September 1st 2008, The virtual doors of my company opened for business. We offered exactly 5 products for sale. All Wuhan cymbals 3 "S" series splashes and 2 china's the 12" and 16" models. Not really to much to crow about sorta speak, but they say a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. That was C&S's first steps. It's not really anything to brag about anyone with an idea and a half a brain could accomplish what I have. In fact I think most of you would be far more successful than I. Whether we are a success or not is still a very much open question, I'm just happy that we are still in business.
In the two years we have been a company we have completed several thousand sales. Although are Ebay feedback is only now approaching the 550 mark. Even an Ebay rep I recently talked to remarked that despite what she said was " above average satisfaction" My company had a below average feedback response. Both she and I found that to be a bit curious. Over 99% positive feedback, yet so few bother to even give us feedback. I suppose it's just a quirk of doing business on line. The experience has offered me both elation and bitter disappointment. Overall it's been way more satisfactory than not, I have become friends with many customers. I have meet some extremely cool people and when they say how happy they are with their purchase it really gives me a sense of accomplishment. A satisfaction that really is hard to describe.
Since we opened our doors our steady in stock line of products usually is between 100-125 products. We've opened 2 ancillary sites a Blog www.cymbalsandsnares.blogspot.com/ and a You Tube channel www.youtube.com/ilduce61 Both serve as a way to communicate with customers and other drummers allows us to give really decent product video's and pretty pertinent written info. I set out into the world of E-commerce with an idea of building a community of drummers where information could be exchanged and a store at it's center to tie everything together. Has This ambition been achieved ? I suppose the jury is still out on that one, My own personal feelings is that we should be doing better and be bigger than what we are. Yet I cannot ignore the heartfelt support C & S has received and the number of people who have signed on as a friend, subscriber or however you'd like to refer to these people. On our 3 sites, It gives me reason to pause and say perhaps I am on to something, and two years is hardly time enough to declare success or failure.
So we plod through day after day trying to attract new customers and friends to be part of the C & S world. Statistics don't really mean squat they can be easily used for or against an argument just as easy, depending on your viewpoint. When you run a business whether it's an online or physical store you deal with tons and tons of numbers. The numbers of sales you made, the amount of each sale, how long was someone in your store, where did they come from, it goes on and on. It's really way more than I signed on for but I'm in the thick of it now so there's no going back. I wouldn't have it any other way, I enjoy it too much. I just want C & S to grow and grow and slowly but surely we have.
The central theme of C & S has been and always will be "The home of the Other Name Brands". It gives me great satisfaction to help promote and turn on drummers to excellent little known brands or products, and have them be completely satisfied with them. I get a sense of accomplishment doing that, seeing and building a company based on an idea you had and watching it embraced and supported by drummers all over the world is a good feeling. It has been successful enough to keep this entire operation a float for the last two years I hope we can keep on going as strong as we have been.
I don't have any plans on going anywhere anytime soon. I hope those of you reading this feel the same. We have some big plans for the future what company doesn't ? There are some very solid opportunities and avenue's we are exploring, there's a lot of hit and misses when you try and be the "alternative source" for percussion products. Not everything we order or try out makes it to the store, for various reasons. Quality, need, pricing there are as many reason for something not making it through are screening process as their are products. Still we try and are consistently looking for product's from the "Other Guys" to bring to you. There is just so much out there it's overwhelming at times. Quite frankly it wears you out at times. Sometimes I wonder how much easier it would be just to sell mainstream well known brands, But then we wouldn't be us and we'd be just another percussion site.
I could go on forever but I need to wrap this up. I would at this time like to thank every single person who has supported C & S either through purchases participation in our 3 websites or simply just talking to your friends about our company. Were Two years old today and I suppose in the scope of things it really is a little pre mature to talk in terms of success or failure. Just the fact I'm writing this must mean something what exactly that is I do not know. I do know that I will keep on doing what I have been for the last two years and with a little luck we will keep on growing and keep on doing what we have been. I sincerely hope you all stick around for the ride. Till next time my friends. T.
Overdrive Cymbals
Overdrive Cymbals T20 Series
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
How is it you became a Drummer ?
I really hope we get a few responses here, I'd like to hear how is it you all came to be drummers. I had always wanted to play an instrument, and from a very early age I had been attracted to the drums. In my grammar school they offered music lessons right after school. However the instrument's they offered didn't interest me at all, but learning how to play one did. I remember my parents telling me you can always switch to something else but at least you'll get the basics of playing an instrument. I thought about it for awhile and I was just so fascinated how people could do what they do with a piece of wood with strings or a head stretched across it, or a piece of brass twisted into crazy shapes I decided to take up the .......... Violin. I hated it. but I schlepped through a year or so of after school lessons and even did a concert with my class. After the show I realized I had reached the pinnacle, The Zenith of my Violin career it was on to bigger and better things.
Now our school for some reason did not offer drums or guitar lessons. The was after all the late 60's so maybe it was just long haired hippies who played those instruments I really don't know. But your choice was limited to what you could play. In about 5th grade I took up the Trumpet, I hated it. A year later and my trumpet career followed my Violin career it was over. it appeared to me at least I would never find a " cool" instrument to play. The next few years came and went All through Jr High I watched as my friends and kids at school took guitar, bass, drum and saxophone lessons. This was about the time Kids began to form Proto bands on their own.
