As with every December, I happily cede this space to those who actually know exactly how good (or bad) the past calendar year was – the dealers! Best wishes for 2020, everybody.
“Each year, Music Go Round focuses on and grows our core KPIs. Those KPIs are the drivers of our business and are not necessarily tied to sales growth. Inventory health, expense management, gross profit, and other KPIs continue to improve year after year, along with our average unit sales volume. This growth is represented in the fact that we continue to open more franchise locations because of the overall financial health of our average store… We are happy with 2019 YTD results, but are never satisfied!”
Tim Kletti, Music Go Round
“Rather than prognosticate and ruminate about what the economic future may bring, we
just try to improve our business every day and be judicious about our riskier pursuits.”
Donovan Bankhead, Springfield Music
“Tariff concerns add some uncertainty to the market, particularly as related to step-up instruments, accessories, and supplies.”
George Quinlan Jr., Quinlan & Fabish
“Sort of like wine, the older our company gets, the better it gets. We are very encouraged.”
Tim Jones, N Tune Music & Sound
“Keeping inventory updated and corrected with all the price increases due to the tariffs [is a concern].”
Rosi K. Johnson, Mississippi Music
“Online retailers have continued to get more and more aggressive with drastic price drops. The piano business always been about building relationships with customers. Our company has been built on exposing new piano products to the public through outside promotions. Bill Boyce’s philosophy of ‘the outside drives the inside’ still works well today. It’s unfortunate when an online retailer sells solely on price and discredits a full service dealer that simply can’t afford to survive on low margins. If this trend continues, fewer traditional dealers will exist to create and inspire new piano enthusiasts.”
Frank Harvey, Piano Distributors
“2019 was an interesting and positive year… School music and educational institutions continue to be strong drivers for our business. Student musicians want to see immediate outcomes and results which means spending more time educating our parents and students on what it takes to find success and for them to enjoy the journey. Services are more important than ever.”
Ryan West, West Music
“2019 was solid and positive. Our teams abilities to earn the trust of our customers continues to translate into strong relationships and profitable revenues. The economy is very strong and our customers are optimistic and investing in their kids’ musical futures. Our company is well positioned financially and we’re prepared to ride out any ‘bumps’, if there are any, and thrive.”
Jeffrey Eckroth, Eckroth Music Co.
“The impact of tariffs on sales this holiday season and beyond could be a significant factor on consumer spending and the sourcing of products for retailers.”
Peter Sides, Robert M. Sides Family Music Center
