By Andrea Pelloquin, JW Pepper
I recently talked with Amy King, Sales & Marketing Manager, about the business and why they’re a part of RPMDA:
AP: Give us a brief history of your company and your mission:
AK: Luck’s Music Library’s illustrious history spans four generations and over eight decades from its humble beginnings in the home of Arthur Luck (a former bass player and librarian of the Detroit Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestras) to our current location housing thousands of orchestral compositions from publishers worldwide. Melissa and Andy Luck (cousins) acquired the business several years ago from their fathers, Randy and Matt, making them the 4th generation of family members running the business. Luck’s Music Library prides itself on providing the most friendly and knowledgeable service for the orchestral community!
AP: What is your company most known for?
AK: Luck’s Music Library specializes in orchestra music! Not only are we a music retailer for publishers worldwide, but Luck’s Music is also known internationally as a premier reprint house for orchestral editions.
AP: Speaking of orchestral editions, how is Luck’s impacted by the recent closing of Kalmus?
AK: Like many in the industry, we were shocked and deeply saddened by closure of E.F. Kalmus. Our relationship with them has spanned many decades beginning with the founders, Arthur Luck and Edwin Kalmus. Although the closure of such an important business is devastating to the industry, Luck’s Music has been diligently working throughout the last months to help panicked retailers find a new source for their reprint material.
AP: Why is your company a member of RPMDA? What benefits does it give you?
AK: Luck’s Music is a member of RPMDA to keep in contact with our publishing and retail partners. It’s great to keep on top of our ever-changing industry!
AP: Since not everybody gets to share a “best idea” at the Convention, share one of your “best ideas” with our readers here – what is one promotion, program, practice, or product that you’ve taken on recently that has worked well – and that you could see working for our other members?
AK: We recently adopted a new email newsletter platform which allows us to track our readership and gives them the ability to customize the content that they receive from us. It is still a work in progress but it has been working quite well – and our newsletter ROI tells us we are moving in the correct direction! From a digital standpoint, we have been working to engage the orchestra community via social media by running monthly giveaway promotions and sharing photos and content that inspires greater interaction from our customers. We also still believe in good old face-to-face interactions with our customers at clinics and conferences!
AP: Sometimes it is difficult to retain employees at retail jobs. How do you keep your employees engaged with your store and their work?
AK: Luck’s Music is extremely lucky (pun intended) to have amazing employees! We have very little turn-over in positions as our employees tend to stay with us for a long time. Being a family business allows for a great collegial atmosphere at Luck’s Music where everyone has specific tasks and are entrusted to do their job well. Our employees thrive in this environment because they have ownership of how their role positively affects the company as a whole. Combined with our goal of providing an extremely positive experience for our clients through knowledge and pride in our products, it just all comes together and provides a culture where everyone is committed to the cause!
AP: How does your company get involved with your community? Do you run any specific annual programs, sponsor community groups, etc…. Why is this important for your business?
AK: Since we are not a traditional music store with a classic store front, it makes it more difficult for us to get involved with the surrounding community at our physical location. We are located in an industrial park and primarily ship to customers worldwide. That said, we support many organizations such as the Major Orchestra Librarian’s Association, National American String Teachers Association (ASTA), ASTA state chapters, and the Texas Orchestra Directors Association with sponsorships or the organization of reading sessions. We have also organized fundraisers for unfortunate natural events such as Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Many of our customers lost their entire libraries and we raised over $35,000 to help with replacement efforts.
AP: Thanks so much for giving us a look into Luck’s Music, and for being a member of RPMDA!