Is Sam Ash Music Going Out Of Business? | Sure Seems Like It

In this video I want to share my recent experiences shopping at both Sam Ash and Guitar Center. I wonder if the noticeable decline in the products and services at these big box music retailers is a sign that they are soon to be out of business.

[@joemysterymusic]

Man brother, you really hit things on the head. I, like you, started with Sam Ash 40 years ago and a trip there was, as you said, like going to a music Disneyland. It was an exciting experience. Over the last 10 or so years, however, things began to slide into the abyss. The stores were understaffed, the inventory you wanted was not available in many cases, the upkeep of the stores was poor and on and on. Maybe this started with the death of Paul Ash (second generation ownership, I believe) but the real dagger in the heart has been online retailers ascendency which went into warp drive during the pandemic. Anyway, I remember the mini-NAMM shows Sam Ash would run here in New York-New Jersey at select hotels/conference facilities every year. This was pretty unique. At these events, you could meet reps from Gibson, Yamaha, Roland, Shure etc. and catch a great deal on items being shown at the show. Even met and talked to Richard Ash at one of these shows. Hey, buying online just can not replicate this type of experience. Bottom line- nothing lasts for ever and when things change its not always for the better. That's to be determined but, for sure, you were Nostradamus here LOL. Best.

[@FrankPersico]

Yes just another sign of the ever changing world around us. Like you said nothing lasts forever. They just announced now that ALL stores are closing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

[@joemysterymusic]

@@FrankPersico Yes Frank, I know they are closing all the stores. And they have made no announcement about online presence. Their online site is way behind the eightball big time so if they are going to do this they have some work to do. Thanks foe reaching out.

[@beezelite]

I think the show at Laguardia in the 80's was a Sam Ash operation. It was pretty cool and I'm sure we would all look forward to such a thing today.

[@joemysterymusic]

@@beezelite Definitely Bl, those shows also usually lasted 2-3 days. It was wild going from one room to the next. Sometimes there was more than one vendor in a room and sometimes just one if you were a large company- say Yamaha. Best.

[@guerrillaradio9953]

My local mom and pop music shops treat me great, are doing just fine before and since COVID. They can't keep employees in the corporate stores because they want to pay chump change and COVID really made millions stop accepting that anymore from any job. So, many companies have a skeleton crew (whether retail, or the people staffing their online offices/warehouses) and they're horrendously overworked, if they're paid any more than before, and people are just basically done. I ordered an amp from Sam Ash in January 2021 and they initially sent me a floor model at a significant discount, which I was fine with, but they packed the bare amp in a single wall cardboard box with a single layer of bubble wrap. The amp was so damaged the plywood was coming apart when I got it. I actually had to raise hell all the way to the CEO to get them to do the right thing, which a month later, they finally did, and gave me a brand new one at no extra cost, because it was their fuck up. Still, they've really fallen off, but so have all of them. The only one I still order from is Sweetwater, unless it's something small like strings or dumb shit.

[@FrankPersico]

Wow sounds like it’s at all of the locations. Sorry to hear about your ordeal with the amp but glad they finally made it right. Thanks for the comment

[@johnpindelski6558]

What I saw was Guitar Center & Sam Ash come in and shut down all the independent stores by having huge inventories and selling at very low prices. Then guitar center closed all their big stores and opened a bunch of "Music Mini Marts" (my name for them). Small stores with minimal inventory. Sam Ash only had one, large, store here and has kept that one open, but reduced inventory more and more. Lacking competition from the indies, they both started selling at higher prices. Both continued to scale back on inventory. It got to the point where they just opened the door for Sweetwater to be the go to place. They have the inventory, they sell at decent prices, and they have a large, highly trained staff of musicians who help you awesomely well.

[@FrankPersico]

Great information and thanks for sharing with us all.

[@pb12661]

several years ago, I went to a Sam Ash store and was treated like a criminal from their security guard upon entering. the employees were not engaged/nowhere to be found and the ones that I finally encountered all had "rock star" attitudes. The store was in disarray (just like you experienced!) and when I finally got help to purchase an item there was an issue with the pricing/something. and it took forever for them to figure it out.. it turned out to be major production! (it was just a simple purchase, not a return or anything like that.). And I left with the feeling that I should have felt honored just to be able to make a purchase from them. I told myself, "never again." It doesn't surprise me that they are struggling.

[@FrankPersico]

Its a shame you had that same experience as so many others. I just recently found out that the Manhattan store on 34 Street is closing. I wonder if this is a sign of what is to come for other stores.??

[@thiscorrosion900]

@@FrankPersicoI've heard Huntington LI and Forest Hills locations are closing now too. It doesn't sound like Sam Ash is going to survive.

[@djdv8inthemix]

I would say the same thing when I would go to Sam Ash the past few years…. “Why did I even come in here?” Can’t find an employee, nothing in stock, the store not maintained, etc….

[@FrankPersico]

Sad to see them go. This is one I wasn’t happy to be “right” about

[@chucklillie4421]

I have seen the same issues here at Sam Ash and Guitar Center here in North Carolina. I have seen the decline of the stores over the years. Both of these stores are near each other and have slashed their inventories and items that are on display. So maybe the online business has affected these retail stores, but like most musicians I like to see and feel in the case of a guitar the instrument I am going to purchase. It will be a sad day if both these retailers close their stores.

[@FrankPersico]

yeah this seems to be a widespread issue

[@ritualdelo]

Yes and their website looks like it’s circa 1990 … guitar center has left them in the dust …. I used to hit the NY westbury store and the COO passed away last sept I feel they are on borrowed time

[@FrankPersico]

i agree. thanks for the comment.

[@LicksoftheLegend]

I live in Canada and we don't have Sam ash but my local area has a chain called Steves music. I went in there one time with my wife and said "oh cool a classic vibe tele im gonna buy it" I grabbed it brought it to the counter told the guy I wanna buy it and he said I can;t help you out and walked off. We walked out of the store after waiting a few minutes for the guy and this was pre pandemic.

[@FrankPersico]

Wow that’s crazy

[@vivamariachi]

Same for Sam Ash in San Antonio Tx!

[@FrankPersico]

Wow…

[@pdcreative]

100% same experience here in Columbus. A lot of cities have really great music stores (not so much in Columbus, even though there are few boutique places) Nstuff Music in Pittsburgh, Willcutt Guitar Shoppe in Lexington KY are just a couple I’m familiar with but they are few and far between.

[@FrankPersico]

I will have to check them out if I am ever in the area.

[@pb12661]

@@FrankPersico I can verify what he said!

[@Shoji86]

From what I know they treat their employees like trash and over work them for basically base pay. So I can understand why over time they would just not care working there at a point.

[@FrankPersico]

Unfortunately I have heard the same thing

[@preciseaudioblog]

On Jan 2018 I went to Guitar Center in Union Square NYC, and I felt it was starting be abandoned

[@FrankPersico]

Yes I think GC is also in trouble

[@michaelmacisco2566]

Good help is hard to find , min wage is up , operating expenses are up , many companies want you to carry more than you can possibly sell & one or 2 bad orders can really hurt cash flow. Rents are also up. Many shops have no choice but to cut back wherever they can. Cash flow is blood flow. Ive owned a Refail store 18 yrs & its not gotten easier and many other types of retail are struggling for the same reasons. Also margins & forced sales on goods you often over paid for as companies themselves are aggressively trying to sell goods they over produced at lower wholesales then you paid. Its really a bad storm of many things in a tough economy

[@FrankPersico]

Good points made here. I literally just saw that the Manhattan store is closing. Wow

[@michaelmacisco2566]

@@FrankPersico lots of things all at once. I own a store now for 18 yrs and see this playing out in many different industries

[@FrankPersico]

Yeah its sadly a sign of the times.

[@superlead1002]

How prescient is your video now considering what is happening to Sam Ash across the country as of me writing this!? You were watching the decline in real time and had the foresight to make a video about it.

[@FrankPersico]

It was just such a blatant difference from years past it was hard not to see it. :(

[@paulstroud2706]

Yes Sarasota fla!

[@FrankPersico]

Oh man. They are all gone now

[@nottelling5415]

I'm a bass player and have to admit that Sam Ash has very little for bass players. Almost all the basses are low end and amps are only Harkle. I use Boomer strings that are medium light but they only carry mediums in store. The Guitar Center is half the size but have triple the selection of basses from low end to high end basses. Unfortunately, they to only carry medium Boomer bass strings.

[@FrankPersico]

I never took notice of that I guess just from being a guitar player primarily.

[@jalenfuller2000]

They really act as if us bassist don’t like variety

[@thiscorrosion900]

Can't even find an Ampeg! LOL But I have seen some new and used Ampeg bass amps at Guitar Center on LI here the past 7 years or so.

