50 Dealer/50 State Review & Forecast

Nationwide survey of MI retailers suggests generally ‘mixed’ outlook, although many remain concerned about effects of the recent election (Note: some of the stores contacted responded just prior to the outcome of this year’s Presidential race)

ALABAMA
Tuscaloosa Music Service, Inc.
Tuscaloosa
James Stephen, Manager

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Our fiscal year started much stronger with increased band instrument rentals. Acoustic, bass and keyboard sales are strong. Drums are about even with last year, but overall have been strong the last several years. This year we have started purchasing a lot more used instruments and gear for refurbishing and resale. We remain busy in the repair departments!

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
New technologies in the production of acoustic guitars. Ibanez’s Thermo Aged acoustics sound phenomenal. Other companies are using similar techniques, but these are available for much less money. Customers looking for a first guitar or an upgrade can now consider instruments that have a sound of much more expensive time-aged acoustics, but at an affordable price.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 electric guitar/acoustic/bass amp.

ALASKA
Alaska Music & Sound/The Horn Doctor Music Store, Inc.
Anchorage
Barbara Kagerer, President

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We held our own. It wasn’t necessarily better financially, but I feel we were able to watch expenses and inventory levels to keep our business healthy.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
Two new products for us that we love: the little “Merlin” or M-4 from Seagull and “EAR-asers” hearing protection. We will be proudly featuring the Merlin at the upcoming Anchorage Folk Festival in January. The “EAR-asers” ear plugs are an impulse buy for many customers, and combined with the colorful “StashCan” display, they’re an easy sell.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
It’s a tie between Cannonball saxophones and Seagull guitars. They are consistently top-notch, and our customers like the combination of beauty and quality.

ARIZONA
Boogie Music
Phoenix
Clint Diffie, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
2016 has been consistently up a small percentage but it’s still an uphill battle to get back to where we were prior to the downturn.

How do you feel that the incoming president and new administration will affect MI in the coming months?
WOW, that’s a loaded question! I’m not sure which candidate would be best for our industry. My gut tells me Hillary might be good for the school music programs and Donald might be good for retail in general, but I say this with tremendous skepticism if they don’t both grow up!

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Taylor 562CE 12- fret, 12 string guitar.

ARKANSAS
Back Beat Music
Jonesboro
Greg Arnold, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We are up three percent.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
More affordable American-made guitars are coming around from small builders. Fender has really made some great limited models for independents lately that have sold well.

Most successful marketing strategy in 2016?
It still has to be excellent customer service that leads to good ole’ “word of mouth” among friends.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Gretsch Streamliner Series

CALIFORNIA
Westwood Music
Los Angeles
Alex Sinclair, General Manager

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
2016 saw an increase in acoustic guitar sales and a slight decrease in amp sales compared to 2015. We focused on building our Lesson & Repair business, which has been incredibly beneficial in offsetting the unpredictability of merchandise sales.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
Rodriguez Classical Guitars: great quality instrument for an affordable price.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Collings Guitars.

COLORADO
Music Gear Guys
Denver
Gregory Decker, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Sales in 2016 have been lower than 2015. More smaller sales and or trades. However, trades hope to turn into higher profits in the future.

How do you feel that the incoming president and new administration will affect MI in the coming months?
I do feel that presidential elections do make a difference in the mi economy. Roughly six-to- nine months prior to elections I notice more customers wanted to trade older gear or fix their current gear rather than pony up for the latest MI craze. Regardless of outcomes of the elections historically I see sales open up again.
On a personal level, I see higher profits in repairs and potential higher profit margins reselling trading in gear. I also manufacture guitar and bass parts under Floyd Rose and Lok-N-Roll and see that parts upgrades selling in higher quantities and yielding higher returns of profits.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Mesa Boogie

CONNECTICUT
A Sound Choice
Branford
Ken Johnson, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We’re down from 2015.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
New products that help drive the industry.

