MMR recently surveyed over 2,000 of our readers to try and get a bead on today’s saxophone market. While some of “the usual” topics emerged as hot-button issues (Internet sales, offshore instrument production, the economy), there were a couple other strong trends to be observed.
“It’s easy to see the benefits of a good Web site,” states Jeanne Oster of Guitar Stop in Cambridge, Mass. “I was paying $85 a month for three lines in the Yellow Pages. Now for just a few dollars I have 500 pages available online 24/7, and I can change things any time I want.”
It’s human to generalize, and, generally, conventional wisdom says there are weak numbers in the piano business. But dig a little deeper, and not only is that unfair, it’s untrue – at least in some cases.
On a sunny fall morning 25 years ago, an up-and-coming piano sales manager in the Baldwin organization was driving to her store’s grand opening day in West Palm Beach. More excited than nervous, as she drove she scoured the horizon for that eye-catching 40-foot giant Baldwin balloon she had rented for $1,500.
