As an instructor for Guitars for Vets, we see the most continued success for our students is when we get together as a group and play. No judgement and everyone can learn new skills. Play whole songs and find people to play with. This is critical to continuing the journey.

KZfaq suggested i watch this, and I am glad they did. You have earned a new sub today because of your well presented video. In November 2020 at age 54 I turned off all news and information and started to learn to play guitar, 3.5 years and 11 guitars later, it was the correct choice for me and I wish others would follow, as my life is so much richer and fuller because of these changes. All the best from an American living in the middle of no where Slovakia and loving life.

When I hear about 45% of Fender's customers are new buyers, I immediately think, "what can I do to help these people not quit"... It's the mission of my channel to get as many of those people eventually making music in public as possible.

90% of people who start guitar are always going to quit within a year. Because guitar is fn hard

I've been playing for 50 years, and I'm going to play until I die. I've been playing the same Fender 12 string for the past 40 years. I'm 67 years old and I'll be playing at a rehab center later this afternoon.

Interesting trend I noticed in my daughters school (US 5th and 6th grade). The cool thing that all the girls want to do is play guitar and/or drums. I think this is in part Taylor Swift but also the classic rock they are listening to. I think this is awesome because now I can teach her and jam out to music we both like.

Always look forward to your videos Utkarsh. Thank you.

Excellent info. In all of the craziness of the world, guitar and music are on the bright side, maybe renaissance.

Thanks for this video. The best news I heard here was that so many are seeking out great music from the time when artists actually played instruments, especially guitar. Rick Beato made a video recently that reinforced this fact.

Excellent analysis Utkarsh, very insightful.

For any guitarists out there that heard the topic of recording, I would like to make the recommendation that is inexpensive when you consider the content you receive. And that is Presonus Studio One v.6. In addition to providing virtually limitless tracks (more than anyone will ever need in a song), it also contains guitar FX included with the price. Plus, it also includes loops to help you build and create music with other instruments that can accompany your guitar playing. I have been an owner of Studio One for over six years and have grown immensely as a guitarist using the software. Cheers! And best wishes to all the players out there that want to explore and create new music!

Great vid maestro. Great messages. Love this channel

The moment anyone learn 2 basic chords and then have a bunch of friend around, you’re hooked …as my dad said when I was a kid “play an instrument and you’ll never be alone”

I knew about back catalogue accounting for the majority of streams, but hadn't made the connection that it was all pretty much guitar based. That's really encouraging.

I’ve never, ever, seen a professional guitarist who could really play, make fun of someone with lesser skills, who was really trying to improve, and not just posing. Could you imagine Tim Pierce doing such a thing, or Brent Mason? I couldn’t. It’s cruel and it’s wrong.

Fascinating insight. Great channel. Subscribed, thank you.

Excellent topic and presentation 👏 👍 👌 🙌. Keep it up.

I just came across this channel and really like it. Very nice presentation!

Very interesting. I enjoy learning about the business side of guitar as well as playing. Thank you for the insights.

There is a difference between money spent to music industry and money going into music creation and artists. And the golden age is not only about money, but also about importance of music to people and passion.

Really cool video and breakdown. Well done!

I would not discount Taylor Swift’s influence on young females starting guitar. And you’re right, we should always encourage each other and new people in this musical journey, no matter what direction it takes.

I appreciated your perspective on the statistics and the implications there of. Particularly the success of online guitar sales. My personal experience is that if you can play a guitar at home for a month you can make a better assessment whether it is for you. I have had the experience of a guitar selling it self to me. Thanks for your channel , I enjoy it.

Fender Play and similar online lesson services are doing a great job at letting beginners learn and stay with it without fearing judgment.

