PRINT
MU SIC
teachers have proved resilient and determined to keep their lessons going , often by transitioning to video platforms like Zoom . And in fact , that transition to video lessons has created an interesting , though temporary , boost to print sales for many of the dealers CMT spoke with .
“ We ’ ve seen a bunch of situations where teachers who normally teach in-person have ended up having to buy a lot of their own copies of books that their students have ,” says Koning .
“ Yeah , teachers realized pretty quick that they needed second copies of their students ’ music because flipping back and forth on a screen or taking pictures just wasn ’ t working ,” agrees Harte . “ And they were already trying to learn how to do online lessons , because many of them never had , so we saw a bit of a boost in sales from that . And another trend that has been interesting is a lot of adults of all different ages coming in and saying , like , ‘ I used to play piano ’ or ‘ I used to play guitar and I got nothing to do while I ’ m at home .’ So , we saw a little boost of sales in adult educational or just people getting back into playing again .”
Wentworth says his stores have definitely experienced the same uptick in new or returning musicians picking up print music for their new hobby , and that it ’ s introduced them to new customers of all ages . “ It was all over the place , right up to we had an 80-year-old come here and be like , ‘ You know what ? I ’ m retired now and this pandemic has really kind of inspired me to learn something new .’ So , obviously they ’ re going to pick up a Songs of the ‘ 50s and ‘ 60s-type of book , versus the newer players who generally don ’ t know what music they like , so their parents will have a good say in what would appeal to them . You know , trying to get the kids into playing music that they like .”
Interestingly , despite the popular music having shifted in a more digital sonic direction with rap and R & B ’ s takeover on the charts , Wentworth says he ’ s noticed a shift towards acoustic instruments in their print sales , such as music for ukulele , acoustic guitar , and banjo .
As well , for the older musicians , whether they ’ re professionals or hobbyists , a few of the dealers CMT interviewed noted that the high-quality texts continue to do well . It seems there is just something about a well-crafted book that people like to have in their hands .
“ There ’ s a nostalgia-type feeling to having your favourite Beethoven urtext book in your library , just like you might think of with your favourite novel or something . I think people will still always like to have a physical copy somewhat ,” says Harte .
Domingue agrees , saying , “ I think there still is a desire amongst students , serious amateur players , and even professionals to have high-quality publications and editions , such as Bärenreiter , Henle , and that sort of thing . With that trend , you would maybe expect a decline , but at the very least , it ’ s holding steady . So , it is still an important part of what we do , because even though the electronic and digital framework have been growing , there still is a real keenness to have a good publication — it ’ s a solid thing that people like to have .”
WENTWORTH MUSIC ’ S NORI WENTWORTH
THE SOUND POST ’ S FRANCIS DOMINGUE
So , according to the five print music dealers CMT spoke with , print music is actually in a pretty good place right now , staying steady and even growing in some areas . But , of course , with everything in retail , you get what you put into it , and a few of them had some good practical advice on how to keep print departments strong .
“ Listen to your customers , especially your music teachers ,” Koning says immediately when asked if he has any advice to share . He remembers , not too long ago , asking a local music teacher who was in the store what methods she currently liked best . The teacher mentioned a few things that King ’ s Music carried , but then added that she had checked out the Piano Safari books and loved their approach . “ My dad who started King ’ s Music , he ’ s got a degree in piano pedagogy from U of T , and he got a sample of this stuff and was just blown away with it . We would have never heard of that if we didn ’ t listen to one of our teachers make this suggestion ,” Koning continues . “ But we sell a ton of it now , and that ’ s a situation where just keeping our ears open and listening to somebody who ’ s a professional and who understands what they ’ re talking about , them suggesting a product has generated tens of thousands of dollars-worth of sales for us .”
As well , Koning says that if you ’ re diligent , there are often opportunities to save a few percent here and there on your purchases . For example , he shares , “ We did some buying where another one of our local stores here , they are kind of small and didn ’ t have enough buying power to get the discounts they needed , so we just included their music into our buy . We were able to offer them a better discount than they could get on their own , and it helped to bolster our numbers a little bit . So , look for those opportunities to save a few percent here and there . Because if you do $ 100,000 in print music sales , and you save 5 % on the entire thing , $ 5,000 is a lot of money .”
22 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE