Author Topic: Being a Musician is too expensive..  (Read 4762 times)

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Offline andyxis

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Being a Musician is too expensive..
« on: November 29, 2011, 05:32:18 PM »
Hey guys I need your help,

My name is Brett Fox from Sydney Australia, I'm trying to get a daily deals website for Australian musicians launched. Think discounts on products, services, accessories etc.

I know most musicians will empathise with me when I say that pursuing a career in music is driving me broke. I'm trying my best to get this off the ground ASAP. I feel if I can get this to work, heaps and heaps of Australian musicians will benefit!

Please help by spreading the word, the more Australian musicians we can get on board the bigger discounts we can negotiate! At the moment suppliers/ service providers won't talk to me unless I have a bigger group of people signed up. I have hit up Facebook ads, Google ads and I'm currently, doing a massive poster campaign in Sydney and will be venturing to Melbourne to do the same very soon!

I know that many people who read this will just see it as spam but I can assure you that if this does launch, you will thank me for starting it up.

Either way, being an Australian musician is ridiculously expensive, I just want to help offset the costs.

The website is http://www.musodeals.com.au

Keen to here any ideas, thoughts ANYTHING that might help make this happen! Email me at admin@musodeals.com.au

Cheers
Brett

Offline cabba

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2011, 08:17:39 PM »
Your not wrong - Equipment, rehearsals, recording, cd pressing, video clips, merch, artwork, adverts, promo, postage, websites, flights, vans, fuel, freight, accomodation, sound, lighting, backline - Ouch  :o

Offline Ru

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2011, 11:18:35 PM »
Best of luck Brett.

I'm over this Australia tax we pay on everything. I bought a schecter guitar recently, $2000 in Billy Hyde or $690 to import myself. Last year I got a Line 6 UX8, $999 in Billy Hyde; $299 import.

Offline chancellorisgod

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2011, 02:53:56 AM »
It's the same for just about everything really - buy all my camera stuff from the US or Hong Kong these days as just about everything is twice the price here... I'm all for supporting Australian businesses but fuck that shit, I'm not made of money and the shit is expensive enough as it is from overseas.

Offline Damo

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2011, 01:34:43 PM »
Interesting comment, given that its cheaper than ever to buy gear these days - with our strong dollar, tougher competition and cheaper quality gear being made.

That's not to say that cheaper stuff cannot be found overseas (See Ru's post) thanks to a very different playing field, but if you are able to buy online to get the cheaper deal, then you could argue that the 'cheaper gear for Aussies' issue is ALREADY solved.

It also means you'll be putting Aussie retailers (most of whom are muso's, like myself) out of work - But at least we'll all save on our next pair of strings, right? ;)

Offline Ru

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2011, 04:39:26 PM »
@Damo

I'm not pointing the finger at local retailers; it's the regional distributers. If anything, local retailers are getting shafted by them. Regardless of the market goods, should it be electronic goods, video games, cars, music gear, you name it. If it's being sold in Australia, then they double the price and then add some.

I'm all for supporting Aussie industry, but they got to help themselves. They need to push it back to the manufacturers and distributers and let them know that the RRP that they set is too high and that Aussie consumers are savvy enough to source from overseas.

Offline Manny

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2011, 05:32:23 PM »
Up to 90% off sounds good. Are you leaving yourself enough to deal with warranties etc...?
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Offline MetalMoe

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #7 on: December 01, 2011, 01:33:32 AM »

I'm not pointing the finger at local retailers; it's the regional distributers. If anything, local retailers are getting shafted by them. Regardless of the market goods, should it be electronic goods, video games, cars, music gear, you name it. If it's being sold in Australia, then they double the price and then add some.

Its important people know that your local store is not trying to rip you off. I work in the bicycle industry and its super fucking frustrating when people come in ranting and raving about how they got these forks for $XXX.xx and accuse you of trying to rip them off >:( Even worse when they expect some sort of deal on the labour to fit them! Most shops are passing on an honest markup on the prices they are given, of course you can get shit cheaper overseas cause nothing is made here, just make sure you can set it up yourself or dont mind paying for someone else to do it.
BEER'N'BUNDY'N'BROOME
IF ITS TOURIST SEASON WHY CAN'T WE SHOOT THEM?

Offline cyanide_christ

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #8 on: December 01, 2011, 09:39:35 AM »
One thing that's probably worth noting is that music stores do a hell of a lot more than just hand the goods over at a marked up price. While I agree that there is something going on that is pushing local RRP's up to borderline stupid levels, the service that many of our shops provide for us can be invaluable. I tend to buy online for certain things that are not subject to varying build quality i.e. microphones, pedals, cables, strings etc, but anything that requires a degree of human involvement in its construction I just wouldn't buy online, unless it's second hand gear but even then it's a punt.

