GC Restructures Associate Wage System
Guitar Center is planning to replace its much-discussed sales commission system for employees with a system of hourly pay. The shift also includes a commitment that every single Guitar Center…
MMR Industry Record
Music Products Industry Archive
Search and browse MMR’s music products industry reporting timeline, connecting companies, people, products, NAMM coverage and market developments across the digital archive.
15,450 matching published stories
Yamaha Appoints Caton as Pro Audio & Combo Division District Manager
Yamaha has appointed Timothy Caton as a new district manager for the company’s Pro Audio & Combo Division. His territory will include Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Illinois and…
Fender to Close Ovation Factory in Connecticut
Fender has announced that it will be closing the facility in New Hartford, Connecticut where it has built Ovation brand instruments for the last 47 years. The company reportedly plans to cease…
Music & Arts Adds Six Washington Locations
Music & Arts, the largest band and orchestra instrument retailer and lesson provider, has increased its presence in Washington State to 13 stores with the addition of six Mills Music locations.…
Jupiter Launches 'Banded' Campaign to Unite School Music Community
Jupiter Band Instruments has launched a new integrated marketing campaign dubbed "Banded,” which highlights the common ground shared amongmusicians, music educators, parents of musicians, school music retailers, and Jupiter. The campaign…
Dean Markley USA Adds Contemporary Jazz Guitarist Jeff Richman
Dean Markley recently announced the addition of Jeff Richman to their artist roster. As a contemporary jazz guitarist, Dean Markley USA looks to Jeff to help further expand the company’s…
McFadden Sales Celebrates 75 Years with Shure
The first meeting between McFadden Sales, Inc. and Shure Incorporated occurred in 1939, when Founder Bill McFadden met S.N. Shure and decided to strike a partnership. This year, Shure is…
Taylor Guitars Announces 'Ultimate Custom Taylor' Sweepstakes
To celebrate 40 years of crafting exceptional guitars, Taylor Guitars has teamed with Ultimate Ears, the leader in custom in-ear monitors used by musicians around the globe, to offer one…
Shure Fitness, Performance, and Lavalier Condenser Microphones
The SM31FH Fitness Headset Condenser Microphone is designed for fitness instructors and the SM35 Performance Headset Condenser Microphone is for live sound applications. Shure has also unveiled the PGA31 Headset…
Dean Markley Helix Pure Nickel Guitar Strings
Helix strings are made with a new patented hyper-elliptical winding technique, creating a tighter wrap and more mass, which seals the strings without the need for coating. By using pure…
Eastwood Guitars California Rebel
The California Rebel is a tribute replica to the extremely rare 1967 Domino Californian Rebel. This definitive ‘60s surf style guitar was a hybrid of the VOX Phantom, the EKO…
Pigtronix Rototron
The Rototron is an all-new rotary speaker simulator effect that achieves 3D realism in a compact, easy-to-use pedal, recreating the sounds of dual-rotor 122 and 147 Leslie cabinets. Independent Slow…
GoPro Partners with The Weeknd for O2 Film
Platinum-selling alternative R&B futurist THE WEEKND enlisted GoPro to exclusively film his recent sold out performance at the O2 Arena in London using their new HERO3+ Black Edition camera. The show happened during the artist and…
NAMM Foundation Helps Anaheim City School District’s Music Program
Working toward its mission of advancing active participation in music making across the lifespan, The NAMM Foundation has pledged a $10,000 grant to the Anaheim City School District (ACSD). The…
D'Addario Unveils NYXL Strings at Long Island GC on May 1
D’Addario has announced the launch of its next generation of electric guitar strings: NYXL. To celebrate the unveiling of these strings, a special launch event featuring performances by Vernon Reid, Robben…
inMusic Adds Denon, Marantz Brands to Portfolio
inMusic has announced the addition of three professional product brands from D&M Holdings to its existing family of brands. Denon Professional, Marantz Professional, and Denon DJ join a family that…
Hal Leonard and Cakewalk Forge Distribution Partnership
Effective immediately, Cakewalk’s product line—both professional and consumer—will have additional North American distribution through Hal Leonard. According to Cakewalk president Michael Hoover, “Hal Leonard is an established and highly respected…
Lanikai Partners with Jake Shimabukuro Foundation
Lanikai Ukuleles has announced a partnership with Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso and composer Jake Shimabukuro’s Four Strings Foundation. The non-profit, founded by Shimabukuro and Chicago educator Polly Yukevich in 2013, seeks…
Gibson Brands Sponsor the Institute Guitar Scholarship