Most successful marketing strategy in 2016?
Facebook posts and monthly newsletter.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Amahi ukuleles

DELAWARE
Seaford Music
​Seaford
Edwin Santos, Store Manager

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
For the personal services that you can’t get online (repairs, installs, & lessons), we consistently do well. It’s no secret that retail storefronts are suffering to online sales. We offer personal experiences for our customers, unlike salespeople over the phone or in online chat boxes. There are some transactions you just can’t do mail order and that’s where we’ve done well both this year and last.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
This year we took on Blackstar amps and it’s been great. The Blackstar Club series amps are a great value for the working musician and the FLY series amps are an awesome accessory for both beginners and seasoned pros.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Powered speakers. We’ve done really well with the Yamaha DXRs & Mackie Thumps.

FLORIDA
Lewis Music Store
Kissimmee
Paul D. Lewis, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
2016 was a little off from 15 but only about 10%.

What have you found to be your best Social Media strategies?
Facebook rules the social media world! I put something out there and start getting responses in two minutes or less. It has been a great tool!

How do you feel that the incoming president and new administration will affect MI in the coming months?
Election years are always slower than off years; when the new people get in, everything falls right back to where it was before.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Buy far my best sellers were Washburn acoustics (all models) and Snark tuners.

GEORGIA
The Music Trader
Tucker
Paul Allison, Owner/(Janitor!)

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
This year we will be flat, although net profit will be up.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
I am most excited about direct selling to customers by manufacturers, although not for a good reason. How a distributor or manufacturer can expect loyalty from a retailer when they are selling direct on the internet is beyond me. It breeds an attitude of every man (or woman) for him or her-selves.

Most successful marketing strategy in 2016?
Marketing strategy to me comes down to hard work and loyalty to one’s customers. I find that a retailer’s ratings and responses on sites like Yelp are huge in building a sense of trust with new customers. People are so busy now that these sites have become their form of filtering which business that they will go to. Get ready for an interesting 2017!

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Acoustic Guitars are still strong although for us. The leader is always our pre-owned gear.

HAWAII
Bounty Music
​Kahului
Paul Weinstein, President

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
This year has been about the same.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
Turbosound.

Highlights/lowlights of 2016?
The presidential election has made everyone uncertain about the future.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Kamaka 100th Anniversary ukulele.

IDAHO
Mike’s Music
Pocatello
Curt Doggett, Vice President

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Total business has been relatively flat. Some categories have been up, while others have been down. PA business has been our best category.

Best Social Media Strategies?
Try to stay on top of it and respond as quickly as possible.

How do you feel that the incoming president and new administration will affect MI in the coming months?
I foresee difficult times for the MI business in general, and especially tough times for small retailers. Whoever is elected president will probably have little effect on the music business, good or bad. The main problem for small retailers is the continued erosion of their customer base and business by large internet retailers. I believe there will be a time in the not too distant future when the Mom and Pop shop can no longer remain viable, especially in smaller communities. Then we will all have to genuflect before the altar of Amazon if we want to buy anything.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Snark SN-8 Tuner

ILLINOIS
PM Music Center
Aurora
Frank Pampanello, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
As of the end of October, our gross is up 12% over last year’s numbers. We’ve seen most of our growth in instrument rentals and in accessory and instrument sales.

Which development in the MI industry are you most excited about?
More and more, manufacturers are choosing to invest in their dealers, creating long-term partnerships and relationships in support of their network. In particular, Yamaha recently introduced its Shokunin select program, providing outstanding resources for dealers. Gemeinhardt has stopped selling direct to customers and now has an in-house sales team; Hal Leonard launched its new dealer portal, and hopefully more manufacturers will follow suit, realizing that the best way to increase sales on both sides is to assist and promote their growing dealer networks.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Our product of the year is the Schilke i32 trumpet. Although Schilke considers this to be an intermediate trumpet, most players would compare it to other brands’ professional-level instruments.

