MUSICIAN'S FRIEND WEBSITE WINS
TOP HONORS
— MusiciansFriend.com wins first place recognition from Internet
Retailer and in the 24th Annual MCM Awards —
MEDFORD, OR, June 8, 2009 — As the company
caps off a yearlong 25th anniversary celebration, Musician’s Friend,
Inc (MF), the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments
and gear in the U.S., and a division of Guitar Center since 1999, has
been recognized with top honors by two prominent online retailer authorities
in their annual rankings.
First, the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide (2009 Edition)
was recently released online, and MusiciansFriend.com is ranked #1 in
the Specialty and Non-Apparel category for the second consecutive year.
In the same publication, MusiciansFriend.com’s ranking rose from
#39 to #36 among all domestic retail sites. Internet Retailer’s
definitive ranking and analysis of America’s 500 largest e-retailers
is based on annual 2008 Internet sales, researched by Internet Retailer
and confirmed by retailers. This report includes company financial,
operational, and performance data, as well as vendors in key categories.
Second, MusiciansFriend.com won the top award (Gold) in
the Web Computer/Electronics category in the 24th Annual Multichannel
Merchant (MCM) Awards. The awards were announced during a special luncheon
at the 2009 ACCM (Annual Conference for Catalog and Multichannel Merchants)
Show in New Orleans on May 6. This is the third year in a row that MusiciansFriend.com
has been recognized by MCM (Gold in 2007 and Silver in 2008). MCM Awards
finalists and winners are evaluated by a panel of industry experts through
a series of three judging sessions – a prescreening, in-home evaluations,
and a final judging session. Print and Web Channel entries are evaluated
on creative, merchandising, copy, customer service/navigation and marketing
execution. Cross Channel entries are evaluated on the synergy between
channels and results.
“It is a distinct honor to be acknowledged by these
two organizations,” stated Musician’s Friend Chief Executive
Officer Craig Johnson. “Everyone at MF works extremely hard to
provide our customers with the best at-home catalog and e-commerce shopping
experience. To be recognized by these industry experts is one of the
biggest compliments we could receive.”
About Musician’s Friend
Musician’s Friend, Inc., is the largest direct response retailer
of musical instruments in the U.S. Through marketing and merchandising
music products in their catalog and on their web site, www.MusiciansFriend.com,
the company offers customers a complete selection of guitars, basses,
amps and effect pedals, DJ equipment, band and orchestra instruments,
sound reinforcement, recording equipment, keyboards, drums and percussion
equipment, and associated musical accessories. In addition to an assortment
of more than 70,000 products, the Musician’s Friend website offers
in-depth buying guides, tech tips, videos, expert gear reviews, artist
interviews, and a half-million unbiased gear reviews and ratings written
by customers.
With their corporate office based in Medford, Oregon,
Musician’s Friend also maintains a contact center/customer service
operation based in Draper, Utah (a suburb of Salt Lake City), a state-of-the-art
distribution center in Kansas City, Missouri, and The Woodwind and Brasswind,
a band and orchestra division and retail store in South Bend, Indiana.
Musician’s Friend is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Guitar Center, the nation’s leading retailer of guitars, amplifiers,
percussion instruments, keyboards, live-sound/DJ and recording equipment.
Other brand or product names may be trademarks of the respective companies
with which they are associated.
About Internet Retailer
Published by Chicago-based Vertical Web Media LLC, Internet Retailer
is a monthly national business magazine that is at the core of an e-commerce
conference and four directories that serve the retailing community.
The Internet Retailer family of products focuses on the Internet’s
vital role in a wide array of retailing activities, including web merchandising,
supply chain management and multichannel integration. Its 42,500 subscribers
are senior executives primarily from retail chains, independent stores,
catalogs, virtual merchants and brand name manufacturers. Internet Retailer’s
circulation represents the largest multichannel readership base of any
retailing magazine. The magazine also publishes the most widely read
e-mail newsletter in retailing, IRNewsLink, which is distributed four
times a week to 30,000+ opt-in subscribers, operates the largest retailing
information website, InternetRetailer.com, sponsors the largest conference
in the e-retailing industry and publishes an annual ranking of the 500
largest web sites.
About the MCM Awards
The MCM Awards are the industry’s top honors for b-to-b and b-to-c
multichannel marketers. Formerly the Annual Catalog Awards and the I.Merchant
Awards, the MCM Awards continue the tradition of recognizing superior
print catalogs and websites from around the globe. Gold and Silver awards
are given out for quality in both print and web. Cross Channel entries
are eligible for Business-to-Business Multichannel Merchant of the Year
and Consumer Multichannel Merchant of the Year honors.
MEDIA CONTACT: Robert Clyne, Clyne Media, at (615) 662-1616