I´ve just returned, somewhat fuzzy-headed, from the Music Industry Association´s Industry Awards 2006. This is where retailers, distributors and manufacturers (along with sponsoring magazines like Guitarist, Guitar Techniques and Total Guitar) get together to eat, drink and be merry, while handing out awards to each other in an industry love-in. Guitarist gets a vote of course, but this is mainly about what shops and makers think...
It´s a nice old do - at The Savoy, just off The Strand, no less - and the post-awards set by Al “pub landlord” Murray was very, very funny.
As for the awards, a few highlights you might be interested in were:
Guitar Effects/Accessory - DigiTech Artist Series pedals
Amplifier - Peavey ValveKing 212 combo
Electric Guitar - PRS SE Standard
Acoustic Guitar - Washburn D10S
I´ve not got a problem with any of them, and was delighted to present distributors Headline Music their award for the PRS SE. But this is what the industry voted for - it´s the equivalent of the Brits, if you like.
But do you, the real customers who BUY gear in shops, agree? I know one colleague at least who expressed astonishment at one of the winners…
“A pro-quality tool for hard-working musicians who like the guitar to do the heavy lifting”: Fender American Ultra II Stratocaster HSS
“You never know what will happen. You’re on a bus with pythons”: Orianthi on her Orange Oriverb amp, how soloing is like rapping and why confetti cannons are just one of the risks on an Alice Cooper tour