This was enlightening. As a guitar player from an acoustic background and not a pro performer, I have pretty much ignored the recording and performance audio side of things until the last 5 years or so when I started to finally learn electric guitar a bit. (As an aside, seeing you play a baritone electric convinced me I needed to try one. I can't put it down! Such a huge voice they have. Thanks.) However it seems they don't work too well without electrons.... So I finally had to get an amp and other bits. Then mic, stand, monitors, mixer, DAW....... so yea, I get it. ON the plus side, I have not caught the "Pedal Disease", I bought a modeling amp and it sounds great to me, I can make it squeal and thump. I had a 120w tuber for a while. Just too much. But math still rules: the proper number of guitars (amps, pedals, picks) is N+1 where N is the number you have now. Fender says so!

Fender owns many brands, including Charvel, Jackson, and EVH. Fender has done a pretty good job with quality. There are plenty of videos of Squier strats being compared to American Fender strats.

As a pricing strategy guy who looks for patterns and anomalies indeed inherently on the corporate side of life, and guitar player for the Chicago area instrumental band The Breakers in the other, I love these talks and this channel! Great stuff. 💥

Wonderful analysis.The online purchase of anything favours branded products that’s why fender will sell more guitars.I think the guitar store demise is unfortunate as you can buy an average guitar and have a proper setup which makes it wonderful to play. I agree with the sledging being an issue.I think more people need to accept that it is a pleasure instrument and simply guide people and not get on with snobbery. Best wishes .You have a new subscription.

Your history as a marketing executive does give you a different perspective on the guitar industry.Thanks for the video.

Personally I think guitar is pretty easy to start playing. Let me qualify that a bit. Yes, it hurts your fingers for a couple weeks, and yes to get good you need to put time into it (like any other instrument). However you can strum chords pretty quickly and it produces a pleasing sound. I started with violin as a child. I sounded terrible for much longer. First you have no frets and so the intonation is a problem. In addition until you can use vibrato a violin sounds kind of squeaky. Finally with a violin you almost always learn from sheet music, so that's another skill you have to master. Other orchestral instruments have similar startup problems. But with guitar, you can learn some chords and be singing a song in no time, and while you won't sound like Yngwie, you can entertain around a camp fire.

very helpfull info .thank you.

Very interesting. Thanks.

Thanks for this analysis, super interesting, especially re the uplift in female buyers and overcoming the trial barrier due to online sales. I personally haven’t ever felt intimidated going into a guitar store but then again I’m extremely obnoxious and have a super high level of unearned self confidence!! 😂 I certainly do understand how that fear of judgement and critique is a real problem for a lot of beginners of any gender or background. I have some thoughts around why Fender are doing so well and I think it’s especially due to their very clever marketing strategies but planning to make my own video on that - really great to hear your take on this though, thanks as always ❤

Really an excellent video. It is nice to see the overly produced auto-tuned, drum-machine music, is losing out to older stuff that is a lot more organic. Singers with real voices, who's pitch warbles around the notes instead of hitting them dead on. Drummers who might slow down or speed up, almost imperceptibly, so we know they are people, not algorithms. Guitar playing where you can hear the fingers slide up and down the neck, or bends varying slightly as they play. Imperfection makes this music great. Perfection is boring. I think the other things really helping guitar sales are the vast number of inexpensive guitars available for very affordable prices and software like Rocksmith, combined with online lessons, tips and tricks, which really help people get to an intermediate levels without spending a fortune on individual lessons. I think it is easier to learn to play now than it has ever been. Your video gives me hope that big labels and corporate music are losing their stranglehold on the industry and great new music (and there are great new bands now, though sometimes difficult to find) will emerge.

Good content, man. I, actually think 1 out of 10 is about right for any endeavor you wish to excel.

My youngest daughter is 19, getting close to 20. She loves music (I play guitar and bass and listen to music constantly) and she loves all kinds of music. She listens to everything from old Buck Owen’s and Patsy Cline to modern country and rock and roll from the 60’s and forward. I attribute most of her diverse taste in music from having Apple Music and other streaming services for music. Without that there would have been the few radio stations and listening to my record collection. I know streaming has been a kick in the nuts for all the bands and solo guys because it has taken so much revenue from them but on the flip side, it has broadened the reach of their music.

