Even in difficult times
we are here for you!

The current development of the COVID-19 pandemic presents us with unprecedented challenges. Reducing or slowing down the spread of the coronavirus is a top priority worldwide.

We have implemented various measures within the company to ensure the safety of our employees and fellow human beings, minimize disruptions to our supply chain and support our customers across the board. Wherever possible, we work from our home office and can be reached via all media. We have also converted our production and distribution center to a strictly separated shift system. We have introduced additional hygiene measures for everyone whose presence is required in the company. This enables us to keep our company running without losing sight of the safety and health of our employees.

We would also like to assure you that we can continue to offer you the reliable service you are used to including an excellent availability of our products from stock.

 

Support the music trade, musicians and artists worldwide now:

Our trading partners need stability and support right now to continue to have a perspective. Some music shops now offer special services such as “contactless delivery” and special promotions. Look for them on the social media channels and music store websites. They look forward to your online visit.

 

We are convinced: Together we will survive this crisis. Stay safe and take care of your loved ones.

 

Sincerely,
Gabriela König
CEO

The Shure all-inclusive package

Just in time for the turn of the year, the Shure Company has come out with a wonderful all-inclusive package sure to please old hands and newbies alike. Read on to find out what the black box has in store for you:

 

  1. One of the most legendary dynamic microphones the market has to offer:  the Shure SM58.
  2. A six meter cable from the Sommer Cable Company.
  3. A special  König & Meyer microphone stand:

 

For this package, we set out to create a microphone stand that meets the requirements of experienced musicians while still satisfying ambitious beginners; a stand that would fulfill their every expectation for durability, functionality, stability and compatibility. All these aspects flowed into the design plus an exceptional level of flexibility. A skillful combination of high-quality individual parts with extra-lightweight components provides this flexibility, making the set suitable for both the stage and regular rehearsals.

The microphone stand has been manufactured in Wertheim under strict environmental and fair working conditions. Visit here to read about the guidelines that govern our production and activities.

70 Years of Innovation History

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This year, König & Meyer celebrates its 70th company anniversary. We have collected a few milestones of our company history here and took a look at what simultaneously astonished, inspired, and kept the world in suspense during those 7 decades. Perhaps some of you will find yourselves again through the years and think in astonishment: “Wow, has it been so long?” We hope you enjoy reading and would be delighted if you continued to write history with us.

1949

 

 

 

1949 is a historic, groundbreaking year for Germany. The Federal Republic of Germany is founded and the Basic Law, the basis of our democracy, is passed. Feelings of optimism and self-confidence reemerge after the years of war.

With courage and determination, many companies are founded this year. Karl König and Erich Meyer start production of music stands and measuring tools in Wertheim with 6 employees after the original factory in Zella-Mehlis in Thuringia was expropriated under Soviet occupation. Incidentally, the opening balance of König & Meyer has a balance sheet total of DM 7,850 (approx. € 4,000). According to the closing balance on 12/31/1949 a total of 29 music stands and 20 table music stands are in stock. In the following years, the product range is extended to include instrument stands, and further holders and accessories, and national and international sales are established. As a result, the production space and the number of employees also increased.

1966

As the fifties are drawing to a close, pop culture has entered a new phase. With Elvis Presley, rock ‘n’ roll reaches an unparalleled level of popularity worldwide. In England, beat music is born, spearheaded by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The Beatles in particular are often described as the most important pop band ever, having had a lasting influence on almost all genres of pop/rock music. Live music, making music, and listening to music become more and more popular, and the demand for instruments and accessories increases. The microphone stands already manufactured by König & Meyer in the 1950s are further developed at the beginning of the 1960s. In 1966, Martin König and his father Karl König design a stand using a folding base instead of the previous screw-in legs, allowing for more flexible use on stage: The legendary 210/2 is born. It is available in stores for 125 DM (64 €). In the 1970s, the stand is supplemented by a telescopic boom arm, and thus another classic, the 210/9, is introduced to the market.

1969

The first moon landing in the history of the world, described as one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind, is particularly defining for the year 1969.

König & Meyer also took a giant leap in 1969, when the new Plant II was inaugurated just a small step away from the existing 700 m plant.

A modern and larger electroplating plant is installed in the new production facility in order to meet the needs of the company’s new and growing line of business, the production of hood dryer stands. However, this era of the company’s history comes to an end in the mid-1970s, when the market completely collapsed due to the development of the floating hood and the popularity of blow-dry hairstyles. All the same, from 1962 König & Meyer supplied almost all large household goods companies such as Kalorik, Minerva, Severin, ABL, AEG, Siemens, Schott, Philips, Krups, and Rowenta with stands for hair drying hoods, making it the market leader for this product in Europe for some time.

