I've always had good service from Sweetwater, and the same 'sales engineer' for many years. If I can't find it locally, they are my first on-line choice.

And Eddie, yes, I do tracks for my duo. I agree, it's economics, and a compromise. I make my tracks myself, which is time-consuming, but at least the tracks are in the key we want, and the arrangement we want. Plus, I get to leave out the most fun parts of the song for Mrs. Notes and I to play live.

Would I rather play in a 7-piece band? Yes. Only if all the players are as reliable and have the same work ethics as Mrs. Notes and I do.

Can I afford to live on what they pay each member of a 7-piece band? No.

Can I get work without tracks when all the other small acts around here use tracks? No.

So survival goes to the entity that is most adaptable to the current environment. We are survivors.

Sweetwater has survived because they do a better job than their competition. They are a little like our old but now deceased mom-and-pop music store, but they are on the other end of the computer screen.

We talk to the same sales people who know us personally, what our needs are, and seem to be more interested in selling us what we need instead of what gives them the biggest commission.

I do hope that doesn't change when the bean counters take over the business.

WWBW used to be a lot like Sweetwater but for wind instrument players. They were quite successful at that. They sold a large selection of wind instruments, mouthpieces, and accessories that GC, Sweetwater, and other on-line retailers ignored.

Then the corporate takeover happened.

A private company only needs to make enough money to pay for the employees and the owners, and keep up with inflation.

A corporation needs perpetual growth. It usually has about 49% of the people owning the company who are not working there (stockholders). And they don't need a 'salary' that merely keeps up with inflation. Their investment has to grow and grow and grow, so the corporation needs to be more and more and more profitable every quarter. If the profits don't exceed inflation, the stockholders will jump ship.

That means perpetual growth. You are only as good as your last quarter's figures.

The market for goods is finite, and eventually gets saturated. So how do you keep selling more and more and more (it's logarithmic)? First, you cut costs. And that is what happened to WWBW. The experts are gone, the salespeople are replaceable employees who have a McJob, not a career, the employees are directed to sell you whatever has the biggest price mark-up, so profit items are no longer carried, and the downward spiral begins.

Now I'm not saying that is what is going to happen with Sweetwater, and I hope it doesn't. It's just a possibility.

Insights and incites by Notes

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

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