Australian Music Industry
Mark Barratt operates a music store that has been in his family for years. His great grandfather opened a clothing store that later sold pianos and was then expanded by his grandfather to include other instruments when he relocated to Launceston, Tasmania in 1937. Mark's father brought in records...
Keith Huxtable worked for Rose Music (now Yamaha) in Melbourne for 13 years beginning in the early-1970s. Starting in the service department and moving into product management, he witnessed the rapid development of electronic keyboards, MIDI, and synthesizers during that era. A special memory was a...
John Blanch grew up learning all about solid customer service from his father, who owned a grocery store north of Sydney, Australia. Those lessons helped John during his career in the music industry, which began in retail and expanded into wholesaling. His fun stories about selling pianos in the...
Palmi Snorrasen grew up in Iceland and was formally trained on the trombone, vibraphones, and accordion as a teenager. By his eighteenth birthday, Palmi was playing professionally and he later moved to Australia in 1961 and by the end of the decade was working in music retail. He purchased and...
Linda Kitchen is the daughter of Bill May, the founder of Maton Guitars. Bill established the guitar company in 1946, which has since become an important producer of acoustic and electric guitars. Since her involvement within the company in the 1980s, Linda has focused on the acoustic guitar models...
Neville Kitchen was a school teacher when he married Linda May in 1969. Her father, Bill May, the founder of Maton Guitars, soon asked for some assistance. Neville joined the company to help for a short time when he soon discovered he loved the staff and the products. He remains with Maton to this...
Tony Hosking grew up surrounded by music. His father, Ray, was a respected studio session trumpeter and helped young Tony land his first job in the brass department of Allan's Music store in Melbourne. Over the years, he had several fascinating jobs within the industry including reviewing each...
Richard Snape is a passionate and active member of the Australian music industry. He began playing flute in school and later worked for several music stores in and around Melbourne including Allans Music and Allans Publishing. In 2006 Richard became a shareholder and an Executive Director of the...
Michael Coleman and his wife formed a music store near Melbourne in 1989. Today, Cranbourne Music, remains a family business with their three children's involvement. An early milestone of the store's success was gaining the Casio line of products and with a strong foundation, Cranbourne branched...
Tony Fenelon cut his teeth on the Theatre Organ and became the artist in residence at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne in the early 1960s. He recalls performing demos at the NAMM Shows beginning in the 1970s for companies such as Lowrey and Roland. Tony was on hand for the big unveiling of the...