Today, the constantly modernized Plant II houses the powder coating plant, the punching shop, the laser systems, the turning shop, the welding shop, the toolmaking facility, and the final assembly, where over 1,500 different music accessory products are now manufactured and sold in over 80 countries around the world. Despite conversions, expansions, and relocations, the company has remained faithful to its location in Plant II for 50 years.

1974

The Federal Republic of Germany becomes the soccer world champion for the second time after 1954 in the final against the Netherlands. In 1974, a further milestone in the history of König & Meyer begins with its entry into plastics production. Thermoplastic and thermoset parts are manufactured in the department specially established for this purpose for the Rowenta company in Offenbach, which had been looking for a nearby supplier. But experience with thermosets in particular is lacking in the early days, so many products had to be reworked. For this purpose, a separate department, called the “housewife shift”, is introduced, which works mainly in the evenings. Gradually, plastic parts for other areas are also being produced.

In addition to plastics production, various production processes are further automated in the 1970s, significantly shortening work steps and increasing sales per employee. In 1972 the first powder coating plant is put into operation, replacing the previous environmentally harmful nitro lacquering process. The existing product categories are supplemented by the area of speaker stands. At the end of the 1970s, the 214/6 speaker stand is introduced to the market with an innovative new height adjustment system consisting of locking bolts with securing screws, which soon establishes itself as the standard for professional applications.

1989

The year 1989 is marked by the fall of the “Iron Curtain” following protests by civil movements, the opening up of the Wall and borders, and finally negotiations on the reunification of the two German states.

After König & Meyer’s sales activities in Germany were handled solely by wholesale partners in the first decades of the company’s history, in the 1980s the management begins to consistently build up its own sales force and to support retail businesses directly. After the GDR opens its borders in the fall of 1989, König & Meyer expands its sales activities to the East starting in the spring of 1990. Addresses of music shops between Rostock and Zwickau are then collected and first contacts made. It is truly pioneering work: the roads are in a desolate condition, and the telephone network is obsolete and quickly overloaded. Mobile telephone technology is still in its infancy. However, success is already achieved within a short period of time, and soon König & Meyer products can also be found in the new states.

In the 1980s, many new products and product groups also emerge, such as keyboard and mixer stands, 19″ accessories, and piano benches. In addition, the 213 speaker stand with hand crank is developed.

But for König & Meyer, 1989 also means the end of thermoset production. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, many new plastics companies arise in East Germany, offering at prices that K&M can no longer keep up with. Today, the in-house plastics department produces mainly for K&M products with a continuous investment in machinery.

In 1989, K&M also celebrates its 40th anniversary and inaugurates a new dispatch and warehouse facility. However, the warehouse and dispatch are situated in a newly built, state-of-the-art logistics center of approx. 8,000 sqm.

 

1999

Fears of a Year 2000 computer crash in 1999 are not just a concern for software specialists. Throughout the world there are concerns that the transition to the year 2000 will disrupt many computer systems. People have fears of crashing planes, cold apartments, blackouts, and empty ATMs. König & Meyer also fears a standstill of mechanical systems, especially the electroplating plant, due to a possible breakdown of the municipal power supply. For this reason, a powerful generator is purchased as a precaution. Fortunately, the fear of the Y2K Millennium Bug proves unfounded in the end. The IT department of König & Meyer and the local power generators are perfectly prepared.

In 1999, both the Federal Republic of Germany and König & Meyer celebrate 50 years. It has always been a tradition at König & Meyer to celebrate company anniversaries regularly. The 50th anniversary, however, is meant to be something special. So the whole workforce is flown to the USA, where they visit the national parks in the west and party in Las Vegas – a unique and unforgettable experience.

The company continues to expand in the 90s. A new hall is built for the storage of cardboard boxes, and the assembly hall is extended. Export markets are expanded further. Above all, the US market is developed further by means of a strategic alliance.

2004

In February 2004, Mark Zuckerberg founds the social network Facebook. It would become the most successful of its kind, further promote globalization, and revolutionize the way companies think and act. The up-and-coming search engine operator Google also went public in 2004. Besides Facebook, the subsidiary Instagram has also become an important advertising and information channel.

With information about new products, upcoming trade fair appearances, in-house news, and stories relating to the music business, König & Meyer now reaches over 60,000 followers and “likes” in social media. In particular, updates for the online campaign #backstagestories, launched in 2019, are delivered daily.

