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Best Buy selling musical instruments

#21
Warpeg said:
You know, there comes a point where price is not the primary factor in deciding what music store to shop in. I go to music stores for a variety of reasons. Sure, there are a ton of basses, amps, etc. that I like to buy and play with at music stores. But, there's also the fact that it's MY hobby and lifestyle. I go into music stores to associate with my fellow musicians, talk to knowledgeable sales people for advice, and just have an overall feeling of being in my element. Having a department store like BB come in and destroy that...well...it just makes me mad. There's something wrong with buying a new Jazz Bass and then walking 20 feet to buy a washer and dryer! And how are we going to feel when the TV salesman comes over to us, accompanied by his snotty customers, and tells us to turn down the "guitar amp"? Meanwhile, the other customers in the store are shooting you dirty looks for making "noise."

Sure, I have the right to just not shop there, but how many music stores are going to suffer once BB is in full swing with this idea? And how many of us are going to lose the sanctuary of the music store when most of them are gone?
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That is interesting. Up until the 1980's, most entry level guitars came from department stores like G.C. Murphy's, Sears, and Montgomery Wards. Western Auto (parts/hardware store) used to have a private label line of guitars, too.

The mom and pop music store is dead. It has been dead for the last ten years. Most of these stores do not turn a profit for their owner's beyond the owner's wages. That is the road to bankruptcy. Guitar Center, Best Buy, and the like are the wave of the future. Get used to it. It's not going away.
 
#22
Warpeg said:
You know, there comes a point where price is not the primary factor in deciding what music store to shop in. I go to music stores for a variety of reasons. Sure, there are a ton of basses, amps, etc. that I like to buy and play with at music stores. But, there's also the fact that it's MY hobby and lifestyle. I go into music stores to associate with my fellow musicians, talk to knowledgeable sales people for advice, and just have an overall feeling of being in my element. Having a department store like BB come in and destroy that...well...it just makes me mad. There's something wrong with buying a new Jazz Bass and then walking 20 feet to buy a washer and dryer! And how are we going to feel when the TV salesman comes over to us, accompanied by his snotty customers, and tells us to turn down the "guitar amp"? Meanwhile, the other customers in the store are shooting you dirty looks for making "noise."

Sure, I have the right to just not shop there, but how many music stores are going to suffer once BB is in full swing with this idea? And how many of us are going to lose the sanctuary of the music store when most of them are gone?
Click to expand...

Good points. But there ARE people who love to hang in Wally World (I don't happen to be one of them) and no doubt it's as fulfilling in its own way....:hmm:

NAH -- we're talking MUSIC here!:bassist:

Remember Mars Music? They were gonna get rich marketing music gear in boxes to the kids used to shopping in big box stores. Hope you didn't own any stock in it.

There's only so much quality gear to go around. It'll be like MLB, where there are so many teams that the stars are a lot thinner on the ground than they were back in the day. I'll bet there's not a lot of handwork in that Starcaster, and musicians will notice. As for the rest, some will get a cheap axe, just as almost of all us did at one point, and of those some will drop out and the ones who don't will find the good stuff elsewhere. Personally, I wouldn't give up my weekly visit to the local Fender dealer to go hang out at BB.

Maybe it'll be a good thing, making g**tars and basses available to a wider pool of beginners, and the ones who stick with it won't be satisfied with the "made in Indonesia by 7-year-old orphans" crap the big stores will be selling.
 
#23
lpdeluxe said:
Good points. But there ARE people who love to hang in Wally World (I don't happen to be one of them) and no doubt it's as fulfilling in its own way....:hmm:

NAH -- we're talking MUSIC here!:bassist:

Remember Mars Music? They were gonna get rich marketing music gear in boxes to the kids used to shopping in big box stores. Hope you didn't own any stock in it.

There's only so much quality gear to go around. It'll be like MLB, where there are so many teams that the stars are a lot thinner on the ground than they were back in the day. I'll bet there's not a lot of handwork in that Starcaster, and musicians will notice. As for the rest, some will get a cheap axe, just as almost of all us did at one point, and of those some will drop out and the ones who don't will find the good stuff elsewhere. Personally, I wouldn't give up my weekly visit to the local Fender dealer to go hang out at BB.

Maybe it'll be a good thing, making g**tars and basses available to a wider pool of beginners, and the ones who stick with it won't be satisfied with the "made in Indonesia by 7-year-old orphans" crap the big stores will be selling.
Click to expand...

