With regards to sales of reeds and mouthpieces, there seem to be a few “constants” for dealers, based on the results of this month’s retailer survey, sent out to just under 400 MI stores.
Internet competition tends to be felt more keenly as it applies to accessory sales (few balk at ponying up $20 or $30 bucks for an online purchase, while a good many would prefer to inspect or play something, in person, before paying hundreds or thousands of dollars), so it’s not surprising that brick-and-mortar stores report reed sales, in particular, as being impacted. Not surprisingly, a majority of retailers cite the local band directors and music teachers as being the single most important driving force when it comes to brand preference. Additionally, a number of those who participated in this poll remark that parents simply don’t understand that a more expensive mouthpiece really does impact a young player’s performance quality. Perhaps both suppliers and retailers need to work more closely with music educators to make sure that mom and dad know why it’s in their child’s best interest for them to go for a slightly more expensive model.
Does your MI store sell reeds and/or mouthpieces?
Yes: 95.2%
No: 4.8%
With respect to mouthpieces, what price points are doing best for your business?
Low: 61%
Intermediate: 59.3%
High-end: 15.3%
“School grade mouthpieces sell the most, comprising about 70 percent of our mouthpiece business.”
David St. John
Gard’s Music, LLC
Glendora, California
“Except for the mouthpieces requested by band directors, most customers want something better than the cheapest but most of them balk at the real high-end mouthpieces.”
Pat Bowles
Saied Music Company
North Little Rock, Arkansas
“All levels of mouthpieces have been strong this year whether it’s low-end plastic or high-end boutique mouthpieces.”
Kurt Witt
Woodwind & Brasswind
Frederick, Maryland
“We stock our extensive rental fleet with low-priced MPC’s, but sell medium and high-end ‘pieces year round, to pro’s and students (elementary to college).”
Ron Wainwright
Tim’s Band Instrument Service
Sacramento, California
“People either want to spend as little as possible or they want to get really good stuff as recommended by the teacher. If the teacher has convinced them that the investment is worth it, they will go for the good stuff. Very few people purchase mid-price point on mouthpieces.”
Rudolph Tichy
Twin Village Music
Lancaster, New York
With respect to reeds, what price points are doing best for your store?
Low: 20.7%
Intermediate: 62%
High-end: 17.2%
“Obviously low is best, but we do well with reeds. Whatever schools want, we keep.”
John Sherwin
Mid Rivers Music Instruments
St. Peters, Missouri
“Actually all sell well – as long as they are quality.”
Annette Luyben
Luyben Music
Kansas City, Missouri
What brands of reeds are the strongest sellers for your operation?
Vandoren/Juno: 95%
Rico/D’Addario: 83.3%
Légère: 16.7%
Firbracell: 5%
Eastman/MIRI: 3.3%
Bari: 3.1%
Alexander/Superial: 2.8%
Rigotti: 1.8%
Forestone: 1.8%
Gonzalez: 1.6%
Nuvo: 1.5%
“Other”: 5.3% (The most frequently cited in this category were, in order, Fibereed and Jones).
“Juno seems to be selling very well for us, as there are band teachers in town who are recommending it over Rico now. Vandoren used to be a big seller, but not anymore.”
Kathryn Irving
Sound of Music
Abbotsford, BC
CANADA
“We also sell several of the other brands indicated here, but Vandoren and D’Addario easily account for 95+ percent of all sales.”
Nick Rail
Nick Rail Music
Santa Barbara, California
What brands of mouthpieces are doing best for you?
Conn-Selmer/Bach: 48.2%
Yamaha: 12.5%
Schilke: 7.1%
E.K. Blessing: 5.4%
Vandoren: 3.5%
Otto Link: 3.5%
Rico: 3.3%
Theo Wanne: 2.1%
Jody Jazz: 2.1%
Denis Wick: 1.8%
Warburton: 1.7%
“Other”: (The most frequently cited in this category were, in order, Faxx, Accent, and Peak).
What larger trends have you been noticing with respect to the market for these products?
“Some customers are moving towards synthetic reeds (like Légère) instead of regular cane reeds. I think they are doing this because they last a lot longer and even though they cost more than a regular reed, in the end it is a better deal for them.”
Delleney Steinburg
Strait Music Company
Austin, Texas
“Pro combo stores have no incentive to invest in higher-end mouthpieces, as the lack of MAP protection makes it impossible to sell for proper margin. This is yet another segment of our industry that the ‘Pajama-Warrior’ online-stores have ruined. If manufacturers want more real dealer support, they will need to work this out.”
Anthony Mantova
Mantova’s Two Street Music
Eureka, California
“The smaller companies are exceeding the quality and price points of the giants.”
Matt Simianer
BAC Music Center
Overland Park, Kansas
“As teachers come and go in the various districts we serve, so do the brands and models they want for their students. I get a different request list yearly.”
David St. John
Gard’s Music, LLC
Glendora, California
“When it comes to funding their child’s band supplies, parents want whatever is cheap. Many do not understand how quality affects experience.”
Karen D. Janiszewski
Music Room
Buffalo, New York
“Brass players tend to upgrade mouthpieces sooner than woodwind and I believe that is due to most band directors being brass players and having little first hand knowledge with woodwind mouthpieces. Also a quality woodwind mouthpiece is much more difficult to produce thus more expensive. This often defers the customer from buying the better products.”
Charles Harris
Harris Band Instruments
Covington, Georgia
“Customers for the most part are still unaware of various new products, product changes, et cetera. Those that are wanting the newest products find that they tend to have to go online to find them, as their local shops tend to be behind the 8-ball in regards to new items.”
David Kessler
Kessler & Sons Music
Las Vegas, Nevada
“It is nice to have some less expensive alternatives to offer customers because people new to the wind instrument world can be thrown a bit by the cost of a good mouthpiece but there is no question the better value is still with the quality name brands.”
Scott Apelgren
The Horn Section
Melbourne, Florida
“More and more of these sales are going online, or at least we are faced with price comparisons. We are not matching online pricing but are trying to be within reasonable distance given that the majority of our customers would buy it here if we had it and if the price was not dramatically different.”
Drew Parker
Separk Music
Lewisville, North Carolina
“There is strong resistance to try new products and strong price resistance – ‘Who needs an expensive mouthpiece for marching band?’”
Mark Benassi
Lafayette Music
Lafayette, Colorado
