First Published In The Music & Sound Retailer’s August 2007 Issue.

We often like to do something different and keep things fresh. This month is an example, with the first-time presentation of Talking Heads. We asked 45 small and large manufacturers and distributors about two of today’s hottest topics. The questions are: What do independent dealers need to do to keep pace with chain and mass market retailers? And, Do you see a shift in your distribution and sales focus before the new decade begins?

Without further ado, let’s present the answers. We present the answers in no particular order. We hope it will help you a great deal at your store.
Enjoy.

1. What do independent dealers need to do to keep pace with chain and mass market retailers?

“My radical idea. Dealers will not be able to stop the consumer from going to the large and mass market retailers. Create a National Instrument Amnesty program for instruments purchased at Wal-Mart. So if I bring in my Gibson $100 guitar from Target…I get a reasonable credit toward a new guitar made from a company that does not sell in the large chain store. Make a deal with the small manufacturers to get credits/rebates for these type of sales. It will only hurt the dealer if they sell the customer a brand that is selling in the chains. You will only be fueling the machine that wants to kill you.”
—Adam Levy,
Brooklyn Gear

“Well, I can say from my years as a dealer, change is inevitable. We never used the word ‘discount.’ What we did was we changed the whole concept of service for people who were interested in drums. We put in entirely different programs that nobody else ever had. That’s what it takes. We literally almost redecorated the place every year. Innovation is what made us successful. People shopped with us because they knew what we were talking about. You must teach, repair, have drum groups, etc.”
—Remo Belli, Remo

“In our opinion, independent retailers (although floor space is often an issue) might pick-up a few more P.O.S. items and accessories to complement their standard equipment inventory. While apparel and like items may not yield hefty margins, they add a sense of hip-appeal and freshness that the 16- to 28-year-old demographic typically goes for.”
—Brent Eskew, Stage Ninja

“Whether delivering services or products, companies need to find ways to differentiate themselves from the competition while offering increased value to the consumer. This is true of independent music dealers. Dealers should focus on what makes them different. This could be an area of expertise such as a specialty shop, or repair services, lesson plans, community programs, etc. I don’t think it is a matter of ‘keeping pace.’ As they say, you can’t out Wal-Mart Wal-Mart. Don’t try to fight against the mass merchants’ and box stores’ strengths. Rather, focus on differentiation and make sure your business is involved in the community. At D’Addario, our sales department has seven dedicated regional sales managers and six inside sales personnel to meet the needs of the independent dealer network and assist them with programs, including merchandising fixtures and other important support considerations.”
—Jim D’Addario, D’Addario

“First, find innovative ways to entice customers into the shop. It could be contests, a give away, clinics, lessons, or advertising service. Second, make sure your staff is educated on the products. There is nothing worse than asking the advice of someone who knows less than I do!”
—Joe Melchiorre,
Shadow Electronics
of America

“Independent dealers need to choose product lines from manufacturers who ‘give a damn’ after the gear has left their warehouse and take pride in doing so. After this important initial choice, they need to be willing to learn everything about the product and offer, display, and stock it appropriately. Knowledge and real care on a retail level creates trust, often beats lower prices, and makes people come back.”
—Peter Wolf, PRS Guitars

“One lesson I learned years ago is so simple: Service, service, service. This is what the music dealer can offer that the big box stores can’t offer due to their discounting and ultra-high overheads.”
—Howard Chatt, Pignose

“In this day and age, no matter if you are a manufacturer or a retailer, you have to provide value to your customer. Then you have to decide whether you are going to supply commodities or be a specialist. Mass market retail chains are very good at delivering product. They have the financial ability to buy deep, can carry a broad range of inventory, and are able to standardize systems across a vast number of stores to keep costs under control. As an independent dealer, going head to head with a powerhouse retailer makes no sense. While they are zigging, you have to zag. There are small specialty manufacturers that are only able to deliver limited quantities of their goods. They cater to a specific market niche and need sales expertise at street level to sell their products. In my view, presenting interesting new products to market by differentiation is a key element in today’s retail strategy. Just ask yourself a simple question: what makes me unique? I think you then have to find suppliers that offer a fair playing field. There is no point trying to compete on a brand if the margin is 20 percent. The Internet is dictating lower margins and only by manufacturers controlling their discount structures will profitability for the dealer be sustained.”
—Peter Janis,
Radial Engineering

