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have been doing very well.”
Chris Hankes, marching and
concert percussion product manager
for Mapex, said school music
boosters have helped propel band
percussion sales this past year.
“School budgets are under
siege, and what we have seen are
‘It seems
like people are
focusing more
on buying,
especially
quality
instruments.’
— Shawn Lafrenz
music boosters helping to come up
with the money for instruments,”
Hankes said. “We’ve sold twice
as many marching and band instruments
because of the boosters
programs.”
accESSory BooM
Despite tight pocket books,
drummers have not been
holding back on accessories.
“People are really buying sticks
and heads,” LeVan said. “Accessories
keep moving and seem to
be very strong right now.”
At PASIC, Remo highlighted its
Tattoo Skyns drumheads, designed
by “LA Ink” television star Corey
Miller. The heads offer full-color
designs that replicate the designs
featured on Miller’s show. Also
showcased were Remo’s NSL (Not
So Loud) heads, which eliminate
high overtones and midrange
tones, letting drummers play in
a quiet setting.
Ian Shepherd of Evans Drumheads
also reported strong sales.
“Everything is selling really
well,” he said. “Our Hybrid Soft
heads are doing well for younger
players, and the Puresound snares
have been very popular, as well.”
1. Alesis’ Felix Pacheco; 2. DW’s Jordan Barth;
3. Gator Cases’ Ken Fuente (left) and Bruce
Schneider; 4. From left: Alfred’s Michael
Finkelstein, Rich Lackowski, Karissa Read
and Dave Black; 5. Toca’s Victor Filonovich; 6.
Paiste’s Tim Shahady (left) and the University
of North Dakota at Grand Forks’ Mike Blake; 7.
Sabian’s Robert Mason (left) and Nick Petrella; 8.
From left: Pearl’s Aaron Hunt, Steve Armstrong,
Shawn Lafrenz, Frans Swinkels and Sho Inatomi;
9. Vic Firth’s Vic Firth; 10. Evans Drumheads’
Ian Shepherd; 11. Zildjian’s Paul Francis
Evans debuted its Hybrid-S
marching snare head, as well as
the System Blue Tenor Head.
The Hybrid-S, or Hybrid-Soft,
Marching Snare Batter features
a Kevlar-Mylar blend that offers
a soft, sensitive feel. According to
Shepherd, the drumheads received
a lot of attention from showgoers.
Peterson Tuners displayed its
BodyBeat Sync, a metronome that
can transmit a beat through visual,
aural and tactile means. Units can
be set up as the “master” to set
the beat or in “sync” mode to follow
the beat.
“These have been creating
quite the buzz, literally,” said
John Norris, Peterson’s sales
manager. “People can also feel the
beat, which is unique. They have
been very popular at the show.”
DiGiTal DoMinaTion
Floods of percussionists and
students pounded away at
Roland’s digital drum setups,
showing the growing popularity
of the electronic segment.
Roland Product Specialist David
Garza said digital drums are
a strong seller because of their
versatility.
“Electronic drums are such a
great solution for practice, as well
as the recording studio. They are
so popular right now.”
Roland rolled out its Octapad
SPD-30, which features 30 types of
multi-effects and four dual-trigger
inputs. The pad also has a hi-hat
controller for adding pads to create
a mini kit or for connecting triggers
from acoustic drums.
“There’s almost not one top
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JANUARY 2011 I MUSIC INC. I 35