I started High School in September 1975, I often would take a different bus home than the one I was assigned to if I were gonna hang out with some of my friends. My oldest and one of my dearest friend Antnie had an older brother Who was out of H.S. and had a job, Gerry was probably about 20 at the time. One day in school Antnie told me his brother had purchased a drum set and I should come over and mess around with it after school. His brother was cool and had no problem letting us fool around on it before he got home from work. For the first time in several years I was excited about playing an instrument again. I thought about it all day.
On the bus ride home all my friend did was describe the kit, what color it was ( Blue Sparkle) He talked about the cymbals the drum heads everything. It would probably be hilarious to listen to that very conversation today, two kids talking about an instrument neither one of us really knew anything about. My friend spoke with great reverence about his brother and how much the kit cost and how good a quality his drums and cymbals were. The bus ride seemed like it took 6 months to get us the 4 miles we lived from the school, I remember looking out the window to see if a dog sled team was pulling the behemoth of a bus. We finally got to my friends house and ran up the stairs , my buddy opened the door to his brothers bedroom and there lay before the coolest looking Blue Sparkle 5 piece pearl drum kit.
Initially the kit seemed to have a halo around it an aura if you will. I just stood there looking at it. My friend instantly jumped on the kit and began to play the one and only beat he would ever learn. We would take turns playing along with records, just messing around and having fun. I thought to myself now this is COOL. We had a blast on that kit. It wasn't long before I approached my parents and asked about taking drum lessons. My parents God rest their souls were always very supportive of my musical endeavors. They agreed to pay for lessons and I was soon taking Drum lessons at a music school in the next town over. The school sold practice pads and sticks, my first practice pad was 3 pieces of wood in an A frame tipped on it's side with a big piece of rubber on it. My first drum book was the classic " progressive steps to Syncopation for the Modern drummer By Ted Reed.
Who knows if I ever would have taken the steps to play the drums hadn't that happened. I was always interested in the drums, Drums and bass guitar were always my favorite instruments but I often wonder if I ever would have become the drummer that I am today. Perhaps I owe it all to a guy named Gerry Petoia. The drums came into my life in the fall of 1975 and have never left. Things come and go in my life but the one thing perhaps the only true constant of my life have been the drums. I honestly don't know what I would do without them. How about You ? Till next time. T
Now our school for some reason did not offer drums or guitar lessons. The was after all the late 60's so maybe it was just long haired hippies who played those instruments I really don't know. But your choice was limited to what you could play. In about 5th grade I took up the Trumpet, I hated it. A year later and my trumpet career followed my Violin career it was over. it appeared to me at least I would never find a " cool" instrument to play. The next few years came and went All through Jr High I watched as my friends and kids at school took guitar, bass, drum and saxophone lessons. This was about the time Kids began to form Proto bands on their own.
I started High School in September 1975, I often would take a different bus home than the one I was assigned to if I were gonna hang out with some of my friends. My oldest and one of my dearest friend Antnie had an older brother Who was out of H.S. and had a job, Gerry was probably about 20 at the time. One day in school Antnie told me his brother had purchased a drum set and I should come over and mess around with it after school. His brother was cool and had no problem letting us fool around on it before he got home from work. For the first time in several years I was excited about playing an instrument again. I thought about it all day.
On the bus ride home all my friend did was describe the kit, what color it was ( Blue Sparkle) He talked about the cymbals the drum heads everything. It would probably be hilarious to listen to that very conversation today, two kids talking about an instrument neither one of us really knew anything about. My friend spoke with great reverence about his brother and how much the kit cost and how good a quality his drums and cymbals were. The bus ride seemed like it took 6 months to get us the 4 miles we lived from the school, I remember looking out the window to see if a dog sled team was pulling the behemoth of a bus. We finally got to my friends house and ran up the stairs , my buddy opened the door to his brothers bedroom and there lay before the coolest looking Blue Sparkle 5 piece pearl drum kit.
Initially the kit seemed to have a halo around it an aura if you will. I just stood there looking at it. My friend instantly jumped on the kit and began to play the one and only beat he would ever learn. We would take turns playing along with records, just messing around and having fun. I thought to myself now this is COOL. We had a blast on that kit. It wasn't long before I approached my parents and asked about taking drum lessons. My parents God rest their souls were always very supportive of my musical endeavors. They agreed to pay for lessons and I was soon taking Drum lessons at a music school in the next town over. The school sold practice pads and sticks, my first practice pad was 3 pieces of wood in an A frame tipped on it's side with a big piece of rubber on it. My first drum book was the classic " progressive steps to Syncopation for the Modern drummer By Ted Reed.
Who knows if I ever would have taken the steps to play the drums hadn't that happened. I was always interested in the drums, Drums and bass guitar were always my favorite instruments but I often wonder if I ever would have become the drummer that I am today. Perhaps I owe it all to a guy named Gerry Petoia. The drums came into my life in the fall of 1975 and have never left. Things come and go in my life but the one thing perhaps the only true constant of my life have been the drums. I honestly don't know what I would do without them. How about You ? Till next time. T
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Cymbals & Snares You Tube Channel
IN my opinion to have a truly interactive web based retail operation you need more than just a web store. In support of our Ebay store we also have a blog which if your reading this you probably have already figured out. We also have a You Tube channel Which of course we always put convenient links too. www.youtube.com/ilduce61 Like that. What I'm trying to accomplish is a comprehensive Internet Drumpire that is totally user friendly and interactive. Each day a little more gets accomplished, each day I learn a little more, each day things get a little closer to reality.
