MMR Journalism
Mike Lawson
Mike Lawson is a contributing journalist in the MMR archive, covering the music products industry for Musical Merchandise Review.
Recent reporting
Three Gear-buying Trends that Will Shape 2025
This Magic Moment: The Experience of Jacob Collier
Grow Your Woodwind Sales Through Quality Woodwind Repair & Specialty Selling Skills
If You Were a Betting Man, Would You Guess 1964 or 1929?
‘You Need to Authentically Connect with Musicians and Support Them’
‘A Swiss Army Knife for Guitar Players’
Show Report: Music China 2024
What Makes a Music Store Special
Atomic Music: A 30-Year Legacy in the Heart of Beltsville
NAMM NeXT 2024: Nashville Attracts Manufacturers and Dealers
Audio Industry Visionary Toni Roger Fishman TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik Passes
Stringjoy – ‘We Ended Up Finding a Lot of Ways to Make Strings Better'
It 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.
Hal Leonard Serves Over 5,000 Teachers with First-Ever Virtual Music Education Summit
Casio PX-S1100 Digital Piano Provides Improved Tone, New Bluetooth Capability
2015 Tempe Guitar Show
Antique Electronic Supply presents the 2015 Tempe Guitar Show, sponsored by Jensen Musical Instrument Speakers. The show will be held on Saturday March 7, 2015 at 6221 South Maple Ave,…
Reunion Blues Welcomes Kill Devil Hill Guitarist Mark Zavon
Reunion Blues, maker of instrument cases and gig bags officially welcomes guitarist Mark Zavon to their artist family. Mark Zavon is the guitarist and a founding member of the hard…
Craigie Zildjian to be honored at Winter NAMM She Rocks Awards
Avedis Zildjian Company announced that CEO Craigie Zildjian will be honored by the Women’s International Music Network at this year’s She Rocks Awards taking place during the 2015 Winter NAMM…
Anthem Musical Instruments To Distribute North Bridge Flutes
Anthem Musical Instruments has announced it will now distribute North Bridge Flutes. All North Bridge flutes feature a sterling silver headjoint that is handmade in the USA by flute artisan Chris McKenna. All…
Italian Superstar Pino Daniele Chooses DPA Microphones
Pino Daniele, one of Italy’s best known singer/songwriters has recently started using a range of DPA microphones, including the company's d:facto™ Vocal Microphone. The d:facto Vocal Microphone joined a range…
Allen & Heaths Qu Series in Guitar Center
The Qu-32 is a 38 in / 28 out digital mixer offers a big 7” touchscreen married to an interface that has been optimized for intuitive operation. The Qu-32s are now…
Grammy-Winning Pastor Chooses Danley
Pastor Smokie Norful founded Victory Cathedral Worship Center in Bolingbrook, Illinois, the same year he won a Grammy Award for Contemporary Soul Gospel Album of the Year for Nothing Without…
AIRA House Originator Series
The AIRA Crew hits the road in the fall of 2014 for a series of AIRA House events. These include a selection of special “originators” events featuring the AIRA Crew…
ABACA to Distribute Prodipe in North America
ABACA Audio Distribution has reached an agreement to exclusively distribute/represent European audio equipment developer Prodipe in North America as of November 3, 2014. Prodipe offers a wide range of audio…
SSL Duality at Algonquin College
Algonquin College has installed a Solid State Logic Duality Console for students enrolled in its Music Industry Arts (MIA) program. Located in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, Algonquin College began its music…
Peavey Sponsors Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue
Peavey Electronics® recently sponsored the 26th annual Jack Daniel's® World Championship Invitational Barbecue. Barbecue teams, judges and 25,000 fans from around the world gathered on Saturday, October 25, 2014 in…
Yamaha Offering Free and Discounted DBR Powered Speakers
Yamaha announced the new Power to Play promotion, which offers free speakers and rebates on the new DBR powered speaker line with the purchase of a musical instrument. Yamaha’s portable and…
D’Addario Play Fearlessly Project
D’Addario & Company, Inc. has announced the launch of a new site for their “Play Fearlessly Project.” The Play Fearlessly Project is a social initiative designed to showcase the next…
