25th Profile of the American Music Dealer

Last year’s iteration of our yearly MI dealer count and breakdown was characterized by numbers that were, in some cases, radically different from the years immediately preceding 2014.

Far more accurate data collection and analysis tools provided for figures that were more in line with how many dealers currently are in operation throughout all 50 states.

With the same models in place for 2015, it’s therefore not particularly surprising that the 25^th Profile of the American Music Dealer has far fewer “surprises,” with state and national totals remaining fairly well in line with last year’s report. That said, there is an overall uptick in the country’s MI store-count. We report 7673 storefronts in the current year, up 23 from 2014’s total – nothing earth-shattering and there’s no call to bust out the bubbly, necessarily, but any good news is… well, good news. While (in most cases) the gains or losses, per state, were minimal – usually plus or minus two or three stores compared to 2014 – it’s also a positive to report that 27 states were in the “gains” category, even if the gains were (again, in most cases) minimal.

Among the notable openings, closings, and “other” from the past 12 months… Despite the semi-frequent rumblings of impending bankruptcy and all other varieties of “corporate doom,” Guitar Center continues to roll out new retail locations at a healthy pace, having launched 28 new stores in 2014 – including the new 28,000 square-foot flagship store in Times Square – with an additional three already having opened in the current year. Steinway & Sons opened Steinway Piano Gallery – Charlotte, the North Carolina Piedmont region’s only exclusive Steinway showroom in August of last year. The 8,000 square-foot Foster Family Music Center closed in late December of 2014 after having served the Mississippi Valley region for over three decades. Mike Green, longtime owner of San Diego’s Greene Music, retired in January, having sold the store to Music Exchange. More recently, on June 1^st of this year Sweetwater opened it’s completely redesigned and expanded Music Store in Fort Wayne, Indiana – now one of the largest MI retail locations in the Midwest. To the north, Tredwell Music Centre – the last print music store in Winnipeg, and by many estimates all of Canada – closed after 80 years in June of this year.

Here’s how the 2015 numbers break down:

Percentage Shares By Product Type*

Sell Keyboard/Piano/Organ

2015: 64%

2014: 55%

2013: 48%

2012: 48.7%

2011: 50.3%

————-

Sell Band & Orchestra Instruments

2015: 46%

2014: 50%

2013: 43%

2012: 43%

2011: 41.9%

————

Sell Drums/Percussion

2015: 52%

2014: 81%

2013: 47%

2012: 47.1%

2011: 46.7%

————

Sell Sound Reinf./Recording Equipment

2015: 47%

2014: 53%

2013: 47%

2012: 49.4%

2011: 47.9 %

———–

Sell Fretted Instruments

2015: 62%

2014: 70%

2013: 63 %

2012: 62.2 %

2011: 60.5 %

———–

Sell Print Music

2015: 49%

2014: 51%

2013: 46 %

2012: 46.5 %

2011: 45.5 %

 *Percentages listed above are based upon the total number of responses from MMR subscribers who identify themselves as retailers, minus a large number of retailers on the file who did not answer the question, “What product categories does your store carry?” because they were added on from a list source that MMR acquired. The numbers above are much closer to the 2013 file number percentages than the 2014 percentages.

2013 State-By-State Breakdown

                                    Total Stores 2014   Total Stores 2015    Unit Change

Alabama                     111                             111                             0

Alaska                         21                               23                               +2

Arizona                       116                             113                             -3

Arkansas                    88                               79                               -9

California                   1052                           1054                           +2

Colorado                     126                             127                             +1

Connecticut                104                             111                             +7

Delaware                    14                               22                               +8

District of Columbia 3                                  3                                  0

Florida                        377                             374                                         -3

Georgia                       248                             245                                         -3

Hawaii                        37                               31                                           -6

Idaho                          54                               54                                           0

Illinois                         341                             340                             -1

Indiana                       175                             177                                         +2

Iowa                            86                               84                                           -2

Kansas                        86                               82                                           -4

Kentucky                    131                             128                                         -3

Louisiana                    77                               88                               +11

Maine                         36                               35                                           -1

Maryland                   108                             116                             +8

Massachusetts                       184                             186                             +2

Michigan                    208                             200                             -8

Minnesota                  156                             161                             +5

Mississippi                 62                               58                                           -4

Missouri                     164                             162                                         -2

Montana                     35                               36                                           +1

Nebraska                    54                               56                                           +2

Nevada                       58                               54                                           -4

New Hampshire           52                             55                               +3

New Jersey                 198                             196                             -2

New Mexico              46                               49                                           +3

New York                   488                             481                             -7

North Carolina                       217                             220                             +3

North Dakota                         23                               27                               +4

Ohio                            301                             292                                         -9

Oklahoma                   89                               92                                           +3

Oregon                       119                             125                                         +6

Pennsylvania             345                             347                                         +2

Rhode Island                         24                               26                                           +2

South Carolina                       109                             113                                         +4

South Dakota                         18                               21                                           +3

Tennessee                  183                             187                             +4

Texas                          453                             454                                         +1

Utah                            81                               80                                           -1

Vermont                     26                               26                                           0

Virginia                       191                             186                             -5

Washington               168                             171                             +3

West Virginia                         50                               45                               -5

Wisconsin                   141                             158                             +12

Wyoming                    16                               17                               +1

                                    7650                           7673                           +23

State Gains

Biggest gains by number of units were Delaware, Maryland, Louisiana, and Wisconsin.

State Losses

Biggest losses by number of units were Arkansas, Hawaii, Michigan, and New York.

Even (4)

Alabama, Washington D.C., Idaho, Vermont.

Gains (27)

Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Losses (19)

Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Utah, Virginia.

Ten-Year State Count

2006   8223 Stores

2007   7957 Stores

2008   7980 Stores

2009   7981 Stores

2010   7993 Stores

2011   8084 Stores

2012   8038 Stores

2013   8004 Stores

2014   7650 Stores

2015   7673 Stores