On the March: Marching Bass Drum Sales

With many school music programs constrained or temporarily put on hold during the pandemic, it’s no surprise that sales of marching bass drums in 2020 nosedived – hard. As restrictions are lifted and gatherings return, though, suppliers are expecting that this market segment will be rebounding in a big way with the coming fall semester.

For the past year-plus, activities such as marching band were severely restricted or stopped altogether. Have you noticed a gradual uptick in marching percussion sales?

Shawn Lafrenz, Senior Marketing Manager, Pearl/Adams B&O Products

Shawn Lafrenz: Once the COVID-19 vaccine distribution was in full swing starting in February, we could feel the confidence coming back into the market that schools would be functioning in a nearly “normal” fashion next fall. Since then, the momentum has only been building

Nic Millner: A gradual uptick is a perfect way to describe what we have seen so far. 2021 started off promising, but activity really seemed to pick up in March and April.

Jeff Huffman: Yes, there has definitely been more activity with marching percussion sales over the past two-to-three months. It seems many schools were allowed to start purchasing again in the spring, but need to make sure they have their remaining budgets spent and books closed by June 30th. May is normally a busy time for new drumline purchases and this year looks to be no different.

David Nelson: Schools are gradually getting back to normal. With this we are seeing an increase in interest for marching percussion. 

Joel Tetzlaff: The marching percussion business has seen strong and optimistic demand that is starting to look similar to the years before the pandemic. It’s great to see the opportunity become more accessible to young musicians who want to participate in the marching arts.

Have there been any recent trends when it comes to marching bass drums, specifically? Are players looking for certain features or gravitating to particular price points? Have there been any design or technology advancements on the supplier side of things?

Nic Milliner, Educational Brand Manager, Mapex/Majestic

NM: The skill-level of bass drummers today is pushing compositional extremes that we couldn’t have imagined five-to-10 years ago. The intricacy of what can be achieved also pushed us to incorporate advancements to the instrument, such as progressive air venting and the Sonic Clear bearing edge design, when developing our MkII bass drums. Both are intended to promote clarity within the ensemble through achieving balance in tone and attack.

While price always seems to be a consideration, I think that the players and educators really do appreciate and notice the details that make it easier to maximize performance. The demands both musically and visually continue to evolve at such a fast rate that we really do our best to try to think about features that will best serve the player and the instructor.

Absolutely, there have been advancements! We just happen to have three former DCI/WGI bass drummers on our team here at Mapex, so when developing our Quantum MkII line of bass drums we really wanted to make sure the bass drums were something special in terms of addressing the modern activity. We wanted to address and improve real world issues that affect the sound, feel, weight, maintenance, and durability of the drum. We have done so with both progressive air venting and Sonic Clear bearing edge mentioned previously, as well as our innovative aluminum hoops and wide profile claws which are designed to enhance durability and tuning. The shell design optimizes weight and tone while allowing easier application of tone foam and externally adjustable eye bolts that can be repositioned or tightened without removing the heads.

JH: There haven’t been any major trend changes recently, but over the past four-to-six years we’ve seen less interest in the very small 14” bass drums that were semi-popular in indoor percussion. These became popular when bass lines started playing more dense split parts, but many felt the 14” didn’t give enough tone. Schools are opting for a 16” or 18” as their smallest drum.

There has also been a desire to have the drum in a more comfortable playing position. For many years, it was a trend to have the drum pulled very close to the player’s chest, but that caused an uncomfortable position of needing to pull their arms back in order to play in the center of the head. There’s now more of a focus on having a natural arm position. The TAMA marching bass drums have brackets of graduating size that place the drum in an appropriate position for the player. The safety locks also keep the carrier firmly attached to the drum to avoid the carrier coming disconnected during moments of a show where the players take the drums off.

JT: Yamaha has been working on several innovative features that are being tested with our Drum Corps and artists. Our goal is always to have a great-sounding product that holds up over the lifetime of the drum line. In recent years, our focus has been on bass drum hoops, hardware refinement and improving durability without sacrificing sound. The tuning demands for bass drums can change when moving from outdoor stadiums to indoor drumline performances. Making sure the drums will work with various tuning schemes and drumhead types, the drums need to be dynamic with the music and venue.

