mmr april 2010
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MMR April 2010TRANSCRIPT
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NEW, DIGITAL VERSION
www.mmrmagazine.com
ReissueThe Guitar
Playing on Nostalgia for Fun & Profi t
Roundtable:Guitar Amplifi ers
Report:FCC Rules on Wireless
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Features
MMR Musical Merchandise Review (ISSN 0027-4615) founded in 1879, is published monthly by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494 (781)453-9310, publisher of School Band and Orchestra, Choral Director, Music Parents America and JazzEd. All titles are federally registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Symphony Publishing, LLC. Subscription Rates: U.S.A., US possessions, one year $32; two years $40. Canada one year $80; all other countries one year $159. Single issues $5 each. May Supplier Directory $35. Periodical-Rate Postage Paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER/SUBSCRIBERS: Send address change to Musical Merchandise Review, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853. Periodicals circulation is directed to music dealers and retailers, wholesalers and distributors, importers and exporters and manufacturers of all types of musical instruments and their accessories, related electronic sound equipment, general musical accessories, musical publications and teaching aides. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competion. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Copyright 2010 by Symphony Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. Printed in USA.
APRIL 2010 VOL.169 NO. 4 Contents40
54
78
www.MMRmagazine.com
18 Storefront: Simon Ripleys Music & ArtThis brand new MI store in Nashville, Tennessee supports local artists and musicians by combiningwell, music and art.
24 Upfront Q&A: Morgan Hill Musics Mike Shellhammer
28 Fretted: Ashley Entertainment Corp. & Spectrum Musical Instruments
Ashley Entertainment Corp. unveiled their Spectrum Musical Instruments line of wireless guitars at the 2010 Winter NAMM show. MMR catches up with Richard Borden, president of Ashley Entertainment, to fi nd out more about the company and the products they offer.
32 Report: FCC Rules on Wireless
40 Spotlight: The Guitar Reissue Playing on Nostalgia for Fun and Profi t
Major guitar suppliers discuss the benefi ts to resurrecting, recreating, and improving upon old models
54 Roundtable: Guitar Amplifi ersWe survey some key players in the amp market to fi nd out whats happening in the fi eld.
64 Guitar Products ShowcaseMMR showcases the guitar markets latest offerings.
74 Carlino Guitars: The Future is in the Crosshairs Guitars have been a part of Eddie Carlinos life since childhood when he began designing and building his own models. Now Eddie retails his models, along with other brands, at Carlino Guitars in Medford, Massachusetts. MMR chats with this one man guitar machine.
77 Pro Sales ManagementWe check in with industry veteran, Rick McClendon, to fi nd out about his latest venture Pro Sales Management.
78 Webwise: Writing RightAs MMRs Kevin Mitchell fi nds out, when writing content for Web sites, less is often more, and a good headline is everything.
4 Editorial6 Upfront14 People16 Letters
84 New Products86 Supplier Scene90 Classifi eds96 Advertisers Index
Departments
Cover photo: Fender 57 Strat.
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Our Expedition 510i delivers 500 watts of crystal clear, Class D power in a compact, portable design. Listen and hear how weve changed the rules for portable sound.
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Editorial
4 MMR APRIL 2010
PUBLISHERSidney L. Davis
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERRick Kessel
EDITORChristian Wissmuller
ASSOCIATE EDITOREliahu Sussman
ASSOCIATE EDITORDenyce Neilson
ADVERTISING SALES Iris Fox
CLASSIFIED AD SALESMaureen Johan
PRODUCTION MANAGERLaurie Guptill
GRAPHIC DESIGNERSAndrew P. Ross
Laurie [email protected]
CIRCULATION MANAGERMelanie A. Prescott
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTPopi Galileos
WEBMASTERJulie Gibson
SYMPHONY PUBLISHING, LLCXen Zapis Chairman
Lee Zapis [email protected]
Rich Bongorno Chief Financial Offi [email protected]
Corporate Headquarters26202 Detroit Road, Suite 300, Westlake, Ohio 44145
440-871-1300www.symphonypublishing.com
PUBLISHING, SALES & EDITORIAL OFFICE: 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494
(781) 453-9310 Fax: (781) 453-9389www.mmrmagazine.com
Volume 169, Number 4, April 2010
sdavis@ symphonypublishing.com
Heroes Among Us
Ionly had a passing acquaintanceship with Charles Wick, CEO and founder of ProCo Sound, who recently passed away. However after reading the comments from Sam Ash executive Sammy Ash, my thoughts were drawn to a local community outreach program sponsored by the Boston Celtics: Heroes Among Us. In brief, the Heroes Among Us initiative honors individuals who have made exceptional and lasting con-tributions to their community. In the MI world, Charles Wick was one of those people. Quoting from the Sammy Ash tribute, When our ProCo rep at the time, Barry Wolf-son, passed on some 20 years ago, Charlie said that whether or not he had a new rep, all of the next 12 months commissions that Barry would have earned would go to his family. Then all of the other eight manufacturers Barry represented followed suit this has never happened before or since in this industry.
