Learn to Play Guitar in Philly
Guitars gone wild
Did everyone buy a guitar during in quarantine or what? Online music instrument sales rose dramatically in 2020 and has not slowed down since.
To some people, guitars are almost as essential as toilet paper. While the pandemic wreaked havoc on the global economy, seriously hurting and shutting down many businesses, some companies posted jaw-dropping financials. And in a less predictable turn of events, it appears the same can be said for major music retailers. Guitar Center, the only music center with brick-and-mortar locations saw an uptick. Online sales more than doubled in 2020 when compared to 2019.
Increase in Guitar Sales
When citizens started sheltering in place, the guitar became the most popular product being sold in the music genre. And every kind of guitar is selling. Even in a post-Covid world, the guitar and music industry will settle into a 50/50 balance of online to in-store and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. People talk about necessity being the mother of invention, but necessity was the mother of access and acceleration for guitars.
Retailers also noticed an uptick specifically in new customers and beginner musicians that continued through 2020, meaning that their reach is now wider than it was at the start of last year. Guitar Center says that while guitar sales continue to increase, it’s especially true for beginner instruments at entry price points. They have also noticed an increase in purchases among women and younger players. And these are new students during the shelter in place.
DIY Stress Relief
People buying recording equipment, either for podcasting or DIY music making, was a big trend, but the increase in beginners was even bigger. The need for stress relief and breaks from looking at screens all day inspired a lot of newcomers. A lot of people just thought, “hey, I have always wanted to play guitar.” All of a sudden, beginners came into it. Even intermediate players who had gotten to a certain level picked up their guitar again and started playing. And advanced and expert players splurged on buying their dream guitar. Hopefully this surge will bring out a whole new generation of guitarists for the next 10-30 years.
With this surge in guitar buying, guitar lessons have also rose in popularity. Some have taken to free online lessons from YouTube and others have sought out professional teachers. And many of those in person studios transitioned to online zoom lessons during the pandemic. And many are still continuing to offer this platform. David Joel Guitar Studio, which has always been a one-on-one in studio type of learning center, took to zoom during the pandemic and owner, David Joel, continues to offer lessons over zoom as well as in studio.