Be My Guitar Data Hero
July 17, 2019 12:49 PM Subscribe
I'd like to get some guitar data:
- # sold in U.S. yearly
- # total number of active guitars /guitar players in U.S.
- % acoustic vs. electric
Where can I find such data?
- # sold in U.S. yearly
- # total number of active guitars /guitar players in U.S.
- % acoustic vs. electric
Where can I find such data?
Find a library that has access to Mediamark Reporter and their Survey of the American Consumer data.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 1:30 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 1:30 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Be aware, the used market is *huge* and may be a black box to marketing firms. Fwiw.
posted by j_curiouser at 1:34 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by j_curiouser at 1:34 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Hi pro guitarist here.... lots of useful stats for you in this 2017 Washington Post article on the decline of the electric guitar market in the US.
The active to non-active player continuum is going to be a lot harder to assess quantitatively. Millions of guitars sit in attics and garages and storage sheds unplayed for years. Players go through phases. I made my living playing guitar in my 20s, would have told you I no longer played by my 40s, and am back to working professionally as a guitarist on a weekly basis now. Along the way I’ve probably owned 20-25 guitars, 16 of which I still have. So take those numbers carefully if your goal is to assess the situation analytically.
Also, there has been a concomitant boom in ukulele and banjo sales in recent years, and acoustic guitars are selling better than they did for a long time. A lot of this has to do with the shifting gender politics of guitar playing and popular music. Almost certainly women will be under-represented in much market analysis.
posted by spitbull at 4:50 PM on July 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
The active to non-active player continuum is going to be a lot harder to assess quantitatively. Millions of guitars sit in attics and garages and storage sheds unplayed for years. Players go through phases. I made my living playing guitar in my 20s, would have told you I no longer played by my 40s, and am back to working professionally as a guitarist on a weekly basis now. Along the way I’ve probably owned 20-25 guitars, 16 of which I still have. So take those numbers carefully if your goal is to assess the situation analytically.
Also, there has been a concomitant boom in ukulele and banjo sales in recent years, and acoustic guitars are selling better than they did for a long time. A lot of this has to do with the shifting gender politics of guitar playing and popular music. Almost certainly women will be under-represented in much market analysis.
posted by spitbull at 4:50 PM on July 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: @jonathanhughes: Thanks I've emailed them.
@NotMyselfRightNow: The local library doesn't have access to it. Any suggestions on other ways to access it?
@j_curiouser; spitbull: Thanks!
posted by falsedmitri at 5:08 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
@NotMyselfRightNow: The local library doesn't have access to it. Any suggestions on other ways to access it?
@j_curiouser; spitbull: Thanks!
posted by falsedmitri at 5:08 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
From spitbull's WaPo article I found Music Trades magazine, which has a series of data reports, if you're willing to spend some money on your search.
% acoustic vs. electric
I'm not sure what you're looking for with this - if it's data on % sold, then NAMM should probably get you a workable estimate. But if you're interested in % of players/owners, I'm not sure where you could find accurate data, not least because there's a really really good chance that tons of folks - whether pro, semi-pro, or amateur/hobbyist - will own both.
posted by soundguy99 at 5:39 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
% acoustic vs. electric
I'm not sure what you're looking for with this - if it's data on % sold, then NAMM should probably get you a workable estimate. But if you're interested in % of players/owners, I'm not sure where you could find accurate data, not least because there's a really really good chance that tons of folks - whether pro, semi-pro, or amateur/hobbyist - will own both.
posted by soundguy99 at 5:39 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I don’t think I’ve ever known an electric guitarist — and I’ve known hundreds — who didn’t also own an acoustic or twelve.
posted by spitbull at 8:02 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 8:02 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
OK to be fair I only have 6 acoustics and 10 electrics.
posted by spitbull at 4:23 AM on July 20, 2019
posted by spitbull at 4:23 AM on July 20, 2019
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posted by jonathanhughes at 12:59 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]