In truth, the music industry has many Heroes Among Us and too often we fail to recog-nize their achievements until they have faded from the scene. One such individual was the legendary Jim Chapin, who was recently honored by having a Memorial Scholarship named in his honor to be maintained by the Percussive Arts Society (PAS). Fittingly, the award will be given to percussion instructors who want to improve their teaching programs. Jim was well known as the patriarch of a musical family and the author of the defi nitive book on drumming, however I remember him at many NAMM shows, sitting patiently with anyone who could hold a pair of sticks, teaching with enthusiasm and intensity.
Following the World Trade Center attack on September 11, industry veteran David Magagna volunteered for duty to help in the cleanup and rescue efforts. In a past issue we reprinted excerpts from a letter sent to a friend: I am back and recovering from my three weeks at the WTC. I have been working the 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. shift... He went on to explain the process of recovering the bodies and the conditions at ground zero and fi nishes the letter, Ill go back to NYC next week and stay until just before Christmas and then maybe go back the week followingit really is addictive.
I am reminded of some simple acts of kindness I have witnessed, however I will honor their participants wishes for anonymity. Our sister publication, School Band & Orchestra, co-sponsors a scholarship essay contest (along with NAMM). A few years back, we received an essay from a student in Mississippi, along with a note from her music teacher. The essay was not worthy of consideration, but the accompanying letter from her teacher recounted how the student had worked all year to purchase a used instrument that was damaged when it was dropped and hit by a car. Inadvertently the essay was sent to one of the essay judges with a package of more promising entries. A few weeks later we received a copy of a letter sent from the teacher thanking the judge for sending a brand new instrument to the student.
And in a fi nal note, standing in front of the Starbucks line at the Nashville Renais-sance during a Summer NAMM show was an industry executive alongside someone who might be charitably described as a female street person. She was told to order anything on the menu and chose a cinnamon dolce frapuccino accompanied by a blue-berry streusel muffi n. As she left the counter she was handed a portrait of Alexander Hamilton with fi rm instructions to have a good lunch. Heroes Among Us.
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UpfrontAlfred Distributing TASCAMAlfred Music Publishing recently an-nounced an agreement to distribute TAS-CAM products to the music trade in the United States. Under this new agreement, Alfred will distribute the entire line of TASCAM products including the popu-lar DR07 Portable Recorder, PT7 Pitch Trainer/Tuner, DP004 Digital Pocketstu-dio 4 track recorder, and many others.
TASCAMs Paul Jenkins, vice presi-dent of sales and marketing, states, Our
whole philosophy is to discover what musicians want, and then bring it to them. We are dedicat-ed to making innovative prod-ucts that will support the creative and evolving mu-sic industry. Alfred was a perfect match because of their unrivaled distribution network and rich heritage of being the leading innovator in print music publications for the past 88 years.
The addition of TASCAM to Alfred Music Publishings dis-tribution offerings will greatly benefi t our existing customer
base, says Bryan Bradley, Alfreds COO. By adding the full line of TASCAM
products to Alfreds distribution network, retailers are now able to get their print and music products from one company, saving time and costs.
GE Money and Fender Musical Instru-ments Corporation (FMIC) recently an-nounced a multi-year agreement to pro-vide consumer fi nancing. The GE Money Music credit card, managed by GE Mon-eys Sales Finance unit, is a revolving
program providing music en-thusiasts with a fl exible, con-venient way to fi nance Fender instruments with affordable monthly payments and com-petitive interest rates.
Our history has been one of continued innovation and growth, said Paul Jernigan, vice president of global chan-nel marketing for Fender. The addition of the GE Mon-ey Music card will help individuals invest
in one of lifes most rewarding hobbies, learning and making music.
