The sun shone, the crowds came in their droves, the entire event was an outstanding success. There are no two ways about it – this year’s Music Show was the best ever. And despite the hard economic times, the large numbers in attendance proved once again that there is a massive interest in all things musical in this country.

The sound of guitars, keyboards, drums and sundry other instruments and equipment echoed throughout the Main Hall at the RDS over the weekend, as stands and displays in the main exhibition area were thronged with a mixture of serious musos, eager amateurs and the curious onlooker. Areas such as the Fender Players Lounge, where would-be rock stars got to jam on a selection of custom Fenders, proved popular, while the live stages, seminars, talks and master-classes were standing room only. Meanwhile legendary figures such as Eric Bell, Paul Brady, 10cc’s Kevin Godley, Jerry Fish, Eddi Reader and Pugwash’s Thomas Walsh were just some of the hundreds of well-known musical luminaries in attendance.
For the exhibitors, the enthusiasm of the crowds and the level of knowledge of the fare on offer was a particular talking point over the weekend.
“Without a doubt there were more musicians in attendance this year,” says Lesley Kane of Marshall (KMI). “In fact, I was astounded at the amount of people who travelled long distances, – from Cork, Belfast, Donegal.”
2012 is a big year for Marshall and The Music Show was the perfect showcase: “1962 was the year Marshall was founded,” says Kane.
“So for the 50th anniversary they brought out a limited edition boutique 50-watt amp which was launched in January. We had the second one made on display at The Music Show. They’re gorgeous looking – the size of a small practice amp. People travelled from far and wide to see it. We were also able to announce the fact that Marshall have bought Eden bass amps.”
Kane says the change in the timing of the event from autumn to spring may have been a factor in the higher attendances. “Maybe in October people are more careful with their money. I walked away feeling very positive about the weekend and we even got a picture in the Irish Times and Irish Independent.”
Petr Furch of Furch Guitars came from the Czech Republic to The Music Show with one main objective – to find an Irish distributor. “It worked out perfectly for me,” he enthuses. “I wanted to find distribution in Ireland and I succeeded. We even left some guitars behind so there should already be some of them in the shops in Ireland. The organisation of the show was great. I didn’t have any problem with anything over the weekend.”
Meanwhile, Lisa Kane of X Music says the huge effort they put into their own stand and display paid off. “It was really about a lot of brand awareness for people who hadn’t experienced X Music,” she explains. “We were right at the entrance and as the crowds came in they were immediately confronted by our stand and what X Music represents. The fact that we ran a competition on the hour every hour with two major prizes of a set of Roland V drums and a Fender Guitar helped too, while we also gave away drum sticks and guitar strings over the weekend. What’s more, we had the launch of the Strymon Timeline pedal and a lot of people were exited by that. And of course we had the great Chris Slade who rocked out on ‘A Whole Lot of Rosie’.
Elsewhere, the importance of the repair and maintenance of musical instruments was underlined by Paul Doyle at his Monastery Music stand: “The professionals I work with require constant instrument maintenance – some of them would have up to seven guitars so every few months they come in to have them looked after,” he explained.
“I wasn’t there to sell anything as such – half my work is in the restoring and repairing end of things. In the four days since The Music Show until today I’ve taken in about 25 new repair jobs and about 15 of them are due to The Music Show alone. So I’m absolutely thrilled with the whole thing.”
Doyle added that the atmosphere and overall feeling was better than ever this year: “I think it’s a more useful time of the year to have it with the Musikmesse in Frankfurt coming up. Having live shows and instrument stands at the same event works out well, as there is sometimes a disconnect between the artists on stage and the tools of the trade which is my end of things. I’m very happy Eddi Reader and Philomena Lynott dropped by to say hello and I’ve loads of pictures up on the website if anyone wants to check them out.” (www.monasterymusic.net)
For Music Minds it was their first experience of The Music Show and a very positive one indeed.
“I’m personally very happy,” enthuses Paddy O’Reilly. “We got good exposure. We’re in the distribution business and it’s hard to have an identity but we actually got orders out of it, mainly guitars with brands such as ESP, Hohner and Walden guitars. Because of our positioning at the show – we were right up beside the live room, we had lots of kids coming up to us and we sold a few guitars, so there are sales to be had at it. It was good for me and I’ll definitely be back next year.”