Greetings to my fellow RPMDA members!  I hope you're all had a relaxing and rejuvenating summer. For many of us, our work is our life. If we're not in the store or office, we're on email, voicemail, or remotely accessing our computer files, wherever we are. It is hard to imagine life before all this instant access to information, people and technology. It's not just work-related, either. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, we can connect socially, instantly, and know about our colleagues' families, vacations, hobbies and favorites. 
 
Summer is our chance to regroup and rethink. A weeklong vacation or even a long weekend can recharge rundown batteries. In today's economy, it's important to keep energy and spirits high. Simple pleasures are the best, they say. Attending a summer theater event, reading a good book, enjoying a pleasant evening outdoors, heading to the beach, the ballpark or the pool are all de-stressing activities. There's a lot of attention being paid to simplifying our lives and getting back to basics. Summer, by its very nature, lends itself to making things simpler and easier. Aaaaahh.
 
I recently finished up my favorite summer activity. Our Senseney Music Community Band performed its last concert of the summer season. I enjoy playing in this group immensely. There are no auditions, no fees and very few "have-to's." Yet, week after week, from April to July and again from November through December, anywhere from 65 to 90 local musicians ages 16 to 86 show up to play. There are some very fine players in the group and several music teachers, but the majority of the band members are just folks who want to play their instruments again and enjoy the camaraderie and the music. It's the music, after all, that keeps us coming back, and it reminds me of what a great business we're in. I am friends with many of my fellow RPMDA members on Facebook and I see that a lot of us are still playing or singing in rock bands, symphonies, church choirs or pit orchestras.  It's a testament to the impact of music and its ability to change lives positively. It's what makes our industry different - and, I believe, better - than any other.
 
You should know that I didn't forget about RPMDA in my summer joy. Vice President Gayle Beacock and I recently returned from site visits to potential RPMDA convention cities. We have chosen Tampa, Florida, for the 2011 convention.  Tampa is a great city with an "Old Florida" atmosphere along with a contemporary, fun feel, and there are plenty of options for off-site evening events. The board will enjoy planning the 2011 convention there. More details will be coming forth as soon as we finalize our negotiations with the hotel.
 
I wish everyone a relaxing rest of the summer and a bustling, lucrative fall season. And don't forget to mark your calendars for the 2010 convention, April 14-17, 2009 in Oklahoma City.

 

 

The economy might have been down, but spirits were up, up, up at the 2009 RPMDA convention in Salt Lake City. Over 200 members, including 45 exhibitors and approximately 40 first-time attendees, were in attendance to learn and gain a competitive edge. Keynote speaker Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser set the tone for three days of battery recharging sessions and social events. One of the most respected advocates of music education today, he addressed how music makes a difference in people's lives by reflecting on personal experiences, recounting how kids he has known for years have become well-rounded adults as a result of their involvement in music.
 
Among the most popular breakout sessions of the convention was Ron Cates with Constant Contact, with "The Power of Email Marketing." He gave members basic advice for becoming a trusted sender to customers, and shared industry best practices and how to take advantage of one of the most cost-effective, targeted and trackable marketing tools available today. To download a longer version of Ron's session, click here.
 

One of the most memorable experiences of any RPMDA convention took place Thursday evening when members were treated to a private concert by the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir with full orchestra, thanks to special arrangements by Ruby Beeston of Best in Music. The 300-voice choir performed a gorgeous, goosebump-inducing sampler of its repertoire, and publisher members in the audience beamed with pride when they heard their pieces from their own catalogs. The grateful RPMDA audience leaped to its feet several times during the concert, most especially when Ruby, pictured here, a 20-year member emeritus of the choir, was invited to join the choir for their musical trademark, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."
 
"Best Ideas" continued to be the audience favorite, with RPMDAers brainstorming at the microphone to win fame and fortune. Julia Moessner of Stanton's Music took home first prize honors with her best business practice of the past year, promoting products and events in her store with YouTube videos, and donated the jackpot to the Ed Adams/RPMDA Scholarship Fund. The recipient of the 2009 Ed Adams/RPMDA Scholarship was also announced during "Best Ideas." Tony Bakker of Shawnee Press is the first publisher employee to be honored with the scholarship.
 