As part of the program agreement, Fender dealers will use GE Moneys Web-based fi nance management portal, Business Center. Business Center is said to, provide deal-ers with an easy, secure way to manage their credit pro-grams and better serve their
customers.GAMA Elects Seven Board MembersAt their annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif. the members of the Guitar and Accessories Marketing Association (GAMA) elected seven members to the GAMA Board of Directors for 2010: Harvey Levy - Levys Leathers, Paul Damiano - KMC Music, David Luster-man - String Letter Publishing, David Bergstrom - Yamaha Corporation, Tish Ciravolo - Daisy Rock Guitars, Dennis Tenges - CF Martin & Co., and Peter DAddario - DAddario & Co.
The above mentioned Board of Di-rectors will serve for one year and are charged with guiding the association and its programs.
Mitch Colby of Korg USA opted not to run for the GAMA Board of Direc-tors after serving eight consecutive terms from 2002 - 2009.
6 MMR APRIL 2010
GE Money & Fender Consumer Financing Program
The members of MENC: The National Association for Mu-sic Education recently elected Nancy Ditmer National Presi-dent-Elect for 2010-2012.
Ditmer, director of bands and professor of Music Education at The College of Wooster (Ohio) since 1984, will assume the offi ce on July 1, 2010 and become National President on July 1, 2012. Previously, Ditmer served as MENC North Central Division President (2002-2004) and President of the Ohio Mu-sic Education Association (1996-1998). A clinician and educator, she was designated a 2008 Lowell Mason Fellow by MENC and
received the 2006 Distinguished Service Award from the Ohio Mu-sic Education Association, among many other honors during her career. For a complete biography, visit www.menc.org.
The results of MENCs divi-sion elections are as follows:
North Central Division President-Elect: William Guegold, OhioWestern Division President-Elect: Ellen Kirkbride, ArizonaSouthern Division President-Elect: Christine S. Fisher, South Carolina
These individuals will assume offi ce on July 1, 2010 for two years.
Ditmer Elected MENC Natl. President-Elect
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8 MMR APRIL 2010
UpfrontChina Business Media Group to Represent MMRMMR has announced the appoint-ment of China Business Media Group Ltd to better serve our clients in Chi-na, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
According to group publisher Sid-ney Davis, With the expansion of our digital edition into international
markets, we have retained the services of one of the leading magazine repre-sentative fi rms in the Asian market place. Mr. Sean Xiao will be direct-ing the sales activities and has several valued packages to offer this growing marketplace.
China Business Media Group Ltd is located at Room B 12/F Trust Tower, 68 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Telephone 86-591-8386-3000. Fax 86-591-8807-3107.
Hal Leonard Distributing Yamaha B&O AccessoriesHal Leonard Corporation is expanding its relationship with Yamaha Corpora-tion of America to now distribute its band and orchestra accessories through-out the nation.
Yamahas products for woodwind and brass instruments such as maintenance kits; mouthpieces and caps; cleaners, cloths and oils; percussion practice pads; and Silent Brass systems are now in
stock and ready to order from Hal Leon-ard.
For more information or to place an order for Yamaha band & orchestra accessories, please call the Hal Leon-ard E-Z Order Line at (800) 554-0626, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.halleonard.com/dealers. Request the Hal Leonard 2010 Music Accessories and Gifts Catalog (90006529), free of charge.
Steinway Releases 4th Quarter ResultsOn March 4, Steinway Musical Instru-ments, Inc. reported its fi nancial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2009. A complete fi nancial results earnings release has been posted to the Companys Web site.
In conjunction with this release, Company manage-ment hosted a conference call on Thursday evening to discuss operating performance, general business trends, and the Companys outlook for 2010. A webcast replay of the conference call is available through the In-vestor Relations section of the Companys Web site under Audio Archive.
Dana Messina, Chief Executive Offi cer, said, The year ended much better than it began. Our fourth quarter performance
was satisfactory and, most importantly, proved that we had positioned ourselves for strong future performance. Revenues for the year came in higher than we had fore-
casted as a result of better than expected fourth quar-ter piano sales. EBITDA was also ahead of our expecta-
tions as gross margins at our band division improved over 300 basis points compared to the fourth quarter of last year.
Our overall fi nancial results for the year were a refl ection of the diffi cult global economy, said Messina. We kept our focus on areas we could impact such as reducing our cost structure, managing our working capital and minimizing risk across our business units.
