Running 4 store locations is no small feat. Especially in the music retail/music lesson space. I know first hand how hard it is. I founded, grew and operated a 4 location music lesson/retail business, Progressive Music Center, for 26 years. Knowing what I know, I can’t imagine trying to operate and manage 45 locations as Sam Ash Music did successfully for so many years.
I knew Sammy Ash, the company’s COO and most visible family member, personally. When Sam died in 2023 from cancer I started to wonder how the company would fare without him. While I don’t think Sam Ash Music is closing simply due to Sam’s passing, I do think it has a role to play. What really did the retailer in is pretty simple - the internet.
Reverb.com has grown to be the leader in online sales. Even Sam Ash sold products on the marketplace, and competition from other retailers such as Guitar Center and Sweetwater have eroded Sam Ash Music’s ability to stay competitive, so it’s no surprise that the long time music retailer faced a decline.
The real issue is the loss of another place where the budding player could get a start and be surrounded by a like minded community. When stores close we sometimes loose so much more than just a place to spend our money. We loose a valuable resource.
In this podcast I’ll discuss the deeper loss of the music retailer. My apologies for that little “popping” sound. I’m not sure what that is and I couldn’t edit it out, but I’ll chase that down to eliminate it for future episodes.
Would love to hear your comments and if you were a customer of the venerable retailer, please leave me a note below.
Share this post