Pandemic-related lockdowns also led to soaring keyboard sales in the past two-and-some-change years, so stands and racks for those newly acquired instruments must also be doing well these days, right? Well, as per the participants in this month’s dealer survey, sales are in fact… not really trending in any particular direction, nationwide.
When asked to contrast sales in 2022 with the previous year, the most commonly selected option was “Level” (41.7%), but it was by no means a runaway majority-leader. So… search me. Regional differences in the marketplace, supply-chain issues, and other factors may be at play. Those who are noticing increased business cite the return of live performance, while those who report that sales of stands and racks are down blame declining music education in schools and increasing prices.
There was one clear trend outlined by these poll results, however: players really gravitate towards X-style units. As Bill Cunningham from Decatur, Illinois’ SoundCheck Music points out, “Double X single-tier stands have been most popular for years.”
Read on to learn more about how MI retailers are viewing this segment of the market.
Compared to early summer of 2021, sales of keyboard stands & racks at your store are…
Up: 37.5%
Down: 20.8%
Level: 41.7%
What stand/rack style is most popular at your business?
2nd Tier: .4%
3rd Tier: 7.9%
A-Frame: 4.2%
Table: 4.2%
X-Style: 83.3%
What price point for these products are driving the majority of sales?
$26-$50: 20.9%
$51-$100: 58.3%
$101-$200: 8.3%
$201-$300: 4.2%
Over $300: 8.3%
What brands of keyboard stands & racks are top sellers at your dealership:
On-Stage:54.8%
Casio: 48.3%
Gator: 40%
Ultimate Support: 33.3%
Quik-Lok: 25%
Yamaha: 25%
König & Meyer: 19.3%
Guardian: 14.6%
Proline: 14.6%
Roland: 14.6%
Hercules: 12.3%
Stagg: 11.8%
Nord: 5.3%
Arturia: 2.3%
What trends have you been noticing when it comes to keyboard stands & racks?
“Quality versus price is the trend.”
Robert Schaeffer
Rice House Music
Columbia, South Carolina
“As with other accessory items, keyboard stand sales are trending upward since the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions. With more musicians getting back to live playing we’re seeing a good uptick in keyboard stand sales as players are replacing their older set-ups.”
David St. John
Music & Arts
Glendora, California
“Our overall piano sales have gone up in the last 12 months as we have been stocking more. Stands sales have gone up as a result.”
Jacob Rendell
Case’s Music
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
CANADA
“People can’t get enough tiers!”
William Pope
Music Go Round
Kenosha, Wisconsin
“The only sales to speak of are with the purchase of a keyboard. Sales for stands and racks is not very strong.”
Karl Markl
South County Vintage Instruments
St. Louis, Missouri
“People are wanting to carry less.”
Amanda Smith
Festus Music World
Festus, Missouri
“Prices have one up, making the perceived value by our customers a problem.”
John Bond
Ken Stanton Music
Georgia
“In our market we sell a lot of Yamaha Digital Pianos and portable keyboards. Digital piano buyers typically by the specific stand for the instrument made by Yamaha. Potable keyboard buyers simply want a basic X stand.”
Clancy Ferrill
Clancy’s Music
Stockton, California
“Sales are very slow. [There’s] less music in schools.”
George Copeland
North Channel Music
Elliot Lake, Ontario
CANADA