Fourth Quarter ResultsSales of $82 million, down 13%
Gross margin decreased to 29.4% from 30.7%
SG&A expenses reduced by 11%
Net income of $4 million, up 26%
Diluted earnings per share of $0.44
Full Year ResultsSales of $306 million, down 21%
Gross margin decreased to 27.7% from 29.8%
SG&A expenses reduced by 16%
Net income of $5 million, down 35%
Adjusted earnings per share of $0.42
Diluted earnings per share of $0.60
Sabian has donated 100 SBr cymbal sets to Little Kids Rock, an organization ded-icated to bringing free musical instru-ments and music instruction to under-served schools across the US.
Sabian is proud to support the Little Kids Rock initiative, and David Wishs dedication to bringing music education back to schools, said Stacey Montgomery-Clark, vice president of marketing, Sabian.
David Wish, founder and executive director of Little Kids Rock, was on hand at the NAMM show to accept the dona-tion and provide insight into the child-hood music initiative.
Sabian has been a sponsor of Little Kids Rock for approximately five years, and has provided the or-ganization with hundreds of cymbal sets.
Sabian Donates to Little Kids Rock
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Upfront
Dealers Choice Award Winner: Peavey
Last issue we inadvertently omitted a photo of Hartley Peavey receiving the MMR Dealers Choice Award for the Amplifi er Line of the Year, the Peavey Vypyr. Peavey Electron-ics has been the recipient of a Deal-ers Choice Award each year since the Awards inception in 1992.
Though neither MTV Games nor Harmo-nix Music Systems, the publisher and devel-oper of the Rock Band gaming franchise, respectively, have confi rmed the news,
Janie Hendrix, who controls the estate for the late Jimi Hendrix, has announced that there will be a Hendrix edition of Rock Band before the end of 2010.
This would follow the recent release of the Beatles Rock Band and the forthcoming Green Day version of the game.
Hendrix Rock Band
10 MMR APRIL 2010
Korgs Annual Dealer AwardsKorg USA recently announced the winners of its 2009 Key Note Awards. The annual distinction recognizes and commends those retailers who have excelled in a variety of categories and have dem-onstrated their commitment to Korg USAs brands.
Best New Dealer: Recording Services & Supply, Salina, KSOverall Growth: Kraft Music, Franklin, WIOverall Commitment to Excellence (3 Winners): Sweetwater Sound, Ft. Wayne, IN Pianos & Stuff Music, Pittsburgh, PA Portland Music Company, Portland, ORCustomer Relations: Buckdancers Choice, Portland, MEMarketing and Promotions: J.B. Hart Music, Grand Junction, COMerchandising: Redbone Guitar Boutique, San Antonio, TX
Pictured from L-R: Doug Nestler, Korg USA National Sales Director; Mike Lundin, Korg USA District Sales Manager; Chuck Surack, Sweetwater Sound President; Diana Cecchini, Korg USA VP Finance; and Mitch Colby, Korg USA Executive Vice President/CMO, as Sweetwater Sound is presented with Korg USAs Key Note Award in the category of Overall Commitment to Excellence.
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Upfront
Charlie WicksCharlie Wicks, the CEO and founder of ProCo Sound passed away on March 11.
Pro Co is a Michigan-based Corporation founded by Wicks in 1974 that builds audio interface products such as guitar and microphone cables, digital snakes, in-ear monitor controllers, facility distribution systems, and the iconic ProCo Rat dis-tortion pedal.
Sammy Ash of Sam Ash Music comments: For those who didnt know, his nick-name was Captain of the Universe. To this day I do not know how that came about, but it always seemed to fi t When you saw him smile, it was as wide as the Grand Canyon or as, Big as the Universe. He will be missed.
Marge LevinMarge Levin, wife of Chuck Levin of Chuck Levins Washington Music Center, re-cently passed away.
A much beloved fi gure in the MI world, Mrs. Levin is survived by sons Alan and Robert, daughter Abbe, grandchildren Adam and Samantha, and sister Natalie Stewart.
In lieu of fl owers, the Levin family is requesting that interested parties donate to either the Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area or the Jewish Founda-tion for Group Homes in her memory.
Those interested in sharing a memory or leaving a message for the Levin family can visit www.chucklevins.com/MrsLevin.asp.
Herb NewtonLongtime music retailer Herb Newton passed away on Febru-ary 11, at the age of 94. Newton was a passionate music maker and advocate who also served on the Board of Directors for NAMM in 1967.
