Despite the economy, the 2010 music business’ international trade show, NAMM, just drew over 86,000 music professionals and artists and an astounding 1,800 musical instrument manufactures and retailers. Covering 800,000 square feet of space and spanning four days, it was an impressive tempest of activity, excitement and non-stop business.



From world-renowned brands like Fender, Roland and Zildjian to niche and newcomer companies such as Zon Guitars and Orlando’s Wind Instruments, the scope and scale of attendees was massive.

Although estimates vary, it is projected that 20% of the US population currently play an instrument of some type. That decreases further to approximately 10% of the population for guitar players and just 5% for drummers. Considering that there were over 500 guitar manufacturers and over 150 cymbal and drum companies at NAMM, the level of competition and clutter for relatively small markets was, and is, epic.

So in this fragmented and cluttered market, how can these countless brands stand out and connect with target consumers? Well, it’s certainly not through big media investment and ad campaigns. Unlike CPG, automotive, or other competitive markets that have the benefit of significant media budgets, the music industry has exceptionally limited media spending. Buying share simply isn’t an option.

What works best?  In many cases, falling back to the proven strategy of building buzz at the grass roots level, one customer at a time. The combination of strong retailer relations, meaningful artist endorsements, and a deep understanding of customer and prospect needs is certainly a place to start. Encouraging customers to act as a marketing channel is how brand messages can be efficiently proliferated. That means enabling two-way customer communications through social media, blogs, and content sharing is key, as is face-to-face brand exposure.

Marshall Amps use of Slash to Introduce a New Product

Allen & Gerritsen’s work with music industry clients has shown that it’s very difficult to buy share by outspending the competition, however if customers respect and value your products, validated with professional artist endorsements, it’s possible to engage passionate musicians at all skill levels to become a part of the extended brand family.

As illustrated by brands such as Gibson, Marshall Amps and Zildjian - the recipe of base level media investment, artist relations, social media and a grass roots connection to the target audience is certainly a great place to start.