MI Pro

Print music. In the past, the mere mention of the subject brought shivers to many piano, combo and band and orchestral dealers.

The endless SKUs, the threat of obsolete inventory, the expertise required to sell it and the low volume of sales, all – at first glance – appear to make the case against these lower revenue products (in comparison to instrument revenues).

Yet, a strategy to sell print music is important. Why? Your best customers read music. The sheet music buyer of today is the high-end instrument buyer, instrument-renter and lessons client of tomorrow. The aspiring student, the band step-up buyer, the multiple guitar owner, the accomplished adult musician and band and choir directors can all be marketed to regularly if you cater to their print music needs.

And did we mention the typical margins of 25 to 40 per cent?

Fortunately, in these times where every prospect counts, technology and new business opportunities can make it easier for instrument-focused dealers to deliver a sheet music solution without the pains of the past.

Sell books on the Web
One efficient method is to launch a website with print music products. Good idea, you think, ‘but who will maintain the data? And fulfil the products?’

Over the past several years, companies have emerged to provide in-depth sheet music data at your store’s web address. So that first hurdle – to maintain and update the latest pop book or the obscure band score – can now be overcome.
 
This year – with economic pressures on – key distributors, publishers and many local sheet music dealers have improved their capabilities to fulfil orders, pack them, add your store’s shipping label and send them directly to customers. While the margin may be reduced, you don’t have to order, stock, process, ship, pack and track your shipments. You earn margins on each sale.

For example, our firm (Retail Up) has offered this print method for the past four years. Over that time dealers have reported sales increases, but the biggest benefit is that these buyers are highly qualified leads for a step-up or multi instrument purchases.

Sell downloads from your website
It’s 9 pm. The wedding is tomorrow. Where will a musician obtain the latest hit that the couple asked for at the last minute?

It could be your store. With your own sheet music download service set up in your website, they can browse the latest titles, view it on Scorch, Finale, Media Rain or other viewers, purchase it in real-time, set the instrumentation or notation and download music scores right to their printer. They’re happy – and you’re the hero. Talk about a customer for life.

There are two versions. First, you can have your store-branded download website service. This choice allows you to retain your store’s branding under your own domain name and provides content management tools to update your site. This way you can cross promote instruments, events and music books.

The other is through affiliate programmes. This re-directs your customers to a centralised site with the publisher’s branding. This can be less attractive if you want to retain customers on your site.

Previously, music downloads were primarily popular titles. Lately, publishers have started to convert more band and orchestra titles to download formats.

Contrary to popular belief, single-sheet sales can complement book sales. See the hit. Buy the whole book. That’s the psychology we’ve seen over the past several years.

Alliances between dealers
Alliances between local print music-only dealers and instrument/lessons stores offer real profit potential for both parties.

Online, a co-branded website presents the print music stock. Customers buy in-stock items or create special orders. Each store handles their fulfillment and customer service.

Each dealer earns a percentage of sales from the other dealer’s sales. This would typically be a ‘finders fee’ level commission.

This is pure win/win. Both stores gain new customers and new revenues.

As an example, consider piano dealers. Here’s one of the hardest hit segments of our business. Yet very few piano-only dealers offer sheet music. In the meantime new and accomplished pianists – who spend extensive time with sheet music – go elsewhere. Are your piano sales down? Launch a sheet music site with outsourced fulfillment and an alliance with a sheet music dealer. Likewise, sheet music stores can expand their reach with these alliance arrangements.

Publishers are improving presentation
The next step in online sheet music marketing will be continued improvements in product presentation. Many sheet music customers still want to leaf through every page of a book before they buy it.

Publishers have invested in sound scores, writer videos and links to sample pages. The sheet music downloads also have helped to bridge that experience.

The next steps could be a presentation similar to how books are sold – with the full content of the book online accompanied by a video explaining the benefits of the book. This approach would increase online sell-through. On the web, there’s always more to be done – and can be done.

Revisit print for increased leads – and sales
In an uncertain economy, you need every edge you can get to succeed. A print music website service, fulfillment arrangements, downloads, alliances and improved presentation methods all can help you retain important core customers, reach new musicians and lead to new sales and profits.


Gordon O’Hara is a Managing Partner at Retail Up! Music – a company that provides website and ePOS services to music dealers throughout the UK. You can reach them at info@retailup.com and www.retailup.com. Portions of this article originally appeared in the US MI trade publication, Music Inc.