Martin Donates $20G Guitar for Green Auction C.F. Martin & Co. has donated a rare 000 12-fret Peter Cree Certifi ed Wood Guitar to Christies International for their up-coming A Bid to Save the Earth Green Auction. This fi rst-of-its-kind char-ity auction will take place on April 22, 2010 to coin-cide with the 40th anni-versary of Earth Day. Pro-ceeds from the sale will be divided among four lead-ing not-for-profi t envi-ronmental organizations: Conservation Internation-
al, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Central Park Conser-vancy. All four benefi ciary organizations are 4-Star rated by CharityNavigator.org,
New Distribution for B&S German-based brass-wind manufacturer B&S GmbH has decided to change its distribution setup in Germany, Austria and Benelux. Starting with Frankfurt Music Fair 2010, it will no longer distrib-ute their brands B&S, Hans Hoyer and J. Scherzer through a third party wholesaler, but start a direct distribution to the retail stores. In the same way, B&S GmbH will distribute the Melton / Meinl Weston brand in the said markets.
Following this decision, Gerhard A. Meinl will return to the management of his company: I am in the seventh gen-eration in this business and I am proud to celebrate 200 years since the beginning of my family business. In times of such signifi cant changes, it is only normal for me to be the front fi gure of my team. My long-term business partner Jakob von Wolff will continue to shape the day-to-day operations of the company. Together we will promote our products and work for a happy and satisfi ed customer base.
12 MMR APRIL 2010
Trade Regrets:
its highest rating for not-for-profi t orga-nizations.
Estimated in value at $20,000, the one-of-a-kind Martin Custom Shop 000 12-fret Peter Cree Certifi ed Wood Gui-tar features original Southwestern art-work executed in hand-applied colored lacquers by renowned painter/sculptor Peter Cree.
Held at Christies, Rockefeller Center, New York and carried live globally via Christies LIVE on www.christies.com,
The Evening Sale will be a star-studded event with top celebrities serving on the Green Auction Host Committee that in-cludes: Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Tobey Maguire, Franois-Henri Pinault, Salma Hayek, Bob Fisher, Candice Bergen, Ed Norton, Evelyn Lauder, Alec Baldwin, Zaha Hadid, Brooke Shields, and Matt Lauer. Additional lots for auc-tion will include major works from art-ists, coveted celebrity experiences, upscale eco-vacations and exquisite jewelry.
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PeopleFishman has appointed Corey Congilio as a mar-keting/artist relations spe-cialist, focusing on social networking, online content, video demonstrations, sales events and training, mar-keting promotions and artist relations.
DAddario & Company has announced that John J. Burke, Jr. has been hired as DAddarios general counsel.
Reporting directly to company president, Rick Drumm, Burkes responsibilities will include providing legal counsel and guid-ance on commercial, transactional, regula-tory, environmental, intellectual property, international trade, employment, and real estate issues. He will also negotiate compen-sation terms with outside counsel and direct their activities on behalf of the company.
Hosa Technology has announced the promotion of Jose Gonzalez to product manager for the companys Hosa and Zaolla Silverline brands. Gonzlez has a background that encompasses fi eld sales management, information technology, and work as an audio technician. He will be stationed at the companys headquar-ters in Buena Park.
RS Berkeley has appointed Pat Emmett as district man-ager for Arizona, California, and Nevada. Emmett is an accomplished musician and had previously worked for Pennino Music, G. Leblanc, Midco, Rico, and Musicorp/MBT. After twelve years as general manager for Jims music in Irvine, Calif., Pat became an inde-pendent sales rep.
SKB Corporation has named Brian Torres as creative director. With over 20 years experience as a creative executive in the Entertainment and Action Sports industries, Brian, has outstanding accomplishments in marketing and branding. His expertise
in strategic thinking, conception, brand building and art direction bring value that will produce immediate impact and results for SKB Corporation. Brian will oversee all creative for branding, adver-tising, collateral material; web, social media and trade show design.
WorldWide Music Serviceshas announced the hiring of Edna Adams as a sales account executive.
Adams boasts 34 years of sales experience in the mu-sic publishing industry and has represented many companies includ-ing Hanson House/St. Louis-Peoria Mu-sic, Columbia Pictures, Warner Brothers Publications, and FJH Music.
