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PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Neilson/Clyne
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

THE WORLD’S GREATEST CITY WELCOMES THE WORLD’S LARGEST MUSIC EQUIPMENT AND PRO AUDIO RETAILER — GUITAR CENTER

— Guitar Center unveils its 30,000-square-foot flagship superstore in
Manhattan’s world-famous Union Square, bringing a new level of expertise
and depth of product to the world’s music capital —

— Musicians and audio professionals now have access to the ultimate source
for everything musical, featuring an unprecedented selection of guitars, amplifiers,
drums, keyboards, vintage instruments, Apple® computers, and dedicated
Digidesign Pro Tools®-equipped pro audio demo spaces —

— Guitar Center Grand Opening turns Union Square into an
elaborate music festival hosted by DMC of Run DMC, with appearances by KC Armstrong
from the Howard Stern Show, radio station K-ROCK, and the fabulous Flirt Girls —

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, December 2, 2003 — With a celebration to rival the store itself in scope and scale, Guitar Center, America’s leading musical instrument and professional audio retailer, has launched its new flagship location in Manhattan’s ultra-hip Union Square. A special pro preview party was held on the evening of Wednesday, November 19, with members of ASCAP, leading music industry artists, journalists, engineers, and other prominent members of New York’s music community in attendance. The official Grand Opening event on Thursday, November 20th was hosted by legendary rap icon DMC of Run DMC, and introduced New Yorkers to an unparalleled selection of musical instrument and pro audio product lines, incredible customer service, and a more knowledgeable staff than any other music store. An enthusiastic and diverse crowd showed up to welcome Guitar Center’s New York arrival, with the line for entry extending all the way to 5th Avenue and wrapping around the block. The packed house included celebrities and consumers alike, with representatives from top manufacturers there to extend congratulations and support. The 30,000-square-foot superstore debut featured appearances by KC Armstrong from the Howard Stern Show, radio station
K-ROCK, the Flirt Girls, an in-store Elvis impersonator, drum circle with Remo artist Paulo Mattioli, and numerous special offers and prizes, including a drawing for a Kawasaki KLX110 from Prospect Kawasaki.

The good times continued into Friday evening, when HOT 97 FM presented a performance by Grandmaster Flash and giveaways of t-shirts, CDs, DVDs, and concert tickets. On Saturday, Q104.3 was on location at Guitar Center with more music and giveaway merchandise including a guitar signed by Skid Row and an onsite appearance by Stephen Pearcy of Ratt.

The new Manhattan flagship location is the 120th store in the continuously expanding series of Guitar Center locations, which have revolutionized the way musical instruments and professional audio products are marketed and sold by offering more choices and expert assistance at all levels of music and sound to the largest number of people. The opening of the Manhattan superstore in Union Square also bears special significance, as Guitar Center makes a new home in a neighborhood that has given rise to many famous music venues over the decades, such as the legendary Academy of Music on East 14th Street. New York City itself is acknowledged as the historical center of the global music industry, home to record label headquarters, scores of famous nightclubs and performance halls, dozens of major recording studios, and a music legacy that runs from Harlem’s R&B to jazz on West 52nd Street to urban music’s downtown home. Guitar Center now provides this culturally diverse and intensely creative mecca with a one-stop solution for quality equipment and helpful service, underscoring the retailer’s mission to make music and sound accessible, affordable, and fun.

“There is no place on earth like New York City, and that’s where Guitar Center has to be,” commented David Angress, executive vice president of Guitar Center, on the eve of the Grand Opening festivities. “Our flagship New York store brings Guitar Center’s enormous economies of scale and its unrivaled resources to what is already an incredibly music-and-technology-savvy city. I’ve spoken with a number of our excited new customers tonight, and they all share the sentiment that we have significantly and permanently changed the musical instrument retail landscape in Manhattan,” concluded Angress.

Guitar Center extends its gratitude to the people of Manhattan and everyone involved for another successful grand opening. The new store, located at 25 West 14th Street, is an enormous and lively musical playground for enthusiasts and professionals who crave exceptional service, selection, and price. Guitar Center also offers the best guarantee in the business — a “30/30 low price, no hassle return” guarantee.

…ends 610 words

Guitar Center is the nation’s leading retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards, and pro audio and recording equipment. We presently operate 120 Guitar Center stores, with 106 stores in 44 major markets and 14 stores in secondary markets across the U.S. In addition, the American Music division operates 19 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.

The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of Guitar Center, Inc. All other product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.

For further information on Guitar Center, contact Ana Garcia at (818) 735-8800 ext. 2224, via cell phone at (818) 519-1910, or gcpromogirl@yahoo.com.

Copyright ©2004, Neilson/Clyne, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Contact: info@neilsonclyne.com