About
Gearsecure is a company dedicated to prevention of loss to theft and accident for musicians, music businesses and music retailers. We hope to work with manufacturers, retailers, law enforcement, and consumers to provide more awareness of specific instances of theft, and how it can be prevented.
Our idea is to create a database that can be accessed and searched by anyone thinking about purchasing a piece of musical equipment. The database will be searchable by serial number so that anyone can verify the equipment they are considering is legitimately the property of the seller. We have many plans to advertise and network the site so that it becomes larger and more fully featured than any other similar site. We will do this as a commercial service rather than a goodwill spare time gesture because we feel that if we do this part time it will never reach its potential as a serious tool for loss prevention.
As we considered how to design this site and why we should undertake this project, we looked at the issue from the point of view of both retailer and professional musician. Our experiences in loss prevention at a large music retailer showed how much a loss could affect the bottom line profits of an individual retailer. In one case, we managed to recover a $25.000 limited edition Martin guitar for a competitor in a different state. In another instance, we recovered $40,000 worth of stolen guitars stolen from stores across the country in one location. This dollar amount is critical to the success of a business. As musicians we also realize that professionals can be stretched very thin financially, and we rely on our equipment to make a living. If an instrument is lost, we don’t just lose the value of the instrument, we lose a cherished companion and a livelihood. We hope to prevent both from happening, but right now there is no national network to deal with this, and even for our chain of stores, this information is only communicated via email, providing no lasting record.
We have also seen an increase of counterfeit instruments. Not only do these infringe on the copyrights of the manufacturers, but they are sometimes good enough to fool the trained eye. Imagine buying a $2,500 Gibson and finding out it was a $300 knock-off. We will provide close-up photos of some of these counterfeits as we encounter them, so that you do not fall prey to these scams.
For now, if you are the victim of equipment theft, please contact us, and we will list it here and send the message out to our network to increase the chances of recovery.
Right now we are looking for investment capital or donations to help us start the business. Any help you could provide would go a long way in getting this going in these rough economic times. If you would like to invest, please contact us. If you would like to donate, send money via paypal.
Bryan Lee Peterson has worked in the MI retail industry for nine years in the capacities of salesperson, manager, and operations, gaining experience in all aspects of the business. he has also worked with Jones MFG, a small manufacturer of music equipment, as a product consultant, A/R representative, and trade show representative. His is a novelist, podcaster, blogger, musician, comedian and and has written two books on music and music equipment.
Michael Kuhl also has nine years in MI retail operations under his belt. He has, in that capacity, been the victim of theft, witnessed theft, thwarted theft and on a few very happy occasions been part of recoveries of stolen instruments and watched the thief carted off to their new homes. He is a writer, comic, actor, musician, teacher and been the recipient of one “Company Spirit” award, which mystifies him to this day.
