Mipro181 web

5050JUNE 7-10EVENTEVENT

THE GOLDEN JUBILEE

1965-2015JOHN HORNBY SKEWES & CO. LTD.

Register now online at www.jhstrade.co.uk

FOR EVERYONE IN THE MI BUSINESS | ISSUE 181 | JUNE 2015

Always make sure youhit the right note

Sledgehammer Sledgehammer ProCLIP-ON TUNER CLIP-ON TUNER

The Sledgehammer series is a new lineup of guitar/bass tuners that joins KORG’s family of clip-on tuners. These tuners can be attached directly to an instrument for convenient tuning.

The Sledgehammer features an easy-operating shuttle switch on a tubular-shaped body.

Even while performing, you can easily operate the tuner with just one hand, while a high-brightness, high-contrast color LCD display ensures clear visibility.

Sledgehammer

▶ Color LCD shows the pitch in vivid color

▶ Dedicated guitar/bass modes and flat/capo

settings

▶ Over-winding warning for the first string

▶ Unique shuttle switch for easy operation

▶ Strong, flexible clip mechanism

▶ Calibration, auto power-off, and memory

backup

Sledgehammer Pro

▶ Ultra-high tuning accuracy of +/- 0.1 cents

▶ 3D visual meter provides revolutionary

visibility

▶ Three, high-contrast meter display modes

▶ Unique shuttle switch for easy operation

▶ Strong, flexible clip mechanism

▶ Calibration, auto power-off, and memory

backup

www.korg.com

NO. 161 • JUNE 2015 • WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK PRINT • ONLINE • MOBILE

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE THE SALES MAN P11 SECRET DEALER P38 MYSTERY SHOPPER P50

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PROFESSIONAL • FOR EVERYONE IN THE MI BUSINESS

The Limp Bizkit axeman tells us about his new band and why MI stores are so vital to the next generation of musicians

34 Wes Borland

Our MIRC 2015 special tells you everything

you need to know about this year’s show, with

exhibiting partners...

SHOW ISSUE

AVAILABLE FROM D’ADDARIO UK 0191 300 3000 [email protected]

WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK PRINT • ONLINE • MOBILE

BY now, most of you will have already made your mind up as to whether to attend MIRC or not. But for those of you that haven’t, it might be worth bearing a couple of things in mind before making your decision. And I’m not talking about the free gift, the quality of the speaker line-up or the calibre of exhibitors. There’s plenty on all of that on the pages overleaf. What I’m talking about is the fact that, in light of the changes announced at Musikmesse a couple of months ago, MIRC is now more crucial than ever for retailers and suppliers who want to network and talk business in a dedicated trade environment. Having spoken personally to several UK exhibitors in Frankfurt, it was clear that the changing face of the show has had a knock-on effect upon the number of British dealers making the trip abroad. With an ever-growing consumer element, Messe, it seems, is ceasing to attract the same number of British dealers, while many exhibitors will be testing the waters next year to see how deeply the changes will impact upon the show. As such, a great many people from across the market have expressed to me the importance of an exclusive B2B

Name one other trade event that consistently delivers the same mix of conference and expo in a central location for the industry to converge, express ideas and do business. Year-on-year, MIRC has evolved and developed into a must-attend event on the MI calendar. So, if you’re a dealer and are still thinking about coming to MIRC, I cannot urge you strongly enough to do so. Aside from the fact it’s all free and there’s a particularly impressive VIP gift in it for you, it truly is an opportunity you cannot afford to miss. You’re guaranteed to take away something on the day; whether it’s new business, new ideas or some useful advice.

need to know on this year’s conference programme and expo, helping you get the most from the show and plan your day as effectively and

See you at the show.

Daniel [email protected]

Show timeEDITORIAL COMMENT

6

13

REGULARS: Analysis 6 • MIA 8 • Colin Rees 11 • Birketts 32 • Secret Dealer 38 • New Gear 54 • Backline 56

MIRC 2015With so much on offer at this year’s MI conference and expo, can you afford to miss out?

MIRC 2015 SHOW GUIDEThe main event is now upon us, so be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to this year’s MIRC 2015.

THE MAIN FEATURE

BirkettsOur legal expert, Rafael Ruiz, delves into the ever murky waters of bribery and money laundering.

Artist interviewWe speak to Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland and singer songwriter Carré Callaway about their latest project.

32 34

38 SECRET DEALERGoogle AdWords - useful marketing tool or waste of money? Our secret dealer discusses.

46 RETAIL ADVISORY BOARDOur board of retailers ponder the future of Musikmesse as a dedicated trade event.

50 MYSTERY SHOPPERLeeds sets the scene for our shadowy shop botherer’s monthly jaunt.

54 NEW GEARWe cast an eye over the best new gear.

37 Sheehan’s changesThe Leicestershire-based retailer has announced some major changes to its bricks and mortar operation. We speak to its chief, Richard Thompson, to

can expect going forward.

49 This month, we get up close and personal with B_Drum, Birmingham’s only drums and percussion specialist.

40 Drums and percussionOur June retail essentials focus on the drums and percussion market includes products from Boomwhackers, Carlsbro, Liberty Drums, Gremlin Music and Wambooka.

RETAIL FEATURES RETAIL ESSENTIALS

No. 181 • June 2015

IN THIS ISSUE

Follow us on Twitter @MIProfessional

MIRC 2015: You can’t afford to miss itMIRC 2015 takes place on June 17th. Make sure you have registered

to attend the UK’s only dedicated MI trade show...

ANALYSIS

WITH A brilliant speaker line-up, top manufacturers and distributors and over 250 dealers there on the day, MIRC 2015 is a must for UK MI retailers to attend. And, with the show just around the corner, its time for dealers yet to register to do so.

Returning to Whittlebury Hall, Northamptonshire, MIRC will not only be a great chance to check out some of the latest products from the companies exhibiting at the show, but also the perfect opportunity for retailers and suppliers to get down to business, learn and network.

With the Musikmesse platform changes occurring next year, there is even more of a reason for retailers and suppliers to attend MIRC 2015. So, as the Frankfurt show continues to gravitate ever closer to the consumer side of the market, and the number of UK retailers heading out to the event diminishes, MIRC, now more than ever, is the perfect place for MI businesses to come together.

This year’s high calibre line-up of speakers will no doubt provide a unique insight into all aspects of modern MI retail.

Co-owner of UK MI retail giant PMT, Simon Gilson, will deliver the keynote address at MIRC 2015. Gilson will be offering some unique insights into how his company has grown to become the UK’s largest MI retailer.

Also contributing to the conference is Carl West, supply chain director of GfK, Corin Birchall, managing director of Kerching Retail and Stuart O’Brien, director of digital

at Mimram Media. Being the UK’s only dedicated MI trade

show, the MIRC afternoon expo is the perfect place for retailers to take advantage of exclusive show-time deals and various other offerings from leading suppliers sporting a host of both new and existing product lines.

of the show do not end. Dealers then have a chance to network with suppliers and manufacturers over a welcome drink at the

bar after a busy day at the show. What’s more, the event is completely

free for retailers to attend and includes a free gourmet lunch, hog roast dinner and an exclusive VIP gift bag containing a Veho Azuro 50W Bluetooth Soundbar, worth a RRP of £149.95.

MI calendar and, now in its sixth year, looks set to be its biggest outing to date. And there is still time for dealers to register. We looking forward to seeing you there.

“The only dedicated MI trade show, MIRC 2015 is the ideal platform for dealers to network with manufacturers and suppliers.”

MIRC will return to Northamptonshire’s Whittlebury Hall on June 17th

BY RHYS TROAKE

THE OVERALL UK economy continues to slowly recover from the

in the Euro Zone.

the effect of this on the

line of thought to suggest

An interesting socio-

shows the growth of the

instruments. This is nicely

The opportunity for

out to these people.

“A good trading month for MI is still as likely to be followed by a disappointing one.”

Retail EssentialsDrums and percussion

PAGE

40

8 MIPRO JUNE 2015 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

The MIA is the trade body for the UK musical instrument industry, servicing

and representing the interests of manufacturers, importers, publishers, retailers and supporting businesses.

A United Kingdom commentaryEvery year, NAMM publishes an excellent Global Report with an update on trading from the various countries around the globe. Here is the UK report that has been submitted...

Promotional methods: The art of marketing

RETAIL PROFILEB_Drum

PAGE

49

IT IS accepted that retail owners have

sometimes it can make a huge difference to

of people who do not come in can become

overcome this is to establish an on-going marketing function in the business

and an illustration of retail marketing at

heeled customers but worked on his market

then winter clothing to be in tune with the

of customers and gave them the same

So what lessons are there in his marketing

Can we be sure that those customers are

treated with personal importance makes the

JUNE 2015 - MIPRO 11

COLIN REESSales trainer and business consultant.

[email protected]

COLIN REES is a veteran sales trainer and business consultant with many decades’ worth of expertise in the bicycle retail sector.

