editorialIf You Build It…When I reflect upon my youth, some of my most vividrecollections center on music. Although, right now, mymusical tastes run much more toward lighter sounds andpowerhouse vocal showcases, there was a time when all Ilistened to was rock music: Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, BonJovi and innumerable others. Even now, I still have distinctmemories of taking $100 in birthday money to the local SamGoody store and spending no less than 90 minutes walkingup and down the aisles, unsure even of where to look firstin my hunt for new tapes (ahhh…the old days of cassettetapes). Even though, at that time, I was a devoted subscriberto Metal Edge magazine and an aficionado of heavy metalwho never missed an episode of MTV’s “Headbangers Ball,”I also loved straight-down-the-middle rock ‘n’ roll along thelines of John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen.In fact, Bruce Springsteen, it could be said, was the firstartist for whom I developed a true passion (at least to theextent that a 10-year-old can be said to have one). The firstalbum I ever bought was his Human Touch—a companionto the simultaneously released Lucky Town—and I was soentranced with the title track that I probably played andrewound it 150 times. In fact, although this memory mightbe apocryphal, I think I literally put the tape throughsuch stress that it broke and I had to get another copy.Springsteen’s discography and his shelves of awards markhim as among the greatest rock musicians ever to pick upa guitar, and one of his most famous and beloved songsis “Born in the U.S.A.,” from whose title we borrow ourcover story’s headline.At the time of its release, the song was interpreted withremarkable elasticity: It was deemed everything from alament of Vietnam-era America to a boisterous patrioticanthem. Whatever messages and themes the listener drawsfrom it, though, the song does, I feel, tap into a certainworking-class American spirit that, through economic,military and cultural upheavals, continues to persist. Asmore and more manufacturers—across the whole spectrumof industries—elect to move jobs overseas due to challengingeconomic conditions, as well as the abundance of laborabroad that is both skilled and inexpensive, the talents of fartoo many American workers go unutilized. Thus, as persuasiveas the economic justification to move jobs abroad canbe, I was gratified to see the number of companies participatingin our cover story, all of them declaring that at least50 percent of their products are made right here in the U.S.As you read their comments, a few commonalities shinethrough. For example, although products manufactured incertain foreign countries often get a bad rap as being of inferiorquality as opposed to U.S.-made goods, most respondents,even while extolling the benefits of U.S. manufacturing,admitted that high quality goods most certainly canbe made in a foreign land. Most of the individuals whomwe spoke to were more inclined to talk about the immediateoversight that manufacturing domestically affords acompany; quite simply, rigorous quality control is easierto implement when the factory is across the parking lot,as opposed to across an ocean. Wrenching manufacturingfrom the country in which the executives oversee the business—andfrom which the design and innovation usuallyoriginate—has the potential to pose a risk to quality.At the risk of descending to cliché, America is a can-donation. I have confidence that American manufacturing will,in fact, rebuild over time, allowing companies once again tomarshal the abundant skills and talents at their disposal. Aspirit of hard work and passion for one’s craft suffuses ourcountry, and that spirit, I feel, is carried by each of us. That,it could be said, is what’s really borne in the U.S.A.®New Dynamic Design.New Dynamic Price.Lightweight.Aerodynamic.<strong>Music</strong>ianApproved.Dan Ferrisidferrisi@testa.comEditorKate Blessingkblessing@testa.comAssistant EditorBRIAN berKContributing EditorGeorge HinesSkip maggioraEditorial AdvisorsJANICE PUPELISGraphic Designer/ArtistSTEVE THORAKOSProduction Managercirculationcirculation@testa.comfred gummWeb Designer<strong>October</strong> 15, <strong>2012</strong>Volume 29, No. 10Robert l. Iraggiriraggi@testa.comAdvertising DirectorDOUGLAS YELINdyelin@testa.comArt/Production Assistantrobin hazanrhazan@testa.comOperations ManagerVINCENT P. TESTAPresident/PublisherRebecca Apodacagene frescoDavid Halljeffrey kyle, jr.Michelle LoebCR RaeDan VeddaContributorsEditorial and Sales Office: The <strong>Music</strong> & <strong>Sound</strong> <strong>Retailer</strong>, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York11050-3779. 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Unsolicited manuscripts will be treated with care and must be accompaniedby return postage.Visit us online at www.reunionblues.com, or call 1.800.950.1095 to learn more<strong>Sound</strong> & Communications • DJ Times • <strong>Sound</strong> & Communications Blue BookThe <strong>Music</strong> & <strong>Sound</strong> <strong>Retailer</strong> • The DJ Expo • IT/AV ReportThe <strong>Retailer</strong>’s Vnewsletter • Convention TV @ NAMM • InfoCommTV NewsVTTV StudiosThe <strong>Music</strong> & <strong>Sound</strong> <strong>Retailer</strong> (ISSN 0894-1238) (USPS 0941-238) is published 12 times a year for $18 (US), by<strong>Retailer</strong> Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050-3779.Periodicals postage paid at Port Washington, N.Y. and additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The <strong>Music</strong> & <strong>Sound</strong> <strong>Retailer</strong>, PO BOX 1767, LOWELLMA 01853-17676 OCTOBER <strong>2012</strong>SR RB Ad 4.125 x 4.375 V6.indd 18/7/12 11:18 AM