{"id":165851,"date":"2025-06-10T15:10:24","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T19:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/06\/10\/inside-josh-gruss-round-hill-music-store-which-sells-guitars-vinyl-a-welcoming-atmosphere\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T15:10:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T19:10:24","slug":"inside-josh-gruss-round-hill-music-store-which-sells-guitars-vinyl-a-welcoming-atmosphere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/06\/10\/inside-josh-gruss-round-hill-music-store-which-sells-guitars-vinyl-a-welcoming-atmosphere\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Josh Gruss\u2019 Round Hill Music Store, Which Sells Guitars, Vinyl & a \u2018Welcoming\u2019 Atmosphere"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tRound Hill Music, the name of the Josh Gruss<\/strong>-led, private-equity backed company with more than $1.1 billion in music assets under management, now adorns a physical music store in Greenwich, Conn.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 1,100-square-foot outlet, which opened last month, hawks high-end guitars and amps as well as a healthy offering of vinyl and other merchandise in a store designed to appeal to the entire family, says Gruss, who is the store\u2019s sole owner. In his day job, Gruss is the CEO of Round Hill Music, the music asset company that\u2019s also a full-service music company which owns or represents rights in music written or performed by the likes of Bobby Darin, Brittany Howard, Gil Scott-Heron, Rob Thomas, Ashley Gorley, Bruce Cockburn, Massive Attack, Collective Soul, Skid Row, Craig Wiseman and Randy Bachman, according to the company\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Guitar<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tHow Tariff Chaos Is Throwing the Music Gear Industry Into\u00a0Turmoil\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tWhile the\u00a0impetus may have been to open a guitar store, Gruss says he wanted it to have broad appeal for the whole family: \u201cIf parents come in with a son for a guitar, maybe mom will pick up a shirt or a candle. Another family had a 4-year-old daughter, and we had a kid guitar for her. While the main focus is the high-end guitars and amps, we have something for everybody.\u201d Beyond the above items, the store\u2019s inventory includes sunglasses, rock \u2019n\u2019 roll t-shirts, hand-made jean jackets, art for sale and even an ashtray.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But in the first few weeks of operation, the big eye-opener has been the strength of the record store component, says Gruss. The shop carries some 1,500 vinyl albums, all new \u2014 and that has turned out to be the surprise selling category. \u201cEveryone loves music, and we all know vinyl has resurged in popularity,\u201d says Gruss. While he says he was hoping that vinyl would be the secondary reason customers visited the store, \u201cit turns out it\u2019s the primary reason,\u201d he reports. \u201cSo far, about 20% of our vinyl inventory is getting sold per week. So far, our No. 1 seller is a local jam band called Goose<\/a>. Everyone comes in asking for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Round<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tRound Hill Music Co.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTerry Moseley<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tIn assembling the retail outlet, Gruss, who plays guitar in an original rock band called Rubikon and a cover band called Kaintuck, says he was inspired by memories from when he was younger. \u201cMy favorite thing to do as a kid was look at guitars in guitar stores, especially those on 48th Street,\u201d he recalls, referencing the Manhattan block between 6th<\/sup>\u00a0and 7th<\/sup>\u00a0Avenues that, in the 1960s through the 1990s, was known as Music Row for the many musical instrument stores lining the street (the most famous being Manny\u2019s Music).<\/p>\n

\u201cEven today, when I travel to places like Stockholm and Paris, I check out guitar stores,\u201d says Gruss. Over the years, he adds, \u201cI built up an idea of what I like in a guitar store.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Jimi<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tThe 100 Most Iconic Guitars of All Time: Complete List\u00a0Revealed\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tIt wasn\u2019t until the COVID pandemic that Gruss decided to act on his vision. \u201cIt was during the height of COVID when I was going through town [and] I see the \u2018for sale\u2019 sign on\u00a0this building,\u201d he remembers. \u201cWith my contrarian hat on, I thought, maybe I can get a good price.\u201d After buying the building, he set about planning for the guitar store, a category that Greenwich \u2014 although rich in various types of retail \u2014 lacked.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Round<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tRound Hill Records <\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTerry Moseley<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tIn conceptualizing the Round Hill Music store, Gruss explains he didn\u2019t want it to focus on things you can find at Guitar Center, which he acknowledges as the dominant merchant of musical instruments and equipment in the U.S. As a result, he gave the store a high-end boutique slant, which, considering its location, makes sense: Greenwich is consistently ranked as one of the wealthiest communities in the U.S., with a median household income of $180,000 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile there are many affordable and recognized guitar brands in the store, it also has more unique items. Case in point: a $20,000 replica of \u201cGreeny,\u201d a 1959 Les Paul Standard guitar named after its owner, Fleetwood Mac<\/a>\u2019s Peter Green<\/a>, who sold it to Thin Lizzy<\/a>\u2019s Gary Moore<\/a> and which eventually wound up with Metallica<\/a> guitarist Kirk Hammett. Gruss says the store ordered the replica from the Gibson Custom shop, noting the company only made 50 as part of a limited-edition run.<\/p>\n

With guitars by Gibson, Fender, Paul Reed Smith, Taylor LsL Instruments, Ernie Ball, Rock N Roll Relics and Suhr, Gruss says he wants the store to be a haven for musicians and collectors as well as younger consumers, which is why it also carries guitars attractive to beginners. Beyond guitars, the store carries premium speakers from Devialet and Transparent and apparel by Madeworn, Daydreamer and Rowdy Sprout.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"KAYE\"<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n\tBeyond inventory, Gruss says he wanted Round Hill Music to have a different feel than Guitar Center. \u201cWe want our store to be as welcoming as possible and we want people to sit and play as much as possible,\u201d he says. In contrast, he says Guitar Center can be intimidating for customers, with a sales staff that he believes measures whether people have money to buy a guitar and may require some kind of collateral if a customer wants to play one of the nicer models on the floor.<\/p>\n

Consequently, he says he wants the Round Hill Music store to be welcoming to all ages and hopes it will give young customers the opportunity to enjoy the same experience he had as a teenager at similar shops. He also expresses the hope that the store can be a place where music fans interact with one another.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Mike<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tMike Stern Band <\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEd Christman<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tTo make sure the Round Hill store is correctly merchandised and boasts a welcoming atmosphere, Gruss says having the right staff is key, citing the \u201csuper knowledgeable\u201d John Mahoney<\/strong>, who works as the store\u2019s operations manager. He adds that his vision was carried out \u201cby a great group of people\u201d who previously worked in retail at other music instrument stores, including Sam Ash. In total, the store is currently staffed with six employees.<\/p>\n

At the store\u2019s opening event, what Gruss sees as intrinsic to the store\u2019s future success \u2014 an in-store stage \u2014 was put to good use by the Mike Stern Band, which played a high-energy set that left the crowd wanting more. \u201cWe will program the store with plenty of in-store artist events, including up-and-coming songwriters and local singer-songwriters,\u201d Gruss says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gruss points out that he\u2019s also using the store to promote the Round Hill Music catalog business, noting that artists and songwriters in the music-asset company\u2019s catalog have their own section in the shop; the inventory there includes albums by Soul Coughing, System Of A Down and Neon Trees. \u201cThe store is a great way to spread the Round Hill network,\u201d he says. \u201cIt will really help out the rest of the business.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Round Hill Music, the name of the Josh Gruss-led, private-equity backed company with more than $1.1 billion in music assets under management, now adorns a physical music store in Greenwich, Conn. The 1,100-square-foot outlet, which opened last month, hawks high-end guitars and amps as well as a healthy offering of vinyl and other merchandise in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-165851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165851\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}