 

The 2000s not only saw the start of social media and the creation of a website, but also a fundamental overhaul of the company’s corporate design and the worldwide expansion of the König & Meyer brand. In addition to digital media, classic analog marketing and advertising measures continue to play a major role. Through endorsement agreements, a close cooperation with a number of renowned bands and artists is started in order to make the products and the brand more tangible and better known.

Between 2000 and 2009, as in every decade, production facilities are modernized and expanded, especially the electroplating, turning, welding, and toolmaking plants. A new fully automated powder coating plant is officially inaugurated in 2004 at the 55th anniversary celebration.

 

 

In 2005, Gabriela König and Heiko Wolz join the management team.

 

 

The first tube laser system is installed in 2006 marking the start of a new pioneering technology at König & Meyer. Within the field of keyboard stands, the innovative “Spider” revolutionizes the form and function of the column keyboard stand in 2004.

Since 2000, the sales structures in the market are also changing. In addition to the classic sales channel of the stationary retailer, online trading is becoming increasingly important.

2009

What have we done to the world?
Look what we’ve done!

The world of music is significantly affected by a single incident in 2009: The death of Michael Jackson. The above text passage comes from his song “Earth Song”, with which he denounces the human egoism and environmental destruction.

Environmental protection is important to us. We are continuously investing in our production to make processes more efficient and sustainable, to generate more electricity using photovoltaic systems, and to further reduce water consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. In close cooperation with local suppliers, transport routes are shortened and environmentally friendly powder coating technology is used in production. With products and components that are generally durable and recyclable, we point out alternatives to the throwaway mentality. At the beginning of the 21st century, König & Meyer received the globally acknowledged environmental certificates EMAS II and ISO 14001. The company views investments from three different angles and weights them equally: Does it support the employee, can it help reduce environmental impacts, and does it secure the future corporate success of the company.

There are ways to get there,
if you care enough for the living!

We will also continue to invest in environmental protection in the future. Together with our suppliers, dealers, and end customers, we will develop concepts for environmentally friendly production and sustainable consumption.

2019

Time never stands still, even in this decade. The continuous development of new products clearly shows this. The introduction of new electronic media such as tablets has created a new demand in the market, one which König & Meyer satisfies with special holders. In the past few years, König & Meyer has succeeded in designing a variety of holders for tablets that can be individually adjusted in size. All holders quickly achieve a high level of recognition in the market. The multimedia sector continues to grow. Since 2017, König & Meyer has also featured a range of orchestra chairs and special equipment.

Finding new market niches that complement the existing range and ensure corresponding growth will continue to be one of our main objectives in the future.

We would like to thank all our customers, interested parties, business partners, and users of our products for their trust and support, no matter if they have been with us from the beginning or only for the last few years.
It is by no means a matter of course that we can celebrate our 70th anniversary in 2019. Regardless of our own efforts and achievements, of which we are admittedly extremely proud, our success is founded above all on the dedication of you, our customers.

Thank you very much!

Our newly redesigned website

The revision of the website, which can be accessed as usual at www.k-m.de, essentially consisted of 2 key points: the modern, responsive design in the front end and the use of future-proof technical systems as the back end.

We use large-scale teasers on the homepage as well as under “König & Meyer“. This area was also significantly enhanced by new company images. In general, the website is displayed optimally on all devices, whether on the desktop, tablet or mobile phone. This reflects the increase in mobile use of our website.

The blog and news section have merged to form a corporate magazine, K-Mag for short. Here we present online news about the company, product expertise, news about our endorsers, general topics from the music business, and more. Press releases can be accessed on a separate press page.

The presentation of the product area has been optimized. Product videos, animations, test reports, expertise, product comparisons, and product tags are available for viewing or downloading as usual. The new product search and dealer search functions make it easier to find the items you are looking for or the dealers in your area.

Our dealers can continue to use the dealer area including the B2B shop and various customer-specific information.

We hope you enjoy our redesigned website and look forward to your Feedback.

Our new website

The revision of the website, which can be accessed as usual at www.k-m.de, essentially consisted of 2 key points: the modern, responsive design in the front end and the use of future-proof technical systems as the back end. We use WordPress for website content and the Shopware shop system developed in Germany for product information, including a dealer shop.

The presentation of the product area has been optimized. Product videos, animations, test reports, expertise, product comparisons, and product tags are available for viewing or downloading as usual. The new product search, including a suggestion search, makes it easier to find products.