Renkus-Heinz and First Baptist Church of Shawnee
Edmond, OK-based AVL Systems Design recommended the steered-beam technology of Renkus Heinz ICONYX IC Live to Shawnee's First Baptist Church for their new sound installation. The system comprises four ICONYX…
Omacro Announces Partnership with Tri-Technical Systems
Tri-Tech is the author of the AIMsi and Active-e software products. AIMsi is a POS, inventory management, accounting and business software application for music industry retailers. The software offers retailers…
Taylor Guitars 2014 Fall Limiteds Sweepstakes
Taylor Guitars is celebrating the release of its Fall Limited Edition guitars with the 2014 Fall Limiteds Sweepstakes. One grand prize winner will be randomly selected to receive a stunning…
OneRepublic FOH Engineer With Sonnet Fusion F3 RAID Storage System
The Fusion™ F3 two-drive RAID storage system is enabling a live recording workflow for OneRepublic's current "Native" tour. With the ability to store up to 6TB of content on dual…
PRS Celebrates 30th Anniversary with New Models
PRS is offering a series of 30th Anniversary Custom 24 guitar models in each of their electric guitar product families including the US-made Private Stock, the US-made core line, the…
CHAUVET Professional’s MVP Ta8
Featuring performances by over a dozen groups, including Rock n Roll Hall of Famers, The O’Jays, the 12th annual Riverfront Ramble in suburban Chester, PA also offered visitors something new…
B&S Trumpets Donated to University of Louisville Cardinal Marching Band
Members of the University of Louisville Cardinal Marching Band were presented with a donation of 30 B&S trumpets. The benefactors are Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn, patrons of the arts…
Trade Regrets: Jerry Freed
Jerry Freed, MI and audio industry icon and founder of Gator Cases, passed away on November 13, after a bout with cancer. He was 74. After college, Freed spent several years…
Avid Presents New Live Sound Webinar: Mixing Massive Attack
Go behind the scenes with veteran FOH mixer Robb Allan. Over the past two decades, Massive Attack has established itself as one of the UK’s most successful bands, selling more than…
Taylor Guitars Introduce Sassafras, Blackwood and Koa Limited Edition Guitars
Taylor Guitars brings a trio of exotic tone-woods: blackheart sassafras, blackwood and koa to the 700 Series Fall Limiteds showcase line with blackheart sassafras, a Tasmanian tone-wood known for its…
New Selmer Student Saxophones
Blizzard Lighting Skyline
This 8-port, rack-mountable DMX splitter features built-in two-way 2.4GHz ISM wireless connectivity. Just like Blizzard’s Pipeline™ 8-way DMX distributor, the Skyline allows users distribute and boost incoming DMX signals into…
Dr. Duck’s Practical Ukulele Chord and Fretboard Chart
This chart is printed on 8 1/2 x 11- 16-point recycled card stock in full Color with plastic UV coating on both sides and is drilled for 3 ring notebooks.…
Alfred Music Classical Guitar Masterworks Series
These titles begin the new Classical Guitar Masterworks series. Each book in the series that features a celebrated composer also includes information on the composer in context of music history,…
Alan Parsons’ Art & Science of Sound Recording
Alan Parsons’ Art & Science of Sound Recording is a complete rewrite and reappraisal of the award-winning video series. Parsons takes his approach to sound recording to the next level…
Roland Unveils SH-2 PLUG-OUT Software Synthesizer
HARMAN’s DigiTech Drop Pedal
Drop Pedal is a dedicated polyphonic drop tune pedal, it allows guitar and bass players to instantly lower their tuning from one semitone all the way down to a full…
TWA Little Dipper Mk II
StickARK Drumstick Holder by Maxonix
Maxon OD808X Overdrive Extreme
Jensen Bass Speaker Punch Sound Series
GoPro HERO4 Line
Yamaha MG REC & PLAY iPhone/Ipad App
Musician's Accessory Tray From Grover Pro
Grover Pro Percussion Inc. has retrofitted a tray that converts a standard music stand into a musician’s table. The Musician’s Accessory Tray™ was originally designed with percussionists in mind, ibut…
Is Protecting the World’s Hardwood and Rain Forests Our Responsibility?
