a greater proliferation of audio dealerships and the consequent increased visibility of various maker's gear, is only going to happen with increased support by manufacturers.
the difficulty there is obvious. the audio industry is proliferated by 'cottages'. a cottage industry at its finest is how many label this realm. as such, sheer production is going to be a limiting factor... at least initially.
a handful or less of folks soldering this to that is never going to generate the numbers needed to begin 'floating' dealership inventories so the makers entire line up gets the visibility it/they need to entice or educate the buying public.
money, either desire for it, or the lack of it is the moat around many castles preventing them from becoming Metropolis.
a new perspective on a dealers inventory status is needed.
Reforms on present 'floor planning' agreements is necessary. Floor planning is keyed to financing product via a third party so product can simply sit on a showroom or in a dealer's back room still in a box and essentially as an unpaid unit.
it reasures the maker and enables the dealers a window for possible sales without paying everything FOB, or immediately when it comes off the truck.
FP provides an agreement is required somehow so makers gear can get to, and reside in this joint or that for a period of time before it is either paid for, or sent back to its maker or some other dealer's showroom.
this is a dicey prospect at times.
the maker agrees this dealer or that can possess the thing for X amount of time then pay it off, or a maker forces a dealer to put in place a third party which will indemnify the dealer for payment.
this is not a free thing for the dealer unless the dealer can move the stuff within the span alloted before the 'vig' is applied.
the reason Best Buy, formerly Sears, Macy's, your local auto dealer, etc. have the enormity of product in house is because of floor planning. very little of that inventory is already paid for 100%.
most of it is on 'loan' so to speak using in part agreements with the maker and as well entities like GECC which get a percentage of the cost of each piece of any makers gear which has not been sold after some predetermined period of time.
These 'finance' companies wil send reps to do the actual inventory at every location a dealership runs to log what is or is not on hand routinely.
if not accounted for they will also ensure payment for it has been transmitted or demand it then.
the FP agreement may be as long as 180 days, or as little as 30 and this period is between the maker and the seller.
then too just good sense will dictate how long something could sit statically as development, and manufacturerring steadily roll along despite sales... to a point anyways.
either makers of gear will begin to step up production so more gear will be available for distribution to which ever dealership, or makers will begin opening their own doors here and there to promote their product and acquire greater public visibility and interest, ala, BOSE, YAMAHA, SONY, JVC, ARCAM, MARANTZ, MCINTOSH, FOCALE, B&W, KEF, SONUS FABER, AR, KRELL, etc., all of which have the wherewithall to produce stuff in great numbers so it can sit at national chain stores such as the former Sound Advice.
these windows guaranteeing inventory beyond usual financial limits of a dealership also promotes sales where profit margins are diminished so product can be moved without penalty of tarriffs from the FP agencies. this also helps the industry and buying public at large.
here is where in production terms, the one guy, several guy or gals oriented makers will not be able to compete. they will either keep the status quo and make new arrangements for getting paid soem time later from a dealer, keep sales strickly in house on a direct to consumer basis, or acquire likely off shore plants which can make the goods as per the designs so production is escalated, ala Prima Luna, silverline, etc..
maybe too makers will entertain partnerships within the industry and open their own doors in more exclusive arrangements, ala Martin Logan & Krell, BAT & Avalong, etc..
one thing for sure is so long as production and consequently visibility shelters high end audio within the shadows and peripheries of mass retail markets, it will continue as a minor, eclectic, niche market whose development will never achieve the status and wide spread appeal it might.
remember, there was once upon a time an enterprise named BOSE and another one called SONY that no one knew anything about. through innovation and marketing, became giants in the audio industry.
naturally some makers will stick to their self imposed 'exclusivity' they have formulated into their brand and keep the status quo, therebh existing as egnigma more than tangible. dreamware rather than hardware.
and yes... a flat, dry sterile presentation makes me walk away almost immediately.