INDIANA
Musicians’ Repair & Sales
Indianapolis
Rick Oldham, President

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Down considerably the first half, and rebounding in the 3rd quarter.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
The B&S Trumpet, the Northbridge Flute, and D’Addario Reserve Reeds and Mouthpieces.

Highlights/lowlights of 2016?
We find more small inter-city schools starting instrumental music. It has been difficult getting certain brands of saxophones, trumpets, and music stands. The same issue has happened with small goods order fill rates. The downsizing of KMC has made this problem worse.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Trumpet Silver Plated B&S BS3137-2-0.

IOWA
​UpTempo Music
Des Moines
Dave Kouri, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Business has increased every year for the last 14 years. 2016 is also up.

Best Social Media Strategies?
Do more of it more often. We use Facebook and Twitter. I would like to use it more for awareness and local store promotions and events, as well as shows our customers are involved in.

How do you feel that the incoming president and new administration will affect MI in the coming months?
I am writing this 11 days before election. So time will tell. I don’t think it will have an immediate effect. How trade is dealt with will have the biggest effect.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Eastman 52nd St saxophones and Krutz violins.

KANSAS
R.E.W. Music
​Lenexa and Olathe
Bob Woeppel, President

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We found that 2016 treated us about the same as 2015 – there were not any significant up- or downswings.

Which development in the MI industry are you most excited about?
I am most excited about the opportunities we are finding for bolstering music education and seeing fellow retailers also engage in support of music education in our schools. Music education is so important and an opportunity everyone should have available to them.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Without a doubt, our product of the year is the educational camps and clinics we offer to student musicians of all levels. From forming summer ensemble groups to play fun music that keeps students excited and playing throughout the break from school, to our highly anticipated Exploring Instruments Camp, which provides an opportunity to students who are thinking about playing an instrument to play and learn about each one in order to make a more informed decision what to play, based on actual experience of playing the instrument. The kids love it, the parents love it, and our local band and orchestra directors love it!

KENTUCKY
Mel Owen Music
Louisville
Melanie Dillman, Music Education Representative

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We’ve seen an increase in rentals from last year. More customers are wanting to rent quality instruments as opposed to buying an inexpensive instrument that is more difficult to play and repair.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
Eastman band instruments.

Highlights/lowlights of 2016?
Sales and repair have gone up. Unfortunately, there are ever-increasing costs and lower margins.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Snark tuners.

LOUISIANA
Slidell Music Company
​Slidell
Mike Romano, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We are down eight percent.

Best Social Media Strategies?
We send out specials and promotions or anything new and exciting via email blasts, Facebook, and our webpage: 1stmusicstore.com.

How do you feel that the incoming president and new administration will affect MI in the coming months?
I’ll be glad when this election is over. Early voted and still didn’t like my choice. Elections always seem to affect business in a negative way. Also I pray everyday for my state of Louisiana to start charging sales tax, so we can be more competitive with the Internet companies. I wonder how much money our poor state is losing.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
JBL EON615.

MAINE
Northern Kingdom Music
Bangor
Darren Hope, Manager

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We are running pretty much even.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
For sure the interest in effects pedals and boards. Also ukuleles. Effects pedals bring people in all the time.

Most successful marketing strategy in 2016?
Facebook and updating website – keeping it fresh with new pics of instruments and amps all the time.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Taylor GS Mini Koa.

MARYLAND
Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center
Wheaton
Alan Levin, Owner and President

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
It was a solid year. Business was up, both online and in store.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
Aston microphones has been doing well since their launch at Winter NAMM 2016, and MIXARS DJ mixers have been solid since their summer launch.

Highlights/lowlights of 2016?
Our website will be fully accessible to users with disabilities by the end of 2016, which we are hugely excited about. We have just completed construction on new office space where we will move many of our administrative personnel so that we can improve our showroom space for the Band Sales department.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
We have several: KORG Minilogue, Electro-Harmonix Mel9, Electro-Voice ZLX12P, Subpac M2, and Schagerl Apredato Mouthpieces.

MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. Music, Inc.
​Allston
Sal Barone, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
A little better than last year.

Best Social Media Strategies?
We use Facebook, which is also linked to Twitter. Especially on our high-end vintage guitars, we post them on Facebook, and they then get tweeted to our followers. Usually we get a quick response of interest, which helps with sales worldwide.

How do you feel that the incoming president and new administration will affect MI in the coming months?
If Trump wins? It looks like we will only get Mexican Strats if they are thrown over the wall!

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Snark Tuner.

MICHIGAN
Gordy’s Music
​Ferndale
Gordy & Marcia Lupo, Owners

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
2016 appears to be about the same as 2015, as far as total gross sales. The year is not over by far, so anything can happen and we are staying optimistic – as we do everyday when we come into our store.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
We are most excited about some of the fresh and recent surge in manufacturer products I am seeing in the “vintage re-issue” realm, such as Dan-Electro guitars, Ampeg combo & flip-top reissues, Supro, Gibson, Fender, vintage-style all- tube boutique amps, etc. I love having these products in our store, as they blend in so nice with the original vintage pieces. The more the merrier!

Most successful marketing strategy in 2016?
The best marketing idea we have been using that works very well is throwing in free shipping on costly items sold in various ways on the internet. The shipping tends to be somewhat expensive with insurance and all, so we are finding that even if we don’t advertise that feature with the product description when the phone rings and you are haggling over price and how it’s being paid for, if you throw in free shipping, that usually wraps up the deal! Everybody ends up happy.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
As far as new products go… our biggest seller this year has been the ‘Snark’ tuner and the ‘Tube Tech’ A frame fold-up heavy duty guitar stand that fits everything: acoustic, electric, and bass guitars.

MINNESOTA
My Music Store
Golden Valley
Nick Perna, Store Manager

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Overall sales are about flat, but it seems electric guitar, bass, and amp sales have nudged up a bit compared to last year.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
While not exactly new to us, we added a lot of Electro Harmonix effect pedals to our selection and experienced good sell-through.

Highlights/lowlights of 2016?
A highlight for us was that we began utilizing Craigslist posts consistently and in larger volume, which created many sales and cool trades. A lowlight seems to be a decline in beginning drum and percussion players, which continues to throttle sales and lesson traffic in those categories.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
In terms of an instrument, the Yamaha FS800 acoustic guitar. The updated scalloped bracing improved the sound significantly, and at $199 street price, we have to keep restocking them!

MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi Music, Inc.
​Hattiesburg, Meridian, Flowood,
Biloxi Rosi K. Johnson, President

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
So far Mississippi Music is up for 2016. We are celebrating MMI’s 70th anniversary this year. Our fiscal year ends in March, so we are optimistic that we will continue the trend and end March, 2017 on a good note!

Best Social Media Strategies?
We use Facebook mainly to communicate with our loyal fans. We have a main site for overall company news, sales events, and specials, as well as music advocacy and who we are. We also have a separate page for each location for more localized events and news.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
The entire Yamaha Proline of Band and Orchestra Instruments.

MISSOURI
Mid Rivers Music
St. Peters
John Sherwin, President

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We are holding our own. The business is getting more and more competitive and the number of musicians continues to decrease. Why? Well, yes the PlayStation/X-Box games are a reason, but I also attribute the attitude of the younger generation of people. Playing a song well takes practice and commitment – and this is something more and more people don’t have the intestinal fortitude to accomplish. It would be a big help to have more teachers that have the patience to bring more students together to form bands and teach them how to play songs and get the motivation to create something musical.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
New products and ideas are great reasons why we make this industry so successful. The new effects pedals have increased interest with guitar players. Snark Tuners have helped with accessory sale add-ons for all instruments. The digital market is always changing but the constant in our industry are the sounds created by the artists and the profound impact it carries on for the next one playing his/her instrument. Keep the motivation going – do the most you can to encourage the player to keep playing!

