we would have said, “You can’t do that!” But
instead we said, “Who are these guys? Those
are awesome!” Today we launched the Gibson
Authorized Partnership at the NAMM show.
Aviator Nation and Apparel brand who does
vintage inspired apparel, they did a few things
with some of our guitars, and instead of saying,
“Don’t do it”, we said, “How can we partner?”
and we announced our partnership with
Aviator Nation.
I made a very clear statement, but also it
wasn’t just a statement to the world, it was a
statement to my team to say that we’re going
to make the pivot from cultural confrontational
dynamics to future collaborative solutions. And
not just because I said it, we’re doing it… and
sometimes through those intersections you go
through that feel painful at the time… they take
you to a better place and we’re stronger for it.
And that’s where we are, we’ve listened, learned,
I think we’re in a growth mode. People love our
guitars, our dealers are highly supportive of the
direction we’re taking, and most importantly
fans and artists are loving what Gibson is doing
and the way we’re doing it.
[WM] 30% of new guitars, amps and pedals
go to the worship market. How familiar are you
with the genre?
[JC] I am, it’s amazing, when you think of
that worship world… it’s so synonymous with
sound and energy and music that gets created.
There’s spirituality behind the soul of it. But
also, there’s just generations of connections
to music through worship that when you think
about connecting guitars to it - it’s so obvious.
Those numbers are big, but they didn’t shock
me.
[WM] You’re debuting an American-made
acoustic guitar built in Montana for $999.00.
This will play really well for the worship market!
[JC] Let’s face it, we talk about $999 as being
affordable, but it’s a Gibson. It’s made in the
USA by the same craftsmen and craftswomen
102
September 2019
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