Musician's Friend
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Musician's Friend | |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | 931 Chevy Way, Medford, OREGON 97504, USA |
| Key people | Robert Eastman (CEO) Craig Johnson (President and COO) Sue Etling (Director Finance) |
| Industry | Music retail |
| Parent | Guitar Center |
| Website | musiciansfriend.com |
Musician's Friend is America's largest direct response retailer of musical instruments and related gear.
Musician's Friend was founded in 1983 by Robert and Deanna Eastman, eventually relocating its headquarters from San Diego to a dairy barn in Southern Oregon. Rob was then joined by brother-in-law Al Dinardi, and the company grew rapidly to become a prominent direct marketer of music gear. The company offers a 45 day money-back guarantee on most merchandise.
Along with the rock oriented catalog, the company publishes two speciality catalogs and websites for niche markets. Giardinelli specializes in band and orchestra instruments while LMI Music provides a mix of educational products.
In 2005 Musician's Friend purchased the popular musician community website Harmony Central. Harmony Central provides free articles, reviews written by musicians, and discussion forums. Music industry author Craig Anderton is the Editor-in-Chief.
Musician's Friend is based in Medford, Oregon, with a 700,000 sq foot distribution center in Kansas City, Missouri, and a call center in Draper, Utah.
Musician's Friend was purchased for $50 million by Guitar Center in 1999 and is a wholly owned, independent subsidiary. Robert Eastman remains as CEO and serves on the Guitar Center Board of Directors. Musician's Friend has increased in sales to over $350 million in the past 7 years.
In February of 2007, Musician's Friend purchased the Indiana based company Woodwind & Brass.