The Business itself which is the engine that powers everything gets a little stronger. Our customer base gets bigger as does our following on You Tube and Blogger. Our You Tube channel which I'd like to concentrate on has seen explosive growth since it's integration into the C & S store. Although The channel is a year old, it was unused it just sat there I put no video's on it I never even visited the site. Cruising YT one day I realized there were so many drum and cymbal video's on it I should consider utilizing this avenue as a way to advertise my products and company. We had been using video's on our Ebay store almost from the start, It was stupid and a serious oversight on my part not to utilize this avenue of communication.
So 6 months ago I began to upload our product video's to our YT channel and a literal explosion happened which has not subsided since. We now have approximately 125 video's on our Channel which have received tens of thousands of hits in that time. I have also interacted with questions from hundreds of viewers. We have built a following of over 200 devotee's and we grow bigger and stronger all the time. It's a good feeling to know an Idea that peculated in my damaged brain could come to fruition like it has. I'd like to thank everyone who has purchased product from us, who have joined our Blog and joined our You Tube channel. I'd also like to thank everyone who has signed up for our store newsletter. Although if you put all of the people together that I just mentioned it only comes to a little over 300 people. It's tiny by comparison to the big guys in the game. We will not stop until we are one of the big guys in the game.
Our next efforts will be to boost our inventory and work on expanding the reach and scope of our Blog. Thia is another excellent way to interact with other drummers and customers. It is another avenue which has been underutilized by my company. I work hard at building a reputation of honesty and trust with our store and the info I dish out on our You Tube channel . Doing the same on our blog is just a natural extension. Till next time T
The Business itself which is the engine that powers everything gets a little stronger. Our customer base gets bigger as does our following on You Tube and Blogger. Our You Tube channel which I'd like to concentrate on has seen explosive growth since it's integration into the C & S store. Although The channel is a year old, it was unused it just sat there I put no video's on it I never even visited the site. Cruising YT one day I realized there were so many drum and cymbal video's on it I should consider utilizing this avenue as a way to advertise my products and company. We had been using video's on our Ebay store almost from the start, It was stupid and a serious oversight on my part not to utilize this avenue of communication.
So 6 months ago I began to upload our product video's to our YT channel and a literal explosion happened which has not subsided since. We now have approximately 125 video's on our Channel which have received tens of thousands of hits in that time. I have also interacted with questions from hundreds of viewers. We have built a following of over 200 devotee's and we grow bigger and stronger all the time. It's a good feeling to know an Idea that peculated in my damaged brain could come to fruition like it has. I'd like to thank everyone who has purchased product from us, who have joined our Blog and joined our You Tube channel. I'd also like to thank everyone who has signed up for our store newsletter. Although if you put all of the people together that I just mentioned it only comes to a little over 300 people. It's tiny by comparison to the big guys in the game. We will not stop until we are one of the big guys in the game.
Our next efforts will be to boost our inventory and work on expanding the reach and scope of our Blog. Thia is another excellent way to interact with other drummers and customers. It is another avenue which has been underutilized by my company. I work hard at building a reputation of honesty and trust with our store and the info I dish out on our You Tube channel . Doing the same on our blog is just a natural extension. Till next time T
Friday, August 27, 2010
Were getting there
They say " Rome wasn't built in a day" well apparently neither was my Internet drumpire. It has taken a considerable amount of work and perseverance to get where I am today. I'm not complaining in fact I love every minute of it. We have certainly gained a loyal cadre of followers who consistently shop with us and visit and participate in our you tube site or our blogger site. It's gratifying to know as our companies reputation builds so does the trust and respect people have for it. It's nice that people will ask me questions about what to buy and why. It's really nice when someone writes back to me sometimes weeks later saying" hey T that advice you gave me was on the money " Being successful isn't all about dollars and sense.
It really gives me a sense of accomplishment when I can help out a fellow drummer. Whether he buys something or not, you did a good thing and that will be rewarded with maybe a sale from someone reading that exchange or a sale from that individual next time. Gratification comes in many forms. Instant is just one small part of it. As we quickly approach our second birthday I am thinking of doing a thank you Video to all who have participated in the growth of Cymbals & Snares. We have some really big things in the works, so big in fact if someone had said to me just 3 months ago just 90 short days ago this would be happening to you and your company I would have laughed. Speaking of laughing there were more than a few snickers among people I know when I announced I had opened a on line drum business. In a few months well see who's laughing now.
Anyway this is a short one tonight folks it's 3:09 am and I'm having a bout of sleeplessness, It's a terrible thing when it happens so instead of sitting around doing nothing I'd dash out a blog real quick. One that just says how much I'm enjoying the business, how much I enjoy interacting with everyone and how much I look forward to what the future holds. Till next time T
It really gives me a sense of accomplishment when I can help out a fellow drummer. Whether he buys something or not, you did a good thing and that will be rewarded with maybe a sale from someone reading that exchange or a sale from that individual next time. Gratification comes in many forms. Instant is just one small part of it. As we quickly approach our second birthday I am thinking of doing a thank you Video to all who have participated in the growth of Cymbals & Snares. We have some really big things in the works, so big in fact if someone had said to me just 3 months ago just 90 short days ago this would be happening to you and your company I would have laughed. Speaking of laughing there were more than a few snickers among people I know when I announced I had opened a on line drum business. In a few months well see who's laughing now.
