Instrument sales may rise and fall, but sound reinforcement remains the foundation of the music products industry. It’s a simple fact of biology; as long as we continue to listen to music with our ears, pro-audio products, such as speakers, amplifiers, mixers and monitors, will remain indispensable. And it may be cliché, but even the most talented musicians will sound terrible if they’re using a subpar sound system. For all these reasons, music retailers should strongly consider making pro audio a central part of their business—if they aren’t already.
As part of our annual look at the pro-audio market, The Retailer reached out to some high-profile names in MI retail in an effort to gauge the health of this particular category and to glean some advice as to how music store owners can cash in on new opportunities for pro-audio equipment sales, service and training. Participants in this discussion include Matt Ray, Owner of Eat My Beats, Pat Sullivan, Vice President of Merchandising – Tech at Guitar Center, and Mike McAfee, Tone Guru and Chief Instigator at Maxwell’s House of Music.