Our History
Melbourne Music Centre evolved from its parent company, Melbourne P.A. & Stage, founded in 1991 by owner and manager Brad Coates. The basic premise was to buy, sell and trade used professional P.A. and Lighting equipment.
Brad Coates has gained a wealth of knowledge in the music industry spanning over 3 decades. An accomplished musician, Brad spent many years on the road touring and recording with a variety of bands. His long and illustrious career has seen him work in the capacity of Performing Musician, Film & Recording Artist, Session Musician and P.A. Consultant.
A natural progression from updating and replacing his P.A. and Stage Equipment saw Brad dealing in used equipment from his home garage as an independent "backyard" trader since early 1981. The popularity and growth of this business was such that it necessitated the acquisition of retail operating premises and an established business plan.
So, it was that in October 1991 Melbourne P.A. & Stage Equipment opened its doors for business at 523 North Rd. Ormond, Victoria.
An underlying philosophy of Melbourne P.A. & Stage Equipment has been to provide quality second hand equipment, quality service and informed advice. To this end, Brad Coates assembled a staff of experienced music industry professionals to cover all areas of music production and sound reinforcement. The staff are also working musicians and / or recording engineers and their combined knowledge and expertise is always on hand to assist any enquiry. To complete the team a technician was taken on board whose primary function is to service and quality test all second-hand equipment sold by Melbourne P.A. & Stage Equipment.
This philosophy saw the business rapidly expand to the point where the adjoining building was acquired to accommodate the stock holdings and floor traffic. Several key areas of trading were pioneered by Melbourne P.A. & Stage Equipment during this time. They included the buying and selling of Vintage Equipment such as Analogue Synthesizers, Vintage Effect Pedals, Vintage Valve Amplifiers, Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinet/Pianet and Wurlitzer Electric Pianos to mention just a few.
Melbourne P.A. & Stage Equipment changed its operating name to Melbourne Music Centre/Melmusic in 1995. This was due in part to a recession and due in part to the harsher realities of the prevailing Pro Audio market. The "Owner Operator", formerly the backbone of the business was fast becoming an endangered species as more venues opted for smaller in house systems, or, in many cases, gaming machines, thereby dispensing with entertainment altogether. The name change conveyed a more "generic" musical identity as the main thrust of the business was now directed towards used musical instruments which catered for the "Creation" aspects of music making rather than the "Reproduction" and "Re-inforcement" aspects The Company's expansion in the "Preowned" area continued steadily since and boasted the title of being the largest Used Musical Equipment dealer in Australasia.
In keeping with its policy and commitment to provide quality service, Melbourne Music Centre, (Melmusic), established a spare parts department for Vintage Keyboards in particular, Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinets/Pianets, Wurlitzer Electric Pianos, Analogue Synths, Combo Organs and various other Vintage Keyboards.
Melbourne Music Centre has also been at the forefront of the "Information Technology" era by being the first music store in Australia to go "online" with a dedicated website as early as 1995. In our commitment to continually improve our customer service. The Melbourne Music Centre Website, www.melbournemusiccentre.com.au has a complete listing of our entire stock holdings. Email inquiries are promptly answered and digital images of goods and equipment can be provided., The Melbourne Music Centre Website has its entire stock list updated as often as daily. Melbourne Music Centre has exported goods to many countries Worldwide, as far North as Iceland and as far South as Government bases in Antarctica.
