ICTGoober
New member
Re: Post NAMM aftershock
Standard music industry rule of thumb.... Only about 15 percent of the population ever takes up a musical instrument of any kind. Half of them stop playing within a year.
How many of those are guitarists? Less than 3 percent of the population. And half of them quit within a year. That's not a lot of people in the big picture scheme of things.
An example: A couple years I was hanging out at the music store, and we were all perusing the latest edition of Musical Merchandise Review - essentially the industry's report card. They had the whole music instrument industry listed in charts by dollar amount. It seemed quite considerable.... in the billions. Guitar sales were a few hundred million.
But - one of my clients came in during the discussion and finally said, "I'll be right back". The client came back from his car with a 6 inch thick printout... He was the manager of a local Target store. He licked his finger and randomly pulled back a section of the printout and began reading... "Mars Candy sales for one year are"..... and a ridiculously high figure tumbled from his lips. The entire yearly sales of just Mars chocolate candy in Target worldwide exceeded the whole guitar industries total sales.
More money in one brand of chocolate bars at one chain, than all makers of guitars sold online and from stores. Per year.
Does that provide any perspective, guys? We like to think we are kicking ass in the marketplace.... Guitars are chump change in comparison.
Standard music industry rule of thumb.... Only about 15 percent of the population ever takes up a musical instrument of any kind. Half of them stop playing within a year.
How many of those are guitarists? Less than 3 percent of the population. And half of them quit within a year. That's not a lot of people in the big picture scheme of things.
An example: A couple years I was hanging out at the music store, and we were all perusing the latest edition of Musical Merchandise Review - essentially the industry's report card. They had the whole music instrument industry listed in charts by dollar amount. It seemed quite considerable.... in the billions. Guitar sales were a few hundred million.
But - one of my clients came in during the discussion and finally said, "I'll be right back". The client came back from his car with a 6 inch thick printout... He was the manager of a local Target store. He licked his finger and randomly pulled back a section of the printout and began reading... "Mars Candy sales for one year are"..... and a ridiculously high figure tumbled from his lips. The entire yearly sales of just Mars chocolate candy in Target worldwide exceeded the whole guitar industries total sales.
More money in one brand of chocolate bars at one chain, than all makers of guitars sold online and from stores. Per year.
Does that provide any perspective, guys? We like to think we are kicking ass in the marketplace.... Guitars are chump change in comparison.
