Hammered: Sales of B&O Mallets

As Ed Intagliata of San Fernando, California’s Cassell’s Music puts it, “With our mallet sales coming almost exclusively from schools and our local schools not meeting for the past year, B&O mallet sales have virtually (pun intended) stopped.”

Well put.

Not exactly shocking news and the numbers from this month’s dealer survey (sent out to over 400 stores) certainly support Intagliata’s take when it comes to the realm of B&O mallet sales: less than five percent (4.6%) of those participating in this month’s survey reported that sales were up in the past year, with nearly 55 percent (54.6%) reporting a negative trend.

However, with schools, camps, and lesson programs re-opening and with hopes for a fall semester that approaches something recognizable as “normal,” many MI retailers are banking on a strong rebound in this market segment.

“For the good of your sales, make sure that your percussion/drum department people know how to produce a respectable sound on a timpani to properly demo the mallets.“ –John Nasshan, Vesely Music Co.

“Hopefully COVID-19 presents these manufacturers with a much-needed wakeup call! They will need the dealer network if they want to get back into schools, community centers, et cetera.” –Anthony Mantova, Mantova’s Two Street Music

Q:

Have you been noticing any significant trends when it comes to sales of B&O mallets?

A:

“School closings had an adverse effect on sales which are sharply down.” Stix Nickson, Drummersonly Drum Shop, Point Saint Lucie, Florida

“Smith from Dansr. Extremely well done private labelling. Talk to Gary Winder about it. We created our own brand with it. :)”Leslie Strim, Instrumental Music Center, Tucson, Arizona

“We expect an upwards trend in B&O mallet purchases as a part of COVID-19 precautions. Students in school districts are advised not to share mallets.” Robin Sassi, San Diego Music Studio, San Diego County, California

“With our mallet sales coming almost exclusively from schools and our local schools not meeting for the past year, B&O mallet sales have virtually (pun intended) stopped.” Ed Intagliata, Cassell’s Music, San Fernando, California

“School orders are up, so I expect sales to follow soon and to outpace last year. We just placed mallet orders with IP, ProMark, and Vic Firth. With California schools slowly reopening we are hopeful for a successful marching and concert season this year, but as always, time will tell.”Chris Richards, California Keyboards, Bakersfield, California

“Unfortunately, much of the orchestra market has turned their backs on the brick-and-mortar stores, in favor of online and direct sales. Hopefully COVID-19 presents these manufacturers with a much-needed wakeup call! They will need the dealer network if they want to get back into schools, community centers, et cetera.”Anthony Mantova, Mantova’s Two Street Music, Eureka, California

“We saw a reduction in almost all school accessories in 2020. Reeds, lubricants, and strings still sold, although much less. Mallets ground to an absolute halt and have only just now started again as students look to school in the fall. Marching bands have also started again here which creates demand.” Drew Parker, Separk Music, Lewisville, North Carolina

“It seems that more and more drummers are interested in playing timpani. It is an instrument that should never be played without proper mallets. However, pro line timpani mallets are a bit expensive, so you either need to find the best possible student level mallet, buy in quantity that affords you the ability to discount them to your customer, or get creative with deals. ‘Buy a set of snare drum and tom-tom heads and get a pair of timpani mallets free’ is a deal that I would recommend, or some other deal where your profit margin doesn’t get hurt. I also must recommend that at the retail level, especially when selling to non-professionals, wood handle mallets are fine. Young timpani players aren’t ready for the feel of bamboo handles yet. However, make sure you are stocking proper timpani mallets, and not some off-brand mallet. For the good of your sales, make sure that your percussion/drum department people know how to produce a respectable sound on a timpani to properly demo the mallets. You don’t need to stock timpani, but your sales floor needs to know enough about where to strike a timpani to produce a good sound to draw a simple diagram for the young customer. One more thing is to keep a stock of the green silicone mallet grips from JG Percussion available for your customers to purchase. They alter the balance of the mallet to suit the needs of the player’s hands and technique. This knowledge comes to me through my experience as the principal percussionist/ timpanist for the Henderson Symphony Orchestra in Henderson, Nevada.” –John Nasshan, Vesely Music Co., Parowan, Utah