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As a music store owner, you do more than just sell instruments.
While some of your responsibilities are the same as those of other retailers — like stocking shelves and ringing up sales — others are unique to your industry, such as teaching piano lessons and renting out clarinets. Luckily, modern tools have been developed to help you with the general and music store–specific tasks you manage every day.
Many business owners use a point of sale (POS) system to run and organize their operations. There are many POS providers on the market, but the key is finding one with features that match your business’ needs. That means researching multiple options and identifying which capabilities you’d actually use — and which ones you wouldn’t.
In this blog, we’ll explore the unique features your business needs — especially for services like repairs, instrument rentals, and music lessons — and how to choose a music store POS system that truly makes running your shop easier.
Let’s dive in.
Must-Have Music Store POS Features
Start by making a list of the most important tasks you handle as a business owner — such as ordering inventory, making sales, or fulfilling online orders, creating work orders, and tracking rental contracts.
Next, choose a system with features designed to support those needs. Here’s a closer look at the essential tools to expect in a music store POS.
General Features
Most POS solutions come equipped with general retail capabilities. Here are a few key examples:
- Payment processing: Customer checkout is the core function of any POS system. It should accept multiple forms of payment, including cash, cards, and digital wallets.
- Inventory management: A solid POS system lets you monitor stock levels in real time. Cloud-based options automatically update inventory when you place orders or make sales. Accurate, up-to-date numbers help you improve your purchasing strategy.
- E-commerce: Many POS systems support e-commerce by helping you manage your website, suppliers, and shipping.
- Marketing: Customer communication is a huge part of modern marketing. Some platforms allow you to send SMS and email campaigns directly from the POS interface, including automated messages.
Make sure any POS system you use offers these essential retail features.
Repair Work Orders
Using paper repair tickets can quickly become disorganized and confusing. Digital work orders, on the other hand, keep all the information you need in one place. POS systems with repair features can track every detail from intake to pickup — including customer information, repair requests, and maintenance history.
Whether it’s a cork and pad replacement for a clarinet, a valve and slide adjustment for a trombone, or a head swap for a drum, you can log serial numbers, intake photos, and estimated completion dates for each job.
Some POS systems also let you send customers real-time updates about their repairs. If a guitar will be ready earlier — or take longer — than expected, you can notify the customer by text or email directly from the system.
Related Read: 12 Ways To Streamline Your Music Store’s Repair Department
Instrument Rentals
A POS system with built-in rental features makes it easy to keep track of each instrument in your fleet — even during the busy back-to-school season.
When a customer requests a rental, you can enter their information and store the contract in the system, so you always know where every instrument is and the expected return date.
Demand often surges in August and September as students join school bands and orchestras. Popular rental instruments include:
- Clarinets
- Flutes
- Trumpets
- Trombones
- Saxophones
- Violins
- Violas
As you rent out these instruments, be sure to record whether customers received accessories and components like carrying cases, bows, mouthpieces, and reeds.
Serial inventory tracking is another essential feature for rentals. It allows you to view the maintenance history for each instrument, which is useful for scheduling repairs and helps reduce lost inventory.
A comprehensive POS system can also handle payments, manage rent-to-own programs, and apply late fees when needed.
Related Read: 5 Tips for Managing Instrument Rental for Schools
Music Lesson Scheduler
To effectively offer music lessons at your store, you need to keep track of both student and instructor schedules. A POS system with integrated lesson scheduling keeps everything organized in one calendar, lets you track student progress, and simplifies payment.
Popular lessons often include piano, guitar, drums, and violin, and the system can assign instructors and ensure there are no scheduling conflicts.
Modern POS systems also allow students to book time slots directly through your website, making it even easier for them to sign up. You can then send automated reminders to help reduce no-shows and keep your schedule on track.
Related Read: Music Service Revenue Tracking: Are Your Repairs and Lessons Profitable?
Top 5 Music Store POS Systems
There are plenty of POS providers out there, and sorting through them can feel overwhelming. To save you time, we’ve narrowed it down to the five best music store POS systems for managing repairs, rentals, and lessons.
5. Shopify
Shopify is a general business POS platform with a customizable interface.
Service features: Shopify doesn’t include built-in tools for repairs, rentals, or lessons. That said, you can add these functions by downloading third-party apps from its extensive app store.
Pricing:
- Basic: $29 per month
- Grow: $79 per month
- Advanced: $299 per month
- Plus: $2,300 per month
4. KORONA POS
KORONA POS is a general POS system that serves a variety of industries.
Service features: KORONA POS supports rentals and integrates with a third-party software called TimeForge for lesson scheduling. Although it doesn’t have a dedicated work order feature, its inventory management and invoicing tools can be adapted for repairs.
Pricing:
- Core: $59 per month
- Retail: $69 per month
3. Square
Similar to Shopify, Square is a flexible POS platform with a simple, intuitive interface.
Service features: Square allows you to schedule classes from the POS, while customers can book lessons online. It doesn’t offer native features for repairs and rentals, but it connects to an app store where you can add those functions through third-party apps.
Pricing:
- Square Free: $0 per month (processing fees apply)
- Square Plus: $49 per month (processing fees apply)
- Square Premium: $149 per month (processing fees apply)
2. AIM by Tri-Tech
AIM by Tri-Tech is a POS solution that’s a good fit for music stores, bike shops, golf courses, and other retail businesses.
Service features: Tri-tech users can purchase add-ons for long and short-term instrument rentals, class scheduling, and repair services.
Pricing:
AIM Base Package: $995 (add-on modules also available for purchase)
1. Music Shop 360
Music Shop 360 is an all-in-one POS solution designed specifically for music stores.
Service features: In addition to standard POS functions, the software includes a work order module for repairs, instrument rental tools, and a full lesson scheduling system.
Pricing: Contact for custom pricing.
Manage All of Your Services With Music Shop 360
Modern POS systems make it easier to manage your music store’s operations — from selling products to offering services. While most platforms include general retail functions and some offer basic service features, software built specifically for your industry delivers the most value.
Music Shop 360 is a cloud-based POS platform designed for music stores. Our software offers payment processing, website design tools, inventory management, marketing features, access to music vendor catalogs, and dedicated tools for handling repairs, rentals, and lessons. With a full suite of both general and music-specific capabilities, you have everything you need to run your store efficiently.
To see what Music Shop 360 can do for your business, schedule a demo today!
