Canadian Music Trade - December / January 2020 | Page 12

News Knilling Expands U.S. Workshop Plans in the Works for 2020 RPMDA Convention The Retail Print Music Dealers Association will be hosting its next convention at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans, LA from April 30 to May 3, 2020. In planning the 2020 convention, the RPMDA board says it has structured the program to be a combination of educational seminars and one-on-one engagements to ensure attendees have the tools they need to move their businesses forward, whether they have a large print department or just a few select titles. Returning to the 2020 convention will be the Power Hour and Spark features. Power Hour gives retailers and publishers a guaranteed time for one-on-one interaction in a setting that is more conducive to business and dialogue than the traditional booth meeting. The Spark time following each Power Hour allows individual attendees to explore further, ask additional questions, and build stronger relationships with the publishers of their choice. The convention will also include guest speakers, breakout sessions, and entertaining social events. There are also plans for a group of attendees to attend the famed New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. For more information, contact the RPMDA: 972-233-9107 ext. 211, [email protected], www.printmusic.org. PA Shop, London Guitars, London Percussion & Charterhouse Studios Unite as Music City Canada London, ON’s PA Shop, London Guitars, London Percussion, and Charterhouse Studios, which are all housed in the same building complex, are now united under the Music City Canada banner. With a new website at www.musiccitycanada.com, the original brands will be united while also maintaining their original names as sub brands. The businesses are all owned and run by the Schroeyens family, who have been in the AV and MI industries for almost four decades. With its combination of services, Music City Canada is set up to serve musicians of all levels, from beginners to professionals, with retail, lessons, rehearsal space, and a high- end recording studio. Music City Canada also offers live event production and tour bus and trucking services, as well as AV design and integration services under the PA Shop Live Event Production and AV Solutions brands, respectively. As well, to coincide with the branding change, Music City Canada has launched a new members service for loyal customers to receive special membership pricing. For more information, go to www.musiccitycanada.com. 12 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE St. Louis Music (SLM) has expanded, re-organized, and renovated its U.S. Knilling workshop, which it says will accelerate production to meet rising demand while maintaining and refining the throughput and adjustment process. “We turned a workshop with factory-level demand into a factory with a workshop’s attention to detail,” says SLM’s Chris Meikle, SVP of sales, marketing, and product. “The results have been fantastic. We have massively reduced lead times on stringed instruments while raising their quality and consistency.” The new shop is designed to incorporate advanced CNC machining and other tools and protocols to customize and adjust stringed instru- ment outfits quickly, while also offering premium advanced setup and comprehensive choice of product specs. For more information, contact SLM: 800-727-4512, [email protected], www.stlouismusic.com. Allparts Expands with Purchase of Leo Quan Company Allparts Music Corporation, a major supplier of guitar and bass parts, has acquired the Leo Quan Company, which has been a major supplier of bass bridges since the 1970s. “We are excited to carry on the fine tradition of the Leo Quan Badass products. Bringing them onboard is a big plus for both Allparts and our customers. These parts extend our product line as we strive to set the standard for guitar and bass parts,” says Steve Wark, founder and president of Allparts. “The Badass bass bridges enable manufacturers, guitar shops, and luthiers to offer bridges that have been popular and in demand for years. We are pleased to add these products as we continue to expand our product line.” For more information, contact Allparts Music Corporation: 713-466-6414, www.allparts.com.