Plugging Into Higher Sales
Guitar amp manufacturers have seen sales rise in lockstep with guitars, and diversity is the name of the game in the PA speaker market.
By Brian Berk As you may have already read in this issue’s other cover story, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to unbelievable guitar sales in 2020. Likely as important to the MI industry as the increase in guitar sales this past year are the many new players who have taken up the guitar, whether they were dreamers, weekend warriors or simply people who had more free time thanks to pandemic-related lockdowns, restrictions on public gatherings, or the absence of their daily commute to and from work. But this spike in sales raises the question: Do good guitar sales also lead to good amp sales? Although this might seem like the logical conclusion, the Music and Retailer set out to find out for sure. We also examined the pro-audio speaker market (in addition to the amplifier market) to see if speaker sales were materially affected by the pandemic. Joining us to discuss amp sales are Chris DeMaria, vice president of marketing and artist relations for Fishman Transducers, and David Arnold, guru, ToneWood Amp. And joining us for a look at pro-audio speaker sales is James Greenspan, marketing and communications manager for Yorkville Sound.
"With the absence of live gigs, PA sales took a hit; however, the pandemic put our EXM Mobile battery-powered line to the forefront." — James Greenspan, Yorkville Sound
"In 2020, we saw a huge surge in new ToneWood Amp users who were first learning their instruments, stepping back into the game after long breaks and lifelong players trying effects for the first time." — David Arnold, ToneWood Amp (right, with guitarist Andy McKee) 26
APRIL 2021