“Independent dealers will continue to play a vital role in servicing consumers of MI and pro audio products. To be successful however, such a dealer has to carefully consider what has happened to independent dry goods retailers, hardware retailers, building materials suppliers, and other industries where mass retailers have become prevalent. I think such a dealer has to become more specialized, perhaps focus on product lines that are not SKUs regularly offered by mass retailers, keep those products in stock, and provide added value to the consumer. Accessory items are also a key. When a consumer needs picks, cords, strings, speakers, drumsticks, or a tuner, they often want it now and will not hesitate to shop around the corner. A well-planned line card, comprehensive product knowledge, inventory on hand, and a good selection of accessories will be key elements. A good service department won’t hurt either.”
—Chris Rose,
Eminence Speaker

“Independent Dealers will probably NEVER be able to do this effectively. Instead, they may want to consider carrying specialized and unique lines that larger retailers are not interested in. Throw in boutique-style customer service that has the potential customers feel like they are VIPs. Customer service and specialized products may ‘seem’ like too much trouble, but if you have something to offer that makes customers feel like rock stars instead of cattle, you may have created the key to an effective and profitable MI business.”
—Charles Tentindo, Zen Riffer

“Independent dealers should be as informed as possible regarding product lines and playing styles. If a customer respects the opinion and expertise of the salesperson in the independent store, he or she will return there to buy.”
—Rick Shubb, Shubb Capos

“Smaller dealerships have the opportunity to offer more personal interaction and customer service than larger stores. Also, the smaller shops can cater to their specific niche market or focus on the typical price range of products appropriate to their locality. Though the trend is definitely moving toward the superstores, there are plenty of needs that the larger stores are not focusing on, especially with respect to higher-end product.”
—Dick Boak, C.F. Martin

“Our MI industry is changing and good independent dealers must choose their sides.  Two questions will help determine where a good independent dealer is headed: 1. Ask yourself, should I support brands that sell into big box retail, chain stores, or Internet nightmares? 2. Do I make high quality margins on these brands?
If a quality independent dealer can honestly answer ‘yes’ to both questions, then they should stick with their current product and brand mix. For most of the quality independent dealers we work with, the answer is ‘NO’ and ‘NO.’  They simply need to move their sales focus and their promotional efforts to brands that actually support independent dealers. We try to explain this to dealers with our flagship Greg Bennett brand…(Here are some more thoughts):
Education, Education, Education: If there is one thing a quality independent dealer can do, it is grow their local market through music and product education. Lessons are great and the backbone of many strong independent dealers’ businesses. Make sure the music teachers are using products that promote brands not sold down the street.
Also, good independents tell every customer they will take care of any problem. The consumer does not get solutions at a big box or mass merchant store. The quality indie dealer always has an advantage because they know the products they sell and they sell the brands that support them. Some brands use their independent base like yesterday’s dish towel. The dealers built the brand the mass merchants now want. That’s a great reward for all the years of promoting a brand only to see the same product two miles away.  Again, it is time for independent dealers to take a stand and pick a side. Independent dealers need to quit doing all the work for zero reward. Good independents train their floor sales people to show and sell the brands that make the store money. Use sales incentives for floor salespersons on only the brands that support independent dealers. It does no good to educate a consumer about a product that is sold at the big box store down the street or via one of the Internet nightmares. The independent dealer does the work, but somebody else gets the deal because they are $25 cheaper? Unfortunately, this happens all too often because dealers believe they must support brand ‘X.’”
—John Hawkins,
SMC Music

“Dealers do not compete head-to-head with the chain stores or mass market retailers. They research what the local chain stores offer for product selection and offer some great products that are not available at the local chain. Once drummers are hooked on a specific product they have to return to the independent dealer to purchase it. Of course both stores need the say, top 10 products, but then the independent can stock top sellers their customers ask for because the chain does not stock it…Product breadth remains important for repeat business and customer visits. The last big program the successful dealers differentiate themselves with is the lessons and various free teaching tools we supply at no charge to help keep the newer students excited about playing drums…These full-day seminars have been offered at no charge and remain extremely popular. Growing their lesson business helps increase store traffic as well.”
—Mark Dyke, Vic Firth

“I think it helps to be strong in repair, lessons, used gear, Internet sales, eBay, and boutique/alternative brands. And your staff should be Internet savvy, have superior product knowledge, and an understanding of what great service is. Do anything that bolsters cash flow, differentiates you from the big boys, and builds local traffic. In today’s business climate, independents need to have all guns firing. I also recommend communication with other independents through groups such as
musicstoreowners.com.”
—Joe Naylor,
Reverend Guitars

