Dealing With Music Dealers
By Mike Myers
Part of what being a drummer is all about is making a multitude of musical purchases throughout a career, many of which are equipment related. If you're like most people I know, once you really get hooked on playing drums you become obsessed with a desire to obtain more and more equipment. Most of my musician friends can quickly rattle off a list of equipment they want and/or intend to purchase in the next year or two. "If I only had ___________(fill in the blank) my life would be so much easier and happier. My playing would sound unbelievably fantastic and I would be able to get great gigs every night. My world would be an utter utopia of happiness and bliss if I only had (blank)". Sound familiar?
Magazines such as Modern Drummer don't help matters either with their arrival each month containing page after page of beautiful advertisements, well laid out and with a lot of thought on the part of manufacturers, how to appeal to our weakest senses. How many times have you turned through these pages thinking to yourself, "I want this... and this... and this... but first I will need a couple of these... and then after I get this I will be able to use one of these", and so forth?
The 80's and 90's so far have seen an explosion in the music equipment industry like never before. If you don't believe me, ask any musician over 40 years old and they will tell you about the good old days when they were first acquiring equipment. Back then there were only a few big name drum companies. Drumsets were considerably simpler, cheaper and far less sturdy than today's standards. Now, the selection of drums and percussion related equipment is mind boggling. When you add to that the whole MIDI and electronic scene, making decisions what to purchase and own can become almost frightening.
This is slowly leading me to the subject of this article, that is, how should you select a music dealer to purchase percussion and other musical equipment? Also, how should you go about buying the equipment of your dreams without getting ripped off in the process?
During the last 22 years which I have played percussion, I have purchased thousands of dollars worth of equipment from various music dealers across the nation. As a teacher, I have also overseen the spending of many thousands of dollars on percussion equipment in schools where I teach. Through the years, I have had many experiences, both good and bad, with music dealers and the people who run them.
This article is aimed at those who do business with music stores. I will describe how to choose equipment which is right for you and how to select and do business with a music dealer. I will also explain how to get the most from a music dealer without them getting the most out of you.
In all fairness to the music dealer industry I must first explain that I have been employed at two different music stores in the past, mainly as a teacher, however, I did work some in sales and I got to see first hand the operation of two successful music stores.
From a music dealer's viewpoint, the world is a fierce and competitive jungle and only the fittest of the fit survive. That statement is illustrated by the number of music stores which went the way of a lot of savings and loans during the late 80's. Music stores must compete both with rival music dealers across town who continually try to undercut their prices, and more notably, mail order companies who sell products in mass, at or extremely close to wholesale prices. All this can make for some real headaches to an honest guy who is trying to make a decent living running a music store. (Remember that the next time you take 30 minutes of a salesman's time demonstrating some nifty piece of equipment down at your local music dealer and then go home and call the 800 number of a mail order music house and order the same piece of equipment, saving $200!)
On the other hand, there are some sneaky and dishonest music dealers out there who will gladly take your money and give you inferior or unacceptable service and products.
The best thing to do before making a major purchase from any music dealer is: do your homework! That means first decide which equipment you really need for your playing situation. If you only play part time, and mainly in a trio that performs for weddings and Bar Mitzvahs, you don't need to buy a 24 piece double bass drumset with triggers. Of course if you started on a small drumset, have played for awhile, and are looking to upgrade to a bigger set in order to get better gigs with a better band, try to realistically decide what would be a good upgrade, both in terms of your needs and available finances.
This process should include: 1) Reading everything about the equipment you can find. Modern Drummer and other related magazines are a good source because they print product reviews, interviews with big name players who describe different brands they use, and even letters from some disgruntled owners of equipment from time to time; 2) Talking to friends and fellow drummers and asking what equipment they use; 3) Trying to find a person in a playing situation similar to yours or one that you are trying to emulate and asking what brands of equipment hold up well; 4) Asking for your teacher's opinion. He/She is probably in a situation to observe many different makes and models of equipment and judge how well they hold up under different playing conditions; and 5) Writing and/or calling different equipment manufacturers. Ask them questions, request catalogs or brochures, and (very important) get retail price information.
Many times I will start researching a type of product a year or two before I intend to purchase it, just to learn all that I can about it in order to make a wise decision when it comes time to purchase. Sometimes when I'm ready to purchase, the gear has been updated or there comes along another piece of gear by a competing manufacturer which costs much less but has more features. It's wise to do a lot of homework rather than impulsively run out and buy the first thing you see at your local music dealer.
After thoroughly reading, discussing and thinking through which brand and model of equipment you want, it's time to select the right music dealer. This step is where things really get tricky. There are a multitude of music dealers out there, all who want your business, and they will compete to the bitter end to get it. If you are making your first big purchase it can be a frightening step, especially if you pick the wrong place. If you have made purchases before, the decision becomes easier because you at least have some experience (either good or bad) with a music dealer to go by.
The best advice I can give on selecting a music dealer is to try to find one that will sell you quality equipment at a fair price, provide good service, and stand by the product if something goes wrong. As simple and All-American as that statement sounds, many music dealers out there cannot honestly make that claim. If you encounter a store which cannot live up to that statement, take your business elsewhere.
