The rise of skinny-tied guitar bands such as Franz Ferdinand and the Kaiser Chiefs has fuelled the popularity of the instrument, with UK sales at an all-time high.

 

Figures released yesterday show that musicians spent £110m on electric, bass and acoustic instruments last year. This was up from £102m in 2004. Sales may have also increased through the success of once little-known artists such as 19-year-old Paolo Nutini, who has been playing the guitar for just a few years and whose album has recently gone gold.

 

Steve Macari, the owner of Macari's music shop on Charing Cross Road in London, which provides guitars for bands such as Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Oasis and Primal Scream, said: "I think if anything, we have noticed an upturn in acoustic guitars and electric-acoustic guitars.

"It's probably got a lot to do with guitar bands and kids being inspired by young singer-songwriters."

 

Howard Whatley, a musician and salesman at Macari's, said: "I think it's because there's so many young, good bands out there and this is encouraging people to get out and do it. They are looking at bands like the Libertines and the Arctic Monkeys that are pretty talented and it encourages people to try it for themselves. We have a lot of kids aged between 10 and 18 who have never played a guitar before but are so into these bands and they want to be able to play their singles."

 

At Macari's, acoustic guitars outsell electric by eight to one - probably because this is what most people learn on - but they have noticed a steep rise in the number of electric guitars sold in the last year.

 

The Music Industries Association (MIA) said an influx of cheaper models made in China had pushed down prices. Guitars are the bedrock of UK instrument sales, with nearly a million sold last year, up 200,000 on 2004. Electric and bass guitars are the most popular, making up £70m of 2005 sales compared with acoustic at £40m. The average electric guitar now costs £150, compared with £75 for the average acoustic version.

 

MIA chief executive Paul McManus said: "The popularity of the guitar in the UK is clearly going from strength to strength." The MIA figures are based on government statistics for UK guitar imports. The MIA is the UK trade association for the musical products industry.

 

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1856907,00.html

I've seen this happening in real time. I know so many people who have just decided to start learning in the last year or so.

Guitar boom strikes a chord as all types get in on the axe

 

 

GUITAR sales in Australia are booming as children, women and people in their 50s challenge the traditional image of guitar players being male teens.

 

Figures released by the Australian Music Association show sales of guitars grew by almost 20 per cent last financial year, taking the total value of the market to $76 million.

 

Sales of electric guitars were particularly strong, jumping nearly 22 per cent, while acoustic guitar sales were up 19 per cent and bass sales were up 11 per cent.

 

Association chief executive Ian Harvey said while the common image of a guitarist was a male in his teens or 20s, interest from other groups was helping drive demand.

 

"We're seeing baby boomers returning to the market," he said.

 

"There's lots of guys who played in the 1970s and 1980s as teens who are coming back to play as 40- and 50-year-olds. [The] guitar is also a little less gender-biased than it used to be. There's plenty of women playing guitar and electric guitar."

 

Association figures show guitar sales have surged enormously since the beginning of the decade.

 

Last financial year 214,000 guitars were sold compared with 111,000 in 2001. The value of the market has grown from $43 million in 2001 to $76 million last year.

 

Mr Harvey said sales had been boosted also by a worldwide popular culture trend away from dance music towards guitar bands.

 

"The popular music scene is guitar-based at the moment," he said.

 

"Over the last two to three years we've seen [guitar] bands like Franz Ferdinand and the Arctic Monkeys emerge.

 

"Coldplay have made a career for themselves in that area.

 

"Also in Australia the economy is strong and music is one of those things that does well when people have money in their pockets."

 

Programs in schools had also assisted growth.

 

A quality acoustic guitar commonly sells for about $160, while electric and bass guitars sell from about $250.

 

Amplifiers for electric guitars sell from about $200.

 

Mr Harvey said that, while guitar sales had surged ahead, other sectors had reached a plateau or fallen.

 

Sales of turntable systems for DJs had levelled out after strong growth early this decade. Sales of synthesisers were down.

 

Ty Wood, a musician who teaches music, said large numbers of girls wanted to learn the electric guitar.

 

"I have a pretty even balance of male and female students," he said. "Girls are seeing more and more girls playing the guitar.

 

"People like Avril Lavigne probably had a lot to do with the trend."

 

Mr Wood said he had students as young as eight years old wanting to play electric guitar.

 

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/guitar-boom-strikes-a-chord-as-all-types-get-in-on-the-axe/2006/09/09/1157222379590.html