How Sweetwater Is Redefining Music Careers in Indiana
Words by Avery Martin; Photos by Lydia Norton
Sweetwater is often viewed in Indiana as a music retailer. But that description doesn’t fully highlight its role in the music industry.
With thousands of employees and a national footprint, the company provides infrastructure that supports music careers, in the systems that exist beyond the stage, the studio, and shows.
Most conversations about the music industry remain on the surface, focusing on artists, shows, and the industry's visible attractions. None of that exists without the people and systems underneath it, handling the gear, the logistics, and the day-to-day work that keeps everything moving. That’s where Sweetwater operates.
The company employs around 2,500 people in Fort Wayne, making it one of the largest private employers in northeast Indiana. They span audio engineering, live sound, production, marketing, merchandising, and sales.
“We’re in the serving people business,” says Senior VP and Chief People & Culture Officer Jeff Ostermann. “We’re helping make musical dreams come true.”
That structure expands how a music career gets defined. In Indiana, that path is still often framed pretty narrowly: perform, teach, or eventually leave.
“What a lot of people don’t realize is there are many other segments to the business,” Ostermann says. “Marketing, merchandising, copywriting, recording, sales.”
Sweetwater makes those paths easier to see and, more importantly, easier to sustain. A career in music isn't limited to being on stage. It can take shape through technical sales, customer support, operations, or content creation. The kind of work that stays connected to the industry while offering stability.
For staff like Kenric Knecht, Sweetwater’s VP of Merchandising, these roles are a natural evolution rather than a pivot. A drummer who spent years on the road before moving into the business side, Knecht views his corporate career as just another "gig", one where spreadsheet work is fueled by the same energy as a soundcheck.
“I might spend a day in a spreadsheet, but then I go home and play and realize: this is why we’re here,” Knecht says. “It’s my ‘yoga.’ That feeling you get when you’re playing an instrument…it comes out in the work.”
That immersion ensures the company stays locked into the culture it serves. Because the employees live the lifestyle, their insight into the gear is personal. “We use these products. We know when something sounds great,” Knecht says, noting that this is a connection that is unique to the industry. “If we were selling appliances like washers, dryers, microwaves, we wouldn't be as passionate. I wouldn’t run to the mailbox to get my Microwave Monthly magazine.”
That kind of pathway is part of what keeps people in Indiana. It also shows up in how employees engage with the community once they’re here.
“We’ve got 2,500 employees here in Fort Wayne, most of them musicians, and all of them in their own way are going back out into the community,” Ostermann says. “Whether it’s playing out on a Friday night at a local bar… or helping mentor kids in music or teach lessons, everybody gets to give back.”
Ostermann doesn't see talent as the issue for Indiana; it's visibility. “The very thing that makes it so enriching—the humility, the quality of the people—is also the thing that can work against us,” he says. “We’re almost too humble to share what we’re accomplishing here.”
Inside the company, there’s also a clear expectation around the work itself. “We unapologetically say when you come to work at Sweetwater…it’s going to require a lot of you,” Ostermann says. “People are worth it.”
That expectation is paired with an effort to make those careers sustainable. The company offers mental health resources, an on-site clinic, and a free fitness center, reflecting a broader approach to supporting employees long-term.
It’s easy to talk about building a music scene starting with talent, and Indiana has that part covered. What’s missing are the structures that give that talent somewhere to go and a reason to stay.
Sweetwater shows what can happen when a music industry infrastructure is fully built out in one place. It also points to what it takes to build something like that in the first place.
“It takes a lot of collaboration…organizations willing to work outside of just themselves,” Ostermann says. “Bringing all the pieces together to make the whole really successful.”
The question now is whether that infrastructure remains concentrated in Fort Wayne or becomes something the rest of the state can build toward, creating more pathways into the industry without requiring people to leave Indiana to find them.
“I think it’s everywhere. It’s top to bottom,” Ostermann says. “From the small individual musician to the biggest organizations coming and saying this is a great place to do business.”
More opportunities matter, but the bigger shift is structural: building a music ecosystem in Indiana that doesn’t require leaving it to participate in it.
