Crane Institute for Music Business to Host Sandy Feldstein Industry Roundtable at 2010 NAMM Show

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) announced today that the Crane Institute for Music Business at SUNY Potsdam will be presenting an interactive roundtable forum during the 2010 NAMM Show exploring how to jointly benefit from the synergistic relationship between the music education and music products sectors.

The open forum discussion, called “Enhancing the Music Education & Music Business Partnership,” is being hosted at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Hilton Anaheim in the Hilton Ballroom. The event is open to all 2010 NAMM Show badge holders, and is especially recommended for music educators and music industry students and faculty attending the show.

Pairing the Crane School’s international reputation as a leader in music education for the past 125 years with the vibrant NAMM Show atmosphere, the discussion is sure to peak the interest of anyone interested in maximizing the mutually beneficial crossovers between these industries. A short reception will follow the event, where attendees can meet the panelists.

The roundtable event is dedicated to SUNY Potsdam alumnus and long-time music industry icon Sandy Feldstein.

The roundtable panelists include:

Marty Albertson
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Guitar Center

Marty Albertson has been with Guitar Center since 1979. He joined Guitar Center as a salesperson and has held various positions of increasing responsibility with Guitar Center since that time, including advertising director, national sales manager, vice president of corporate development, vice president of sales and marketing, and executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Carol Calato
Vice President of Sales and Marketing, J.A. Calato Manufacturing Inc.

Calato is vice president of J.D. Calato Manufacturing Company in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The company’s claim to fame is the “Regal Tip” drumstick invented by her father, Joe Calato, nearly 50 years ago. Today the company is the world’s premier drumstick maker and the world’s largest manufacturer of drum brushes.

James D'Addario
Chairman and CEO, D'Addario & Company, Inc.

Jim D'Addario is chairman & CEO of D'Addario & Company, Inc., one of the world's leading designers, manufacturers and distributors of innovative musical instrument accessories. In his role as chairman and CEO, Jim overseas production, research and development, marketing and graphic design for all five D'Addario brand name product lines: D'Addario, Planet Waves, Evans Drumheads, HQ Percussion and Rico.

Joe Lamond
President and CEO, NAMM

Starting in 1982 as a bookkeeper for a small, independent retailer in Sacramento, Calif., Joe Lamond moved to Skip’s Music in 1989, where he started in the warehouse. Armed with passion, drive and a natural ability for marketing, Lamond ultimately rose to the position of executive vice president, overseeing the $12 million corporation. Those years of retail experience were critically important in shaping Lamond’s views about the industry, specifically, the important relationship between supplier and dealer. In addition, under his leadership since 2001, NAMM’s resources have grown significantly, enabling NAMM to invest more into research, grants and market-building programs than at any time in the association’s history.

Rick Young
Senior Vice President, Yamaha Corporation of America

Rick Young oversees the company’s piano, band & orchestral, and pro audio and combo divisions, as well as the music education department. In addition, he is president of Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. in New York City and is responsible for Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs, Inc. in Nashville and Yamaha Artist Services in Hollywood. Mr. Young helped institute the company’s Customer Sales and Marketing Group, an initiative designed to seamlessly align Yamaha Corporation of America with the needs of a broad base of select dealers, top artists, and world-class performance venues, as well as leading academic and institutional facilities.

Carol “Kickie” Britt
Executive Director of The Crane Institute for Music Business and Coordinator of Music Business at SUNY Potsdam

Carole “Kickie” Britt will serve as moderator for the panel. Kickie is responsible for the music business program at SUNY Potsdam, where more than 100 students pursue music industry-related studies. Kickie’s background includes music education at every level from elementary school to university, classical and jazz vocal performance, choral conducting, and arts administration. She has been teaching music industry studies for more than two decades, and cites Sandy Feldstein, her aural skills professor as a freshman at SUNY Potsdam, as one of her most profound influences.

 About Crane Institute of Music Business at SUNY Potsdam
SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music is a community of educators, musicians and scholars in an environment dedicated to helping every student achieve his or her career and life goals.

Crane consists of 590 undergraduate and 30 graduate students and a faculty of 70 teachers and professional staff. Crane is housed in the Julia E. Crane Music Center on the north side of the campus that two classroom buildings (Bishop and Schuette Halls), three concert areas (Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall, 1290 seats; the Sara M. Snell Music Theater, 452 seats; and the Ralph Wakefield Lecture and Recital Hall, 130 seats) as well as extensive supporting areas.

The Crane School was founded in 1886 by Julia Crane (1855-1923) as the Crane Institute of Music and was one of the first institutions in the country to have programs dedicated to preparing specialists in teaching music in the public schools. Throughout Crane's history the school's primary mission has been to educate music teachers with an emphasis on excellence in performance. At Crane, learning to be a teacher does not exclude or limit music performance, but uses excellence in performance as the foundation on which teaching is based. Crane is proud to have many of the finest music educators, scholars and performers in the United States as members of the faculty, all working hard to make Crane a vital, innovative and exciting place.