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
The Fender Squier Telecaster has been our top seller by far.

MONTANA
​Morgenroth Music Centers
Missoula
Gary Bowman, President

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Comparing 2016 to 2015 we are up this year 22.9 percent with the largest increase coming in on both digital pianos and acoustic pianos.

Most successful marketing strategy in 2016?
At Christmas of 2015 all salespeople received iPads with a companywide data plan in order to promote product, events, etc. on social media and our website. Also, so many products sold in our industry today have apps that customers love to see – which is a great closing tool. Customers as well as our salespeople love to utilize this tool and I think overall this has been a great influence on the bottom line. Also, our company Band and Orchestra sales representative always posts pictures of “directors in action” and video clips of the school band programs as he visits each school. We have found that our Facebook account and our website see more views than they have in the past.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
We continue to be amazed by the Michael Kelly Guitar line. It’s a great product, built well, and so reasonably priced. When a customer sees and plays the guitar they immediately see apparent value and rarely every question pricing before purchasing.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
The product of the year has to be the El Cajon by Roland. I do want to give a shout out, though, to Yamaha’s NU-1 Hybrid Piano. This is turning heads and causing serious re-thinking by many piano teachers.

NEBRASKA
Kittle’s Music
North Platte
Rob Kittle, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
So far business has been up a little, we tend to stay ahead of inflation a few points every year. We’ve had upward growth since I’ve owned it in 1999.

Most successful marketing strategy in 2016?
I would say that it’s still ‘word-of-mouth’ as far as consistent business. We put very little money into marketing because we’re in a unique area. We have a small population and we’re the only store in the area. We do stay engaged with social media by continually posting but we don’t pay to boost posts, we rely on our community to share our posts.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
Teton has been very successful. It’s not in the highest margin for us but customers are loving it.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
I would say all of our clip-on tuners are still surprisingly huge sellers, we really weren’t expecting because of cell phone apps but cell phones don’t clip on to a guitar now do they? Planet Waves brand is at the top of our list.

NEVADA
Absolute Music
Reno
Steve Gibson, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
2016 has been the strongest year in our history. Last year was a very good year, and we’re up another 10 percent this year.

Most successful marketing strategy?
Direct contact within the school community remains our most important form of marketing. Both regular visits with educators as well as displays at as many festivals and competitions as we can fit in help us get the word out.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
This year we became the Yamaha Band & Orchestra dealer in our area. This has been a very exciting addition for us. Adding Yamaha to our primarily Conn-Selmer offering, has made us a force to be reckoned with here in our local market. It took years to make this addition happen, and it has been worth it in every way!

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Cannonball Saxophones.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Manchester Music Mill
Manchester
Joe Lacerda, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
2016 has been great for us. I think we are about 20-23 percent up over last year.

Most successful marketing strategy?
Social media and paid advertising through social media is really the only way to get people notice what’s going on. We follow a model where we don’t post too often or too little and we will pay to boost posts to get our message out for sale promotions, new products, and any unique offerings.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
Our top selling products based on dollars and quantity, not including accessories, are Mackie Thump12 powered speakers, Fishman Loudbox Mini Amplifiers for acoustics, Blackstar ID:Core amps for electrics, and Yamaha keyboard piano lines do very well for us.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Martin D41Acoustic Guitar. We’ve sold more D41’s by dollar amount than any other acoustic, our customers really appreciate high-end quality.

NEW JERSEY
Ritchie’s Music Center
​Rockaway, New Jersey
Jim Riccio, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Worse this year, and so far, the holiday season sales are down compared to 2015.

Product of the Year for your store in 2016?
Fender and Taylor are tied for us.

