Mike Greene, the longtime owner of San Diego’s Greene Music, is effectively retiring in January, having sold the music store that bears his family name—to Music Exchange, a highly-successful, multi-location retailer based in northern California. Although Greene and his longtime general manager, Richard Sibley, will continue to operate the Greene Music Education Center, his retirement from retail marks the end of an unparalleled career that not only saw major changes in the music industry, but helped change the music industry itself.
“If being surrounded by a team of talented, committed people who share your interest in meeting all the musical needs of each and every customer is an indicator of success, then I’m surely going out on top,” said Greene. “I’ve been a music lover all my life, and I had the good fortune to be able to share that love for music with countless people, in so many ways, day in and day out, all these many decades. I wouldn’t trade a moment of it.”
Selling the business he started in 1974 was the right decision, if not the easiest one, according to Greene. But he vowed to end his retail career on the same note he built his business on: taking care of people. And that meant finding a way to step down while ensuring that both his customers and his staff would remain in good hands.
In Music Exchange, Greene found a buyer he believes will carry on the trust and tradition that Greene Music has long been recognized for, which agreed to keep the current sales team intact, enabling Greene to move onto the next chapter of his storied career.
“Something that was important to me was that Greene Music would continue on after my retirement,” he said. “Over the course of 40 years, we’ve sold a lot of pianos to friends, so I wanted to make sure those customers had the same reliable place to turn to for their music needs. Also, we’ve got an incredible staff here, and our approach to music retail works really well for everyone. It was a priority for me that all that would continue on.”
Music, Greene says, is in his blood. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Carroll Greene, a successful music salesman, in both his choice of career and how he approached selling musical instruments. The philosophy at the core of Greene Music, “Friends Helping Friends Make Music,” is something that Mike Greene gleaned from his father. “If you don’t understand that the heart of any business is people, then you’re missing the point,” Greene said this month, looking back on his long, successful career.
Perhaps putting people first was the key to Greene’s ability to adapt to changes in music retail over the past six decades. The instruments themselves have evolved tremendously during Greene’s tenure in the marketplace, as has the marketplace for music itself. Through it all, Greene Music and its founder have adapted and evolved, in most cases being ahead of the curve as a leader in retail approaches and carrying the latest in music technology alongside traditional pianos and other instruments.
Greene points to some of the latest innovations available at his store that have captured the minds of San Diego music makers: Yamaha AvantGrand hybrid pianos, which offer authentic grand actions, as well as the sound of a concert grand without the tuning, cost or footprint of a comparable stringed instrument. Or the Disklavier reproducing piano, which today is capable of recreating live piano performances broadcast over the Internet. Owners are able to watch a DisklavierTV performance of favorite artists such as Elton John and Sarah McLachlan on their big screen televisions, while the keys and pedals of the Disklavier move up and down to recreate the performance, totally in sync with the video.
“It comes down to either changing with the times, or being left behind,” Greene explained. “We always felt at Greene Music that it was our responsibility to be one step ahead, not just for ourselves, but for our customers. They looked to us to tell them what the latest was, and most importantly, what that could mean for them and their music.”
Greene particularly points to his relationship with Yamaha as a rewarding highlight running down the center of his career, and it’s a relationship that dates back more a half-century to even before he opened his own music store. Before launching Greene Music in 1974, in fact, Greene worked for Finder Music, one of the first Yamaha piano dealers in the U.S.
“I was very fortunate to work so closely with Yamaha, and to be a part of the incredible innovations and improvements that Yamaha has brought to the piano and other instruments and products,” he said. “I think the reason we worked together so well was that Yamaha and I were excited about making things better for the customer, but also always keeping the focus on the quality of the music, and our shared commitment to music education. That led to some very exciting, rewarding times.”
Yamaha engineers regularly sought feedback from Greene and his staff on products being developed. Yamaha also often selected Greene Music to roll out new products, leading the San Diego retailer to be the first to carry portable keyboards, for instance, and then years later, digital pianos.
“I remember the portable keyboards coming in and we took them out to the beach to show them off,” Greene recalled. “They just blew everyone away—that sound coming from a keyboard that you could literally put under your arm and take anywhere. It was revolutionary.”
Yamaha, recognizing Greene’s outstanding sales and marketing success with Yamaha Acoustic, Disklavier, Clavinova and Hybrid pianos, honored Greene Music as “Merchandising Dealer of the Year” in 2014.
“Mike Greene is a consummate musical instrument retailer who cares deeply about the community he serves," said Bob Heller, national sales director, Keyboard Division, Yamaha Corporation of America. "Mike's success in business is a reflection of who he is as a person—a warm, kind, passionate soul who has a high regard for his employees and their future well being. This is how he has remained on the top of his game at all times. On behalf of Yamaha, I wish him great success in this next chapter of his life.”
The staff at Greene Music has earned a reputation not only for being experts on pianos and music technology, but also in using technology to better serve their customers. “Who could have predicted that our staff members could pull out an iPad to show a customer on the spot all the amazing things that a Yamaha Disklavier reproducing piano can do, such as tapping on the screen and immediately seeing the piano’s keys and pedals moving up and down to recreate a magnificent piano performance? Or how a Clavinova digital piano can sound and feel like a concert grand piano?” Greene said. “It’s really been a magical ride.”
The ride that would become Greene Music started with one store in San Diego. Greene opened for business out of that shop on College Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard.
He expanded the business with stores in Escondido, San Marcos, Del Mar, Fashion Valley, Plaza Camino Real in Carlsbad and Parkway Plaza in El Cajon. In 1992, he decided to consolidate into one large showroom, located on Miramar Road. Today, Greene Music is home to one of the largest selections of high quality pianos in the world.
As a board member of the Carlsbad-based National Association of Music Merchants, or NAMM, Greene is credited with helping to shape the international music products association into the successful, multi-pronged entity it is today.
“Greene Music has always been a pioneer in developing its markets,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM. “Working closely with the late Karl Bruhn, the father of Music Making and Wellness, Mike and his team were among the first to recognize the importance of the older adult and senior market. In my opinion, Greene Music epitomizes the meaning of what community music should be, and Mike’s positive influence will be felt for years to come.”
Greene returns the sentiment: “Being able to spend time with other music dealers from around the country who are so passionate and dedicated is something I’ll both treasure and miss.”
Greene Music has been a family business in more ways than one. In addition to his son, Mike Greene, Jr., and daughters Lisa and Kristin being heavily involved in the business, this past summer, Greene’s granddaughter Ellie worked at the store before heading to college. “That marks the fourth generation of our family working here,” Greene said.
“But we’ve also have several generations of families as customers, or as students in the Education Center,” Greene explained. “It’s terrific when parents come in with their kids for lessons or instruments and tell us their own parents brought them here when they were kids. Seeing multiple generations turn to our family business for their music needs has been pretty cool.”
Music education has always been an integral part of Greene Music, dating back to when it launched its first Yamaha Music School in 1976, followed by another in Bonita ten years later. The current Greene Music Education Center, which opened in 1995, has grown into one of the largest Yamaha Music Schools in the country. Although the school offers piano, guitar and voice lessons for children and adults, music education permeates all aspects of Greene Music, which regularly offers free seminars on topics ranging from how to buy a used piano, how to play by ear and how music teachers can incorporate technology into learning.
“The best part is that Richard and I will still work together to run the music school,” Greene said. “I’ll still get to see and hear that wonderful magic of young people learning to play music, and in the bigger picture, learning to love music. No matter what the age is of our students, that’s what our Music Education Center is all about.”
