Now I did my ranting now I want to hear yours... I'm a student of skateboarding and I want you to be my teachers.... Please read the following and respond...
Oh, man.... be careful what you ask for...
What do you think about the distributionifying of skateboarding? Do you mind in a few years all companies being under umbrellas... (DLX, BBox, Girl, Podium, Burton,NHS,ETC ETC)
This could go both ways. On one hand, it might make it harder for small start-ups to really make a dent in the market, without support from a larger backer.
On the other hand, with the support of a larger parent organization, maybe some brands/ideas that would have never seen the light of day- or, might not have had the resources behind them- will come out, and make things a bit more interesting.
Either way, I hope that the DIY ethic never leaves the industry altogether. With an oversupply of woodshops willing to make decks, and a lot of skaters wanting to control their own futures, and do thier own thing... I don't see the small, independent, skater-owned company going anywhere anytime soon. I hope not, at least.
Do you think the industry as a whole should move away from chain stores, mall stores, sell out stores and if so please give a way this could be done. Remember cutting these accounts is serious numbers and serious dollars that companies depend on. To move away from these you need to find a way to make up the numbers. How would you make up these numbers. Plus what about a consumer that only has a zumiez in their town what do they do, how else would they shred?
The consumer (ie, skater) will have the final say in this one. If skaters are willing to support a Zumiez (by buying their shit there), then, I'd imagine that the brands will follow suit. But: If the skaters abandon the large chain-mall-store? Then, so will the brands. Basically: The brands will sell to whoever is moving product. If the chain stores stop moving product, then, the brands will stop selling to them. End of story.
I think that the online skate shop is going to be the big thing from here on out, just because of the selection and inventory that they can carry- with low overhead, which means, lower prices. The ones that offer good customer service will fare the best. Tailtap.com and socalskates are trend setters in this regard.
Last thing: Only the biggest brands really "need" stores like Zumiez. A small or mid-cap brand could easily do very well for itself, strictly selling to "real" skate shops. And, any brand that really supports the "core skate shop", would probably get a lot of support from those shops. That leaves a lot of opportunity open for small start-up brands that the majors ceded years ago, in favor of mass marketing and expanded distribution.
PRO STATUS- I think pro status should be given to a person not just because their name is on a board but because they get backing from a company for their health insurance. All pro skateboarders deserve health insurance and should get it. A guy getting broke off for a company on a set of stairs is the same as breaking their back in the warehouse and should be treated equally. I know a union sounds tacky but what if thats the only option.
Pros are defined by having their name on a board. And, remember: Just because you have an employer, doesn't mean you have access to health care. I mean, how many working Americans don't have health care...?
But, yeah- it's almost stupid not to offer pro skaters some sort of health care plan. Just due to the risks involved. A self-governed pro skateboarding union would be a great idea; as a group, they could probably negotiate for and/or actually get better rates and coverage then they could even get from their sponsors. It's definitely an idea that is overdue to be checked out. But then, skateboarders are next to impossible to organize. So, skaters are almost their worst enemies when it comes to real issues like this, where being on the same page, and getting numbers involved counts the most.
Industry Gigantic- The industry has gotten so big we are supporting more people then who are just in the videos, but some of these people got here because of the pay check and coolness and not because of their love of shredding. What should these people do? Where should they go? Do you even give a fuck about them(scensters) Can we live without them?
Point blank, non-skaters should not be running the skateboard industry. Skaters need to be running skateboarding.
On the other hand, skaters are not all-knowing on the realities of business. There is a place for accountants, lawyers, inventory control specialists, logistics guys, etc. Although skaters should be in charge, there is a very real need for qualified non-skaters to do specific things that make the whole ball run smoothly. Dudes tend to forget that all too often.
On the industry side, the skateboard industry could totally learn some shit from the failings of other industries. Today's skate industry is making some very classic mistakes that other industries suffered decades ago. Supply-side marketing, for example- a dinosaur of the 1950's, still very much practiced by today's skateboard industry.
The only solution? For skaters to think outside the box, maybe work in some other fields for some time- then, bring that experience back to skateboarding. There's a way bigger world out there that could teach us a thing or two about ourselves- if only we'd let it happen once in a while.
What should matter most, talent? marketability/personality,sales, coolness,normalcy/ or getting along with the rest of the team?
All of the above are pretty important to most team managers, I'd think. How about, "Being a good representative of what skateboarding is all about"? Or, the ability to inspire other skaters? Those things might become pretty important in the future, especially in a world where skateboarding is increasingly controlled by large, multinational conglomorates owned by non-skaters.
Where do you think we are headed? Did personality kill the skateboarding star?
Personality adds to the skateboarding star. Dude, Mark Gonzales? End of argument.
What's killing today's skateboarding star? Well, if it's anything at all, I'd guess that it's probably because they're a bit more homogenous than they used to be. I might be way off on this, but they all seem very similar to me these days. Very safe, very fashionable, very talented... very well paid... but, also very marketable and very low-risk. You can't say anything wrong, it might affect your board sales and overall marketability, y'know. I don't know, that's just what I see. Kinda boring.
The most interesting voices in skateboarding today aren't pro skaters.... it's guys like Neal, who can basically say whatever the fuck he wants about whatever he wants, because he doesn't have a sponsor to lose. He's free to shake shit up, poke fun at something, and make a statement. That says a lot about our industry, right there. The industry used to be relevant leaders, but no more. Their hush-money keeps them effectively muzzled to the point of making themselves very unimportant. Look at Steve Rocco 1990 versus Bod Boyle 2008. Nothing against Bod- he seems like a cool enough guy- but, would, or could, he ever make any kind of a statement, about anything, like Rocco did then? No way- the shareholders would probably revolt, and call for his resignation. Weird, but true. That's today's skateboarding for ya.
Sucks ass, don't it?
Let me know what you think.. Slap isnt a message board its a think tank... We shouldn't worry about our favorite skater getting sponsored, think about your favorite skater getting what they deserve. I hate to say but if a big movement is going to come from our generation it may just start here.. PEACE and Love ya'll tCb
Topic: Changes in 08 "Your turn" (Read 2479 times)