VISIONARY - Music Inc. Magazine

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The clouds of the recession
have lifted
from the print music
industry.
Case in point: the
2011 Retail Print Music Dealers
Association (RPMDA) convention,
where upbeat news filled the
Hyatt Regency Tampa’s exhibit
hall from April 27–30.
“I’ve spoken with dealers at
this show who are flat or even a
little up in print sales — 10, 15
and upwards of 20 percent,” said
Kevin Hackinson, vice president
of publisher FJH Music. “That’s
a great sign.”
Anna Letiec, general manager
of Alphonse Leduc, even said this
year’s RPMDA set a record for
her publishing company. “In three
years, this is the highest number
of orders we’ve received.”
That doesn’t mean business
is easy.
Letiec, for one, drove traffic to
her booth with a generous dealer
coupon. At print retailers across
34 I MUSIC INC. I JULY 2011
RETAIL PRINT MUSIC DEALERS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION I BY ZACH PHILLIPS
Print in the Post-
Recession Era
At RPMDA, the
print industry
prepared for
life after the
downturn
North America, it’s much of the
same. The post-recession world
yields a tougher climate for independent
print dealers, with challenges
ranging from the digital
revolution to ramped-up online
competition. And yet many are
finding opportunity. The following
pages are filled with a treasure
trove of proven ideas for driving
business — promotional strategies,
sales tactics and booming
product categories. (The review
of RPMDA’s “Best Ideas” session
alone delivers seven winners.)
In terms of new product, publishers
were especially excited
about children’s guitar methods.
Antonio Ferranti, Alfred’s director
of sales, national accounts,
said that his company’s Kid’s Guitar
Course ranks among the top
five books Alfred has ever published,
in terms of overall sales.
Alfred has since launched a full
range of methods for children.
“The response has been unbelievable,”
Ferranti said. “It
surprised even us.”
Fellow mega print publisher
Hal Leonard has also found a
best-seller in its Guitar For Kids
book. Like Alfred, it’s expanding
the line into all instrument
categories. (See page 39 to learn
more about how Hal Leonard is
capitalizing on this market.)
Doug Lady, the company’s
senior vice president, also mentioned
that, a year after its inception,
Hal Leonard’s Full-Line
Internet Partners program passed
along more than $9.5 million in
sales to retailers. The program
sends a customer’s order from the
Hal website to the online shopping
cart at a participating dealer,
who fulfills the order.
And maybe RPMDA’s overall
attendance signaled improvement
in the market. This year’s convention
brought in 215 print professionals,
a 7-percent increase
from last year. This included
more than 30 first-time attendees.
“I thought that this RPMDA
was especially good,” said Rick
Valentine, general manager of
Dowling Music in Houston. He
added that he especially loved the
seminar “Ownership Thinking,”
presented by Brad Hams. “I have
turned that session into a series
of staff meetings.”
The 2012 RPMDA convention
will be held May 2–5 in Los
Angeles.
1. Alphonse Leduc’s Kimberly Frattasio (left)
and Anna Letiec
2. Beacock Music’s Gayle Beacock, who also
serves as RPMDA’s current president, lends
her musical talents to the convention’s
awards banquet. The event featured a choir
made up of RPMDA members.
3. From left: Dowling Music’s Rick Valentine,
Carl Fischer’s Diana Macedonio, Dowling
Music’s James Li and Carl Fischer’s Chris
Scialfa