Taking a hit song from "Wicked" as her cue, Gayle Beacock of Beacock Music asked the musical question, "What makes your store popular?" Success comes largely from how our businesses are viewed by others, and Gayle inspired and entertained with her message of the hard work of retailing coupled with a spirit of optimism and looking for opportunities in every corner.
 
The 2009 convention program ended on an amazing high thanks to an appearance by Sesame Street's Bob McGrath, sponsored by NAMM. A true believer in the value of music, he has educated and influenced generations of viewers, and furthered the important cause of music education in our schools and daily living.
 

A highlight of every convention is the announcement of the recipient of the Dorothy Award, given for a lifetime of service and achievement in the music industry, at the closing banquet. It is the highest honor bestowed by RPMDA. This year's honoree was Keith Mardak, CEO of the Hal Leonard Corporation. He is pictured (right) with RPMDA's 2009 Sandy Feldstein Service Award honoree Dan Del Fiorentino, historian for NAMM and curator of NAMM's Oral History Project.  

Dear RPMDA,
 
I originally didn't plan on attending this year's RPMDA. My wife, Mary Vandenberg, and I spend the winter in Phoenix and we usually head back to Milwaukee in late April.  Larry Morton had been urging me to attend this year, but I didn't think it was practical. I should have known something was up when Mary suggested that we extend our stay to attend the Salt Lake City convention, and couple it with a short driving vacation from Phoenix to Salt Lake City.
 
Well, we did just that and enjoyed an incredibly scenic trip through Utah, stopping at Lake Powell, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Park City before finally reaching Salt Lake City.
 
The convention proved interesting beyond my expectations.  Thursday night's concert at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was breathtaking - beyond belief. The meetings and exhibits were informative and fun, the cocktail parties were great networking as usual, and then came the finale - the Saturday night banquet.
 
I must say I was blown away when my name was called to be the newest recipient of the "Dorothy Award." My remarks are now a blur, but I hope I expressed to all in attendance how honored I felt, and I thank all those that were involved in granting me this privilege. I've been around long enough to have known Dorothy Hutchinson, and of course, we all hold her in the highest esteem. I am very proud to accept this award in her name and to join the "club" of previous Dorothy honorees.
 
My special thanks go out to Madeline Crouch and all of those at RPMDA who choose me for this award, to Kevin Cranley for introducing me, to Kevin and Larry Morton for traveling all the way from Florida to attend the awards banquet, to the rest of the Hal Leonard crew that was in attendance - Doug Lady, David Jahnke, Marilyn Fleenor, Andrea Pelloquin, Bruce Bush and Steve Ulshafer - and finally to my dear wife Mary for getting me to go to Salt Lake City and participate in the fun-filled weekend. It was a special memory.
 
Kind regards,

 

 
Hal Leonard's chairman and CEO Keith Mardak and Robert Wise, chairman and managing director of the Music Sales Group, have announced the formation of Music Sales America (MSA), a joint venture between the two companies. With input from both publishers, MSA will produce publications which Hal Leonard will exclusively distribute throughout North America. As part of the long-term deal, Hal Leonard will also gain exclusive distribution rights to the entire catalog of Music Sales Corporation, and the publishers it represents. Barrie Edwards will remain the president of the US-based Music Sales Corporation. In related news, Hal Leonard Corporation has purchased Shawnee Press, Inc., a leading publisher of choral and instrumental music that has operated as an independent subsidiary of Music Sales Corporation since 1989.

Alfred Music Publishing welcomes Bryan Bradley as its new COO. Prior to joining Alfred's executive management team, he including management positions at Disney Music Publishing, Spelling Entertainment and Columbia Television. Bradley has been with Guitar Center for the last seven years, where he began as the Print/Education Products Buyer. He has since held multiple positions at Guitar Center, including Pro Audio/Recording Merchandise Oversight, Professional Marketing, and Technology Product Marketing. Most recently, Bradley was part of Guitar Center's Strategic Planning Group, working on strategic initiatives for Guitar Center Retail, Musician's Friend and Music and Arts.
 
