Atlanta music stores not worried about Best Buy’s in-store music centers
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008Best Buy Co. Inc. recently announced its plan to open as many as 85 in-store music instrument centers by the end of this year in time to service all your holiday musical needs.
No word yet if one of the dozens of Best Buy stores in the Atlanta area will grab a golden ticket, but Atlanta’s indie music stores aren’t fretting over the possibility of new competition.
“I’d rather them not be selling exactly what we’re selling, but I really don’t see it as a threat,” said Dave Strohauer, president of Earthshaking Music, about one mile from a Best Buy. “Maybe, I’m wrong, but I don’t think they can offer what we do in terms of sales and service.”
While the Associated Press reported that the up-and-coming instrument retailer is “hoping to cater to everyone from the garage guitarist to a recording musician,” it’s pretty vague on exactly what type and what level of products will be carried.
“It would seem that a primarily electronics and media retailer would lack the credibility to be able to support the advanced [musician],” said Aaron Rathone, manager of Dirt Cheep Music in Smyrna. “I think they will stick to what they do best, which is sell the top name brands at the lowest price.”
