New Trends in Consumer Showrooming Habits
It’s probably been years since you first noticed customers wandering through your aisles with their eyes fixed on their smartphone, checking out alternate offers for merch that’s sitting right there…
MI SalesTrak Celebrates 10th Anniversary
[caption id="attachment_48544" align="alignleft" width="800"]Jim Hirschberg of SalesTrak[/caption]Before Clark Johnson and Jim Hirschberg brought the practice of using objective retail sales data to the MI industry, decisions were ultimately just guesswork.…
Drum Dealers Take a Beatdown
MMR recently sent out a survey to over 1,000 subscribers to get some feedback on the state of the drum and percussion retail market and… the results are not pretty.…
Drum Center of Portsmouth
[caption id="attachment_48538" align="alignleft" width="5184"]Shane Kinney is the owner of Drum Center of Portsmouth.[/caption]"The boutique area is our main focus, and that’s where we do a lot of our business,” Shane…
Gene Joly of Musician's Friend
[caption id="attachment_48536" align="alignleft" width="1920"]Gene Joly.[/caption]In early September, Gene Joly – previously Guitar Center’s executive vice president of stores – was named president of GC’s Musician’s Friend (MF) division. In the…
Guitar Center - Inside the Big Box
[caption id="attachment_48534" align="alignleft" width="800"]Guitar Center appears to be turning over a new leaf in the way it approaches its public image.[/caption]In recent years, the folks over at Guitar Center haven’t…
Show Report: Music China 2013
[caption id="attachment_48532" align="alignleft" width="800"]Music China 2013[/caption]While the USA was in the throes of a debt limit crisis, the Music China show in Shanghai was proceeding with a steady flow of…
Band Methods from HLC and Alfred Embrace Technological Possibilities
You could say Paul Lavender’s head is very much in the clouds, at least in regard to Hal Leonard’s new Essential Elements Interactive (EEi). “EEi introduces powerful technology tools for online…
Rules of Engagement
[caption id="attachment_48528" align="alignleft" width="1000"]A great customer engagement strategy is always key.[/caption]Every day I feel like I have to come in here and reinvent myself,” Gordy Wilcher of Owensboro Music Center…
MI Intellectual Property Issues - Setting the Record Straight
Guest editorial by Ron BienstockOver the last thirty years, there have been several major legal decisions involving intellectual property concerning guitars and basses. Having been a part of most of…
Alfred Appoints Cabaniss to Head Sacred Division
Alfred Music has announced the formation of Alfred Sacred, a new division devoted to sacred music publishing. Mark Cabaniss has been appointed managing director of this new division which is…
Moog Minifooger Analog Effects for Guitar & Bass
[caption id="attachment_48522" align="alignleft" width="800"]Moog Minifooger Analog Effects for Guitar & Bass[/caption]Each Minifooger is housed in a rugged cast aluminum enclosure and features a 100-percent analog signal path, true bypass design,…