Independent Rep

Fred Allard has been passionate about music making since he began playing guitar in the 8th grade. As a teen he worked for Milano’s Music Center in Mesa, Arizona in the mid 1960s. Fred worked for the music store for over eight years working his way up from salesman on the floor to manager of one of the stores in the chain. After another stint in retail with Bill Fry’s Music Center, Fred was hired as western regional manager of Kustom Electronics. The relationships he built up over the years took him to TEAC, where he stayed for over 15 years. In 2002, Fred formed his own independe

John Anning is the Executive Director of the Alliance of Independent Music Merchants (AIMM).  He began his career as a sales rep for the pro audio industry after growing up as a musician and falling in love with music.  His career as a rep expanded over the years and he came to understand the inner workings of music retailing, which serves him well as the director of AIMM.  John is also very active within several elements of the music industry, including being a mentor to those just getting started in the business.

Ted Berquist had a touch with fame in the 1960s with the group, the Novas. Their song, “The Crusher” was picked up by the national billboard charts and shot the group to stardom. After the group disbanded, Ted went on to pursue a career selling Hi-Fi products. Always passionate about musical instruments, Ted left Hi-Fi and moved onto selling musical instruments and gear in Pensacola, FL before moving onto Minnesota with Bormann Marketing where he covers a large area of the Midwest. Ted has been a strong supporter of the NAMM Oral History program so it was a treat for the NAMM staf

Jon Bormann attended his first AES Show in 1973.  Just two years later, at the age of 25, he formed his own pro audio dealership, AVC Systems.  Soon Jon began designing and building studios while seeking to provide the best sound system possible.  In many cases this meant creating gear specific to those customer needs.  Since 1990, Jon has been running his own rep firm and is still very much close to the pro audio gear that first launched his career.

Bill Cooper was an independent sales representative whose background included a great many experiences that helped Bill best serve his dealers. Bill, who played French Horn in school, taught college, owned a chain of music stores in Ohio and worked for St. Louis Music for 17 years before becoming an independent sales rep. Bill provided his dealers with more than a list of products; he worked to help the store grow by providing services and suggestions, which have proven to be appreciated by most of his long-time dealers and friends. 

Rich Covas owned Modern Music store's three locations for thirteen years beginning in 1966. The locations covered band and orchestra instruments as well as guitar, keyboards, and drums. The company also offered music lessons and repair. In fact, providing lessons is how Rich first began working in the music industry. After another thirteen years as an independent rep, Rich retired from the industry but continues to teach music, giving 30 lessons each week. 

Tracy Dean is a well-known and well-regarded independent rep based in the St. Louis area.  He began his career in the industry at St. Louis Music where he began as a telephone salesman.  After that, he was given a road rep position, the first such inside employee to go on the road. His many interesting stories include the retailers he has befriended over the years and the lifelong friends he has made on the road.  Tracy established his own rep firm, which he enjoys very much.  He continues to travel and do business with his many friends in retail!

Jerry Donegan began his career in the music industry in October, 1966, when his brother arranged for him to get a job in the shipping department of the Zildjian Cymbal Company. He found that early experience in the shipping department was a wonderful training ground in learning about the company’s customers. Jerry later played a vital role in the NAMM Show booth designs. He also helped the company develop its independent sales network, which has been a great asset to the business.

Jerry Goldenson has always had a love for music growing up and has many fond memories of playing drums in clubs and weddings as early as 12 years old. He later toured and recorded with many bands over the years but found a home in the music industry in a retail music store as his day job at Pianos N’ Stuff Music. That was the start of a musical journey that married his business acumen and education with his love of music. As with many of our leaders, working in retail was only the beginning.

Paul Hanoud always enjoyed providing the audio equipment for live concerts. While studying to become an electrician, Paul worked in a hi-fi store deepening his knowledge of the gear and the companies that developed and manufactured the equipment, especially loudspeakers. In 1976 he and his wife Nancy established their own rep firm, covering stores and venues mostly in New England. Ten years later they became the rep firm for JBL. Meanwhile, Paul became an expert on installation and enjoyed the challenges of perfectly placing the equipment in each space to maximize the sound and th

John Hood was working music retail in the Sacramento area at a very heady time. The California capital was booming with innovative rock and pop bands in the 1980s and 90s while John was at K&K Music to sell the musicians their gear and meet some very talented people. It was also a great time to experience the trends and latest gear being created, knowledge of which he uses everyday as owner of his own independent rep firm called “Trout Farm.” Since establishing the firm in 1999, John and his team have assembled an impressive list of products that focus on the pro audio needs o

Phil Jost had a very interesting career in music as a musician before joining the sales team at St. Louis Music in 1974 and thus entering the music products industry. In his early days, being classically trained on the piano, Phil played keyboards and early synthesizers for dances, concerts and recordings for many years. Even after joining St. Louis Music, Phil continued to play. Phil has appeared on American Bandstand with Dick Clark, Solid Gold with Dionne Warwick, and the Tonight Show with Johnnie Carson. He has worked with famed Producer/Engineer Ken Scott on albums by Jeff Be