KHS America has an-nounced the appointment of Andrew Strayer as vice president of Sales. In this new position, Andy will lead the sales efforts for Jupiter Band Instruments, Mapex USA drums, Majestic concert percussion and Altus Flutes in the U.S.
Andy will be working with a veteran sales team supporting Jupiter, Majestic and Mapex brands, regional managers focused on Mapex USA drum sets, and the Altus Flutes sales manager. Andys responsibili-ties will also include customer service and internal sales efforts for the company.
Benedetto Guitars has appointed LaneZastrow to head sales in the Mid-Atlantic States, Canada, and Europe. Zastrow has previously been vice president of sales with Chicago Musical Instruments and presi-dent of Lasar Music.
Don Mannino, director of fi eld servic-es for Shigeru Kawai Pianos in North America, has been awarded the title of Master Piano Artisan by Kawai Musi-cal Instrument Co. Ltd. The designa-tion was conferred by Kawai president, Hirotaka Kawai, during a presentation at Kawais world headquarters in Hama-matsu, Japan on February 26, 2010.
Coniglio
Emmett
Torres
Adams
Strayer
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16 MMR APRIL 2010
LettersI was delighted to learn that the Don John-son Service Award is an annual event!! My hat is off to you and your staff for not only keeping Dons memory alive but creating an award to showcases the incredible work that individuals are doing in our industry to encourage music and music making! What a wonderful tribute to our friend Don Johnson that MMR, the magazine he loved, has created an annual recognition award to those who serve our industry with pas-sion, dedication and whose work often fl ies under the radar. These are traits that remind me of Don. Don was dedicated to our industry and while he wrote for the current reader. I always had a sense that he wanted to capture stories for historical reasons as well. In reviewing several of his editorials over the years, which I fi nd my-self doing on occasions, I can not help but notice the importance of his remarks as
they relate to the passionate stories of our industry. I ad-mired Dons writing and his perspective. I also admired and related to his strong connection to the people of our industry. Don was one of the fi rst industry leaders outside of NAMM to support the Oral His-tory Program, a collection he not only provided valuable research and suggestions for, but was also interviewed for back in 2006. We dialoged often about the history, the characters in it and our own love for music. Each and every time I hear an Otis Redding song I think of Don as we both admired the great 60s soul singer. Back in 2003, it was clear to me that Don took great care in crafting industry obituaries for MMR, so I approached him
for help and support regard-ing the idea of having an In-dustry Tribute. The Industry Tribute is held each year at the NAMM Show in Janu-ary and has come to provide great comfort as we gather as a family to remember those we lost. Don was without question a strong force in making that tribute what it is today. He cared about the people of our industry
on many levels, a fact made clear by reading his articles. How fi tting it is that his name is on a service award that now encourages the people of our industry to make a difference Don Johnson certainly did.
My best, Dan Del Fiorentino
NAMM Historian
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18 MMR APRIL 2010
StorefrontSimon Ripleys Music & Art is a brand new MI store and art gallery located in Nashville, Tennessee. We are a serious music store, but were also a serious art store, explains John Ripley, who runs the business along with his partner, Mi-chael Simon. We have some really fi ne music themed art. Everything we dis-play currently is by local artists, and a lot of them have national recognition. One of the artists and I should say that the artists have been very support-ive of this type of venue Greg Decker, when he was living in New York, taught at the Museum of Modern Art. In addi-tion to his consigned art work, Greg did the mural on the front of our customer service counter and in one of our rooms here, says Ripley.
Simon Ripleys currently employs six staff members including John and Mi-chael. The store itself is around 3,500 square feet, with 2,500 square feet dedi-cated to retail space, and the remaining area being turned into offi ces and studios, which will host a lesson program in the near future. The concept is that were go-ing to be very deep and attentive to sup-plies and accessories for every family of instruments, says Ripley, Not just gui-tars and combo, but band and orchestra as well. We want to be attentive to the things that people need all the time to create mu-sic. In Nashville, theres niches that are missing, explains Ripley, particularly in printed music, which were also doing. Be-lieve it or not there was no place in David-son County or metro Nashville that was
carrying an in-depth supply of printed music until we opened.
Finding Their NicheOne reason for Simon Ripleys suc-
cess seems to be their knack for interact-ing with local musicians to learn whats missing in the community. Recently when talking to some local studio perform-ers, their hard work paid off. You mean youre going to carry reeds? Youre really going to carry reeds? Theres no place that you can buy them close to Nashville! said one saxophonist. The concept is that this will be one of our calling cards, says Ri-pley. Were going to be very deep in the musicians every day needs. All the tools and supplies that musicians need on a regular basis: that is our forte.