THE SALES MAN

“Raising product quality attracts a higher class of customer.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT D'ADDARIO UK 0191 300 3000 OR EMAIL AT [email protected]

JUNE 2015 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK MIPRO 13

SHOW PREVIEW

BUILDING UPON what was widely

considered its best outing to date

last year, this year’s MIRC promises

to raise the bar once again, with

over 250 dealers set to descend upon

Northamptonshire’s Whittlebury Hall

for the annual conference and expo.

Kicking things off as per usual

is the morning conference.

Following in last year’s footsteps,

the programme will be streamlined

yet highly informative, with our

stellar speaker line-up delivering

specialised, practical advice on

everything from bolstering your

digital offering to making the most

Topping the bill, is keynote

speaker Simon Gilson, co-owner

of UK retail giant PMT. With little

introduction required, Gilson’s

address is sure to be informative,

insightful and entertaining, as he

provides a unique look at how his

business has grown into the MI

behemoth it is today, and how others

can improve theirs.

The conference will be followed

by a gourmet lunch, before we

launch straight into the afternoon

expo, which, as ever, will see an

impressive array of brands and

suppliers showcasing their latest

lines, connecting with the UK dealer

network and offering a variety of

exclusive MIRC 2015 show day deals.

Then it’s on to the after party,

giving everyone a chance to

network and unwind in a relaxing

environment over a hog roast dinner

and a drink or two.

And, if that’s not enough, each

and every retailer will take home

a free Veho Azuro 50W Bluetooth

Soundbar, worth RRP £149.95.

So, check out the full conference

programme and our comprehensive

exhibitor guide in the pages overleaf

to ensure you get the most out of

your MIRC 2015.

“The morning conference will be streamlined yet highly informative, with our stellar speaker line-up delivering specialised, practical advice.”

KEY PARTNERS PREMIUM PLATINUM SPONSORS

PLATINUM SPONSORS

SHOWCASE

GOLD SPONSOR

A guide to MIRCWednesday, June 17th 2015Whittlebury Hall, Northamptonshire


SHOW PREVIEW

THE SPEAKERSKicking things off is the morning conference, in which a selection of expert speakers deliver invalua-ble advice on how you can improve your business. So, without further ado, say hello to this year’s line-up...

SIMON GILSON, CO-OWNER, PMT

CARL WEST,SUPPLY CHAIN DIRECTOR, GFK

CORIN BIRCHALL, MANAGING DIRECTOR, KERCHING RETAIL

STUART O’BRIEN, DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL, MIMRAM MEDIA

SIMON GILSON, co-owner of UK MI retail giant PMT (Professional Music Technology), will be delivering the all-important keynote address at this year’s MIRC.

As joint leader of the nation’s largest musical instrument retailer, Gilson will be offering at-tendees at this year’s morning conference some truly unique insights into how his company has grown to become the multi-chain high street behemoth it is today and how it has managed to weather the devastating economic climate of recent years and come out the other side.

Never one to mince his words, Gilson’s address is sure to be both thought provoking, entertaining and highly informative, as he offers

his personal opinion on some of the biggest and

sector today.Commenting on his appointment as keynote

speaker at this year’s MIRC, and offering us a glimpse of what attendees can expect from his headline slot, Gilson told MI Pro: “It is a great honour to be asked to speak to one’s peers on their specialist subject.

or golf,” he continued, “I guess I will have to stick to speaking about the industry!

“However, I hope to bring some fun, as well as some thought provoking insights into the realities of MI retail in the times we live in.”

GFK SUPPLY chain director, Carl West, will be taking to the stage as part of this year’s morning conference. With over 16 years’ experience in software and hardware sales as a vendor and in distribution, West boasts a wide-ranging knowl-edge across several digital markets and brings with him a great understanding of Channel; Distribution; Public Sector/Corporate Channel; and the internal dynamics of the Retail and Verti-cal Reseller channels. At MIRC 2015, West will

market data system. Prior to joining GfK, West worked for Datron-tech Retail, SimpleTech, Solarsoft, and Media-grids. Additionally, he is the GfK representative for CompTIA and is a regular speaker at market conferences.

RETAIL EXPERT, Corin Birchall, made his MIRC debut last year, providing dealers with some truly unique insights into how they can improve their layout, display and product demo skills. This time out, he will be looking to build on his 2014 address by offering dealers yet more inval-uable advice on how they can get the most from their bricks and mortar business.

Before setting up Kerching Retail – a specialist retail consultancy – Birchall plied his trade for Roland UK, where he developed the concept of

the globe. The focus on product knowledge, display and demo readiness was regarded by many as an industry benchmark and changed how many MI brands now present themselves in music stores.

BRINGING WITH him a wealth of digital knowledge and expertise, Stuart O’Brien, director of digital at content marketing services, social media strategy and event management specialist Mimram Media, will be showing MIRC 2015 attendees how they can grow their businesses by complementing their bricks and mortar operations with an improved digital offering.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be part of MIRC 2015,” commented O’Brien.

“Having served as head of digital at New Bay Media for several years and developing many of its websites, including MI Pro, amongst many others, I’m very much looking forward to connecting with the wider MI community and demonstrating how retailers can grow their businesses online.”

KEYNOTE SPEAKER


SHOW PREVIEW

YAMAHA INTRODUCING LINE 6A regular participant at MIRC, Yamaha will this year be showcasing an array of products from the recently acquired Line 6 brand...

STAND CONTACTS:Tony Cox from PMD, 07966122943

Malcolm Hardie from Classic, 0797

3909203

KEY BRANDS:Yamaha and Line 6

What can retailers expect from your stand?We have two rooms this year. Room one will be our commercial room, where our dealers can meet in a more relaxed atmosphere with their sales reps, and room two, where we will be introducing our Line 6 product range, complete with live demos.

What will you be doing to capitalise on your day at MIRC?Yamaha Music UK is looking

forward to both the morning conference and the chance to meet so many of our business partners during the afternoon. We will have a full complement of sales and marketing staff to meet with all of our dealers. Will you be offering any special show day deals?Come and see us on the day. Which key products will you be showcasing?This year, our focus is on Line 6 and six new models to the EKB range. What’s the secret to getting the most out of MIRC?We will ensure that we have our complete sales force at the show, along with key marketing staff to meet with dealers and discuss our latest products and marketing initiatives. These conversations will ensure that we and our dealers get the best out of the day. What do you hope to get out of the show?A chance to have positive conversations with the dealer

network and drive new business.

What’s the best thing about MIRC?It’s great to be able to see so many of our dealer partners in a positive and social business environment. And your least favourite thing?Not being able to enjoy the delights of Whittlebury Hall overnight, as it is too close to Milton Keynes to justify staying over!

How has business been this year compared to last?Business over recent years has been challenging for everyone. But without doubt, recently, and, following our reorganisation, we are extremely pleased with the business development; especially how last year closed. We are now looking forward to an even better result this year. Have you invited any particular dealers to the show this year?As ever, we encourage all of our dealers to attend MIRC and to make the most of the time with our sales and marketing teams on the day.

“We will ensure that we have our complete sales force at the show, along with key marketing staff to meet with dealers and discuss our latest products and marketing initiatives.”


SHOW PREVIEW

Variable Instrument Performance ™ Amplifiers

Electric - Acoustic - BassPeavey amplifi ers have always been associated with some of the most infl uential artists ever. It’s been no surprise that the VYPER VIP line has been embraced by today’s hottest

artists. They have everything players look for in a Peavey amp - Tone and Innovation.

Morphing from a bass amp, to an electric amp, to an acoustic amp, the VYPER® VIP is the world’s fi rst Variable Instrument Performance™ amplifer.

If tone and innovation matter to you, contact Barnes & Mullins’ Peavey division to enquire about Peavey VYPER® VIP today. (+44) 01691 652449

Voted the UK’s ‘Best Supplier’2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014

Exclusively distributed by


SHOW PREVIEW

BARNES & MULLINSAs the recently appointed UK and Ireland distributor for Peavey, Barnes & Mullins

presenting

PEAVEY

STAND CONTACTS:The primary contact will be Alex

Mew ([email protected]).

KEY BRANDS:Did I mention Peavey yet?

What will you be doing to capitalise on your day at MIRC? Barnes & Mullins will be setting up the Expo room the day prior, so as to ensure that all our attendees

What can retailers expect from your stand? We are attending in our capacity as the recently appointed UK and

retailers to get reacquainted with

pro audio, instruments and various

Will you be offering any special show day deals?

interested dealers about how we

Which key products will you be showcasing?

series heads and cabs, MAX Bass

What’s the secret to getting the most out of MIRC?

Having only a short time available, we try to ensure that retailers get a chance to see and experience products that they may otherwise

What do you hope to get out of the show?

What’s the best thing about MIRC?

time is limited, it challenges us to

gives attending delegates a simple

And your least favourite thing?

How has business been this year compared to last? Business growth has been steady,

Have you invited any particular dealers to the show this year?We deal with every music store in the UK, and our area sales managers would encourage

“As distributor for Peavey in the UK and Ireland, it will be a great opportunity for dealers to get reacquainted with the great range of Peavey products.”


