Kala Article

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Take My Ukulele Seriously! Kala founder Michael Upton sees the humble ukulele as a gateway to more music makers, more guitar sales, and more prosperous retailers ndustry optimists once imagined that Guitar Hero might lead legions of gamers to taking up a real guitar. For most, that vision hasn’t materialized. But there’s another bridge to real music-making that looks far more promising. Kala Brand Music Company, the world’s largest manufacturer exclusively dedicated to ukuleles, is thriving not only on the strength of its compelling line of products, but also by awakening dealers to the sales and profit opportunities associated with the ukulele’s very natural connection to their guitar sales. Headquartered in Petaluma, California, Kala (pronounced KAH-luh) now offers more than 120 models and in 2008 reported a sales increase of 76% over 2007. Kala CEO Michael Upton admits that throughout his early life as a rock ’n’ roll bassist his impression of the ukulele was based on seeing Tiny Tim strumming “Tiptoe Through The Tulips” on Laugh In. “It seemed like more of a novelty than a serious musical instrument,” he says. But while living in Hawaii from 1989 to 1994 he became enlightened to the local passion for the ukulele and its “legitimacy” as a musical instrument. Moreover, he began to imagine new potential for a broader uke market. In 1995 Upton started working for Hohner in its Santa Rosa warehouse. Before long he was rep’ing parttime, making phone

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sales calls to Hawaii, Canada, and the Caribbean. Through his frequent contact with retailers he observed “a big gap in the market for ukuleles that were both well-made and affordable.” Despite the fact that “some people thought it was crazy” to start a ukulele business, Upton officially launched Kala Brand Music Co. in 2005, buoyed by support from many retailers who shared his vision for the ukulele market’s unrealized potential. Because the viability of his business relied on “getting the quality up and the price down,” he partnered with a modern factory in China. Former Hohner Guitar Product Manager Rudi DeGaspari signed on to help design the line and oversee production. By this time Upton was well versed in Hawaiian ukulele history dating back to the late 1800s. To establish the brand with old-school players he designed ukes with traditional shapes, natural woods such as mahogany, and specs found in the best Kamaka, Martin, and Gibson instruments. But from the outset he also began expanding the common conception of the ukulele, offering models with non-traditional shapes and a wide variety of tonewoods. At that time, he recalls, most affordable, mass-produced ukes were being made “in guitar factories by people who only knew how to build guitars. They were too heavy and badly balanced, with unnecessarily thick bracing.” Through

Kala Brand Music Company CEO Michael Upton with the U-Bass. The company offers more than 120 ukulele models including this solid acacia tenor.

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Kala partnered with a modern factory in China to “get the quality up and the price down.”

extensive consultation with retailers, he and his team refined Kala’s designs and trained its factory workers to build instruments with thinner tops, thinner bracing, and lighter machines. “With a small instrument,” he says, “it’s critical for the top to be thin so the instrument can resonate properly.” The creation of new Kala ukulele mod-

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els is a collaborative effort involving Upton, DeGaspari, and the factory to determine the instruments’ construction methods, body shapes, and wood types. Tonewood choices now include Hawaiian koa, mahogany, spalted flame maple, mango, makala, solid spruce top, all solid mahogany, all solid acacia, and all solid lacewood. In time the team “got

