Roland Corporation, a global leader in electronic musical instruments and music technology, celebrated the grand opening of Roland Store New York City, the company’s first standalone retail location in the United States. The invitation-only opening celebration at 414 West 14th Street brought together artists, industry leaders, media, business partners, and special guests for an evening of live performances, a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, and a first look at the new destination, which brings Roland, BOSS, and Drum Workshop (DW) together under one roof.

Masahiro Minowa, CEO and Representative Director of Roland Corporation, and Manuele Barbini, CEO of Roland Americas, led the evening’s welcome and ribbon cutting, officially opening the store and marking the latest milestone in Roland’s The Future. Redefined. Then. Now. Next. campaign. Originally introduced during the 2016 The Future. Redefined. global launch event, the Roland Aerophone and BOSS Katana products celebrate their 10th anniversaries this year, marking a decade of innovation that has expanded creative possibilities for wind players and guitarists alike. Special anniversary editions of both instrument lines are showcased at the store, with the anniversary Katana models available for purchase exclusively at Roland’s flagship stores in New York City, London, and Tokyo.

Bass Magazine attended the special event and sat down to chat further with Minowa about the storefront and the exciting future for Roland.

What is the concept behind the store, and what inspired Roland to open a location in New York City as opposed to another major music center, such as Nashville or Los Angeles?

Roland was founded in Japan in 1972, so next year will mark our 55th anniversary. Roland US was established in 1978, six years after the company was founded in Japan, with our US headquarters on the West Coast. As a result, we’ve developed strong connections there, but our presence on the East Coast has been relatively limited. I recognize that the East Coast and West Coast are very different culturally. In some ways, they almost feel like different countries. The East Coast has more European influences, while the West Coast has its own distinct culture. For many years, our headquarters in Japan has been considering the best way to establish a communication hub on the East Coast. We considered offices and showrooms, but nothing materialized. Four years ago, we opened our London store, which has been quite successful. It created an opportunity for Roland fans to connect directly with the brand. Three years ago, we opened our Tokyo store, which has also been successful. So we thought, why not try opening a store on the East Coast?

Our primary goal is to increase awareness of Roland among East Coast musicians and establish stronger connections with that community. We already have many established relationships on the West Coast, so we wanted to create a similar touchpoint here. We’re also seeing more established manufacturers opening their own retail locations, and we felt this was a good opportunity for Roland. Artists may also appreciate having the ability to purchase directly from us. But our priority is communication with our customers and providing them with the best possible Roland experience.

Technology has created a world where people are communicating less in person. Meetings happen over computers, and even when people attend events, they’re often looking at their phones rather than interacting with one another. Is part of the intention behind this store to encourage people to reconnect with the physical experience of music? To come in, touch the instruments, actually feel them, and perhaps even meet other musicians?

Exactly. I would like to create more opportunities for spontaneous encounters and for musicians to exchange inspiration with one another. That’s also an important part of Roland’s history. We develop products and introduce them to musicians, but we don’t always know how those products will ultimately be received or used. The TR-808 is a good example. When it was first introduced, it wasn’t particularly successful. But 10 years later, hip-hop culture embraced it and found entirely new ways to use it.

Have you found that aspects of Japanese music culture resonate with musicians here in New York and is part of your vision to bring some of that culture here?

I would be very happy to do that, but that’s not our only goal. We also want to respect and embrace the local New York music culture. And as you mentioned, we’re seeing a growing appreciation for physical experiences. Ten years ago, few people would have predicted the resurgence of vinyl records. Now we’re seeing renewed interest in vinyl and even cassette tapes. People want that physical connection to music. Musical instruments also need that human touch.

Because you’re your own musician, and your personality is reflected in the music you create. We want this store to be a place where you can develop your own experience with our products. You can sit down and try something new. Maybe you’re a guitar player who’s always wanted to explore drums but has never tried a Roland electronic drum kit. Or perhaps you’re a keyboard player interested in guitar synthesis. It’s about creating those possibilities and opportunities. And rather than simply bringing Japanese culture into the store, we want the New York music community to become part of it. We want to encourage communication, create more opportunities for people to connect, and bring musicians together. That’s how musicians thrive. We thrive in community.

Specifically for the bass community, what would you like us to convey to our readers? What kind of experience would you like bass players to have when they visit the store?

