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well, this is an interesting thread, I think about this subject a lot. I think it is a little too easy to say that looping (or any other new instrument) would be more popular if only manufacturers ran another ad, or did a clinic, or made a video, or did more sales training, or whatever. That stuff helps for sure, but I think it only reaches people who are already familiar with the idea and pretty close to making a decision to go for it anyway. I don't think that is the big driving force that causes a lot people to adopt something new, especially with music gear. I think it has a lot more to do with what is popular in music and culture. A manufacturer can't make that happen, they can only hope to be in the right place to ride the wave when it does. The musicians are ultimately what makes it happen. In dealing with musical instrument industry for a few years, I've found that musicians are incredibly conservative people when it comes to how they make music. Sure, they'll get funny haircuts and wear crazy clothes, but they won't try a new sound. Most of them don't want to try new things, unless they see somebody else doing it successfully first. "Successfully" is the key. When they hear music that they like and see that others like it too, then they want to emulate the music and the musicians doing it. They become willing to try whatever technique or box is necessary. No video in a store gets them to that point. I think the steps for a new instrument becoming a popular instrument go something like this: - a new idea/instrument comes along from some bright person or company. - a few innovator/experimenter types try it out and find they like it. Often they are in the more academic circles and not popular music. - time passes while these musicians learn how to play the instrument, figure out how to incorporate it in their music, develop techniques for it, and begin creating music with this new instrument. - Since they are experimenter/innovator types, they make music that most people don't like. They are probably proud of that. But they do reach a few new people who also see the possibilities in the instrument once they see it used. - Gradually, more people pick up on the idea of this instrument from the early adopters, and begin making more music. These are still the more early adopter type, but not necessarily the ones who want to be first in line for everything. Again, time passes while they really learn how to play it, and reach a point where that instrument is key to what they do and the music is good. - A few people eventually do make really, really good music with that instrument that a lot of people listen to and like. They become really famous and date Jennifer Lopez and/or Matt Damon. Their fans want to be like them. - Now many people want to try that instrument and make the music they enjoy listening to. They buy the instruments so they can. - Little cottage industries develop as the new users want to learn to play their favorite music on that new instrument. The experienced users become teachers and make some income showing people how to play like the famous guy. - More people learn to play, more good music comes from some of them, the cycle grows.... The key to it all is that popularity contest, in my opinion. When you have good, compelling, and popular music being created on a particular instrument, a lot of people are going to want it. Putting a picture of a famous guy in a magazine holding the instrument doesn't really do much good by itself. The guy has to really use that instrument while creating and performing the music that people like. That fact is what will draw people to the instrument. The ad is just a reminder. Even with no ad, the fact that he creates his famous music with that instrument will make a big difference and sell a lot of them. Like Trey Anastasio and the Boomerang. He doesn't do ads or endorsements for it, he just uses it all the time. So his fans buy it. Another key is that it takes time. People need to learn to use the instrument well enough to make good music with it, which can take years. The biggest mistake I see manufacturers of new instruments make is their time horizons are too short. They don't wait long enough for people to really figure out their creation and put it to good enough use to inspire others. I think that is why so many things only become popular after they go out of production. It isn't because people only wanted it once they couldn't have it, it's because it just takes a while for them to figure it out. The independent cottage industry of teachers is important too. Sure a manufacturer would be wise to teach people how to use their stuff. But in many ways, that never feels as honest as a real independent teacher. Half the lesson is an ad. When the teaching breaks free of that and people take the initiative to teach on their own, I think it really starts to click. It becomes real somehow. For one thing, the teacher's whole focus and resulting income is focused on good teaching, whereas a manufacturer just wants to sell you their product and are just using the lessons to get you to buy it. That's a step I've been waiting to see happen with looping. historical analogies: Electric guitars were not very popular 50-60 years ago. The guitar itself was not popular 100 years ago. That didn't change because Leo Fender made an instructional video. It changed because some people made music with guitars that other people liked. The music became hugely popular, and other people wanted to make music like that too. So they stopped buying accordions and banjos and bought guitars. Jim Marshall did not offer clinics about how distorting the crap out of his amps was a really useful technique. No, Jimi Hendrix got on stage and got on the radio and played great music that many people loved, and they all wanted to be like Jimi. He happened to play a strat and a cranked marshall, so that's what they bought so they could do it the same way he did. Nobody wanted Les Pauls in 1985, but they were huge again by 1990. Did Gibson run an eye catching ad in Guitar Player with a nice font choice? No, "Welcome to the Jungle" blew away all the pink Charvels and all the kids wanted to be like Slash. That wasn't Gibson's idea, they just got lucky. Guns n' Roses made the instructional videos, and MTV played them all day long. George Van Eps and Steve Vai both are known for playing seven string guitars. Steve Vai was in plenty of ads holding one. Charlie Hunter plays with 8 or nine strings. I don't think Ibanez sold many seven string guitars because of those guys. It seems to me they sell a lot more now. Why? Korn uses them. Korn sells more records than those guys ever have or ever will. To get that nu metal guitar sound you need low tuned guitars, and what better way to do that than with a low B string, the way Korn does it? Munky and Head are not anywhere near as good as guitarists as those other guys, but a hell of a lot more people listen to them play. So a lot more people buy 7 string guitars. where does looping sit then? More later, this is long enough.... kim ______________________________________________________________________ Kim Flint | Looper's Delight kflint@loopers-delight.com | http://www.loopers-delight.com