SHOW PREVIEW

What will you be doing to capitalise on your day at MIRC?Casio is delighted to be a sponsor of MIRC and to be showing our range of products within the large Catalunya room, including our latest digital pianos, which offer new, innovative features and the continued improvements to sound and touch that Casio has been recognised for in recent years. We look forward to inviting a wide range of music dealers to sample our range of products

partnering with Casio within their instruments business.

What can retailers expect from your stand?We will provide a full suite of the latest Casio keyboards and digital pianos for dealers to view. As well, our regional sales representatives look forward to meeting new dealers and strengthening relations with our growing dealer base.

Will you be offering any special show day deals?Casio has successfully provided a regular series of product offers for music dealers and MIRC will again present a number of deals to support delegates that have taken the time to attend MIRC.

Which key products will you be showcasing?The latest Celviano and Privia digital pianos will be on show at this year’s event, all available to sample in the Catalunya room.

What’s the secret to getting the most out of MIRC?Each year we have increased our presence at MIRC and the attendance of our sales teams. We feel, as fewer dealers have the time to attend music shows on the continent, that the strength of MIRC is reliant on continued attendance and representation from suppliers in order to provide music dealers with the chance to fully appreciate the product ranges and terms on offer.

What do you hope to get out of the show?As always, we look forward to

seeing the increasing number of music dealers that represent Casio product, presenting the latest models and offers, and to invite new dealers to take a look at Casio as part of their retail offering.

What’s the best thing about MIRC?It’s the main opportunity for the UK music industry to meet and discuss the products, suppliers, dealers and issues that really matter to them.

And your least favourite thing?The coffee (unless one of the hidden machines are switched on in some of the foyers).

How has business been this year compared to last?As anyone involved in the music industry will know, business remains tough. Casio has continued to grow year-on-year, thanks to the continued support of Casio dealers. We are under no illusion that business will continue to remain challenging, but we believe we have both the product innovations and channel opportunities to help deliver improved business for all of our music dealers.

Have you invited any particular dealers to the show this year?We haven’t invited any dealers at this point.

CASIOCasio will showcase its latest Celviano and Privia digital pianos in the Catalunya room as Premium Platinum Sponsors at MIRC 2015...

STAND CONTACTS:John Henderson (North)John Pacey (Midlands)Andy Brown (South)

“Casio will provide a full suite of the latest Casio keyboards and digital pianos for dealers to view, which offer new, innovative features and continued improvements to sound and touch.”

What will you be doing to capitalise on your day at MIRC? Attending the morning seminars and meeting as many attendees as possible. What can retailers expect from your stand? An interesting and relevant display of products not seen before. Will you be offering any special show day deals? Yes, we’ll be offering special offers and extended terms exclusively for MIRC attendees. Which key products will you be showcasing?New products from Hagstrom, Rickenbacker, Breedlove and Seymour Duncan, as well as products from our new brands including Dog Days Guitar Straps, Dawn Pro Audio and CAD Audio. What’s the secret to getting the most out of MIRC?Arrive with open eyes and ears.

What do you hope to get out of the show?Meet old and new friends and introduce some exciting and

What’s the best thing about MIRC?The format works very well; the mix of thought-provoking seminars and expo offers attendees a chance to consider new opportunities. And your least favourite thing?Loading the truck at the end of the day. How has business been this year compared to last?We’ve seen great growth from our existing brands, developed new models for our Adam Black range and introduced accessories from new partner suppliers. Have you invited any particular dealers to the show this year?Yes, particularly those who are new to MIRC.

ROSETTIAs a MIRC 2015 Platinum Partner, Rosetti will be introducing dealers to a host of new products from its array of brands...

STAND CONTACTS:Christine Kieffer, 07774 143490David Chadwick, 07971 143015Calvin Brown, 07971 143011Ross Bailey, 07867 317117

KEY BRANDS:Hagstrom, Vandoren, Breedlove, Adam Black, Rickenbacker, Seymour Duncan, Dog Days, CAD Audio and Dawn Pro Audio.


SHOW PREVIEW


SHOW PREVIEW

What will you be doing to capitalise on your day at MIRC?Speaking to as many dealers as possible and sharing with them our plans and aspirations for 2015 and beyond. We have loads to celebrate across our brands. For example, 2015 is the 40th Anniversary of Korg Tuners, a product that we are proud to have invented.

What can retailers expect from your stand?There will be a small selection of products on display across our brands, but more importantly we plan to bring some brand new products yet to be released to give our dealers an exclusive preview of what will be hot this autumn.

Will you be offering any special show day deals?Most certainly.

Which key products will you be showcasing?We are excited to be bringing Takamine to MIRC - a fantastic Japanese brand that is held in very high regard. We will also have displays of the new Tromba and Nuova brass, and we are excited to talk to dealers about these great products.

What do you hope to get out of the show?The opportunity to discuss the issues of the day with our dealers, as well as the involvement in a great conference.

Have you invited any particular dealers to the show this year?We are delighted to see Simon Gilson from PMT not only attending but also delivering the keynote address.

KORGThe company will be showing products from its Takamine and Vox brands, along with a selection of its own Korg-branded lines...

STAND CONTACTS:Ricci Hodgson: 07786 733690

Rob Castle: 01908 304600

Duncan William: 07919 543881

Nigel Lawless: 07795 976223

Oli Webb: 07733 323599

KEY BRANDS:Korg

Hartke Bass Amps

Dean Markley Strings

Takamine Guitars

Samson Audio

Jupiter Brass

Tromba Brass

Nuova Brass


SHOW PREVIEW

WORLD FAMOUS MUSIC STRINGSWWW.ROTOSOUND.COM FACEBOOK.COM/ROTOSOUND TWITTER.COM/ROTOSOUND_UK

FIND OUT MOREPROUDLY MADE IN ENGLAND

ROTOSOUND ARE PROUD TO BE SUPPORTING THE MIRC SHOW ON THE 17TH JUNE.

FOR THE ‘SHOW DAY ONLY’ DEALS STOP BY AND SPEAK TO JASON HOW OR ONE OF OUR 4

DEDICATED ROTOSOUND SALES REPRESENTATIVES.

DEALS TO HELP YOU HAVE A MORE PROFITABLE SUMMER!

RON BAKERLondon and the Home CountiesM 07831 437675E [email protected]

ROGER CHANNINGSouthern EnglandM 07885 644276E [email protected]

STEVEN BUTTERYMidlands and WalesM 07894 584461E [email protected]

NIGEL CLUTTERBUCKNorthern England, Scotland and Northern IrelandM 07793 257659E [email protected]

UK SALES REPRESENTATIVES

What will you be doing to capitalise on your day at MIRC?Show deals and promotions. Forging stronger relationships with all our dealers, taking business orders and showing off a selection of new products.

What can retailers expect from your stand?To receive all the latest information from Rotosound and the chance to speak to our sales representatives.

Will you be offering any special show day deals?Yes.

Which key products will you be showcasing?Our bread and butter string lines, along with some new products,

What’s the secret togetting the most outof MIRC?Planning.

What do you hope to get out of the show?Open new accounts and build new relationships.

What’s the best thingabout MIRC?Good networking.

And your least favourite thing?Can’t think of one!

How has business been this year compared to last?We are about level.

Have you invited any particular dealers to the show this year?No.

ROTOSOUNDIn addition to its famous string ranges, Rotosound will also be unveiling some new products on the day...

STAND CONTACTS:Jason How, 07900 594497Ron Baker, 07831 437675Roger Channing, 07885 644276Steve Buttery, 07894 584461Nigel Clutterbuck, 07793 257659

KEY BRANDS:We have a few new accessory lines in the pipeline.


SHOW PREVIEW

What will you be doing to capitalise on your day at MIRC?This year we will show customers, new and old, our continued move forward with new products that have only just been launched at Prolight+Sound/Musikmesse. What can retailers expect from your stand?

New products, new ideas, new faces.

Will you be offering any special show day deals?Yes, we will have a number of special show day offers.

Which key products will you be showcasing?For Studiomaster, the new Drive series of active and passive moulded cabinets; CLUB XS, a new range of compact mixers; and digiLiVE.For Carlsbro, the VAC15 C and an all-new addition to our electronic drum kit range. What’s the secret to getting the most out of MIRC?No secret; present yourselves in the right way, with the right attitude and the right products.

What do you hope to get out of the show?New customers, orders and ideas.

What’s the best thing about MIRC?Having so many people in one

And your least favourite thing?The hangover the following day. How has business been this year compared to last?So far, we are gaining ground and the new products are showing great potential for the rest of the year. Have you invited any particular dealers to the show this year?

STUDIOMASTER / CARLSBROShowcasing its latest products, Studiomaster and Carlsbro plan to attract new customers and will have a number of special show time deals on offer...

STAND CONTACTS:Simon Alexander, 07826 080702, [email protected]

Patrick Almond, 01908 281072, [email protected]

KEY BRANDS:Studiomaster, Carlsbro


SHOW PREVIEW

What will you be doing to capitalise on your day at MIRC?Connecting with dealers and distributors and displaying our handmade drums and services.

What can retailers expect from your stand?A demonstration of our new ranges and an insight into our drum industry services.

Will you be offering any special show day deals?We will be offering some great, exclusive deals and offers.

