News

Shure Welcomes Valley and Desalernos to Sales Team

Shure Incorporated has hired two new associates to the sales team of the Company’s Americas Business Unit. Tim Valley has been named regional sales manager for the Pro Systems Group for the Western U.S. and Christos Desalernos has been named senior regional sales manager for the Retail Group for the Western U.S.

Tim Valley joins Shure from Anew CT, where he served as Executive Vice President for the last eight years and as a Sales Director for two years before that. He has also worked as an Account Executive at Boxlight Corporation and an Audio Engineer at Fastrax. Tim has a degree from the Art Institute of Seattle and is a member of InfoComm and NSCA. As a Regional Sales Manager for the Pro Systems Group, he will manage the installed AV, conferencing, and broadcast customers in the Western U.S.

Korg’s Bright Retires After Thirty Years

Korg USA Inc. congratulates Charlie Bright on his retirement from its Research and Development Division after thirty years of service. For the past twenty years, Bright has served as vice president and general manager of the Korg USA Research and Development Division at its facility in Milpitas, California, where he contributed to some of Korg’s most well-known products such as the M1, T-Series, and the Wavestation.

Trade Regrets: Danny Rocks

Much beloved industry veteran Danny Rocks has passed away.  Rocks was an accomplished music educator, performer, and mentor who also found success in music publishing, working first at G. Schirmer, Inc. and then joining Alfred Publishing in the early '80s and eventually advancing to become vice president of sales for the company. Danny retired from Alfred in 2006 to form The Company Rocks where he worked to help individuals and organizations improve their communication skills.  Danny was a tireless advocate for both music education and the music industry and he was a frequent contributor to MMR and our sister publication SBO.  Details of his passing remain scarce, but a quick glance at the comments posted to Danny's Facebook page leave no doubt as to the affection and respect so many had for him:  https://www.facebook.com/danny.rocks.1  

Continuing Momentum & Demand for Asterope Cables

Over the last 12 months, Asterope has seen increasing momentum among both dealers and online retailers for its premium instrument and XLR cable products, the company announced at Summer NAMM in Nashville. Dealers across the US, as well as online retailers, including Musician’s Friend, Amazon, Sweetwater and SamAsh.com, have added Asterope to their product portfolios over the last year.

Sammy Ash & MMR’s Terry Lowe at Summer NAMM

4th Annual D’Addario Pre-Summer NAMM Party

D'Addario & Co.'s yearly get-together to kick off SNAMM was once again a rowdy (but in a totally good way!) affair, with BBQ, gear giveaways, and impressive live performances.

CJ Averwater of Amro Music, Peter D'Addario of D'Addario & Co., and Jeff Mozingo of Mozingo Music at Wednesday's D'Addario pre-NAMM Party in Nashville.

Steinway & Sons to Bring Signature Gallery to Charlotte

Steinway & Sons has announced the upcoming opening of Steinway Piano Gallery - Charlotte, the North Carolina Piedmont region’s only exclusive Steinway showroom. The new gallery becomes one of a limited number of hand-selected dealerships offering The Family of Steinway-Designed Pianos to artists, students, retail consumers and institutions around the globe.

Trade Regrets: Clem D’Avella

On July 14th, MMR was contacted by Jordan Kitts' Chris Syllaba who shared the sad news of the passing of the company's former president, Clem D'Avella. The following is a tribute that Chris wrote in memory of Clem:

Trade Regrets: Ron Edelman

Capital Music Center (Austin, Texas) co-owner and co-founder Ron Edelman died on June 1, 2014 when his heart failed unexpectedly after winning a six-months fight with cancer. He was 61. "Ron was an incredible man who forever enriched countless lives with the gift of music," offered James Harding of Gist piano, a friend and music business peer.

Trade Regrets: William Fritscher

William Fritscher, 75, passed away on July 5, 2104.

Born in Germany in 1939, son of the late Anna and Friedrich Fritscher, William completed his apprenticeship and earned a degree as a master craftsman of string instruments. He moved to the United States at the age of 21 and pursued his career in Philadelphia working for the Philadelphia Music Co.

Four Senior Executive Promotions at Shure

Shure Incorporated has announced the promotions of four senior executives: Ray Crawford, Mark Humrichouser, Meg Madison, and Tom Kundmann.

“As our Company has grown, we needed to ensure the strength of our senior leadership team,” said Sandy LaMantia, president and CEO of Shure Incorporated. “These promotions are well earned. The decades of experience these four individuals possess will help guide our organization and position us for continued long-term success.”

Young Chang to Distribute Fridolin in North America

The Schimmel Piano Company has selected Young Chang North America to manufacture the Fridolin piano exclusively for Schimmel dealers. The Fridolin is described as, “an exceptional piano that maintains the fine tradition of the Schimmel Piano Company [that] will now replace the price point of the previous May Berlin piano.”


The new Fridolin line will consist of a 48" and 52" vertical and a 5'2" and 6'1" Grand at very competitive price points. "At Young Chang we are proud that Schimmel has selected our company to produce this great addition to the Schimmel family of pianos" states Larry Fresch, COO Young Chang North America.