COVER STORIES
Top Of The Heap
The 30th annual Music & Sound Awards were greeted with even more excitement and industry-wide fanfare than usual this year. One big reason for the abundant enthusiasm centers on the quality of this year’s nominees. As is The Retailer’s custom, we present comments from most of the winning manufacturers and industry executives.
NAMM ’16: The New Class
In The Retailer’s annual NAMM Show newcomers feature, you’ll find manufacturers of new, innovative products, music industry stalwarts who have launched exciting new companies, established brands that are seeking new markets and service providers that want to help you improve your store’s retail experience.
Interview
Five Minutes With
Audio-Technica is known for its excellent audio products—they span several categories and numerous markets—but the company is also recognized within the industry for its driving spirit of innovation and its commendable corporate citizenship. This month, The Retailer sits down with the company’s longtime President and CEO, Phil Cajka, for an in-depth conversation.
Mission Report
MI Spy
Considering the fact that The Retailer’s offices are on Long Island, in New York, it’s only fitting that The Organization, the MI Spy’s employer, is also located there. So, our resident sleuth had a rather easy assignment this month: visiting musical instrument stores in western Suffolk County.
Features
Music & Sound Award Dealer Winners
Music & Sound Award Manufacturer Winners
The Music & Sound Independent Retailer
An update on your fellow brick-and-mortar independent retailers.
Columns
Shine A Light
Bertrand Music Enterprises opened with an eye on the needs of music students in the San Bernardino CA area and, after three decades of growth and success, it remains a leader in the market.
Retailer Rebel
Our industry is full of smart people, all of whom can be a great resource. Nothing better reminds Gabriel O’Brien of that fact than attending the NAMM Show.
Business & Marketing
Storytelling is a cornerstone of human existence. It’s what enables successful people to communicate and connect with anyone. David Hall teaches you how to “tell a better story.”
Veddatorial
We should all be scrambling now to position ourselves for the industry to come. We must re-examine some fundamental questions, even if we think we already know the answers.
Under The Hood
Riversong Guitars is a British Columbia-based guitar manufacturer whose unique creations represent the meeting of functional design and beautiful sound. We spotlight Riversong’s core product line: the Tradition Series.