Best Buy, Sans MI, Makes UK Debut
Best Buy, the American chain of electronics superstores, debuted in the United Kingdom on April 30. A special press preview was held on April 26 at the West Thurrock retail park in Essex, which was the first store to bow. The Essex store follows the U.S. model precisely, encompassing 50,000 square feet of retail floor, populated by a large number of salespeople. They had undergone about nine weeks of training before the opening.

Departing from the U.S. model, however, the stores in the United Kingdom will not have musical instruments for sale. And, at least at this point, there seem to be no plans for MI sales in the offing, either. The store does contain some DJ products and, in the home theater section, there are speakers and CD/DVD players.

The three additional stores are in Aintree, Liverpool; Hedge End, Southampton; and Merry Hill, West Midlands.

Celebs Help NAMM in D.C.
Taylor Dayne and Jonathan Cain, keyboardist for Journey, joined NAMM, VH1’s Save the Music Foundation and Dosomething.org to promote the benefits of music on May 12 on Capitol Hill. “Miss Kyzowski, Mr. Dagan, Miss Edwards,” said Dayne. “Thirty years later, I can still remember their names because these people were three of the most influential people in my life. They were my music teachers and they helped me find my own voice. My music teachers believed in me more than I believed in myself and music class was my safe place.”

“In 1958, I went to a school that burned to the ground and 100 kids died. My way out of it was music,” added Cain. “My father bought me an accordion after the fire and it became my best friend. Music was my escape and my salvation. And that’s what we have to remember when decisions are made to cut music classes out of schools.”

Alfred Distributing Titles from Course Technology PTR
Alfred Music Publishing announced an exclusive agreement to distribute Course Technology PTR titles for music technology. Course Technology PTR, part of Cengage Learning and a publisher of professional, technical and reference materials, is the publisher of Avid’s Pro Tools 101 Official Courseware titles, which will be distributed by Alfred as part of the agreement. “Our agreement with Course Technology PTR brings new products to our portfolio for our customers, complementing our existing offerings in the music technology space,” said Alfred COO Bryan Bradley. “The expanded product line not only makes more music technology material accessible to customers, but it also gives them the ability to buy both the software and educational tools in one place.”

NAMM Goes on as Planned
NAMM announced it was monitoring the flooding situation closely in Nashville. As of press time, NAMM said the show was expected to go on as usual. To reinforce the point, Nashville’s mayor sent the following letter to NAMM:

May 11, 2010

Dear NAMM Members:

On behalf of the people of Nashville, it will be my honor to welcome you to Music City next month for Summer NAMM, June 18-20.

As you know, our city endured a devastating flood last week that has affected many families across the county. Fortunately, the convention center, our hospitality industry and downtown businesses are up and running and are looking forward to events such as yours.

At this time, I would also like to express our appreciation to the members of NAMM for your ongoing support and loyalty to our city. While Summer NAMM is an important event for the music industry, for Nashville, it is an event that we hold close to our hearts. In addition, we are grateful for the business your event brings to our local merchants, many of which were hard hit by the flood.

In Nashville, we share your pride and passion for music. Be assured that you will still find plenty of musical entertainment while you are here. After all, music not only helps entertain, but also helps heal the soul.

We look forward to seeing you soon.
Sincerely,
Karl F. Dean
Mayor

NAMM Announces Grants
NAMM announced 25 recipients of its 2010-11 program grants. A total of $585,000 is being allocated. The following organizations will receive grants: The Australian Music Association; Boys and Girls Harbor, Inc.; Coalition for Music Education in Canada; Guitar and Accessories Manufacturing Association; Guitars in the Classroom; Intercultural Family Services; Jazz Arts Groups of Columbus; Little Kids Rock; Merrit School of Music; Midori & Friends; Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation; Music For All/UK; National Center for Creative Aging; National Guild for Community Arts Education; National Piano Foundation; National String Project Consortium; New Horizons International Music Association; North Shore Boys & Girls Club; Percussion Marketing Council; Performing Arts Center of LA County; Raising the Blues; Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls; The Crescent Theatre Company D/B/A Kid Pan Alley; VSA Arts; and the Women’s Audio Mission.