Great video and very nice analysis! Just to put into context the 45% first time buyers: clearly compared to let's say Gillette, which is a consumables type of brand, where the majority of the customers will NEED to purchase over and over again (your beard tends to grow, unless you're ZZ Top...), with Fender most people will buy a guitar (or maybe two) but then their ongoing purchases will most likely be limited to things e strings and picks (which they may buy from Fender but most likely will not), so the Fender business model is less of a repeat purchase customer behaviour model than let say Gillette and as such it will intrinsecly have a higher percentage of first time buyers ("new names") than a consumables type of business.

Fenders stats are nonsense. I think it was KDH that did a video on this a while back. tldr their 50% number was based on a group of new guitar players, half female and half male, and from this extrapolated that half of beginners were women. The "survey" was done by a company named eggstrategy if I remember right. Awesome video Utkarsh, keep it up I always enjoy your perspective. EDIT: The video was called 'Fender Lied'.

you have shared a few very interesting ideas

Like always, very good analysis !! Obviously the 45 % new customers, and the 9 out of 10 guitarists not pursuing it are correlated. In fact , if 90 % never buys a second guitar, how come only 45 % are new customers ? Does the 45 % relate to the number of people or the dollar amount ? The latter case implies that they have a binomal distribution of users consisting of the "try a squier or mexican strat, and amp, play for six months and give up" crowd that will spend on average 10000*(45/55)/9=810 $ , and the ones that get hooked, and spend a lot more.Would it not make more sense to try to up that percentage of repeat customers ?

Also, guitar playing is hard and it takes lots of time and practice. I started in my 50's during the Pandemic and still am only an advanced beginner. I also hurt my hand and had to have a Spur removed from my fretting hand. It has been an uphill battle for me and I will be unable to play for a number of weeks.

Look at rock festivals. The headliners are all bands from the 80's and 90's

sweet..

#2 is correct for me. All I do is buy older albums on iTunes/ apple music

I agree - if these stats are accurate, this is mind blowing. To be honest though, I have to agree with one of the comments here, it's just hard to imagine how these numbers could be correct. If indeed people are paying for the music of old, then who on earth is supporting the bilge that you see on charts today, and who notches up the millions of views for utter trash on KZfaq in preference to quality music? For what it's worth, I'm a massive skeptic of much of the analysis the Economist puts out. I love it, it's beautifully written and presented, but it's patently obvious it presents a completely one-sided world view from a specific section of society. Pick out any article about India, Israel or Trump, and I'll tell you the findings of their "analysis" without looking. Once again, kudos for picking up an offbeat topic that many musicians would have missed

❤ my 🇺🇲 strat ( my first guitar) ....but I don't think I will get another Fender, cause it's too corporate.....and I don't stream music, I grew up with vinyl, 8 tracks.... but a mortar brick music store is much better than online, cause you can touch the guitar and you can meet other players in person

I have heard that a lot of back catalog music has been acquired recently by investment institutions. Maybe we will see active promotion for this music by these companies to increase their ROI?

Sorry but there isn't a chance in hell that 50% of new guitar buyers are female. That figure made me immediately question the rest, and wonder if Fender's methodology was sound when collecting this data.

Been to five reasonablly local guitar shops. Only one listens to what I strive after and gives me suggestions I followed (purchase). The others are just moving boxes pushing whatever they need to get rid of or has the maximum profit. The shops are chasing people out of the shops. In the 80's & 90's you could have chat and a coffee with the owner and were given non commercial advice to later go back to that store for its service and make a purchase. Going to a store is generally not fun 😢

Some music endures some does not, just ask members of all the failed bands from all decades. Back catalogue music can be great but it’s also safe and has the approbation of thousands to boost that perception. The real artists seek to confound the previous generation, that’s how we move forward and avoid stagnating 😊

I don’t think that most people understand just what a gargantuan achievement that it has been for Fender Guitars to have remained in business for all these years.

