We’ve connected with several of the 2018
RPMDA Convention presenters to offer a
sample of what their upcoming presen-
tations have in store. The idea is to share
some practical tips that you can put into
practice right now while also encouraging
convention attendees to check out the full
sessions.
THE 21 ST CENTURY
PRINT DEPARTMENT
Bob Kohl, Long & McQuade
& Alan Friedman, FKCO
CMT: What are some of the most no-
table differences between how a print
department is run now vs. when you
first entered the industry?
Bob Kohl: I started in the print music
industry in 1979. At that time everything
to do with print music inventory manage-
ment was completely manual. My stock
records were kept on index cards and file
folders. Purchase orders were handwritten
using carbon paper to keep a file copy
and either sent to the publisher by post or
phoned in, if the supplier had a toll free
number.
Today, everything is automated. My
purchasing software creates a suggested
order based on whatever criteria I specify,
whether it’s placing a daily order to restock
titles that sold last week or forecasting for
a stock order to cover an entire selling sea-
son’s requirements. Purchase orders with
my largest print music suppliers are sent by
EDI directly from Long & McQuade’s soft-
ware system into the publisher’s computer
system, eliminating the risk of data entry
errors. Purchase orders for other print mu-
sic suppliers are sent by email. Inventory
management reports alert me to areas that
require attention, whether it’s identifying
dormant stock that needs to be moved
to clearance or tagging best sellers to be
featured in prime merchandising spaces.
CMT: Print and educational media
products have largely kept pace with
popular formats – for example, VHS
to DVD to online video. Can you think
of times when the print industry was
notably ahead of or behind the curve
in adopting a format or technology?
BK: I agree that print music is keeping
pace with the progress of technology.
Many new print music titles now feature
user access codes for online support
content that is truly remarkable. The ironic
part of this transition is that, in some cases,
it has resulted in a lower retail price for a
book because the production cost is more
economical than the legacy formats of
book with CD or book with DVD. This makes
print music more accessible and a lot more
interesting for customers who are budget
conscience and tech savvy.
CMT: Are there any current or incom-
ing trends affecting the industry in
general to which publishers and/or
retailers have to adapt?
BK: People notoriously leave things to
the last min ute and one of the biggest
challenges that music retailers have
always struggled with is being able to fill
a customer’s request on demand. Print
music has now transitioned beyond just
commercially printed books and sheets to
digital downloads, which provide instant
access to a staggeringly huge amount
of repertoire. This format also offers the
flexibility to customize the score to suit a
customer’s specific needs by changing the
key or instrumentation or level of difficulty.
Interestingly, the inclusion of this new dig-
ital delivery service into the music retailer’s
offering has not impacted the overall sales
of traditional print music products.
CMT: What do you plan to share with
those attending your session about
how they can up their game and gener-
ally refine their approach for a success-
ful 21 st century print department?
BK: Print music is a “constant consumable”
and a great print music department can be
a key motivator to drive customer traffic to
your music retail business. Today’s diversity
and variety of print music product offerings
are now actually expanding the customer
base and making print music accessible and
interesting to all kinds of musicians.
The landscape of retail is ever chang-
ing, and if your business is not evolving,
it is going extinct. While it is essential to
stay current and adapt to industry and
consumer trends, be mindful that the first
steps you take may not always lead in the
right direction. Get your bearings and keep
moving forward and you will usually find
yourself on the correct path.
TWO STEPS BACK,
ONE SPRINT FORWARD
Elliott Wessel, Schmitt Music
A FRESH GRAB
BAG OF RETAIL
IDEAS
RPMDA and print and educational media
industry in general are known.
“We’re very proud of the camaraderie
in this organization and the reputation the
event carries,” Langlie shares. “In planning
the program, attention is given to finding
topics that are relevant to both retailers
and publishers, and at the same time will
generate discussion about how these
topics can affect each in different ways
and how we can work together to address
them.”
Of course, the acceleration of techno-
logical evolution has affected virtually every
sector of the business world, and as Langlie
acknowledges, print music is no different.
This will not only be a theme of exploration
at the 2018 convention, but also a key focus
for the association going forward.
“The eventuality of digital delivery is
of huge interest and concern to the print
industry,” Langlie emphasizes. “I believe that
a move to strictly digital is still a long way off,
but as disruptive technologies seem to just
suddenly appear, this organization’s role as
an arbitrator of these eventualities is more
important than ever.”
CMT: First off, can you break down
what you mean by taking two steps
back and one sprint forward when it
comes to your print department?
Elliott Wessel: When there are reports of
any product category showing declining
sales over a period of years, for whatev-
er reasons, a closer examination of that
category’s profitability is bound to follow.
CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE • 21