W hat you are holding in your hands is our annual Excel- lence Awards issue. Since the early 1990s, Music Inc. magazine has been highlighting the year’s best and bright- est suppliers, retailers and products in these Excellence Awards. Voted on by our reader base, these awards cel- ebrate brands and dealers that completed 365-days worth of excellent business operation and partnership. They recognize retailers who have PERSPECTIVE I BY KATIE KAILUS WE’RE BETTER TOGETHER
gone the extra mile for their customers, and suppliers who have gone the extra mile for their retailers. The latter was very evident in some of the reasons dealers gave when voting for their supplier of choice in this year’s Excellence Awards, which start on page 39. “Gabrielle as a representative really makes it so easy for all of us,” said one voting retailer of their D’Addario rep. “She is responsive and extremely helpful in anything we need.” Excellence-voting retailers shared a similar experience with Eastman Music Company with one saying, “This is an organization that believes feedback is a gift,” and another sharing, “Eastman al-
lows [its] dealers to thrive, and we really appreciate our partnership.” But the industry love wasn’t all one-sided. Excellence-voting suppliers also had positive things to say about the partnerships with their dealers and their day-to-day interactions. One in particular shared their love for working with Sweetwater by saying, “It’s always great working with them, [they] really do such a great job working with brands.” Another voting supplier praised their interactions with Drum Center of Portsmouth’s owner Shane Kinney and his team. “They’re on the pulse with quality content creation, product selec- tion, customer service and partnership with brands and vendors — [it] makes doing business with them smooth and enjoyable,” said one voter, while another added, “They always provide a positive experience for their manufacturer partners.” During a time when divisiveness — whether political or otherwise — is permeating our daily lives, it’s comforting to see dealers and suppliers work- ing with one another on the same mission: to create more music-makers. It’s no secret the pandemic took a toll on the MI industry’s dealer-rep relationship, but comments like the above shine a positive light that is so needed in this moment. As the holidays approach, consider taking the time out to send a personalized holiday thank-you note to a brand rep who went above and beyond this year, or a dealer partner who’s taking your brand to new heights. Because, when it comes down to it, we’re all in this together. MI
10 I MUSIC INC. I DECEMBER 2024
Powered by FlippingBook