Which key products will you be showcasing?The new Jazz series/Bop series; Inlay series; and Cast Acrylic series.

What’s the secret to getting the most out of MIRC?

Connections and utilising the wealth of resource created under the MIRC community.

What do you hope to get out of the show?We are looking to grow and establish a stronger UK base.

What’s the best thing about MIRC?The resource, in terms of event speakers, with their wealth of knowledge/experience offered.

How has business been this year compared to last?Business has expanded and grown with new contracts won in new areas of the drum industry.

Have you invited any particular dealers to the show this year?Just Drumshack, so far.

LIBERTY DRUMSCustom drum manufacturer, Liberty Drums, will display its latest series of drum kits, whilst also showing attendees the services it provides...

STAND CONTACTS:Andrew Street: 07508 049001 [email protected]

Kevin Lodge: [email protected]

KEY BRANDS:Liberty Drums

Andrew Street (right) will be on the stand at the show.


SHOW PREVIEW

Ace Tech Training and Business Development Ltd, Huntingdon Business Centre, Blackstone Road, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6EF. Reg No. 08830653. VAT No. 180 9781 73

0345 544 [email protected]

www.acetechtraining.com

What will you be doing to capitalise on your day at MIRC?Hopefully spending most of the time speaking with attendees

businesses and how we can be of assistance.

What can retailers expect from your stand?A friendly welcome and detailed overview of how our services can be of help to attendees, from a company that understands the challenges of the MI industry.

Will you be offering any special show day deals?Yes, please come and see us on the stand for details.

Which key products will you be showcasing?Our comprehensive range of

services that help businesses increase sales, including Sales Talent Assessment, Sales and Marketing training and

CRM consultancy.

What’s the secret to getting the most out of MIRC?Having a passion for the MI industry, an open mind and engaging with as many fellow attendees as possible.

What do you hope to get out of the show?The opportunity to introduce our range of services and to catch up with faces old and new.

What’s the best thing about MIRC?That it exists - providing a great B2B forum for the MI retail and distribution industry with a positive balance of great new products, relaxed networking and helpful advice.

And your least favourite thing?Nothing to date.

How has business been this year compared to last?Sitting on local committees of both the Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses, we deal with a wide range of diverse organisations and are pleased this year to be starting to see much more consistent signs of positive growth beginning to show across

ACE TECHwill be at MIRC 2015 offering a range of services that help businesses increase sales...

STAND CONTACTS:Simon Atack, managing director,

07717 025 007

KEY BRANDS:Our own brand, Ace Tech Training

and Business Development Ltd, and

The Institute of Sales and Marketing

Management, which we represent as

a Recognised Training Centre.


SHOW PREVIEW

What will you be doing to capitalise on your day at MIRC? First and foremost we are going to be there to support the UK’s closest event that we have to an MI trade show. As Britain’s best selling acoustic guitar brand we feel it’s important to see existing Tanglewood dealers and also meet new ones looking to capitalise on a brand 100 per cent focused on supporting the industry.

What can retailers expect from your stand?We’ve taken a large room to display a wide selection of our product range, but we will also exclusively launch at MIRC new 2015 models never before seen in the UK.

Will you be offering any exclusive show-day deals?Yes!

Which key products will you be showcasing? The all-new Discovery guitars; Nashville V, Sundance Delta Historic, Tanglewood Crossroads Guitars. Exciting new models and great price points.

What’s the secret to getting the most out of MIRC?There is no secret. You have to be there to show your support to this industry at every opportunity. We are happy to dedicate time to help grow our business and spread the word as to how we can help in these testing times.

What do you hope to get out of the show? We hope to be able to tell our story of what Tanglewood is doing to help and be part of keeping a bricks and mortar music store in business.

We hope to reinforce our message to existing dealers and if there are one or two new ones that we don’t deal with we’d like to speak to them and let them know how we could help them, too.

What’s the best thing about MIRC?The ability to speak face-to-face in a relaxed environment and be positive about our brand, as well as to build

coming months of business.

And your least favourite thing?Packing all the product away!

How has business been this year compared to last?What business isn’t challenging in 2015? We consider ourselves very lucky that we can hold our heads up high and know we have a product that is popular, in demand and that we are genuinely trying to support stockists of the Tanglewood brand in every way possible.

TANGLEWOODThe British guitar brand is promising some exclusive UK MIRC launches and some special deals on the day…


SHOW PREVIEW

Positions subject to change

CHEQUERSCOURTYARDCOURT

YARD

VEHICLE ACCESS

CATALUNYAMAGNYCOURS

PEAVEY UK

NURBURGRING SUZUKA

MONZA

INDIANAPOLIS

HUNGORARINGHOCKENHEIM

LOUNGEYAMAHA & LINE 6

YAMAHA & LINE 6

BOARDROOM

S8

S9

S10

S11

S12

S1

S5

S6

S7

MONACOIMOLA

SHOWCASE

TO CONFERENCE

ENTRANCE &REGISTRATION

TO LUNCH & REGISTRATION

1

2

1

2

2

1

KORG

LIBERTY DRUMS

CASIO

ROSETTI

TANGLEWOODORGANISERS

OFFICE

ORGANISERSOFFICE

WHITTLEBURY HALL FLOORPLAN

SHOWCASE● Alfred Publishing● Red Chili Audio● Velta International● Stone Deaf FX● Temple/Robot Head Industries● ABRSM

PREMIUM PLATINUM● Yamaha/Line 6● Peavey UK● Casio

PLATINUM● Rosetti● Korg● Liberty Drums

GOLD● N1. Rotosound● N2. Studiomaster● SU1. Mirtas● SU2. MIA● M1. Gremlin● M2. Ace Tech● Tanglewood Lounge

SHOWCASEAs ever, we’ve got an eclectic array of Showcase Partners participating in this year’s show, all of which will be keen to connect with the dealer network and maybe even offer a few show-day deals...

LAST YEAR

RAFAEL RUIZ, PARTNER, BIRKETTS

LEGAL MATTERS


BRIBERY AND MONEY LAUNDERING The offences and self

reporting briberyPartner at legal specialist Birketts, Rafael Ruiz, continues his focus on legal matters in the MI industry. This month, he delves into bribery, providing some key insights into the subsequent punishments that can ensue as a result...


LEGAL MATTERS

MONEY LAUNDERING

IF BRIBERY OR MONEY LAUNDERING IS SUSPECTED, SHOULD YOU SELF REPORT?

This article provides a summary, and is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all developments in the law and practice, or to cover all aspects of those referred to. Readers should take legal advice before applying the

issues. Neither Birketts LLP or the author, accept any liability for any reliance placed on the contents of this article.

INTERVIEW

STEPPING ASIDE from the nu-metal scene, Limp Bizkit guitarist, Wes Borland, has recently joined Carré Callaway

Kwong. The four-piece grew from Callaway’s solo act - discovered by Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) - and have begun to make a name for themselves in the UK from their four-date tour in the capital, and return this summer to play some of the country’s biggest festivals.

With Callaway starting off as a solo singer/songwriter, and Borland being a part of many projects, what brought the two

“We met about a year ago now. Wes had remixed a song for me,” Callaway explains.

“We knew each other through Trent (Reznor),” adds Borland.

Callaway continues: “We knew of each other, but we had never actually met. But when we did

both creative, wacky people and got along.

“When I began recording, Wes had heard the material and I needed to form a band. So I asked him and he was happy to help. So I

got lucky.”Renowned for the distinct

tone and use of effects created throughout his many projects, Borland is often questioned as to what gear he uses to produce such

to the electric guitar, what gear

“This will be a short list for me,” she notes. “I’ve got quite a unique guitar. It’s a semi-hollow Gibson

135. They only made a limited run of of that model, as they had really shitty pickups, which made it sound terrible, so they stopped making them. But when I picked one up, I loved it! Although, mine has custom Lollar P90 pickups, not the stock ones.

“I love hollow bodies. When we were still just a three-piece and I was the only guitarist, the hollow body helped to create a lot of noise and feedback.

“I’ve gone through quite an

array of effects pedals, from boutique to the more standard Boss. I always end up going back to Boss. This is purely because they’re just so reliable and they don’t break every ten seconds.

“I was playing with around ten pedals, but now I only use around

things, and prefer to just use delays and an overdrive.

“When it comes to amps and

speakers, I use a really shitty four speaker cab. But only two of the speakers work.”

“They do work now, she just had them on the wrong ohms,” Borland interjects.

“Anyway, I use an Orange Rockerverb 50 head,” Callaway continues. “But we’re not using Orange tonight. Wes is with EVH and they supplied us with a whole load of stuff.

“And now Wes, he uses a whole bunch of gear!”

using Bilt guitars,” Borland says. “Bilt are a company from Iowa, they do Starcaster/Jaguar hybrid models, with a bunch of effects built in.

“However, I didn’t really want to take one of these on the road, so I got one of the new Chinese Starcasters that Fender have just reissued. I’m an artist with Fender Jackson, so I’ve also got a black top Fender Jazzmaster.

“I upgrade my guitars heavily with Mastery bridges and tremolos, along with Lollar wide-range humbucker pickups. And there’s a single coil pickup on the Jazzmaster on a separate volume that I can bring in and out. But I decided to keep the stock neck pickup on the Jazzmaster.