Anyway this is a short one tonight folks it's 3:09 am and I'm having a bout of sleeplessness, It's a terrible thing when it happens so instead of sitting around doing nothing I'd dash out a blog real quick. One that just says how much I'm enjoying the business, how much I enjoy interacting with everyone and how much I look forward to what the future holds. Till next time T
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Our Audience, building one durmmer at a time
Good Morning everyone! Today C & S hit a milestone of sorts, Our you tube channel hit 200 friends and subscribers overnight. Compared to many you tube channels that's nothing, but were not talking about any channel were were talking about ours. That's something I'm pretty proud of, after all weve only been up and running for 6 months. Technically weve got a year under our belt but for the first six months we were a channel in name only. No Video's no content nothing.
We were using a pic hosting site that didn't allow for inbedding of Video's on our Ebay store. One day a friend suggested I incorporate our you tube site as our pic hosting site and embed our video's into out listings. This way potential buyers never leave your site. It was a great idea and we never looked back. After we started to develope our You tube site and add content, we almosy instantly began to attract followers.
Alot of our content is unique brands you normally don't see are suddenly alive in front of you. It's as if drummers were waiting for this channel to come along. Our Video's are different than most drum video's. There a little longer, we get more into explaining about the cymbal from it's alloy make up to it's sound to it's finish. We try not to just sit there and play a pattern on a ride we like to talk about the ride and highlight any unique and interesting sttributes it may have.
When we first started Cymbals & Snares I honestly had no idea where it was gonna go. Deep down inside I knew it was a marketable I dea. I knew if we positioned ourselfves properly in the market place we could go somewhere and we have. There's been some mistakes along the way and they'll be more. It's the kinds thing that you learn as you go, and were learning. One thing is for sure if we've attracted over 200 pe0ple in six motnhs to out You Tube site, our Blogger sute and our store newsletter we nust be doing something right. Now if we can just figure out what it is...... Till Next time T
We were using a pic hosting site that didn't allow for inbedding of Video's on our Ebay store. One day a friend suggested I incorporate our you tube site as our pic hosting site and embed our video's into out listings. This way potential buyers never leave your site. It was a great idea and we never looked back. After we started to develope our You tube site and add content, we almosy instantly began to attract followers.
Alot of our content is unique brands you normally don't see are suddenly alive in front of you. It's as if drummers were waiting for this channel to come along. Our Video's are different than most drum video's. There a little longer, we get more into explaining about the cymbal from it's alloy make up to it's sound to it's finish. We try not to just sit there and play a pattern on a ride we like to talk about the ride and highlight any unique and interesting sttributes it may have.
When we first started Cymbals & Snares I honestly had no idea where it was gonna go. Deep down inside I knew it was a marketable I dea. I knew if we positioned ourselfves properly in the market place we could go somewhere and we have. There's been some mistakes along the way and they'll be more. It's the kinds thing that you learn as you go, and were learning. One thing is for sure if we've attracted over 200 pe0ple in six motnhs to out You Tube site, our Blogger sute and our store newsletter we nust be doing something right. Now if we can just figure out what it is...... Till Next time T
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Add Campaign In full Swing
Any Successful business must advertize it's exsistence and it's products. That would be especially true for a business like ours. It's not that having a drum shop is all that strange, It isn't. What makes us different is our product selection and our theme " Home of the Other Name brand" That makes us a little different. You want to educate any potential customer that's he's not gonna see Pearl and Tama kits as far as the eye can see. He won't be bangin on any Zildjians or Sabians. It's only fair to him and to us. If you have no intrest in checking out alternative brands then don't come in. Because you ain't gonna find anything you like in here.
So Last week C & S has launched a duall search engine campaign. Were advertizing on both Google and Yahoo. They are the true giants of the internet search engines. We figured adds running on both SE would pretty much cover everybody. So far we are satidfied with the results. However clicks need to turn into sales or your add isn't worth running. It's still too early to tell weather or not our adds are gonna be successful.
Probably one of the most effective advertizing for us has been our You Tube and Blogger sites. We have a very stong and active following on You Tube and it's begun to spill over into our blogger page. These two sites make our company very interactive with our subscribers and friends. From my view point it's nice to be able to interact with my customer base. I have really gotten to know some of our regulars and I'm a better person for it. These two sites couple with our active add campaign should at least get our name out there and known. Recognition is the first step to success. I know our subscribers and friends have used good old word of mouth to entice other drummers to check us out. I have been told so, and that my friends is the most gratifying feeling in the world.
Moving into the Holiday season we plan on running our adds right through the holidays. Even though this is when many companies who don't advertize jump on the band wagon that's ok. Were a uniques company with a unique product line, desoite the onslaught of opportunistic advertizers I think we'll hold our own. Competition doesn't scare me. When I listed my very first cymbal on ebay on September 1st 2008, there were nearly 5,000 cymbals for sale. If competition bothered me I would have folded shop right then and there. Bring on the competition our products can more than handle it. Till next time T
So Last week C & S has launched a duall search engine campaign. Were advertizing on both Google and Yahoo. They are the true giants of the internet search engines. We figured adds running on both SE would pretty much cover everybody. So far we are satidfied with the results. However clicks need to turn into sales or your add isn't worth running. It's still too early to tell weather or not our adds are gonna be successful.