Nothing new. In 1920s Saxophone experienced this. Gtr is just the latest. One in 10,000 will persevere to a professional standard. Lesson = buy a 2nd hand instrument & invest in lessons. Thanks for your insightful video. Keep playing.

I’d like to see the percentage by guitar price. The price barrier is low with sub 200 guitars

What it appears to be something of the age...streaming is here to stay...interesting back catalogue is being played more than new music...not so suprising...most music today is to disposable...guitar style music beingbmore listened to thannother music is interesting

The last big musical instruments store in Berlin (> 4 million people) has closed its stores a few months ago like Sam Ash in the USA. There’s not a single shop in one of Europe‘s metropoles, where you can try or buy Fender guitars or basses.

The 9 out of 10 drop out drop out rate needs more context. What is it like for the piano, the flute or the drums?

Guitar stores and their patrons are more judgemental of others than those at gyms are. Buying online does have its drawbacks because no guitar is exactly the same, and not trying before you buy can end a beginners dreams quickly. Get a guitar that doesnt feel right to you doesnt help you at all. And online return process is , well face it, a pain in the butt.

❤❤❤❤

I think Fender has figured out that their support of younger artists has made their brand MUCH more visible than, say, Gibson or other brands, so for them to have 45% of sales to new guitar players makes complete sense. EVERY new artist I see on stage is basically playing some kind of Fender, and to be fair, they are STILL the best made off-the-shelf guitars available on the market. Unlike Gibson, which has gone all-in on the 50+ age bracket, Fender sees the future in the young. They are obtainable, affordable, and solidly made. The only reason I don't play Fenders any more is because they are all mostly long-scale, and Im so acclimated to short-scalers that making the transition is distracting...but I'll never say a bad thing about Fender.

Obviously, there is a correlation between the explosion of new "back catalog" Listeners to the 45% of new Buyers.

The Player series is being replaced soon. I personally want to see the same quality and price point for the next series but something makes me think they'll slowly go the route of Gibson and make their guitars more expensive and having Squire take up a bit higher of a price point like Epiphone has been doing. The only reason I'd be ok with a price increase on a new Fender line/series, is if they start doing things like offering padded gig bags and installing locking tuners by default from the factory, in other words, if they're going to increase the price then actually justify it by making the guitar more premium and gig ready right out of the box. Maybe they're also using this as an opportunity to switch back to rosewood instead of Pau Ferro, I hear a lot of people request that.

So how do companies like Fender stay in business in the future with so many great used guitars for sale in the used guitar market??

Took piano lessons and quit. Then got a DVD set “Piano For Quitters”. Agree with the creator. The music theory approach to learning an instrument is problematic. I’m not well versed in many styles of music, but have heard that the keys of G, A and D are popular for guitar based music. If you know the chords for G major, you can capo the 2nd fret and the same chord forms work for A. Just learn songs in those keys. Then learn music theory along side playing songs.

I'd buy a Fender but I don't like 5 piece bodies encased in thick plastic.

The future of rock is female with so many young bands!

Here are my thoughts- this felt more like an interview with me being the hiring manager and you being the one applying for a job. I learned so much about your background, more so than music stuff.

An "Old Saying, the guitar is the easiest instrument to play and learn, but the Hardest to Master".... lol.... no doubt.... it takes work, like anything that really matters.......

The terrible truth is that all of these buyers of musical instruments sit at home alone to practice and to play. It seems to be difficult to find and connect with other players. Later on in life family and job commitments get in the way. Finding two hours a week to jam with your friends becomes an impossible task. Add to this that the home you are visiting to jam may not appreciate two amps playing. 90-100 dB anyone? Add a 7 o'clock curfew because of young kids.. Home from work at six and jam at seven? Not going to happen. Your spouse may not appreciate you disappearing to go for a jam. To become proficient requires practice every day. So you lock yourself away to practice, which may not be very popular. I have experienced all the above. I'm 59. No wonder 1 out 10 quit.

