As spring hits and summers is nearing hi fi manufacturers and dealers have to start figuring out how they will make it though the long hot summer of the hi fi season.
Sales of hi fi equipment drop of sharply sometime in May and don't really pickup again until October. The theory I operate under is weather and school related: warm days and time off equate to time outside and away from our music systems.
In the 70's and 80's loudspeaker manufacturers had it made - they simply shifted from home loudspeakers to car loudspeakers. This was a great advantage because as one hobby slowed down the other picked up perfectly. Life was good until the car manufacturers figured out how much money was being made in the aftermarket "12 volt" segment - and made it something they offered themselves - effectively wiping out the speaker manufacturer's secret weapon for slow summer sales.
The only issue I have with the theory of why this seasonality exists is it doesn't seem to hold true for the folks "down under" whose season's are the exact opposite of ours. Maybe I just missed it but sales of hi fi equipment seem pretty steady for Australians year round.
Maybe they know something we don't?
