by Peter Wolf.

Peter Wolf

I guess you know by now that I really like this industry and the people you meet along the way (see: "Gathering of the Tribe"). Well, what’s so unique about it? The most interesting aspect seems to be the fact that you are meeting people from all paths of life when you’re in it. No matter what people do, what kind of job they have or how they earn their living, most people like music. Additionally, almost everyone you meet was or is a musician whether he/she works in manufacturing, retail, distribution, media or if he/she is a back liner, merchandiser or hard core bus driver. As far as career opportunities in our little industry are concerned, these are the different fields and levels I see. I’m sure there’s more to it but these are the main ones, which include a possible education or ‘learning’ the skills to do the job and provide real opportunities to experience and appreciate a professional career in the musical instruments industry.

Instrument building/ manufacturing

Manufacturing is a big word but it’s a big task, too. It’s one thing to make a guitar or a bass in a month or two. It’s a very different objective to make 30 a day. I guess I would start with ‘making’ something in a smaller environment, for instance at a local builder or luthier. Later on, the knowledge, experience and learned logistics could be utilized in a larger environment as a builder in manufacturing. Although most larger manufacturers don’t work in the same way, where one person ‘makes’ an entire instrument alone, it’s always an advantage if you can do it because it makes you very useful in every aspect of making an instrument (since we’re talking about guitars here, it would be the woodshop, finish process and final assembly) but also preps you for a possible position in administration, even sales or marketing. At PRS for instance, a number of members of upper management started as regular sanders or workers in production.

• Usually one product or product line

Distribution

Distribution is essentially selling something your company or somebody else makes, either to a retailer or the end consumer. Most manufacturers in the MI industry sell to dealers (retailers) who are selling to consumers. Most American manufacturers handle their own distribution domestically whereas in export markets they are usually using independent distributors who are selling to their dealers in each country. Some of these distributors are bigger than the manufacturer they buy from and usually handle several products for their market. They employ reps, handle all of their marketing themselves as well as artist relations and accounting and are helping to brand and market the product as best as they can and in close relationship with the manufacturer whose products they distribute. They exhibit at trade shows, warehouse and inspect, sell and ship the products to the market place.

• Usually several different products or product lines

Retail

A retailer or dealer sells many different products, sometimes hundreds or even thousands (if you include effects, strings, instruments, drums, amplifiers, PA systems or recording gear) and is in constant, direct contact with the consumer (musicians, sound companies, rental companies, studios and artists).

You will learn and gain experience about a large number of brands, their marketing strategies, the differences between the brands as far as manufacturing, distribution or quality is concerned and you will gain a very broad and deep knowledge about what’s out there, what’s good, what’s better, what sells and what doesn’t and why that is the case.

• broad variety of products or product lines

I’m lucky enough to have had the opportunity to learn and work in all of these fields in the past 30 years. I was involved in one of Europe’s largest retail stores in the late Seventies, Eighties and early Nineties. I owned and ran a distribution company (PRS Germany) for over 10 years and I have the pleasure to currently work as Director of Sales & Marketing at PRS Guitars, who in my opinion (hey – what else can I say) is one of the most interesting companies in our industry on many levels.

It was a wild time when I started my retail career at Prosound Music Center in Koblenz, Germany (in the beautiful Rhine/Mosel valley with all the vineyards and castles), which later led to leading one of Europe’s best and most successful guitar stores.

We used to drive to England from Germany on weekends and came back with a VW bus full of gear we couldn’t get back then in our own country. We did the same trip every 4-5 weeks, as early as 1974. I was 20-years-old. We would drive to London (going on a Hoovercraft ferry across the channel) and hit Shaftesbury Avenue in London where all the little dealers, manufacturers and makers were located who supplied the growing rock ‘n’ roll market. I met Jim Marshall, Charlie Watkins (WEM) and the guys from Coloursound, Laney, Orange, Burns, Wal, MM, Hill, Soundcraft and other manufacturers, as well as owners, accountants and salesmen from all kinds of companies. Some of them are still around and others aren’t. I attended my first trade shows and started to learn how to make sense of it. We would see shows at the Marquis Club, buy gear, drive back and sell the goodies in our store.

I think I can say that I learned the most, by far, in retail. The variety of products, the variety of customers and vendors, the development of products and brands and the importance of early retailers (also through feedback from musicians and users) to manufacturers, as far as feedback and product development was concerned, was incredible. We also had the luxury to ‘road-test’ the gear in real life (live) situations and find out about sounds, reliability and usefulness in a more and more competitive environment. While guitars haven’t really changed that much, mixing boards for instance, have. The 16-channel WEM mixer with a 3-band EQ Pink Floyd used for Umma Gumma was 9 feet long and 400 pounds heavy and we could not fit it in a VW bus. We had to rent a truck to bring it home. Over time, things have become smaller and more efficient but I never forget what I felt when I first saw a 4560 bass bin as part of a three-way sound system at an open-air concert. We used to call it ‘black wood’ when talking about these first concert PA systems that were coming out in ‘72/’73.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that retail provides the broadest and deepest look into what’s going on in our industry. It’s certainly a good place to start and it will give you the necessary knowledge and experience to move on. From there, it’s a question of how much you put into it, what your talents and skills are, what fits your personality and where your main interest and focus lay.

Of course, there are also a variety of positions that intertwine with each other. There’s media, Artist Relations, Managements, Promoters, concert venues and everything else that brings music to us and all of them are part of this little industry. It’s not a cut and dry industry such as others. It deals with emotions, feelings and artistry more than most other industries do. Sometimes people skills and management are required, other times you need to rip a really good solo to impress somebody. Most importantly, it’s a fun industry with a great deal of good people who are all into music. What’s not to like?

By the way, our new album, Never Give Up, is out and should be available at cdbaby in a few weeks. If you’re interested to get a taste, please go to:

www.supernaturalmuzic.com (music)

or

www.myspace.com/17086301

Next month I’ll tell you about the gear we’ve been using for the new record and we’ll check out Thomas, my other half.