4 Steps to Making The Most of the Changing MI Landscape

It’s a new time and a new landscape for the music retailer and musicians as well.

Every aspect of the music business is changing, but changes are not just in the music business; comedians, actors, teachers, news outlets, magazines, and even politicians would tell you their worlds operate completely differently ever since the advent of the smart phone. So where does that leave retailers, skilled musicians, music teachers, and the up-and-coming musicians who need professional guidance with gear and product information and education?

I say, to find the answer, we go back and recall a few lyrics from David Bowie’s “Changes.”

1. Start by admitting the truth:

“Ch ch ch ch Changes turn and face the strange changes. “ – ‘Changes’, David Bowie

I think most would agree that the music retail business landscape is changing faster than the weather. What we thought we could always count on and trust has vanished into thin air. Being a qualified channel partner who has worked to earn the rightful place to represent the supplier’s product line is becoming yesterday’s thinking. What was once territorial is now “smart-phoneable.”

As much as some retailers want things to always stay the same, the truth is that they are gone forever; but this may be a good thing. The first step is admitting that things have changed.

2. Find your store’s vision:

“Every time I thought I’d got it made, it seemed the taste was not so sweet.” – ‘Changes’, Davis Bowie

Maybe we were too complacent as the gear gods… Maybe people believed that a customer having ten of every make and model was sustainable. Or maybe, just maybe, we lost the point of why we are doing this in the first place – to make music.

Could it be that selling became the motivation instead of educating the buyer and letting them know that playing music is why we buy, or that music itself is a lifestyle brand?

The best independent retailers have a vision, and that’s why they have survived. Great brands and retailers have someone at the top that is experienced, passionate, and proficient; like all great musicians, they are patient and perceptive. To quote Jimi Hendrix, “Are you experienced… Have you ever been experienced?” My question is what musical experience are you as a retailer providing your customer? And how can you best use that to serve them?

 3. Make use of your strengths:

“So I turned myself to face me, but I’ve never caught a glimpse…” – ‘Changes’, David Bowie

Music is best when shared, discussed, and played in real time. Although arguing with Siri can be entertaining, it’s not hard to realize that if there is no congruent dialogue available for someone desiring to learn how to play music, they quickly become disenchanted.

From product reviews online (intended mainly to drive search) or a “hot lick” explained by someone other than the originator – I believe that because of the online “faux factor,” there is a new opportunity in front of the independent retailer to have newfound success:  That opportunity is human interaction.

Because of the latest trend (digital distraction), human interaction is becoming rare, and therefore, it has a new “value add,” and that value add brings a premium. Because of its rarity, human interaction is akin to a vintage guitar, and everyone knows the purpose of that guitar should be to play it in front of people, and you can’t do that on a computer. Service and human interaction are now the new hip product. Our job is to get customers playing in an environment that allows real time interaction, one that is based on them, not just us, and not just a sale. If we do this right, the sale will fall into place naturally.

4. The more things change, the more they stay the same:

“I watch the ripples change their size, but never leave the stream”

-Changes David Bowie

Consider a few thoughts; when it’s too expensive to take a tour on the road, people would put shows together with multiple acts. Have you noticed the way tours are working lately? Just like 1963. When it costs too much to put a big band together, the acoustic scene explodes; if I asked if you are selling more electric or acoustic instruments, how would you answer?

What is the top coffee house hangout in our current urban settings? Starbucks! What’s on the counter in front of you when you order your Frappuccino?  Music. Where do you go to play when you’re first starting, and you’re trying out your ideas? A coffee house or a small room. Realize it is 1963 all over again!

Face it, “big with no service” is generic. You can take advantage of your uniqueness as a retailer. 

It seems like everyone is in a race to zero, and not just in the music industry … all boxes. “Greed” is their mantra, and the consumer is exhausted because service and knowledge are nonexistent… The “new yoga,” the new “next big thing” is performance and personal interaction. Our job is not just to sell, but to provide an opportunity for the consumer to truly experience music and the lifestyle it offers.

Menzie Pittman is the founder and owner of Contemporary Music Center. Since 1989, he remains CMC’s only director of education. Contemporary Music Center has two locations in Virginia – one in Chantilly and one in Haymarket. CMC has won NAMM’s Top 100 Award four consecutive years since 2011. Menzie is a frequent speaker at NAMM’s Idea Center on music education and has been invited to speak at the Whitman School of Business, Syracuse University in N.Y. He serves on the steering committee for the Support-Music Coalition and also serves on the Hylton Center’s Education Committee. Menzie was appointed to NAMM’s Board of Directors and served from 2012-2015.