Simon Ripleys Music & Art
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APRIL 2010 MMR 19
Were going to be very deep in the musicians
every day needs. All the tools and supplies
that musicians need on a regular basis: that is our forte.
Simon agrees that their ability to rec-ognize whats missing has really helped the store take hold. Were carrying 65 Amps which are really nice boutique and very high end amps. Ironically, when I fi rst contacted 65 Amps, on the advice of my guitar guys, they had no representation in town! And they had people like Vince Gill and Keith Urban already using their products!
Were also selling acoustic pianos, says Ripley, who is an accomplished key-boardist in his own right. With pianos, Ripleys primary focus is in the pre-owned market. Im a big fan of American and European pianos and theres a plethora of great instruments out there that need good homes and people who want them. We also carry a varied supply of guitars for a couple of reasons: One, were in Nash-ville and there are a lot of guitar players here; Two, guitar players are the one group of musicians who tend to own multiples, sometimes a lot of instruments.
Although the store is currently heavier on the guitar side, Simon Ripleys is looking to expand more into the B&O area. We have to be a little bit more careful because theres such a variety there, and we dont have un-limited space, explains Ripley. We really want to cater our stock to the community. We have a world-class symphony here, as well as nationally known Belmont Univer-sity and Vanderbilts Blair School of Music. Basically, we want to carry those products that they really want and use on a regular basis. There are a lot of products to choose from and you cant stock everything.
Simon points out that theyre not trying to be a one-stop shop, but rather a unique store that fi lls in the gaps. In every family of instruments were carry-ing the basic necessities, says Simon. For instance, in drums were carrying sticks and heads and a reasonable representa-tion of percussive instruments, but the best drum store in town is only minutes away, so part of this concept to is not to fi ght battles that make no sense. We want to fi t into the community and come in without creating unnecessary battles.
Filling In the GapsNot only has the store fi lled in the gaps
for local musicians, but also the fact that its doubling as an art gallery has brought many of Nashvilles artists, both musical and visual, closer. The artists have been extremely supportive, says Ripley. Part of the uniqueness of our concept is the fact that its all music themed art, and the fact that were also this MI store enables us to present two different types of artis-tic product lines; i.e., musical-related and visual-related. We believe our customers will appreciate both aspects of our busi-ness, regardless if the music products brought them in or the artwork. We know they will be able to appreciate both. Simon points out that while he and John were at the NAMM show, the concept and photo-graphs shared of their new store were very well received. Everyone with whom we shared our stores concept got it. In talk-ing to folks, we learned that the merging of
art with music is actually a common prac-tice in Europe, where proprietors consider it a real honor to be in this business, says Simon. Thats how we feel too.
The store has a great ambiance, say Ripley. We really want to be a part of the community because Nashville is a wonderful community its a wonder-ful music community and our goal is to become a meaningful part of this com-munity. Were just very fortunate to have everything come together and have this whole thing happen the way it did.
Becoming Part of the CommunityAs any realtor will tell you, its all
about location, location, location and for Simon Ripleys Music & Art, loca-tion played a major role in their deci-sion to take the plunge and open up a new store. In a lot of other places, they would have been hesitant to venture into
John Ripley and Michael Simon.
MMR_19 19 3/24/10 9:19:18 AM
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20 MMR APRIL 2010
this, but after all, this is Nashville, and Nashville is Music City! It is an integral part of the culture here music is alive and well in this town, says Ripley. Be-sides Vanderbilt and Belmont, we are in very close proximity to Music Row, and the W.O. Smith Music School where John has taught for years, says Simon. This whole 8th avenue south where were located is really a corridor of music, entertainment, art and antiques, with all kinds of interesting venues.
Putting it all togetherWith their philosophy of creating a
space that serves their community, Si-mon Ripleys Music & Art has found a way to succeed in an economic environ-ment that recently hasnt been all too friendly to small business. Their location in Music City has certainly helped but it is their ability to recognize the local needs of their fellow musicians that has ultimately created their success. Weve only been open a short while, but the response has been really great, says Ri-pley. Nashville is not your average town word-of-mouth travels fast around here about something like this. For a store thats not your average MI store in a not your average town, it seems that Si-mon Ripleys Music & Art is a perfect fi t.
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