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good at finding ways to make things look ‘high end’ while keeping the price down.” For example, they spent months and “a lot of trial and error” developing a process of pressing wood into an arch for Kala archtop models, a method much less costly than carving. The company’s most unconventional offering is the new U-Bass, which Upton describes as “essentially a bass guitar with a baritone uke body.” Developed by Owen Holt at Road Toad Music in San Jose, the U-Bass produces the same pitches as a standard bass guitar and a surprisingly big, rich tone. It immediately intrigued bass player Upton as well as a growing list of top stage and studio players. Specifically citing musicians including Jake Shimabukuro and James Hill, Upton contends that exposure of the ukulele by high-profile players has helped make it cool to a new generation of consumers. “A lot of people are familiar with the YouTube videos of Jake playing George Harrison’s ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and his performance on Conan O’Brien’s show.” He adds that the uke is even making its way into commercials and mainstream pop by such artists as Ryan O’Neal (Sleeping At Last), blues giant Taj Mahal, Jimmy Johnson (Brad Paisley), and Jim Mayer (Jimmy Buffett), all of whom have played Kala ukuleles. He adds that taking the ukulele seriously doesn’t diminish its core element— fun. “The new generation’s passion [for the uke] is quirky, and there are strong community aspects and camaraderie associated with playing it.” Greg Weist, owner of Columbia River Music in The Dalles, Oregon, agrees, saying his community’s embrace of the ukulele has become “a great phenomenon” in recent years. Considerable consumer interest was sparked through separate performances by Shimabukuro and the Langley (British Columbia) Ukulele Ensemble; a local elementary school teacher formed the Westside Elementary Ukestra; and a uke group comprising “everything from professionals to retirees to blue collar workers” meets to jam at a winery two or three times a month. Of the latter group, Weist says, “They buy one or more instruments for themselves, their kids….” Upton reports that the “quirky passion”

T H E G U I TA R M A R K E T that the ukulele inspires often leads to customers purchasing multiple instruments. “There are four basic sizes,” he explains—“soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone—and a lot of musicians want to play all of them. Then when you add different wood types and sounds…. Also, we’ve seen a lot of interest in collecting our ukes; some guys have ten or 12 instruments.” In this period of generally tepid sales, retailers are thrilled to see how ukuleles represent new business, attracting consumers who have never played an instrument before. Roy Good, store manager of Giacoletti Music in Carlsbad, California, says, “Ukuleles are one of the only products we don’t have to ‘sell’; people come into the store asking for them.” Skip’s Music in Sacramento now stocks a whole wall of ukuleles, and owner Skip Maggiora points to the uke lesson programs, adult classes, and church and community groups that have formed in his area. A growing number of Kala dealers are aggressively promoting their newfound niche by having their guitar instructors

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teach ukulele lessons as well. Kala has entered into an exclusive agreement with ukulele virtuoso and educator James Hill to market his school-oriented “Ukulele In The Classroom” lesson program. Kala is also working with Kate Power and Steve Einhorn, formerly of Artichoke Music, who are traveling across the country this fall with Kala ukes to present ukulele workshops in music stores. GUITAR BRIDGE As with many other areas of the music products industry, lessons are key to growing the ukulele market. Guitarists, Upton points out, can learn to play ukulele almost instantly. And for beginners, he adds, ukulele is “so much easier: Their hands don’t hurt and their fingers don’t bleed,” reducing student attrition while building hand strength, mobility, and confidence—and facilitating the very natural transition to guitar. Weist volunteers that “a good number” of the Westside Elementary Ukestra students end up in his store looking for a guitar. Duane Wong of Music Works in El Cerrito, California says he recom-

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mends ukulele to parents whose kids are too small to handle a guitar. “Because a uke’s scale length is shorter than a guitar’s, the strings are thinner, and there are four instead of six strings, the ukulele is easier to play. Parents are thrilled that ukuleles start at less than $50. Children who learn to play the ukulele can transfer their understanding of chords, strumming, and rhythm to guitar.” Combined with these reasons to love ukuleles in general, retailers praise Kala for its ukes-only focus and the quality and profitability of its products. Giacoletti Music’s Good mentions its “great products and superb customer service.” And several newcomers to selling ukes cite the joy of getting started with Kala without the need for a big buyin. “Our dealers can outfit their store with 20 ukes for around $500,” says Upton. “We don’t pressure our dealers; we just take care of them with products they’ll be proud to sell, displays, and all kinds of POP. We’re committed to helping retailers discover a new market.” (877) 853-3853 www.kalaukulele.com