A really positive, welcoming experience. We don’t want someone to walk in and immediately feel they’re being given a sales pitch. We want people to come in and experience something first. Just because a guitar pedal doesn’t specifically say it’s designed for bass doesn’t mean you can’t plug a bass into it and create your own sound, texture, and experience. We want to put as much of our technology as possible in front of as many musicians as possible. The exciting thing about creativity is that you can take a product, such as the TR-808, and use it in an unconventional way that nobody had previously discovered. We want to put that technology into bass players’ hands and let their creativity flow.

From a product perspective, we’ve always paid close attention to bass players. For example, we’re simultaneously launching the GX-1 and GX-1B. We’re always thinking about the bass community. We’ve made numerous amplifiers and bass-specific effects over the years. Even many of our effects designed primarily for guitar are also used by bass players. Take the BOSS BF-3 Flanger, for example. It has separate guitar and bass inputs. The AW-3 Dynamic Wah also has dedicated inputs for guitar and bass. We’ve always tried to include the bass community in our product development. Now we want to show bass players some of the things we’ve been doing recently that they might not be fully aware of or haven’t had an opportunity to explore. Maybe there’s a product they haven’t considered using with bass. We want to bring them into the store and say, “Try it! Sit down, experiment, and let your creativity flow!” –BM

After speaking with Minowa, performances unfolded across the store throughout the evening, from the DJ Platform and Piano Show Loft to the Main Stage, putting Roland gear in the hands of artists spanning hip-hop, pop, jazz, electronic, and guitar music. Detroit producer and DJ Recloose opened the night, joined by Prince Paul, the pioneering hip-hop producer behind De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising and recipient of Roland’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, and Dibia$e, the Watts, Los Angeles beatmaker known for his live performances on Roland’s SP-series samplers. In the Piano Show Loft, home to Roland’s premium piano collection, British-born dark-pop artist and multi-instrumentalist Valencia Grace brought her theatrical sound to the evening.

“I can see the Roland NYC store being a creative hub for the producer community most definitely. It’s very important having spaces like this for the community, whether it’s for workshops or beat events like 404 Day. I saw a lot of joy in many people’s faces there. I’m honored to be a part of it,” said Dibia$e.

On the Main Stage, Matador Records artist Mdou Moctar, the Tuareg guitarist from Niger whose psych-rock is rooted in desert blues, delivered a set ahead of saxophonist Hailey Niswanger. Philadelphia keyboardist and producer Eugene “Man-Man” Roberts, John Legend’s musical director, then led the Man-Man All-Star Jam, featuring Niswanger on the Roland Aerophone. Grammy Award-winning DJ and producer DJ Jazzy Jeff closed the night with a headlining set.

Guests explored the store’s more than 9,000 square feet of showroom and product space, with dedicated areas spanning piano, drums, guitar, synthesizers, dance/DJ, and Roland Cloud. Highlights include Roland’s only dedicated grand piano showroom; the only dedicated DW showroom in the United States; the BOSS Cavern, an immersive environment dedicated to BOSS guitar sound; and a space celebrating the TR-808 Rhythm Composer, the first in a series of rotating hands-on exhibits highlighting legacy Roland products. Visitors can also get hands-on with the latest Roland, BOSS, and DW gear, including the new FP-40 Digital Piano with Piano Sphere, Roland’s first piano with built-in Wi-Fi.

“Walking into the Roland New York City store reminds me of the nostalgic feeling and excitement of being in music shops back in the day. You just want to come in and play every piece of new equipment. It’s a rush for any musician or aspiring musician. This is going to be my new home for gear,” said Prince Paul.

Now open to the public, Roland Store New York City offers free 30-minute workshops and one-to-one sessions with Roland product experts, complimentary 30-minute Vintage One-to-One experiences, dedicated one-to-one product appointments, and complimentary after-sales training. Roland concierges are also on hand to help first-time music makers get creating in minutes.

Visitors can also get hands-on with special editions celebrating 10 years of Roland’s Aerophone digital wind instruments and BOSS’s Katana amplifier series. The Aerophone Pro Gold Limited Edition pairs an Anniversary Gold finish with black trim, with only 3,000 instruments available worldwide. The made-to-order Katana anniversary collection brings a high-gloss blue flame maple finish to the Katana Artist Gen 3, Katana Artist Head Gen 3, and Katana Cabinet 212 Waza. Roland Store New York City gives musicians a rare chance to see and experience these custom Katana models before ordering, and serves as the only U.S. location where customers can purchase them.

The Roland Store New York City is open seven days a week from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M. at 414 West 14th Street, near the 14th Street and 8th Avenue subway station.