August 2022

Upfront Q&A Sweetwater’s John Hopkins 12 We recently spoke with Sweetwater president and CEO, John Hopkins, to discuss how the company’s new 350,000 square-foot fulfillment center in Glendale, Arizona came about and the upsides it will provide to MI vendors, customers, and the local economy. Roundtable The Sax Talk: Suppliers of Alto Saxophones Discuss the Market 14 With the return of active school music programs and live performance across much of the country and the world, we at MMR wanted to check in with some of the most significant suppliers of these instruments to get a sense of trends and successful sales strategies. Survey ‘Tis the Season: Back to School Sales Post-Pandemic 20 Nearly 80 percent of participants in this month’s MI dealer survey report that things have either fully or mostly returned to “business as usual” in area school districts post-pandemic. With such developments comes the return of “Back to School” sales, long a key component of many MI retailers’ playbooks. Small Business Matters Tenacity: the Secret Ingredient in the Success Formula 22 Award-winning owner and director of education at Contemporary Music Center in Virginia (CMC) and lifelong musician and educator, Menzie Pittman, highlights the need for determination when pursuing our goals. Departments Editorial 4 Upfront 6 New Products 23 Classifieds 26 Ad Index 26