Ever since the 2008 refinement of the Lacey Act and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department’s 2009 raid on Gibson, our guitar industry has debated the fairness of governmental regulations…
Data Theft - Smaller Retailers are Even More Vulnerable to a Security Breach
In the past year, high-profile instances of data theft at Home Depot and Target, affecting tens of millions of customers, brought the problem of cyber attacks to the forefront of…
Swing City Music’s 50th Half a Century of Serving the Musicians of Metro St. Louis
I guess they were Fenders,” says Art Rivasy, Sr., founder of Collinsville, Illinois’ Swing City Music, when asked about the first lines carried by his store 50 years ago. “When…
Keep it Together - Key Ligature Suppliers Chime in on the Trends of the Day
It seems simple enough, right? Single-reed woodwinds need something to keep the reed attached to the mouthpiece in order to produce sound. String, shoelaces, wire, and even tape have all…
Music China 2014 - Annual Gathering was the Largest in Show’s History
Music China 2014 took place October 8 – 11 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. This year’s gathering saw increased numbers across the board, with more than 1,775 exhibitors…
DANSR’s Mike Skinner
In the 10 years since Mike Skinner, Greg Greime, and Bill Gray founded Illinois-based DANSR Inc., the company has emerged as one of the major players in the world of…
Stephen J. Russo
Stephen J. Russo, 79, of Princeton Junction, New Jersey and owner of Russo Music Center, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Friday, October 10, at Capital Health…
Patrick Stansfield
Patrick Stansfield, 70, tour manager for Neil Diamond, the Rolling Stones, Barbara Streisand, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, The Grateful Dead, Santana, Tina Turner, and scores of others, passed in the…
Stanley Jay
On Wednesday, October 22, MMR was inundated with emails from individuals sharing the sad news that noted guitar/fretted instrument expert and dealer Stanley Jay had passed away. In 1971, along with…
Paul Craft
Peavey Named ‘Mississippi Corporate Role Model’ for Wellness Program
Peavey Electronics® was recently named a “Mississippi Corporate Role Model” by HR Professionals Magazine for its health program. Implemented in 2013, Peavey Wellness is an innovative employee wellness program led by…
Lawson Reinvents Chopin with DPA Microphones
Chad Lawson used his Steinway piano to create a slightly muted, ethereal sound, captured entirely by DPA microphones. To translate the desired mood into his latest recording, Lawson wanted a…
SSL Duality Expands Horizons At Robert Lang Studios
Robert Lang Studios is a two-room facility serving the Seattle and North Western U.S. creative community with a storied history as a creative space for groups such as Nirvana, the…
GC Pro Helps DCP Productions On The Road
Don Cherel, the founder and director/producer with DCP Productions, created the iconic Motorcycle Money Man for commercial client GEICO, along with spots for Planet Fitness, the Washington Nationals MLB team…
Zelinsky Announces Partnership with Guitars for Vets
Dean Zelinsky Private Label Guitars, in conjunction with Guitars for Vets (G4V), a non-profit organization that provides free guitars and lessons to veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), announced…
Jupiter 8 App-based DSPs and ARC-WEB Powers Corner Entertainment
Corner Entertainment is a recently opened entertainment establishment located in Houston, Texas. It features a restaurant (Corner Table) a bar/nightclub (The Oak Bar), and a second wine and mixed drinks…
Paul McCartney Adopts Avid Everywhere for ‘Out There’ Tour
Avid® recently announced that music legend Paul McCartney has embraced Avid Everywhere™ to support his “Out There” tour. Industry-standard Avid VENUE live sound and Pro Tools® audio production solutions, from…
Studio One is First Call for Ellefson
When he’s not working with metal giants Megadeth, internationally acclaimed bassist David Ellefson keeps busy with an impressive range of his own projects. His DAW of choice for these projects…
Dave Smith Instruments’ New Website
SKB Announces New Canadian Partnership
SKB Corporation has welcomed SF Marketing Inc. (SFM) Dorval, Quebec, as their new Canadian distributor of SKB cases. SFM has been providing professional quality products and services to the live…
Zildjian Sponsors 10th Year of Berklee Artist-in-Residence Program
Zildjian and the Berklee College of Music recently concluded the 10th year of the Armand Zildjian Artist in Residence Program. This year’s guest Zildjian artist was Gospel drumming phenom and…
Little Kids Rock Honors Joan Jett at Annual Benefit
Little Kids Rock recently hosted its sixth annual Little Kids Rock Benefit, this year honoring Joan Jett and her music. The annual event, presented in 2014 by Guitar Center and…
Hal Leonard Hosts John Williams
On Friday, October 3, John Williams made his first visit to the corporate headquarters of Hal Leonard Corporation – his longtime music print publisher.The relationship between Mr. Williams and Hal…
JAM Industries Buys Davitt & Hanser Distribution
Hanser Music Group has confirmed the sale of its distribution business, Davitt & Hanser, to JAM Industries. The transaction, completed on October 6th, is said to allow Hanser Music Group…
Registration Open for 2015 NAMM Show
Registration opened on October 1, 2014 for NAMM members planning to attend the 2015 NAMM Show. The world’s largest trade-only event for the music products industry returns to the Anaheim…
Peavey Reorganizes Manufacturing Under New Globalization Plan
Peavey Electronics Corporation recently announced that the company is reorganizing its worldwide manufacturing assets as part of a new globalization plan to ensure continued growth worldwide. The reorganization includes focusing…