Actually the situation here in Hilton Head, South Carolina is pretty much the same as Spalding's in the UK... I don't know of anyone local using arrangers except me. There's lots of solo guitar/singers here that use drum machines and those phrase loopers that seem to be popular. A few solo/duo acts I know use midi files here and there.

The few music stores in my entire region all carry the most stereotypical products, usually in a setting that is dominated by guitarists blasting in one corner while hip-hop wanna-bes and rabid kids unleash mayhem in the other. That's the worst place to try out keyboards usually.

I've just accepted that I have very specialized needs and that no local store is going to carry what I use or be as well educated about the products in question as I am. I have no brand loyalty at all and no single source for my purchases. Everything I buy is via internet except for the few purchases I make when I travel. I do base purchases on price because once I buy something my relationship with who I buy from is usually done. With free shipping and no sales tax, the internet is my local music store.