Yamaha Artist
A Yamaha Artist is a prestigious designation bestowed by Yamaha, by invitation, to notable musical artists, considered to be critically acclaimed in their instruments or genres. Acceptance as a Yamaha Artist is tantamount to a reciprocal endorsement by Yamaha.[1] Like other musical instrument manufacturers, Yamaha supports its artists in various ways.
History
Yamaha's music artist program is managed by Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs in Franklin, Tennessee. There is also an office in New York City which exclusively handles Yamaha Artists in the classical music field, as relates to Yamaha Pianos and Yamaha Band and Orchestra instruments - namely those in the brass and woodwind families. Other offices relating to Yamaha Guitars and Yamaha Drums are located in Buena Park, California. The office in New York is known as Yamaha Artist Services, Inc., was founded in 1987, and serves the world of Yamaha classical piano artists.
[Being a Yamaha Artist] "conveys a certain amount of immediate credibility to many. We strive to keep our roster elite, containing only active, gifted and articulate musicians.
— Yamaha Artist Relations[2]
Endorsement component
Endorsements from product manufacturers, certainly in the case of musical instruments, requires a personal relationship between an artist and professional services representative. Paraphrasing Peter Erskine, endorsement relationships go beyond providing free equipment, clinic support, advertising, logistical assistance, and the like. The relationships are often very personal and depend on good communication.[3]
Selected Yamaha Artists (past and present)
Contemporary musical artists
- Don Alder
- James Blunt
- Paul Bostaph
- Michael Bublé
- Sheryl Crow
- Jamie Cullum
- Nathan East
- A Fine Frenzy
- Josh Groban
- Randy Jackson
- Bert Jansch
- Elton John
- Norah Jones
- Karmin
- Alicia Keys
- Barry Manilow
- Andrew Markworth
- Paul McCartney
- Sarah McLachlan
- Phil Ramone
- Ryan Shore
- James Taylor
- Justin Timberlake
- U2
- Stevie Wonder
Jazz artists
- Geri Allen
- Lynne Arriale
- Aziza
- Tony Bennett
- Robi Botos
- Joanne Brackeen
- David Braid
- Alex Brown
- Dennis Burnside
- Cyrus Chestnut
- Billy Childs
- Gerald Clayton
- Chick Corea
- Jamie Cullum
- Per Danielsson
- Tony DeSare
- Taylor Eigsti
- ELEW
- Matthew Fogg
- James Francies
- Jeff Franzel
- Mike Garson
- Benny Golson
- Gordon Goodwin
- Tom Grant
- Tamir Hendelman
- Nachito Herrera
- Henry Hey
- Hiromi
- Laurence Hobgood
- Dick Hyman
- Bob James
- Jeff Lorber
- Marcus Johnson
- Florence K
- Michael Kaeshammer
- Milen Kirov
- Marcus Loeber (de)
- Bobby Lyle
- Keiko Matsui
- Giorgi Mikadze
- Andy Milne
- Eric Mintel
- Anthony Molinaro
- Dan Nimmer
- Johnny O'Neal
- Eddie Palmieri
- Konrad Paszkudzki
- Danilo Perez
- Jean-Michel Pilc
- Alberto Pizzo
- Eric Reed
- David Rosenboom
- Dan Siegel
- Edward Simon
- Jeremy Siskind
- Richard Sussman (de)
- Dan Tepfer
- Tony Tixier
- George Wein
- Kenny Werner
- Matthew Whitaker
- Eric Wortham II ‡
Classical and experimental musical artists
- James Adler
- Alexander Braginsky
- Cathal Breslin
- Sara Davis Buechner
- Angelin Chang
- Costantino Catena
- Angelin Chang
- Arfon Owen
- Frederic Chiu
- Vicky Chow
- Richard Danielpour
- Jarred Dunn
- JB Floyd
- Mark Gasser
- Peter-Lukas Graf
- Claire Huangci
- Byron Janis
- Olga Kern
- Alexander Kobrin
- Eduard Kunz
- Soyeon Kate Lee
- Alain Lefèvre
- Denis Matsuev
- Anne-Marie McDermott
- Alberto Nosè
- Ainobu Ota
- Artur Pizarro
- Paul Posnak
- Awadagin Pratt
- Vassily Primakov
- Jerome Rose
- Nicholas Roth
- Maria João Pires
- Ory Shihor
- Jade Simmons
- Abbey Simon
- Mimi Stillman
- Mei-Ting Sun
- Kathleen Supové
- Alessandro Taverna
- Dan Tepfer
- Jennifer Thomas (pianist)
- Michael Tilson Thomas
- Phil Woods
- Oxana Yablonskaya
- ‡ Also classical
Yamaha Artist Services
Yamaha offers Yamaha Artists Services in select cities that include Paris, Seoul, London, Tokyo, and Moscow.
Yamaha Artist Services Piano Salon in New York
Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. (YASI) in Midtown Manhattan is the home of the Yamaha Artist Services Piano Salon at 689 Fifth Avenue at East 54th Street, northeast corner. It features rehearsal space, recording space, performance space, a high end brass and woodwind workshop, and a concert bank of Bösendorfer and Yamaha pianos. Cyrus Chestnut recorded an album there. Concerts and festivals rely on the support of the YASI. The space is also set up to broadcast live masterclasses and performances with audio and video, but through Disklavier technology, the actual live performance itself can be heard on a piano in a different space – in real time.[4]
Selected initiatives involving Yamaha Artists
Yamaha introduced the Yamaha Disklavier in 1987, a high-tech piano that has been widely used in teaching piano and music theory as well as composing and performances. Yamaha Corporation of America, Yamaha Canada Music Limited, and Yamaha Artists New York have sponsored national seminars for music educators and Yamaha Artists using the Disklavier.[5]
See also
- Yamaha Artist Services, Inc.
Musical artists programs of other manufacturers
- Steinway Artists
- Ludwig Drums Artists
- Bösendorfer Artists (wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha since 2008)
See also
- Artists and repertoire, as it relates to the management of performing artists
- Celebrity branding
- Brand ambassador
- Brand management
- Product placement
- Sports marketing
- Testimonial
References
- "Piano Coss Tune to Flat Sales," by Christopher Walsh, Billboard, Vol. 116, No. 21, May 22, 2004, pps. 37–39
- "Yamaha Artist Relations" (on becoming a Yamaha Artist) (retrieved October 4, 2017)
- The Cambridge Companion to Percussion, "Artist endorsements," John Russell Hartenberger, PhD (born 1944) (ed.), Cambridge University Press (2016), pg. 76 (74–79); OCLC 974933404, 953120511
- "A visit to Yamaha Artist Services, New York" (n.d.), website of Cunningham Piano Company, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (retrieved October 4, 2017)
- "Before and After: What to Listen for in Assessing Our Students," by Midori Koga, George Litterst, Janet Lopinski, Scott McBride Smith, and Peteris Zarins, American Music Teacher, Music Teachers National Association, Vol. 57, No. 2 October/November 2007, pp. 21-23 (retrieved October 4, 2017, via JSTOR at www
.jstor ).org /stable /43539368