Canadian Music Trade - October / November 2019 | Page 10

NEWS L&M Employees Attend Yorkville Sound University In late September and early October 2019, Yorkville Sound held its annual “Yorkville Sound University” event, hosting Long & McQuade retail employees from across the country to educate them on Yorkville’s various brands and products. Highlights included Gibson demonstrations by the manufacturer’s own Mike Voltz and Jim DeCola; an Epiphone masterclass by William Jones; Hughes & Kettner, Traynor, and Gallien Krueger demos with Ayden Jacobs; and many other product-specific sessions. Yorkville’s Artist in Residence Sessions included conversations with legendary producer Eddie Kramer, Juno- and Grammy-winning producer/engineer Eric Ratz, and Protest the Hero drummer Mike Ieradi. In addition to work-focused education, Yorkville also staged a few social events, like bringing the Long & McQuade crew to a Blue Jays game and a visit to George Stroumboulopoulos’s House of Strombo for a surprise acoustic performance by John-Angus and Colin MacDonald of The Trews. For more information, contact Yorkville Sound: 905-837-8777, [email protected], www.yorkville.com. Musikmesse 2020 to Debut “Home of Drums” Concept The 40 th anniversary edition of Musikmesse will be held from April 1-4, 2020. Unlike in 2019 when Musik- messe and its partner event, Prolight + Sound, were held on concurrent days, in 2020, the latter event will be held from March 31 to April 3. Among the new features for Musikmesse 2020 is a meet-up concept for drummers and percussionists from all parts of the world called “Home of Drums.” It will combine product presentations, meetings, concerts, and perfor- mances, and will give visitors an opportunity to get in touch with profession- als. The event’s premiere will take place on April 3 rd and 4 th in the grounds of the Frankfurt Fair & Exhibition Centre. In the future, on the accompanying online platform at wwww.homeofdrums.com, percussion enthusiasts are in- vited year-round to network with each other, to take part in video lessons with well-known artists, and to keep up to date with the latest news of the event. Home of Drums will feature practical use cases and personal exchanges between manufacturers and musicians. Numerous exhibitors will be bringing themselves and their artists to contribute directly to the event and workshop program, according to organizers. For more information on Musikmesse 2020 as it becomes available, go to www.musik.messefrankfurt.com. CITES Adopts Exemption for Musical Instruments from Rosewood Restrictions On Aug. 28 in Geneva, Switzerland, the CITES Conference of the Par- ties approved an exemption that will allow finished musical instru- ments, as well as parts and accessories containing rosewood, to be transported around the world without permits. This is a significant breakthrough for guitar makers and sellers. The new policies apply to all species of rosewood with the exception of Brazilian rosewood. This issue dates back to 2016 and 2017 when the MI industry became collateral damage in an international effort to protect forests from the Chinese furniture industry. On Jan. 2, 2017, a new Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) regulation came into effect that restricted the exporting and importing of nearly all species of rosewood, which are common in guitars and other instruments. For MI dealers and manufacturers, this meant more headaches, paperwork, and permit applications in order to sell and ship instruments across internation- al borders. An industry working group coalition advanced and advocated a message of conservation as a means of business continuity and served as co-sponsors of a stakeholder luncheon, held on August 17 in Geneva. Members of the coalition included the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, NAMM, Orchestras Canada, C.F. Martin & Co., Paul Reed Smith, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, International Alliance of Violin and Bow Makers for Endangered Species, International Association of Violin and Bow Makers, and more. Rhythm Tech Launches Redesigned Website Percussion instrument and accessory manufacturer Rhythm Tech has launched a new website, featuring a streamlined interface that it says is fully optimized for a more seamless customer expe- rience. The new home page highlights multiple featured products simultaneously, has updated categories to better organize Rhythm Tech’s product library, and is optimized for mobile devices. Rhythm Tech products are distributed in Canada by Coast Music. To view the new site and for more information, go to www.rhythmtech.com. 10 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE (L-R) COLIN & JOHN-ANGUS MACDONALD OF THE TREWS, GEORGE STROUMBOULOPOULOS & YORKVILLE’S JEFF COWLING AT HOUSE OF STROMBO