“Offer boutique products not available at the mass market retailers.”
—Abe Wechter,
Wechter Guitars

“Every indie MI store is unhappy with Costco, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and other mass merchants selling entry-level guitar packs, drum sets, keyboards, etc., as well as chain store competition. Here’s my suggestion to overcome this. FREE Guitar Packs and possibly other instruments. That’s right FREE! First of all, I am talking about entry-level instruments, guitar packs, (not Les Pauls, Strats, etc.) and other upscale expensive instruments. Promote this with ‘FREE Guitars/Instrument’ signs in your store windows, banners, etc., and local press (with a phone call I’m sure you can get your local newspapers or TV stations to do an article on your store offering FREE guitars, etc.) and to your local school system. Well not exactly not FREE, but this is how it can work. Let your customers know if they purchase a instrument at a mass merchant, not only is the instrument not set up properly, which YOU WILL do at no charge for them, and without their child signing on for lessons, their kid will probably give up on learning to become a player in a short period of time and the instrument will end up under the bed, in the closet, etc., or traded for video games to a buddy and they then wasted $200 to $300 on the instrument. Lessons are most important to keep the interest ongoing. You must offer them at your shop to do this. You get the parent to prepay in advance for 25 weeks of lessons and include one free lesson for a total of 26 weeks of lessons. If you charge $20 for a one-half hour lesson, that’s $500. At $25 per lesson, it’s $625. If you charge more or less than that for a lesson, do the math. Stipulate that ‘no refunds are offered on the prepaid lessons’ or you will ‘only provide a refund on lesson sessions after a 16-week initial minimum as the student needs to at least provide a good attempt at learning the instrument.’ This puts pressure on the parent to enforce that their kid practices the instrument and attends their lessons faithfully. You also make sure you let them know you will set up the instrument to play the best it can during the lesson period and will perform scheduled maintenance such as string changes on a regular basis as needed: monthly, etc. (which you charge the customer for the strings, etc.). If you feel you cannot offer the instrument for free, offer it at one-third or one-half of the SELLING PRICE of the mass merchant or chain store along with the lesson program. This is how you can take back the music business from the mass merchants to where it belongs, to folks like you who are building players for a lifetime of making music. If a manufacturer complains about you selling a guitar pack, drum set, etc., or threatens to cut you off for selling them below MAP price, find a good quality instrument, which there are now many available, either a lesser known or possible no-name brand to do this. At the end of the initial 26 weeks of lessons, you may also offer a trade-up deal to a better instrument/amp, etc. with an additional prepaid 26 weeks of lessons. Get inventive in your marketing of your store and services!  Also, teach the student an easy song or two from one of their musical heroes; it goes a long way in keeping their interest in continuing to play and a feeling of accomplishment. Another thing indie MI stores can do is promote musicians. Hold musician meeting sessions on a weeknight or Saturday morning. Sometimes kids who want to form bands attend different schools in the same town or in other nearby towns and it can be hard to find band mates with the same musical interests. When kids form BANDS, it becomes a sum of the parts, and they will keep up their interest in becoming seasoned skilled musicians. The band grows and their purchases grow for more gear of all types. Along with these musician meeting sessions, hold performances, jams in your stores, and parking lots and team up with your local parks and recreation department to promote your store and the local musicians in your area.”
—Tom Concorde, FBT USA

“Independent retailers won’t be successful if they try to copy the big guys. They need to carefully assess their own strengths (and weaknesses) and capitalize on those strengths. They can generally be more agile than a chain and can tailor their product mix and efforts toward the local market. Specialty retailing implies specialty activities. Consider offering services that the big guys may not be able to offer such as trade-ins, rentals, home trials (with deposits as appropriate), service loaners, support of local music-oriented events, in-store clinics, and anything else you can think of. Talk to your sales reps and ask them to share success stories from other independent dealers. Network with other independent dealers to find what has and hasn’t worked for them.”
—Dean Standing, Rane