Eddie Kramer began his long career as a record salesman in the San Francisco Bay Area before opening his own record store in the 1960s. As the Beatle Boom began, Eddie was selling a few guitars and some accessories, which were about 10% of his business at the San Carlos-based Eddie Kramer’s World of Music. Within a few years, with the help of Japanese imported guitars, his business switched from 10% instruments and 90% records to 10% records and 90% musical instruments. After closing the store, he joined the music wholesaler JM Sahlein, where he remained until forming his own inde

Melvyn Libman was a child prodigy and toured the world as a classical pianist.  He performed in many of the grand concert halls in Europe and Town Hall in New York City.  When he decided to settle down and start a family one of his business ideas was to open a music store.  Libman Music, which began in the Chicago area, expanded to several locations over the years.  Melvyn opened the first store in the early 1970s and even after closing it decades later he continued to work in the music industry as an independent rep.  Even years after the store was closed he gets a kick out of pe

Bob Lynch was a pioneering independent representative during a pivotal era when many manufacturers were phasing out inside reps. A lifelong musician, he began playing trumpet at an early age and even taught lessons at Wallace Music while still in high school. Bob performed in several concert and dance bands, including the pit band for his hometown’s annual talent show. He first worked for the New Jersey Educational Company before moving to the supplier side, joining the Selmer Company as a road rep serving music stores throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania.

George Mantoan got his start in music by playing in a rock and roll band. He took his knowledge of music products and ran a successful music store in downtown Chicago. He also offered credit to musicians in the area that needed to finance instruments, and would go around to local clubs on Saturday nights to collect payments - a very smart tactic! George is currently president of MMS Inc., an independent rep that specializes in international business.

Al Marinaro has helped define the role of the independent rep in the music products industry for over 40 years. Al’s passion for music and the industry has played a critical part in his quest to raise the bar for customer service and attention to the details that matter most to the musician who makes the purchase. Along the way Al has assisted others who have needed help and advice in the ever changing field of independent rep’ing and has done so with the highest respect to the industry he has come to serve.  

Gary Marshank grew up in the business his grandfather had established in 1920. The Los Angeles based Marshank Sales focuses on independent manufacturer’s representation of electronic and pro-audio components, an industry that developed during the time his company has been in business. Gary has expanded the company and product lines to serve musical instrument retail stores as well as pro audio installation companies and manufacturers. Gary takes great pride in his customer relations as well as his strong ties to his suppliers.  

Norman Marshank joined his father’s independent manufacturer’s representatives full time after serving in World War II. His father, David, formed Marshank Sales in Los Angeles in 1920 and over the years the company grew as did the pro-audio industry. Norm took over the business and oversaw its growth during the home audio craze of the 1950s and the home recording popularity in the 1970s. His son Gary took over the family firm when Norm retired and continues to focus on customer service and quality products just as Gary’s grandfather had in the beginning.  

Jim Mathews played drums and formed a band when he was just ten years old. He was encouraged by his mother, who was a singer in the big bands during the swing era. He soon developed a strong interest in audio equipment as he could see how gear could help the band improve its sound and performances.

Jerry Muenchow a veteran of the music industry worked in music retail for five years before joining the famed Chicago Musical Instrument Company (CMI) as a field sales representative in Michigan. Jerry held that position for 10 years before becoming a Regional Sales Manager for Fender Musical Instruments for the East Coast. He later became an Independent Sales Rep in the Southeast United States representing Guild guitars among several other prestigious lines over the next 6 years. His long career has resulted in countless friendships with retailers and fellow reps in almost every

Thomas Parnell formed an independent music rep firm at a time when few such firms existed. Tom wanted to focus on providing tools and ideas to his dealers to grow their business in order to make his own business a success. His dedication and passion for the dealers has been a strong element of his growth and development over the last 30 years, however strong relationships with the suppliers has played a vital role in his ability to provide the type of products his dealers needed at a price their customers can afford.  

Hyman Peller, in 1975, left a corporate job in NJ and moved to upstate, NY. Once there he found employment in a music store, a job for which he says he was unqualified. The owner set about building speaker cabinets to sell wholesale and put Peller in charge of the project. After three years and some modest success, their were not enough resources to move the venture forward. With help from a friend, he became a rep, founding On the Road Marketing and acquiring lines like Audio-Technica, Kramer Guitars and QSC Audio to name a few.

Ed Rider grew up playing guitar and writing songs, and later played trombone in the school band. After serving in the United States Army and also playing in the Army Band, Ed found a music wholesale job working for Southland Music. This job later evolved into Ed working as a rep having his own territory. After working for Southland Music, Ed started his own rep company called Rider Marketing Service Inc., which later became USA Reps. After all this time, Ed is still working as a rep and credits the relationships in the music products industry as his driving force.

Bill Robinson began working in the music industry when he was in his 20s.  His high school friend opened a music store after graduation and hired Bill to work for the store  where he later became a partner.  When the store closed some years later, Bill became an independent rep for several music instruments and accessories with a focus on music stores in Northern California.  Bill was hired by the Washburn Guitar Company and stayed on for nearly a decade and worked for DOD/Digitech in Salt Lake, Utah.  Bill later worked on his own in the guitar accessories business before he was h