DN: Customers generally are looking at a few specific features when shopping for bass drums. We have seen a pull toward smaller bass drum sizes. Sound quality, weight and durability are the features that most consumers are searching for. We have worked hard to provide these features in both our Ludwig Ultimate and Performance Series Bass Drums.

SL: Marching percussion products are uniquely challenged with delivering high value, performance, and durability in a challenging environment while still being as lightweight and comfortable as possible for players of many shapes and sizes. We are always exploring new technologies to improve products in all those aspects without sacrificing the tonal superiority of the Pearl products. One trend is that the range of sizes used by a standard high school are skewing smaller; what used to be a 18”-30” or 32” bass line is now 16”-28”. These smaller sizes are used in an effort to protect the students from injury from carrying a drum too big/heavy for their physique.

For your brand, what are currently the top-selling marching bass drum models?

Jeff Huffman, Sales Strategist/B&O, Hoshino (USA), Inc.

JH: Maple has been the preferred wood for marching drum shells for many years. The Tama Maple 18” and 20” are our top-selling, as most every drumline marches those sizes.

JT: The Field-Corps Series balances a lightweight design with great sound and durability that endures the demands of touring and the competitive marching band. This Series was designed and tested to meet the needs of our top Drum Corps, but it’s also light enough to meet the needs of university and high school programs, as well. The drums are set up with Remo drumheads, so it’s very easy for any band director or percussion instructor to get the drums up and running as soon as you pull them out of the box.

DN: Ludwig Ultimate and Performance Series Bass Drums are both top selling bass drum lines.

SL: Championship Maple Bass drum are the benchmark of performance, and the best-selling series worldwide.

NM: Our MkII 22” and 24” drums in black are the top selling models. Black is a classic color and those sizes are part of most arrays.

Have you observed any promotion or display strategies that are especially impactful for dealers successful in serving this market segment?

Jeff Huffman, Sales Strategist/B&O, Hoshino (USA), Inc.

JT: Marching percussion, in general, has had great success with custom colors options. This allows any group to have a unique visual appearance that truly sets the ensemble apart.

The Sounds of Summer (SOS) program brings a great value to our participating dealers. Although the student camps have been suspended due to the pandemic, we will continue to work with our dealers to provide students the opportunity to participate in the future.

We also notice that the verity of smaller bass drum sizes creates more opportunities for younger players with less marching experience.

NM: Yes, we recently launched a free drum cover promotion for Quantum battery purchases that is a real nice value add for dealers and band directors. The covers are very durable and keep drums looking great and protected from the elements during rehearsal.

SL: Some dealers have begun filming “on location” videos of professional marching ensembles; increasing exposure for the dealer, the ensemble, and the ensemble’s equipment supplier.

Expectations for Marching Percussion sales in the coming months?

David Nelson, Senior Category Manager, Ludwig Drums

DN: We are expecting marching percussion sales to continue to pick up throughout the remainder of the year.

SL: We are very optimistic about the marching percussion market for the rest of 2021, and excited to see drumlines and bands across the country stepping-off later this fall!

JH: Now that it seems there will be marching band activity across the country this coming season, I expect schools will get back on track with their instrument replacement plans and we’ll start to see marching percussion sales revive back to where they were before the pandemic.

NM: I expect the positive trends to continue throughout the year as many schools and independent marching groups return to normal activities. Additionally, the size and scope of activities like indoor percussion seem to provide a slightly more accessible outlet for marching music than large scale marching band as we gradually transition back to more in-person group events. In some instances, we have seen this cause allocated resources to be diverted to percussion purchases.

JT: While the marching arts were hit hard during the pandemic, we expect to see an aggressive return to normalcy. The marching arts are one of the school activities that allow students to perform together, and instructors and students alike are looking forward to getting back on the field.