Klarinet Archive - Posting 000161.txt from 2003/03

From: "Rebecca Brennan" <rjbrennan1221@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] More corporate shenanigans in the instrument manufacturing world
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 13:05:15 -0500

I'm not sure I understand what is being said here, but I have a feeling that
I need to because this is my future.

In earlier discussions I read about the Leblanc factory fire and the selling
of Buffet. This isn't on the topic (I will get to it though, I promise), but
will the prices in these two brands go up? Will the way Buffet clarinets are
made change?

Back to the topic<<<tra la lala la lala bum de dum trum....roll...and here
we go!<<<

What I understand from this post is that some instrument companies that were
once competitiors now are partners and that more companies will do this and
sooner or later there will be only one brand and they will not care about
our needs as musicians only profit and we have the corperate sons of bitches
to blame for this. Sorry, but this makes me mad!

What is this world coming to? I hope I misunderstood, but what goes through
my brain right now is this:

1)The corporate people who know nothing about instruments will make them.
2)They will not be quality as we know it.
3)What does Wal-mart have to do with this? If I have to send my future
students to wal-mart to get their instruments I might as well just kill
myself right now!

I'm not too worried right now because I have a feeling that I didn't
understand what I read very well.

Please help me to understand this better.

-Rebecca

>From: "Lacy, Edwin" <el2@-----.edu>
>Reply-To: klarinet@-----.org
>To:
><idrs-l@-----.org>
>Subject: [kl] More corporate shenanigans in the instrument manufacturing
>world
>Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 11:02:56 -0600
>
>As of a couple of months ago, there is a new mega-corporation in the music
>world called "Conn-Selmer, Inc."  This is true - I didn't make it up.  The
>unlikely merger between these two former competitors means that one
>corporate entity owns and controls the brand names Armstrong, Artley, Bach,
>Benge, Buescher, Conn, Emerson, Glaesel, King, Ludwig, Musser, Scherl &
>Roth, and Selmer.  Further, not mentioned on this list are other brand
>names that previously have disappeared in earlier buy-outs and takeovers by
>some of the above, including Linton, Lesher, White, and Cleveland.  But,
>that doesn't even tell the whole story.  Amazingly, the corporate entity
>under which this company operates is called "Steinway, Inc."  That's right;
>the so-called "parent" is the Steinway piano company.  Note also that all
>the names on the list of brands are also the names of formerly independent
>companies, some of whom at one time competed with each other. 
>
>This seems to continue the trend toward larger and larger corporations.  If
>the trend continues to its logical conclusion, there eventually would be
>only one company in the entire musical world, and perhaps even further in
>the future, only one corporation of any kind - and its name will probably
>be "Walmart."
>
>A couple of things we can be certain of - this decision was not made in an
>instrument manufacturing plant or by musicians, but rather in some plush
>corporate offices, likely in New York City, and it has nothing to do with
>trying to ensure quality in the manufacture of musical instruments or
>service to musicians.  What it is all about is the almighty dollar. 
>Decision-making in the future is not going to be based on the needs of
>musicians, but on the needs of the managers and corporate executives.
>
>Competition among musical instrument manufacturers was in the best interest
>of musicians.  Companies used to try to improve their profitability by
>making better and therefore more desirable instruments; now they try to
>improve profitability by cutting costs.  This has led to
>moving manufacturing facilities to other countries,
>out-sourcing to suppliers who have no clue as to what making a musical
>instrument is about, and reducing payroll costs by laying off skilled
>workers, all ultimately resulting in worsening quality.
>
>There may be some good to come of all of this.  This will probably ensure
>the success small, specialty manufacturers, sometimes called "one-man
>shops" - although they can have more than one employee, sometimes quite a
>few.
>
>Except for the information about the corporate merger itself, the
>above consists only of my opinions, based on my interpretation of events. 
>Others may disagree, and that is their right.
>
>Ed Lacy
>University of Evansville
>
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