Staccato Outburst: Snare Drum Sales, Trends, and Best Practices in 2018
It’s the 2 and 4 that provides the “snap” for the backbeat in popular music, the defining sound of the classic military marching beat, and an integral catalyst behind any…
Music China 2018: Global MI Market Converges on the ‘Pearl of the Orient’
A record number of attendees and exhibitors were on hand at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre this October for the annual Music China gathering. With a reported 110,381 visitors…
C.F. Martin & Co. Authentic Acoustic Strings
“Authentic” has been something of a go-to phrase for Martin Guitars the past few years. Their limited series of instruments build to prewar standards – as determined by forensic analysis…
Reed Between the Lines: The Reed Market in 2018
With 67 percent of participants in this month’s survey reporting that sales of reeds are either up or level when compared to this same time of year in 2017, it…
Massachusetts’ Drumming Punk Pioneers: From a Basement to Backing Rock’s Modern Drumming Icons, SJC Drums Keeps it Close to Home
When Mike Ciprari was 15 years old in 2000, he was a par for the course punk, dreaming of meeting Green Day’s Tré Cool. Now Tré Cool plays drums made…
Innovate or Fade Away: Michael Ciravolo’s Balancing Act at Schecter Guitars
Michael Ciravolo began his career at a small music shop in New Orleans. In 1995, he decided to take a leap and move to Los Angeles. He quickly scored a…
Tariffs, Trade War, and MI
In January of this year, America began imposing tariffs on primarily Chinese-built goods and China-sourced materials and, in July, the U.S. initiated 25% tariffs on $34 billion worth of goods…
The Element of Surprise - A Humbling Teacher
When you embark on a new, creative undertaking, it’s possible that success may be your biggest downfall. It lulls you into a false sense of confidence, so when you say,…
How to Retain, Grow, and Recruit Top Performers
I was recently talking to an MI retailer with his two successors. Here’s how the conversation began. Jaimie: So tell me about store #2. How’s the team? Owner: They have…
Practice Makes Perfect: When Retail and Rehearsal Studios Combine
[caption id="attachment_63876" align="alignleft" width="460"] Photo courtesy of Gavin Whitner[/caption] Much has been written (especially by me) about the decline of the recording studio business. As the ability to make high-quality…
Chon Relies on CHAUVET Professional Fixtures on Spring Tour
Victor Zeiser and his team at Squeek Lights were brought on board to light Chon’s 2018 spring tour, which concluded at the San Diego House of Blues on July 1,…
'Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar Solos' from Hal Leonard
Sean McGowan’s expertly arranged book Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar Solos includes standard notation and tab for solo guitar for a dozen songs. McGowan also includes performance notes for each song in…