YAMAHA CORPORATION OF AMERICA WINTER NAMM 2011 PRESS KIT VISIT THE YAMAHA WINTER NAMM 2011 EXHIBIT AT THE ANAHEIM MARRIOTT, MARQUIS BALLROOM ACCESS HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOS AND PRESS RELEASES AT HTTP://WWW.YAMAHA.COM/NAMM/EPK FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FOLLOWING STAFF AT GILES COMMUNICATIONS: KEYBOARD DIVISION, CORPORATE LISA CESARANO [email protected] 914-414-1556 (MOBILE) BAND AND ORCHESTRAL DIVISION VLADIMIR LAPIN [email protected] 215-370-6778 (MOBILE) PAC, LIVE SOUND, MUSIC PRODUCTION, STEINBERG: MARC FERRIS [email protected] 914-478-1233 (MOBILE) CORPORATE RELEASES YAMAHA PIONEERS SOCIAL AND MOBILE MEDIA APPLICATIONS FOR NAMM AND BEYOND —Customer Experience Group Develops Proprietary Tools to Enhance Experience for NAMM Visitors, Dealers and Customers— BUENA PARK, Calif.— Last year, at Winter NAMM 2010, Yamaha introduced several leading edge social and mobile media applications designed to enhance the NAMM experience for show visitors. This year, the company’s Customer Experience Group (CEG) raises the stakes with the Yamaha Hub iOS app, available in the App Store for free. The innovative app – singled out by Apple as a “New and Noteworthy” addition to the App Store at its debut – aggregates data about Yamaha products, promotions, content and events at the NAMM show in Anaheim for users of Apple products and features practical functionality that will be useful and informative long after the show is over. “Mobile media devices are clearly the wave of the future,” said Jeff Hawley, Director of the Yamaha Customer Experience Group. “Yamaha is committed to leveraging a strong mobile presence not just at trade shows, but also in our customers’ purses and pockets, as these devices become more sophisticated and ubiquitous.” Based on the template provided by the Yamaha Hub, the multi-media web portal that serves as “the Hub of all things Yamaha,” the new app is segmented by instrument groups and contains all Hub content, complete with an expanded area for video details and links to more information and product pages. Select YouTube and Vimeo content is also incorporated, along with all Yamaha Twitter, Facebook and news feeds. With all content searchable by keyword, the new app also contains a QR code reader. QR codes (short for Quick Response) are square barcodes readable by smartphones and other devices that offer fast links to text or Web content. In addition, the new app supports live HubTV feeds of events and performances at the Yamaha booth in the Anaheim Marriott, Marquis Ballroom. Users of the Yamaha Hub app will be able to share content via email and social media. Yamaha events and clinics posted at EventBrite will be accessible by the app, as will a geo-driven feature that helps users find their closest Yamaha dealer. Additional enhancements will be launched in 2011, when CEG will roll out the Yamaha Hub iOS app in an Android version and, to keep up with improvements on the Web and enhance accessibility, rebuild the browser-based Hub with HTML5, allowing for universal access to Yamaha content and a more app-like experience. Yamaha will also undertake the first High Definition broadcast from the NAMM show floor, powered by the NewTek TriCaster. For more information on Yamaha’s mobile media applications, visit Yamaha at Winter NAMM 2011 at the Anaheim Marriott, Marquis Ballroom; write Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522- 9011; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.yamaha.com/press. YAMAHA’S ALL ACCESS MAGAZINE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS, REVISITS ARTISTS —Anniversary Issue Answers “Where Are They Now?” — NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Ten years have passed since the first All Access magazine rolled off the press, and not only has the magazine undergone some major changes since 2000, but the many of the artists have as well. Yamaha proudly celebrates a decade of publishing All Access magazine: the backstage guide to the world of Yamaha by revisiting artists from past issues. Over the years, some of the biggest stars in the music business have graced the pages of All Access, from Ray Charles and Elton John to Jeff Lynne and Alicia Keys. But All Access also made an effort to feature up-and-coming artists with great potential, and many of these artists have turned into superstars. This issue will revisit 20 artists – both the idols and the former newcomers - and provide updates on where they are now, what they have accomplished since their All Access feature, and even more importantly, what is to come. “The last 10 years of producing All Access has been such an overwhelmingly positive experience, both for us and for the artists,” comments Chris Gero of Yamaha Artist Services – Nashville. “We hope you’ll enjoy taking a look back at where we’ve been and reading about what’s to come for some of these amazingly talented musicians. And we look forward to creating 10 more years of amazing experiences with our artists!” In efforts to advance with the times, Yamaha All Access has seen two technological adaptations within the past two years. Last June, Yamaha Artist