He’s Bach, & Full Of Schmidt
• Longtime music industry pro Rick Schmidt is calling upon his years of experience in radio, records and management to give back to a new generation of music lovers — he’s opening a Tampa branch of music education franchise Bach to Rock (B2R). In a nod to just how serious he is about his new venture, Schmidt reports he just signed a 10-year lease on the space, which is slated to open in fall 2018.
Schmidt enjoys lengthy ties to the Tampa-St. Pete area — he previously programmed WXTB (98Rock) & WSSR (Star 95.7)/Tampa as well as WDCG (G105)/Raleigh, WXSR/Tallahassee, WPLA/Jacksonville and WWDC (DC101)/Washington. More recently he served as Marketing Director for the St. Petersburg Museum of History and the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg. He also spent over a decade with record label/management firm Silent Majority Group.
“We are thrilled to be opening a school in Tampa and with Rick Schmidt at the helm — it is bound to thrive,” said Brian Gross, President of Bach to Rock. “Rick’s experience in the radio and music industry includes programming Tampa’s 98Rock and some of the nation’s largest rock radio stations, signing recording artists to music labels and marketing large events and venues.”
“Tampa Bay area families will surely benefit from the progressive music education program that Bach to Rock provides in a variety of music genres like Alternative, Country, Pop, Rock, Jazz and EDM,” said Schmidt. In a nod to the region, Schmidt plans to personalize the lobby and lesson rooms with memorabilia from artists with Florida roots, like Tom Petty, Sister Hazel, Tran Siberian Orchestra, Shinedown, Casting Crowns, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Florida Georgia Line, Creed, etc. He added, “Owning a Bach to Rock school enables me to bring together everything that I love. I can give back to my community, help cultivate future musicians and jump-start the music education industry here in Tampa.” Feel free to share your best wishes with Rick at goesto11@yahoo.com.