NEW MEXICO
Baum’s Music
Albuquerque
Dan Louton

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We saw a modest increase from 2015 and considering the economy here we are happy. We are excited to be celebrating our 70th year in business with the help of our loyal customers.

Most successful marketing strategy?
Our most successful marketing comes from hosting concerts and recitals here at the store.

Best social media engagement strategy?
We utilize Facebook as our social media strategy to keep our customer up to date on all of our activities

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Luna Tribal Ukuleles.

NEW YORK
Rudy’s Music
​SoHo, New York City
Rudy Pensa, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
2016 was definitely much better for us, we had a great year. We closed one location and have focused on a new location. The past three months seemed to have slowed down a bit but now that the election is over the community seems to be relieved and things are picking up again, even our local restaurants seems busier.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
We are excited to find that there has been a change from customers wanting electric guitars to people looking for vintage acoustic guitars. We’ve sold a lot of vintage guitars.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Martin Guitars and Taylor, as well.

NORTH CAROLINA
​Howren Music
Charlotte
Dennis Howren

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
2016 is looking fantastic! We’re up in all categories and our end of year step-up push is remunerative.

Most successful marketing strategy in 2016?
During the month of July our Summer Series, four-part introduction to instruments for kids was a huge hit. It was tight placing 70 youngsters plus their parents and grandparents in the back of the retail floor but we pulled it off and the moms can’t wait for their “musician” to get an instrument and begin to play.

We also received some excellent advice on our website concerning Google searches. We witnessed quick results with our website placement in search categories and it was FREE.

Online rentals have exploded. We promote this in schools, printed media, rental forms, social, business cards and we are blown away how successful it’s been.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
Eastman Winds has been an extremely profitable line for us and they keep expanding their offerings via Hanes, Shires and Backun. We were thrilled Conn-Selmer developed a new line of Ludwig Marching percussion and expect them to put a large dent in that market.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Yamaha P45B digital piano.

NORTH DAKOTA
Jacobsen Music
Minot
Dennis Jacobsen, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
I would say it’s great, maybe down slightly because of the oil booming declining but still a great year.

Most successful marketing strategy?
We’ve been increasing our Facebook and online activity some by transferring the budget that we used to spend on yellow page ads over to Internet advertising.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
More Clavinovas and this year we brought on more Martin guitars.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
An overall brand would be all of our Yamaha products including; band and orchestra, stringed, guitars, pro audio, acoustic pianos and Clavinovas.

OHIO
Hauer Music Centerville
Jim Hauer, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
2015 was our first year in our new location after 75 years being in Downtown Dayton. We have seen about a 17% increase in 2016. Taking the leap to start over in a suburban location with a fresh new look and still maintain our nearly 80-year, family- owned heritage. We are thrilled with how positive the community has responded.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
We love the ukulele craze. Though it’s been going on for years, it just keeps getting bigger! What other instrument could you see put a smile on a four-year-old, a millennial, and a grandparent at the same time? It is absolutely rare in MI.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
Amahi ukes hands down are the best value.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
All of our Yamaha products from pianos, digitals, guitars, drums, woodwinds, brass, strings and PA – everything sells well.

OKLAHOMA
Ada Music Center
Ada
Richie Vallandingham, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We saw an increase in band rentals and we were pretty steady in all of our other departments.

Best community engagement strategy?
Maintaining relationships with our schools is our best marketing strategy.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Buffet Crampon brings the most success overall.

OREGON
Portland Music Company
Portland
Mark Taylor, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We should be up about seven percent this year with good luck.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
Most excited about some indication of manufacturers increasing GP at map. Could be an acknowledgement that independent dealers need it to be viable long term.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
New lines Rickenbacker and Breedlove are both doing very well.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Korg Minilogue.

PENNSYLVANIA
Marty’s Music
​Annville
Marcus Sprecher, Music Business Specialist

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Pretty much the same but the Fall of 2016 was not was as good as 2015, we’re not breaking any records but we’re staying afloat.