The point here is that the biggest part of the market, maybe as much as 95% is under the $299.99 price point. And most retailers have to fight to get that because the entry level consumer wants to spent $149.99. The mass marketers will win this game. Unless there is some allowance made for small, high end specialty retail, the only options for pro gear will eventually be GC, BB, and on line providers. If you look at other industries it will be obvious that this will not happen. Examine the consumer audio business. Twenty years ago you could buy high end stereo gear in just about any small town. Today it is hard to find outside any major city. The consumer stuff, OTOH, is a BB.

As things stand right now, only retailers in an urban demographic would be able to turn a profit. A town with 100,000 people in a ten mile ring would not be able to support a store selling pro gear only. The same store will not be able to compete with the big store on entry level.
 
#24
Warpeg said:
You know, there comes a point where price is not the primary factor in deciding what music store to shop in.
Click to expand...

+1 Price is a factor but so is service and the customer / merchant relationship.

For example, I went to G.C. and bought a Squier VM Jazz bass about a year ago. $20.00 chaper than my "Mom and Pop" muisc store. However, I had to have the bass setup, add $40.00.

I just bought a VM tele bass from my local "Mom and Pop" store. Bass is delivered setup including dressing the frets. No extra charge. On top of that, the pickguard was scratched in shipping. Music store orders replacement, calls me when it's in and installs it while I wait. THe bass cost me $15.00 more than G.C.

What's the value of service and the customer/merchant relationship? I guess it depends on your perspective.

I'll go with the value of the relationship.

My 2 cents
 
#25
202dy said:
The point here is that the biggest part of the market, maybe as much as 95% is under the $299.99 price point. And most retailers have to fight to get that because the entry level consumer wants to spent $149.99. The mass marketers will win this game. Unless there is some allowance made for small, high end specialty retail, the only options for pro gear will eventually be GC, BB, and on line providers. If you look at other industries it will be obvious that this will not happen. Examine the consumer audio business. Twenty years ago you could buy high end stereo gear in just about any small town. Today it is hard to find outside any major city. The consumer stuff, OTOH, is a BB.

As things stand right now, only retailers in an urban demographic would be able to turn a profit. A town with 100,000 people in a ten mile ring would not be able to support a store selling pro gear only. The same store will not be able to compete with the big store on entry level.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I wish we knew how it would all shake out. Me, I'm old enough to not want to change....

But I love the opportunity to trade in my old gear for nice, shiny new gear at the local musician's hangout.
 
#26
LuvMusic said:
+1 Price is a factor but so is service and the customer / merchant relationship.

For example, I went to G.C. and bought a Squier VM Jazz bass about a year ago. $20.00 chaper than my "Mom and Pop" muisc store. However, I had to have the bass setup, add $40.00.

I just bought a VM tele bass from my local "Mom and Pop" store. Bass is delivered setup including dressing the frets. No extra charge. On top of that, the pickguard was scratched in shipping. Music store orders replacement, calls me when it's in and installs it while I wait. THe bass cost me $15.00 more than G.C.

What's the value of service and the customer/merchant relationship? I guess it depends on your perspective.

I'll go with the value of the relationship.

My 2 cents
Click to expand...

+1

Nowadays, it is hard to find posts that I aggree completely!
 
#28
I still trade at (and get better deals from) my local mom and pop. They meet or beat any catalog price, or big box store. I have done business with them-and their earlier incarnations (same folks, basically) for 32 years. If I want to try a new piece of gear-no problem: "take it for a few gigs and see if if suits you..." No hassle. Excellent service. And...the same happy faces for years. They also cater to school band instruments/rentals and have a pro audio consulting/installation department that specializes in houses of worship. Are they making a killing? No. But they are definitely on solid ground.

Can't beat it.

Kim
 
#29
lpdeluxe said:
Yeah, I wish we knew how it would all shake out. Me, I'm old enough to not want to change....

But I love the opportunity to trade in my old gear for nice, shiny new gear at the local musician's hangout.
Click to expand...