We will have a "Swan Song" moment when art made by humans will explode like the Cambrian lifeforms did. AIs will be amazed for the rest of the years Universe will exist.

There are whole industries that would benefit from more female interest. Most of the trades and I have tried to get ladies interested in these fields. We are seeing some interest though.

I'm going to show you how to GOD MOD tube amps tomorrow on my channel! These tube valve only modded new amps will change the way people hear music & motivate them to continue with music! All you have to do is retube your amplifier with the new right tubes! Bias your amp with normally settings! Amp is still stock only sounds completely different & that much better! Make a cheap amplifier sound like an expensive amplifier! Thanks!

“I’ve suggested to Fender that they consider diversifying their business by venturing into the apparel industry. Specifically, they could explore the production of intimate wear such as bras, panties, and underwear. This is a market segment with significant potential that could benefit from their brand presence.”

While I agree that there has been an increase in female guitarist, I think these statistics are a little skewed. As someone who has worked in music stores since the 70's its nothing new that women are buying guitars, but they aren't necessarily buying them for themselves, its usually, moms buying guitars for their kid, wives buying for husbands, grandmas for grandchildren. So many moms are single parents now its actually pretty rare to see a dad buying a kid a guitar anymore (unless its granddad) anyway, that's my perspective.

I find it interesting he has NO Fenders hanging behind him

As a guitar player and former CFO of a major company...my thoughts about the one out of 10 drop rate....something that these guitar companies should get a think tank around. One outfit that's doing a wonderful job keeping new players playing happens to be "Yousician", that approach needs to be examined by these guitar companies. It's on line instruction and I'm shocked with how easy the method being used. Very low drop rate....hello!!!!

Fender, Gibson, PRS and Co should team up and start a streaming service like Spotify. Only real music permitted; bargain basement price.

Someone commented on your last video and he would never have said that if he knew you as a person.Unfortunate. He thought he could psycho analyze you.

Hopefully the 90 percent who stop playing still have a guitar in their home and some other family member picks it up.

Lots of good news today 🎉 women getting into guitars is fantastic not just because of the diversity they offer, but also because they can make men buy stuff for them 😅

We know that the average guitarist buys their first guitar only once. How many times do they buy their ultimate guitar?

Nah your theory only applies to simple consumables made by established brand P&G, Guitar is not only as a hobby but rather a tool or equipment, it should be valued as an investment and consumable parts of guitars are the strings, picks or the wires... I bet Fender are more profitable in selling more T-shirt than their US made instruments.

This channel may have intellectual merit, but without a transcript to read, I can't sit though another minute of attempting to translate your English.

No if we could just convince the people with the big promotion money to STOP forcing pop music and rap music down our throats.

Rock n' roll will never die! Rock > Taylor Swift

You are right. 👍I only listen to "Back catalog" music. I don't care for ANY NEW music. And if play guitar I only play the "Old Music" - Gun's and Roses, Metallica, Megadeth, Scorpions, Def Leppard, Extreme, Poison, Yngwie, Vai, Satch, Oasis, etc All the Boomer Benders.🤭

Demographic data? Who are the 1.8 billion paying back catalogue streaming customers?

there is no way there is actually 1.8 billion PEOPLE paying for streaming music .. That data sounds cooked or faulty in some way. possibly by some of the data capture being duplicate account people hold . or accounts made and one song purchased for example

Algorithm

1/10 keeps playing guitar after buying a first one? Fender *needs 45% new buyers… (Over the recent 30 months, I’ve purchased about five new Fender guitars)

Play more, troll less.

Why did you immediately dismiss the Taylor Swift effect? You then said it was because of online sales, but those Taylor Swift fans probably prefer to buy online. She really might be bigger than the Beatles. She got teen girls to be interested in professional football.

I like your videos, please stop referring to your past career (we know all about it!) and keep shining the light on a ways forward. Just my two cents, cheers!

