First Read

So if you’re me, the first question is, “How the hell do you replace Sid Davis?” Well, you don’t. And you don’t try, because you can’t.

Sid will always be a pillar of the industry and part of the fabric that is MMR. You likely think him wise, insightful, and of quick wit. We will wish him a well-deserved exploration into what’s next, and are pleased to say he is still consulting with us, in general, and with me, in particular, and plans on contributing to MMR’s important legacies, like the Don Johnson Award and the SBO Essay Contest. He’s also still writing (see his excellent analysis of the state of the music dealer this month).

As for me…

I come to MMR with 24 years of experience from all sides of the MI industry. I have a degree from a conservatory of music, and, like the entire editorial staff at MMR, I’m a gigging musician. I’m a piano teacher. I’m a parent of young music makers.

So now I come to the oldest, most respected, best music trade magazine humbled. But also driven – driven to take a great magazine and make it even better. I’m evangelical about music making, and that translates into being inspired to make sure MMR is your first choice for ideas, solutions, and tools that will support you and help you be more successful.

I will do it with your help. You’ve already seen major changes with a dynamic, contemporary re-design of the last issue. Changes are coming on the editorial side, too. Last month we debuted executive editor Christian Wissmuller’s “The Last Word.” We’ll have some fun, too, like with our new “MI in the Media.” And in addition to the new, we will maintain what MMR is best at: In-depth features, getting exclusives, and spending the extra time getting all sides of a story. See the follow up to the GC/Union story we started last month in this issue’s UpFront Section.

Back to Sid. He likes to say, “Be careful what you wish for.” He recently said it to me again and it took on greater than usual significance. See, MMR has an amazing legacy of “firsts” – first MI magazine, first to go online, first to do an e-newsletter, first in circulation – so many others. So what do we do now?

We build on the legacy, pushing forward to work harder to bring you more news, ideas, and stories that matter. And while you are well served by three other good magazines that cover this business, we will create an MMR worthy of being your First Read.