Mars Music to Continue Los Angeles Expansion With Three Superstore Openings in November

Business Wire, Nov 9, 2000

Business Editors/Entertainment Writers

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 9, 2000

Stores to Open in Torrance and Cerritos On November 17th,

With Another In Santa Ana On November 29th

Mars Music, the nation's hottest seller of musical instruments, recording equipment and pro audio gear, today announced that the chain's 44th and 45th superstores will open next month in the Los Angeles area. Located at 4240 Redondo Beach Boulevard in Torrance and at 11159 183rd Street in Cerritos, the stores' gala Grand Openings begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 17th, and will offer an exciting array of special prices and promotions, including a chance for two lucky people to each win a $100,000 shopping spree.

Mars Music opened their first California superstore in Orange County this past August. Over 7,000 music lovers attended the grand opening. Mars Music will add a fourth L.A. area superstore on November 29th in Santa Ana, located at 3309 S. Bristol Street.

The 25,000-square-foot "concert-size" superstores will feature more than 100,000 name brand musical instruments and recording and pro audio products at up to 60 percent off the list price. The new stores also will have a Learning Center staffed by professional music instructors, individual demo rooms, a fully operational stage, instrument service & repair center and a state-of-the-art recording studio.

The operating hours for the new Mars Music superstores in Torrance and Cerritos are M-F 11-9, Sat 10-7 and Sun 12-6. The stores each have about 40 employees, both full-time and part-time, and more may be added as educational and community outreach programs expand.

"Mars Music is the ultimate destination point for music makers and music lovers in everything they do," said Mark Begelman, CEO & Founder. "Our goal is to bring the joy of live music to everyone from professional musicians to those who `wanna play,' from a kid in his garage band to a member of the symphony orchestra, from a child taking her first piano lesson to a student in a high school marching band to a Rock U. student reviving the hot tunes from years gone by. At Mars Music, we not only make music, we make the music makers."

"Education is one of the guiding principles of Mars Music," added Begelman. "Our in-store Learning Centers offer individual lessons and group clinics, as well as a variety of education programs," including:

--  Musical Journey to Mars, Be A Player and Mars Babies Make Music
    are all intended to give young people a hands-on experience with
    music.

--  MusiCareer Day and Mars Backstage engage students in personal,
    in-depth discussions with industry insiders and recognized
    performing artists such as Kenny G, Bobby McFerrin and Itzhak
    Perlman.

--  In Tune with Kids encourages people to donate used or new musical
    instruments to local schools.

--  Rock U gives adult amateur musicians the opportunity to rehearse,
    learn and play with local talents, by providing organizational
    know-how and a venue at which they can perform.

--  In addition, Mars Music actively supports and offers summer band
    camps, jazz camps and other music education opportunities for
    school-age performers.

"By helping to expand the number of active musicians, we believe that Mars Music is contributing to the overall health of the music industry, both nationally and in each of the markets we serve," said Begelman. "We hope all current and potential musicians in the Torrance and Cerritos areas will join us at our gala Grand Openings the evening of November 15th."

About Mars Music

Based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Mars Music, Inc. was founded in 1997 by Mark Begelman and currently operates 43 stores in 24 states, plus a Web site at www.marsmusic.com.

Mars Music is already the largest provider of private music instruction in the United States, having given more than 500,000 lessons in the last two years.

The new Web site, www.marsmusic.com, includes everything from in-depth interviews to post-mod performance videos, from basic how-to tips to interactive music lessons, from the latest musician jokes to a dynamic, full-service e-commerce component offering more than 100,000 brand name instruments and performing products.