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PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Neilson/Clyne
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK MUSIC INDUSTRY ICON JUDD GOLDRICH
JOINS THE GUITAR CENTER ORGANIZATION
— Just one year after the Grand Opening of its 30,000-square-foot
Manhattan Superstore, Guitar Center continues to change the musical
instrument retail landscape of New York City
by hiring key industry professionals like Judd Goldrich —
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, February 2, 2005 —
Guitar Center, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTRC), America’s leading musical
instrument and professional audio retailer, announces that Judd Goldrich,
grandson of the late Manny Goldrich, who in 1935 started the legendary
Manny’s Music of New York City, has joined Guitar Center’s
Manhattan flagship store. The announcement of Judd Goldrich’s
hiring comes on the heels of Guitar Center’s latest announcement
of better than anticipated fourth quarter 2004 sales, and further underscores
the company’s ongoing plans for growth and long-term expansion.
Judd Goldrich is based at GC’s 30,000-square-foot flagship Superstore
located on 14th Street in the heart of Manhattan’s world-famous
Union Square.
In his new position, Judd Goldrich will work closely with
Tim Miller, Guitar Center Manhattan Superstore General Manager, and
together with a highly qualified staff of sales professionals, will
continue to expand GC’s presence in the New York/Tri-State music
community.
“When I first heard that we might be able to land
Judd Goldrich, one of the biggest fishes in the retail music sea, and
that Judd would be working in my store, I was totally thrilled!”
stated Tim Miller. “When I met Judd for the first time, I felt
tremendous chemistry and knew this was going to be an incredible partnership
that was going to set New York on its ear. Judd’s lifetime of
experience in music is a tremendous asset to the Manhattan store, and
when I say he knows everyone in New York — I mean he knows everyone
in New York. I’m very proud to have Judd on the GC team.”
Judd Goldrich has a rich history in the New York music
scene as well as a special relationship with the top professionals and
legends in the industry. As a child, Judd Goldrich grew up crawling
on boxes at his grandfather’s store Manny’s, and began working
there when he was 10 years old. Starting out in the stock room, Judd
worked his way up to sales in the guitar department, and after college
he came back to run the legendary 48th Street store. Leading players
like the late John Entwhistle of The Who, who attended Judd’s
Bar Mitzvah, as well as James Taylor and Paul Simon, would turn to him
regularly for help with their musical needs. After running Manny’s
on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, Judd decided that it was time to
come home to New York, and realized getting a position with Guitar Center
was the only logical choice. “Because of my background, on the
outside looking in, I have always looked at Guitar Center and realized
that they have achieved a prominent position in the industry, yet I
never had a total understanding of their philosophy of doing business,”
stated Judd Goldrich. “Now that I am part of the Guitar Center
organization, I instantly see that GC is so focused on their customer’s
needs and doing whatever is necessary to keep that customer happy above
and beyond a great price. I realize this is the formula for why they
are so successful. And that is what I am bringing to my customer base
— it’s what I was taught to bring to work by my family and
it’s what I continue to believe in today.”
…ends 527 words
About Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the nation's leading retailer of guitars, amplifiers,
percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment.
We presently operate 138 Guitar Center stores, with 114 stores in 46
major markets and 24 stores in secondary markets across the U.S. In
addition, the American Music division operates 19 family music stores
specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving thousands
of teachers, band directors, college professors and students. Guitar
Center is also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments
in the U.S. through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician's Friend,
Inc., and its catalog and web site, www.musiciansfriend.com.
More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's
web site at www.guitarcenter.com.
For further information on Guitar Center, contact Tina Montano at (818)
735-8800 ext. 2285,
or log onto www.guitarcenter.com.