NAMM U - All

At 2015 Summer NAMM, Larry Bailin hosted the NAMM U Breakfast Session “No More Average Marketing—How to Cut Through the Noise.” Bailin, an Internet marketing pioneer, delved into what it takes for music businesses to succeed online and get more customers for less money. In this 2-minute clip from the session, he offers his advice for effectively using social media to promote a business. “Imagine, for a minute, the information that Facebook has about every single person on Facebook—the amount of data they collect on what people post, what they like, who their friends are, where the

At the 2015 NAMM Show, James Harding, president of Gist Piano Center, delivered a food-centric session on how to modernize music lesson programs. He walked attendees through a sampler of menu items on how to create a satisfying customer experience and build a successful music retail future. The session featured proven tips that he’s implemented to make his store’s lesson program more modern, appealing and profitable. Appetizers For starters, Harding debunked the myth that there’s less interest in music now than in previous years. He cited a recent Gallup Poll stating that 49 perce

Why do some music stores stand out and others disappear? Gayle Beacock of Beacock Music, a NAMM Top 100 Dealer for Best Merchandising, knows the answer. At the 2015 NAMM Show, Beacock shared how to take your retail store to the next level to get that “wow” factor—and more business. Beacock’s goal is to have people come in and say they love her store. They may not know why, but Beacock has carefully orchestrated her store’s vibe, so customers want to come in, sit down, get comfy and hang out. “With very little money and just a bit of work, inspiration and thought, you can make it h

Why do some music stores stand out and others disappear? Gayle Beacock of Beacock Music, a NAMM Top 100 Dealer for Best Merchandising, knows the answer. At the 2015 NAMM Show, Beacock shared how to take your retail store to the next level to get that “wow” factor—and more business. Beacock’s goal is to have people come in and say they love her store. They may not know why, but Beacock has carefully orchestrated her store’s vibe, so customers want to come in, sit down, get comfy and hang out. “With very little money and just a bit of work, inspiration and thought, you can make it h

Can you really make money selling on Amazon.com and eBay—and is it worth your time as a music retailer? According to Leslie Faltin of Instrumental Music Center, the answer is a resounding “yes.” During her session “The 10 Commandments of Selling on Amazon and eBay” at the 2015 NAMM Show, Faltin shared 20 ins and outs for turning a profit using the powerhouse online marketplaces. “You don’t have to like them or agree with them to use their platforms,” Faltin said. “There will always be an Amazon and eBay, so why not work with it?” Following these commandments will help you avoid pi

“How do you think about YouTube?” ​Shane Kinney, owner of Drum Center of Portsmouth, posed that simple question at the 2015 NAMM Show. During his NAMM U session, he pointed out that there are a growing number of people who don’t watch TV but who live on YouTube—and as a music retailer, you’ll want to take advantage of this massive online viewership. Using YouTube to market your products gives you that opportunity. Kinney founded his store on a “used” shoestring budget, with no line of credit and just a few credit cards. He started with a few products and an idea that he could mark

2015 Summer NAMM began with the “NAMM Retail Summit,” a NAMM U Breakfast Session that explored the strategies of NAMM Top 100 Dealers—namely 2014’s Top 100 category winners. In a series of one-on-one interviews with NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond, the session looked at how these music products retailers are rising above the rest in a hyper-competitive marketplace. Lamond kicked off the session by looking at seven qualities of 2014’s NAMM Top 100 Dealers. “How do you win a NAMM Top 100 award?” he asked. “It’s a big question, but to get started today, I thought I’d share a couple

Sam Ash Music took home a NAMM Top 100 Award for Best Online Presentation. At the “NAMM Retail Summit,” Sammy Ash, COO of the Hicksville, N.Y.-based company, joined NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond for a candid conversation about how the chain retailer reached its 91st year in business. Sammy touched upon everything from finding the right employees to the company’s website to the importance of keeping retail environments updated. Here are Sam Ash Music’s cornerstones of longevity, as told by Sammy: Staying in touch with customers: When they get a call back from Sam Ash … it kind

Carter Vintage Guitars won a NAMM Top 100 Award for Best Exterior—the vintage guitar shop has murals on both sides of its standalone building. But a pretty storefront is just a small part of Carter’s story. In two years, the Nashville retailer, led by husband-and-wife couple Walter and Christie Carter, has grown into a nearly $4 million business with a bustling location. During the “NAMM Retail Summit,” the Carters revealed their success strategies to NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond. (Watch the video for the full interview.) Strategic Location The company’s storefront in the Gul

Gayle Beacock of Beacock Music in Vancouver, Wash., and Myrna Sislen of Middle C Music in Washington, D.C., operate under a simple but powerful strategy: Break down the barriers that keep people from making music. This theme runs through everything from their lesson programs to the way they promote their stores. During the “NAMM Retail Summit,” NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond interviewed these two powerhouse independent retailers about how they execute this day in and day out. (Beacock won NAMM Dealer of the Year in 2013, and in 2014, her company took home a Top 100 for Best Mer

At the “NAMM Retail Summit,” NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond called on Jon Haber, a previous NAMM Top 100 winner, for online retailing advice. Haber, owner of Middletown, N.Y.-based Alto Music, shared his strategies for transitioning from a brick-and-mortar-only retailer into a multichannel e-commerce powerhouse. His company was NAMM’s Dealer of the Year in 2012. “We’ve been dabbling in [e-commerce] since 2000—we did a little eBay stuff—but it was never a primary focus,” Haber said. “About five years ago, I saw that the writing was on the wall. I really focused the majority of m

In 2014, Rand and Cindy Cook of The Candyman Strings and Things in Santa Fe, N.M., won NAMM’s Dealer of the Year award. Twelve months later, they regrouped with NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond at the “NAMM Retail Summit.” There, the husband-and-wife couple delved into the strategy behind their award-winning full-line store. They looked at everything from their company culture to their ongoing market-development efforts. Highlights from the video: On creating an inclusive store culture: “The store was so much different before we purchased it,” Cindy said. “We wanted it to be all-