Question #3: What are your hottest selling products right now? What do you think the consumers like so much about those particular products?
Jahnke: We are still experiencing huge results with the “turn gamers into players” approach with our Guitar Hero and RockBand products. Both of these “brands” are very recognizable and when we combine the brand with real instrument instruction and songbooks, it’s a winning combination. Another area that continues to grow is our Play-Along series (Jazz Play-Along, Guitar Play-Along, Drum Play-Along, Bass Play-Along, Piano Play-Along, Pro Vocal…if you have an instrument, Hal Leonard has something you can “play-along” with). All of our Play-Along products include a CD so the instrumentalist or vocalist can “play (or sing) along.” While the concept of playing along isn’t new, some of our play-along CDs are enhanced with tempo and pitch-changing software for computer users. This enhancement gives the player a new level of flexibility that wasn’t readily available before. Popular music also continues to beat expectations. Titles and artists like Twilight, Wicked, High School Musical, Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Metallica and the Jonas Brothers (to name a few) are really hot and are exceptional impulse purchases.
Bradley: Play-Alongs are hot for all instruments as well as voice. People want to experience what it feels like to play a Led Zeppelin song or an Eagles song with a band that sounds like the original. Young kids who are learning to play trumpet or clarinet want to play songs they know, and it’s fun to play with a group. We have Play-Along products for all levels of players.
The school market is still strong. We are seeing great sales in performance music for concert bands, jazz bands, and string orchestras. Even in tough economic times, parents still highly value music education and continue to support it. Music directors love Alfred’s performance music. It is well graded to their specific level. We engage the strongest composers in the industry.
There are definite hits in the pop market with titles such as Dethklok’s Dethalbum and the latest Green Day release, 21st Century Breakdown.
Broadway/Movie titles are still strong this year as well. Hairspray, Sweeney Todd and Mamma Mia! continue to be strong. People love Broadway and movie songs because they are so playable and singable. Broadway also translates very well to the school market (band, choir, orchestra). Kids in particular are very drawn to our library of movie titles like Star Wars and Harry Potter titles, which we have for almost every instrument.
Self instruction books are also doing well. The products are primarily for combo instruments such as guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums. Many people have “learn to play an instrument” on their ‘To Do’ list for life, so they start by trying out the instrument with a self instruction book/DVD. Once they get a taste of what it’s like to play, they often progress to working with a teacher. We have several strong titles in this category including MAX, Basix, Teach Yourself, and the 101 series. With the economic challenges, more people are turning to things like making music for entertainment. If they have a guitar in the closet or keyboard around the house, it costs less to buy a self-instruction book than it does to take a family of four to McDonalds.
Cranley: Our hottest products are the new formats and supplemental materials that accompany many of our longstanding best sellers. The names of Thompson, Burnam and Gillock are so entrenched in the minds of teachers, students and former students. When we released our Popular Solos for Thompson, we saw immediate strong results. I believe that consumers will always have an attachment to products that worked for them and as we produce new supplemental products, they are immediately interested. Willis also introduced the Dozen a Day for Guitar book and again we were able to capitalize on a bedrock name with something new and exciting.
Palombo: Beginner products always do best for us, but our Metal Guitar series is flying off the shelf; especially the Alexi Laiho products. Guitar heroes have for the most part always come from the metal scene; they are the players that drive the desire and influences new generations to pick up an instrument and play. That is something that is never going to change, there will always be new virtuoso and rabid fans who want to emulate their hero.
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