Most successful marketing strategy?
Are biggest marketing strategy is our use of Reverb, which is how we sell our guitars. Facebook is our local community connection. We have a budget for boosting posts and with our local newspaper.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
For the piano market we’re most excited about our continued success with Roland’s Bluetooth capabilities for iPhone and iPad – they’re very popular with our customers. In the guitar market Martin is the most successful.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Guitar looping pedals. P45 Yamaha and RP401R Roland keyboards are tied in the piano department.

RHODE ISLAND
Rick’s Musical Instruments, Inc.
Cumberland
Rick Verfaille, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
On the band instrument side, we noted an increase of sales, particularly in accessories. Rentals and sales of step-up and pro instruments remained strong, as did string instruments.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
We have enjoyed the increase of step-up model band instruments from our manufacturer partners. Increased options have led to strong sales, particularly for players who either are not ready for or who cannot afford professional/advanced level instruments.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Légère Reeds have been a great hit, especially among the Signature and European Signature reeds.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Sims Music
Columbia
Justin Sims, General Manager

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
2016 business was pretty close to 2015. Maybe a little dip possibly due to an election year? Very strong percussion department sales and PA sales.

Most successful marketing strategy?
As for marketing, we only use social media. No paid advertisement. We did partner with Freeway Music (South Carolina’s leading music lesson studio with five locations) and we put a Freeway inside Sims Music. It took over our lesson department and we have more than doubled the amount of students who have taking lessons in the last year. Also, because of the five locations, we have 1,000 students we are connected to. It’s an amazing partnership and worth more than any advertisement could have done for us.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
We took on Strymon this year and have had a huge success with them. We have put a lot of attention on our pedal selection and this was a great upgrade!

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Our top selling product in the store, dollar wise, is the Yamaha MOXF8.

SOUTH DAKOTA
Engel Music, Inc,
Aberdeen
Don Trebilcock, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Better. We had a good year.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
Yamaha guitars, Clavinovas, and pianos. And Taylor guitars are great to deal with and we’ve expanded both of those lines this year.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Yamaha Clavinova CVP 705

TENNESSEE
Corner Music
Nashville
Larry Garris, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Better, we’re up 10 percent gross and profit up 1.1 percent over last year.

Most successful marketing strategy?
We constantly update our Facebook page as well as post on Reverb.

Developments in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
Pat Quilter’s amps, Audio Technica System 10 Pro Digital Wireless mics, MEE M6Pro In-Ears, Mackie TH12, and all the Analog Synths.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Audio Technica System 10 Pro Digital Wireless mics

TEXAS
Strait Music
Austin
Clint Strait, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We were down a little. July 1 to June 30 is our fiscal year and we went slightly down due primarily to the piano market. Our combo business is down a bit off a banner year, other than that everything else was pretty flat.

Best social media engagement strategy?
Our favorite one this year is our Blue Bonnets and Music Photo contest. We have a wildflower season every year around the same time and we encouraged our customers to take a picture with themselves and their instrument in a field of Blue Bonnets, we had tons of submissions. We asked our community to vote online for their favorite photo and the winner who received the most votes won $500. It was a little girl who was able to buy her own violin. We also asked our customers to show us their photo on their FB page to receive 10 percent off in the store. Our customers were sharing their posts a lot.

UTAH
Summerhays Music
Murray
Scott Summerhays

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We were up slightly over 2015

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
Yamaha CSG and SEV Clarinets have been a pleasant recent addition to the clarinet world that have been good for us.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Yamaha Pro Clarinets tied with Cannonball Vintage Reborn Saxophone.

VERMONT
Advance Music Center
Burlington
Jeff Wheel, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
2016 is looking to be slightly up from 2015.

