COVER STORIES

Proud to Be American Made

How important is the phrase “Made in the USA?” Why is it so important to manufacture products in America? We find out from 10 manufacturers. Here’s what they had to say.

Status ‘Cymbal’

The drum and percussion industry continues to hit the right beat. Find out the latest about the industry and how to best sell these products.

FEATURES

The Music & Sound Independent Retailer

Yamaha Goes Golden

The Music & Sound Retailer takes an in-depth look at the 50th anniversary of Yamaha Drums.

INTERVIEW

Five Minutes With…

This month, we asked St. Louis Music chairman and CEO Mark Ragin to discuss plenty of things, including what separates St. Louis Music from its competition, and, in honor of this drum issue, we also asked for an update on Dixon Drums.

MISSION REPORT

MI Spy

MI Spy finally stepped away from the New Jersey-Philadelphia area. This month, he/she ventured to Minnesota’s Twin Cities, to check out drum sets. Who won over Spy’s heart: Twin Town Guitars, Guitar Center, Music Go Round or Klash Drums?

COLUMNS

Front and Center

The Women’s International Network this month brings us an interview with Jordan West, product specialist for Roland, as well as a drummer, vocalist and songwriter. Who were her influences growing up? What does she enjoy most about teaching others?

In the Trenches

Successful store owners know how to hit the “trifecta,” Allen McBroom explains.

Shine a Light

For this month’s column, the Retailer secured a special interview with A&G Central Music, which just three months ago took home the top Dealer of the Year prize at the NAMM Top 100 Dealer 2017 event in Nashville.

Retailer Rebel

Take it from Gabriel O’Brien, education makes a world of difference in MI retail.

Veddatorial

Amazon buying Whole Foods is just the latest example regarding how fundamental disruption continues to disrupt the retail community. So, according to Dan Vedda, when “Life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.”

Under the Hood

As the last entry in this drum issue, we take an in-depth look at D’Addario’s Promark FireGrain drumsticks.