trade press

The Majeski Family has donated decades of Music Trades back issues to the NAMM Resource Center. Courtesy of Paul and Brian Majeski, the Resource Center has received bound annual editions of a nearly complete run of issues from 1951-1974. This in-depth documentation of the music products industry over this historic period of time in the pages of Music Trades is an invaluable research tool. This is a fantastic asset and we are honored to make it a fixture of our ever-growing documentation of the music products industry.

Frank Alkyer has asked a lot of questions. As a writer and editor of Music Inc. he has interviewed music retailers and suppliers alike. As a writer and editor for DownBeat Magazine, Frank has interviewed countless jazz and big band performers. With this background you can imagine how meaningful it was for the NAMM team to have the opportunity to interview Frank for the Oral History program. Frank has been an active member of the industry supporting music educational programs, as well as professional development efforts such as the series of sessions he has hosted at various industry events such as the NAMM show. So, at least it was our turn to ask him some questions!
 

Greg Billings is the president of the Steinway Piano Gallery of Naples in Florida. Greg is also a very active member of the music products industry, appearing on panel discussions at NAMM Shows, serving on boards and writing a regular article for Music Inc. magazine. His deep passion for the industry and for providing music in the lives of many thousands of people can be traced back to the passion of his father, Zeb Billings. Zeb was a pioneer in both retailing and music publishing in the home organ era that set standards still being used to this day.

Gary Cooper enjoys a well-regarded career in journalism with a run in recording and popular music magazines before his work in the music products industry. He branched out with celebrated articles on the people and musical products for Music Trade News and MI Pro, both published in England. He has also contributed articles for pro-audio publications in the United Kingdom. Along the way Gary has been an important supporter of the NAMM Oral History program, providing ideas, background and contacts for many of the veterans and leaders of the British music industry.
 

Sid Davis took over the Musical Merchandise Review (MMR) trade magazine in the 1980s. Originally the magazine began reporting on the industry in the 1880s and has become an important resource for suppliers and retailers alike. Sid hired the magazine’s first editor, Don Johnson, who was with the publication for over 25 years and stayed on until his passing in 2008. Sid also assembled a jazz and school band magazine designed for educators. His list of innovations includes providing the industry’s first electronic weekly newsletter.

 Don Johnson received his degree in journalism and later landed the editor’s job at a recording industry trade magazine.  Years later the magazine was sold to the owners of the Music Merchandise Review (MMR).  Under Don’s editorial direction the magazine has focused on music dealers with profiles and product news.  He also worked hard to ensure that each issue would contain tips and suggestions that could be applied to any retail store.  In 2007 Don led the effort for the first

Gez Kahan was a struggling musician when he happened to gain the position as the advertising manager for Roland UK in the early 1980s. In the position, Gez was able to use his training in marketing and writing to create the company’s newsletter, which was later excellent training for his editing job for the United Kingdom’s largest music trade magazine called Music Business, which he joined in 1991. Gez has been an important force in the trade press ever since. 

Thilo Kramny is one of our industry’s creative minds that has established published material that has been innovative and resourceful for the music industry. He began as a musician who wanted to create magazines for musicians. He formed Sound Check, a small magazine in German, back in the 1980s, which later became the largest music magazine in the country. He later created Keyboard & Computer, which was the first magazine to offer a CD on the cover. Thilo also established the Frankfurt Daily magazine in 1984 after attending a NAMM Show and seeing the success of the UpBeat Daily as a useful guide for show attendees. 

Frank Luppino Jr. wrote for Billboard Magazine in the 1940s when the noted publication dedicated a segment to the music products industry and an annual NAMM issue. He oversaw the NAMM issue, which covered the recording industry, as well as electrical products such as washing machines and refrigerators. Frank often wrote of the trends of the day and had a keen eye towards product marketing. In fact, he would later lead the marketing team at Seeburg before forming his own company, Marketing Insights.
 

John Majeski Jr. was appropriately given the AMC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 for a long career as editor of the Music Trades Magazine. During John’s era, the Beatles came to America and forever changed the industry. John wrote of the growth of the accordion in the 1950s and the home organ in the 1960s. John's father had preceded him as editor and in 1982, Majeski stepped down as The Music Trades’ editor to give increasing responsibilities to his sons, Brian and Paul. “They have proved themselves up to the job, and the best thing I can do is get out of their way,” he said at the time. Although he maintained an interest in the industry and the publication, by 1985 he had removed himself from day-to-day operations.