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CMI
NEWS
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| Axes
Of Evil! |
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Lander’s
Music in the beautiful city of Orange in Western NSW recently
held a highly successful cooperative promotion called:
Axes of Evil.
Ben Lander and his talented staff came up with the very
inventive concept of holding a combined supplier promotion/product
clinic meets PR exercise aimed specifically at the ever
growing Metal fraternity.
Ben and his hardworking team transformed the entire store
into what can only be described as a Metal Heaven Nightclub;
complete with stage, massive PA and light show and, to
top it all off, a veritable bevy of the finest looking
rock chick waitresses serving nibbles and drinks to all
attendees (not that I was looking, Mum).
Sales representatives and product demonstrators were on
hand from most major suppliers to walk and talk the customers
through a fantastic array of true rock gear. Featured
among a huge array of products were our very own ESP range;
along with amplification by Randall.
The level of performance/demonstration was outstanding,
including Metal monster extraordinaire, Stu Marshall,
who took the night to new heights and way beyond. Stu’s
performance, with his ESP/Randall gear combination, literally
left jaws on the floor. Stu Marshall is an AMAZING musician
of world class and a very informative and accomplished
product demonstrator of some note.
The night wrapped up with additional performances from
a few local acts, and was a fantastic success all-round.
Most importantly it was fantastic to see such a mutual
spirit of cooperation between what would normally be called
competitive suppliers and a thank-you is due to the representatives
of the other wholesalers involved for their professionalism
and enthusiasm for the event.
As we all know, we are navigating cautiously through some
very troubled waters in our industry and this kind of
‘pulling together’ for the common good of the
business we all love is essential if we are to survive
and prosper.
Thanks again to Ben Lander and his great staff for what
was truly a “Great Big Metal Monster” of a night. |
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| CMI
at AMAC 2008 |
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This
year saw Australia’s annual music trade show make
its way from the sunny climes of the Gold Coast to the
somewhat cooler, greyer weather of Melbourne where the
Melbourne Convention Centre proved to be a handy, centrally
located venue.
Again, CMI’s stand featured a great cross-section
of product with, of course, the addition this year of
Native Instruments and Arturia products with NI’s
international product demonstrator, Josh Fielstra on hand
to give demos of the products. These products are causing
a huge stir in the marketplace for CMI with a large number
of dealers expressing strong interest in this area. Josh
also provided a scheduled clinic on the Sunday that offered
some amazing insights into the world of NI.
The other hit was the drum area, with CMI’s newer
ranges (Danmar, RMV) proving of interest to many dealers
- along with the new Peace Neo-Rebel kits.
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| ESP
& Randall shred NSW with Stu Marshall |
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 CMI
has recently been extending the reach of their Night Of
The Living Shred clinics to cover dealers in regional
areas of New South Wales.
Clinician Stu Marshall is a veteran of the metal scene with
several albums and tours with the bands Dungeon and Pain Division
and has had a long-standing association with ESP and Randall.
His shows are not only a journey through fast picking metal
mayhem, but also provide great insights into becoming a well-rounded
musician with subjects such as recording techniques, management
and general music industry workings being well covered.
Two stores – Musitopia in Cessnock and Central Music
Supplies in Muswellbrook – recently held events that
proved hugely successful for both stores.
Musitopia had originally planned to hold their clinic in the
store, but huge demand saw them move the event to the local
bowls club with approximately 75 people attending.
 Central
Music Supplies (pictured left) held their event in-store,
but still had nearly 50 punters crowding into the store to
see and hear what Stu is made of.
Stu’s involvement in the shows extends beyond just getting
up and showing his stuff – he takes the time during the
show to de-mystify his technique and explain the use of his
gear and, after the show, takes the time to talk to people
about their playing and answer any further questions people
have. The response to the shows and Stu is universally positive
with the stores experiencing the follow-on benefits (increased
sales and foot traffic) of hosting events such as these.
From Jason at Central Music Supplies: “On the 5th
of June Central Music Supplies hosted “The Night of The
Living Shred”. The night was a sellout with 48 eager
guitar enthusiasts awaiting the blistering fretwork of Stu.
