MI Retail Is Being Rewritten in Real Time - Are You Keeping Up? 🎸📲💻

By Lee Alexander

The last issue of Fret Not Friday had record engagement — more reads, more comments, and more debate than ever. 

If you were part of that conversation, thank you. It’s clear these shifts in MI retail are hitting home.

But spotting the big changes is one thing.

Responding to them is something else entirely.

If you’re still running your business like it’s 2015 fighting over discount points, leaning on old-school marketing, and waiting for Google to send players your way you’re already playing the wrong game.

And the players?

They’ve already moved on.

1. Fighting for Margins While Losing Attention 👀

Retailers are still battling over stocking deals, discounts, and price-matching — but meanwhile, players are discovering gear somewhere else entirely.

While retailers and distributors argue over 3% extra margin, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels are owning the discovery layer.

If players don’t find you first, you’ve already lost the sale before it begins.

Actionable Tip:

• Audit where customers actually discover you — Instagram Insights, TikTok analytics, Google Search Console

• If 70%+ of discovery happens off your website, invest there

• Shift 20% of your marketing budget from Google Ads to creator-driven content this quarter

2. Obsessing Over Stock, Ignoring Story 📖

Too many brands still think photos and prices are enough. But players don’t buy guitars based on specs.

They buy because of stories:

• The demo video they watched five times

• The clip their favourite creator posted

• The 60-second TikTok review that blew up overnight

If your story isn’t native to where players are spending time, you’re invisible.

Actionable Tip:

• Pick one hero product per month

• Create three short-form videos showing it in context: A TikTok-style riff demo 🎸 A “player POV” Instagram Reel A YouTube Short for broader reach

• Give those videos to three micro-creators to repost triple the distribution without extra work

3. Chasing the Wrong Influencers 🎥

Big-name endorsers still have value, but much of the MI industry leans on them like it’s 2010. 🥱

Here’s where the real influence is happening:

• The local guitarist with 4k followers who demos the new brand you’re stocking

• The TikTok player showing their first seven-string riffs(Ideally on a Spira of course...🤘🏻)

• The community Discord trading pedalboards at midnight

Creators, not catalogues, are driving what players want next.

And yet, most brands, distributors, and retailers still treat creators as a side project instead of a core sales channel.

🔑 This is where “Creator Corner” comes in.

I mentioned this last time, but it’s worth repeating because this works:

Dedicate a small, bookable space where creators can film authentic content with your products.(To be clear it doesn’t have to actually be a corner you could just clear out the old storage room you haven’t been in for 10 years 🙄)

For retailers:

Set up a Creator Corner in-store with:

•  🎥 A branded backdrop with your store name/brand and website

•  🎸 A versatile amp (Boss Katana or similar) 

• 📱 A tripod + basic audio interface

• Invite local creators to book slots and film demos.

For brands and distributors:

• Do the same thing at your HQ.

• Create a dedicated content space where influencers, reviewers, and micro-creators can come in and film their own videos using your products.

• Position your HQ as a content hub that makes your products the centrepiece of discovery.

Why it matters:

• Every video becomes authentic promotion of your gear/brand/shop

• Every creator gets content to grow their audience

• You become the hub where players, creators, and brands connect

This isn’t just marketing anymore it’s positioning.

And the retailers, brands, and distributors who get there first will own the conversation.

4. Discovery Has Moved — Have You? 🌍

The reality is simple:

• Players are searching differently

• Trust has shifted away from faceless platforms and towards verified creators and curated ecosystems

• The buyer journey starts before intent

Players don’t want to spend hours scrolling through fake listings or battling scam-ridden marketplaces.

They trust people and platforms built for them — creators, communities, and MI-focused spaces that verify quality and authenticity.

And yet… so much MI marketing still assumes players start on Google, walk into a shop, and browse.

That’s yesterday’s game.

Today, attention and trust are earned where discovery begins — whether that’s TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or verified MI marketplaces like reSound.

Actionable Tip:

• Stop optimising for Google-first funnels

• Map your discovery touchpoints instead: TikTok Instagram YouTube Shorts Discord & Reddit Trusted MI-specific platforms like reSound

• Show up where the scroll happens, not just the search

The Bottom Line 🎯

MI retail isn’t broken. But much of the industry is out of sync with where players actually are.

Some are still optimising old funnels while the discovery layer has already moved.

Some are chasing margins while losing attention.

Some are playing last year’s game while creators, platforms, and communities rewrite the rules in real time.

The retailers, brands, and distributors who adapt fastest will win. The rest risk being left behind.

If you’re not showing up where players find inspiration, you’re simply not part of the conversation.

Your Turn 👇

Do you think the MI industry is adapting fast enough? or are too many still playing the wrong game while the next generation moves on without them? 🤔

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.