Case Study of the Week: Sell out?

Sep 23, 2024

Marketing Management

You are the general manager for Vinyl Spin, an independently owned record shop that sells new and used vinyl records. Vinyl Spin has been a prominent shop in the city since the 1970s and has a loyal customer base. The shop sells vinyl record albums from the alternative and underground genres of music which brings in a unique customer base. The majority of customers are between 20-40 years old. Vinyl Spin also sells an assortment of posters and t-shirts featuring local and underground bands.

Vinyl Spin customers like to hang out at the store in the evenings and on weekends. On weekends local bands perform live music or will play their latest records for customers.

The most iconic pop star in the world is currently Tiff Saylor Tiff is a Grammy award winning musician, writer and singer. She has seven albums that cover both the country music and pop genres and has embarked on four world tours. Her most current world tour has sold out over 100 shows and her production company released a cinematic version of the tour for movie theaters that made over $90 million opening weekend.

Tiff Saylor has a diverse group of fans, but the most outspoken and loyal are young females. Girls attending the latest world tour or the cinematic version made and traded friendship bracelets and dressed in their favorite Tiff Saylor looks.

Tiff Saylor has been releasing past albums that she has rerecorded and decided the next release will only be available on vinyl and will only be available at chosen independent record stores for an entire month before being offered on streaming devices and other retailers. Her last rerecorded album sold 400,000 units in the first four days of which 225,000 were in vinyl format.

Vinyl Spin has been offered the opportunity to be a chosen independent record store to exclusively sell Tiff Saylor’s rereleased vinyl album for the first month. The owner of the Vinyl Spin is torn because the shop has strictly sold alternative and underground records for the past 50 years. The owner wants you to weigh the pros and cons of being an exclusive sales outlet for Tiff Saylor’s new vinyl album. The owner wants your analysis to include economic benefits and risks, potential for growth and new markets and effects on the Vinyl Spin brand.

Questions?

Randi Bibiano
Competitive Events Specialist
randi@deca.org

Randi Bibiano is DECA's competitive events specialist. In this role, she conceptualizes and authors role-play scenarios for the collegiate and high school division’s competitive events programs. She also manages DECA's online competitive events and serves as a liaison to volunteer efforts at DECA's educational conferences.

Discussion Questions

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Classroom Connection

Career CLuster:

Marketing

Instructional Area(s):

Economics

Performance Indicators:

Explain the principles of supply and demand
Determine factors affecting business risk
Explain the concept of competition
Evaluate potential growth and niche opportunities