[@FrankPersico]

bass whats that? lol just kidding. I guess they probably just cater to what sells most. Thinking about the bottom line first instead of what real people (like you) actually may need. smh

[@user-bq4fn6cr3n]

Tears in my eyes! Why? I miss Sam Ash! 😂💦🎸

[@FrankPersico]

You and me both

[@user-uc3qs1gx2d]

People don’t play Rock music they listen to hip hop and Rap ! Back in the 90s we were always making fun of Rap music now the jokes on us 😢😮

[@FrankPersico]

Just the newer music in general like EDM, rap as you said and most pop does but use real instruments.

[@williammouri1096]

Online commerce is killing all sorts of stores. Better price delivered to your door.

[@FrankPersico]

Sad but true

[@beezelite]

Ash got too big and disengaged with their clientele. Worked for them and GC back in the day and they both lost the narrative. You have to create an environment for the customer and employee alike to feel like they belong and are valued. They both failed at that.

[@FrankPersico]

Very good point. Maybe they just got complacent as if the customer would just always exist. It’s true because back when I was younger just going to Sam ash was something to do. It became very disappointing to the point where we just stopped going

[@Ryu0rKen]

I worked at Sam Ash from 2000 to 2004-5. It was cool that I could work in an environment like that and delay growing up and getting a real job but I will tell you the Ashes were a bunch cheap f**ks who didn't care about their employees. They only cared about the bottom line. Their pay and benefits were terrible and they had many unsafe working conditions in the building. They also lied and ripped off customers left and right. The reason why they are failing now is their not relevant anymore. Online shopping and going to mom and pop shops both provide a much better shopping experience.

[@FrankPersico]

I think the industry as a whole is shrinking. I just saw that the 34th street store in Manhattan is closing

[@beezelite]

You are 100% correct here. I remember working there in my youth when me and another guy unloaded a tractor trailer full of guitars into Jerry's basement.Loaded front to back and top to bottom for the Xmas rush. It took a few hours and Jerry was in the house watching us work and when we finally finished he told us that he had something for both of us. We thought for sure he was coming back with a little cash tip for the hard work. Nope! Came back with 2 room temp cans of diet coke. Never forgot that.

[@FrankPersico]

@@beezelite oh wow. thats pretty lousy. eek.

[@jittboy1]

They are closing 15 stores about one of ash brothers just passed away but New York isn’t where business wants to be anymore. Too much crime and no punishment. Florida is Booming!

[@FrankPersico]

Yes..NY definitely is not what it used to be. I just heard the 34th street store as well as the Queens store is closing.

[@jittboy1]

@@FrankPersico yes it’s to offset stores where profits help keep the stores not doing well going and was suggested by the banks that get a loan

[@FrankPersico]

@@AtomicGirlNYC​​⁠lol I’m 3rd generation born and raised. Dont know if your NYC comment was for me or the other poster.

[@jittboy1]

@@AtomicGirlNYC umm I do do business there and that’s not true! I actually owned 3 companies are Relocated them to Florida just like pbd that’s part owner of Yankees has moved to Florida where everything and one is going so umm if your not into business and know why Sam ash is shutting down stores and reread which is comprehension it’s not crime it’s because no one i your are can afford a 3k les Paul after spending 1500$ on a 60 sq ft apartment lol

[@jittboy1]

@@AtomicGirlNYC blame your dem leaders they be running your state not the businesses

[@saleasylum]

F 'em.

[@FrankPersico]

hahahah

[@andrewmoran357]

flooding your own market with cheap asian guitars that are nowhere near the quality of the same from the 80's and overbuilding millions of them has killed the market

[@FrankPersico]

That and u think an overall decrease in demand for the kind of music that uses “real” instruments. A one two punch so to speak.

[@BryieURuncal2023]

Music is dead 4 31 years now and hangers on are dying off. Prepare for AI, this will require weapons to survive the up coming computer holocaust. Get a ticket to Mars RUN!

[@FrankPersico]

Hahaha I will see you in space with my made in Mexico strat lol

[@stes3061]

Went to college with richie ash Knew sam Richie a spoiled brat Ferrari at 20 Bigshot he thought Bankruptcy? No kidding He couldn’t run a newstand Another mitchell modell

[@FrankPersico]

Oh wow… so that combined with a changing face of retail is a bad combo I suppose