Prodigious Print

Here’s some news that’s fit to print: No matter what the print industry has had thrown its way in the past several years (such as the alleged “death of print”), it not only continues to do well, but is thriving. The music print industry had another good year in 2018, and things look strong again this year. There are a lot of reasons for this success, which we will let our two panelists explain. But one such positive trend has been the impressive strength of movie tie-ins. Last year, two movies had tremendous tie-ins: “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “A Star is Born.” 2019 should prove to have at least one more movie tie-in when “Rocketman,” the Elton John biopic, debuts in theaters on May 31. But movie tie-ins are not the only thing lifting the print industry, as our panelists David Jahnke, senior vice president, national sales for Hal Leonard and Alex Ordoñez, vice president, sales and marketing, North America for Alfred Music, will explain.

“2018 was an exceptional year for music education,” Jahnke told the Music & Sound Retailer. “The school music side of our business (essential elements, choral, concert band, orchestra, jazz band) saw record gains in 2018, and when that is combined with hits like ‘Greatest Showman’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ it’s the making of a great year. The vibe at The NAMM Show provided us with a level of retail optimism that reinforced our commitment to working with our retailers in new and innovative ways. We really appreciated the amount of time retailers gave us at NAMM to discuss in earnest ways to help them grow their business.”

“The state of the music publishing industry is solid, and 2018 was no exception,” responded Ordoñez. “Although challenges exist due to many online factors, such as illegal downloading and photocopying, the health of the school music business remains strong. This is a great sign for the entire industry. 2019 is off to a great start!”

Regarding what’s driving the industry today, Ordoñez pointed to a closer relationship between physical and digital formats. “Both equally provide a lot of value to both students and teachers, but not at the detriment of one over the other.”

“The trend in print is to harness new technology to take the educational possibilities and enjoyment of making music to a whole new level,” added Jahnke. “The ability to add enhanced audio and video content online through our ‘MyLibrary’ program opens up a new world of options for print.”

One for the Ages

Both Alfred and Hal Leonard pointed to having an excellent NAMM Show this year. We asked both what products they launched at the trade show and followed up by asking which items are currently their best sellers.

“The publishing world is a little different than the rest of the MI industry when it comes to NAMM,” answered Jahnke. “Instrument manufacturers will target NAMM for the release of new products, whereas we’re creating and releasing new products daily. We use NAMM as a place to showcase important series in addition to new releases. That being said, our ‘New at NAMM’ list had more than 300 new and recently released titles represented. Among some of the standouts: Guardians of Guitar gave a NAMM 2019 Top Pick to ‘Vaideology — Basic Music Theory for Guitar Players’ by legendary guitar virtuoso Steve Vai. It’s a remarkable book offering a rare glimpse into the brilliance of Steve’s basic teaching philosophies spelled out at an approachable level for the rest of humanity. Our ‘Real Book Multi-Tracks Play-Along’ series won a SBO Best Tools for Schools — Best Jazz Teaching Tool award for 2019. This series is a perfect example of the marriage of print and technology because it combines traditional, easy-to-read print lead sheets with customizable audio tracks delivered online.”

“‘Our Essential Elements Band’ and ‘Orchestra’ method series continues to grow,” he added regarding today’s bestselling products. “This isn’t too surprising, since it’s a proven pedagogically sound method that is enhanced with a vast wealth of online educational support for teachers, parents and students.”

‘The school music side of our business (essential elements, choral, concert band, orchestra, jazz band) saw record gains in 2018, and when that is combined with hits like “Greatest Showman” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” it’s the making of a great year.’

— David Jahnke, Hal Leonard

Queen is also a best seller, he continued. “If you need proof of the power of movies and music, just watch ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ Not only has it reminded us original Queen fans of the brilliance of the band, it has introduced their music to a new generation, too. Demand for middle- and highschool choral and band/orchestra/jazz ensemble arrangements of Queen is extraordinary. We’re eagerly waiting for the release of ‘Rocketman’ to see if it will have the same impact on Elton John’s vast catalog of music.”

