Our story
1986
Ken and Diana Ross, two well-known names on the Leamington music scene, open Presto Music in Portland Street: their son Tony works as the shop manager.
Initially the shop sells only sheet music, then quite soon after stringed and wind instruments, and a little later, in the basement, cassettes as well. CDs were the last addition.
1990s
During this period the CD part of the shop moves to separate premises a few doors up. The Instrument and Sheet Music part remains Presto Music and the CD section becomes Presto Classical.
2001
Threatened with closure, local businessman and classical music lover Maurice Millward purchases Presto Classical, at that point just a CD shop in Portland Street, as the Sheet Music and Instrument sides of the business closed the previous year.
Immediately seeing the potential of the internet for future sales, Maurice recruits his friend, IT professional and clarinet player David Ferrer and his son Rob, a Computer Science student at the University of York, to build a website.
The website goes live in August 2001, featuring the 500 Rosette Winners in the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs Yearbook.
2001
4 August: First online order received from a gentleman living near Crewe: Weber Symphonies 1 & 2 on Naxos, and Suk String Quartets on CRD.
11 September: Maurice appoints a young Chris O'Reilly, a University of Birmingham music graduate, then working at Kensington Chimes, as the Manager of the business.
I thought he was too young, but he knew about music so I took him, Millward says.
The company receives a further 7 online orders between August and the end of 2001 - not an epic start!
2002
The website begins allowing international orders, and received its first non-UK order from a lady in Los Angeles.
The shop moves to 11 Park Street, and begins selling sheet music, instruments and accessories, as well as offering hire and repair services.
2004
Presto Music begins using 100% Green Energy.
2005
Presto hires the first part-time despatcher, Jim Goodman, responsible for picking and packing the website orders.
2006
Website turnover surpasses the turnover in the shop.
2007
The shop moves from number 11 to number 7 Park Street, acquiring more space upstairs for web orders and more space downstairs to add digital pianos to the range of instruments.
This year Presto Music also launches a weekly newsletter, featuring a Recording of the Week/opinion-piece on the industry by Chris O'Reilly, the first one being on Jean-Efflam Bavouzet's first Debussy recording on Chandos.
2010
Maurice turns the business into a limited company.
The website begins offering Sheet Music, now totalling over 800,000 titles - the first purchase was from a customer in Hong Kong ordering a selection of Lutosławski scores.
The area above the shop becomes too small to manage web orders, then averaging 4500 per week: the company takes on 10–18 Park Street for warehousing.
Presto Music joins Facebook: back then Facebook encouraged the use of the third person!
2011
Launch of download offerings - the first customer was a gentleman in Florida who purchased a recording of Rostropovich playing the Dvořák Cello Concerto (a live recording from the Proms in 1968, made the same day that Soviet tanks rolled into Prague).
Presto Music joins Twitter.
2012
Presto receives its 250,000th customer order.
2013
Presto takes on a new IT office at 6 Park Street, to allow for the expansion of the IT team beyond David and Rob Ferrer to a team of 5, which allows for continuing improvement to the rapidly-growing website.
Presto wins Best Classical Music Instrument Shop at the Music Industries Association annual awards.
2014
Hi-Resolution downloads made available, and the Manufacture on Demand service launches with the 50 CDs of the Penguin Rosette Collection.
Countertenor Iestyn Davies becomes Presto's first interviewee, discussing his new recording of Dowland lute songs on Hyperion with David Smith from the digital/editorial team.
The inaugural Presto Music Awards are announced in December, with winners including Martha Argerich & Daniel Barenboim, Benjamin Grosvenor, Franco Fagioli and Sir Colin Davis.
2016
Graham Southern (formerly of EMI and Universal Music) joins Presto as Chief Operating Officer.
2017
Maurice, now in his late eighties, exits the company to enjoy his retirement.
10 October: the redesigned website is launched. The new site uses more modern technologies which will enable growth and improved features such as a better listing of download availability, and will be more usable on tablet and mobile devices.
Presto receives its 1,000,000th customer order.
2018
The warehouse moves to Trident Business Park in Warwick, and editorial and IT team relocate to 10-18 Park Street.
September: the books department launches, offering over 60,000 music related books. The first purchase is Why Mahler?: How One Man and Ten Symphonies Changed the World.
Matt Groom (formerly of RSK) joins Presto shortly afterwards to head up jazz editorial. The Jazz department launches in December, now offering over 70,000 jazz recordings. The first purchase is two Erroll Garner recordings: The Complete Concert by the Sea, and Yesterdays.
2018
October: Alex Preston folds his woodwind repairs business into Presto Music, which now also offers servicing for brass and strings.
2020
October: the Instruments and Accessories department launches, totalling 40,000 items for the department and more than 1 million for Presto Music in total. The first order is for Rico Cork Grease.
October: Presto Music joins Instagram.
2021
On the 35th anniversary of the company, and the 20th anniversary of the website, a new brand is launched, with a fresh logo and a renewed corporate identity.
A Presto app is also introduced to enable offline listening as well as new innovative features for the website including My Library.
2022
October: the shop moves to 23–25 Regent Grove, a 7,000 sq.ft purpose-built location with an expanded instrument range, a multipurpose space for community-focussed events and a performance area for album launch events and local concerts.
2023
February: Presto Music launches a brand new streaming service, created specifically for classical and jazz lovers.