That's easy. Take a look at every other specialty retail industry. Twenty years ago there were literally thousands of stores that sold golf clubs, stereo equipment, ski equipment, and so on. Today, there are one or two specialty stores in each of the roughly 240 major markets in the USA. They handle high-end and have special services. The rest of the gear is sold through big box retailers like Dicks, Best Buy, Cabelas, and the like. In 1984, Best Buy was four stores. Consumer electronics and appliances are much larger markets than musical instruments, which is only does 10 billion dollars a year. That includes B&O, acoustic pianos, print, video, and sound reinforcement. So it makes sense that the MI industry would be on the caboose of the change train. Anyone can turn on the TV, and who knows how many people play golf. But they are huge markets in comparison to MI. This industry will look like the rest in ten to twenty years. Will you be able to walk into a BB and purchase a MIA Jazz Bass? Maybe. Maybe not. My guess would be yes. Custom Shop will probably not be available there. That will probably be the province of the small, high end music store. But you won't find that store in Anytown USA. Those stores will not be able to survive anywhere but the most robust markets. They will be near major cities. The other portal will be online.
 
#31
this is kind of like ''eXtreme sports'' where wal-mart and other huge stores carry crappy skateboard products for ''kids,beginners'' etc... where as the older - wiser - kids who are ready to get the real products go to real shops to buy the legit stuff.

this will only add to millions of kids everywhere getting a ''starcaster'' for there b-day from there cool uncle. if they stick with it you can bet they wont be going to BB or WM for strings and amps.

last i heard music programs in Public schools are pretty much non existent today (along with P.E.) so getting cheap musical instruments in the hands of kids through big chain stores (like sears and the other big stores back in the day) is a good thing. i highly doubt ANY person who has been playing musical instruments will go to best buy to buy a 1000 guitar/bass... its gonna be the wealthy people who dont know about this stuff and ''want to get little johnny the best guitar/bass out'' from BB. everyone and there mother goes to best buy - im surprised they dont sell milk.

i see this as more 'good' then bad.
 
#32
mookie stinks said:
last i heard music programs in Public schools are pretty much non existent today (along with P.E.)
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As far as I can tell that's not really accurate. At least in Kentucky and West Virginia it's not. Music programs here are pretty robust, although the instruments we're using aren't exactly boutique. And the quality of the music is going down also since the music industry has a tendency to paint the picture with these kids that anything that doesn't sell records doesn't deserve your time. Just in 4 years of going to Marching band competitions I've seen enthusiasm plummet noticeably. Seems like these kids just join music programs to get laid.
 
#33
Tommy el Gato said:
As far as I can tell that's not really accurate. At least in Kentucky and West Virginia it's not. Music programs here are pretty robust, although the instruments we're using aren't exactly boutique. And the quality of the music is going down also since the music industry has a tendency to paint the picture with these kids that anything that doesn't sell records doesn't deserve your time. Just in 4 years of going to Marching band competitions I've seen enthusiasm plummet noticeably. Seems like these kids just join music programs to get laid.
Click to expand...

well thats good to hear. maybe i am wording it wrong - i dont mean marching band or high school band - i took music class in elem/middle school. i learned how to read music sheets, how to write music, timing and learned a few different instruments in in elem / middle school. i think i meant that this type of music class seems to be fading in the public school system for elem and music - but i could be wrong - i know marching bands are alive and well in high schools - i love seeing a good marching band tear it up !
i dont have kids so i cant verify if music education in elem and middle schools are still around.
 
#35
I prefer the non-chain music stores. Was at the Chicago Music Exchange a year ago---great place. Used to go to Chuck Levin's in DC when I used to live around there (nearly 30 years ago). Not the mall stores, but stores in separate buildings. Service and selection just seem to be better.
 
#36
It'll be interesting to see how their musical instrument offerings and follow-up service develop over time. I'm not sure I'll ever get an instrument from them though. I haven't been in one in years anyway.

Notice anything odd about the string spacing on this one?

8627435_sa.jpg


At the bridge, the strings look like they're in courses (pairs). Weird.
Maybe they just didn't get the strings in the saddle slots?

The Invalid Link Removed caught my eye though! :D
 
#40
the best buy in my town was one of the first to put a music store in it. when it first opened, there was hardly anything worth speaking of. now, however, it's pretty legit. mia fenders, ibanez btb's, epiphone and gibson basses, and then some peavey stuff. the bass amps are still lacking though and i don't see that changing too soon. most of the people working there seem to know there stuff somewhat. and in this town, there hasn't been a good independent store for at least the ten years that i've been playing music. only ones here have been either the pawn shops or the stores that charged full retail for samicks or squires and would never budge on the price. and this is in a city of ~260,000. i more than welcome best buy doing this at least in my town
 

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