For Wentworth , his top advice is to keeps tons of stock on-hand and in the displays . “ We ’ ll put books all over the store . Like in keyboard department we will put out little waterfall displays where it ’ s popular music of right now . And near the more digital piano realm , we ’ ll put a lot of the [ Hal Leonard ] Decade Series music , which sells through quite well . In the guitar area , we put more recent music of actual bands and that kind of thing . So , it all has to do with good displays . But having inventory is definitely the key because people don ’ t want to wait for anything .”
And lastly , Kohl says that from Long & McQuade ’ s dozens of stores across the country , he has learned to “ never stop looking at new titles , because new titles are really important . Make sure that you take a look at your inventory and for things that are totally dormant , and don ’ t be scared to put that into a clearance bin if it needs to go away . You ’ ve got vital retail space that ’ s available and what you really want to do is fill that with quick-turning titles . So , just do your homework , talk to your customers , and find out if the selection that you have is meeting their needs .”
“ I ’ ve been watching it consistently trend down the last 20 years . I figured it would eventually fizzle out ,” Wentworth says candidly towards the end of our conversation , but then adds : “ But in all honesty , this last year has kind of rejuvenated things a lot . Not just print music , but for everything in the music industry . So , whether or not that ’ s a long-term thing , I can ’ t say , but the numbers don ’ t lie .”
Despite it all , print music is surviving , and in some respects , even thriving at the moment . It will , of course , need to adapt , just like all product categories . About this , Kohl thinks there ’ s still a lot of untapped potential in on-demand digital music . “ It ’ s so hard to look into a crystal ball and predict the future , but the ability to have digital immediately on-demand is a great service . You ’ re not carrying any inventory , and you ’ re still being able to work with your suppliers who create these editions ,” he explains . “ So as a retailer , we continue to have a role in
LONG & MCQUADE ’ S BOB KOHL
this , but you ’ re not carrying inventory and you ’ re basically offering an immediate service to the customer who needs it . And where the retailer comes into this is we ’ re the ones with the expertise . We know what repertoire is out there , and we ’ re able to recommend works that will be successful for the teachers and students . So , that ’ s where we really come in as the benefit in all of this . We ’ re the information base .”
And for the knowledgeable dealer , that will never change .
WHAT ’ S THE RPMDA UP TO ?
Typically , each spring , the Retail Print Music Dealers Association ( RPMDA ) brings together North American print music dealers and suppliers for a few days of learning , sharing , networking , and fun . Unfortunately , but not surprisingly , that convention is not happening this year . So , to let CMT readers know what the association has in the works , the following update has been provided by Mike Watson , the VP and convention program chair at the RPMDA , and manager of the book department at Remenyi House of Music in Toronto .
Last March , when the RPMDA board officially cancelled our 2020 convention in New Orleans , LA , few of us foresaw that the world would be in a largely similar position one year later . While little has been “ normal ” in our industry over the past year , the desire for learning , creating , and making music remains strong – and perhaps needed more than ever before . The RPMDA convention will return when it is safe and feasible for the membership to attend , and we all look forward to gathering in-person , sharing our stories , learning from one another , and enjoying the company of friends once again .
In the meantime , the RPMDA board is working to assemble
video-based resources and training materials to support our members as the music-making world looks ahead to the post-pandemic rebuild . This content library will be developed on an ongoing basis to provide relevant , year-round professional development to our members and will be available to all employees of member companies .
More information will be available during our Recapitulation 2021 webinar on April 28 , 2021 , which all RPMDA members are invited to attend !
For more information as it becomes available , contact the RPMDA : 972-233-9107 ext . 211 , office @ printmusic . org , www . printmusic . org .
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