MI Pro

There’s certainly plenty to look forward to. NAMM is sure to provide us with enough shiny new technology, outrageous designs and surefire musical must-haves to keep retail full of stocking ideas for the foreseeable, and for anybody making the long trip to Anaheim, MI Pro will be there with you all the way, providing in-depth coverage of all the key announcements throughout the week. Don’t forget to check the goings on at the show with our definitive guide to what’s happening, where and when on pages 12 to 15.

A look at the guitar effects market in this month’s issue has demonstrated the remarkable hunger guitarists still have for stomp boxes, and as live music thrives, 2008 looks set to be a bumper year for retail. Guitar-based music remains in vogue, the likes of the Kaiser Chiefs and the Arctic Monkeys continue to dominate charts and arenas alike, and even Peter Doherty has started making decent music again; the signs are good, the kids are keen to play, keen to learn and keen to get their hands on anything that makes a noise.

Nobody is saying that it’s going to be easy - getting customers into shops has to remain the priority, driving footfall up with a combination of customer care, canny marketing and juduious use of the internet must remain key. Harnessing the interest in live music at the moment, and making music shops as intrinsic a part of local music scenes as the venues and promoters is surely the way to go.

If there’s one thing that you can rely on, we all know, a good gig won’t just leave punters covered in lager with a warm feeling in their belly - it’ll make them want to get up there and play for themselves, and retail along with the big hitters of this industry need to be on hand to usher the bands of tomorrow into the shops, pocket money in hand.

Elsewhere in this issue there’s plenty to get you through the chilly January nights, with a practical guide to the practice amps sector, a look at what legendary mic manufacturer Shure is up to, and a peek inside Future’s brand new all singing, all dancing Music Radar site. As the Christmas hangover blurs into a memory and the New Year gets settled in, let’s make it a good one. And for those heading overseas, we’ll see you at Anaheim.