If possible, try to do business with a local music dealer. The advantages are many. When you establish a good relationship with the manager or owner of your local music store they will often times become your friend for life. They will go to the end of the earth in order to make you happy in certain situations such as: It's 30 minutes before the gig and your snare head breaks. Your local music store rushes you a brand new head at the site of the gig in time for the first downbeat and even lets you pay him for it later. A major piece of equipment in your setup breaks down and a part has to be ordered which will take two weeks to get. Your local dealer loans you a replacement while the part is ordered. No one else in town carries a particular brand of stick or mallet that you like. Your local music dealer orders several pairs just to have them in stock to keep you happy when he knows that they aren't going to be a popular selling item. Your local dealer gives you a call first when he gets in a long awaited new item that is sure to sell out immediately. etc., etc. All of the above stories are true and have happened to me. In each case there was a local music dealer in which I had established a good relationship.
There really is no substitute for establishing a good relationship with your local music dealer. It's good business, It helps the local economy, and it really pays to have an old friend there when in need.
It's also a good idea to get acquainted with other music dealers in the area and the people who run them. If one dealer can't get a certain brand of equipment, it's good to have friends in other places who can readily help you.
Different types of music dealers will be able to provide different types of service for you. Try to find a store which has the type of service you want and will cater to your musical needs. Some music stores have a specialized service which caters specifically to home piano and organ sales for your Grandma and her friends, while others are geared more towards heavy metal rock bands, and there's about everything else somewhere in between (including a multitude of drum and percussion shops for our types). In addition, certain music stores cater more to mail order while others are more oriented to local business. When you walk in the door, if there's a massive showroom containing almost every type of musical equipment you've ever seen before, it's a safe bet that the particular store caters heavily to local customers. On the other hand if there's a very small store area out front and big warehouse in the back that only allows employees inside, its safe to say that it's a mail order place.
One such mail order place that I know of nearby has a rather bad reputation among drummers here because they are rude to local customers and they offer very little service. They want you to have already made up your mind, walking in the door, what you want to buy, not ask to see the merchandise, pay for it and then get out so they can get back to more important things than wasting time on you. I stay clear of places like that.
Another nearby dealer is a giant music distributor that is out to crush all the competition at any cost. They undercut their competitor's bids even to the point where they will lose money just so their competition doesn't get the deal, thereby eventually running the competition out of business. Their tactics have been successful in running two large music stores in this area out of business during the last four years.
There are also music dealers who will loan equipment out to individuals or big name groups who come through town to use/abuse, and then sell it as new equipment to an innocent buyer. This has happened to me as a customer more than once. A few years ago, a school where I teach purchased a set of "new" marching drums. These drums were delivered without boxes or plastic bags, the heads were marked up from sticks, and there were various scratches and marks all over the shells and carriers. The local music dealer said it was "standard procedure" to do this and there was nothing I could do about it. Maybe so, but they lost another customer in the process.
Recently I made a large purchase of items for my home studio. None of my old standby music dealers were able to get the entire package of equipment that I needed. I wanted to buy all of the equipment from a single place in order to get a great deal. Many music dealers will give bigger discounts for massive purchases. Since I hadn't taken up any of the salesman's time at local stores explaining or demonstrating equipment, I didn't feel guilty about calling around to mail order music dealers and getting the best deal. I searched through all the music magazines I subscribe to and called several national mail order places and began getting price quotes on the entire package. There was one particular place (which must go nameless here) who offered a bid hundreds of dollars under what everyone else had bid. The salesman on the phone said almost all of the equipment was right there in the store and the rest could be obtained in two weeks. The clincher was, he promised to send it out immediately by UPS to my door for free! He naturally got the bid. What I didn't realize at the time was, most everything the salesman had told me was not true. Not realizing what I was getting into, I bought the package deal from him right then on my credit card for just under $4,000 expected to see most of the equipment on my doorstep in three or four days since I only live a few hundred miles from this establishment.
After a week went by and no equipment, I started calling the 800 number of the store. The receptionist who answered the phone always asked what my name was. When I told her, the salesman who took my order was always mysteriously out to lunch, in an important meeting, on another line, with a customer, out of the store for the rest of the day, having a root canal done, washing his hair, etc. and could not come to the phone. After a few calls I started asking to speak with the manager or owner, also to no avail. (As it turned out, they were in on the scam too.) I continued calling for two days, many times every 30 minutes, with the same results. Finally, on the third day, I told the receptionist that I wanted to cancel my order. She immediately put me through to the salesman. He made several excuses why I hadn't received any equipment and said that I must have misunderstood about the equipment being in stock. In a few minutes the story changed to the equipment really was in stock but it was scratched so they wouldn't sell it to me.
