BUFFET CRAMPON ’ S JACK DRING
full years of band class who are about to enter high school . That gap in experience may make them hesitant to opt for optional band courses . This could create a bubble effect of simply fewer students enrolled in high school music programs , which could take years to correct . Of course , ongoing funding challenges for music programs may well be exacerbated by pandemic-related expenditures as well .”
Much of the same is true at Richmond Hill , ON ’ s MI superstore , Cosmo Music . “ Business for repairs and rentals are starting to rebound , as many schools are looking to next fall . Schools are already sending in instruments that have been dormant for the past two years to be cleaned and repaired , anticipating a return to normal activities ,” comments Tim Bond , the store ’ s educational services division manager . “ Likewise , there has been interest from many schools about our instrumental rental program , as more schools return to playing band instruments .”
Stokholm adds that the other impact of COVID , because of the complete disappearance of live music , including orchestral and jazz concerts , was “ reduced demand for mouthpieces and reeds and other consumables , as well as less upgrading of instruments and fewer repairs .”
Getting back to the current recovery and near-term projections for the band instrument market , Dring at Buffet Crampon says that the U . S . market may provide a four- to six-month peak into the future . “ For us , our U . S . and Canadian operations are very closely aligned , and I don ’ t think it ’ s a secret that through pandemic measures and restrictions and the economic recovery , the U . S . is kind of four to six months ahead of Canada , speaking with a very broad
YAMAHA CANADA MUSIC ’ S STEVE BUTTERWORTH
brushstroke . So , it ’ s interesting for us to be able to watch what ’ s happening there and that informs our decision-making for what we might see in the Canadian market ,” he says . “ It ’ s not all doom and gloom . We ’ re seeing a really quite strong recovery in our U . S . market and things are trending in a positive way for the industry , particularly in the school instrument segment . So , I have high hopes for the recovery of our industry . But in terms of how quickly or slowly that will happen , that ’ s the golden question at the moment , as lots of our retailers still have strong stock levels from before the pandemic . So , it might take up to a full year for us to really understand where the market truly is , because they ’ re selling products we sold to them two years ago . It ’ s much harder for us to keep an accurate read on how much product is turning over on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis .”
For Francois Kloc , president and CEO of Buffet Crampon USA ( who joined Canadian Music Trade on the Zoom call alongside Dring and Al Maniscalco , director of sales and marketing ), “ The interesting thing – if there is an interesting thing in these two years – is the fact that it sort of reset the industry .”
He brings up the interesting point that the combination of purchasing cycles being thrown out of whack by the pandemic , plus all the current logistical , cost , and delivery issues in the supply chain , has forced everyone to rethink the old way of doing business . Buffet Crampon manufactures many of its product at its own facilities in France , and even then , timelines and costs have increased massively in recent months . The company ’ s factories are operating
COSMO MUSIC ’ S TIM BOND
normally , Kloc explains , but says whereas before it took one month for a shipment of instruments to reach North America by sea , it can now take four months .
“ Now we have to ship everything via air . So , one container before was costing $ 4,000 and now it ’ s $ 17,000 for the same space . And what you moved by air before that cost you $ 17,000 is now costing you $ 51,000 ,” he says .
The result for dealers , according to Kloc , is “ it obliges you to change the way you purchase and the way you stock . The [ previous mode ] of it being in-stock now , ready to go , and I can call the manufacturer anytime and I ’ ll get the thing yesterday — well , that doesn ’ t happen now because we don ’ t own FedEx or all those entities that we took for granted before ,” he says . “ Now , we realize how lucky we were , actually , that the supply chain worked . But in a way , the sad thing is that the supply chain was not working . But it was just organized in an unorganized manner and we realize that now . I think there ’ s a lot of lessons learned , not just from us as manufacturers , but also from the dealer ’ s standpoint , that this instant ‘ I click on the button and the thing comes to me tomorrow ’ — that is over , or at least for the time being .”
Kloc says that current realities are forcing manufacturers and dealers into older ways of doing business — “ Of having sufficient stock and building your stock based on not only what the market requests you to have , but also have a sales team to redirect the market toward things that maybe they weren ’ t thinking about anymore .”
On that point , Bond at Cosmo Music says that clear and consistent communication with their suppliers has been crucial ,
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