Guitar Center Appoints Gottlieb as President of Music & Arts

Guitar Center has announced the appointment of Jeff Gottlieb as president of its Music & Arts brand, specializing in band and orchestral instruments for sale and rental, serving parents, teachers, band directors, college professors and students. The announcement was made by Guitar Center president and CEO Ron Japinga. Gottlieb will report directly to Japinga and will be based in Maryland at Music & Arts’ headquarters (close to his original hometown of Philadelphia).

Gottlieb enters his new role with significant retail experience, including executive positions at Sur La Table, Jockey International, and Banana Republic. He is also an avid advocate for music education and plays guitar.

Gottlieb states, “I’m very excited to be joining Music & Arts. We have an incredible opportunity to continue to build a brand that is an extremely important part of people’s lives. I have a deep appreciation for all different genres of music, and that appreciation is part of what attracted me to Music & Arts. This business is so much more than a retail store; as one of the largest music lesson providers, we offer tremendous value to our customers and students by giving them valuable skills they will use for the rest of their lives.”

Japinga notes, “Jeff is a strong, confident and collaborative leader. One of the things that excites me about Jeff is his experience leading complex retail operations, including managing companies through strong growth initiatives. While his track record includes strong financial performance, it was very clear to me that Jeff has a people-first mindset and is passionate about customer service, both of which are critical for all leaders throughout the Guitar Center enterprise.”