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The Real Music Company
Meet our team
Meet our team
John
Director - Auckland
John has been in the hi-fi industry since 1986. Over the years he has sold many products and has gleaned an extensive historical knowledge on most aspects of the industry.
This experience has been an invaluable tool in both qualifying the best recommendations to prospective hi-fi purchasers and also troubleshooting where needed.
Johns hi-fi passion started as a hobby when he was 14 and he was lucky enough to extend this hobby into his working career. Together with Ant and Palmer, the Auckland team have a valuable and vast understanding of their client’s hi-fi needs.
Palmer Bains AKA ‘Palmer’
Retail Sales Manager - Auckland
He has been in the audio retail sales business since arriving on our shores from the UK in the Mid-90s.
He initially cut his teeth working for some pretty decent local competitors in our field, gaining a wealth of knowledge along the way before finally joining the “A-Team’ here at the RMC – Auckland.
Palmer is someone all customers feel at ease with, be they new and looking for their first foray in to Hi-Fi or someone that is seeking advice for a potential upgrade.
However, Palmer does have an esoteric taste in. We often can’t differentiate it from the background noise from the busy street outside but apparently, it’s ‘ambient’ music. And then there are his likes of strange sports where players run around kicking a round ball and only two players are allowed to pick the ball up with their hands – what’s with that?
Patrice
Accounts Manager - Auckland
Johns wife Patrice has also worked in the company since its inception. She takes care of the accounts and office work, along with helping out in the shop and customer relations.
In Memory of Anthony Muriel
Our much-loved team member of 12 years passed away on 12th March 2023. Rest peacefully Ant.
Ant’s been around the AV Industry for so long that many of the customers he takes care of now weren’t even born! Suffice it to say, Anthony has learnt many lessons from the gurus of the industry and has passed on his knowledge and, in some cases, his skill to many.
With a background in Mathematics, his passion, love and appreciation for music have kept him steadfastly in the AV Industry – in many different capacities and roles. From Sales Consultancy and Management, Operations, Systems Design, and Corporate Management. He continues to evolve and hone his skills with all the current technologies to ensure his colleagues and customers are kept up to speed.
Anthony also has a very keen interest in the art of numerous sports but all from the comfort of his music-listening chair! You’ll find Anthony wandering the halls of The Real Music Company (Auckland store) ready to help anyone that needs assistance with their system. If you can’t see him, he will be hiding behind a computer screen somewhere tapping on the keyboard like there’s no tomorrow. (Oh, and he also wants world peace!)
Steve Ching
Store Manager and Part-Owner
Steve has been part of the Real Music Company team for over 25 years, and in that time has gone from part-timer to full-time sales consultant, to manager and also part-owner.
He has seen the many changes in audio and video trends over time and has experience selling anything from turntables, CD players, amplifiers and speakers, to home theatre projectors and AV receivers, and network audio streaming products. He can advise clients on whole-home solutions and has many such projects under his belt. In fact, Steve has provided consulting and project management for whole-home solutions in many high-end high-profile clients’ homes and is well-regarded for his professionalism and discretion.
Highlights throughout his time have included aiding clients to build their systems up from entry-level to products costing into six-figures, attending various industry trade shows in Asia, Europe and Australia, meeting fantastic professional people from all areas of the audio industry, and visiting many of our core brands manufacturing facilities abroad.
His music tastes run from classic and modern rock, through to alt-country and electronica, and he lives with his wife and two teenage daughters, and cats Basil and Boo.
David Meo
Senior Sales Consultant
David started in hi-fi sales about 35 years ago at the well-known store Associated Radio, becoming a partner with the famous (in Wellington!) Paape brothers. He sold many iconic products from Japan, the USA and the UK. Many of these brands still exist today!
After a 10-year stint in hi-fi he went on to other sales areas, however, the passion for listening to good music always remained and so did the passion for good-sounding equipment! Five years ago David returned to hi-fi sales and says it’s been a great experience to be selling arguably many of the top brands available Worldwide at the Real Music Company.
David says; “What I have noticed in 35 years is the huge variety and availability of music and the ability to easily access it. Equipment is fundamentally still the same, turntables are still big sellers as are CD players and of course the cassette deck is all but redundant now. Music streamers are the big new thing and with these has come the numerous music streaming services that can be accessed along with internet radio, providing free access to thousands of radio stations Worldwide. If you don’t have music in your life, you don’t have a life !”