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Daniel Gumble of U.K.-based musical instrument trade publication M.I. Pro recently asked the magazine’s retail advisory board if the representation of women in music stores is a fair representation of the industry as a whole.

The answers he got were varied and provide great insight into the minds of men in the industry. For instance, Cranes music store owner Mike Podesta said that historically, his store only received applications from women when they had a vacancy in the brass and woodwind or sheet music department. Interesting observation.

Roy Chudobskyi of Nevada Music says that “staff diversity is key,” and that “limiting your team to the old stereotypes just means you’re going to limit your customer base too.”

Our favorite aspect of Gumble’s research is the fact that he is proactively raising awareness to a topic that has traditionally not received the attention it deserves.

Read more responses at www.mi-pro.co.uk.