by Chuck and Brenda Surack
Owners, Sweetwater Sound

Seems like it was just a few months ago that we were getting used to the idea that it was 1996 already... and now look, here it is, another brand new year! Wow!

Well, we certainly hope that each and every one of you had a most wonderful holiday season. And of course, if any of us here at Sweetwater was able to make the holiday even brighter by taking care of your needs during this busy time of the year, well, we're sincerely honored that we had the opportunity to help.

But as we all head into this bright new year, there's so much happening around here that it makes us a bit dizzy. Our brand new multi-level warehouse is well underway and will probably be ready to move into in the early spring - barring any really bad weather, that is. But right now things are proceeding smoothly and we'll be showing you some pictures in our next issue, just to give you an idea as to the scope of this facility which will actually be bigger than our entire existing multi-story building as it now stands. It's pretty mind-boggling, but it will finally give us not only the storage space to stock thousands more products today, but it will also allow for plenty of future expansion.

Since each year Sweetwater is growing at an unprecedented rate, we felt it was well worth the time and investment to be prepared for all the growth that lies ahead. Not only have we already added many new lines and dozens of new and exciting products, but we are constantly negotiating with all the major manufacturers to make sure that each and every one of you will have access to the very latest breakthrough technology at affordable prices. And there's the added bonus of having access to our superb technical support department to make sure all the equipment in your studio works perfectly with everything else.

There's a lot of really exciting news that we look forward to bringing you in the months to come, so be sure to keep your eyes on these pages!

By the way, did you get your copy of our special Hot Picks Product Guide? Due to the overwhelming demand from thousands of customers over the last year or so, we put together this very special one-of-a-kind full color publication that covers much of our bestselling hardware and software in one handy guide. We felt this was particularly useful to new customers who just hadn't had the opportunity to see how many incredible products we stock. Of course, in this one 24-page guide, we could only barely scratch the surface (for every product we included, there were dozens more that we just didn't have the room to include), but we really thought it would be a great way to introduce people to the products and services we offer.

If you haven't received a copy and want one, or if you know of someone that might like a copy, give us a call, write or send e-mail to "sales@sweetwater.com" and we'll send out a copy immediately. What's more, we'll be updating this guide on our Web Site (/catalogs/product-guide/) on a continuing basis, so you'll keep up-to-date on all our many special product announcements.

And speaking of our Web Site, we are now receiving close to one million hits a month from musicians world wide. That's a staggering number. Other dealers have been quick to send out press releases announcing that they have had a total of two million hits so far - heck, we do that in about three months!

Now there's a very good reason why we're so far ahead of the competition. See, Sweetwater was the very first music retailer to maintain a full time presence on the World Wide Web. We're in the technology business, and we knew that the Internet was the wave of the future, so we dedicated an enormous amount of resources and manpower to building the biggest, baddest, most comprehensive music related Web Site on the entire planet (and maybe elsewhere, for all we know). At present, we have almost 1500 pages of information online for musicians to access at "www.sweetwater.com" and that number is growing daily. If you haven't checked it out yet, you're in for a real treat!

Another extra special Sweetwater service, and the first of its kind from any retailer, is our "Trading Post," which is exactly what the name implies: you can sell or trade equipment you no longer use with other musicians world wide. Hey, that mic you bought three years ago and put aside when you got your new AKG will be perfect for someone just getting started putting together a home studio, so you might as well get it in his or her hands instead of just letting it collect dust. The new owner will be very happy and you just might make a few bucks off the deal (or you can trade for something they have that you want). Check out next issue for more information or access our Trading Post at "www.sweetwater.com/tradingpost/".

Well, we're out of space as usual, so here's hoping 1997 will be a very happy and healthy year for you and your whole family! See you next issue.

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