After the clinic Stu was very gracious with his time giving
everyone the opportunity to come up ask questions and get
there photo taken. The clinic was a great success and we have
seen interest in the products displayed on the night increase
since the 5th of June.”
From Jo at Musitopia: “This was a first time event
for us and it was a fantastic success! Attendance was great,
seating about 75 people at the event. We originally intended
on running this event in-store, but we sold out of space and
had to move the event to the local bowls club! All in all
it was a great success many thanks to CMI and Stu Marshall
for their great support and all who were involved in putting
the night together.” CMI
plans further excursions with Night of the Living Shred -
talk to your territory manager to get an event happening at
your store.
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| Frontrunner
'08 sets new records |
 After
record attendance at Frontrunner 07, we had been questioning
whether the event could get any bigger. The answer to that question
was a resounding'yes', with the first two days of Frontrunner
08 hosting close to 90 delegates from dealers around the country.
The biggest news this year was CMI's entry into the hi-tech
software and hardware arena. The announcement of this exciting
development in our business was heralded by a key-note introduction
from the director of Asia Pacific Music Marketing, Roy Adams,
who introduced Arturia and Native Instruments to dealers and
took the opportunity to introduce Jason Hearn - the man to spearhead
this new department for CMI.
Guest presenters included Sandra Thompson from catalogue distributors,
PMP, who provided dealers with some invaluable insights into
getting the best from catalogue campaigns and demystified the
distribution process; business analyst, Steve Carey, whose industry
experience provided dealers with invaluable advice and tips
on running successful businesses; and Chris Mott of Melbourne
Finance who specialises in finance options for the entertainment
industry.
This year saw one of our biggest-ever line-ups of international
guests, including ESP's marketing director, Allen Steelgrave
and clinician, Prashant Aswani whose combined presentation showcased
some great playing and ESP's artist-relations and marketing
philosophies; Arturia's Antoine Barry, who provided illumination
on the Arturia company history and gave dealers a sneak peek
at the groundbreaking Origin synth; Jan Stammnitz of Native
Instruments who filled us in on the history of Native Instruments
and product trends in the software world; and Frontrunner veteran
Doug Reynolds from Randall who gave an overview of the product
range and some insight into the uses of different models.
Other presenters included Ralf Jung from Digitech - here on
his second Frontrunner visit - who gave fascinating demonstrations
of some great Digitech products and some of his awesome playing.
His presentation was augmented by Digitech's international sales
director, Matt Western. Andreas Mayerl was here under both the
Hughes & Kettner and HK Audio banners and his presentation
on Hughes & Kettner outlined the amplifier categories in
H & K's range and the philosophies behind the development
of their products. Michael Herweg and Harald Von Falkenstein
of dB Technologies proved popular with their unveiling of the
new DVX series and further developments in their product line;
while Robb Mason and Denis Valente of Belkin - a company whose
roots are in the computer industry - gave a fascinating presentation
outlining Belkin's move into the MI industry, giving hints at
some of the amazing products that will be hitting MI stores
in the not-too-distant future.
CMI's own presenters included Paul Mowson who announced some
timely and exciting additions to our growing drum department;
Andy McIntyre, who reminded us of the huge number of Pro Audio
partners who've come on board with CMI in the past year and
the marketing initiatives we've undertaken in this area; and
Dale Keating whose guitar skills were heavily utilised demonstrating
Randall, Hughes & Kettner and Digitech products.
The Awards
 The
dinner nights offered a great chance for dealers and CMI staff
to relax and get to know each other better and of course gave
us the opportunity to present awards to our high-achieving dealers.
ESP Dealer of the year: BMusic SA
Washburn Dealer of the year: Joondalup Music WA
Randall Dealer of the year: Guitar World WA
Digitech Dealer of the year: Cranbourne Music Vic
Wharfedale Dealer of the year: Drumpower Vic
dB Technologies Partner of the year: Entertainment Warehouse
Hire Vic
HK Audio Partner of the year: Parker-Black Pro Audio Vic
CMI Rep of the year: Nathan Brady NSW
Entertainment this year proved what world-class talent we have
here in Australia with Brett Garsed, Craig Newman, Stuart Fraser
and Angus Burchall ('The Farnham Band') putting in a hot instrumental
performance before being joined by one of Australia's legendary
singers, Daryl Braithwaite, for a run through a set of Daryl's
solo hits.
