Tasmanian Music Industry

Mark Barratt operates a music store that has been in his family for years. His great grandfather opened a clothing store that later sold pianos and was then expanded by his grandfather to include other instruments when he relocated to Launceston, Tasmania in 1937. Mark's father brought in records to the business during his career and Mark, who joined the business in 2001, has focused on music education. Here ais a small part of the incredible history of the family, and its store is sure to continue to serve the Tasmanian community as it has for nearly 100 years.

Cheryl Masters retired from Barratt’s Music in July 2024 after 50 years of service! Her remarkable career in the Launceston, Tasmania store spanned three generations of the Barratt family and countless customers and friends. Cheryl started at Barratt’s in an administrative role, utilizing machines and typewriters to perform tasks before moving into the store's sheet music department. In this role, with the emergence of computer technology, Cheryl grew the store’s sheet music profile and, as a result, gained national attention and industry awards for her expertise, skills and knowl

Geoff McCann’s grandfather, James Robert McCann, established McCann’s Music in Hobart, Tasmania back in 1881. In 1935, under the supervision of Bernard McCann (Geoff’s father), the store expanded into electrical goods, furniture, floor coverings, bedding and records. Geoff joined the business in 1965, working in the record bar and was appointed managing director in 1974.  Due to a poor financial position at the time, Geoff decided to scale back the operation and to concentrate solely on musical instruments, print music and tuition, which turned out to be a successful decision.