About DS Music
DS Music, 'Retail Business of the Year' 1, is the most successful music retailer in South Wales and surrounding areas and is one of the fastest growing music retailers in the UK. We stock a wide range of sheet music, instruments, instrument accessories, audio accessories, music technology and music gifts
Our success is built upon our four customer-centred core values:
- Excellent Service
- Specialist Advice
- Good Value & High Quality Products
- Vast Range of Products
DS Music highly values its team of employees and provides them with regular training to further develop their professional expertise and careers. This ensures that customers receive the highest level of service and state of the art advice. Our professional team are there to help you choose selected products which are suitable for your needs at the best possible prices - DS Music is driven by a desire to provide the best possible solutions for your needs. We value your custom, whether you purchase a musical ruler, a top of the range Roland Digital Piano or seek us out for advice. Our aim is to serve you effectively for many years to come!
Please note: We are currently online only and our office address is our local collection address (for kerbside collection).
Tom Jackson, Jon Petrie receiving Retailer of the Year Award at the South Wales Business Awards
Our History...
DS Music was founded in 2004 by Jon Petrie (Digital Marketing Director), and joined later by Louise Miller (Operations Director), whilst they were both studying Music at Bangor University. Both are very keen and active musicians and Jon has recently been named as one of the 'Top 8 Young Entrepreneurs in the UK’! 2
In 2003 as part of a gap year, Jon worked as a trainee IT technician in a computer shop in Monmouth. In 2004, after only a few weeks at University, a local Secondary School were experiencing terrible difficulties running Sibelius 5 Software on a suite of 30 brand new 'music technology computers'. They contacted Jon, who quickly diagnosed the problem and within 2 days he had upgraded all of their computers to ensure Sibelius 5 would run quickly and reliably. A few weeks later this school asked if he could obtain Sibelius Software as their GCSE and A Level students were finding it hard to obtain. Jon managed to source and supply the software at a great price and then used the profit from this sale to purchase a few extra copies of Sibelius 5. He subsequently set up an online shop and it was from this day that Jon started trading from his small bedsit behind the Post Office in Bangor and DS Music was born. Just a year later (2005) DS Music became the largest Sibelius Software retailer in the UK.
Jon - one of the ‘Top 8 Young Entrepreneurs in the UK’ at Shell LiveWIRE Awards
Jon & Louise’s info stand at the networking day at the Shell LiveWIRE Awards, London
Jon (right) & Matthew (youngest brother) in Jon's University bedsit, behind the Post Office (2004)
After building up funds from the online shop, Jon, with the help of Louise Miller (soon to be a company director), opened a small music outlet (2006) within part of a high-street shop in Monmouth and drove down from Bangor each weekend to 'man' the shop on Saturdays with Jon's Dad. It was just 2 hours before their University Dissertation deadline (2007), that the business with whom they were sharing retail space suddenly relocated to an industrial estate in Monmouth. Jon and Louise took the bold decision to take over the whole of the two high-street shops; driving to Monmouth that very day to collect the key!
Small music outlet in corner of shop (2006). Jon, Louise (at the front) & Family
Jon & Louise taking over the whole 2 high-street shops (2007)
All of us at DS Music are really excited about our major plans for the future - continuing to ensure that DS Music is one of the leading, customer centric and fastest developing music retailers in the UK!
DS Music, Monmouth Branch
2020
In December 2020 we changed our business model to operate online only and thus decided to close our Monmouth store. We are open online and offer local delivery within Monmouth and local collection (kerbside collection) from our office address in Monmouth (please see our delivery page https://www.dsmusic.com/pages/delivery-info).