As a dealer, you can continue to use the dealer area with your existing login data, including the B2B shop, special dealer news, contact data for your contacts, and complete downloads, for example, of all product images or installation instructions. The dealer search has been optimized. Dealers who have been activated can now easily create several stores.

We use large-scale teasers on the homepage as well as under “König & Meyer“. This area was also significantly enhanced by new company images. In general, the website is displayed optimally on all devices, whether on the desktop, tablet or mobile phone. This reflects the increase in mobile use of our website.

The blog and news section have merged to form a corporate magazine, K-Mag for short. Here we present online news about the company, product expertise, news about our endorsers, general topics from the music business, and more.

We hope you enjoy our redesigned website and look forward to your Feedback.

 

RANGING FROM TRUCK STOP TO SILBERMOND AND HURTS: K&M ENDORSEMENTS

History, development and importance of the endorsements at the music accessory manufacturer König & Meyer

The starting signal for the Truck Stop band was first sounded back in 1998. Since then König & Meyer has been building relationships through direct contact to artists. But what’s behind this – why does a music accessory manufacturer support musicians?
Excellent reasons supporting the endorsement of musicians:

But once again – back to the beginning:

We started out by looking for new talent, a band that in our opinion had the potential to make it to the top. In 2000, our collaboration with Emil Bulls came together. They placed third at the Emergenza (young talent) Festival, which was the springboard for their successful career. As a result of this, we started to focus our efforts on supporting a variety of competitions for young talent, such as the German Rock and Pop Prize, as well as the aforementioned Emergenza Festival. Some of the artists that we have supported since 2002 have participated in one of these competitions. Over the years we have built up a great relationship with the event’s management and this has put us in a position to develop direct relationships with new talent!
A good example of a “Contact Network” is that we were able to get to know the band through an introduction provided by the Backline Technician from Reamonn. Since the same people also work for Naidoo & Herberger Productions, we also had a foot in the door with the Söhne Mannheims and Xavier Naidoo.
As we started to build a relationship with Silbermond they were still a young up-and -coming band. We were happy to work with such talented young artists. Looking back we now know that we are pretty good at identifying new talent.;)
It was no later than 2005, when Silbermond was signing autographs that the autograph hour established itself as an essential component of events at our trade show. Since then we have been presenting up-and-coming new bands and experienced stars at each year’s event. This illustrious line-up started with Silbermond and continued with Die Happy, H-Blockx, Aloha From Hell, Donots, Jennifer Rostock, Oomph!, Glasperlenspiel and Wolf Hoffmann (Accept). This Year, 2015, we enjoyed welcoming Luxuslärm at our booth!
Over the years there were many bands who also played on the Agora Stage at the music trade show!!

How does one became an endorser if it doesn’t happen by chance through contacts.
Sometimes, but less frequently, we initiate direct contact to bands and artists. Otherwise many artists from around the world contact us directly. These contacts have also resulted in cooperations – because our budget is limited we have to invest our resources in a targeted manner.

 

Here is an overview of the product developments we have realized in collaboration with artists:

All current endorsement partner can be accessed in the “Bands & Artists” category. The endorser profile pages are available there, which contain articles and news about the bands.

All about that bass: BassTheWorld.com

A whole range of groovy basses can be found in the studio of BassTheWorld.com. In the videos produced by René & Gregor you see and hear those basses but also talented bassists. So you can get inspired of their playing technique, enjoy the amps & effects or just feel the groove.
Moreover there are news about basses, equipment and all the stuff bassists love.
The popularity is also shown on YouTube. The BassTheWorld.com Channel has about 65,000 subscribers. Most of the videos have 20,000 – 40,000 clicks! And some videos count even more than 100,000 views. What we trying to say: They make a good job! 🙂

In the embedded video René & Greagor presents the current studio basses. In addition they show the matching and  needed instruments stands, mic stands and stands for amps/ vocals recording.

 

The following basses and the (sponsored) equipment of König & Meyer  you see in the video:

 

All infos about the basses are also in this article.

Travel & Work in Canada – colleague Ulrich reports

Dear K&M blog readers,

Bonjour and hello from Canada! I’m pleased to report on some of my experiences in Canada.
Before I start, a couple of things about me:

My actual position at König & Meyer is Area Sales Manager. My job is to manage the care and service received by our customers in many countries in Europe and Africa. After working there for about seven years, I got an excellent opportunity to spend six months in Canada. I received my official “work and travel” visa in April 2014. Then I spoke with our executive management, and we agreed on a six-month leave of absence. This break is opening up twofold opportunities: First, there is a highly committed intern who is handling the day-to-day business with my customers, and second, my colleagues are getting to pitch in. They definitely won’t be bored during this time.