“Independent retailers can keep pace with chain stores and mass marketers by evaluating what works for these retailers and then incorporating these concepts into their retail environment. For example, the overall appearance of the store, layout and traffic flow, execution of product displays, use of effective graphics, background music, etc., are all elements that, when done with excellence, can help independents better compete in their market against larger retailers. Going beyond appearances, independents should consider the value of e-commerce systems, inventory management software, structured sales training, and strategic sales promotions. After all, doing what was done 10 years ago in today’s marketplace will not work.
Also, retailers who are well-established in a town or area can leverage existing relationships with local schools, churches, and clubs. Accordingly, well-managed lesson departments, band instrument rentals and sheet music/instructional materials can become profit centers for independent retailers. These ideas, when combined, can help independents keep pace with chains and mass marketers for both store traffic and sales.”
—Jack Hanser,
Hanser Music Group

“The best way for independent dealers to gain a competitive edge against mass retailers is to become very good at the things mass retailers typically have problems with. Personalized service by a knowledgeable staff is a key component at differentiating your store from the big box down the street. Encourage your sales staff to take the time to get to know the nuances of your product mix. Request that manufacturers assist you with training for your staff and make sure the importance of customer service and satisfaction is stressed to your employees. There is no substitute for a satisfied customer. Secondly, the independent retailers can help themselves by ensuring their product mix includes a healthy selection of products that cannot be purchased in large retail chains. Be on the lookout for brands that are exclusive to independent retailers (like Mapex drums). This will help prevent price wars that can compromise critical profit margins.
Lastly, build a strategy to encourage repeat sales. When you sell a drum set or guitar, do whatever it takes to makes sure the customer comes back to you for heads, hardware, strings or sheet music. Make sure you get contact information, so you can follow up and offer your customers future opportunities for add-on sales. Build a continuing relationship with your customers and make sure they come to you for that accessory in the future. They are your customers. It’s your responsibility to keep them.”
—Jeff Ivester, Mapex

“Independent music dealers can provide true consumer added value by focusing on providing well informed product information, clear and concise feature/benefit product comparisons and delivering best-in-class in-store customer service.”
—Peter Brinkman, Casio

“Independent dealers should start by evaluating their business’ strengths and weaknesses versus the chain store. To do this they should consider becoming a secret shopper. Visit the chain store and assess their product offerings, sales expertise, product knowledge, and marketing acumen. Then they should shop at their own store and answer the same question.”
—David Luster, GE Money

“Continue to service their educational community and minimize their desire to expand outside their respective communities. Present clinics, master classes, and workshops utilizing educators, artists, and employees supported by their respective manufacturers. Continue to offer parents an opportunity for involvement. Educators and parents are the industry’s greatest allies.”
—Bruce Silva,
Buffet Crampon

“Identify your store strengths and weaknesses. Expand on strengths and improve weaknesses. Keep a close watch on your competition. Learn from your observations and strive to continually improve. Stay involved with community, schools, the local music scene, music ministries, sound companies, and other groups that harbor customers. Join your local chamber of commerce and support the business community—they will support you. Advertise in local music scene publications. Offer lessons, service, repairs, instrument setup and social programs. Have clinics, appearances and social activities as much as possible. No buzz equals no biz. Make sure to send press releases to local press about events. Become part of a buying group. Discuss your challenges, plans, and opportunities with vendors. Ask for specific strategies from vendors to help with those challenges, plans, and opportunities. Revise your strategy at least twice per year. And have fun; that’s what originally interested you in the music business.”
—Bill Wenzloff, Sound
Enhancement Products

“Independent dealers need to access their competitive advantage vs. chain and mass market retailers and exploit those differences in a way that builds a loyal base of customers. They cannot attempt to compete on the same level as the other two as this won’t provide consumers with a ‘reason why’ they should shop at independents vs. chain and mass merchants. The areas they should look at are customer service, depth of product offerings and product specialization/focus (pro drum shop vs. full line of musical instruments) as potential points of differentiation. There are already some good retail models in the independent channel that are already doing a great job at this, so look and see how they are accomplishing this.”
—Brad Baker,
Avedis Zildjian

“Our business has grown up around the independent dealers because many of our pickups and preamps require installation or additional expertise that other products may not require. Many of our independent dealers have an experienced technician who can explain and install our products. The individual attention they can give to a customer and the service they are able to provide is a huge advantage compared with a mass merchant or chain store. Also, independent dealers have the ability to be much more proactive with their customers. Many times, chain stores’ hands are tied as they have to follow the guidelines from the corporate office. Independent retailers have more freedom to establish ongoing relationships with their customers as well because of this.”
—Ryan Angle, L.R. Baggs

