Four financial strategies to help music retailers survive the uncertain

ALTO MUSIC I EXPANSION
Alto Music Expands N.Y. Audio Business
Alto Music is currently renovating
its flagship
Middletown, N.Y., store and
relocating its Manhattan
showroom. The moves were
initiated to improve the com-
CASSELL’S MUSIC I PROMOTION
Preschool
‘Field Trips’
For the 18th year in a row, Cassell’s
Music of San Fernando, Calif., hosted
six preschool field trips at its store in
February. The events aimed to expose kids
to the joys of making music, according to
store owner Ed Intagliata. Preschoolers
and their parents were invited.
Cassell’s seeds its
market by teaching
preschoolers about
music, gear
The two-hour field trips showcased
more than 50 instruments in every category.
This included rarer instruments,
such as the shofar, conch shell and donkey
jaw. Intagliata offered a tour of his store in
the middle of the presentation and also
pitched his lesson program multiple times.
“I am proactively seeding future business
by hosting these field trips, and parents
tell me that the field trip to Cassell’s
Music is by far the best outing of the year,
beating out the fire station, airport and
dairy farm,” said Intagliata, who’s known
as “Mr. Ed” to the kids.”
pany’s pro audio business.
Alto will install a fully
operational control and live
room in its 30,000-square-foot
Middletown location to let
clients demo audio and record-
ing gear in a real-world environment.
The room removes
customers from the hustle and
bustle of a typical shopping
environment.
The company’s new
Manhattan showroom will be
located in Midtown. As with
the Middletown store’s audio
department, the New York
City showroom will feature a
state-of-the-art studio.
MAY 2009 I MUSIC INC. I 21