Mark Cabaniss, most recently president of Shawnee Press, is the new head of Nashville-based Word Music, the world's largest church music publisher and a part of Word Entertainment. Over its 60-year history, Word Music print, recordings and DVDs reach an estimated 30 million people per week.
 
Santa Barbara Music Publishing has signed a distribution agreement with The Lorenz Corporation. Beginning October 1st, Lorenz will become the world-wide distributor for Santa Barbara Music. Say founder Barbara Harlow and her son, David Harlow: "We are so pleased with the new relationship. With Lorenz taking care of the day-to-day service and distribution, we will be able to focus more on publishing and promoting our catalog." "This is a really good fit for The Lorenz Corporation," added Reiff Lorenz, president of the Ohio-based company.

Anna Letiec and Francois Leduc are the proud parents of Alexis-Francois, born on April 21st. He is an active baby boy and growing fast! 
 
Alta Loma Music held a student showcase at the Upland Women's Club recently to pay tribute to recording engineer Roger Nichols, a seven-time Grammy winner who worked with Steely Dan and singer/songwriter John Denver, with whom Nichols was good friends. "I thought if we did this tribute to him because his great niece and nephew takes lessons with us, it would show our students what can be achieved if you stick to it," said David Dykstra, music teacher at Alta Loma Music.  

Lori Supinie,

Hal Leonard

NAMM
 
Bravo

Alfred Publishing

Music Sales/ Shawnee Press
Breitkopf & Haertel
 
Dress Circle

Lorenz Corporation

Neil A. Kjos, Jr.

 
Box Seat

Mayfair Music

G. Henle Verlag

Carl Fischer Music

 
Front Row

FJH Music Company

Barenreiter Verlag

Tri-Technical Systems
     Alphonse Leduc/ Robert King Music

 

 

Long & McQuade Ltd. of Vancouver, Canada, is deeply sad to share news of the death of  Paul Martell, who drowned while swimming in Kearney Lake on August 7th. He was 49 years old. Paul grew up in Dartmouth and attended Prince Andrew High School. He then pursued studies at Mount Allison University, the University of Calgary and the University of Chicago. Besides his work with the print music department at MusicStop, part of the Long & McQuade chain, Paul was a part-time faculty member of Dalhousie University, teaching classes in music history, theory and lute. He is survived by a daughter, Emma Martell, his sister Mary Ann Martell, brother Sandy Martell, and special friend Yvonne Harpell. Online messages of sympathy can be sent at www.MeM.com. 

 

Mayfair Music founder John Loweth passed away peacefully on April 4th after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Sharon, children Steven and Carol, their spouses Lionel and Doug, grandson Erkki and sister Daphne, plus countless in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Originally from England, John first entered the music industry selling records in Ontario and working as a DJ for various radio stations in Sudbury and Toronto. He became part of the management team of the Canadian branch of Chappell Music, handling the affairs of many famous music composers. In 1979 he founded Mayfair Music Publications, one of Canada's largest music publishing companies. He was responsible for managing all Frank Mills copyrights, which included the megahit "Music Box Dancer," producing Mills' records and producing hundreds of his live concert appearances in Canada, the USA and overseas.


Composer and lyricist Lewis Kirby, former director of church music publications for Shawnee Press, Inc., passed away on April 9, 2009.  He received his B.A. degree from Johns Hopkins University and his musical studies were at Peabody Conservatory of Music. A graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree, he was an ordained priest of the Episcopal Church. Lew served as Director of Church Music Publications at Shawnee Press from 1972 through 1999, when he suffered a major stroke. He founded Shawnee's GlorySound imprint in 1976. He is survived by two sons and was preceded in death by his wife.

 

Perhaps the best known traditional music engraver of our time, Otto Rueger, has passed away in his native Germany after a career that spanned more than five decades. Holger Siems brought him to the U.S. in 1999 to demonstrate his hand engraving craft at that year's RPMDA convention in Las Vegas, as well as the Music Teacher National Convention and other music store appearances. Said Holger at his friend's passing, "It was always a delight and big success watching him hand engraving onto lead plates. Onlookers loved listening to him when he spoke English, which he taught himself. I learned a lot by talking with him and getting to know his way of life as an engraver. We will miss him."

 

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