50 Dalton St.
 

GC / Ares Takeover Reduces Debt by $500m