The needs of musicians are ever-changing. From Bob Dylan’s electric performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, to the more recent adoption of effects pedals by synth players, the gear used to create music is constantly in flux.
At Reverb, we have a bird’s eye view of these changes, and we’ve seen quite a few trends come and go over the past decade. More recently, these changes have been less about the gear itself, and more about where, why, and how musicians purchase it. As 2025 races on, we’ve identified three major musician shopping trends we believe will shape the rest of the year.
Let’s start with the positives: Musicians are still buying plenty of gear to make music. In particular, used gear is making great strides as musicians seek out variety and value. In fact, while overall industry sales were down nearly 5% between 2019 and 2023, sales of used music gear on Reverb were up 53% during that same time period. Why are sales of used gear performing so well compared to their new counterparts? Reverb recently ran a survey with insights company Material, and the top reason musicians cited for choosing used music gear is affordability. Simply put, music makers are always looking to refresh their rig, and choosing used allows them more options to do so for less.
Used gear isn’t only benefiting buyers, either. Dealers and manufacturers are seeing increased demand for – and success from – used instruments. That’s why nearly all of the top sellers on Reverb offer used – with used driving more than half of their growth over the past five years. This presents a great opportunity for those that can increase their inventory mix to offer more used, whether online or in-store. Doing so not only provides musicians with more price points to choose from, but a greater variety of instruments as well. The used section of the music shop is often the first stop because you never know what you’ll find there!
That brings me to my second point: Music makers are increasingly selling their old gear to fund their next gear purchase. Now, you might think that more sellers means more competition, but this trend is a good thing – musicians’ ability to sell their old gear gives them the space and money to buy new gear. On Reverb, more than 50% of musicians who sold an instrument went on to buy another within the next year, as data from another Reverb-commissioned survey shows that the top reason musicians sell their gear is so they can buy a different piece of gear.
Better yet, musicians that both buy and sell music gear spend nearly twice as much as those that only buy. When musicians are able to try out more gear, experimenting with sounds as they switch from one pedal to another, our industry – from players to dealers to manufacturers – benefits from the circular music gear economy with musicians and professional sellers selling and buying over and over again.
How can you join in? It’s simple: Make selling a natural part of the buying process by accepting trade-ins. Already have a trade-in program? Consider how you can expand it or make it a more prominent part of your online or brick-and-mortar store. With nearly 40% of respondents to our survey indicating that they’d sell their music gear in a music store so they could trade it in for something else, it shouldn’t take long for you to have a healthy inventory of used gear to sell.
That leads me to my last point – which might seem counterintuitive coming from Reverb. Based on the regular interactions we have with our buyers, one thing is clear: Musicians want an in-store experience. Yes, you read that right: We’re an online marketplace, and we wholeheartedly believe in the importance of physical music shops!
According to one of our recent surveys, around 40% of musicians purchase music gear in-store and online equally and more than 40% go to a store to test out instruments when they want to learn more. Testing out and inspecting music gear is still very much part of the gear buying process, which means that brick-and-mortar stores will continue to play an important role in the future of gear buying.
So what does that mean for you? Your store is your super power. If you have a physical space, rethink how it can support today’s music gear buyers who are increasingly shopping both in-store and online. Consider how to better promote options like local pickup. As it relates to trade-ins: Make your space part of the process with a dedicated and visible space for inspections, authentication, and more. Overall, consider how your physical shop can act like an extension of your online shop.
My local guitar store, Tall Toad Music, is a great example. I love to browse their inventory online and when I spot something that piques my interest, I head over to the store to check it out. Once I’m there, I’m always inevitably drawn to their pre-owned guitar section. The variety I find there always blows me away, from vintage Martins and Gibsons to more current used Waterloo’s; it makes the store-going experience an absolute must for me and has kept me coming back for almost 20 years.
The numerous releases of new gear throughout the year are an important part of our industry, offering music makers new instruments to try and enjoy. However, it’s both the sound and long-term value of well-worn used gear that provides music makers with the flexibility they need to refresh their rig.
The wants and needs of musicians are ever-changing, and it’s our job to empower them throughout the evolution of their musical journey.
David Mandelbrot is CEO at Reverb, the largest online marketplace dedicated to music gear. Prior to joining Reverb, David was CEO of Indiegogo, where he helped small businesses raise more than $1 billion, as well as the VP and GM of Yahoo!’s media and entertainment division. David has co-founded two companies, including Fretbase, a former online hub for guitar players. In his free time, David plays acoustic guitar, primarily Martin and Waterloo acoustics, and spends time with his three kids, all of whom play musical instruments.
