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MANUfAcTURiNG i BY KATiE KAilUS
mi BraNcheS ouT
The hottest emerging
markets for MI manufacturers
may just be
outside of MI.
Daisy Rock and
Alfred Music Publishing, for
instance, recently launched record
labels, while Fender dove
into commercial audio systems.
It begs the question: Is this the
future for MI suppliers?
DAS AUDio
Fender has partnered with
Volkswagen to equip select
2012 models with the Fender
Premium Audio System (FPA).
The new Jetta GLI will be
the first Volkswagen model to
feature the FPA system this
spring. Developed exclusively for
Volkswagen, it will eventually be
available in all other Jettas, and
in the new 2012 midsize sedan
and 2012 Beetle this fall.
“By partnering with Volkswagen
on the Fender Premium
Audio System, we are creating a
unique partnership with a truly
innovative company, allowing us
to deliver a product that is as
unique, expressive and dynamic
as the customers who use it,” said
Mark Van Vleet, Fender’s senior
vice president of business affairs.
The new audio system is the
result of a three-year collaboration
between Fender and Panasonic
Automotive. It features a 400watt,
nine-subwoofer speaker
system. The Fender brand has
been successful outside of the MI
industry before with such endeavors
as the Rock Band video game.
“The Fender brand has long
been regarded as an iconic music
brand,” said Brian Tedeschi, business
affairs manager for Fender.
“As a result, we look to create innovative
and compelling products
outside of the MI industry where
we believe the Fender brand will
be successful with music enthusiasts,
in addition to musicians.”
STUDio TiME
Both Daisy Rock and its parent
company, Alfred, have rolled
out record companies this year
in collaboration with TuneCore,
a service designed to provide an
easy way for songwriters to upload
and distribute their record-
Brian Tedeschi
ings through online stores.
Daisy Rock Records (DRR)
continues with Daisy Rock’s
female branding as a way for
women to get their music heard.
“For the last 11 years, we’ve
been putting guitars into females’
hands so they can make music
they love,” said Tish Ciravolo,
Daisy Rock’s founder and president.
“The one comment that we
heard constantly was, ‘How can
I get my music heard?’ [This] ultimately
means distributed and
marketed. So, Daisy Rock Records
is our answer to this problem for
the girls out there rocking out.
We will help you get your music
heard through DRR, and hopefully,
every girl will achieve all
of their musical dreams.”
Daisy Rock Records artists
keep all the rights to their music
and 100 percent of the royalties
generated from online sales
through TuneCore.
Alfred Records is designed
to be a way for schools to raise
money and increase awareness
for their school music programs.
The label lets the programs record
and sell their music at iTunes
and other digital music stores.
TuneCore provides a 20-percent
discount to schools and has
worked with Alfred to create
instructions on how to upload
music, handle royalty registration
and payment, and receive
earnings from fundraisers.
“I love the fundraising aspect
of this program, and I think all
the digital stores are great vehicles
for sharing our music with the
parents and community,” said
Carmen Gassi, band director at
White Oaks Secondary School in
Oakville, Ontario. “My students
can’t wait to begin.”
MUSicAl MUlTiTASKiNG
So is this the future of the
MI industry? It may be for
Fender. According to Tedeschi,
the company’s team is considering
branching out into different
segments outside of MI.
“As a company focused on innovation,
we are always looking
for new and compelling musicrelated
products inside and outside
the MI industry,” Tedeschi
said. MI
MAY 2011 I MUSIC INC. I 25