Services – Nashville launched a brand new online version of the magazine at www.YamahaAllAccess.com. The newly revamped site includes archives of all of the previous features, dating back to the first issue, which featured country female trio SHeDAISY on the cover. In 2009, Yamaha began taking viewers even further behind the scenes with the launch of All Access 360, a collection of fully produced videos offering inside views during the photo shoots and exclusive interviews with the artists. Pick up the special 10 Year Anniversary edition (Winter 2011 issue) at local musical instrument vendors such as Guitar Center and Best Buy. Or Visit www.YamahaAllAccess.com to see the entire spectrum of articles and photography from the past 10 years. NEW SOUNDS: YAMAHA PRESENTS JUNIOR ORIGINAL CONCERT SERIES —Two Talented Young Composers from Southern California Will Perform Original Compositions at Winter NAMM Crowd Favorite — ANAHEIM, Calif.—The Yamaha Music Education System will host its popular Junior Original Concert (JOC) on Thursday, January 13th at 11:30 a.m. in the Yamaha Keyboard Division exhibit area in the Anaheim Marriott Hotel’s Marquis Ballroom. All NAMM attendees are invited to enjoy this free event, which will feature two talented Yamaha Music School students performing their own original compositions. Megan Chang, age nine, a student at Torrance Yamaha Music Center in Torrance, Calif., will perform her solo piano composition entitled “Home.” Sharon Hurvitz, age 12, who studies at Harmony Music World in Fullerton, Calif., will perform her composition “Memories,” written for the piano and violin. The Yamaha Music Education System offers six music courses for children between the ages of three and ten. Classes are held weekly, covering everything from listening skills to keyboard performance. The program began in the mid-1950s in Japan under the direction of Mr. Genichi Kawakami, President of Nippon-Gakki Company, Ltd. (today’s Yamaha Corporation). Mr. Kawakami believed his company was responsible not only for making a quality product, but also for teaching customers how to use it. Consequently, he established the non-profit Yamaha Music Foundation (YMF) in 1966 for the purpose of developing and promoting music education and music popularization activities internationally. YMF guides the worldwide development of the Yamaha Music Education System and also sponsors international events such as the Junior Original Concert (JOC). In the United States, the Music Education Division of Yamaha Corporation of America works in cooperation with Yamaha Music Foundation to design new courses, improve instructional quality, and refine existing programs. For more information, visit Yamaha Corporation of America at Winter NAMM 2011 in the Marquis Ballroom at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel; write Yamaha Corporation of America, Yamaha Music Education System; P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail [email protected]; or visit www.yamaha.com. KEYBOARD DIVISION YAMAHA DCFX DISKLAVIER MARK IV PRO CONCERT GRAND PIANO COMBINES SUPERLATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND CRAFTSMANSHIP ANAHEIM, Calif. — Yamaha today introduced the DCFX Disklavier Mark IV PRO™ concert grand piano at Winter NAMM 2011. The handcrafted instrument incorporates the unsurpassed functionality of the Yamaha Disklavier PRO™ performance-reproducing piano into the acclaimed CFX concert grand. “With the DCFX, superb craftsmanship and peerless technological innovation meld to form an instrument of remarkable versatility and potential for countless educational and performance applications,” says Yamaha Disklavier Marketing Manager Jim Levesque. “Its stunning performance and re-performance capabilities make it ideal for recording, composing, music broadcasting, conservatory study and film scoring.” The hand-built Yamaha CFX concert grand piano is the result of nearly two decades of product development with input directly from many distinguished pianists from around the globe. Since its introduction at Winter NAMM 2010, the CFX has already been celebrated for being the piano of choice by the winners of the 2009 Hamamatsu International Piano Competition, the 8th National Chopin Piano Competition in Miami, and most recently, at the 16th International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in October 2010. Engineered to the exacting standards of professional music production, the Disklavier PRO™ Series is designed with greater emphasis on leading-edge sensor and playback technologies for unsurpassed digital and acoustic performance. Merging top-tier technology into professional-caliber Yamaha grands, the Disklavier PRO™ Series delivers the ultimate in power, precision and control, offering advanced components and technologies including a Sound Muting System, XG instrument tone generation, MIDI and PC connections, a SmartKey™ play-assist system, expanded memory, and a convenient pocket remote control. The Disklavier can now also be controlled by an innovative iPhone application. Remote Lesson – a pioneering, Internet-based educational application – will be a key application for the instrument.