I have no complaints about any of the music stores in my area. The mom and pops that have survived are pretty good, though competition is especially heavy around here. They've all had to develop niches, though...like Bass Central with their high end bass gear, some specialize in budget gear and lessons, some specialize in school band rentals and sales (a niche that isn't very well served by GC and Sam Ash), etc. Discount Music Center, which at one time was top dog around here, is about the only store that seems to be able to compete with GC and Sam Ash on their own terms.
Honestly, though, GC and Sam Ash could easily fail as be successful, because of the huge outlay of cash it takes to outfit each store. People think they're guaranteed success but they're not...anyone remember Mars Music? They were just like GC and Sam Ash with a lot of stores and tremendous buying power...and they went bankrupt after a few years. So I think it's pretty lame to pick on them just because they're corporations. Not their fault they came up with a better way of doing business. That's what it's all about.
Honestly, though, GC and Sam Ash could easily fail as be successful, because of the huge outlay of cash it takes to outfit each store. People think they're guaranteed success but they're not...anyone remember Mars Music? They were just like GC and Sam Ash with a lot of stores and tremendous buying power...and they went bankrupt after a few years. So I think it's pretty lame to pick on them just because they're corporations. Not their fault they came up with a better way of doing business. That's what it's all about.
