VISIONARY - Music Inc. Magazine

UNIVERSAL AUDIO I CHARITY
UNIVERSAL
AUDIO DONATES
TO JAPAN
Universal Audio, along with its UAD Powered
Plug-In customers, recently donated $50,000 to
the American Red Cross relief efforts in Japan to aid
victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
“Although they may have slipped from the
headlines over the past few weeks, the people of
Japan are still suffering in large numbers from
the largest catastrophe in that nation’s history,”
said Bill Putnam, founder of Universal Audio.
“In April, we worked jointly with the American Red
Cross and our customers to raise a $50,000 donation,
which will directly support the relief efforts in
Japan. Our customers were extremely generous, and
we thank them for their outpouring of support.”
“The American Red Cross is grateful for Universal
Audio’s compassion following what has been
declared one of the most devastating earthquakes
in history,” said Rita Chick, CEO of the Santa Cruz
County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
“Universal Audio’s incredible donation will help the
American Red Cross channel support to our partner
in Japan that is playing a critical humanitarian role
and comforting the survivors.” {uaudio.com}
EVANS I ARTIST APPROVED
Evans Family Grows
Evans has signed drummer Vinny
Appice of Heaven & Hell, Black
Sabbath and Dio. Appice has also
anchored the rhythm and power
both live and in-studio for such
artists as Black Sabbath, Rick
Derringer and John Lennon.
“These heads make my drums
sound great,” Appice said. “And
they can take a beating.”
Marco Soccoli, D’Addario’s
director of artist relations, said it
the family.” {evansdrumheads.com}
32 I MUSIC INC. I JULY 2011
Vinny Appice
WEBNEWS
American DJ Offers PhD-J
American DJ and American
Audio have created
ADJ University, a free
online learning program
that offers in-depth, userfriendly
video instruction
for any DJ. ADJ University,
located at adjuniversity.com,
blends subtle humor with
clear, easy-to-follow lesson
plans and videos, which
cover a range of topics from
DMX programming and audio mixing to gear maintenance and marketing
DJ services.
“We’ve always viewed our role as not just selling products but as partnering
with DJs to help them elevate their performance and achieve their goals,”
said Scott Davies, general manager of American DJ. “As lighting and audio
gear has become more technologically advanced, DJs need more knowledge,
so they can take full advantage of these powerful tools. This is why we created
ADJ University. We owe it to our customers not only to provide them
with great products but to help acquire the knowledge to get the most out of
those products.”
Davies said that ADJ University video courses don’t promote specific
American DJ and American Audio merchandise but cover product types in
a generic sense, giving pointers on gear in general.
“This is not about selling,” he said. “It’s about supporting the DJ community.”
Available now, ADJ University features eight learning video courses that
have tests at the end. When someone completes the courses and the tests,
they earn a PhD-J degree and receive a diploma and free ADJ University
T-shirt. {americandj.com}
GON BOPS SITE MAKEOVER
Gon Bops has launched a new website, gonbops.com, that features a clean,
new look that’s easy-to-navigate. The home page has a slide show that includes
photos of products and La Ropa, Gon Bops’ new clothing line. The site
boasts a vintage-inspired look and feel to celebrate the company’s past.
“Since 1954, this brand has never stopped handcrafting and building premium
quality drums in the United States,” said Luis Cardoso, marketing manager for
Gon Bops. “It was important to us for our new design to make this very clear.”
The website corresponds with Gon Bops’ new social media pages, with the addition
of Facebook “Like” buttons to product pages. {gonbops.com}
YAMAHA ROLLS OUT PARAGON
Yamaha recently launched Paragon, a dealer tool
designed to increase efficiency, accessibility and
measurement of online and social content. Paragon
(Product and Resource Asset Galleries Online) provides
user-friendly resources that make it easy for dealers to
add Yamaha content to their websites, including content
that integrates with mobile devices, and measure the
impact of marketing efforts on Facebook and Twitter —
all free of charge. {yamaha.com}