Native Instruments is no longer attending industry trade shows…and really, can you blame them?
I first read about this last week on music industry newswire and I can’t say I was really surprised.
Many software companies have been or are becoming their own retailers, while still allowing their products to
be delivered through more traditional channels like online and offline music stores.
Here is the actual press release:
Native Instruments Announces Departure from Industry Tradeshows
Berlin, July 7th, 2009 – Native Instruments today announced that it will no longer maintain a booth presence at industry tradeshows like the NAMM Show, Musikmesse or AES in the future. The company has decided to instead prioritize online communication channels to engage with customers directly even stronger, and to allocate budgets accordingly.
This shift in priorities is exemplified by the new sophisticated rich-media website that Native Instruments launched recently, and will be continued through the establishment of further innovative online channels and other means of direct communication in the future.
“Times are changing and we have seen tradeshows become increasingly less relevant for our industry,” says Pablo La Rosa, International Marketing Director at Native Instruments. “By focusing our efforts in online communication and direct-to-customer events, we reach out to today’s musicians and producers in a way that we believe is more efficient for us and more engaging for them.”
Do you think it’s a smart move? Do you think many other software companies will follow?
From a business point of view it could possibly be an act to streamline marketing into a more cost efficient model. For example how many of us can get to travel to these shows and take time of their 9-to-5 anyway? I also agree that this not so new media approach will be able to reach the masses on a larger scale (look at the magazine industry going exclusively on-line i.e. ReMix). Now in regards to engaging potential customers I would only hope that in turn they would seek to do some in-store promos and/or workshops so that consumers can have a more tactile experience (i.e. SamAsh, G.C., DubSpot, etc.). I know for myself a hands-on intro to product works wonders for the decision making process and also humanizes the whole “I’m going to be eating sandwiches for a month once I buy this” anxiety. So let’s hope this is a step in the right direction in providing the tools/toys that we need at an affordable price point that’s beneficial for both parties involved thus placing more emphasis on the consumer and our needs.
I agree jamari..thing is NAMM isn’t for customers, it’s for retailers only. It’s a place for product creators to get with the people that will be selling their products.
So, I can see why they don’t feel the need to go, the customers can’t get in anyway and that’s who they want to reach lol.
I agree, hands on in-store demos do wonders for this stuff man, it’s very dope and profitable.
yeah the only thing that worries me is the drastic drop in price of komplete, then this…. hmmm seems as though there maybe some crazy stuff going on. economy is tuff right now. they may just be strapped. but they have sold out of komplete (as well they should it’s a crazy deal, and if my money was right i would buy it too.)
yeah, I hear that. Only reason I’m not worried is because it’s only for this month, that just sounds like some extra cashflow generation. Not going to namm isn’t really that big of a deal, Native Instruments is known, people are checking for them online everyday.
If they aren’t dropping hardware like akai and others, there’s no need…crazy folks like us will find them online lol.
Hopefully cutting out stuff like that will bite into future prices as well 🙂
I think this is not much of a big deal. If you look at ther companies like Apple for example, they all do the same as the way we consume information hast greatly changed over the years. I used to buy a lot of synthesizer magazines but now i get all my news from the internet. So if they can save a few bucks and hire some more coders, all is fine.
Cheers
I agree man! I don’t think it’s a huge deal either, they’ve established themselves in the industry and have enough of a following that they don’t need to go to trade shows. Web and in store connections will carry them where they want to go.
awesome.
more coders = more fixes= better features=better products! lol.
Cool dude!
i don’t blame them. NAMM is the same thing every year, and expensive as hell to showcase there. but it’s still fun as s#!t to go!
Yeah man, but I’m still going to winter namm, it will be my first time! Do you usually go to namm?