As reported often within the pages of MMR live sound reinforcement was (still is!) up against the wall during the pandemic. Nonetheless, we reached out to over 300 MI retailers to get their take on the state of this market segment. While much was predictably in line with COVID-19 related challenges, there were other takeaways, too (hint: lots of folks aren’t real happy with one supplier, in particular…).
Compared to last spring, sales of live sound mixers for your business are…
“Digital mixers have become dominant over the past three years. With every segment of business being this past year due to COVID-19, mixers are way down with schools, churches, and clubs closed down.”
David St. John, Music & Arts, Glendora, California
What brands of live mixers generate the most profit for your operation?
Are there any significant current trends when it comes to live mixers – on either the end-user or supplier sides?
“Behringer kicked the traditional brick’n’mortars to the curb, so now I no longer have a ‘dollar store option’ for my customers!”
Anthony Mantova, Mantova’s Two Street Music, Eureka, California
“While the new digital products are the cat’s meow, the learning curve is quite steep for some of us old analog guys. There is a lot of internal cross training involved to bring us up to speed.”
Jerry Vesely, Vesely Music Co., Parowan, Utah
“At this time last year we had just made substantial orders for Behringer product that they never fulfilled. Much was special orders for customers. Their decision to eliminate brick and mortar stores from the supply chain really hurt our bottom line and could not have come at a worse time. The fact that they did this without warning and left so many of us hanging on ‘back order’ status with no ETA was very aggravating. I sincerely hope that this does not become a significant trend with other major manufacturers. It is bad enough that I am having to compete with big box stores and online outlets, but when a company that literally built its reputation through small and medium dealers turns their back on them it harms the entire industry and sets a negative precedent.”
Clancy Ferrill, Clancy’s Music, Stockton, California
“Most sales go to upgrading church systems.”
Marc Rabins, Audio Design & Instruments, Port St. Lucie, Florida
“Supplier shortages on product as we all know.”
Jeff Hashbarger, Jeff’s Morrell Music Shop, Kingsport, Tennessee
Looking Back on 2025: A Year of Controlled Chaos (Emphasis on “Controlled”)