q&a There’s Still an Industry Here
Despite news of declines all around, Luke Gray says knowledge and passion can still power a career in mobile electronics
I
t goes without saying that the mobile elec- tronics industry has changed a lot in 30 years. Whole product categories—CB radios, car telephones, CD changers—that once domi-
nated our install bay workload, not to mention the majority of our revenue, are simply non-existent in the space today. The retail landscape has changed as well, with only a handful of larger chains surviving amid a majority of single stores.
At the same time, a lot has remained the same. LUKE GRAY
There’s still difficulty with OEM integration (though now it’s both cosmetic and electronic), economic fac- tors, finding qualified people, territorial restrictions and dealing with transshipping. And there are three new threats that weren’t on the radar even 15 years ago: the idea that the car was no longer the home for music, but rather an extension of a pocket-sized device; carmakers leading the technology push in mobile electronics; and the Internet. Luke Gray Hardcore Car Audio in Tucson, Ariz., has been an influential part of the industry on several fronts: an installer, competitor, advocate and now retail business owner. Mobile Electronics Editor-in-Chief Solomon Daniels asked Gray about many of the changes he’s seen over the past 30 years, and what the trends mean for our future. Daniels: Luke, when and how did you get your start in mobile electronics? Gray: I started in this industry the day after I graduated high school in 1987. My first job was sweeping floors in a shop that did mostly dealer work. At the time, many cars came from the factory without radios and it was more cost effective for the dealership to have aftermarket equipment installed in these vehicles, rather than try to source OEM systems. Daniels: Speaking of radios, what do you remember to be some of the “hot products” while you were coming up? Gray: In my early days, CD players were just becoming pop-
ular. We sold $99 AM/FM cassette players, and CD players were close to $1,000. I still catch myself being amazed that in a rela- tively short time you have CD players today for $69. And pretty soon you may have trouble even finding a CD player. Daniels: So how did you go from sweeping floors to being a business owner? Gray: During the few years I was there I must have worked on thousands of cars installing very basic systems in them. From there I worked at a couple of custom shops, had an install manager job with Circuit City and finally ending up at The
10 Mobile Electronics May 2014
HARDCORE CARAUDIO
Specialists in Tucson, Arizona, which was a former Mobile Electronics magazine Retailer of the Year. After 10 years with them I started Hardcore Car Audio in 2005. Daniels: Throughout your approximately 27 years
of experience, integration has always been a strug- gle. How would you compare the old issues with the issues of today? Gray: I recall even back then that installers and salespeople were always concerned that the carmak- ers would make us obsolete if cars started coming with upgraded audio systems and alarms with remote controls. Back then, installing was more about making physical changes to the vehicle to
mount speakers, head units and other aftermarket parts. You were trying to build or adapt areas to fit the gear into. Now we have factory speaker locations, but the challenge is interfacing with the factory electronics. I miss cutting 6x9-inch holes in the rear deck of an old muscle car. I did one a couple of months ago, and I loved it. Ironically, it was one of the things I hated to do when I started out! Daniels: So with these changes on the OEM side, your trade has changed as well. Gray: Yes. I think the biggest thing that has changed is the
way we test wiring in the car. Old timers like myself had to throw away test lights and learn how to use oscilloscopes. I network on Facebook and Twitter, both to show off work to cus- tomers during or right after it’s finished, or get help from other installers. With social media it is so much easier to keep up with trends and share information. Daniels: What would you tell someone who is enthusiastic about our industry and wants to make it a career? Gray: Two things: Set some goals for yourself, and take a
class. Classes provide you with knowledge and new skills and allow you to meet other like-minded installers. After 12 years of installing, I took my first class, a Rockford Fosgate RTTI Top Gun class taught by Bryan Schmitt. I also set a few goals for myself: I wanted to build demo vehicles, build a competition SPL car and win Installer of the Year. By 2006 I had built a CES demo car for Rockford Corp, won 3 SPL world championships and won Installer of the Year. It is amazing what attending a class can do; it’s making an investment in yourself.
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