The Bettendorf company is the cover story on the March/April issue of Music Inc. (story continued below)
Foster Family Music Center, located in Bettendorf, Iowa, is the cover story and lengthy feature article in the March/April issue of Music Inc. magazine. The publication is a leading music industry trade magazine that is distributed to music stores throughout North America.
During the past 10 years, the piano industry has been in a state of decline nationally. The market is now smaller than it has been in 60 years, resulting in manufacturer consolidations and the disappearance of most piano retailers. Since 2001, seven local piano retailers in the Quad Cities have closed or stopped offering new pianos for sale.
A combination of technology-centered activities like video games and computers, along with an expanded emphasis on team sports and hectic schedules have resulted in fewer families engaging in piano lessons.
The article in Music Inc. magazine focuses on how Foster Family Music has changed their business model over the past decade to adapt, refocus and find their niche in the piano industry. The family-owned company has done this by embracing the use of technology in piano study and performance, as well as promoting awareness for brain development/piano study connections that parents otherwise might not hear about.