The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance has announced that Gibson Brands will be sponsoring two of eight scholarships available for students hoping to join its intensive one year Higher Diploma…
NAMBACKER B2B Networking Group Welcomes New Members
NAMBACKER B2B networking group announced the addition of three new NAMM exhibitor manufacturers as dues-paying members since the 2014 Anaheim show.The first new member is Rick Schubb, owner of the…
Smith Promoted to N. American Sales Manager at Zildjian
The Avedis Zildjian Company has announced the promotion of Jerry Smith to North American sales manager effective April 1, 2014.In this newly created position, Jerry will report directly to Andy…
Kidder Music Celebrates 40th Anniversary
2014 holds exciting news for family-owned Kidder Music as they announce their 40th anniversary. The store kicked off their anniversary celebration at the Illinois Music Educators Conference in January, and…
Fender CEO Larry Thomas to Retire
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) has announced the upcoming retirement of CEO Larry Thomas, effective May 31, 2014. Thomas was appointed to the FMIC Board of Directors in 2009 and later…
Shure Announces Venue Lineup for National Open Mic Night
Shure Incorporated has announced the official venue lineup for its third annual National Open Mic Night, a week-long series of events that unites singers, musicians, and spoken word artists. In observance…
Trade Regrets: Mo Morrison
Mo Morrison passed away on April 7th after a long battle with cancer. As a concert production and tour manager, Morrison worked with many of the biggest and brightest stars in pop…
Bedell ‘Summer of Love’ Dreadnaught
Few figures in the guitar industry have been as involved in exploring issues of sustainability and the legality of existing rare tonewoods as Tom Bedell. His Bedell Guitars has made…
Hohner Green Tones
Musical toys are one of the first things any new parents gets acquainted with. There’s everything from tiny bells to tot-sized pianos and stuffed tambourines in bright colors, tough to…
The Tao of McRib
“Roland, the Japanese firm that designed the [TB-303], has spent three decades pretty much ignoring the calls for a proper reissue of this simple little instrument,” writes Jasper Hamill in…
Roland AIRA Line of Synth Instruments
With roots in the very origins of electronic music, Roland’s new AIRA line is designed to meet the evolving needs of modern electronic musicians while offering throwback functionality inspired by…
MI Store Lighting Know-How: Part I
The selection of the right lighting can be a major contribution to retail sales. Lighting can establish a store’s image, lead customers inside, focus their attention, make the products attractive…
School Rental Business
The business of supplying rental instruments to school-aged children or entire school districts has long been the bread and butter of many in the MI trade. Constricting music program budgets…
Moving That Store: Do’s and Don’ts
Bob Maggio of Mojo’s Music spent two months moving from a building he rented to one he bought. Asked to reflect after the dust settled, here are some of his…
Mojo’s Music Move Offers Chance to Reset
Bob Moggio can’t be accused of moving his retail store because he no longer cared for the neighborhood. After all, he only moved it right next door.In the college town of…
Hamilton Stands Expands, Takes Over Own Distribution
Hamilton Stands entered its 131st year in business this year with an eye towards the future and a blueprint for big changes. President Bill Carpenter brought their distribution in-house, brought in…
10 Tips to Greenify Your Store
Hopefully by now you’ve got your recycling program figured out. What next? In retail, as in any other part of life, it’s a lot easier to call for everyone else…
Green Guitars
At the end of the day, people will buy an instrument because it sounds good and performs well,” says Blackbird Guitars founder Joseph Luttwak. That’s the challenge facing a wide…
The Big Green Picture
When judging a product as sustainable or not at first glance, it’s easy to wonder about a few obvious characteristics. Is it recyclable? Was it built using endangered wood? But…
Musikmesse and Prolight + Sound 2014
With over 110,000 visitors and 2,242 exhibiting companies from 57 nations, it’s unquestionable that the annual Musikmesse gathering in Frankfurt – held this year from March 12-15 – remains a…
Seeing Green
We revisit the environmental/sustainability movement this issue, but I’ve got a different kind of green on my mind, and I can’t help wonder if some are seeing it when it…
JEN Conference 2015 Exhibitor Enrollment Now Open
Exhibitor enrollment for the 2015 Jazz Education Network Conference, which takes place in San Diego January 7-10, is now open. JEN invites all past and current exhibitors to log in…