Author Topic: Music Shops Bye Bye ? (Read 9660 times)

jt · « **on:** November 21, 2007, 04:36:23 PM »

:D Following on from another thread. It appears that many music shops are now closing down. In my area Holiday Music has been in existence for 30 odd yrs. It finally gave up the ghost & moved with most of its business now going to its sister company strings direct. As the pressure on shops increase because to be quite honest most people dont have alot of money the shops are having to cut back on prices in order to compete especially with the inter net. 20yrs ago the average high street would always have a green grocer, butcher/fish monger, shoe shops, clothes shops & post offices but when the big supermarket chains moved in they killed off all the local shops because they could undercut the locals on price & still be profitable, this is why high streets are now full of coffee shops, fast food outlets or chinese/indian restaurants. I can see the same happening with music shops. It used to cost me £6 for a pck os guitar strings at Holidays, because i had to go in to buy them i`d try out different guitars while i was there occasionally i`d buy something. This passing trade kept the shop going, but as soon as they opened up strings direct i was able to buy my strings for £3.60 a pck including postage. I stopped going in to them & they`ve lost my passing trade. With the quality of guitars now hitting the highest standards we`ve seen in many years theres not necessarily a need to play before you buy, many of us on this forum have bought based solely on the recommendations of products here on the boards buy our fellow players. I think maybe we will see more guitar exhibitions were shops will be able to sell at lower prices & guitarists will be able to try before they buy but i wonder how long the old sanctuary of a music shop has before there all gone & were all ruing it. What do you think ?

:D 8)

TwilightOdyssey · « **Reply #1 on:** November 21, 2007, 05:00:01 PM »

It's a sign of the times, unfortunately.

Internet sales are eclipsing brick and mortar sales.

Also, in the grand scheme of things, actual guitar playing is becoming more and more of a niche market.

Why learn to play guitar when you can earn more money from a Guitar Hero tournament than for touring with a national act for a year?!

indysmith · « **Reply #2 on:** November 21, 2007, 05:13:20 PM »

Quote from: TwilightOdyssey

Why learn to play guitar when you can earn more money from a Guitar Hero tournament than for touring with a national act for a year?!

and don't forget those air guitar championships.

HTH AMPS · « **Reply #3 on:** November 21, 2007, 06:49:11 PM »

or you can always join a boy band :roll:

:lol:

Nadz1lla · « **Reply #4 on:** November 21, 2007, 07:28:54 PM »

I dunno, it depends on how they are running the business I guess. bad example as they are world renowned, but my local Axery is Manson's Guitars in Exeter, and they seem to be booming. You get a lot of younger guitarists coming in who got the bug last christmas when Mum and Dad bought them a £100 Guitar and Amp set from a catalog, and now they know the guitar they have is bollocks they want something with a bit more quality.

Manson's will always be sailing though I think when you have endorsers like Jethro Tull, Led Zepplin and....eurgh *shudders and wretches but says it anyway*... Muse. A lot of the high end axes Hugh Manson makes are truly inspired. All of *struggles with gag reflex* Matt Bellamy's guitars are pretty frigging awesome with some crazy built-in effects and lasers, and the Mermaid Guitar is just a work of pure art genius.

Greenhalgh's, on the other hand, were Exeter's biggest and longest running music store, but they were run badly, and the owner was a complete bitch who offended customers who would have spent £1000's if only she hadn't opened her big trap. She truly was the poison that killed that business dead I think.

machine_of_god · « **Reply #5 on:** November 21, 2007, 08:57:27 PM »

Manson's most likely owes a great deal of its recent success to the fact that Matt Bellamy of Muse fame uses Manson-built axes exclusively ;)

Kilby · « **Reply #6 on:** November 21, 2007, 10:19:04 PM »

I'm saddened to hear that Holiday music has shut up shop as when I was forced to live in London I enjoyed visiting then as they where always very civil and allowed me to play with their guitars.

FELINEGUITARS · « **Reply #7 on:** November 21, 2007, 10:39:04 PM »

Quote from: Kilby

I'm saddened to hear that Holiday music has shut up shop as when I was forced to live in London I enjoyed visiting then as they where always very civil and allowed me to play with their guitars.

And the only specialist Left Handed outlet in the UK too!

Judging by the Chinese made Epiphone LP custom that came in today - the quality of some stuff has gone to shite.
This is their top of the line guitar and has been reduced from £575 when it was Korean made to £320 (the customer said he paid for it)

Beware what you get when buying cheap on the net!

Nadz1lla · « **Reply #8 on:** November 22, 2007, 01:16:30 AM »

Quote from: machine_of_god

Manson's most likely owes a great deal of its recent success to the fact that Matt Bellamy of Muse fame uses Manson-built axes exclusively ;)

I would have thought John Paul Jones using their Basses would carry more weight...well that's what I'd like to think anyway. Probably because I hate anything to do with tw@tt Bellendy. :roll:

Henk · « **Reply #9 on:** November 22, 2007, 06:19:18 AM »

OKOK i agree with you guys, but..

There are several small music shops in my area who dont try to compete over budget guitars but are in fact finding their own way WITH all the possibilities internet now provides. One developed in the 2nd hand market and does well on national 2nd hand sites, another has gone in the direction of very exclusive guitar and has become a woldwide broker in vintage gibsons and fenders.

Isnt the whole point that one should adapt to new situations and grab any new opportunities which come along.

