Best Buy Jumps in Musical Intrument Retail
Source: AP | Big Drum Thump
It appears the retail giant, Best Buy, wants in on the music retail business and plans to start offering gear at their stores.
Each site will use about 2,500 square feet of retail space and include roughly 1,000 different products with well-known brand names such as Fender, Gibson, Drum Workshop and Roland.
“We’re not just extending the shelf space in the store, we’re creating a designated area specifically for this experience,” said Kevin Balon, the company’s vice president of musical instruments. “And we’re trying to create an authentic and genuine musical instrument store look and feel inside of Best Buy.”
I don’t know about you, but I think this is an awful idea and will be a losing proposition for the yellow-tagged juggernaut. I just don’t see me walking into Best Buy to drop $5k on a DW kit from some part-time high school kid when I’d MUCH rather go to a real music store and talk to drum professionals who can really take care of me.
I can see mom and dad getting their kid’s Christmas drumset there, but no real serious musician would buy into this. The only real department that would be a logical benefit for Best Buy would be pro audio because it lines up alrady with their existing market base as an electronics retailer.
Oh, and I’m sure Guitar Center is worried about this.
Aug 01, 2008 @ 04:05:18
The only up side I see to this is maybe Best Buy’s “buying power” may push down the price on some items, like say sticks for instance.
I totally agree though, no serious musician is going to go there for any kind of significant instrument investment.
Aug 04, 2008 @ 11:04:08
i think its a good thing for musician on a budgit….if the $$$ is rite…
Jan 31, 2009 @ 13:29:30
I am in charge of one of these “evil yellow tag music Jugernauts” Let me tell you what you have under estimated here.
1. My employees aren’t part time high school Kids.
I myself have a degree in Music Performance. I have worked part time for bestbuy prior to this endevour and I went and jumped on board big time when I was offered a chance to run one. Other employees in my department are ex employees of SAM ASH and G.C. so I am pretty sure I have nothing to worry about here.
2. At least shopping at a Best Buy the Employees aren’t going to be stoned, and unkempt as the G.C. and Sam Ash employees are in my area.
3. Two weeks ago Sam Ash managers came into Best Buy to check us out. Two days later we recieved a call from one of there employees complaining about how they got ripped a new one on how much cleaner Best Buys store is.
Best Buy belongs in the Entertainment Market, and the Musical Instrument Division of the stores fits well in with there stores. G.C. and Sam Ash best be shaking in there shoes because in the few months best buy has been here they are already a big player.
The intrest in respects to Vendors has been nothing but Positive also; companys like Kaman Music and Roland are exstatic about Best Buy carrying there products. It is good for business in a market that has not enough competition. In the Past with Mars, and other major players falling off the Map there are too few retailers that aren’t online providers.
Best Buys biggest Problem is Advertising right now. They are too busy advertising for TV’s, PC’s, and Appliances, and haven’t really started advertising for the Music Instrument Department.
Jan 31, 2009 @ 15:46:28
I will say after going in and checking it out that the music department was much higher end than I anticipated. No FirstAct drums or “Starcaster” guitars. Saw some Gibson guitars, Yamaha keys, DW drums, etc.
Aside from the salesmen being to busy showing off his guitar skills to help me, I was impressed. I still think they’re spreading themselves too thin. You can only be so good at so many things.