COVER STORIES
Guitar Market ‘Sustains,’ Despite Setbacks
How strong were guitar sales in 2016, and how are they looking thus far this year? To answer those questions and many others, The Retailer consulted Jim DeStafney of Blues Angel Music and Keith Grasso of Island Music Co., while also obtaining exclusive data from Jim Hirschberg, President of MI SalesTrak. The picture, mixed overall, tilts toward positive.
Don’t Fret
Who better to provide perspective on the continuing evolution in the guitar segment than guitar manufacturers that are leaders among their peers? The executives that The Retailer recruited for our roundtable discussion offer unique insights into prevailing market trends, how to boost brick-and-mortar sales and strategies to seed the next generation of guitar players.
FEATURES
The Music & Sound Independent Retailer
INTERVIEW
Five Minutes With
Among our industry’s most passionate—and most effective—champions for music-education programs is Suzanne D’Addario Brouder, Executive Director of the D’Addario Foundation. Her exceptional work has helped the D’Addario Foundation secure the Music & Sound Award (MSA) for Outstanding Community Service an unprecedented four years in a row. This month, she joins us for an exclusive interview.
MISSION REPORT
MI Spy
Aerial pan past Manhattan’s gleaming skyscrapers and skim past the East River to the shores of Queens NY: the essential and glorious melting pot of New York City. So begins the MI Spy’s latest adventure, which has him, with a motley crew in tow, searching for DJ gear. Take a “spin” with our super sleuth to see what happens….
COLUMNS
From The Trenches
Like you, our columnist, Allen McBroom, deals with musicians and performers all day, every day. A recent vacation, however, helped remind him exactly why we’re all in this business: for the love of live music.
Confessions Of A Retailer
“Keepin’ it 100.” That’s what the cool kids say nowadays when they’re telling the 100-percent real, unfiltered, sometimes-brutal truth. And that’s what Donovan Bankhead does in this month’s column.
Shine A Light
Deep in the heart of New York’s lower Manhattan sits Canal Sound & Light. It’s a retail destination for DJs, professional installers, and restaurant and bar owners in the Tri-State Area.
Veddatorial
Ours has always been a “people industry,” driven by relationships with our customers, our suppliers and our colleagues. Dan Vedda believes that, now more than ever, that’s how we should distinguish ourselves.
Under The Hood
The AG/AR Artist Series Armrest Models by Alvarez deliver artisan-inspired armrests and a sleek, sophisticated look at an affordable price point. We learn what makes the guitars stand out among the wave of armrest models currently hitting the market.