A big thanks must go out to all of our international guests
for attendance this year in what proved to be our biggest line-up
yet.
Also thanks to all CMI staff for their hard work and of course,
there would be no show without the dealers. Thanks to all those
that gave up time to spend with us working on our collective
business. We look forward to hosting an even bigger and better
event in 2009. |
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| CMI
Drum department continues to grow |
The
successful establishment of CMI's drum department continues,
with some great new drum and percussion products being recently
added to the range:
RMV
RMV is a Brazilian manufacturer of drums, drum heads and general
percussion.
We have recently received a sample shipment of their drum heads,
which are excellent quality and are very competitive in price
compared to the other pro heads on the market. We have good
quantities arriving around the end of June, along with some
of their drum kit samples which also look great!
Check out their site - www.rmv.com.br - and be sure to hit the
English button on the opening page situated in the top right
of the screen.
Danmar Percussion
Danmar has been around for many years and they make boutique
drum and percussion accessories. We have recently received an
order and now have a comprehensive list of prices available
for stores. Danmar are most famous for their bass drum patches
and these sell extremely well. Their website is www.danmarpercussion.com
Ozman Percussion
We have recently received some samples of sticks and mallets
and some general percussion items that are particularly good
quality and great value for money. The specialty sticks and
mallets in particular will be very popular for those shops that
deal and cater to the education/ school departments, as well
as the general drummer/ percussion player. We currently have
a larger order in place and are working on an in house catalogue.
Peace
We have an order in place with Peace which includes the Elevation
kits also being supplied in Fusion (10", 12", 14"
Toms) size as well as the regular Rock (12", 13",
16") configuration. We also have the new Neo Rebel Mahogany
series and Paragon series Maple kits on the shipment, which
should be due around mid July.
For any further information regarding
drums and drum accessories, contact Paul Mowson on 0408 835
895 or at paul@cmi.com.au |
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| CMI's
Frontrunner Audio Night |
 Monday
16 June saw CMI - as part of the Frontrunner Show - host close
to 100 audio dealers and AV professionals from around Australia
for Frontrunner Audio 2008. CMI has seen unprecedented growth
in the number of Audio Partners over the last 12 months and
the turnout was the biggest yet with huge interest in the dB
Technologies, HK Audio and Wharfedale products in CMI's range.
A number of dealers were seen wearing 'opposition' brand logos
on their shirts and - in welcoming dealers - it was light-heartedly
suggested by Peter Trojkovic that these visitors use some gaff-tape
to cover the logos! (see left).
CMI's Andy McIntyre then proceeded to discuss the growth of
the HK and dB Partners networks over the previous 12 months
and revealed that Cohedra training sessions are flagged for
September. In the Wharfedale arena, he also showcased the new
SHO series passive speakers which are at the high end of Wharfedale's
range.
Delegates from dB Technologies - Harald Von Falkenstein and
Michael Herweg - talked at length about the popular DVA Line
Arrays and revealed all about the new DVX series and Arena Pro
series speakers which - when demoed - showed impressive performance
and clarity.
Andreas Mayerl from HK Audio discussed the Firnet controllers
at length. The Firnet incorporates all the functions necessary
to equalize, protect, control and remotely manage COHEDRA, COHEDRA
COMPACT, and CONTOUR SERIES systems and interest was high.
After a session of listening to the range of black boxes on
display it was awards time with the Audio Partner Awards going
to Parker-Black Pro Audio for HK Audio and Entertainment Warehouse
Hires for dB Technologies. Congratulations to both of these
companies for the accolades and we thank them for their commitment
to the products through the year.
The night proved the growing awareness of the HK and dB Technologies
brands in Australia with a number of very impressed AV operators
and dealers from around the country enjoying the chance to hear
and see the CMI Audio story first-hand.