“On my pedal board, most of my delays are coming from a Strymon Timeline and a Strymon Big Sky. I’ve also got a Boss Reverb Delay, a DD-3 delay that I use for different things and a Cry Baby Wah.

“I’ve just been using one channel and I’m currently using a Ernie Ball volume pedal to change from clean to distortion.”

All hailthe Queen

“I love hollow-bodied guitars. When we were still a three-piece, they helped to create a lot of noise and feedback.”

Consisting of members from Limp Bizkit and Marilyn Manson, LA rockers Queen Kwong have begun to draw some attention from their charismatic live performances and raw sound.

Rhys Troake caught up with the band’s singer, Carré Callaway, and guitarist, Wes Borland, to talk gear, the band’s formation, and how things began for them as musicians…

later into the project, Borland had to adapt his gear to the band’s existing sound. How was this

“Well, since I came into this project, not having written any of the songs, I listened to some of the past material, and as she was making the record I was getting familiar with some of the new songs, and the way Joe Cardamone, from The Icarus Line, plays guitar. He plays guitar on the record.

“So I just built everything listening to that and then put together a rig that covered all of my bases.”

With both Callaway and Borland having begun their careers on different paths, how did they each start their journey and take up the

“My dad had an acoustic guitar that I used to horse around with when I was a kid,” Borland states.

guitar, it just had such a different feeling. How heavy it was, how many knobs it had on it, it just felt so different from my dad’s acoustic. Which was immediately not cool. I just wanted to play

electric guitar.“So, I mowed lawns and bought

an eighty dollar guitar and a Gorilla amp and started to play ‘Pipeline’ and ‘Wipeout’. Then I got into stuff like Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag and The

Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All that was it; I began to play riffs.”

Calloway took on a slightly

different learning process. “I can’t really remember

learning too well,” she says. “When I was 13 I started writing lyrics and was I was like ‘Well if I’m going to write lyrics, I should learn to sing and deliver them’. So I had this creepy guitar teacher - I won’t say his name, even though I really want to - and he taught me

how to play acoustic guitar. From then on people just seemed to give me guitars and I started playing open-mic nights, playing folk

Denver, Colorado, so if you were a girl playing music, that’s what you did.

guitar when I opened for Nine Inch Nails. They were like, ‘You

can’t play acoustic guitar if you’re opening for Nine Inch Nails!’ So I was handed a red Les Paul, and I hate Les Pauls. I still have a knot in my shoulder from that one, ten years later!

“And from there, I just taught myself, really. I have messed up chords sequences. I don’t form chords correctly, or ‘by the book.’

“Yeah, she plays power chords backwards,” Borland remarks.

With Borland having saved his hard earned cash to purchase

retailer, do the pair still believe there is still a place for bricks and

“We think they are a key thing to have,” adds Callaway. “But that doesn’t mean the general public think they are important anymore. Music has been devalued. It isn’t seen by the current generation in the same way we saw it.

“Technology, like the Internet, has helped with certain things a little, but it has also devalued it.

“People are no longer saving up their money and going into their local stores and getting excited about physically buying products any more.

“They are important, but it’s not too hopeful they will stay around… or music in general, for that matter.”

“There’s no carrot any more,” Borland concludes. “There’s no reason to make music for a living any more.”

“Of course we think high street stores are still a key thing to have, but that doesn’t mean the general public think they are important anymore. Music isn’t seen by the current generation in the same way we saw it.”

Left to right: Carré Callaway; Wes Borland

Pic

© Ja

mes

Mar

inos

P49

Mystery shopper P50

New gear P54 RETAIL

FIVE SECOND FACTS

The magic numbers in MI that caught our eye this month...

4 Strings and Things adds four new brands to its percussion line-up 17 The annual MIRC

show is just around the corner, taking place on June 17th

A hand-made Eve Elite guitar, worth over two thousand pounds, has been stolen from Red Dog Music2k Making Music has

kicked off its Grade One Challenge as part of a collaboration with BBC Get Creative

Sheehan’s dropsorchestral lines

BY DANIEL GUMBLE

LEICESTER-BASED retailer, Sheehan’s, has announced a number of major changes to its business

away from the orchestral market in order to focus its efforts on guitars, amps, drums and keys.

The shift in focus for Sheehan’s

follows a sustained period of

growing in the more mainstream sector of the market. Meanwhile,

declined, forcing the company to reassess its offering.

Speaking to MI Pro, Sheehan’s managing director Richard

growth with guitars, keys, drums

department. Cuts in local authority funding has meant less people are

the opportunity to play within

new focus will allow the store to establish a stronger presence in the

crisis for some years; trying to market two sectors is extremely

importance of clarity when trying to set out your proposition to the

Sheehan’s has built an in-store stage

focus will be on store experience

Thompson. “The industry is full of sound bites around these subjects, but the real success is how well they are implemented and to what extent.

stage, which we use for in-store clinics, demonstrations and anything we come across for performances.

are raising the roof (literally) to

the coffee area and bringing the

“Cuts in local authority funding has meant less people are playing orchestral instruments.”

Sheehan’s has built an in-store stage to host an array of live events

1

The retailer will now focus its efforts solely on guitar,


A STRAW poll of retailers in the industry would suggest that up to 100 per cent of our marketing budgets are spent on AdWords, with some touting monthly budgets in the tens of thousands of pounds.

The reason for this is that AdWords offers advertisers the Holy Grail: Access to potential customers who are searching for exactly what they are selling. So, for example, if someone searches for ‘buy Fender three-colour sunburst widget’, their product page can appear at the top of the page with promises of free delivery and outstanding customer service. What’s more, retailers can decide how much they’re willing to pay for a click and how much they want to spend each day. They can even track exactly how customers have come to their site and measure a precise return on investment. Amazing!

The marketing industry has been turned on its head; traditional print advertising vehicles have folded, and we all walk into a happy Google utopia where we never waste any money ever again.

An old school marketer once said: “I know half my marketing budget is wasted, I just don’t know which half.” No more! We can track every penny spent.

The reality is, however, very different. As MI retailers – and most marketing agencies - are (on the whole) not mathematicians, they don’t know how to work out how much they should be bidding for a given keyword, so they bid more

and more to be at the top spot, until there’s actually no point being on the top

made on the subsequent sale has been wiped out by the amount of money now jingling about in Mr Google’s very large pockets.

To clarify; in a competitive market place, the bidding system means that the cost of an ad is as high as it can be for any given keyword.

What does this mean? It means that, given all bidding parties are intelligent agents (spoiler alert, they’re not), the price of a sale will naturally

on that sale and no-one (except for Google) will

For example; Andrew bids £2 to make a £5 return

to make the same return

is making a return at all, or at least the return is so minimal as to not be worth the effort. This is

agents. If they’re not, it’s highly likely that they’ll bid more than their return (e.g. a bid of £6 for a £5 return leading to a loss of £1). In a real world situation where you can multiply

these three agents by 100s, there is enough stupidity and general noise in the bidding that this is bound to happen.

Result? For your bid to succeed, you have to bid so much that it’s not worth

entire MI industry is being transferred to Mr Google’s aforementioned pockets, and we’re all much the poorer for it.

So, don’t bid on AdWords and spend your marketing money on something else. Aside from saving some money, it’ll be much more fun and you can sit around smoking and drinking whiskey as if it’s the 1960s.

Why businesses could be spending too much on Google Adwords...

“Don’t bid on AdWords; spend your marketing money on something else. You will save yourself some cash.”

SECRET DEALERTH

ERETAIL


Google AdWords: Useful marketing tool or waste of money?

A BRIGHTER FUTURE.TOGETHER.

Yamaha Classic Division

Join us at MIRC and meet with the Classic Division Team to find out how we can help grow your future business with a full range of great offers and powerful promotional programs - only from Yamaha.

RETAIL ESSENTIALSMI PRO

Boomwhackers are brightly coloured, tuned musical tubes that have won a number of

awards, including a Best 25 Toys of 25 Years award from Parents’ Choice. Each person holds one or two of these tuned percussion tubes and whacks them against their arm, thigh or any hard surface to produce the sound. Boomwhackers are designed to help get children interested in music making and are used by music teachers around the world, as well as a number of professional musicians. They can also be used for a variety of applications, such as team building, music therapy and more.

The Boomwhackers Power Pack (BWPP £26.99)

the mass recreational music making market.

The Power Pack includes an eight-note diatonic set of tuned percussion tubes, two patented Octavator

to a Boomwhacker tube, lower its note by an octave), the Whack Tracks audio CD and a special DVD, with an exclusive interview and performance footage of Plastik Musik, the world’s premier Boomwhacker performance group.

Created for tween, teen and adult musicians, and packaged in a full colour display box, the Power Pack is suitable for a number of activities, including recreational music making, senior music health and wellness therapy, creative music composition and choreographed dance or movement performances.

Boomwhackers are used and endorsed by Dame Evelyn Glennie.

