2BOX.... can they survive?

[mrallgood101]

YES, 2BOX CAN SURVIVE! But definitely NOT at the rate they are going. Guys, I'm telling you.... although Roland is definitely the overpriced "Big Bully" of the e-drum world. One of the MAIN problems with 2Box is that their creative marketing team is terrible. First off, you CANNOT beat Roland at their game. They have waaaaay too much money, fanboys and presence. They are too BIG. You have to think like any other streamlined start-up on a budget You have to think and be fast, small. sleek, quick, and able to adapt QUICKLY! You have to think David & Goliath. Obviously, Roland is Goliath!

IMO, I dont think 2Box shouldn't challenge the bigger companies as an entire kit/pads. They should be more like DITI. Focus on where you KNOW you are strongest, and even better than they are...YOUR MODULE! Your marketing bottomline should be.... "Roland does not play real drums and does not allow you to sample real drums or ANY kind of drums, and then creating multi-layered samples that sound REAL.... WE DO! Period. 2Box can be very successful in Social media with musician demographic targeted ads. For example, imagine if you seen this...

A 30sec. viral video ad where it quickly kept cutting back and forth between a non-skilled drummer doing a sloppy loud drum roll (looking similar to a drummer in a Roland demo), and a Rambo-like type character firing a machine gun (not shooting anyone, of course), showing how they both sound identical! And the voiceover says... "If you like the sound of machine guns....maybe you should go play a video game." ... Then the screen fades to a close up shot of the 2Box module and the words and voice over then says...
"2Box... THE REAL SOUNDS.... THE REAL DRUMS...THE REAL DEAL". Something in that mode. You have to take them on where you are strongest.

Another thing, 2Box should say to hell with any Sam Ash, GC, or retail store that won't display their product. Retail is NOT the end all be all anymore. They MUST take the fight online! The playing field online is a LOT more level than retail will ever be. Yea, Roland has more money and can run more ads, but you can be more creativity! The most successful viral ads are usually done by smaller companies, and unknown people. Remember, 2Box doesn't have to defeat Roland to win.... all they have to do is get people to recognize how cool their product is and get more buyers! That's all. They  can't be just a company with an orage box. They have to be a movement! That's how it's done. Remember, Apple Computers was once small. But at that time they had a better product and made you believe it was cool to have a mac. That's ALL marketing! The ipod.... that wasn't even close to being the first MP3 player. But the genius marketing of Steve Jobbs to the public was simply..."a thousand songs in your pocket." And the rest was history! 

IMO, I think 2Box should focus on their module. Their kit is good! but it's just too expensive for them to do the entire kit AND pads, hardware AND module. They are spreading themselves thin, plus they can't compete with the ongoing argument of who's pads are better, etc. But they CAN argue the fact that their module does what Roland TOP OF THE LINE module does not do. And the 2Box pric point is literally HALF of the TD-30. NOW THAT IS A FACT! They should focus on making their module the BEST and most versatile module that works with ANY pads! And that includes roland pads... as well as 2box pads, Alesis pads, Yamaha, DDrum etc...and yes, STEALTH pads/drums too! 2Box should totally cater to DIY'ers like Lustar, Jman, fulrmr, and thousands of others around the world, the same way Apple (and now others) allowed programmers licences for making all kinds of apps. Oncew again, being small... 2Box should be a company that thinks fast, moves fast and adapts to the needs of the e-drum community! They must be who they are.... David, not Goliath. 2Box should spend their budget on improving their product and marketing strong on social media. And although I feel they should focus on their incredible module... they MUST NOT abandon their loyal customers that bought your entire kit! They should build on thier base. They can also be the leaders of E to E hybrid kits between different brands. Why not? that market is WIDE open!!

Check out this link, this is a company called Drum-Tec....take a look at how cool the 2Box is integrated with other kits and displayed among the other bigger companies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkAGulPScug

I'm telling you, if 2Box continues to go head to head with the likes of yamaha & Roland at their own game...which is begging retail to stock and showcase them, when the big companies ALREADY have these superstores in their back pocket.... 2Box is gonna continue to get their asses kicked, gentlemen. And that's just the cold truth. And on another not, the 2Box company cannot be scared to call Roland out! CALL'EM OUT! You can't be sued for that. State the facts of a public entity...just like Coke vs Pepsi having a taste test and so on. Marketing is my thing.... and trust me, 2Box is doing a LOT of it all wrong. Sometimes you have to yell to be heard, because talking softly won't get you heard. And if they want the mainstream market, then go DIRECTLY to the people! Roland may own a bunch of patents, butthey don't own the people!!! This is not the year 1975 when you had NO other choice but to do it one way.... this is the age of "NOW!". People want the information and visuals NOW. So? Give it to'em! And give it to'em HARD and HONEST! Guys, they don't need Sam Ash and GC as much as you think. Trust me... if they cause a big enough noise and disrupt the market by waking people up on social media with the hardcore truth?... They will NEVER have to call a retail store to ever display a 2Box product again... because those stores will be calling them!. Check this out... last week i met with some exec. friends at Def jam, Sony and BMG. They told me straight out.... basically they don't sign anyone because they are talented anymore. They pretty much only looking to sign artists who have created a buzz on social media. Period. Crazy, right? That's the way it works now gentlemen...especially in today's social media-driven world. 2Box is a talented artist who hasn't created a big enough buzz online. plain and simple.

