Upfront

May Is International Drum Month

Shannon Larkin, drummer for rock band Godsmack, is the 2015 Celebrity Spokesperson for the International Drum Month (IDM) “Roadie for a Day” prize. One lucky winner will have the opportunity to go backstage for a day with Godsmack drummer, Shannon Larkin, for a behind-the-scenes view of what it’s like to be a drummer on tour.

“I strongly believe in music education and want to share my experience on tour with a hopeful drummer. During this May’s International Drum Month, we will get more people engaged in playing drums, through the PlayDrums.com website and local music stores across the country,” says Larkin. “We are going to have a blast that day as someone gets to see the inner works of what I do for a living!”

SLM to Distribute Ponzol Mouthpieces

St. Louis Music has announced their appointment as the exclusive distributors of this excellent product for the United States and Canada.

“The Ponzol line of mouthpieces present a phenomenal option to retailers and players alike,” Says Craig Denny, vice president of Band & Orchestra at St. Louis Music. “They are machined extremely well, they are very consistent, and most importantly, they sound amazing. Ponzol Mouthpieces are well suited for playing in a variety of situations and hold their sound very well. They allow saxophonists to concentrate on musicianship instead of simply trying to play the saxophone.”

No Plans for Additional Plant Closings from Peavey

On April 21, The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Mississippi) confirmed Peavey Electronics is not closing additional plants in Mississippi, despite reports suggesting that the company was moving manufacturing operations overseas:

The Associated Press in New York reported Tuesday morning that the Meridian-based guitar amplifier and musical equipment maker was closing its remaining two manufacturing plants and shifting those jobs overseas.

The report apparently originated from a press release from PPL Group and Myron Bowling Auctioneers announcing the auction of Peavey equipment.

GC Opens New Location in Kansas City

Guitar Center recently opened its newest retail location, a state-of-the-art musical instrument and technology center covering more than 7,000 square feet in North Kansas City, Missouri. The grand opening celebration took place at 7 p.m. on April 16 at 9188 NW Skyview Avenue, Kansas City.

Guitar Center’s Kansas City location features modern showrooms equipped with the latest products for musicians—from guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments and keyboards to live sound, DJ, lighting and recording equipment. The store also provides customers with a vast selection of products and a dedicated staff with unparalleled musical knowledge and experience. 

Celebrate Make Music Day on June 21


Music will fill the air on Make Music Day, June 21, as people take music into the streets, parks and plazas of 700 cities across 120 countries. Make Music Day continues to grow in North America with more than 25 U.S. and Canadian cities hosting citywide events. The daylong celebration of the original social network—music—is the perfect time for retailers and manufacturers to connect with new music makers.

With two months to go, everyone from smaller music retailers to some of the best-known names in music products and publishing including Alfred Music, Guitar World, Hal Leonard Corp., Hohner, Kala Brand Music, Making Music Magazine, C.F. Martin & Co., Yamaha and Zildjian are planning creative music making events. Many of these manufacturers are now taking their events nationwide. For example to commemorate Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday, Yamaha is sponsoring a roving Clavinova Piano Bar in three Make Music cities where everyone is welcome to hop on board.

2015 NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia

Russia’s only international music-trade exhibition and its biggest international trade fair for event production technology expands product platforms and professional development opportunities as the show returns to Moscow’s Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Centre, September 10-13, 2015. The fourth edition of NAMM Musikmesse Russia, an international fair for musical instruments, sheet music, music production and music business connections and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia, an international fair of technologies and services for events, installation and production, offer new opportunities for every aspect of the music industry. Russian and CIS music product retailers, distributors, educators, theatre and production professionals, and musicians will find programming tailored for their specific interests. Globally known brands along with public and private supporters are already on board for the September event, indicating that NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia 2015 are on track to be the largest gathering yet.

‘New Concept’ for Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound in 2016

Messe Frankfurt recently sent out the following press release. While it’s admirable that the organization is seeking new ways to keep the annual gathering afloat, what the news amounts to is that Musikmesse will now be a consumer show and not a trade-only event. Interesting…:

Messe Frankfurt will continue to hold Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt am Main. Every April, well over 100,000 people from all over the world visit the two fairs. Together, Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound form the world’s biggest market place for musical instruments and sheet music, as well as event technology and integrated systems. However, the market for musical instruments has become more difficult due, inter alia, to changed leisure-time activities and declining purchasing power. To take account of this, Messe Frankfurt has been working for some time on a new concept designed to ensure the future of Musikmesse.

New GC in Columbia, S.C.

Guitar Center recently announced the grand opening of its newest retail location, a state-of-the-art musical instrument and technology center covering 12,000 square feet in Columbia, South Carolina. The grand opening took place at 7 p.m. on April 9 at 253 Park Terrace Drive, Columbia, S.C. 29212.  

Guitar Center’s Columbia location features modern showrooms equipped with the latest products for musicians – from guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments and keyboards to live sound, DJ, lighting and recording equipment. The store also provides customers with a vast selection of products and a dedicated staff with unparalleled musical knowledge and experience. 

Gibson Brands Acquires HarmonyCentral.com

Gibson Brands has acquired HarmonyCentral.com. According to Gibson CEO and chairman Henry Juszkiewicz, “The industry needs a neutral, entertaining, informative site where musicians can exchange opinions and knowledge, ask questions, get answers, be controversial, and have a great experience. Harmony Central will not be a ‘Gibson site’; we already have that. Think of it as Gibson providing a place to throw a party, and everyone—musicians, the industry, competitors, educators, anyone involved in music and sound—is invited and welcome.”

Yamaha Forms Professional Audio Division

Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) has announced that it is forming the Professional Audio division to provide a stronger, more unified presence in the live sound, recording, and sound installation markets.

Alan Macpherson, a 27-year Yamaha veteran with a solid background in marketing a broad range of Yamaha musical instruments, commercial audio, live sound, and recording products, will lead a dedicated team of professional and commercial audio specialists in the new division. He will report directly to Tom Sumner, senior vice president of YCA.

Visual Sound is Now Truetone

After 20 years of innovation in the music products industry, Visual Sound is changing its name to Truetone. Company president and founder, Bob Weil, explains why:

“The name of the company was derived from the first product I invented, Visual Volume; the volume pedal with a 10 LED scale to indicate volume level. That was the product that launched Visual Sound at the beginning of 1995. While Visual Volume was the cornerstone of the company back then, it became a secondary product over the past 20-years. Now, we are best known for our effects pedals, including Jekyll & Hyde, Route 66 and H2O. In addition, our 1 SPOT power supplies and accessories have become the industry standard. Our company motto has always been Real Tone for Real People, which underscores our approach to making reliable, high-quality products, at a fair price. With this in mind, we feel that our new name, Truetone, clearly states our vision in one word.”

MMR’s Davis Contributes to Who’s on First

Retired MMR publisher Sid Davis was a contributor to a recent book published by SABR (Society of American Baseball Research), Who’s on First: Replacement Players in World War II, covering major league players who made their entrance into the league during the four seasons in which the U.S. was in the second World War.  Davis authored a biography of Butch Nieman, a hard-hitting outfielder for the Boston Braves during that period.