Steinway Musical Instruments

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Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. (NYSE: LVB) is a musical instrument manufacturing conglomerate.

Through acquisitions and mergers, the company (formerly known as Selmer Industries) has acquired a large number of musical instrument brand names and manufacturing facilities. It now owns manufacturers of pianos, string, brass, and woodwind instruments.

The company sells its products through a worldwide network of dealers to professional, amateur and student musicians, as well as orchestras and educational institutions, under dozens of different brand names.

According to the company's web site^[1], it employs a workforce of over 2,300 and operates 14 manufacturing facilities in the United States and Europe.

[edit] Company history

1853 Steinway & Sons founded.
May 1995 Selmer Industries acquires Steinway Musical Properties, parent company of Steinway & Sons piano company
need date Selmer Industries renamed Steinway Musical Instruments
August 1996 Steinway Musical Instruments IPO
January 1997 Acquisition of Emerson flutes, flute manufacturer
December 1998 Acquisition of Kluge, piano key manufacturer
March 1999 Acquisition of Steinway Hall, piano showroom in New York
November 1999 Acquisition of O.S. Kelly, piano plate manufacturer
January 2000 Acquisition of Pianohaus Karl Lang, piano showroom
September 2000 Acquisition of United Musical Instruments, Inc., band instrument manufacturer
January 2003 Merger of The Selmer Company and United Musical Instruments into one entity under Conn-Selmer, Inc.
August 2004 Acquisition of G. Leblanc, band instrument manufacturer

This means, today a substantial number of classical (clarinetists and flutists) could claim rightfully they play a Steinway instrument. Of course, if they would claim this while attempting to sell their instrument it could be construed as a "Conn". However, it remains to be seen whether this argument would hold up in a court of law.