FEATURES
-Our 25-year magazine retrospective begins on p. 20 and runs all of the way to (with some stories in between). Wow, a lot has happened in that time.
-Whoa Canada! Attendees were upbeat during MIAC, which took place in Toronto in October. Is the Canadian MI retailer different than the U.S. one?
-Percussion Pointers. We serve up some tips about how you can help band directors select the right percussion products for their schools.
-The Survey Says...Reader surveys always reveal a lot of information. This year is no different. Find out what you said about several topics, including how your holiday sales are expected to stack up this year.
-Rode to Success Rode Microphones made a big splash, literally, with the launch of Opal from its Event Electronics division. Find out much more about the Las Vegas bash and the studio monitor that packs 750 watts of punch.
-Under Lock and Key
In our third annual Independent Retailer Roundtable,
we gather more participants, who provide even more information. Which manufacturers are you happy with? Find out. Did Summer NAMM work out? Find out. What bothers you the most? Find out.
-DJ For Hire These manufacturer employees still find the time to perform DJ/lighting gigs.
-An Early Summer Night’s Dream!NAMM returned with a vengeance in Nashville. Learn what people were saying and why there could be a rebirth of independent retailers in the future.

-Vikki Hayward, Gator Cases marketing manager, was a huge fan of the company years before she joined it. Learn about her future goals, why she enjoys her job, and much more.
-Roxana Ramirez, Being in the music industry, you’re probably very aware of the soundtrack of your life. If Roxana Ramirez were to have a theme song, it would probably be “We Are Family.”
-Susan Lipp, is always busy. She helped break ground on the company’s huge future facility in Madison, Wisc., last month. She does NAMM Congressional “fly-ins” too

If NAMM is the Michael Phelps of MI trade shows, MIAC is trying its best to become the Ryan Lochte of the industry. As the Olympic Closing Ceremonies were taking place in Beijing, the Music Industries Association of Canada (MIAC) show simultaneously commenced a two-day sprint on Aug. 24 at the Toronto International Centre. Although the performance of the Canadian Olympic team could be considered disappointing (18 medals was a 50 percent improvement over the country’s 2004 Athens Summer Olympic performance, but Canada had 12 fourth-place finishes), MIAC certainly was not.

“We had a great time at the show,” said Sparrow Guitars’ Jordan Espheter. “We had a great chance to reconnect with the dealers. We developed new relationships. Dealers came by and played our guitars and we got to show our new cases. Of course, it’s a smaller show than NAMM, Musikmesse, and London International, but for us, it’s a great chance for a Canadian company to showcase Canadian-made guitars and cases.”

“The show was great,” said Paul Fattahi of the International Music Software Trade Association. “The traffic was excellent on Sunday. It was a bit slow on Monday, but our location was tremendous. [I call it] the ‘corner office’ because our booth is easy to spot when you walk onto the show floor. Al Kowalenko [MIAC’s executive director] and Barbara Cole [MIAC’s trade show and marketing manager] did a great job putting together this show.”

Most notable at MIAC was there was no talk of the dreaded “R” word: recession. Perhaps, that is due in to the fact that Canada has its oil sands, which have especially buoyed the Alberta economy. “Our economy has been doing reasonably well because we are more resource based,” said Kowalenko. “The resources [such as oil] have propped up the economy quite well. Net-net, the economy is generally doing OK. It’s not quite as depressed as the U.S, although the spill out to Canada is affecting us. We sure hope the U.S. comes out of its economic ‘funk.’ Often, whatever happens in the U.S. happens six months later in Canada. We’re hoping that doesn’t materialize here.”

“Whenever we asked Canadian dealers how they’re doing at their shops, the response has been great,” said Espheter. “And our business has been doing great. Business is up and we’re keeping a positive outlook. The dealers are keeping their chins up. They didn’t talk about the economy. The only concern we heard from Canadian dealers is about the big [chain] moving into the small store’s area.”

Syndicated columnist Bob Popyk brought the recession into his Monday afternoon lunch learning session. “I’ve found the biggest difference between U.S. and Canadian retailers are the Canadian retailers are more upbeat,” he said.

Popyk added that even when a weak economy lands a huge uppercut to the chin of your business, there’s no use in talking about it. “Success breeds success,” he said.

Popyk threw in several sales tips after providing this caveat: “The function of your business is to create and maintain customers. The goal is to make profits.”

One recommendation Popyk made was to ask customers what music they like to listen to and play that kind of music when demonstrating products for them.

As for closing the sale, he said if you can’t do that well, everything else can be perfect, but you will still fail. “You sell to them, you win. They walk, you lose. You don’t need to have 75 closes you can recite off of the top of your head. But you need to have a few. You can use ‘OK with you?’ Or, ‘Can we put this together?’ You should first try to close at the first sign of a positive [response]. If a customer says, ‘I love that!’ You say, ‘Do you want to get it?’ ‘Should I write it up?’ ‘Would you like to take it with you?’

“If someone asks, ‘is that the best you can do?’ Your answer is not, ‘Let me check with the manager.’ Your answer is ‘yes.’ Then you wait for them to talk. You’ll be amazed how many people say ‘OK.’

From the Executive Director to You

“This MIAC is our 37th annual show,” Kowalenko told the Music & Sound Retailer. “It turned out very well. We weren’t quite sure what to expect this year, but our attendance was good, even compared to last year. It was a vibrant show. The buzz was good and the exhibitors were happy. We were pleased with the show.”

Kowalenko added he’s also happy with the Toronto International Centre as the sight for the show. The convention space is large enough for exhibitors, and many appreciate how close the site is to Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson Airport. The airport to International Centre commute is only about 10 minutes long, with all driving taking place on one street, the aptly named Airport Road. “We certainly should be fine in this location for the next year or so [at least],” said Kowalenko.

MIAC 2009 will take place on Aug. 23 and 24.

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