Even more so, hasnt it always been this way, businesses going under because they were too rigid to incorporate new visions and market development?

Im sorry but i think this is true, having a business myself its just like that, keep up or go under, welcome to the world thats called bizzinezz.

mikeluke · « **Reply #10 on:** November 22, 2007, 08:33:54 AM »

The story of Holiday Music is even worse for the people who worked there - they had about a year of "I'm going to close down" - "No I'm not" - "Yes, I am".......... etc

Then they had about 3 weeks' notice of the actual closure. (I know the guy who was the guitar tech there)

Antag · « **Reply #11 on:** November 22, 2007, 03:44:26 PM »

Guitar Village in Farnham certainly seems to be doing well, they recently expanded.

Maybe there might be a reduction in the number of music shops - especially those selling the generic low priced stuff, but I just don't see people being willing to buy the high-end guitars unseen.

There's no substitute for going into a shop & playing the guitar you want to buy...

FELINEGUITARS · « **Reply #12 on:** November 22, 2007, 05:31:23 PM »

Here is an interesting point.....

Tim (very wisely) doesn't allow any of his dealers to list on ebay, which at first disappointed me as I had hoped to list my stock there at the proper price, but I have come to see the wisdom in what he does as sooner or later dealers will slash the odd pound or two off the price till they are barely making a cent on anything that they sell - even to the point of losing money, just to be competitive.

It would also have the effect of making players think that the cost of a BKP humbucker is not £90 but maybe £65/£70/£75 and that anyone trying to sell for more is a money grabbing cheating person that you should not do business with.

So nobody will want to stock the product even though it is the best product available, simply because you cant run a business selling stuff at no profit.

The same is true of prices that are listed on sellers websites.....
Discount too much and you are spoiling things for everyone, including yourself. Ok - maybe offer 5% or free postage , but dont go slashing the price.

What can be worse is players that openly go to their local shop (because it is well stocked and the staff are up on their stuff), take up the time of the staff and benefit from their training or experience and check out some gear , then rush home to place an order with a box-shifter on the internet to save a few quid. And when the gear needs some extra explining because it has a few quirks , the internet seller cant help because THEY DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE PRODUCT - THEY JUST SELL IT .
So the player goes back to the shop to pick the brains of the staff who do know.
These staff have to be paid wages, the shop rent and light and heating etc etc have to be paid, and sadly they have given all the service and recieved NONE of the money.

So eventually the helpful , well stocked shop will go out of business, the well trained, motivated and helpful staff will end up working in Tescos or in a call centre and you will have nobody you can trust to help guide you with gear

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #13 on:** November 22, 2007, 06:59:10 PM »

Quote from: FELINEGUITARS

Here is an interesting point.....

Tim (very wisely) doesn't allow any of his dealers to list on ebay, which at first disappointed me as I had hoped to list my stock there at the proper price, but I have come to see the wisdom in what he does as sooner or later dealers will slash the odd pound or two off the price till they are barely making a cent on anything that they sell - even to the point of losing money, just to be competitive.

It would also have the effect of making players think that the cost of a BKP humbucker is not £90 but maybe £65/£70/£75 and that anyone trying to sell for more is a money grabbing cheating person that you should not do business with.

So nobody will want to stock the product even though it is the best product available, simply because you cant run a business selling stuff at no profit.

The same is true of prices that are listed on sellers websites.....
Discount too much and you are spoiling things for everyone, including yourself. Ok - maybe offer 5% or free postage , but dont go slashing the price.

What can be worse is players that openly go to their local shop (because it is well stocked and the staff are up on their stuff), take up the time of the staff and benefit from their training or experience and check out some gear , then rush home to place an order with a box-shifter on the internet to save a few quid. And when the gear needs some extra explining because it has a few quirks , the internet seller cant help because THEY DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE PRODUCT - THEY JUST SELL IT .
So the player goes back to the shop to pick the brains of the staff who do know.
These staff have to be paid wages, the shop rent and light and heating etc etc have to be paid, and sadly they have given all the service and recieved NONE of the money.

So eventually the helpful , well stocked shop will go out of business, the well trained, motivated and helpful staff will end up working in Tescos or in a call centre and you will have nobody you can trust to help guide you with gear

That's all well and good - But come on, some of us just can't afford paying an extra 30% compared to web prices.

FELINEGUITARS · « **Reply #14 on:** November 22, 2007, 07:59:13 PM »

Yeah , but what I am saying is that it is reckless and eventually ruins everything for everyone.

And it's not just guitar stuff - it is every industry and when there is no profit in ANY business, then there is no money to pay wages, and without wages you can't buy anything, and if nobody has wages the whole thing comes crashing down no matter how cheap things are.

I also notice that consumerism has taken over as a result
When I was younger - a 16 year old was lucky to have even 1 electric guitar.
They prized it and treasured it, and played it every day.
Now they are churned out from China etc , nobody views them as things of value and worth.
They are just a disposable item like any thing else you can buy...
A guitar or other musical instrument is something that you need to spend lots of time with to get that special bond with - think about the great players that always used the same guitar etc

On a slightly different note I hear so many girls and women who say that they CAN NOT EVER BE SEEN IN THE SAME DRESS/CLOTHES TWICE.

They all think that they are a movie star or Royal family or Posh Spice or something and that the paparazzi will rip them apart and ridicule them if they are seen in the same outfit more than once and maybe Primark and similar allow them to keep buying clothes over and over but it is ridiculous.