KMC Music is an owner and distributor of several brands of musical instruments. The company is currently a
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...
of
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
corporate group
A corporate group or group of companies is a collection of parent and subsidiary corporations that function as a single economic entity through a common source of control. These types of groups are often managed by an account manager. The concep ...
Exertis , JAM.
History
The company began as Kaman Music Corporation , a part of the
Kaman Corporation
Kaman Corporation is an American aerospace company, with headquarters in Bloomfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1945 by Charles Kaman. During the first ten years the company operated exclusively as a designer and manufacturer of several h ...
founded by
Charles Kaman. In addition to his business interests in aviation, Kaman was a guitarist who came to explore the use of
composite materials
A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...
technologies in guitar building. He and his engineers created the round-backed, composite-body
Ovation guitar
The Ovation Guitar Company is a manufacturer of string instruments. Ovation primarily manufactures steel-string acoustic guitars (both 6 and 12-string versions) and nylon-string guitars, often with pickups for electric amplification. In 2015, ...
in 1966.
In January 2008, Kaman Corporation sold Kaman Music Corporation to
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC, or simply Fender) is an American manufacturer of instruments and amplifiers. Fender produces acoustic guitars, bass amplifiers and public address equipment, however it is best known for its ...
(FMIC) for $117 million.
In 2011, Kaman Music Corporation and Musicorp, sister companies under the FMIC umbrella, united their sales and catalog divisions as KMC Musicorp.
As of 2018, Hamer has moved its facilities to China.
[
]
Abstract: The article discusses the merging of the sales and marketing forces of KMC Music and Musicorp under the KMCMusicorp banner. It notes how the new KMCMusicorp combined the best of both companies' product offerings into a new "1-Stop" catalog that has the most comprehensive range of products such as the Barcus-Berry, C.F. Martin and Dunlop. It indicates that dealers can enjoy KMCMusicorp's 24/7 state-of-the art online environment, more access to brands and streamlined shipping.
[
]
Abstract: The article reports that the sales and catalog divisions of KMC Music and Musicorp, sister companies under the Fender Musical Instruments Corp. (FMIC) umbrella, have joined forces as KMCMusicorp.
In 2014, FMIC sold KMC's
Gretsch Drums
Gretsch Drums is a division of American musical instrument manufacturer Gretsch. The company was founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1883. Gretsch drum kits have been used by many notable drummers including Max Roach, Tony Williams, Art Blakey, ...
,
TOCA
TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in the United Kingdom. The company organises and administers the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and the support series to the BTCC, sometimes known as the T ...
Percussion,
Latin Percussion
{{for, the company, Latin Percussion
Latin percussion is a family of percussion, membranophone, lamellophone and idiophone instruments used in Latin music.
Instruments Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican styles Folkloric and Santeria
* Trap drums
* Abakua ...
, KAT Percussion, Ovation Guitars, and
Gibraltar Hardware
Gibraltar Hardware is a maker of drumset and percussion hardware. The company sells drumset frames and cages as well as hi-hat stands, drumset thrones, and other products. Artists who use Gibraltar hardware on their drums include Lamb of God's Ch ...
brands to
Drum Workshop
Drum Workshop, Inc. (also known as DW Drums or DW) is an American drum kit and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Current products by DW include drum sets, snare drums, and hardware.
History
Drum Workshop was founded ...
.
[
]
In February 2015, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation sold KMC to JAM Industries,
[
] which rebranded as Exertis , JAM in 2021.
Brands
Some of the companies that are currently subsidiaries of KMC are:
Our brands
on KMC website, 13 Oct 2019
See also
* U.S. Music Corporation
U.S. Music Corp. is an American musical instrument company based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, United States, a suburb of Chicago, that manufactures and distributes products worldwide. The company is currently an independent subsidiary of multina ...
(also a subsidiary of Jam Industries)
* Ashly Audio (also a subsidiary of Jam Industries)
References
External links
*
Exertis JAM website
NAMM.org: Oral History Library interview of Bill Kaman (2007)
{{Commons category-multi, KMC Music, Inc., Musicorp, Inc.
American musical instrument makers
JAM Industries
Manufacturing companies based in Connecticut
Companies based in Hartford County, Connecticut
Bloomfield, Connecticut
American companies established in 1966
Manufacturing companies established in 1966
1966 establishments in Connecticut
Distribution companies of the United States