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Hey folks – there’s just under a week left to nominate your peers in the industry for the 2011 MIAC Excellence Awards, being presented as part of the 2012 MIAC trade show. The awards recognize the best of the industry – retailers and suppliers – and are designed to celebrate innovative and interesting ideas that the industry as a whole can appreciate and potentially adopt. Nominations came through the membership, with the winners chosen by a panel of judges.

All of the details can be found here. Hope to see you out for the presentation.

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Our best goes out to the family, friends, and colleagues of industry legend Jim Marshall, the man who’s name many of us see every single day. Marshall Canada is inviting folks to post on the man’s OBE page here. Please do so if you feel so inclined. I think I’m going to go practice my Megadeth riffs.

 

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We’re currently readying our April/May 2012 issue of Canadian Music Trade, the one that’s coming to MIAC 2012 with us, and I just finished up our Supplier Spotlight article on the fine team at D’Addario Canada.

It’s always great catching up with Arnold, Larry, Brad, and the team, though this piece gave me the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the company’s operations and core values.

Lately, the team has been developing its Artist Relations program to better serve not only the artists themselves, but also the Canadian retailers – putting an emphasis on getting musicians into the stores so they can help build up their local communities.

This photo was taken when soon-to-be staples of the Ontario scene The Elwins stopped in at D’Addario Canada’s HQ for a performance. Check out the Supplier Spotlight on D’Addario Canada in the next issue of CMT, and check out The Elwins’ fresh take on 60s-influenced bouncy pop at www.theelwins.ca.

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We’ve received word that, on top of recently taking on distribution for Fredericton, NB’s Los Cabos Drumsticks (a great line of product from a great, family-run Canadian company), the folks at Yorkville Sound have also just been appointed the exclusive Canadian distributor for Line 6′s wireless and pro audio product range. (To be clear, Line 6′s instruments, amplifiers, and guitar-related gear will continue to come through SF Marketing.)

Compound that with their acquisition of the Mapex brand at the end of 2011, and Yorkville has expanded their already-impressive catalog with some beautifully complementary brands. You’ve got to like seeing the development of a Canadian distribution dynasty…

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Are you dreading the upcoming tax season? Are you staring at a shoebox box full of receipts, invoices, and statements and don’t know where to start? Don’t worry! Canadian Music Trade has you covered.

We’ve enlisted the help of Chartered Accountant Dino Micacchi, who has over 32 years providing accounting and tax services to a wide variety of businesses, to provide some tips on filing your store’s annual tax return. Micacchi offers several valuable pices of advice, from best practices you can implement throughout the year to ensure all your records are organized and complete to what to do if your store is audited.

Grab the upcoming February/March issue of CMT to check it out.

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It’s been three days since the 2012 edition of the winter NAMM Show wrapped and I am still trying to synthesis and make sense of the four days.

At show close, NAMM reported 95,709 registered attendees, a six percent increase from last year and representing a new record for the 110-year-old show. This fact was noted on the show floor as attendees remarked how busy the show was this year compared to the most recent shows. A positive sign for the industry, no doubt. Read the rest of this entry »

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This video has been spreading like wildfire this past week. Walk Off The Earth is from Burlington, ON, and actually, we hosted an interview with them when they first formed on our sister magazine, Canadian Musician‘s blog. Not only is it a great performance of a great tune, but the interesting approach to the instrument is probably the most drawing part. Something cool to show shoppers and music school students about what’s possible on almost ANY instrument when you think outside the box a bit.

Happy NAMM planning. Hit Craig or I with any requests for things you’d like to see/have investigated at the show if you’re not going to be there yourself.

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Headed to NAMM? Stop by the Norris-Whitney Communications booth (# 4715) to say “Hi” and pick up your complimentary copies of the latest issues of Canadian Musician, Canadian Music Trade, Professional Sound, and Professional Lighting & Production magazines.

We’ll also have selections from Music Books Plus. Make sure to ask about NWC’s marketing services, including graphic design, website development and promotion, direct marketing, market research, live event management, promotion and publicity, and more.

 

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It was at his first show when NAMM Resource Center/Librarian Dan Del Fiorentino strolled by a booth and saw a small photograph taped to the display case. It was a sales rep for the exhibiting company who had passed away that year. As Dan read the message under the photo, a man in the booth said, “The show is not the same without him.” The feeling is shared by many who have come to realize that the NAMM Show is not just about business and pleasure—for many it is a family gathering and when a member of the family is no longer with us we want to gather together to pay our respects.   Read the rest of this entry »

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