ContactsAddress: John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd, Salem House, Parkinson Approach, Garforth, Leeds LS25 2HR, United KingdomTelephone: 0113 2865 381Email: www.jhs.co.uk

The company’s Power Packs come complete with a eight-note diatonic set of tuned percussion tubes

BOOMWHACKERS POWER PACK

ALSO IN THE RANGE:


BWPP POWER PACK £26.99BWPG C MAJOR PENTATONIC SCALE SET £14.29BWDG C MAJOR DIATONIC SCALE SET £18.29BWKG BASS CHROMATICS SET £24.29BWJG BASS DIATONIC SET £29.49BWCG CHROMATICS SET £12.29BWEG TREBLE EXTENSION SET £11.29BPXS BOOMOPHONE XTS WHACK PACK £43.99



FACTS & FIGURES

RRP: £273.90 inc VATModel name: CSD525Model type: Digital Drum KitMain Features: • Compact kit. Portable space saving kit when in storage mode comprising foldable three-legged drum rack• Comprehensive sound module• 1 x 2” bass pad with bass kick pedal • 1 x 7.5” dual-zone snare pad• 3 x 7.5” single-zone tom pads • 1 x 10” single-zone hi-hat cymbal pad • 1x10” single-zone crash cymbal pad with choke • 1 x 10” single-zone ride cymbal pad with choke • 1 x hi-hat controller pedal

The CD by Carlsbro range of digital drum kits has established itself

market since the launch of the CSD501, which is now followed by this model - the CSD525. The range has been a great success for Carlsbro

the country, surprising some with its quality and key features, which are more commonly associated with digital drum kits at higher price points.

The CSD525 kit is a smaller variant to the CSD501 and comes at an RRP of £273.90.

In addition to the competitive price point, the CSD525 is a space saving, highly portable kit that can fold down to ensure it doesn’t take over any room when not in use.

Features include a sound module that contains 20 pre-set kits with empty banks for

drum kits to be compiled from the 250 on-board percussion voices. The user can add reverb, adjust sensitivity and cross talk and can play along with either the 20 contained demo songs or can connect an MP3/CD player and play along with their favourite tracks.

ContactsAddress: Carlsbro, Unit 11, Torc:MK, Chippenham Drive, Milton Keynes, MK10 0BZTelephone: 01908 281072Web: www.carlsbro.comEmail: [email protected]

CARLSBRO CSD525 DIGITAL DRUM KIT

ALSO IN THE RANGE:

CSD501 FULL-SIZE DIGITAL DRUM KIT RRP £361.90 INC VAT

FACTS & FIGURES

RRP: Three-piece £1,299, four-piece £1,599

Shell material: 100 per cent Premium Finnish Birch Shell construction – nine ply toms (6mm), 12 ply bass drum (8mm) Bearing edge: Opex (50 per cent rounded outer with 45° inner)

Finishes Lacquer Solids/Sparkles, Satin Oils and Inlays

Shell hardware: Liberty Chrome hardware, including snare mounted tom, die cast Liberty lugs, hard wearing chrome kick spurs, George Way snare throw

Drum hoops: Chrome

Drum heads: EQ2 Kick batter, EQ3 smooth white reso, J1 Etched tom/snare heads, G1 tom resos, Hazy 300 snare side

Badge: Liberty

The Liberty Drums Jazz Series is described by the company as a ‘statement

of craftsmanship with the injection of vintage’. The Liberty ‘Opex’ bearing edge design is aimed at creating a classic, vintage

increased head-to-shell contact, while a sensitive snare design is intended to capture ‘whispery’ strokes.

New to the Liberty Drums Jazz Series is the Liquid Pearl model, featuring a Liquid Pearl wrap fully bonded to the shell in order to maximise resonance.

With regard to the shells,

birch is applied by hand

cross laminated formation. This process is intended to provide enhanced strength and deliver maximum diversity in tonal range

Liberty Chrome hardware also features throughout, including snare mounted tom, die cast Liberty lugs, hard-wearing chrome kick spurs and a George Way snare throw.

All Liberty Drum kits are made in Shildon, County Durham, England.

Contacts

Address: Liberty Drums, Unit 3, Dabble Duck Industrial Estate, Shildon, County Durham, DL4 2RATelephone: +44 8450 090672Web: www.libertydrums.com

The Liberty Drum Jazz Series is designed to create a classic, vintage sound with its increased head-to-shell contact

LIBERTY DRUMSJAZZ SERIES LIQUID PEARL

ALSO IN THE RANGE:FUSION SERIES (WHISKEY MODEL WITH BOX INLAY) £2,479CAST ACRYLIC SERIES FROM £959AVANT SERIES FROM £1,173





The Bodhrán (pronounced bow-rahn) is the traditional Irish Drum. Made from

a round wooden frame with an animal skin stretched across it, the Bodhrán is the heartbeat of Irish traditional music and is a hugely popular choice.

Capable of surprisingly complicated rhythms, when played well, the Bodhrán can really lift any performance,

You don’t need to be able to read music to play; anyone can get him or herself a Bodhrán and soon after be able to join in with the music.

The Glenluce Tuneable Bodhrán, available with 14”, 16” or 18” rim, is a suitable starter drum at a competitive price with a single adjustable strut and 3.5inch deep rim.

The advantage of a tunable drum is that you can compensate for changes in the tension of the skin due to temperature and humidity.

Retailing from £52, this range of Bodhráns has proved extremely popular, and - says Gremlin - is an easy sell to Irish music enthusiasts.

ContactsAddress: Gremlin Music Unit A, Easting Close Worthing West Sussex, BN14 8HQ Telephone: 01903 203044 Web: www.gremlinmusic.co.uk

A traditional Irish percussion instrument, the Bodhrán is a highly popular drum amongst folk musicians

GREMLIN BODHRÁN

FACTS & FIGURES

Single adjustable strutRim: 3.5inch deepHead: Goatskin headBeater (tipper): IncludedThe tuning rim allows you to optimise tone for humidity conditions.Appearance: Traditional look and constructionWeight: 2.00 kg (approx)Made in: PakistanModel Number: KILKEERRP: £52



FACTS & FIGURES

Suggested retail price: £225Body: Solid body, transparent polycarbonate shellHead: High-tension, waterproof playing headTuning: Bolt-tunedDrum height: 17¼”Head size: 8½”Limited edition: Black shell model due later in the yearAccessories: Supplied with a waterproof neoprene bag

Revolutionary materials, Italian design and innovative manufacturing

processes have resulted in the creation of an instrument that aims to deliver an all-new sound, says Italian company Wambooka. The Wambooka, by the company of the same name, is a new concept in musical percussion, which is designed to harness the properties of water movement in a one-piece, solid body drum.

The Wambooka can be played dry like a regular Darbuka or, turned over, the waterproof shell can

water to open up a world of percussive possibilities.

The Wambooka has a stronger tension to play with water and the special head is harder than a normal drum. Whereas the normal tuning tension for a Djembe or standard Darbuka is 89.5 units, the Wambooka is slightly higher at 92.5.

Playing technique differs slightly, also. To acheive maximum sonic output from the Wambooka, the player touches the head beneath the water line, and on the body the drum is played 10cm under the edge and at the level of the bodyline.

Between the line and the elbow players can play with

to produce additional sound effects.

This innovative new instrument is aimed at ‘introducing new sounds and rhythms to music’.

THE WAMBOOKA FROM WAMBOOKA

ContactsAddress: SVM Percussion, Unit 6, Victoria Mills, Fowke Street, Rothley, Leicester, LE7 7PJTelephone: 0116 2304926Web: www.soarvalleymusic.co.ukEmail: [email protected]

RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD

Adam MastersSouth City Music

Mark HedgeCookes Band Instruments

Nick DurantAllegro Music

Chris JonesCoda Music

Dave PasseraWembley Drum Center

Andy BushellMake Some Noise

Alex MartenRed Dog Music

Simon GilsonPMT

How do you resuscitate a dead sausage?

I know there’s a lot of nostalgia associated with Frankfurt, but I have failed to see its validity for some years.

Apart from always disputing its location, years ago, before more cost effective travel and all the changes technology has made to our everyday business lives, I could see the point of a European show. Now I see no point to it at all.

NAMM brings the whole

world together in a way that Messe never did and never will.

I do believe that there is a genuine advantage to seeing important contacts and partners at one time and place, but with all the ways we can now communicate, once a year is good enough.

The cost to manufacturers combined with the cost for

I think the answer is pretty straightforward. I can’t see myself

attending next year’s show, which is a shame, having been to Frankfurt

It can be frustrating when you’re trying to have a conversation with someone; taking a look at a product; trying to move around the

halls quickly; even now, with trade and some public in the mix.

With the place full of the general public (who are certainly not going

the whole thing an extremely unattractive proposition.

From a supplier’s point of view, I’d also have thought a stand geared up to the public is very different to a stand for the trade, in terms of presentation, staff numbers to run the stand, and the activities required on the stand itself.

All in all, not for me.

Q

Musikmesse 2016 will be open to the general public for the full four days

Rupert BradburyJG Windows

OUR PANEL OF RETAIL ADVISORS...

How will the changes to next year’s Musikmesse impact upon the trade element of the show?

