Best Buy - More News

[mattsmusic]

8/1/2008


First a trickle. Now a flood.
Richfield, Minn.-based electronics retailer Best Buy will open up to 85 of its music centers by the end of the year, and may add more locations in the future. This move will make Best Buy the second largest MI retailer in the country, after Guitar Center.

"We're not just extending the shelf space in the store, we're creating a designated area specifically for this experience," Kevin Balon, the company's vice president of musical instruments, told the Associated Press. "And we're trying to create an authentic and genuine musical instrument store look and feel inside of Best Buy."

The retailer, already an industry leader in sales of everything from digital cameras to video games, has serious aspirations to carve a niche into the $8 billion spent yearly on musical instruments. The initiative is expected to counter the continual softening of CD and DVD sales experienced by the company.

Those inside and outside the industry are skeptical.

According to retail analyst Brady Lemos of Morningstar, an investment fund research firm, this endeavor will take up a lot of real estate (2,500 square feet per store) and is generally a slow growth segment even during good economic times, making it a challenging proposition.

One manufacturer speaking off the record personally expressed some skepticism about musical products' ability to sustain a presence in mass merchants, but then pointed out that Best Buy is a sophisticated company with extensive market research capacity, so it can be assumed that their market research is accurate and the company will be at least somewhat successful in this endeavor.

Companies working with Best Buy include Fender, Gibson, Line 6, Yamaha, Roland, Korg, and Drum Workshop, among others.

The selection will include everything but acoustic pianos: shoppers will find picks, sheet music, cases, up to $3,200 guitars and $5,000 drum kits.

[DEADTUNES666]

We'll have to see, but another mega store might keep GC in check, and prices may go down a touch due to competition. I am looking forward to buying a cd, a guitar, some sheet music, a camera all in one store...Pretty cool.

I'm hoping it hits the Scranton store by me...but I doubt it.

[michblanch]

Great more stores with 20 kids playing Enter Sandman.

[CosmicDebris]

I see it as a place to buy strings or other needed assortments on Sundays. On my side of town all music stores closed on that day. Unless it is a killer deal that I OMG could not pass up I don't see me buying any gear from them.

[Lefty Robb]

Originally Posted by michblanch

Great more stores with 20 kids playing Enter Sandman.

Lets just hope there's a "No Stairway" sign.

[CosmicDebris]

Originally Posted by Lefty Robb

Lets just hope there's a "No Stairway" sign.

Heh, whenever I go to a store to check out some axe or gear I play that one on purpose with most gain I can. Whats fun is if the guitar they give you is out of tune.

[ScottB]

I was checking out a Jimmie Vaughan Strat a couple years ago at my local non-GC store. I plugged into a Marshall 50 watt plexi. I asked the sales dude what I should play. He said "well you've got a white Strat and a Marshall - you've gotta play Smoke on the Water". I cranked it to about 6 with the channels jumped and layed into the intro. On cue, a guy in the bass section behind me joined in. The manager and 2 salesmen sang the vocals. We got lots of wierd looks from other customers as they came in. Prolly wouldn't go over too well at Best Buy.

[jemaholic]

Somehow I get a bad feeling about this.....

Who's picking these 'high-end' guitars from the manufacturers? Anybody?
It seems to me a great place for Gibson and Fender to dump their B-stock junk -who's gonna notice? Certainly not the Best Buy Guitar Sales Gurus who know ALL ABOUT guitars, Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
"...ah, Mr. customer, don't be concerned with that odd serial number - look at this great price!..."

"...you know Mr. Customer, this Stratocaster is the exact same model that Santana and Jimmy Page play - in fact, this is their signature model...."

"....oh yes Mr. Customer, this is the new PRS Hendrix model - I know he played one just like it for years.....here, listen as I demonstrate his song Smoke On The Water for you.."

[DEADTUNES666]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....s&nrp=89&iht=n


Check it out...This is what they got so far...

[P. Aaron]

I have no complaints about the local Guitar Center near my home. I probably pay at or near retail...because I want what's being sold. There's no other reason than that.

The drummer in our band works at the same location and says that he can get me/us "deals".

While I am sure he can, I have built relationships there with the sales staff and like working with them. I'd feel kinda bad trying out gear time & again and then putting it back to have our bandmate pick it up later for me.

The guys at GC would notice that kind of change and put it together eventually. They gotta make a living too.

/dilemma

I don't care what Best Buy does. They pissed me off a year ago over a digital camera issue that Olympus stepped up and solved without being asked. Best Buy wouldn't budge. Even after I filed a complaint against them with the Better Business Bureau.

[jay ratkowski]

Argh... I wonder how far off we are from the music industry lacking a middle class? With more large volume retailers specializing in low-cost/quality items, it seems the market for better gear is going to diminish. And of course, what does this mean to the small shops that are operating at lower margins? I would think more small stores are going to start carrying mostly high priced stuff to create more of a niche market (and of course depend on lessons for revenue), but not every area can support this type of store.

[Lefty Robb]

Originally Posted by DEADTUNES666

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....s&nrp=89&iht=n


Check it out...This is what they got so far...

Wow, what a bunch of complete $hit. Wheres the Hanna Montana Guitars? Maestro, god, thats worse then Epiphone and Squire put together.

[MicahC]

Originally Posted by Lefty Robb

Wow, what a bunch of complete $hit. Wheres the Hanna Montana Guitars? Maestro, god, thats worse then Epiphone and Squire put together.

You forgot Starcaster. I've flushed stuff down my toilet that could play/look better than a Starcaster.

But, on the off chance that they actually stock good guitars, I'm glad they're going to do this. Give GC some competition. I live in an area where GC truly is the only place that you want to buy a guitar. I mean the nearest guitar dealer is 20 miles away, primarily a piano dealership, and only stocks....Greg Bennett(?) guitars. I've never even heard of them. So, for all the guitars I need to get I get GC to order them, because if I wanted a good guitar shop I'd have to drive 100 miles. Literally. Maybe this will make the prices go down a tad since the Best Buy is across the street from GC.

[courtney2018]

For me it might be a convenient place to buy strings as long as they stock GHS Boomers. I'm anxiously awaiting what kind of high end guitars they plan on selling. Still, for me, it's going to be hard to beat the customer service that I get at GC.

As for competition, I guess my GC is alittle different than the others that you all go to. My GC's prices are the same with what you find online, and everytime I buy something in there my guy there almost always throws in something extra for free, or takes a discount off of something in my purchase. I've gotten lots of free strings there as well as a few nice guitar stands. However, I've dropped a good bit of coin in there. When I buy something there it's usually something kinda pricey.

Last year, during the whole RG20th ordering thing, I thought their service was way above what I've ever seen in a modern store of any kind. I showed my appreciation by giving them about 20 pizzas to eat for lunch. But their service was good to me before I did that.

I also don't see Ibanez being a brand that's going to be popular at Best Buy. Seems like most kids these days like to get the guitars that most modern rock bands play today, which are mostly Gibson and Fender.

So, I'll still end up going to GC. Stilll, it's going to be pretty cool to go into Best Buy and check out guitars, amps and stuff. I might would buy an amp there. I could use my Best Buy points to knock a few dollars off it.