And on the piano side for Hal Leonard, “We are honored to be partnering with Randy and Nancy Faber in the distribution of Faber Piano Adventures. Their mission of creating musical minds through a solid combination of pedagogy and artistic creativity at every skill level has gained their methods worldwide acclaim.”

“‘Guitars for Vets Easy Guitar Tab Songbook’ was a huge hit at this year’s Winter NAMM show,” stated Ordoñez. “This is an organization that directly impacts military veterans dealing with PTSD by providing them with guitars, a forum to learn how to play, and as of Feb. 1, the official songbook is absolutely free. Also, our ‘Sound Innovations Band & String Method’ continues to grow with the addition of new resources to include all of book one free in Smart- Music, SI Online, Sound Percussion and newly released Sound Leadership by Scott Lang.”

Best sellers today include school music, such as methods and performance/supplemental music, added Ordoñez.

‘“Guitars for Vets Easy Guitar Tab Songbook” was a huge hit at this year’s Winter NAMM show.’

— Alex Ordoñez, Alfred Music

Hooray for RPMDA

Depending upon when you are reading this, the Retail Print Music Dealers Association (RPMDA) Convention is just a few short days from now, taking place May 1 to 4 at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay in San Diego. In addition to the education sessions taking place there, attendees can take part in a visit to NAMM’s headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif., take a view of the Museum of Making Music, attend a San Diego Padres game and enjoy a San Diego harbor cruise. We asked each panelist what their goals are for this year’s show.

“Continue to discuss creative ways in which we can work together with retailers outside the norm, as well as leave with a better understanding of challenges retailers are currently seeing on the front lines and how we can help provide solutions through our products and services,” relayed Ordoñez.

“The real advantage of RP- MDA goes beyond the amazing educational and thoughtprovoking sessions,” responded Jahnke, who serves as 2018- 2019 RPMDA president. “Our goal is to provide a platform where retailers and print-centric manufacturers of all sizes can gather to share ideas and gain inspiration. We know there are a lot of questions surrounding print and media in the 21st century, and we’re not saying we have all of the answers, but working together, we can put plans in place to move businesses forward.”

Perhaps discussed at the show, at least anecdotally, will be possible shifts in how consumers consume media products. We asked both panelists to discuss this topic.

“We have seen tremendous growth in the number of people accessing our online audio and video,” answered Jahnke. “In fact, in the first two months of 2019, we’ve already had as many code redemptions as in all of 2018. Consumers not only appreciate accessing demo and play-along tracks, they’re coming to expect them. If we release a book without audio, we get customers contacting us asking where the audio is. Our editorial team is definitely keeping that in mind for all new releases.”

“We are seeing that both physical and digital products have a seat at the table simultaneously and actually complement one another rather than replace,” responded Ordoñez. “Alfred Music embraces technology and knows that end users are constantly looking for new ways to consume. This is something that we continue to be extremely mindful of when developing new or updating older products.”

We wrapped up our print update by asking our respondents to provide MI retailers with advice on how to best sell their products.

“Our team of world-class influencers, such as our composers, authors and arrangers, are here to help you. Whether it’s providing original content for your blog/social strategy, participating in online forums, presenting clinics or reading sessions at your store, or sponsoring a session at your local MEA [Music Educators Association] show, our team is here to help. Depending on the scope, a lot of these can be accomplished with very little expense,” said Ordoñez.

“Merchandising, communication and lesson programs,” noted Jahnke. “On the merchandising side, we’re living in a somewhat attention-deficit society, so we need to make it really easy for the people walking into the store to find things. Crossmerchandising (putting drum books by drum sets, ukulele books by ukuleles, etc.) is so important. Communication with your favorite publisher is also extremely important. We want to use our expertise in our product lines to help you achieve your personal goals for your store and your type of customers. Lesson programs: We always encourage store owners to inquire about the teaching materials that their studio teachers are using. Their store’s reputation is reliant on the educational experience that develops in those rooms. If a teacher is not using a method book, how can they measure their students’ success? Additionally, if their teachers are not using method books, the store is losing revenue.”

Jahnke concluded, “We know people have questions about print music. There is so much amazing content available that it can be overwhelming to think about. Let us work with your team to ensure you have the right products to meet the demands of your clientele. We’re here to help.”

By Brian Berk