Canadian Music Trade - October / November 2019 | Page 19

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Next Gen Musical
By Andrew King
W
hen Jonathan Beals founded Next Gen Musical in 2015,
his goal was simple: to create a business that he wished
had existed when he started building his own gear.
“As a gear-building hobbyist and tinkerer who
proceeded to turn my hobby into a business, I was
always frustrated by the lack of options for good parts suppliers in
Canada,” Beals candidly tells Canadian Music Trade. “I ended up having
to order from the U.S., which meant dealing with high shipping and
importing costs, longer wait times, and less customer support.”
It turns out he wasn’t the only one. As a boutique gear builder, he
found himself fielding more calls and emails asking if he could sell parts
than those inquiring about the speaker cabinets he was building. “It
seemed that there was an obvious market for a distributor focused on
the needs of Canadian builders,” he says. “That’s where I got the idea to
start Next Gen – to help equip the next generation of builders, luthiers,
repair shops, and retailers.”
Beals admits there’s no lack of parts suppliers out there in the
international market, but stands proudly behind two key differentiators.
“First, for us, Canadians aren’t an afterthought. We’re passionate about
what our country has to offer in this industry. When you order from
us, it’s in Canadian dollars, the order ships from within Canada – so no
surprise fees – our prices are competitive, and our orders generally arrive
a lot faster.”
The other, which is of particular interest to dealers and repair shops,
is that they offer a wholesale/dealer program for businesses that offer
potential for decent margins and, subsequently, a competitive advantage.
Via its website, the company offers an extensive inventory with
thousands of individual SKUs – from small electronic components to
chassis and enclosures, luthier parts, speakers, and more. Beals asserts
that what they stock is primarily customer-driven. “The more we talk
to customers and learn about what they’re building and what they’re
struggling to get, the better our understanding of what to add to our
catalog going forward. We keep the lines of communication open and
always encourage feedback about our selection.”
That of course includes input from retailers and repair shops – an
important and growing segment of Next Gen’s customer base. “The ideal
dealer partner for us is one that also offers repair services, and knows about
the parts they’re buying,” says Beals. “Repair shops often require a lot of
certain types of parts, like pots, caps, vintage wire, etc. Being able to bundle
some parts for the retail store along with parts needed for common
repairs means placing orders large enough to make the shipping costs
worthwhile and making the order more profitable for the dealer.”
The company has grown consistently since 2015, largely owing to its
philosophy of re-investing every possible dollar back into the business,
but also because word is spreading quickly about the advantages of a
parts provider based in and focused on Canada. “We do some online
advertising and social media work, but our primary growth comes from
word-of-mouth and networking,” Beals shares.
He adds that a focus for 2020 is having Next Gen reps attend, exhibit
at, or sponsor gear-focused events across the country to spread the word
even further while also connecting with existing customers face-to-face.
While Beals and his team are staunchly dedicated to growing the
business now and for the foreseeable future, that doesn’t mean they
don’t take some time to relish in what they’ve accomplished thus far.
“I’m blown away by the amount of support we receive from our
customers. They often speak at length about how grateful they are that
we’re here doing what we’re doing, and I couldn’t be more humbled
JONATHAN BEALS
by the enthusiasm,” he says. “And knowing there are people out there
who have turned their side hobby into a full-fledged business directly
as a result of the service we offer is icing on the cake. I’ve had people
tell me they were able to start their business because they finally have
a reasonable and reliable Canadian supplier for certain parts they
struggled to get. Equipping the next generation was my goal since
day one, and knowing we’re well on our way puts a smile on my face
whenever I think about it.”
What’s more, some of those satisfied customers are members or
associates of high-profile Canadian artists like Three Days Grace, Sam
Roberts Band, The Trews, Bryan Adams’ band, and others.
A key part of the company’s plans for 2020 is to expand its dealer
network to give customers more opportunities to get the parts they
need with less hassle. They’ll also be promoting their new professional-
quality instrument cables “made by Canadians, for Canadians,” which
Beals adds they’d happily pit against any other brand on the market –
including those with significantly higher price tags. There are many other
plans in the works that he alludes to, though he’s unable to reveal much
more at this point.
“Beyond that, the plan is the same as it has been since we started,”
Beals says assuredly: “to continue expanding our selection and our reach
to better serve the needs of our fellow Canadians.”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Music Trade.
CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE
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