“Making the show totally open will be the beginning of an overdue end.”


the dealers, to me, is a waste of money the industry can’t afford.

By all accounts, this year’s show was even more lacklustre. With key exhibitors choosing to leave it as surplus to requirements, it’s no surprise that the organisers are trying anything to maintain the cash cow of yesteryear.

In my view, making the show totally open will be the beginning of an overdue end. The show has been in decline for many years.

Richard ThompsonSheehan’s

Adrian BamfordNeath Music

Mike DevereuxNevada Music

Rupert BradburyJG Windows

Simon GilsonPMT

Dave BamfordSymphony Music

The new Musikmesse platform could prove challenging for a number of MI businesses

NEXT MONTH

Do you have a question that you would like to pose to thee MI Pro Retail Advisory Board? If so, please contact Daniel Gumble by email on [email protected] or on 01992 535646.

RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD

Dave Passera Wembley Drum Centre

My gut feel about the changes to Musikmesse 2016, is that they are a

bad thing. The trade needs to be able to

have plenty of time and attention from suppliers in a controlled environment, with as little distraction as possible, to be able to carry out relevant business.

Retail consumer distraction is sure to negatively impact the quality of the experience of the show, and may even hinder any

business oppotunities. I guess we will have to see the

true impact when we attend next year’s show and take a view from then and there.

I will probably be attending the show and then decide whether or not to attend future shows.

This will now reinforce NAMM’s relevance for European trade partners, and I’m sure many companies will switch back to visiting the NAMM show instead of Messe.

Mike PodestaCranes Music

I beleive that the trade element of the show will suffer greatly.

Having the time and space to study the products on display with the assistance of a company representative is an essential aspect of the show for me. Meeting rooms have their place at shows, but I personally like to discuss and try the gear set up on the stand.

I have worked a trade stand on public days many times in the past and it can be a chaotic environment. It’s no place to

Mike PodestaCranes Music


discuss serious business with a company buyer. It is very frustrating when you lose an opportunity to speak to an important potential customer, while preventing

with your guitars.Showcasing equipment to the

end-user is very important for the future of our industry, and I think the provision for this, with set public days in the past, worked well.This new format for the show would certainly make me think twice about attending next year.

ADVERTISE YOUR JOB IN THE INDUSTRY’S MOST RESPECTED TRADE MONTHLY

LOOKING FORNEW STAFF?

FOR EVERYONE IN THE MI BUSINESS | ISSUE 166 | MARCH 2014FOR EVERYONE IN THE MI BUSINESS | ISSUE 172 | SEPTEMBER 2014

To make a booking, please [email protected] call +44 (0) 207 226 7246

BIRMINGHAM’S only drum specialist, B_Drum, focuses on supplying drummers with much-needed accessories, rather than being a display room for eye-catching drum kits.

Using his knowledge from working in both an independent and a large chain of MI stores, owner Damon Cox decided to open a shop that he felt drummers like himself would want to shop in.

“The business began back in 2013,” he states. “Previously, I’ve worked at PMT and Fair Deal, and really enjoyed my time at both for different reasons. As well, I was able to see from an unbiased perspective what they were doing right and wrong. Not that I’m trashing them at all, it was more that I felt the accessories side of things seemed to get ignored, especially here in Birmingham. It meant a lot of local drummers were buying online and not from their local stores.

“So, our mission was to have things like Vic Firth 5As and Remo Ambassadors

in stock at all times, rather than having a showroom full of kits. Realistically, drummers only buy one or two kits in a lifetime, but they re-skin their drums all the time. So, it was basically meant to be a different shopping experience, something one-to-one.”

Putting his skills as a drummer to use, Cox also offers other services.

“I enjoy showing people how to tune drums. I don’t do many repairs; my services revolve around re-skinning drums. It’s not easy to do, so it’s a good service to offer.

“I also sell second-hand gear for people, then take a commission at the end, and we have also started to offer drum lessons. But my main

heads. Not many shops have time to. So, as I don’t have loads of customers constantly in the store, I’ll spend as much time as a customer needs to make

if its something simple like tweaking a snare drum, I may even do it free of charge, especially if they are

a new customer.B_Drum recently

launched a brand new website, allowing customers to buy online.

“The website has just gone live, so I’m waiting for that to kick in. Anyone can buy off of Amazon or Vic Firth’s at almost trade price, but behind that screen is someone who isn’t passionate about the instruments. When people come in I like to think they go away thinking ‘Wow! This guy knows what he’s talking about and cares what I have to say.’

“Even though the online store is a necessity, and I wish I had done it earlier, I still truly believe having a physical store is the most important thing. One of the main reasons I started this was because Birmingham doesn’t have a dedicated

drum store. Looking back

Birmingham Drum Centre, and Fair Deal used to do a bit more with drums, but currently I am the only specialist.”

The store shares its premises with a recording studio, Muthers Studio, which keeps new customers coming through the door.

“I really bought into what the studio is about the minute I walked in. The shop I have in there used to be my lockup for all my band’s gear, so I’ve been using it a good few years. So when I thought about opening shop, I thought ‘where better?’

“The owners are striving to make this a one stop place for everything. We have the lockups, three hourly rooms, a couple of recording engineers and a live venue. Any day, 20 or more drummers could come in and they come in on a regular basis. The great part is customers can come in, buy something and then grab a coffee, or a beer, and hang out with other musicians.

Address: B_Drum, Muthers Studio, 14 Rea Street, Birmingham B5 6LB Telephone: +44 (0) 75250 18403

With a host of MI stores peppering its high streets, Birmingham, it seems, must be a competitive city Rhys Troake caught up with B_Drum’s Damon Cox to see

how the business has adopted alternative approaches to become the go-to drum store for the city...

“Even though the online store is a necessity, I truly believe having a physical store is the most important thing.”


RETAIL PROFILE

B_Drum, Birmingham

YORKSHIRE SALES This month, our man of mystery heads north to see what Leeds has

PMT

MUSICROOM

MYSTERY SHOPPER

AFTER A

and sizes, and the members of staff

RETURNING TO

way to assist me and find out what it

50 MIPRO JUNE 2015

RATING 5/5

RATING 4/5

The city of Leeds is home to a particularly diverse assortment of

MI dealerships.

CONCLUSION

MYSTERY SHOPPER

THE FIRST

the members of staff were

JUNE 2015 MIPRO 51

HOBGOBLINARRIVING AT

RATING 5/5

BIG DEAL

LOCATED ACROSS the road from

RATING 3/5

HAND

MADE

Ashburyguitars.com

Twenty years of acoustic excellence

Ashbury have developed many new lines at their luthiery workshop in Vietnam.These hand crafted instruments have been brought to life by concert guitaritst andfactory manager John Jiang in consultation with Ashbury's British designers.

Phil Davidson is a well established and highly experienced luthier, Ashbury’s Pete McClelland and Chris Rudd are also invloved in the design process.

All three are experienced mandolinists and frets players.

Time for MIRCMIRC 2015 is on the horizon and this year’s show is promising a diverse range of products and offerings that dealers will not want to miss out on. The morning conference boasts an impressive speaker line-up, including Simon Gilson, co-owner of PMT as our keynote speaker, but it is the afternoon expo where dealers attending the show can get down to business and network with the exhibiting manufacturers and suppliers. In addition to the array of products on show, a raft of exclusive show-day deals will also be available throughout the event. An element of the expo that catches my eye this year is the amount of guitar and amp products to be showcased. With Yamaha placing emphasis on Line

6 and Barnes & Mullins presenting Peavey, there will be plenty on offer for those in the rock ‘n’ roll market. As well, Rossetti

is to display products from Rickenbacker, Hagstrom and Seymour Duncan, which are bound to grab the attention of dealers. Meanwhile, Korg will be offering a sneak preview of some new Vox amps, not to mention lines from the Takamine brand. Elsewhere, Liberty Drums will be showing off some of its latest drum kits, including the Jazz Series; Carlsbro will be displaying models from its electronic drum kit range, while Studiomaster is set to display its latest digital mixer, digiLive; and Ace Tech will be discussing its range of services to help businesses to increase sales. So there will be more than just instruments on offer at the show. With so much on offer, MIRC is an event dealers, frankly, would be foolish to miss out on. It may be a

will reap from attending, and the fact it is completely free, there is nothing to lose and all to gain.

“With so much on offer, MIRC is an event dealers would be foolish to miss.”


GEARnew

Mackie has introduced the ProFXv2 Series of effects mixers

PAGE 54

Tanglewood has unveiled its latest Super Folk Cutaway guitar

PAGE 54 COMMENT

RHYS TROAKE, STAFF [email protected]

TC Electronic adds the Ditto Stereo Looper to its line of looper pedals

PAGE 55

1. 2.Tanglewood Nashville V TN5 SFCE

4. Mackie ProFXv2 Series

3. Odyssey Symphonique C

RRP: £349.95Tanglewood has unveiled the new Nashville V TN5 SFCE guitar.

SPECIFICATIONS: The TN5 SFCE Super Folk Cutaway guitar from Tanglewood features a solid spruce top with African mahogany back and sides. The neck is made from

bridge are made from rosewood. The model comes equipped with

Bronze 12-53 gauge strings, along with the Tanglewood TEQ-3BT EQ.