Hohner Inc. Ends Laney Amplification Distribution
Effective May 31, Hohner ended its five-year distribution agreement with Laney Amplification, a U.K.-based company. “We wish Laney well,” said Drew Lewis, product manager for Hohner Guitars. “They make wonderful equipment for the gigging musician. However, our strategy has changed from operating as a general distributor to being a manufacturer of captive brands,” he added. Over the past three years, Hohner has shed numerous product lines in an effort to focus its energies into Hohner’s own branded products. “With this change of focus, we now have more resources to spend on creating…new products and continuing with our…retail POP programs,” commented Scott Emmerman, director of sales and marketing.

Laney has not released plans for future distribution in the United States. All warranty repairs after May 31 reverted to Laney’s network of authorized service centers.

Daisy Rock Girl Guitars Featured on MSNBC
Daisy Rock Girl Guitars, the original girl-guitar company, was the featured story on MSNBC’s “Your Business” program that aired on Sunday, May 2. The episode, entitled “America Business: Six String Success,” featured Daisy Rock founder and president Tish Ciravolo’s girl rock revolution. “America Business: Six String Success” delved into the unique business plan that has made Daisy Rock Girl Guitars a successful, growing, female-based company, spawned from Ciravolo’s experience as a frustrated female musician on the L.A. scene during the ’80s and her need to create a better, more inviting experience for her daughters.
The story incorporated perspectives from outside the company, including Guitar Center’s Dave Weiderman, who remarked, “Before Daisy Rock, there wasn’t a specific guitar for a female, and what Tish has given us fills in that gap.” The piece also showcased Daisy Rock- endorsed artist Kamille Rudisill, from the group Karmina, who said, “Most of the acoustic guitars are very big, very heavy…but the Daisy Rock guitars, that’s one of the greatest things about them, they are proportionally smaller to go with girls and to make it easier to play.”

In Memoriam: Keith R. Wilson
On March 24, Keith R. Wilson, founder and president of Keith Wilson’s Audio Supply, died at age 73. The business continues under the leadership of Cathleen Wilson, Keith’s daughter and a longtime company employee. Besides being a successful businessman, he was a mechanical engineer, an inventor and was well known in the field of sound systems. He began his career at Bell & Howell and then at Shure Brothers Incorporated before founding his own companies, Foster Sound and later Audio Supply.

He was a member of the engineering team that designed the SM57 and SM58.

Gand Becomes Distributor
Northfield, Ill.’s, Gand Music & Sound is distributing the German-made Neo Ventilator pedal to the United States and Canadian markets. Store President Joan Gand has been searching for the best portable B3 sound for a long time. The new pedal simulates a rotating organ speaker sound. It fits in your gig bag so you don’t need a crew to haul a Leslie speaker and pre-amp around. Gand named her distribution company GMD, or Gand Music Distribution. The retail price of the pedal is $649. Gand said the product was backordered until next month based on word-of-mouth buzz alone. For more, contact Gand at jgand@gand.com

Breese Passes
Terry Breese, one half of the well-known Huber & Breese team, passed away last month. He was 61. Funeral services took place in Richmond, Mich., on May 14. Breese co-owned Huber & Breese in Fraser, Mich., for nearly 40 years.
Huber & Breese won several Music & Sound Awards. This past year, the store was nominated for Best Sales Staff and Best Customer Service.

“Music was his life,” Breese’s longtime friend, business partner and guitar instructor Paul Huber told the Detroit Free Press. “He served as an inspiration for untold numbers of budding mus`icians through his dedicated instruction and love for music in general….In the beginning, Terry was more interested in teaching the students. But as time wore on, he became more focused on the retail aspect of the business and did more of the bookwork and paying the bills.”