Sterling by Music Man company ownership?

[fogman]

I just want to make sure I have my information correct.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that Sterling by Music Man has a similar relationship with EBMM like OLP did back in the day. EBMM licenses the product and overseas certain aspects to the build, manages the brand (hence website connectivity to the EBMM website) ....but ultimately SBMM is a separate company owned and operated by someone else.
I know there have been brief mentions of such in some threads, but the words are too generic for a proper search and therefore couldn't find anything relating to the topic.

So am I right or wrong? Please enlighten me.

 

[beej]

That is my understanding.

 

[Ninemile]

I would think it's very similar to the Bob Marley estate and how they license a lot of stuff. Since it has Sterling's name on it, I assume that he is the one licensing it to one of his own companies. That company being Sterling. If he has nothing to do with it other than giving another company a green light while he collects a 7% licensing royalty check, I'd imagine they'd use another name such as OLP or Boomerang by MM. I'm just guessing here but, I would guess that yes Sterling is a 100% completely different company than MM but it happens to be owned by the same guy. I could be wrong though and it could be owned by someone else and MM just gets the licensing fee?

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Yes.

The brand name "Sterling by Music Man" is produced by Praxis Musical Instruments Inc under license by Ernie Ball Music Man. Praxis is a separate company with entirely different ownership.

 

[beej]

I would think it's very similar to the Bob Marley estate and how they license a lot of stuff. Since it has Sterling's name on it, I assume that he is the one licensing it to one of his own companies. That company being Sterling. If he has nothing to do with it other than giving another company a green light while he collects a 7% licensing royalty check, I'd imagine they'd use another name such as OLP or Boomerang by MM. I'm just guessing here but, I would guess that yes Sterling is a 100% completely different company than MM but it happens to be owned by the same guy. I could be wrong though and it could be owned by someone else and MM just gets the licensing fee?

No, the company that makes "Sterling by Music Man" (Praxis Musical, as Pete pointed out) is not owned by Sterling Ball.

 

[fogman]

Thank you gentlemen. Now I can continue to set internet trolls straight. lol

 

[LilSteve]

My history/memory serves, Sterling is made at the Cort factory Indonesia?

 

[jayjayjay]

There's a little more to it than who owns (or doesn't own) who. Praxis making instruments under license by MM doesn't really tell much. Praxis could be making the instruments as an OEM contractor for MM/Sterling (and Sterling may be a subsidiary of MM or may be jointly owned w/ MM), where MM/Sterling basically pays Praxis to make the instruments to MM specs, much the way Foxconn built iPhones for Apple. Once the instruments are done, they're sent to MM/Sterling (or wherever directed), who handles distribution. OR - Praxis may have approached MM/Sterling and offered to build and distribute instruments to their specs, and pay MM/Sterling a percentage for each instrument. No way to know for sure without actually seeing the contract with Praxis.

 

[Johnny Alien]

There is a way to tell. Praxis has it's own customer service/warranty/etc. None of it goes through EBMM. We know that EBMM does not distro the Sterling stuff.

 

[Johnny Alien]

Plus I am pretty much sure that Sterling said that's how it is when Sterling was first launched.

 

[DrKev]

I would think it's very similar to the Bob Marley estate and how they license a lot of stuff. Since it has Sterling's name on it, I assume that he is the one licensing it to one of his own companies.

I'm pretty sure he said at the time he didn't want that name on it, but he didn't have the decision.

My history/memory serves, Sterling is made at the Cort factory Indonesia?

I have not heard that before. Isn't that where the PRS SE line are made too? Of course I think some of the productions sites and details may have changed over the years too, so who knows!

Praxis has it's own customer service/warranty/etc. None of it goes through EBMM. We know that EBMM does not distro the Sterling stuff.

Correct.

 

[msquared]

I have not heard that before. Isn't that where the PRS SE line are made too?

Correct. The SEs are all built by PT Cort in a separate PRS-specific factory building in Surabaya, Indonesia. The exception to this is the Hollowbody II models which are built in their facility in China.