Upfront

2015 NAMM Top 100 Dealer Awards

NAMM invites music product retailers worldwide to stand up and take a bow as the fifth annual Top 100 Dealer Awards nominations open. Retailers can now enter in seven “Best of” categories, for Dealer of the Year and to be named one of the world’s Top 100 Dealers. The Awards, which applaud excellence and innovation in music products retailing will be presented Friday, July 10 during Summer NAMM in Nashville.

SABIAN to Sell Direct to Retail in the U.S.

SABIAN has announced that effective immediately, sales and distribution of SABIAN cymbals and accessories in the U.S. will be handled exclusively by SABIAN Ltd.

SABIAN president and CEO Andy Zildjian comments: “This is absolutely the right time in our history to engage directly on all levels with our valued partners in the U.S. It allows us to take direct control of the message, relationships and brand focus in our largest market. This is the beginning of a very exciting time for all of us in the SABIAN family and we look forward to working closer with our retail partners for many years to come.”

The IP Academy is Back and Free!

NAMM members have the unique opportunity to participate in a free two-day Intellectual Property (IP) Academy on April 8 and 9, 2015, at the Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Alexandria, Virginia.

GC Opens New Store in Illinois

Guitar Center opened its 264th location in Champaign, Illinois, on February 26.  Guitar Center’s latest store, a state-of-the-art musical instrument and technology center covering over 8,000 square feet, is the first in a series of new store grand openings in 2015.  The announcement was made by Michael Amkreutz, Guitar Center executive vice president, marketing, merchandising and e-commerce, and is said to “further [exemplify] the company’s ongoing plans for growth and long-term expansion and its primary goal of providing customers with the widest selection of musical instruments and professional audio products at the best prices sold by an experienced and knowledgeable sales staff.” 

PRS Announces Opening of ‘West Street East’ and Start of Factory Tours

PRS Guitars has announced the opening of its new “West Street East” Museum Room and retail store and the commencement of free public tours of the Stevensville, Maryland manufacturing facility.

When touring the PRS factory, visitors will get a firsthand look at PRS Guitars’ processes, instruments, and amplifiers from raw wood or blank chassis form to finished guitar or amplifier. PRS intends to give visitors a unique view into PRS quality and the dedication of the people building PRS instruments. “We have a passion for building instruments and also for the music that these instruments help create. Most here are dedicated players, refining our craft as builders and musicians. There is a special kind of pride and individual ownership surrounding our instruments. From our experience, there is no better way to see this unique aspect of PRS than to walk through the shop,” stated PRS President Jack Higginbotham.

JHS Honored with Milestone Award

NAMM has honored John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd. in Leeds with the Milestone Award for 50 years of service in the music products industry. The award recognizes retailers and manufacturers who have succeeded over the years through best practices and strong community standing to reach a landmark anniversary.

“2015 sees a very different commercial landscape to when John Skewes and his wife Madge started the business from a standing start 1965, but the basics remain constant,” says managing director Dennis Drumm ”Provide great customer service, offer saleable, well designed, profitable products, be prudent, follow through on promises, and be reliable, honest and trustworthy”.

Join NAMM’s Music Education Advocacy Efforts on Capitol Hill

NAMM members will take the nation’s capital by storm, May 18-21, 2015, making the case that all children deserve comprehensive school music education programs. Leaders of the music product industry, artists and other industry influencers will meet with their Senators and Members of Congress to forward legislation that advances access to music education for all children. Current NAMM members may register for the annual D.C. Fly-In, now through April 17.

World-record Attempt at Musikmesse 2015: 1,000 Drummers Wanted

Musikmesse in Frankfurt will be the venue for a unique spectacle on April 18, 2015: the organisers plan to bring together 1,000 drummers and break the record for the world’s biggest drum ensemble. The aim is for all participants to maintain the same rhythm for five minutes, as officially laid down by the Committee of Guinness World Records Ltd. If successful, everyone who comes to Frankfurt with his or her drum kit on the Saturday of the fair will be able to leave in the evening as a world-record holder.

NAMM Foundation Invests in Music Education for Underserved Students


Music now resonates through 27 of the nation's most underserved schools and districts thanks in part to renewed Turnaround Arts support from the NAMM Foundation. Grants to the tune of $214,000 for musical instruments, music teachers, and arts integration into other subject areas will support phase II Turnaround Arts. Turnaround Arts, a President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) program, is a public-private partnership that uses the arts to help narrow the acheivement gap, increase sutdent engagement and improve the culture and climate in the country's highest poverty schools. 

FMIC Sells KMC Music Wholesale Distribution Business to Jam Industries

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) has announced that it has completed an asset sale of the KMC Music wholesale distribution business including the trade name B & J Music, and certain proprietary brands to JAM Industries, Ltd. JAM Industries is one of the largest global leaders in the MI, Pro Audio, and Consumer Electronics wholesale distribution business.

KMC Music is one of the largest independent distributors of musical instruments and accessories, and is a leading wholesaler of musical instruments, accessories and lighting equipment. FMIC will provide short-term transitional support as part of the transaction. Financial and other terms of the deal are not disclosed.

Sweetwater Announces Record Year of Growth and Campus Expansion

Sweetwater has announced another record year in total sales and job creation, plus a significant expansion of its campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Since 2010, Sweetwater’s total sales have more than doubled. Total sales in 2014 were up 28 percent over 2013, which was also a record-breaking year. December 2014 sales were up 30 percent over December 2013. Black Friday and Cyber Monday both shattered all previous records, and the company sold more than 71,500 guitars in 2015, up from just over 50,000 guitars in 2013. Drums and pro-audio were two more of the many product categories that saw growth at an incredible pace.

Statement from New GC Executive VP Regarding Staff Movements

MMR received the following from Guitar Center's recently appointed Executive VP of Marketing, Michael Amkreutz, on January 29th:

Dear colleagues, associates and friends in the industry

After a comprehensive evaluation of our staffing levels, including a detailed benchmarking of staffing levels by function and department compared to similar size specialty retailers, Guitar Center’s leadership team made the difficult decision to reduce corporate and field supervision staff. The reduction included less than one percent of the overall workforce and consisted of reductions at the corporate offices in Westlake Village and field management positions. This action was designed to create a more effective and efficient organization and was based on functional area. Despite this reduction, we continue to actively recruit for a variety of positions in Westlake Village that are matched with the needs of our ongoing growth plans.