Now for the actual topic of my post: my trip to Canada. I booked the trip via AIFS, a travel agency that specializes in work and travel and study abroad trips. This gives me peace of mind, since the flight and health and travel cancellation insurance are all included in the package. I also know that I will always have a capable point of contact locally.
The trip started out on August 14, when I flew from Frankfurt to Toronto. While there, I met a number of other German work and travel participants right away. Interestingly, almost all of them had just gotten out of high school – making me the “oldie” in the group. 😉

 

Once we arrived at Pearson International Airport, we set off with all our luggage (in my case, a 75-liter backpack, a rolling bag and a daypack) for the HI hostel, which is extremely centrally located, making it a perfect starting point for exploring the city. Anyone who might have been thinking only English was spoken from then on was mistaken. Toronto is one of the two cities in Canada (Vancouver is the other) where almost all tourists enter the country. Thus it came as no surprise to find that about half of those staying in the hostel were German (plus other travelers from Switzerland and Austria). It’s still strange to meet so many people who speak German so far from home.

Hostel living is unusual, but I definitely mean that in a good way. Starting right away at breakfast, you run into an incredible jumble of languages, and it’s very easy to strike up a conversation with travelers from all over the world (or, of course, Germany). Obviously, it’s no luxury hotel, and you might find yourself having to change beds or rooms every two days – if you didn’t make your booking in advance, like me. Some of the German girls could write a book about having to pack their bags all over again every day and move to another floor…
But there were a lot of great things about the hostel, including the various activities going on in the bar in the hostel basement, such as karaoke, comedy evenings, and various band gigs.

And one note about beer: a pitcher costs just 15 dollars here (otherwise, drinks are really very expensive if you’re moving around the city). One reason the price seems so low is that tax isn’t included, as it is in Germany; you should never forget to figure out the tax on top of the price.

My time in Toronto was packed with a lot of great things (since all I was doing there was vacationing). I’ll limit my report to just three highlights:
First was my trip to the Toronto Islands, which can be reached in about 30 minutes by ferry from Toronto. I went there with a couple of Germans travelers for a few hours to enjoy the sunset. I would recommend to anyone planning a visit to Toronto to spend the whole day there, since the islands offer a huge park area with barbecue pits and various other recreational options. Looking out over the city skyline at sunset was truly fascinating. I also enjoyed watching planes approach City Airport. Every time, it almost looks as though they are going to land in the water.

 

My trip to Niagara Falls was also impressive. The city of Niagara is very touristy, and looks the part, like a minor offshoot of Las Vegas – but visiting is still an absolute must. I think the pictures show why. Unfortunately, we let ourselves get talked into a package at the hostel that included not only this trip, but also wine tasting, bike rental, and a brewery tour. The wine tasting in particular was completely useless, and there wasn’t even enough time for me to rent a bike. But that doesn’t matter; the brewery tour was definitely worthwhile (see below).

Last but not least, I just happened to get the chance to watch a baseball game. It was really funny how it came about. It was a Sunday, and I spontaneously decided to join in for the brewery tour. The brewery, the Steam Whistle Brewery, is based right near the harbor on Lake Ontario, with the CN Tower and Rogers Centre (originally the SkyDome) in the background, so it is right amid other major tourist attractions and is easy to combine with other sights and events. At least half of the brewery’s guests that day were wearing Blue Jays jerseys, enjoying free beer samples to “warm up” for the event.
After the tour, I started talking with Richard, a Canadian who was in town for the day and planned to end the evening at the Blue Jays game. He had two tickets, but the friend who had been supposed to go with him had suddenly cancelled. After I had told him my “to do” list (seeing a baseball game was at the top), he invited me right then and there to go with him and watch the game against the Boston Red Sox. How could I refuse such a perfect opportunity? 😉

Richard ended up springing for a few rounds of beer (which, of course, cost twice as much at the stadium, and only Budweiser is available) and trying to explain baseball to me a bit. The sport had barely registered with me before then, so it was practically an impossible task, since the rules seem to be fairly complicated. But the mere fact of having been able to experience one of North America’s top sports live was unforgettable. Besides that, the game also took place in one of Canada’s most breathtaking baseball stadiums, with the CN Tower rising right above the stands. Amazing!!!

Other impressive parts of my visit were the trip to the Toronto Zoo, visits to a number of restaurants – especially Asian ones – my first experience with couch surfing, and a few evenings spent at the hostel bar, where there was something going on almost every night.

 

Greetings from Canada / Salutation du Canada!

Ulrich