Probably one of the most effective advertizing for us has been our You Tube and Blogger sites. We have a very stong and active following on You Tube and it's begun to spill over into our blogger page. These two sites make our company very interactive with our subscribers and friends. From my view point it's nice to be able to interact with my customer base. I have really gotten to know some of our regulars and I'm a better person for it. These two sites couple with our active add campaign should at least get our name out there and known. Recognition is the first step to success. I know our subscribers and friends have used good old word of mouth to entice other drummers to check us out. I have been told so, and that my friends is the most gratifying feeling in the world.
Moving into the Holiday season we plan on running our adds right through the holidays. Even though this is when many companies who don't advertize jump on the band wagon that's ok. Were a uniques company with a unique product line, desoite the onslaught of opportunistic advertizers I think we'll hold our own. Competition doesn't scare me. When I listed my very first cymbal on ebay on September 1st 2008, there were nearly 5,000 cymbals for sale. If competition bothered me I would have folded shop right then and there. Bring on the competition our products can more than handle it. Till next time T
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Internet Only Or Brick & Mortar Also ?
Good Morning Everyone,
7am sharp on the 19th day of August 2010 Anno Domino. T here at Fort C & S. One of the many personal daemons I must fight is the occasional sleepless night, I had one last night Tossed and turned the entire night. It really sucks because the day is still coming whether your ready for it or not, You go threw the day tired and lethargic. I absolutely hate it. It's one of those issue's If you not troubled by it you'll never get it. Trust me it blows and it always seems to occur on day's when you really need to be sharp. I'll be lucky if I'm a butter knife today.
One of the questions that always seems to pop up from customers is are we ever going to open a physical retail location or always stay an Internet business. Truth be told Part of the grand master scheme is to eventually have a physical location from which to launch my fiendish plot for world domination. Any good businessman knows ruling out any possibility is foolish, As different opportunities avail themselves to Myself and the company each one has to be individually assets for it's positives and negatives as they relate to the company.
Part of the Grand Master Scheme for C & S would be to have a large and extensive Internet presence. Having both an Ebay store and a stand alone proprietary website. Optimize and utilize a Blog and social networking sites. To have a retail location with a music school attached. I think creating a warm inviting environment for student's to learn an instrument in is a key goal of mine. It's something I did not have, not by any one's fault. I was very fortunate my parents both supported my musical endeavors and when I expressed interest in drumming , Mom took me to the local music school and signed me up.
It's not like it was a bad place or their teachers sucked. It just wasn't a good place, not warm and or inviting not a place that motivated you to " go at it " sorta speak. In much the same way I grew disillusioned with the retail part of the business, I also grew tired of the almost haphazard way music lessons were given. As I decided to make a commitment to sell percussion instruments I also will make a commitment to change the teaching environment of instruments. Music lessons use to be offered when I was in Grammar school. I do not if this is true any longer. The instrument choices one had strangely left out the ENTIRE percussion field and guitar. These are some of the most popular instruments today.
I have absolutely nothing against traditional band instruments. Without them well we couldn't have a band. Just like C & S has it's niche retail market so will any school associated with C & S. It will be named " The School of Rock " for those who wish to learn Drums, Bass & Guitar. Any good musician should be exposed to other styles of music any school that does not do so in my opinion is remiss in it's duty and obligation To the student and the music community in general. There is however nothing wrong with a school that specializes in teaching this style of music. It's the most popular kind of music and there should be a school dedicated to teaching young musicians this genre.
So any retail operation would need to accommodate this part of the plan. Then the entire C & S operations can be consolidated under a single roof. I will admit this is an appealing aspect of the music industry one I think is terribly undeserved. For the moment are hands are full with the holiday season fast approaching and the Wholesale end of the business ramping up well look more into these type of opportunities , perhaps in the spring. So never say never but at least for the rest of this year we will remain an Internet operator. Till next time. T.
7am sharp on the 19th day of August 2010 Anno Domino. T here at Fort C & S. One of the many personal daemons I must fight is the occasional sleepless night, I had one last night Tossed and turned the entire night. It really sucks because the day is still coming whether your ready for it or not, You go threw the day tired and lethargic. I absolutely hate it. It's one of those issue's If you not troubled by it you'll never get it. Trust me it blows and it always seems to occur on day's when you really need to be sharp. I'll be lucky if I'm a butter knife today.
One of the questions that always seems to pop up from customers is are we ever going to open a physical retail location or always stay an Internet business. Truth be told Part of the grand master scheme is to eventually have a physical location from which to launch my fiendish plot for world domination. Any good businessman knows ruling out any possibility is foolish, As different opportunities avail themselves to Myself and the company each one has to be individually assets for it's positives and negatives as they relate to the company.
Part of the Grand Master Scheme for C & S would be to have a large and extensive Internet presence. Having both an Ebay store and a stand alone proprietary website. Optimize and utilize a Blog and social networking sites. To have a retail location with a music school attached. I think creating a warm inviting environment for student's to learn an instrument in is a key goal of mine. It's something I did not have, not by any one's fault. I was very fortunate my parents both supported my musical endeavors and when I expressed interest in drumming , Mom took me to the local music school and signed me up.
