Getting back to Music China, exhibitors we spoke to liked what they saw. David Kaye, Taylor Guitar's trade show manager, said his company was "putting its toe in the water" with a smaller booth compared to other shows it exhibits at in an effort to decipher product enthusiasm. The returns were favorable. "I've been really pleasantly surprised with [the floor traffic]," said Kaye. "The awareness of Taylor in China is way beyond my expectations. China is the world's largest musical instruments market at $5.3 billion. We expect to come back next year."
Kaye added he liked the fact that Music China became a public show on day No. three, Friday, Oct. 19, the day we interviewed him. Manufacturers have been known to be mixed on the public attendee subject. "We love the public coming in," he said. "When people are able to talk to us, it makes a big difference because we can answer their questions directly. We wish every show had a public day. The public is often in here anyway. And we get great feedback about the instruments."
"It's been a good show for us," said Marc Vincent, who took over the reigns at Sennheiser China in February. "We already have a good Asian base of business. We are not newcomers. Things are happening very regionally in China due to the different cultures and dialects. China is considered a difficult market to pierce. Our goal is to have a major presence in Shanghai and the surrounding provinces. We want everyone to know we will serve this market, expand here, and offer our services."
Kenny G made one of the biggest splashes by announcing he would introduce a signature saxophone to be manufactured by China-based Jinyin Musical Company and distributed by Golden Sound. The famous saxophonist has not decided if he will sign an exclusive retail agreement here in the United States, but said he was open to the possibility. Kenny G sat down with the Retailer during the show. "I always thought about if I designed my own saxophone, what would I do with it?" asked Kenny G. "It's a beautiful instrument that feels good. It has an old-style body with modern key work. Sometimes, when people improve products over the years, it's not really an improvement, it's just different. I think this product is an improvement. This saxophone is comparable to any other top-of-the-line saxophone. But those saxophones sell for $5,000 or $6,000. This saxophone is one-third of the price. I could have priced the saxophone much higher, but I want people to be able to afford good instruments. There's still plenty of profit margin [for dealers] on this saxophone."
Kenny G will be showcasing the product, called the Kenny G G Series, at The NAMM Show next month.
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