“I am not sure there is one all-inclusive answer to this question. Each market will no doubt hold any number of local variances. I do however feel that there are steps independent retailers can take to strengthen their position in any local market. Use your competitors to your benefit. Study them to the finest detail. Learn from both their successes and mistakes. Too often retailers focus on what they view as errors by the competition. While this can be beneficial, it’s their positive aspects that can be truly advantageous. If the new box retailer lures away your best guitar salesman, find out why! Learn their employment policies, pay structure, benefits, and employee discounts. Capitalize on the strengths and then exploit any weaknesses. Rather than battling out weekly sales promotions, take steps to make your location a destination of choice for both employees and customers; empower your employees. Make sure your sales staff can make decisions without a mile of red tape. Mass retailers are infamous for difficulty in returns, exchanges, discounts, etc. Giving some authority to your employees in these areas will boost salesperson morale, while making the shopping experience more enjoyable for the customer; take a chance on youth! Hire that kid with the tattoos and earrings even if he or she does not fit your idea of the model employee. They may just surprise you with their product knowledge, computer skills, and their work ethic. If your employees cannot identify with today’s adolescents, then tomorrows 30 somethings will never think to visit your store.”
—Chad Stewart,
Premier Percussion

“Believe it or not, having a Guitar Center in town is good for business. GC carries limited SKUs. For instance, with mixers, how many do companies make? Some companies make 40 different models and GC stocks two or three. So there’s plenty of room for an independent to stock around that. Independent dealers have more time to spend with a customer and educate them. That in turn becomes a lifelong loyal customer.”
—Russell Brown, Ortofon

2. Do you see a shift in your distribution and sales focus before the new decade begins?

“As far as our sales and distribution focus, I would say ‘no.’ We have felt very well rewarded with the mix we use of both ‘one-step’ and ‘two-step’ distribution, which means we are getting our products out in front of customers in all imaginable ways. You marry that with the particular products we have, along with education and pre- and post-sales support, and that has put us in the position we are in. But we will become much more aggressive in using e-marketing capabilities, such as our Web site and the Internet to increase demand [in our products]. We also want to connect our buyers directly with the place they want to make their purchase.”
—Al Herschner, Shure

“Our distribution strategy will always follow the market and end-user demand. We have seen various trends over the past decade: The increase in online business with our dealers is probably the strongest. We have also partnered with very successful independent retailers who increased business based on unique, local marketing tactics. Our sales approach and the tools we offer will be adjusted according to the needs of our dealers. It is important to us to maintain a diverse distribution strategy as we see diverse end-user purchase preferences in the marketplace. We will focus on those retail partners who can best answer the end user’s future purchase behavior.”
—Jeff Alexander, Sennheiser

“As manufacturers, we always have to search for new avenues of distribution. However, our main focus will remain on the MI market. As the market evolves, we will adjust to changing conditions. Our sales focus will remain on innovative niche products.”
—Tony O’Keefe, CAD
Professional Microphones

“The Internet is well over $1 billion in MI sales right now. It’s only getting larger. I see the distribution focus for the next few years staying status quo. By that, I mean you have your chains, independent dealers, and the Internet. We don’t currently have reps; we have three sales forces. We have a sales force that only works with chains, a sales force that only works with the Internet, and a third sales force that works solely with independent dealers. That’s because the business models of these three main areas of our existing business are totally different. We have divided and conquered the existing distribution channels and will continue to do so if the distribution channels alter.”
—Greg Batusic, Line 6

“There potentially could be some changes. What will probably happen is we will diversify better so our eggs are in more baskets. As far as sales focus goes, Kyser’s big product is the six-string capo, which is in upwards of 80 percent of the market. Partial capos are going to be the backbone of the next decade. There are five companies making partial capos now and we know there will be more coming since companies have already announced it. So for us, it’s about re-winning the partial capo all over again.”
—Randall Williams, Kyser Musical Products

“You have to go where your customers are and where the market is going. If anything, we may start offering different models to the mass retailers and independents. Certain products are well suited for the mass retailer and others are not. We can offer perhaps more customizable products for independents. We have to do business across the board—chains and independents—to keep our company growing.”
—Larry Fishman, Fishman Transducers