It's not like it was a bad place or their teachers sucked. It just wasn't a good place, not warm and or inviting not a place that motivated you to " go at it " sorta speak. In much the same way I grew disillusioned with the retail part of the business, I also grew tired of the almost haphazard way music lessons were given. As I decided to make a commitment to sell percussion instruments I also will make a commitment to change the teaching environment of instruments. Music lessons use to be offered when I was in Grammar school. I do not if this is true any longer. The instrument choices one had strangely left out the ENTIRE percussion field and guitar. These are some of the most popular instruments today.
I have absolutely nothing against traditional band instruments. Without them well we couldn't have a band. Just like C & S has it's niche retail market so will any school associated with C & S. It will be named " The School of Rock " for those who wish to learn Drums, Bass & Guitar. Any good musician should be exposed to other styles of music any school that does not do so in my opinion is remiss in it's duty and obligation To the student and the music community in general. There is however nothing wrong with a school that specializes in teaching this style of music. It's the most popular kind of music and there should be a school dedicated to teaching young musicians this genre.
So any retail operation would need to accommodate this part of the plan. Then the entire C & S operations can be consolidated under a single roof. I will admit this is an appealing aspect of the music industry one I think is terribly undeserved. For the moment are hands are full with the holiday season fast approaching and the Wholesale end of the business ramping up well look more into these type of opportunities , perhaps in the spring. So never say never but at least for the rest of this year we will remain an Internet operator. Till next time. T.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Hardware The Unsung hero of Drums.
Hey Everybody T here with another Riveting episode of C & S 's percussion blog. It's no secret to anyone who has shopped at C & S, http://www.cymbalsandsnares.com/ read our blog or followed our immensely popular You Tube Channel www.youtube.ilduce61.com/ That we are the epicenter of " The Other Name Brands" . The alternatives to the big guys. Drummers can be fiercely loyal to brands especially when it comes to Drum's and Cymbal's. I can totally relate, although I have always been willing to take a chance on another brand or product to what I normally might purchase. That's me and not everyone is like that after all a product like a brand of Drum or Heads or Cymbals is part of our signature, We don't like upsetting the apple cart.
However If there's one place you can take a relatively low risk of change it's with your Hardware. Cymbal stands, Tom holders, Pedals and the like, They can be a low cost opportunity for you to explore what other brands have to offer with little financial or physical risk to you. Here's a perfect example of what I mean. A few years back I wanted to add a few toms to my Mapex mars pro series kit. That would be 2 toms and a double tom holder, Not really thinking to much about it I went to my local Drum shop to inquire about ordering and pricing. Was I in for a Shock It was $180.00 for JUST the double tom holder !! Forgetabout the two drums. It wasn't like I didn't have the money I just didn't think It was worth it. The finale price was over $500 for everything. I choose not to order them. I then saw Cannon's double Tom set up like we sell for less than $200 for everything so I took a chance and purchased them. I could not have been happier. I got 2 quality toms and an excellent well built solid as a rock double tom holder for less than half the price I would have paid for the Mapex set up.
This Typifies the C & S mission if you will. There's just a lot of great Percussion products out there for prices way below what the big boys get. My personal hardware set up is a conglomerate of at least 5 brands of stands and pedals. I use DW, Tama, Mapex, TKO, Adam and Pearl . Lately we have been selling Hardware by both Cannon and TKO, both companies makes excellent quality well built products at very reasonable prices. Cannon makes some of the most underrated under discussed pedals in the industry. Their bass pedals are everything a drummer could want or need in a pedal, Their top of the line double kick sells for just $249. In the double kick world where high end, big name double kicks now exceed $1000 retail price, Cannons DK pedal suddenly begins to warrant at least a look see. That's a $750 price difference !!! You can buy a whole kit with the money you save.
TKO has long been a bastion of entry level products. Not cheap skid row stuff, just entry level products. Last year TKO upped the ante by introducing their first really Pro level line of products. For some companies it's quite a leap by TKO managed to pull it off seamlessly. Their 1200 series Cymbal stands and HH stand represents an excellent value for drummers. These are well built good looking stands at half the price you'd pay for essentially the same stuff from a bigger name company. You'll find features and quality that are not normally found at this price point. Their 1205 Boom stand features Euro-style quick lock handles ( L-shaped) double braced legs, over sized feet for secure footing , nice composite gaskets in between the height adjustment poles to prevent metal on metal contact, An over sized removable 2 lb counterweight and a telescopic boom arm that extends to almost 36 " !! We retail this stand for under $75.00 let me tell you, For the money this is absolutely the best stand in it's price range. If it had a major label on it it could easily sell for $50.00 to double the price it currently sells for.
At the moment we have a hodgepodge of Hardware from both companies, in September we will be bringing in TKO's entire line of 1200 series stands and Cannon's Roadpro series stands and their Action line of Bass pedals. If your looking to get some great quality stands and pedals at very reasonable prices Check out both of these lines at C & S in September. Till next time T
However If there's one place you can take a relatively low risk of change it's with your Hardware. Cymbal stands, Tom holders, Pedals and the like, They can be a low cost opportunity for you to explore what other brands have to offer with little financial or physical risk to you. Here's a perfect example of what I mean. A few years back I wanted to add a few toms to my Mapex mars pro series kit. That would be 2 toms and a double tom holder, Not really thinking to much about it I went to my local Drum shop to inquire about ordering and pricing. Was I in for a Shock It was $180.00 for JUST the double tom holder !! Forgetabout the two drums. It wasn't like I didn't have the money I just didn't think It was worth it. The finale price was over $500 for everything. I choose not to order them. I then saw Cannon's double Tom set up like we sell for less than $200 for everything so I took a chance and purchased them. I could not have been happier. I got 2 quality toms and an excellent well built solid as a rock double tom holder for less than half the price I would have paid for the Mapex set up.
