So, Who Do YOU Think are the ‘Best of the Best?’

For the past many, many autumns – certainly going back well before my tenure with MMR – we have reached out to MI retailers to learn their thoughts on what instruments, gear, and brands have been setting themselves apart from the pack. To be clear: setting themselves apart in a good way, through innovative design, quality assembly, excellent dealer and customer service, and… well, just coming up with superior products.

Annually, these suppliers and instruments are celebrated each December when we announce, in that month’s issue of our little magazine, that year’s “Dealers’ Choice Awards” (DCA) winners. Traditionally, we then hand out the trophies for said awards in January at the NAMM Show, though that particular part of the process did get gummed up a bit during the past few years – can’t imagine why!

Anyway…

Before retailers can vote on the ultimate victors across all DCA categories, however, it needs to be determined exactly who and what they’ll be casting their ballots for.

This is where you, dear reader (and your friends, co-workers, family et cetera) come in.

The nomination process for the 2022 Dealers’ Choice Awards has now begun. While only current MMR subscribers are eligible to vote for the ultimate award-winners when nominees are announced in the fall, all are welcome to suggest brands and specific products/instruments for nomination.

That’s right: If you’d like your company’s new guitar, or analog tuner, or drum set, or whatever else to wind up as a DCA nominee this year, it’s time to rally the troops. Again, only MMR subscribers can decide who walks away with trophies for 2022, but it’s essentially open season at this point.

Oh – one bit of news: after years of frequently covering the “ukulele fad,” we’ve accepted (happily) that this is clearly no ephemeral craze. Ukes are a big part of the larger MI picture and we’re now granting the happy little fellas their own category: Ukulele of the Year.

Which brings up another point: When we ask for your thoughts on the “__________ of the Year,” we’re looking for a specific brand and model; when the category is “___________ Line of the Year,” we’re only looking for the supplier.

The majority of folks are clear on this, but each year there are a small handful who clearly are not and I make a note (and usually forget, months later) to clarify before the following year’s ballot.

We want to know what you think! Please take a few moments to share your suggestions by visiting https://tinyurl.is/CHra

Official DCA nominees across all categories will be announced in the October 2022 issue of MMR, with winners being presented in December.