Fine Music was originally established around 1960 by Reuben Fineberg, who saw the need for a retailer that could supply classical music to professional musicians and the general public. The company was incorporated in 1968 and found a home in the basement of York House at 294 Little Collins Street with like-minded tenant Discurio, (founded by Peter Mann) who specialised in classical & folk music r
ecordings. The church department dates back to the 1930s when it was successively part of the Diocesan Book Society and the General Board of Religious Education Bookshop. In the 1930s it was run by Harry Scott Simmons (precentor of St Paul’s Cathedral) and later by Bruce Naylor (who left to join the priesthood). When purchased by Reuben Fineberg in the early 1970s, he was advised to take Miss Dorothy Watson who ran it, along with the stock. Fine Music together with the Showbusiness Bookshop were sold by Reuben to Peter Mann in the 1970s. These businesses came together under one company name, Musicmann Pty Ltd, when they moved into 20 & 22 McKillop Street, opening on the 1st of May 1979. The buildings dating from the 1880s had for many years been the printing works of Arbuckle Waddell. The two companies, Fine Music & Discurio stayed in this location successfully providing all types of music to the general public & institutions throughout Australia, gaining a reputation as the most specialist supplier of classical music. The Showbusiness Bookshop gained a separate reputation as a supplier of playscripts and drama related text books to the theatrical community of Australia. Together, Vin Foster & Grahame Murphy (manager of Fine Music) had formed the Gravin Theatre Agency who were agents for a number of US play publishers, mostly for the school market. This was an agency for collecting royalties, all the stock being sold through Fine Music. Following the deaths of first Vin & later Grahame, this agency eventually closed although the selling of playscripts continued. When Discurio moved away from McKillop Street in the early 1990s, the Fine Music business was changed slightly when the wholesale division became a separate entity under the name Encore Music. When in August 1999 the building at 20 & 22 McKillop Street was sold, Encore Music moved out to a warehouse in Fitzroy and Fine Music remained in McKillop Street, finding a new home at number 17, the former home of Phillips Antiques and before them, Joel’s Auctions. This store opened on January 2nd 2000. The business was sold in December 2002 to Billy Hyde Music, Blackburn and closed at McKillop Street in December 2006 when all the stock was transferred to Billy Hyde Music, Blackburn
Here is a list of staff in roughly chronological order:
Grahame Murphy dec
Vin Foster dec
Dorothy Watson dec
Frank Prain
Ellis Ebell
Norma Patterson
Leonie Germaine
Roland Yeung
Danny
David Wilson
Pam Norton
Mark Foster
Brad Carle
Simon Colvin
Lucas de Jong
Luke Doherty dec
Ron Smith
Andrew Dunne
Alex Pittendrigh
Sandra Oldis
Samuel Adamson
David Warne
Jodie
Lucy Larobina
Michael Munson
Phil Lambert
Claude
Janette Clark
Michael Jongebloed
Sheryl Madsen
Kelly Kjos (McGregor)
Andrew Stenford
Jonathan Morton
Margaret
Mark
Steven Ritchie
Scott Board dec
Jenn Walter
Brendan Castle
Barbara
Adrielle Spence
Daniel Kilby
Jennifer
Larry Taffe
Richard Snape
Rodney
Julian