This Typifies the C & S mission if you will. There's just a lot of great Percussion products out there for prices way below what the big boys get. My personal hardware set up is a conglomerate of at least 5 brands of stands and pedals. I use DW, Tama, Mapex, TKO, Adam and Pearl . Lately we have been selling Hardware by both Cannon and TKO, both companies makes excellent quality well built products at very reasonable prices. Cannon makes some of the most underrated under discussed pedals in the industry. Their bass pedals are everything a drummer could want or need in a pedal, Their top of the line double kick sells for just $249. In the double kick world where high end, big name double kicks now exceed $1000 retail price, Cannons DK pedal suddenly begins to warrant at least a look see. That's a $750 price difference !!! You can buy a whole kit with the money you save.
TKO has long been a bastion of entry level products. Not cheap skid row stuff, just entry level products. Last year TKO upped the ante by introducing their first really Pro level line of products. For some companies it's quite a leap by TKO managed to pull it off seamlessly. Their 1200 series Cymbal stands and HH stand represents an excellent value for drummers. These are well built good looking stands at half the price you'd pay for essentially the same stuff from a bigger name company. You'll find features and quality that are not normally found at this price point. Their 1205 Boom stand features Euro-style quick lock handles ( L-shaped) double braced legs, over sized feet for secure footing , nice composite gaskets in between the height adjustment poles to prevent metal on metal contact, An over sized removable 2 lb counterweight and a telescopic boom arm that extends to almost 36 " !! We retail this stand for under $75.00 let me tell you, For the money this is absolutely the best stand in it's price range. If it had a major label on it it could easily sell for $50.00 to double the price it currently sells for.
At the moment we have a hodgepodge of Hardware from both companies, in September we will be bringing in TKO's entire line of 1200 series stands and Cannon's Roadpro series stands and their Action line of Bass pedals. If your looking to get some great quality stands and pedals at very reasonable prices Check out both of these lines at C & S in September. Till next time T
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Silkens/ Cymbals & Snares To Get Major Press
Hey everybody Hot enough for ya ?!? How many times have ya heard that this summer ? Let's try something different How 'bout them Yankees huh ? Hey I'm in Jersey Give me a break. Seriously here in the northeast it has been a sweltering hot and humid summer. One good thing about living in jersey when I die If I go to hell I'll be all set. It just can't get any hotter or humid than it is here in the good old Garden State.
Like the heading of this blog says Cymbals & Snares is on the verge of getting some major press. It will feature a small spotlight of one of our brands Silken Cymbals. At this point I'm not sure what the etique is about making an announcement like this. There are some absolutely wonderful people helping me to make this happen. I will tell you this for people of this stature in the industry to take notice of Silken Cymbals is an endorsement of their quality right there. More importantly for them to take notice of my company which on the grand scheme of things is tiny by comparison to almost everyone ( But it won't stay that way) That they would even bother to consider it let alone give it the green light is more than heartwarming. Words cannot express my gratitude to these gentleman. When it comes time I will name names becuase their publication and they themselves desrve alot of credit.
When I get up every morning I don't feel daunted by the task that lie's ahead of me. I should My competition could eat me for breakfast any day of the week. Some of them have a bigger advertizing budget per week than my entire company is worth 10 times over for the entire years of sales. What really keeps me going is I absolutely love drums. Selling them and everything that goes with them put's a smile on my face. Knowing I did right by that last customer just gives me a great feeling. The emails and comments I recieve about our company the products we sell the service people get tells me I'm onto something. It's a niche that nobody else is in. That works out well for both you and I. In one way we have a ton of competition in other ways we have none. At C & S were gonna keep on plugging away doing what we do. The deciding factor wether were doing it right or were onto something is the cash register. No matter how noble your Idea's are unless you make a profit your not going anywhere. So far the cash registar has been ringing, let's hope it stays that way. T
Like the heading of this blog says Cymbals & Snares is on the verge of getting some major press. It will feature a small spotlight of one of our brands Silken Cymbals. At this point I'm not sure what the etique is about making an announcement like this. There are some absolutely wonderful people helping me to make this happen. I will tell you this for people of this stature in the industry to take notice of Silken Cymbals is an endorsement of their quality right there. More importantly for them to take notice of my company which on the grand scheme of things is tiny by comparison to almost everyone ( But it won't stay that way) That they would even bother to consider it let alone give it the green light is more than heartwarming. Words cannot express my gratitude to these gentleman. When it comes time I will name names becuase their publication and they themselves desrve alot of credit.
