Issue Articles
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‘We Create Musicians’: Maxwell’s House of Music is Having a Banner Year in 2024
Christian Wissmuller | April 2024ArchivesCurrent IssueRetail | April 5, 2024Two awards from the 2024 NAMM Show – including “Dealer of the Year – are just some of the most recent accolades being bestowed upon Jeffersonville, Indiana’s beloved Maxwell’s House of Music. Read More... -
Light Up the Night! — Sales of Lighting & Stage Effects Remain Stable Post-Pandemic
Christian Wissmuller | April 2024ArchivesCurrent IssueSurvey | April 5, 2024When we polled MI retailers on the state of the Lighting & Stage Effect market segment back in fall of 2021, things were still – understandably – massively impacted by pandemic-related closures of clubs, bars, and other venues. Read More... -
The Differentiation Factor: Music History — A Million-Dollar Idea
Menzie Pittman | April 2024ArchivesCurrent IssueSmall Business Matters | April 5, 2024It was Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” in 1954 that broke the pre-internet “internet,” but can you explain the unusual ticking sound that you hear in the song? Read More... -
Spin Control: DJ Interfaces & Controllers
Christian Wissmuller | April 2024ArchivesCurrent IssueRoundtable | April 5, 2024“He just turns up with his memory stick and pretends he's doing something and goes away with a huge amount of money,” said Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickenson of today’s DJs in a recent interview. Read More... -
Many Happy Returns? For Customers, Yes; For MI Businesses, Not so Much: In-kind Donation Can Ease the Burden of Returns on Warehouses and Make Beautiful music
Gary C. Smith | April 2024ArchivesCurrent IssueGuest Editorial | April 5, 2024U.S. retail sales during the 2023 holidays rose 3.1 percent over last year, according to figures from Mastercard – which isn’t bad considering consumers are still feeling the pinch of inflation. Read More... -
Music As an Avenue Towards Community Building: Making Your Retail Business ‘The Right Place’
Christian Wissmuller | April 2024ArchivesCurrent IssueEditorial | April 5, 2024“Most marketers have heard the term ‘community building’ at some point in the recent past,” began an article from last summer in an issue of Rolling Stone. Read More... -
‘Pro Usage is Up, Overall’ – Sales of Guitar & Bass Cases and Bags Surge As Live Performance Returns at Full-Strength
Christian Wissmuller | ArchivesMarch 2024Survey | March 19, 2024With only just over 10 percent (10.5%) of participating dealers in this month’s poll reporting a downwards trend in terms of Guitar & Bass Cases and Gig Bags sales, it would appear that the post-pandemic “return to the stage” is having a real impact on this market sector. Read More... -
The Legacy We Leave Behind – Mary Luehrsen
Menzie Pittman | ArchivesMarch 2024Small Business Matters | March 19, 2024At this point, no doubt, we have all returned and survived The NAMM Show, and most folks realize that they are truly glad they went. Read More... -
‘Don’t Even Jinx Me with That!’
Christian Wissmuller | ArchivesEditorialMarch 2024 | March 19, 2024"Music education isn't just about creating incredible musicians, it's about creating incredible humans." Read More... -
Swing City Music Reaches 60-Year Milestone
Christian Wissmuller | AnniversaryArchivesMarch 2024 | March 19, 2024In late 1964, a young drummer named Art Risavy launched the business which would define his professional career. Read More... -
Classically Beautiful: Nylon-String and Classical Guitars in 2024
Christian Wissmuller | ArchivesMarch 2024Roundtable | March 19, 2024“Soft,” “warm,” “soothing” – these and plenty of similar descriptors are used by many to describe the sound of nylon-string acoustic guitars. Classical (or “Spanish”) guitars have long been the go-to instrument for (get ready for a shock…) players of classical or Flamenco music, but in recent decades artists who trade in music of genres as wide-ranging as jazz, world, folk, rock, and even metal (truly!), have embraced the distinctive, rich tones afforded by nylon-string axes. Read More... -
The MI World Discovers Victory: Melvin Quinones of Victory Musical Instruments
Christian Wissmuller | ArchivesFebruary 2024Upfront Q&A | February 22, 2024Victory Musical Instruments (VMI) has made quite an impact on the B&O market in only a few short years. Read More...