However, Joe Fucini, spokesperson for American DJ and American Audio, had a different perspective. “I think there are many more similarities than differences between your DJ customer and musician customer,” said Fucini. “Both have dreams, and both aspire to express themselves through music. In either case, the idea of ‘making it big’ isn’t the main motivator. Sure, every DJ and musician would like to reach the top of their respective worlds, but it’s the creative juices that keep them going; they’re hooked on the idea of entertaining and making music. Dealers who recognize and respect this collective dream are going to connect better to their customers, whether those customers are DJs or musicians. A big part of this connection is to be able to offer your customers products they can afford, and that you feel comfortable standing behind; it doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about guitars, lighting, or DJ mixers. DJs and musicians are both looking for the same thing from a dealer—knowledgeable advice, good products that can help them perform, and a positive shopping experience. The success formula is the same in both instances, only the products and the required product knowledge are different.”
Mi SalesTrak’s Jim Hirschberg added several additional points. “DJ products offer growth when some of the traditional MI categories are flat or down, but MI retailers are mixed in their support of DJ products,” he said. “The major chains feature DJ gear, but only about half of independents do. We don’t suggest that everyone merchandise the same way, but for those MI retailers who do a good job with live sound and recording gear, DJ would seem to be a natural segment to consider.”
MI SalesTrak also provided the sales chart above. According to MI SalesTrak, the DJ market was paced by CD and DVD players in May, with $2,848,504 in sales. That was about four times the sales figure raked in by the No. 2 category, turntables, which took in $734,913. Those two were followed by cartridges and styli, hard drive players, DJ mixers, mixer/player combos, computer DJ, DJ effects processors, and DJ packaged systems.
DJ of Love
Although there’s no hard evidence, we can also consider another element anecdotally. The number of bars/clubs offering live music acts has certainly seemed to decline during the last several years. And seemingly more and more people are selecting DJs for the entertainment at their weddings or corporate functions, another area your customers can capitalize on by buying DJ products. The reason behind both changes is probably cost. If a club/bar owner can make good money by hiring one DJ instead of a band, they’re likely to do so.
If a wedding couple can hire a DJ for less than a band and still expect a great experience for guests, they often go that route. Also, while wedding bands offer a set playlist (some will consider learning a couple’s favorite song or two), a DJ can play music from all genres, including the latest hits. This is certainly not to say wedding bands are not important. Many couples consider them more “romantic.” Some consider them more “classy.” However, the shift has been toward more wedding DJs. “The mobile DJ market has been big for quite some time, and it shows no signs of slowing down,” said Fucini. “If you’ve been to a wedding, graduation party, or corporate outing in the past decade, you’ve probably seen a mobile DJ at work. In many cases, the popularity of mobile DJs is a result of fashion, in others it’s a matter or economics; in either case it’s a fact of life. Good mobile DJs get steady gigs week in and week out. From a dealer’s perspective, this means they’re steady customers. A performer with steady work is more likely to be a steady customer.”
“I think what you’re seeing at weddings is you will have adults there who want to hear one thing, and kids who want to hear something completely different,” said Mazur. “The question is, ‘How many of the people who attend the wedding are going home happy with the music?’ A good DJ can straddle many different art forms and genres. A DJ can take you from dinner music to dance music to whatever is topping the charts. Also, to be a good mobile DJ, you must know how to entertain a crowd. A musician might be a great singer, but not specifically know how to play a crowd as well.
“As far as live music venues go, it’s similar,” he continued. “If you have a cover band playing at a live venue, they have to cover a limited number of songs and can’t really stray away from that.”
Glitzy Gadgets
Of course, the DJ market hinges on innovation. New, easier-to-use products are not hoped for, but expected by end users. Fucini shared his thoughts about what will drive the industry forward. “The two big trends are the move to LED fixtures and the growing use of intelligent DMX effects at the affordable end of the market,” concluded Fucini. “At American DJ, we’ve been very pleased with how quickly customers have accepted our LED products. The list of products in which LED has replaced traditional halogen lamps will become longer and longer. We’re also seeing more DJs migrate from the traditional staple lighting effects to intelligent DMX effects. Advances in technology have made these effects more user-friendly, and as is so often the case with new technologies, these products have become more affordable.”.
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