Sellers say acoustic guitars are the most popularly bought instruments thanks to easily available lessons on social media.
Bengaluru: Acoustic guitars are the most sold instruments in Bangalore. Out of 10 music instrument shops in the city, eight of them said that the acoustic guitar sells the most in their shops.
Mayank Khakra, a musician, said that the rise in the popularity of musicians on social media contributes to the rise in sales of music instruments. “A lot of people good at singing choose to be musicians on social media, which could be a plausible reason for more people buying equipment and instruments that help them,” he said.
Khakra said he started producing music in 2021. “My music journey started on Instagram, when my friends encouraged me to pursue music. I bought a guitar, learnt how to play it from YouTube channels and then started playing it. It is easy to learn an instrument with the help of social media now, than joining an actual music school,” he added.
Sunil Martin, manager of Reynolds.Inc said that their highest selling instrument is the acoustic guitar. “People like to usually buy guitars to pursue a hobby, and the acoustic guitar is our best-selling instrument. Although recently ukuleles are the trend, guitars are still in demand and widely purchased,” he said.
Martin added that while the demand for instruments like piano and guitars has grown, especially during the lockdown, the demand has reduced for Indian classical instruments. “Very few buy Indian classical instruments, only performers buy them,” he said.
Praveen, manager at Soundglitz agrees. “People aged, 18 to 35, buy guitars. Piano and keyboard are mostly bought by parents who want to teach their children music from a young age. , He added, “Indian classical instruments are bought by a few people who are passionate or are learning. People have been not buying them to pursue a hobby, like acoustic guitar.”
The market for musical instruments in India which was about USD 2.8 billion in 2022 is estimated to grow to about USD 7 billion in 2024, according to a report from Statista. The report also states that the market is estimated to grow by the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4 percent during 2024-2028.
Vinod Kumar Singh, musician and teacher at Dolce Music Academy, said that people choose “trendy” instruments which could get them famous quickly on social media.“There has been a change in the taste of music over generations. People prefer buying instruments trending on social media to gain more followers,” he added.