“E-commerce has become a very important element of our distribution. When I say e-commerce, I mean providing physical goods to retailers on the Web. At Hal Leonard, we’ve made tremendous financial investments in the last five years in building systems to better accommodate e-commerce accounts. E-commerce accounts typically want one or two items very quickly, so it’s a different kind of ‘picking’ cycle in a warehouse than a traditional larger order that would go to a physical retail location. We see more and more dealers going in that direction. Perhaps that’s even more important to those of us in the music media side of the world (books and DVDs), because they lend themselves so well to e-commerce. A second issue is a hardcore fundamental of music retail: just-in-time inventory. No one talks about it anymore. But the reality is it has changed dramatically and now is expected. We’ve been changing our inventory systems to move faster and be able to ship smaller orders more frequently opposed to larger orders more efficiently.”
—Larry Morton,
Hal Leonard

“We already have. In what has been historically a fairly static music retail and distribution channel, there has been a significant amount of change in the past few years. My guess is it will continue to change and evolve, and it could go a number of different ways. Obviously, any additional shifts on our part will be based on the pace and path of this evolution. Our business has been built on support from independent dealers, and that will continue to stay important to us.”
—Steve Young,
Elixir Strings

“The only constant is change. It’s very difficult to say if there will be major catastrophic changes. I see things changing but I don’t see any specific trends. We will have to adapt to those changes.”
—Daryl McCain,
Antigua Winds

“Of course, we don’t have a crystal ball, but Hohner Incorporated’s focus in the foreseeable focus is on developing our core brands and moving away from what I call the ‘jobber/distributor mentality.’ The role of distributors is changing rapidly due to the Internet and other factors.”
—Rick Gagliano, Hohner

“More so than ever, I think an opportunity exists for the ‘click-and-mortar’ dealers and for manufacturers and distributors to serve that sector. We are really harnessing that environment where consumers are shopping and learning a lot about the products. Instead of turning it over, we are looking for solutions to facilitate those sales, but at the same time, we are including independent dealers. Later this year, we will be introducing a program that allows consumers to purchase products on our Web site and the independent retailer closest to the customer handles the sale.”—TJ Baden, Baden Guitars

“We’ve already been undergoing a change in the last year and a-half…In these times, we have to take destiny into our hands. One thing we decided was instead of continuing to put out developmental money to come up with new products under the D’Andrea and Snarling Dogs banners, we partnered with smaller niche brands such as Rebel Straps and Ice Pix and we distribute those brands, as well as our products, to dealers. In the last six months, our stated goal has been to become the largest small distributor.”
—Fred DiTomasso,
D’Andrea Inc.

“Currently there is a consumer shift to more and more online buying. We have already started working closely with dealers who want to make sure the Mel Bay line is well represented and user friendly on their Internet site. We highly value the relationships our road reps and telemarketers have with their retail accounts. We try to provide incredible information and service to our accounts and this requires us to hire very carefully for these positions. So the brick-and- mortar stores are still very important to us and will continue to be. It is our job to make sure our product works for them. We have so many niches in our line that we can craft a music department just right for any store.”
—Bill Bay, Mel Bay

“I’m seeing shifts now, and the shift are upward. I’ve seen a 60 percent increase in our dealer product this year and a 20 percent increase in our direct product. I have needed to look for additional vendors. The dealers are feeding our increase. I think dealers are making moves that make more sense for them. I believe dealers are starting to find new niches.”
—John Fabian,
Carter Steel Guitars

“A shift that everyone is either enjoying or struggling with is revenues being generated over the Web as opposed to brick-and-mortar stores. Many brick-and-mortar players have found a way to get on the Web themselves. I don’t see that going away. We need to have the right interaction level with both the Internet and the brick-and-mortar store so we provide the right service level to the customer. The customer wants to shop in whatever way is convenient for them. Some want to shop at 2 a.m. online. Some, like me, prefer to walk into a store and touch the product. We don’t see a shift, but we want to make sure we have a balance in working with both types of resellers.”
—Tim Dorwart, Stanton

“What I’m seeing is many system designers and contractors that are working locally to install audio video systems in churches and schools are going to music stores to acquire the products. Many [MI] stores are being asked to provide more and a broader assortment of pro audio equipment.”
—Paul Foschino, Sony

“Well, there are only two and a-half years left in the decade, so I don’t think we’ll see any really radical shifts, but what we will see is the continuing expansion of the Internet as an information source about products and a means to purchase them. In terms of Universal Audio, you’ll see continuing movement toward the desktop in both our analog and digital products. We have some very interesting ideas about other ways we can bring old world analog quality to desktop audio systems.”
—Matt Ward,
Universal Audio