FEATURE
We Cover it All!
For the second time, we honor instruments that get zero or little press...
A ‘Super’ Party on Kent Island
Experience PRS loaded up on celebrities, new products and much more. Get the full scoop...
‘Father of RMM’ Passes
Karl Bruhn, a tireless music industry devotee, mentored many and made awareness of health and wellness together a lifelong initiative.
Don’t ‘Skip’ this Story!
Skip’s Music Celebrates 30th Anniversary of its Special Event Celebrating the 30th anniversary of your store being in business is an impressive feat. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of an idea you had at your store is utterly...
I Just Wanna Bang
on the Drums All Day
How is the Percussion Industry Doing? 2010 has been a tale of three seasons for many retailers to whom we’ve spoken. Sales for many in the first three months of the calendar year...
Your One-Stop Shop For The Holidays!
Heathcare Provision Could
Be a Nightmare
America the Beautiful
Not Doubting Thomas
Mendello Retires, Thomas Named Fender CEO

Music City Mystery

-Catherine Polk: er hometown of Decatur, Ala., to be close to her boyfriend. The move paid off as they wed. It also paid off as she was able to work for Charleston, S.C.-based Musicorp, a job she absolutely loves...
-Cyndi Fritz: When Janet Deering took an aptitude test at the conclusion of her high school career, she was told agriculture or sales were....
Janet Deering: When Janet Deering took an aptitude test at the conclusion of her high school career, she was told agriculture or sales were....
-Kathy How: Now here’s a story you don’t hear connected to MI every day. A woman who grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, studied medicine and later moved to England.
-Sarah Heil:We’ve all heard the stories about people beginning in the mailroom and later becoming the CEO of a major corporation. Those people are rare, but it does happen.
-Sue Avant is a trailblazer. She’s also someone who
has varied interests. And she is, indeed, formidable.

The Next Decade

We’d be crazy to predict what the next decade has in store. What we can say is we’re entering a new decade with many people without jobs. And that’s not to mention how many millions have jobs but are underemployed. Receiving a job offer today is akin to winning the lottery. That’s the bad news.

What’s good? There is hope. Hope that we’ve weeded out the Madoff types. Hope that banks won’t repeat their ridiculous lending mistakes.

We also have a little more than hope. Most MI manufacturers are at least cautiously optimistic 2010 will be better. Some theorize it’s difficult to be worse than 2008 and 2009 for starters. We have seen the stock market rise marginally, a signal the economy will begin recovering. Another good, tangible sign: Corporate earnings are improving. Regarding companies with music ties, Apple had a fantastic earnings report recently. Avid Technology’s numbers were much better and it sees improvement ahead.

Retailers have also seen improvement. Several of you have seen things looking better at your stores. But that should be said with one major caveat. Many of you have told us selling high-priced items can be excruciating at times. (See this month’s Music & Sound Independent Retailer for an example). Lower-priced items have continued to sell. The good news there is many lower-priced products offer higher margins than some high-priced counterparts do. Young looked into his crystal ball and made the following predictions: “The Internet will be more of a factor every day for consumers to find anything they need. Are we in the mix and keeping up with customer demand? We have to talk with consumers to find out how they think, how they want their information, and how they buy. The recession will be ending, production will stabilize, and those retailers and manufacturers left standing will be stronger than when we went into this.”

The independent dealer movement could be the most important story of the 2010 decade. Uniting of independent dealers could be the key to their success during the next 10 years. Competition against chain box stores and Internet retailers was a huge story in this decade and is sure to continue. What can independent dealers do differently? How can you compete with Internet resellers constantly trying to undercut you on price?

Technology is the biggest wildcard MI has. We have no idea what the new craze will be. What will be the next iPod? What will be the next Guitar Hero or Rock Band? Whatever the answer is, it will have a humungous effect on our industry going forward.

Perhaps the biggest story in the next decade, or at least for the foreseeable future, will be the several lawsuits the industry is currently fighting. Will we see the end of Minimum Advertised Prices?

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