Inside the Noise Episode 12: Gabe's Takeaways from Season 1

In Episode 12, Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto becomes a guest on his own podcast as Guitar Center Senior Manager, Content and Social Media Max Lauer-Bader interviews him about the initial 11 episodes of Inside the Noise. The two unpack what industry leaders and artists shared during the first season, including what makes companies truly great, as well as the success paths of artists such as Chad Smith, Blu DeTiger and Kenny Aronoff.

“Musicians struggle,” says Dalporto. “It's hard to make a living as a musician, and I think we want to be the glue in that community. We want people feeling comfortable coming to Guitar Center—hanging out, meeting other people and playing. Just come in, have a good time and be part of the community.”

Expanding and nurturing that community has been one of the many goals Dalporto has set as CEO of Guitar Center. To that end, Inside the Noise seeks to illuminate artists, emerging gear makers and all musical visionaries about the challenges and triumphs of industry leaders and iconic musicians. The podcast also serves to update players on how Guitar Center is evolving to meet the needs of the music community.

“Guitar Center is this iconic brand, and I feel very fortunate to be part of it,” he says. “But, over the years, we had lost our way a little bit and our customers were kind of frustrated with us. So, for my first several months, I was out talking to customers, asking them what they want Guitar Center to be, what made us amazing and what do we need to do to be amazing again. I took all of that feedback, turned it into a strategy and started to roll it out. Retail is very simple. You listen to your customers and make them happy. But it was a lot of work, because we had to learn to make our customers feel welcome again.”

Connecting with other CEOs and industry leaders on Inside the Noise provides wonderful insights not just into what it takes to create amazing gear, but also the dogged determination required to weather challenges and threats.

“Business is really hard, and every company that has ever been started has had a life-or-death experience at some point in their journey,” says Dalporto. “In the ’70s and early ’80s, Martin Guitars was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Paul Reed Smith couldn’t get anyone to give him money to get started. Everybody goes through these kinds of challenges, and perseverance, I think, is key. The reason all these iconic companies are still here is because they are unwilling to give up and unwilling to fail.”

Revisit Season One

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When you subscribe, you’ll get early notice when season two of Inside the Noise with Gabe Dalporto launches on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and your favorite major platforms. The new season will be chock full of more iconic gear makers and transcendent musicians. Don’t miss the excitement every Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT.