$host="localhost";
$username="";
$password='';
$db_name=$username;
$tbl_name="inventory";

$source = $_POST['Submit'];

#$db_inven = mysqli_connect("$host", "$username", "$password", "$db_name");
$db_inven = new mysqli("$host", "$username", "$password", "$db_name");


# this function searches for albums with names
# like the given album name
function searchAlbum($album){

    global $db_inven;

    $prepSearch = $db_inven->prepare("SELECT artist, albm, qty, label, descr, " .
                                     "retail, wholesale, cost, medium, id " .
                                     " WHERE album like ?");
    $prepSearch->bind_param('ssissdddsis', $album);                                                                                                                                                                  $prepSearch->execute();
    $prepSearch->bind_result($artist, $ralbum, $qty, $label, $description, $retail, $wholesale, $cost, $medium, $id);

    $results = array();

    while ($prepSearch->fetch()){

        array_push($results, array('artist' => $artist,
                                   'album' => $ralbum,
                                   'qty' => $qty,
                                   'label' => $label,
                                   'descr' => $description,
                                   'retail' => $retail,
                                   'wholesale' => $wholesale,
                                   'cost' => $cost,
                                   'medium' => $medium,
                                   'id' => $id));
    }
    return $results;
}


$foo = searchAlbum("somealbum");

Call to a member function bind_param() on a non-object