Un article paru en 2018 dans le magazine Music Merchandise Review (MMR Magazine), souligne l’émergence des studios de répétition et le marché potentiel que ceux-ci représentent pour les boutiques d’instruments de musique et d’équipement. L’auteur souligne que ceci a mené certains détaillants à offrir des partenariats avec des espaces de répétitions et même à ouvrir des boutiques « pop up » spécialisées à l’intérieur même de ceux-ci.
« Even as recording studios fade in number and significance, rehearsal studios are on the upswing. Those often-grungy rooms that every teenage musician whose parents didn’t own a garage or a dry basement had to turn to for band practice […] are on the decline. Instead, as live performances continue to be the economic driver for music, rehearsal studios are the new currency – places where bands can create not just better sound, but also build shows that include their own lighting and special effects. » (Daley, 2018: 60)
« They’re also becoming the places where musicians hang out and interact […]. The rehearsal studio is music’s new rooftop bar, and MI retail can find a place in this cultural shift » (Daley, 2018: 60)
« Retailers are the front-line resource for rehearsal-studios start-ups and upgrades – there is no data on the number of new rehearsal studios, but a quick look at any town’s local alt weekly classifieds will reveal the steady growth in this sector, and every time a new one opens, everyone already there has to up their game, with new amps and better PAs. The connection for MI retail is obvious, once you recognize how the rehearsal sector is mushrooming. » (Daley, 2018: 60)
« […] the biggest attraction is the ability to pick to some extent amongst a store’s copious selection of equipment. That’s why we’re seeing brands like Fender, Gibson, Shure, and Taylor setting up mini-shops of their own inside larger rehearsal complexes. Where better to put their wares in front of customers? » (Daley, 2018: 60)