While this year’s Music Industries Association of Canada (MIAC) show was bigger than last year’s, one of the bigger topics on the minds of many retailers and distributors was the dollar, namely the rise of the Canadian currency versus the American. “Well, the exchange rate is always something of a moving target,” MIAC Executive Director Al Kowalenko said. “For some companies it has made it a bit more difficult to sell to the United States. But in many respects it makes people a little bit more creative on their pricing.”
One of those distributors affected by the rise in the “loonie” is Behringer. Jason Sonker, a company representative, said Behringer released a new price list due to the exchange rate. “We had been working off of obviously an antiquated price list and Canadian dealers are saying ‘Hey, the dollar is getting stronger here so let’s go,’” he said. “It dropped the price by 8 to 10 percent across the board, so a strong dollar in Canada means strong purchases for consumers.”
A Crucial Show
Sonker added the MIAC show is growing in terms of size, leading Behringer to obtain more floor space for its exhibit booth. “We spent three times more on our booth this year than we have in the past,” he said. “We realize that in the past we maybe didn’t [have as much manpower] as we should have. Now we brought everyone [here]. The NAMM show will be five of these halls by comparison, but the summer NAMM show in Austin is maybe only twice as big. So this is a great size and a great venue.”
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