Thanks to Ernie Rose whose massive Digico D7 console was 'control
central' for all the audio presentations in the main Frontrunner
arena. |
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| Frontrunner
2008 June 15,16,17,18 |
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 The
presence of international guests and artists has been a regular
feature of Frontrunner for a number of years. This year is
no exception. CMI and its international suppliers have again
gone all out to bring our best dealers a selection of artists
and speakers who will enhance our knowledge and motivate all
of us through the expected difficult times ahead. On the program
this year we have some first time visitors and some regular
Frontrunner participants
ESP guitars and basses
Prashant Aswani - Prashant is a fabulous player and will genuinely
impress. He represents ESP guitars world wide. Prashant was
bitten by the guitar bug when he was 11 years old, when he
bought his first album, AC/DC's "Back In Black".
Listening to Angus Young, Prashant knew then that he had to
become a guitarist. After playing in bands all through high
school, Prashant headed for the world-renowned Berklee College
of Music in Boston, MA. He also travels the world conducting
guitar clinics on behalf of his endorsers, namely
ESP Guitars, and Dean Markley Strings.
Allen Steelgrave, the man responsible for the great ESP endorsee
list and some brilliant marketing initiatives joins us from
ESP guitars.
Digitech
Ralf Jung makes a long awaited return and certainly gets the
most out of the Digitech products he demonstrates, joining
him from Digitech is globe-trotting sales director Matt Western.
Matt's understanding of Digitech and the Japanese culture
is second to none and he is also a keen student of Australian
language and culture.
Randall
Doug Reynolds returns with some more exciting Randall products
and news. Doug is a veteran of the Frontrunner shows and wants
to ditch his US citizenship for an Aussie one.
HK Audio and Hughes & Kettner
Andreas Mayer - the head of international business for HK
Audio and Hughes and Kettner - will show his skill and diversity
for both audio and guitar products. This will be Andreas'
second Frontrunner appearance and we eagerly welcome his contribution.
dB Technologies
Michael Herweg and Harald Von Falkenstein are responsible
for the world success of dB Technologies products. Michael
and Harald know audio and will be happy to share some of their
selling success with the dealers and CMI staff as well. This
is the first Frontrunner for the guys and we look forward
to having them here.
Steve Carey is no stranger to Frontrunner or dealers and is
fast becoming an expert on the MI industry in Australia. Steve's
credentials range from successes in the car and publishing
industries as well as some great work with individual dealers
around the country. Steve will present an informative session
on many things from sales training to budgeting.
Belkin
Belkin is a new partner to CMI and - with the introduction
of the TuneStudio - is very excited about their entry into
the MI industry. Denis Valente and Robb Mason from Belkin
US will tell us how Belkin will assist in extending our market.
As you will read further on in this bulletin CMI is proud
to announce the opening of our hi-tech products department.
Jason Hearn, with his wealth of experience will be running
the new department featuring products from innovative companies
Arturia and Native Instruments. International experts from
both of these companies will be on hand to launch this new
department.
Along with this host of impressive international guests our
local experts will also feature in the presentations: Andy
McIntyre, Dale Keating and Paul Mowson. We look forward to
seeing you at the Frontrunner show in '08
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| Another
fine (Musik) Messe |
 The
annual international trade-show, Frankfurt MusikMesse, was a
little earlier this year, which meant it was going to be colder.
It may have been colder but the desire to live in almost-tropical
conditions indoors never fails to amuse and concern as it is
a recipe to catch a cold.
All that said, the Frankfurt show continues to present a unique
view of our industry - very different to the NAMM show although
many of the same products are presented. The European way is
on display and they are not ashamed to highlight what makes
this show different to NAMM. For a start the noise level is
completely mad and every hall has a different feature of noise.
The drum hall is like 10,000 drummers all hitting out of time
with small percussion groups springing up for impromptu jams.
The guitar halls vary from booth to booth with many 'in the
aisle' performances. One of the best I saw this year was the
ESP endorsee Kiko Loureiro from the band Angra. This guy can
really play and looks a little like Vai on valium. US Music
had a number of guys demoing the new Randall G3 Plus series,
Washburn parlour guitars (coming soon) and the secret room with
all the new merchandising from Disney (call us if you want to
know more).
