Issue Articles
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Fender’s Tammy Van Donk: Examining the Widespread Popularity of the Player Series Line of Guitars and Basses
Christian Wissmuller | July 2023Upfront Q&A | July 11, 2023First released to the public five years ago, Fender’s Player Series instruments recently surpassed 500,000 units sold. Read More... -
Stringjoy – ‘We Ended Up Finding a Lot of Ways to Make Strings Better’
Mike Lawson | FeaturesJuly 2023 | July 11, 2023It is not often in the world of “MI” that one gets to see a dynamic, successful startup in a traditional product line like guitar strings. Read More... -
‘Gimme Shelter’: Keyboard Cases, Gig Bags, & Covers
Christian Wissmuller | July 2023Survey | July 11, 2023We recently surveyed over 400 MI dealers to learn more about trends impacting sales of keyboard cases and bags in 2023, what types of these products are favored by today’s players, and what specic brands are driving business. Read More... -
The Keys to the Kingdom: Home Digital Keyboard Sales in 2023
Christian Wissmuller | July 2023Roundtable | July 11, 2023Home Digital Keyboards have been having a moment of late. Features such as the ability to play and practice in close quarters quietly, which had already been significant selling points, took on greater importance during COVID-related lockdowns. Read More... -
Sometimes the Answer is Right Under Your Nose
Menzie Pittman | June 2023Small Business Matters | June 7, 2023Successful business owners are always on the hunt for better ways to embellish their business growth. Read More... -
Changing of the Guard
Christian Wissmuller | EditorialJune 2023 | June 7, 2023In my first year working for MMR, the big buzz at my inaugural NAMM Show trip was still about “the new guy,” Joe Lamond, who had stepped into the role of NAMM president and CEO only the previous year. Read More... -
’NAMM’s Job is to Serve the Industry’ – NAMM CEO and President John Mlynczak
Christian Wissmuller | FeaturesJune 2023 | June 6, 2023In February of 2023, after a year-long search, NAMM’s Executive Committee and CEO Search Committee announced music education advocate and MI vet John Mlynczak as the new president and CEO of NAMM, succeeding longtime leader Joe Lamond. Read More... -
Upfront Q&A: Souldier – Good for Your Soul
Christian Wissmuller | June 2023Upfront Q&A | June 6, 2023Since 2004, music educator and gigging musician Jen Tabor began gifting hand-made guitar straps for her fellow bandmates. From those humble beginnings emerged Souldier, now a well-known and respected supplier of straps for guitars and other instruments, as well as dog-collars, belts, and other products. The straps, which often incorporate recycled materials, have since been […] Read More... -
‘The Market is Getting Crowded’ – Woodwind Mouthpiece Brands Jockey for Position in a Dense Segment of MI
Christian Wissmuller | ArchivesJune 2023Survey | June 6, 2023Predictably, as live performance and in-person music instruction began to return to normal starting in 2021, sales of many types of musical accessories soared. With nearly 80 percent (79.7%)of this month’s survey participants reporting an upward or level sales trajectory for woodwind mouthpieces, the trend is clearly holding strong for this segment of MI. An […] Read More... -
‘Make Good Products, Treat the Employees Well, Treat the Customers Well’ – Yorkville Sound at 60
Christian Wissmuller | AnniversaryArchivesMay 2023 | April 28, 2023In 1963, in the repair room of the original Long & McQuade Music Store in downtown Toronto, Peter Traynor designed and built the Dyna-Bass amplifier, a relatively affordable unit specifically developed to withstand the abuse of the road and rentals. Read More... -
Driving a Wedge: Stage Monitor Sales in 2023
Christian Wissmuller | ArchivesMay 2023Survey | April 28, 2023With over 40 percent of participants (41%) in this issue’s dealer survey on the topic of stage monitors reporting sales trending downwards – the largest response by percentage – one could conclude that this market segment is struggling. Read More... -
2023 NAMM Show: The Evolution of the Annual Industry Gathering
Christian Wissmuller | ArchivesMay 2023Show Report | April 28, 2023“This event, more than any we’ve done before, highlighted the evolution of what the NAMM Show of the future might look like,” observes NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond. Read More...
