Many schools begin to prepare for purchases in advance of the fall semester during the summer months. With that in mind, we figured now might be a good time to touch base with some key suppliers of marching snare drums – one of the more popular, essential, and in need of “refresh” marching band instruments – to learn about what particular models are selling best, what trends are guiding the market, and how savvy dealers position themselves to connect with the greatest number of buyers.
Compared to previous years, how would you evaluate the state of the Marching Snare Drum market segment? Are sales up, level, down?
Joel Tetzlaff: In the last few years, we’ve seen strong demand for marching percussion. Many band directors have been using ESSER funds to purchase percussion instruments.
David Nelson: We believe the Marching Snare Drum Market is continuing to grow. School sales seem to not be effected by the economic trends.
Bill Ludwig: Sales have been up, at least from my perspective. Marching drums in general have been increasing for TAMA and 2023 was our best year yet!
Nic Milliner: Marching snare drum sales in the past were primarily driven by large institutional purchases. This is still the case but there has been an increase in younger players that use social media as a performance outlet. Many of these musicians have started to purchase their own instruments outside of whatever ensembles they are currently in or may have been associated with in the past. Snare drums are the most common purchase in these situations.
For your brand, what model, or models, of marching snare drum is(are) the most popular?
BL: The Fieldstar Marching Snare Drum is TAMA’s best-selling marching snare.
NM: The Quantum series snare drum in the standard 14” x 12” size (QCX1412S) is our most popular model.
DN: LUMS14PB: Ludwig Ultimate Snare Drum in Black Cortex
JT: The Yamaha SFZ Marching Snare is one of the best-selling marching drums. This drum was designed for top DCI and WGI performance groups with a band director focus. The SFZ is easy to work with and quick to tune, allowing Instructors and directors to spend more time teaching and less time maintaining drums. The SFZ design is also durable, making this a great long-term investment.
What features are end-users and band directors looking for in 2024 when shopping for a marching snare drum?
JT: Band directors are always looking for a good value and a drum that holds up. The sound quality and projection, durability, and ease of tuning are the key features that keep this drum at the top of the bid list. We ship the SFZ with competition-ready Remo heads. This saves the band time and money as they have a great set of heads right out of the box.
BL: Sound, affordability and durability are definitely high on the priority list for most. The connection between snare and carrier/stand are important and TAMA’s unique features for easy interfacing and quicker head changes help make playing and using the drums easy and intuitive. Weight has also been a consideration. Especially for high school students, a lighter weight makes for an easier time acclimating to marching and carrying the drums
DN: Sound quality, durability, and weight.
NM: I think educators and players are looking for a snare drum that is user friendly, durable, aesthetically attractive, and most importantly has a wide range of sonic options.
What are some best practices embraced by MI retailers who do especially well in terms of marketing, promoting, and displaying marching snare drums?
DN: The items that have demonstration videos. Social media features with Artists/WGI/DCI.
JT: Dealers that do well in marching percussion are typically service-orientated. Helping the band unpack the drums, get them ready, and set up with carriers allows the dealer to be a part of the experience. Making sure the new line has the necessary accessories such as covers, rim savers, and tom guards is a great way to help the director protect their investment.
NM: I think retailers that are willing to stock basic finishes and sizes is helpful to schools needing to complete a bid within a limited period. Also because of the nature of marching percussion the necessary accessories (stands, carriers, and heads) often need replacing on short notice so trusted retailers that have these items in stock or well represented on their website tend to be the first call when educators are in need.
What concerns or challenges do you foresee for the production and sale of these instruments this year (supply chain, price, economic trends, trade issues, et cetera)?
NM: Demand has been very high the past couple of years and having the ability to fulfil orders quickly is one of our main goals each year. We continue to look for ways to offer our customers more options with more manageable lead times and as a result Mapex launched its Drums on Demand program in 2022. With this program we can stock more raw materials in Nashville and utilize our onsite drum shop team to fulfill orders for a variety of finishes on a made to order basis.
JT: We continue to work on ensuring our products meet the demands of the top performers and are accessible to a wide range of educators and performers. The value of a good instrument is not just the product but the opportunity it creates for young musicians in our community. The continued work to make music programs accessible throughout the country is always a priority.
BL: Post-COVID, many schools received an influx of funding, especially for music programs. Moving into 2024, we hope to see a continuation of support for music/arts education, but the path ahead it isn’t clear. Ultimately, it could mean more schools will be working to try and stretch their budget dollars as far as possible when considering what equipment they can purchase.
DN: Economic trends could be a potential issues but school sales seem to be consistent.
Does your brand have any upcoming or recent models of marching snare drums that you’d like to draw our readers’ attention to?
DN: Not at this time.
BL: TAMA’s Fieldstar Marching Snare has many unique features that make it a high contender in the market. TAMA takes pride in innovation and has applied their expertise in engineering to make their marching drums reliable and intuitive to adjust, set up, and play.
JT: We Introduced the 4th generation SFZ a few years ago, the MS-9414. This drum is lighter with improved the sound quality and durability. This new model has won 3 championships between DCI and WGI in the last three years. We are introducing an additional standard color natural forest. This will be part of our five standard finishes – Blue Forest, Black Forest, Red Forest, Natural Forest, and White Wrap. The natural golden Maple color is an excellent addition for any ensemble looking to augment the brass of the horns and winds or gold accents in the uniform.
NM: The next iteration of the Quantum series snare drum is launching this year. This drum will be offered in the same sizes as the previous Quantum options (14” x 12” or 14” x10”) and features lightweight aluminum throw off and butt side assemblies, an all-maple shell w/ maple reinforcement ring and a removeable snare module to facilitate quick bottom head changes without needing to readjust the snare tension. The snare module also allows precise fine-tuning of individual snare strands using a standard drum key. Additionally, the flexibility to effortlessly remove or replace snare strands with alternate materials allows for the creation of a tailored sound.
Do you expect this segment of MI to remain level, decline, or experience growth in the coming months?
JT: We don’t expect to see a significant shift in demand, but with the influx of business, we expect some leveling off. There’s strong demand in many areas for marching arts programs and many positive indicators of participation in competitive marching arts programs.
NM: Despite the numerous challenges associated with arts in education, the persistent advocacy and ongoing enthusiasm for marching arts activities are evolving in a manner that, in my opinion, will contribute to consistent growth,
DN: I would expect this segment to have growth in the latter half of the year.
BL: I expect growth for marching drums going into the summer months as schools will start planning purchases for their fall season.