It may be getting a bit better, but women in general get treated like garbage in music stores.

In the long run I don't see Fender / Gibson / PRS being relevant. Most people at the top end of those brands are boomers like myself.

The guitar industry is a doomed industry. Always having to reinvent the wheel and competing against every used guitar you've already made in the same sales space.

A music shop can be very intimidating for women but even more it is intimidating when a woman wants to buy a used guitar or other gear . They are too afraid to go alone to a private flat . So I would say that women are great customers for established shops with reasonably priced gear .

How did Fender collect this data? Was it scientifically collected and truly representative of the population? Was it scientifically analyzed? I am a bit skeptical that this data is accurate as something with a research methods background in social sciences. I also disagree with your theory about why woman are buying guitars. First off, I don’t think the figures are accurate because we aren’t seeing more women and girls play to the degree Fender is claiming. Sure we see more females with guitars, but I really don’t think it’s that many. I also don’t think women are fearful of being judged nor were they ever. Years ago, most women were too busy being housewives to have a hobby. Those who had time mostly thought of being a musician as a male thing, despite women historically playing instruments to entertain themselves and the men in their parlor rooms at home during the 1800’s and earlier. The women who did play in the mid to late 1900’s obviously had to go into shops and loved to go. I’ve heard so many women from the 50’s to the 80’s talking about their experiences in shops very positively. I have yet to hear any women saying they felt out of place or were judged - quite the contrary, actually, they spoke of the respect men showed to these talented women. There is a new channel called Guitar Notes and Notations of a retired woman who has played guitar as a hobby her entire life - she was and still is excited to go into shops and is actually doing a shop roadtrip across the US as we speak. These days, most women are running their household plus holding jobs (which is why I’m skeptical of Fender’s data saying 50% of new customers are women - there’s no way it’s 50%, though I’m sure it’s more than it used to be since there are girls, teens, young adults and well as retired women with more time to play guitar. Numbers would surely be up from yesteryear, but not to the degree Fender claims because working age women would simply not have much time to dedicate. Guitars being sold online make them more accessible to everyone, not just females. I would say even stronger contributing factors that attract females in particular are ease of access to lessons that can be done at home for less money than traditional lessons (which save travel time and money for busy women and girls whose parents might be too busy to take them or may not be able to afford in-person lessons with a teacher), seeing more female professionals playing guitars who serve as role models, less expensive guitars being made at a higher quality, and guitars being made that appear more attractive to girls. This is why a scientific study needs to be done. We done know where or how Fender collected and/or analyzed their data. I can almost promise it was not conducted by a researcher who would adhere to scientific data collection and analysis methods. Furthermore, you can’t simply generalize Fender’s data to the larger guitar community. It doesn’t work that way, even if they had collected and analyzed their data scientifically. A new study would have to be done with a hypothesis and variables that are designed to examine the larger guitar community to get a sense of who the population is now, how it’s changed over time, and why. I would even argue that several follow up studies would need to be done to truly understand who today’s guitar population is, why people are playing, the issues guitar players face, the experiences they encounter, etc. These studies would have to be done by an independent researcher with no attachments to brands or anyone else in the guitar community so biases are not introduced into the data collection methods, testing, and analysis of the results. Anyway, above all, the idea that women are fearful of getting judged at guitar shops is surely not the reason that has kept women from playing. That is just a male’s “typical” point of view. We love the shop experience, but other factors prevent many women from spending as much time at shops.

😂 is crazy how people just blindly believe everything they are told !? If you believe that 50% of guitar purchases are women players you have to be a little bit too trusting of the data. If that 50% number is true then there's probably a bunch of old guys using their wives phones and accounts to buy online and or order in stores and have the wife pickup orders while she out and about doing whatever she does !? This 50% wasn't true last year when fender said it and it's not true today, no way !

Why all the corporate vocabulary? You are better than that man.

Chaotic procrastinating, waste of time go to the point