FEATURES
-It’s in the Cards ! You need to have PCI DSS-compliant terminals to handle credit card transactions by July 1. What are we talking about? Don’t worry, we’ll explain.
-Unplugged Acoustic guitar sales grew dramatically in 2009 and the beginning of 2010. Is this the beginning of a new trend?
-Head of the Class! We shine the spotlight on many of the new companies that launched at NAMM.
-Musicorp Mourns Mike Murphy We honor the sale rep’s life that ended way too soon.
-Is a New Healthcare Plan Just Snake Oil? We take a thorough look at how a new public healthcare plan can affect you and your employees. ?
-Bonanza! Behringer Buys Bosch Brands Behringer’s parent company added the Midas and Klark Teknik brands to its stable.
-The Stars Will Come Out…This Weekend We highlight a few of the celebrity appearances at NAMM.
-What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been!!! We reminisce as we close out the first decade of the new millennium. It was a tough 10 years for many. How about for the music industry though? What’s ahead?
-It’s Voting Time! Here are your nominees for the 24th annual Music & Sound Awards.
-Here We Come to Save the Day!!We provide a plethora of accessories that manufacturers assure you will provide excellent margins.
-For Those Who Make Lesser Publicized Instruments, We Salute You!!For the first time, we pay tribute to instruments and products that get little press coverage. We provide a well-deserved spotlight for these products!
-And the Bombs Keep Coming!Another big lawsuit is filed
against the industry.
This time, there are many
more defendants.
-Drumming to Their Own BeatHow well is the drum industry holding up during these difficult times? We call on three industry experts.
-Guitar Center, Fender, and NAMM Sued
-The Health of the Independent Dealer M&SR’s fourth annual independent retailer roundtable features a new twist. For the first time, manufacturers, hand-selected by the retailers, contribute to the story..

-Linda Arink is one of the very few female executives at a DJ company. Learn how she became involved and why she hopes we won’t even need to have a column about top industry females in the future.
-Debbe Stephenson stumbled upon MI shortly after college, but is sure glad she did. She’s now president and COO of Pro Co Sound.
-Mary Peavey Being president at Peavey Electronics is no small feat. But that is not even close to knowing the whole story about her. She is Ivy League educated, founded a commercial real estate business, is involved with numerous worthy charities, and much more.
-Jennifer Tabor found a missing market niche and is growing her business by leaps and bounds. That, and she’s only 32 years old.
-Tarina Dunwoodie got to see the moment Graph Tech was born and has served the company since she was 17. She has moved up the ladder quite a bit since then.
-• Stacey Montgomery-Clark.
-• Cathy Duncan
-• Bee Bantug
-• Dale Krevens
-• Melanie Ripley
-• Susan Grund
-• Toby Nady
-• Shawna von Behren.
-• Berenice Chauvet
-• Sue Kincade
-• Tish Ciravolo
-• Vikki Hayward
-• Roxana Ramirez
-• Susan Lipp

M&SR: You guys mentioned that profitability is the No. 1 factor you need to get from manufacturers. So what profit margin percentages are you getting from them and what do you need to get to be successful?

Gillum: If a manufacturer gives you 40 percent, I think the dealer is happy. The cost of operating a music retail store runs about 37 percent today. MAP programs at 20 and 25 percent do not satisfy the costs of operation. Forty percent is a wonderful MAP starting price program where the dealer has the opportunity to add service programs to that and accessory programs to that to turn it into a good 50 percent profit margin.

Lovell: I agree. Forty points has a level of excitement that makes you get into a product.

Bankhead: I’d take 35 as the minimum threshold I can work with. I hear forty points on a product I know I can sell without having to make a huge effort, I get giddy.

Lovell: We have to preface that with one thing. That has to be after freight. Freight is going to become a bigger and bigger issue. If you’re making 35 points and paying for freight, you’re not making 35 points. Freight is running at 15 percent many times. It’s crazy.

M&SR: Last question. How about Summer NAMM. Did you like its return to Nashville? Will you return to the show in the future?

Wilcher: I’ll be here every year.

Biernacki: Coming back to Nashville was the best thing they possibly could have done.

Lovell: It should have never left Nashville. I think the manufacturers who didn’t exhibit at the show are going to be sorry. The show floor was packed.

Bankhead: I’ll go wherever they have Summer NAMM. It can be in New York. It can be in Austin. Wherever there’s a Summer show, I’ll be there because of the networking and the [NAMM University] Idea Center. These are things that can improve my business. What I need is more information and more inspiration.

Johnson: I like Nashville because the one time I went to Anaheim, I was overwhelmed. It’s too big. I like it smaller and more personal in Nashville.

Gillum: The one thing we do need is more floor space though.
Wagoner: I want to mention also that the people of Nashville were awesome. I can’t believe the difference of being in this town—which is a pretty big city at this point—and [other locations]. It has a small-town feeling. And this is coming from a small-town guy. The people at the hotel were wonderful. And the people at the convention center were great. It was a really good experience.

Johnson: Nashville is really happy to have us here. I received a call to do an interview with a Tennessee newspaper about NAMM’s return to Nashville. Nashville is so happy to have us there.

Wagoner: Before MSO, what were the chances of a store as small as Maureen’s being interviewed for the Tennessee newspaper?

Bankhead: [Before we conclude], I just wanted to say one thing. I want to bring up the commitment the Music & Sound Retailer has made to covering the independent retailer. In addition, there’s a specific layout and spread [in the Music & Sound Independent Retailer] where I know when I read those pages, it is only going to be about independent retailers. I appreciate the commitment you’ve made to us.

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