Rogers Drums - Decline

Decline

In 1983, CBS sold Rogers and Fender to a group of individuals, who were running the Fender division; the new owners soon after decided to discontinue the Rogers Drums line. In the late 1990s, the Rogers name was acquired by the Brook Mays Music Company ("BBMC") of Dallas, TX. BBMC positioned the brand as a low-cost, but high quality import line of beginner-to-advanced drums, that were sold exclusively in the company's own chain of music stores. Many purists and collectors believed this to be disrespectful to the company's great reputation. However, the drums sold successfully because many drummers (especially younger ones) wanted Rogers kits. But for various reasons the Brook Mays company ultimately was unable to continue operating its retail stores, most of which were small- to mid-scale local merchants first bought and then managed by BBMC. Adding to BBMC's business difficulties, First Act Inc., a competitor that sold its instruments through mass market retailers, sued BMMC in 2005 and was later awarded $20.7 million on the grounds that BMMC had falsely advertised and defamed it by sending letters to customers criticizing the quality of its instruments. In the summer of 2006, BMMC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

On August 26, 2006, the Yamaha Corporation of America announced, that it had acquired the intellectual property rights to the Rogers Drum Company at the BMMC bankruptcy court-ordered auction.

"Opportunities to acquire a well-respected brand, that is so treasured by players do not come along everyday," said Tom Sumner, Vice President and General Manager of Pro Audio & Combo Division, Yamaha Corporation of America. "We will use our expertise to improve on the Rogers legacy."

Yamaha displayed its new Rogers drums at winter NAMM 2007. The drums appear to be an amalgam of different Rogers eras, with some Yamaha touches. The reaction from classic Rogers fans has been overwhelmingly negative.