The Benefits of Conversation & Cooperation Versus Old School Competition

What if you stopped and talked to a stranger sporting a music logo?

The other day my path crossed a person who was entering a dance studio, carrying a Fender case for a P.A. system. I engaged in a conversation, as I am always on the lookout for singers and musicians to play in our performance venue, @4410. However the direction of this conversation quickly morphed into something entirely different than what I had expected.

It turned out this young lady was a Jazzercise instructor. She had arrived early to set up the P.A. for her classes. I learned that she was temporarily renting the space from that dance studio because her last studio had recently closed. The most telling information the conversation netted was that what she really needed (a stage and more flex space, so her classes could work properly), this current studio didn’t offer. Enter into the conversation @4410, our performance venue. After we spoke, she came by to see our space and completely loved it.

Here’s the point:

As a jazzercise instructor, she has a client base of 150 participants. We have a professional space that can serve her needs immediately. By serving her needs, CMC has the added opportunity to cross-sell services that we offer to her clients, and we have her clients (and their children) embrace our performance venue. She wins because our room design is a plug-and-play for her. We win because anytime you coordinate events that drive new traffic to your business, you always win. But the big takeaway is through our joint cooperation her clients win on the deal, and then they go back into the community and talk about this new great place they found.

The ultimate take away…

None of this would have happened had I not stopped and initiated a conversation.

The Benefits from Cooperation

What if you had a competitor twelve miles away who did something similar to what you do in your own business? Could there be possibilities that benefit everyone by finding ways to work together?

In the town where I live, there is an “Old Town” Main Street, and on Main Street is a music store (Drum and Strum). The owner, Tim Dingus, is a great guy who is much respected in the music community. Inside Drum and Strum there is a back area where Tim has built a beautiful sound stage and cozy performance space. He invited me to a show, and since our space @4410 was dark that night, I made sure to go. His act for the night was The Edgar Loudermilk Band. These guys are a killer bluegrass group with great vocals, plenty of pickin’ and terrific songwriters.

Here is where the story affects anyone trying to grow their business, and their music community. It’s a no brainer that this band was great; it’s also obvious that Tim and I have built unusual spaces in our music businesses to promote the opportunity for artists to make music.

But the creative consideration in this tale is about the conversation I had with Tim and the Edgar Loudermilk Band after the show. You see, it’s my thought that a rising tide lifts all boats, and the “real” goal in front of us is to increase attention and support for quality live music, as well as our venues and music stores. With that accomplished, there is more community support… And where there is support, there is increased interest in learning how to play.

So Tim and I discussed how we could work together in bringing artists through our area to play in both our venues. This, of course, would bring more overall visibility and promotion to the artists while at the same time creating additional attention to our businesses. The philosophy is simple. Where there is a lower cost burden for an artist, and an increased visibility for the artist to build his brand, then there is more opportunity for that artist to play and for all involved to build bigger followings. Ultimately, this also creates more opportunity for both music stores to raise their visibility and profile in their respective communities.

The Ways of ‘Old School’ Have Become New Again

In today’s business climate, if you want to survive and thrive, then the “old school” way of a beneficial conversation, along with out of the box thinking is back in vogue. We are in the music business, and the purpose of musical instruments is to facilitate people playing music “together.” So just like in the ‘60s and early ‘70s, we need to rekindle the passion of a music community. My advice, therefore, is to have conversations and find ways to embrace cooperation. Always remember what Carly Simon sang to us: “These are the good old days.”

Menzie Pittman is the owner and director of education at Contemporary Music Center in Virginia (CMC). Following a performance and teaching career spanning more than 32 years, he founded CMC in 1989 and continues to perform, teach, and oversee daily operations. He has 50 years of musical experience as a drummer and drum instructor. Menzie is a frequent speaker at NAMM’s Idea Center, and a freelance writer for MMR’s “Small Business Matters” column. He served on NAMM’s Board of Directors from 2012 through 2015 and currently oversees the curriculum for CMC’s performance venue @4410. In 2016 NAMM awarded Contemporary Music Center the “Dealer of the Year” award, the “Music Matters” award, and the “Best Sales and Promotion” award.