When I get up every morning I don't feel daunted by the task that lie's ahead of me. I should My competition could eat me for breakfast any day of the week. Some of them have a bigger advertizing budget per week than my entire company is worth 10 times over for the entire years of sales. What really keeps me going is I absolutely love drums. Selling them and everything that goes with them put's a smile on my face. Knowing I did right by that last customer just gives me a great feeling. The emails and comments I recieve about our company the products we sell the service people get tells me I'm onto something. It's a niche that nobody else is in. That works out well for both you and I. In one way we have a ton of competition in other ways we have none. At C & S were gonna keep on plugging away doing what we do. The deciding factor wether were doing it right or were onto something is the cash register. No matter how noble your Idea's are unless you make a profit your not going anywhere. So far the cash registar has been ringing, let's hope it stays that way. T
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Back in the Saddle.
Hello again everyone,
It's time for a new blog and a Cymbals & Snares update. Well we have been offically re-opened about 2 weeks or so. It kinda felt a little weird at first But things have begum to rapidly fall into place. Our analytics data show an across the board increase. From visitors to pages viewed and every other data ebay collects we are up substantially over August 09. That's makes me feel good. Were getting a good amount of traffic in our store, It's only a matter of a few weeks now where sales begin to Rise. Hopefully we'll all have a great Fall selling season.
Wuhan Expands Successful New Traditional Series
There have been rumors for months that Wuhan was going to increase it's offerings in their successful " New Traditional" series of Cymbals. Wuhan announced today this is infact the case. Starting friday the Cymbals will be available to retailers and wholesalers. As of this writing only a partial list of new cymbals were available. They are 13" HH's Several new weights in the already relased 14" and 16" crashes And perhap a second weight classification for the 18" crash/ Ride. The crashes will exand with the addition of a 15", 17" and 19" crash No word on weights yet. There will also be a few more rides to choose from. Currently only a medium 20" rides is available, A few more weights will ne added in the 20" catagory. It's my understanding a heavy and a light ride will be added. Also a 21" or 22" ride will round out the expansion. This has easily become Whan's most succesful series of cymbals. Like the original sizes included in it's inital release, The pie will blend visually and sonically in a seemless fashion with it's original counterparts. Being handmade from B20 bronze and buffed to that gorgeous brilliant shine. Fear not dear freinds Cymbal & snares has already order a bunch They will be on sale ( hopefully) Friday
Wholesale operation expands
A lot of you may not know it but Cymbals & Snares has a wholesale division. We are not only the biggest Silken retailer we are also the North American Distributors. My plan was to promote and sell Silken strictky through the internet along with a google adword promo 's for a year. To build the brands identity to atleast familurise the drum shop owners and drum dept managers and drummers themselves with the brand. Well it's been a year and I have begun to pound the pavement bringing Silken samples with me. We've already nabbed 2 stores and more to follow. This is an exciting new field to get into and it will also produce another stream of income and that's good. For the record we also distribute coreelo drumheads There new to the Us market and last we carry Overdrive percusson, They make everything from stands and snares to sticks. This another example of finding a company that makes quality products at a lower cost than the big buys. All of these products will appearing in our store by early september . Well everyone that about wraps thing up for today. You've been told the latest and the greatest from your favorite Under Ground Drum shop _ Till Next time T
It's time for a new blog and a Cymbals & Snares update. Well we have been offically re-opened about 2 weeks or so. It kinda felt a little weird at first But things have begum to rapidly fall into place. Our analytics data show an across the board increase. From visitors to pages viewed and every other data ebay collects we are up substantially over August 09. That's makes me feel good. Were getting a good amount of traffic in our store, It's only a matter of a few weeks now where sales begin to Rise. Hopefully we'll all have a great Fall selling season.
Wuhan Expands Successful New Traditional Series
There have been rumors for months that Wuhan was going to increase it's offerings in their successful " New Traditional" series of Cymbals. Wuhan announced today this is infact the case. Starting friday the Cymbals will be available to retailers and wholesalers. As of this writing only a partial list of new cymbals were available. They are 13" HH's Several new weights in the already relased 14" and 16" crashes And perhap a second weight classification for the 18" crash/ Ride. The crashes will exand with the addition of a 15", 17" and 19" crash No word on weights yet. There will also be a few more rides to choose from. Currently only a medium 20" rides is available, A few more weights will ne added in the 20" catagory. It's my understanding a heavy and a light ride will be added. Also a 21" or 22" ride will round out the expansion. This has easily become Whan's most succesful series of cymbals. Like the original sizes included in it's inital release, The pie will blend visually and sonically in a seemless fashion with it's original counterparts. Being handmade from B20 bronze and buffed to that gorgeous brilliant shine. Fear not dear freinds Cymbal & snares has already order a bunch They will be on sale ( hopefully) Friday
Wholesale operation expands
A lot of you may not know it but Cymbals & Snares has a wholesale division. We are not only the biggest Silken retailer we are also the North American Distributors. My plan was to promote and sell Silken strictky through the internet along with a google adword promo 's for a year. To build the brands identity to atleast familurise the drum shop owners and drum dept managers and drummers themselves with the brand. Well it's been a year and I have begun to pound the pavement bringing Silken samples with me. We've already nabbed 2 stores and more to follow. This is an exciting new field to get into and it will also produce another stream of income and that's good. For the record we also distribute coreelo drumheads There new to the Us market and last we carry Overdrive percusson, They make everything from stands and snares to sticks. This another example of finding a company that makes quality products at a lower cost than the big buys. All of these products will appearing in our store by early september . Well everyone that about wraps thing up for today. You've been told the latest and the greatest from your favorite Under Ground Drum shop _ Till Next time T
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