Head-On

Sales of drum heads, when compared to this time in 2024, are…

Up: 4.6%

Down: 64.3%

Level: 31.1%

What types of drum heads sell the most at your store?

Bass drum: 44.3% 

Tom-tom: 38.5%

Snare: 84.5%

Tenor Drum: 4.3%

Timpani: 5.8%

Floor Tom: 11%

What specific head types are the hottest sellers for your business?

Coated: 57%

Clear: 31.2%

Black/Colored: 8.1%

Skin: .8%

Mesh or Multi: 2.9

What brand are generating the most profit for your operation?

Evans: 78.3%

Remo: 69.9%

Aquarian: 33.2%

Yamaha: 8.4%

LP: 7.7%

What trends have you been noticing with respect to drum head sales? Have you been observing any issues relating to supply chain challenges or tariffs?

“Tariffs appear to be effecting drumstick and string prices, more than drum head prices, from what I see at this point anyway. Both of which are manufactured in the U.S. So I can’t say I completely understand, other than everything is just going to go up 10% or more across the board. Just like everything went up during covid because of supply chain problems, which the chain sorted itself out over time, prices remained at the inflated levels overall. So now everything goes up again from there. It will be interesting to see what the tipping point for customers will be on all of this. It’s already there in some categories.”

Rusty Olson

Rockhaus

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

“Our snare drum display features multiple types of heads so our customers can try them out and choose which one may be best for them. Our department manager is eager to explain the differences as well.”

Jerry Vesely

Vesely Music

Parowan, Utah

“People are waiting longer to replace heads.”

Mike Bradshaw

GarageBand Music

Utica, Michigan

“Drummers are starting to gravitate back toward a classic sound, Heads that produce a “vintage” tone are picking up.”

Dan Patterson

Patterson’s Music

Fort Payne, Alabama

“Sales are up. We’re seeing increasing interest in Pre-packaged tom sets, and Evans is leading the charge with their snare tune-up packs.”

Shane Kinney

Drum Center of Portsmouth

North Hampton, New Hampshire