To make an extremely long story short, this music dealer didn't have any intention of sending me all of the equipment I had purchased. (However, they eventually sent some of it.) I later found out that in addition to not really having the equipment in stock, they had never even ordered several items from the manufactures who make the equipment. I had been taken for a ride! a $4,000 ride!!! After a couple of months waiting and almost 50 phone calls with no success, I consulted a trumpet-playing-lawyer buddie of mine who gave me some legal advise on the matter.
There are all kinds of fraudulent companies in the world. Sleazy music dealers only make up a small percentage of the real crooks. However, there are certain laws that protect consumers from these weasels. In my case The Texas Deceptive Trade Act applied and entitled me to sue this music dealer for three times the amount which I had paid them, in damages and liabilities. In addition, the US Attorney General and Texas Attorney General would be notified and deal with them as they so desired. Also, this music dealer was guilty of mail fraud. If you don't believe that's a serious offense, just ask Jim Bakker.
The saving grace for me however wasn't filing a nasty lawsuit and having to dress up in a poorly-fitted sport coat to hangout in a downtown government building for several days. Instead, I wrote letters to the music store, magazines they advertised in, The Better Business Bureau, the VISA Corporation, and various equipment manufacturers that they had misrepresented by not sending equipment to me. The music dealer ignored all of the pressure these companies and I put on them but VISA ended up coming through by crediting my account for the amount of money the music dealer owed me in equipment not sent. VISA then battled it out with the music dealer for payment of the money.
After an incredible amount of phone calls, letter writing and other assorted red tape, I was able to purchase the equipment (locally this time, you better believe!). The whole ordeal described above, from beginning to end, lasted four months and two days.
There are many lessons to be learned here: If possible, do business with music dealers that you know and you have learned to trust and respect. If using a mail order dealer, don't send cash or a check!!! In my case, if I had sent cash or check, I would have been totally ripped-off and would have had to sue in order to recover my money. Some mail order dealers will not take credit card numbers over the phone because they have been defrauded too many times. In that case, figure out a way to prove to them that you are on the up and up, and if they are still not willing to do business on a credit card, purchase your equipment somewhere else. Also make them agree not to process your credit card charge until they send your equipment.
I have also learned to specify when ordering that I want brand new equipment, in the original boxes, that has not been played before (unless of course I am purchasing used or demo equipment in which case it is understood that the equipment has been played but I am paying a substantially lower price).
When doing business by mail, upon arrival carefully inspect all boxes for damage, both inside and out. Also check carefully to make sure the correct item was sent. Many times I have received a different item than ordered, or maybe the correct item but without some of the features I had paid for. If the wrong equipment was sent or if the equipment is damaged, send it back.
Always obtain a receipt which clearly itemizes all equipment purchased and the correct date. Save the receipt from the purchase just in case something goes wrong within the warranty period. You must be able to prove the exact date you purchased the equipment. Send in all warranty cards immediately. This is a good idea for many reasons: It registers you with the equipment manufacturer and you receive important product revision/upgrade information in the mail.
If possible try to already know the retail price of equipment you want before going into a music store. Only a few music dealers actually admit to selling equipment at full retail price but some places will quote a phony retail price that is way too high and then claim to give you a big discount when in reality you end up paying retail price or close to it.
Be cautious of salesmen who try to steer you away from buying what you originally came in to purchase, for another brand or different type of equipment. Although sometimes their advice and expertise is valuable and can save you money, other times the equipment they tell you that you really need just happens to be an item that has been sitting around in their inventory for a long time and they are trying desperately to get rid of. I have fallen victim to this scheme a time or two and have later regretted not purchasing the item that I had researched and originally planned on buying.
Above all, try your best to be the type of customer you would want to serve if you worked at a music store. Remember, when you become bossy, take up a lot of their time or make unrealistic demands on your music store you not only hurt yourself, but other musicians and the music industry.
When there is a problem, call the salesman first who sold you the equipment and try to work together with him/her in a reasonable way to make things right. (Many times a student of mine will buy a new pair of sticks which break almost immediately the first time they play with them. Is the problem with the sticks or the student's incorrect playing technique? Unless it is brand of sticks that I've never heard of before, I tend to blame the student.) Be fair in dealing with a music store and don't make unrealistic demands.
It has not been my intent to slam the music dealer profession here. I have had many pleasant dealings with music dealers over the past 20 years and I'm sure that I will continue to have many more in the future. A few positive examples I must mention are: a small music store which is a few blocks from where I live/teach. I gave them a list of all of the sticks, mallets, and drum heads that I personally use and recommend my students to use. This music store now stocks all of the equipment and offers it to my students at a special rate of 30% off. There is a great drum shop in San Antonio that I have done a lot of business with for ten years now. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty many times in: obtaining odd and hard to find equipment, loaning me demo equipment to tryout and purchase later, and trusting me enough to send out equipment that I order by phone for myself or my students, and letting me pay later. They have always given me great service and a great discount. You can't beat that.
Music dealers serve a vital need to the music community although their job is often a thankless task which is unprofitable and unappreciated. So remember that next time you're browsing through your local music store dreaming about the equipment you hope to own someday. Give the guys that work there a break and maybe you'll make a true friend for life.
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