Without knowing exactly why we pay so much more for gear over here I wouldn't have a clue how to push shops and distributers into falling into line with appropriate rates but I'm pretty sure attempting to bury them is not the answer. In fact I'd go so far as to say that the more online shops push to dominate markets, the more the local shops have to jack their prices up to stay afloat. I don't know about you but I much prefer to walk into a shop, give some gear a good test, get honest opinions from guys who know the shit and know that the guys will have my back should I need some kind of technical support or advice. That is something you just don't get from buying overseas online.

The amount of time I've spent in music shops just hanging out with the guys and playing with new gear with no intention of buying anything, almost in itself is worth the markup they put on their products.

Offline Ru

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #9 on: December 01, 2011, 04:38:00 PM »
My thoughts on the matter are that either the ACCC needs more power or we need an ombudsman or regulator of some sort. If something is to be sold in this country it must be sold at a comparable value as it is in other countries (specifically the US and UK) - excluding any comparisons on tax and shipping. And if the price is varies by more than 5-10%, then they have to apply to the ACCC/ombudsman stating the reasons for the price hike and they will decide if it's justified.

If you all check on google, you'll see that there's plenty of people already raising concerns with the ACCC and local government about this 'Australia Tax'. Aussie retailers are already feeling the pinch too, although misguided, Harvey Norman wanted to push to impose more taxes on consumer imports.

@MetalMoe
It's nothing to do with items being made here; nothing is made in the UK or US, yet they sell things much cheaper than here. It's the manufacturers and distributors. Since time began it's been one price for everyone else and then bludgeon Australia. Aussie retailers are getting shafted.



Offline Ormsby_Guitars

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #10 on: December 01, 2011, 04:51:16 PM »

The amount of time I've spent in music shops just hanging out with the guys and playing with new gear with no intention of buying anything, almost in itself is worth the markup they put on their products.

The stores on the other hand, wish they'd marked your products up more :P

--

Up until very recently, here is the break down of a certain popular US product:
Original US retail: $64 USD ($61 AUD)
US Wholesale to stores (would be less for the Distributor): $34 USD ($32 AUD) ***
Shipping crate: $400 / 100 items = $4 AUD
Import duties on 100 items: $340 AUD ($3.40 AUD each)

TOTAL cost to distributor: $39.40

Local wholesale price: $122.00 (profit for distributor: $82.60)

Local retail price: $189.00

Local average street price: $160 (profit for store: $38.00)
(most stores then do an installation deal, worth $35, as a freebie)

Stores have to:
unpackage box, store the item, add it to inventory, barcode/price it, display it, provide a store front and warehouse, provide staff to talk shit and know their products, add it to their website, have a cash register, an accounts lady, provide an eftpos machine, and installation service, lights, power, water, advertising, etc etc etc.

It clear to me where the profits are going. Ive chosen to simply not have accounts with the worst offenders.

*** Ive seen one of these particular items wholesale in crate quantities (standard sizing for a distributor) for under $20 USD each...


Offline chancellorisgod

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #11 on: December 02, 2011, 06:01:42 AM »
Yeah I would say in the majority of cases its the distributors taking the piss with their pricing - when I was selling cameras not too long ago we had less than a 5% profit margin on our hardware and the our buy prices were 50-100% higher than US retail prices... guaranteed the difference was going straight into the pockets of the distributors.

Offline Grim

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #12 on: December 09, 2011, 06:17:32 PM »
Sounds like fuel prices. At least we don't have a forever changing musical equipment price cycle.

I suggest buying your guitars on a Tuesday. Toward christmas and public holidays it usually cheaper on a Thursday given the demand during the holidays and long weekend gigs. P.A gear and the like is always cheaper to rent during the week unless you are a major inter\national act in which case you will pay thrigh the nose regardless of the musical equipment price cycle.


Hope this helps  ;D

Offline Faye Tality

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #13 on: December 09, 2011, 07:08:42 PM »
I think a lot of places just aim at everyone working on the mines or something, i know a lot of ppl that do while i can barely afford a pie so sorry Aussie dealers im still not buying from you.

My new amp head here was $7000 and three month wait through Billy Hyde. I wont tell you what i paid for it but it was almost half and got here in a week... do the math. I could have flown over to England and got it cheaper!

that is also the reason im broke as a joke :P haha :(
« Last Edit: December 09, 2011, 07:10:43 PM by Faye Tality »

Offline chancellorisgod

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Re: Being a Musician is too expensive..
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2011, 03:34:31 AM »
I could have flown over to England and got it cheaper!

I actually know someone who did that! They flew to NY for a 3 day stint, bought about 10K worth of camera equipment and flew back with it. Even after flights and accomodation he wound up 7K in front.