Man...if I could just work with the 2Box creative team for just 6months to a year, I promise you 2Box would be known to the entire industry. They would be the little disruptive creative and TRUTHFUL orange company that yamaha and roland would hope not to be at the next AES. I've been in the music business and marketing for over 20years... it could be done. And how do I know this? Because it's easier to market a product and win people over when you're telling the truth. And the truth is...2Box is a GREAT product!

[Murgen]

Great post ... Let's rock. 

[hemiboy]

Oops, there it is! What a great, honest, enthusiastic post!  Thank you much. In a nutshell, what is so frustrating  about the 2 box thing, was so clearly stated above! A superb product,that only a select few even know about!

[Murgen]

We discussed the role of Hoshino USA inc before. IMHO they absolutely s**k in what they are supposed to do namely actively market products to their dealer network. Of course 2box does not have the budget and power to steamroll the US, but Hoshino USA inc as partner should have.

Anyway, the 2Box fills a niche and does that in an adequate way. It is not for conservative mainstream drummers.

[Legap]

 
Please send mrallgood101 post to 2 Box !!!
It is truth ! 2Box should work on 3 modules (entry level, midrange and high end)  and leave hardware to specialists. Very good modules, but very slow production process, poor marketing and very "old time" aspect.
They also need a simplified entry level module to kill all the chinese crap and the poor japanese (Roland, Yamaha, ...) entry level stuff. 

[wildhorse5678]

I agree ref concentrating on pushing and developing modules yet still offering hardware if required. But frankly dealer networks are dead meat if they expect them to hold inventory. The beauty of the internet is that they dont need dealers to hold stock. They can have their own online store and sell direct. Im based in Uk but buy most of my requirements online ..often from Thomann in Germany. I just checked Thomann site and no sign of the new Drumitthree unit. If you do check dealers websites its clear that they advertise stuff thst they dont keep in stock. If they get an order, they get the manufacturer or agent to send the item direct to buyer ....its called Drop shipping for those who dont know. My local specialist drum store is Rockemmusic in Rotherham...look them up..i pop in to buy bits and pieces for my accoustic kit. They told me 95% of their sales is online.  This new Drumit3 module is ideal product to promote online...direct to drummers. Cut out middle men. If Thomann can deliver to anywhere in Europe in 3/4 days...no reason why 2box cant do same. Frankly the dealers dont support them so fuckem. I do think they need module where memory card easily removable to facilitate bigger memory and ease of adding new sounds...the Alesis Sample pads are a perfect example of this. I eventually did the memory card conversion on my drumit5 module as was only practical way of adding new sounds with the internal card being 95% full when you get it!!

[welshsteve]

I totally agree they should be selling and customer serving from in house. Dealers are one visioned and only a few that "get it" with 2box will try and sell it. The problem being then of course is having to do it side by side, or not at all, with the giants. Cut out the middle or second and middle men (distribution and retail) and do it from a centre in Sweden. You can increase the profit margin and possibly even offer it to the customer (us) as a slightly reduced price for incentive. I wouldn't be surprised if dedicated users (like myself) would be fully up for promotional workshops, show the man on the street the benefits of the product over the other brands. Show them how you can render a VST with a few clicks and import it onto the module with Lustar's software. Show the 32 gig expansion and even Zurman (excuse the spelling) box to use the VH series hat's. But of course if the Drumit 3 is out by then, the universal trigger option. Any pad, any sound, any questions?

[Murgen]

I posted a review on 2Box's HW some time ago. My HW is > 5 years. I obviously replaced the kick pedal, the hi-hat stand and dropped the original hi-hat years ago to play. I also mounted an extra front-bar to fix the wobbling kick-pad but all together I'm happy with the hardware.

I come from a Roland TD-3 with rubber pads and 1 PD120 as snare and I absolutely hate the PDX-6 and PDX-8 pad solution with the big plastic ring on the edge. How lame can you get as a company to sell those for a lot of money (159 / 169 euro's).

The 2Box pads are frankly quite good with one minor design flaw (rubber rings) and offer a decent size to play in a normal way (12 and 10 inch).

[edcito]

No, I don't think they will survive...

[welshsteve]

I think they will, but I think they could seriously benefit from being more adept in the marketing dept. Summarising the point raised with the owner of this thread.

[Murgen]

They will if they pull of the Drumit3 in a good way.