 The
audio hall really went all out this year. There were boy-band
performances, really angry and crazed looking Germanguitar players
and - my personal favourite on the Superlux booth - two German
singers who did not speak English but sang and played authentic
American hillbilly music with a line-up of an acoustic guitar
withthe other on mandolin and fiddle. There were 112,000 visitors
from 126 countries - an incredible mix of cultures and languages
- who were all there for the same thing: to find the next big
thing for our market and how can we get more out what we already
have. From the CMI viewpoint we are proud to be associated with
our market leading international brands: ESP is flying, Randall,
Washburn and Eden are kicking in Europe; and Hughes & Kettner
continue to enhance their reputation for quality with great
excitement over the Statesman range.
In our audio department dB Technologies released some very interesting
high powered (digital) boxes and monitors, HK Audio released
a powered version of the Premium Pro series and an update on
the LUCAS display stand. All this and more will be coming your
way soon.
Awards: CMI were also proud recipients of the Best Distributor
2007 award for Hughes & Kettner Trilogy amps. Such awards
are not possible without the hard work of our dealers. Our thanks
go out to you for your efforts in 2007 and we anticipate continued
success in 2008. |
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| CMI
Scoops awards at NAMM |
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Digitech - WORLD
DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR 2007
US Music Corp -
INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR 2007
Randall -
INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR 2007
Eden - INTERNATIONAL
DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR 2007
Washburn -
INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR 2007
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In addition to the above awards, CMI
also were the second-placed international distributor for
2007 of ESP Japan; plus we achieved the largest purchases
by an international distributor for LTD guitars in 2007.
Thanks must go to our hard working
and dedicated dealer network who made record sales in the
above product possible.
We look forward to, and will be working towards, bigger and
even better achievements in 2008.
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| Reviewing
the Magazine Reviews |
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GUITARIST AUSTRALIA
Oct/Nov 08
Page 80: Full page review of
Randall RM-100 head . Scored extremely well!
Page 86 & 87: 3-page spread
review of Digitech RP-500
AUSTRALIAN GUITAR
Vol 68
Page 8: Brief piece about Paige
Hamilton’s appearance in Melbourne for ESP
Page 10: Story about Kirk’s
Ultimate rig winner, Gareth Remington
Page 11: Story about Washburn
Dan Donegan models
Page 12: Story about new ESP
models
Page 13: Brief item about new
Digitech RP-500
Page 107: Bass feature with mention
of the Eden WTX-260 head
AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN
Issue 55 Spring 08
Page 10: Full-page ad for the
Analog Factory Experience/Guitar Rig Session pack
Page 11: News of the winner of
the ‘Win Kirk’s Ultimate Rig’ comp
Page 44: Full-page ad for the
Alexi Laiho ESP guitars
Page 45: Subscriber giveaway
featuring Washburn WD-52SWCE as the prize
Page 55: News items featuring
Washburn Scott Ian models and the Hughes & Kettner Amp
Guard
Page 58: Article that features
mention of the Arturia Origin and a pic of CMI’s Jason
Hearn
Page 61: Story about choosing
bass amps with a pic of a Nemesis 410 combo
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PRO AUDIO ASIA
 Sept-Oct
08
Page 25: Brief story about HK
Audio’s increasing presence in Melbourne pubs and clubs
Page 34: Story about Frontrunner
08
Page 42: Story about HK Audio’s
use at the Good Food & Wine Shows in Australia. Featuring
large pic of the stage with Gordon Ramsay + HK Contour ad
Page 71: 1/2-page ad for HK CT108,
CT112 and CT115 cabs
AUDIO TECHNOLOGY
 Issue
63
Page 19: Half-page ad for the Buy One
Get One Free Arturia offer
Page 26: Small news item about Native
Instruments Guitar Rig Improvements
Page 30: Small item regarding HK Audio’s
use in live venues and clubs in Melbourne
Page 79: Article about the Arturia Origin
Page 91: Half-page ad for the Komplete
your DAW offer
 CX
MAGAZINE
Sept-Oct 08 No. 38
Page 14: Story about HKademy training
seminars
Page 46: 1/3-page ad for MC2 Audio power
amps
Page 49: ¼-page ad for the HKademy
Line Array Training
 VENUE
MAGAZINE
No. 25
Page 28: Story about HK’s use in
Melbourne pubs and clubs
Page 43: Full-page ad for HK club installs
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