The new Nashville guitar also comes complete with a deluxe hardcase as standard.

Also in the Nashville V range is: The TN5 D CE Dreadnought cutaway; the TN5 F Orchestra/Folk model; and the TN5 SFCE AV.www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk

RRP: £449Odyssey has launched the

(OFL7000).

SPECIFICATIONS: The new Symphonique C Flute from Odyssey

cupronickel body.

holes, along with French-style keys, with Split-E mechanism and offset G, making it easy to play, whilst offering a professional action.

Odyssey’s OFL7000 comes supplied with a leatherette covered wooden hard shell case, along with padded carry bag, to help protect it when on the move or in storage. A

included.www.jhs.co.uk

RRP: TBCMackie has introduced the ProFXv2 Serie of professional effects mixers.

SPECIFICATIONS: The ProFXv2 series features a new preamp design and new effects engine, engineered to deliver unparalleled sonic performance for live sound applications. Introduced into the series are the four-channel ProFX4v2, the 30-channel ProFX30v2, along

versions. And, to achieve optimum sonic performance, Mackie has also designed the new Vita preamp.

Also contributing to the mixers’ sonic performance is the new ReadyFX effects engine, designed for the intensive processing of the high-quality audio signals. www.polaraudio.co.uk

RRP: From £1,299Liberty Drums has launched its new

SPECIFICATIONS: The Liberty ‘Opex’ bearing edge design has been specially engineered to create a classic vintage sound with increased head-to-shell contact.

The shell material is 100 per cent premium Finnish Birch and is

the toms and 12 plies (8mm) for the bass drum.

Kick batter, EQ3 smooth white reso and J1 Etched tom/snare heads, with G1 tom resos and Hazy 300 snare side drum.

The Jazz Series is available in a three or four-piece shell pack.www.libertydrums.com

Liberty Drums Liquid Pearl jazz kit

1

5

2

PRODUCTS

NEW GEAR54 MIPRO JUNE 2015 WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK

6

5. Samson RTE 2 Bluetooth headphones

Studiomaster digiLive

7. AKG C314 condenser microphone

8. TC Electronic Ditto Stereo Looper

RRP: £120Samson has lifted the lid on its new RTE 2 Bluetooth headphones.

SPECIFICATIONS: Designed to deliver immersive, studio-quality audio, the RTE 2 headphones pair with Bluetooth-compatible devices to wirelessly stream audio 30 inches from the source.

The right earpiece acts as a control panel, allowing the user to adjust volume, skip through tracks and pause music. The headphones also feature an integrated microphone and receive/end call button, so you can take calls from your phone.

The RTE 2s also come equipped with a rechargeable battery and a 3.5mm input for connecting directly to your audio source.www.korg.com

RRP: TBCStudiomaster has unveiled the digiLive micro mixer.

SPECIFICATIONS: The combination of fader, switch and touchscreen operation is designed to enable capabilities and features that would normally require a larger physical control surface. Tablet operation

position and remote functionality. In FOH position, a tablet provides an additional graphical interface for enhanced metering and other channel functions.

The digiLive features unique and proprietary mix algorithms for EQ, dynamics and FX powered by fourth generation SHARC DSPs. Mic and line inputs are fully 24bit A to D. www.studiomaster.com

RRP: TBCAKG has launched the C314 dual-diaphragm condenser microphone.

SPECIFICATIONS: The C314 offers

frequency response and neutral sound, suitable for home use and professional studio applications.

The mic features a dual-diaphragm capsule with four selectable polar patterns. Each of the diaphragms is matched to guarantee the highest polar pattern accuracy.

An integrated capsule suspension reduces mechanical noise and resonances, while a double-mesh, all-metal grille protects the capsule.

The mic includes a rugged carrying case, windscreen, spider suspension mount and stand adapter. www.soundtech.co.uk

RRP: £95TC Electronic has introduced the latest in its line of Looper pedals, the Ditto Stereo Looper.

SPECIFICATIONS: The Ditto Stereo Looper is designed to combine similar qualities of the original Ditto Looper with optimum stereo I/O functionality, the ability to run a 9v battery and the loop import/export feature.The looper pedal allows performers to use a raft of loops from TC Electronic’s StarJam catalogue, created by the likes of John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert and Guthrie Govan.www.tcgroup.tc

3

PRODUCTS

4

8


7

HK Audio provides sound reinforcement at the London Marathon, Rotosound’s Jason How releases a new album and Sean Montgomery is the subject of our musical history tour...

BACKLINEMarathon mission

Hey, Mr Tuba Man…

THIS YEAR’S London Marathon saw Herts-based Mr H Productions deploy HK Audio’s Contour Array system to provide sound reinforcement and entertainment at two points on the 26-mile circuit.

“Every year seems to get better; we are placed at the half way mark, and entertain the cheering crowds as

well as the participating runners,” said Mr H Productions Creative Founder, Andrew J Harvey. “ The system performed effortlessly, with headroom to spare. At one point, when we had the far-off runners approaching doing the YMCA, we knew that the system was throwing well beyond our greatest expectations!”

It’s hard to imagine a more unwieldy busking tool than a tuba, but that didn’t stop this plucky chap from whipping out his brass and entertaining Londoners with a few oompah classics whilst waiting at a bus stop.

Have you seen any similarly unusual street performers demonstrating their musical tekkers? If so, follow this reader’s lead and send your snaps to [email protected].

A MONTH IN THE WORLD OF MI


SEND US STUFF

ROTOSOUND CEO, Jason How, has released a brand new album titled Speedboat on a Magic Sea. It’s barely left the turntables here at MI Pro towers, so we strongly urge you all to seek out a copy forthwith. It really is rather good.

>> THIS STUFF DOESN’T come out of thin air, you know. We make most of it up, to be honest. But we would like our lovely readers to get involved. Email: [email protected]


What do you play?Classical organ is my main thing, but I also play piano and synths. Any good?Not bad, for a classical musician. I would love to be able to properly improvise in a much wider range of genres, rather than faking it. Preferred musical style?I like pretty much any type of music, as long as it is good. Are you gigging right now?I try to keep my organ playing up by playing the odd recital here and there, but that’s about it. What bands have you been in?I was in a dodgy college band called Special FX. I currently play for the ‘70s prog rock band The Enid.

Have you ever troubled the charts at all?That would be nice... What has been your greatest success?Being able to combine my passion for music as both a hobby and a career. Best/biggest gig ever played?A gig in 2011 with The Enid and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at Birmingham Symphony Hall. Ever played with anyone else in the industry?Mark Mumford (MD of Hal Leonard Europe).

Worst gig ever played?Being literally thrown out of Take That’s Circus Tour dress rehearsal at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, following a misunderstanding with the band’s management.

Roll up, roll up to discover the musical chops of those in and around the industry. Dodgy

with the outer reaches of the chart? They’re all out there…

Sean Montgomery, Piano & Accordion Product Manager Roland Europe Group

New JasonHow album

OUT NOW

Also on the way...

FEATURES LISTUPCOMING

Enquiries to: MI Pro, NewBay Media, Saxon House 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1JA.

Tel: 01992 535646 (Editorial) Tel: 01992 535647 (Advertising) Fax: 01992 535648

MIPRO is a member of the PPA

ISSN 1750-4198

Copyright © 2015 NewBay MediaPrinted by Pensord, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, NP12 2YA

The international monthly magazine for music instrument professionals and everyone in the MI business

MI Pro has a monthly circulation of well over 6,000. It is distributed in the UK and internationally to MI retailers, industry professionals and carefully selected pro audio executives and resellers.

UK: £50 Europe: £60 Rest of World: £90

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Enquiries: [email protected]: 01580 883 848

Charges cover 12 issues

MI PRO is published 12 times a yearEditorDaniel [email protected]

Staff WriterRhys [email protected]

Account ManagerKarma [email protected]

Head of Design and ProductionKelly Sambridge [email protected]

Production ExecutiveJames [email protected]

Commercial DirectorDarrell [email protected]

Marketing & CirculationCurwood [email protected]

© NewBay Media 2015All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The contents of MiPro are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems. Printed by Pensord, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, NP12 2YA

FORWARD FEATURES


DJ AND ELECTROOur special focus feature takes a look at how the DJ and electro market is performing.

September 2015

MI Pro once again celebrates the work and career of one of the musical industry’s most

MI and pro audio specialist, Fritz Sennheiser.

MI PIONEERS: JIM MARSHALL

legend, Jim Marshall.

The features you need to look out for in the July/August and September issues of MI Pro

MI PRO RETAIL ESSENTIALS: ACOUSTICSOUR July/August Retail Essentials feature focuses on the acoustics market. As ever, we will be shining a light on models of all shapes, sizes and price ranges, from established classics to recently released lines.

For more information and to get involved with this special feature, please contact Karma Bertelsen on [email protected] or 020 7226 7246.

WORLD FAMOUS MUSIC STRINGSWWW.ROTOSOUND.COM FACEBOOK.COM/ROTOSOUND TWITTER.COM/ROTOSOUND_UK

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