Most successful marketing strategy?
We launched our long overdue online shopping cart earlier this year and although we don’t see a huge volume of sales directly attributable to the cart, I do think that it is driving inquiries and foot traffic into the store.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
We have found that more vendors are offering online sales and product training for our employees and that really makes a difference.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Products of the year are the Roland FP-30, Yamaha P45B, Taylor T5z and Martin L17 series.

VIRGINIA
Foxes Music Company
Falls Church
Kevin Landes, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015?
Business was up over all in 2016. Most of this was due to our Band & Orchestra rentals and sales. We had a particularly successful rental season this fall. This seems to be one dept. where local brick and mortars have an advantage over the internet. Our guitar sales held steady with last year, and sheet music declined slightly.

Most exciting development in the MI industry?
This is not limited to the MI industry, but the movement to support small local businesses with events such as Small Business Saturday are having some success in making customers aware of the importance of local brick and mortars.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
The new Thomastik Alphayue violin strings have really taken off. The demand for Juno reeds continues to grow.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Kono Violins

WASHINGTON
Kennelly Keys Music, Inc.
​Lynnwood
Jory Tindall, Visual Design and Marketing

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We’ve seen a lot of changes in terms of store locations. We moved one of our locations to a new building with much more space for products, as well as teaching studios and a small recital area of clinics and workshops. In addition we opened up a new location much further North than any of our other stores, and have seen a high level of community involvement, partnership, and optimism exhibited so far in the area.

Best social media engagement strategy?
This is also related to our outreach in the community. We’ve found success in promoting content from local school music programs and encouraging customers and educators to connect with us through that content and platform.

Development in the MI industry that you’re most excited about?
The resurgence of the synth market.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
The Yamaha P45 is always a consistent top performer for us.

WEST VIRGINIA
Kerr’s Music World
Charleston
George Kerr, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We have done well in 2016, even though the general economy and surrounding areas took a blow in the coal industry, we found that the parents continue to support their children and rent-to-purchase. West Virginians are hardy and we’ve worked together. We go to our customers and service a lot of instruments.

Most successful marketing strategy?
The strength of our business is the service and the understanding of each different school program. We treat each one of them with the same attention to detail whether they are big or smaller programs. We visit schools often and keep the line of communication open always. We find that we are uniquely positioned to understand and meet the needs of our customers this way.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Band instruments across the board from all the manufacturers.

WISCONSIN
Jim’s Music and Teaching Center Green Bay
EJ Dombrowski,
Store Manager

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
We celebrated 30 years in business this year, and 2016 has been a great year for us, we saw double digit growth in our MI Sales, as well as our largest year over year growth in our band rentals, compared to the last few years this has been a record year for us.

Most successful marketing strategy?
In the past we focused on the traditional TV and Radio, this year we focused on Facebook, we also introduced a rewards program which has taken off, as well as, an uke club and clinics. In the past we marketed our store as though we could compete with the big box retailers on product options, however we realized for us to stay around we can’t make it on 27 percent margins, so we are focusing on providing a better customer experience shopping our store, rather then having or doing everything.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Kala Uke’s have been fast sellers.

WYOMING
The Hill Music Company
Casper
Kurt Gilbert, Owner

How did 2016 compare to 2015 for your business?
Surprisingly, we were very consistent in 2016. Due to a downturn in the energy industry, which is Wyoming’s major industry, we were expecting 2016 to show a large slump in sales. There was a dip, but not nearly as severe as we were expecting. That dip will most likely continue into 2017. Living and owning a business in a boom/bust economic cycle is partially about being strong enough to weather the busts, which we are doing right now.

Best social media engagement strategy?
Expanding upon our community outreach by posting our sponsored events and projects creates excitement and participation in music, which is why we got into this business in the first place.

Are there any new lines or brands you’ve taken on with success in the past year?
We added Teton guitars – affordable, great sound, and they stand up to our extremely dry climate.

“Product of the Year” for your store in 2016?
Our biggest seller continues to be ukuleles – low end, high end, and everything in between.