JMT Web News

Japan Musical Instruments Association (JMIA) completed 2021 Music Products Industry Survey of Manufacturers, recently. It covers 12 months production and domestic sales from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022.
JMIA sent a questionnaire recently to 86 music products manufacturers throughout Japan and 56 companies responded. We believe the survey depicts the scape of Japanese music products manufacturing (and sales)

Consistent production of keyboard instruments
According to the survey, the manufacturers produced and sold 64.7-billion-yen worth of acoustic pianos including upright grand and automatic player pianos last year. Adding digital piano, total production went up to 81.1-billion-yen which is the largest category sharing 48% of the total.

Last year, the industry sold 12,020 acoustic pianos which was a 25% increase over the previous year, and gained 7.1-billion-yen sales, a 21% increase. The piano industry nearly caught up on the performance of pre-pandemic (12,757 units and 7.7-billion-yen sales in 2019). Production of acoustic piano also went up 20% in unit in the domestic market and 29% at overseas manufacturing bases.

Domestic sales of upright piano increased 25% to 8,763 units and grand piano increased 31% to 3,195 units. It suggests that demands grew as piano competitions started again and piano teaching studios returned to normal operation. But sales of automatic player piano decreased 47% to 62 units.

Domestic sales of digital piano touched the highest level in the last 8 years with 216,000 units, a 3% increase over the previous year, and 14.9-billion-yen worth. Export of digital piano went up 13% to 66.2-billion-yen, while the volume declined 5% to 1,519,000 units. Though offshore production of digital piano which shares 98% of total output slightly went down from the previous year, they outperformed the result of pre-pandemic. All in all, production, and sales of digital piano in 2021 marked a healthy growth.

Electronic keyboard production and sales soared in 2020 following stay-at-home demands grew. Last year, models with standard-size keys declined 22% both in unit and value. On the contrary, demands for models with small-size keys continued with mild 2% decline in unit, but they dropped 14% in value.

Export of wind instruments increases
Export and domestic sales of wind instruments increased 32% to 26.9-billion-yen, but are still below the 2019 level of 31-billion-yen. They shared 9% of the total categories. 2020 export and domestic sales significantly decreased from 30% to 40% affected by the pandemic.

Export of flutes/piccolos increased 48% to 4.2-billion-yen, clarinets, 52% to 1.9-billion-yen, other brass instruments, 56% to 3.3-billion-hen. Value-wise export increased between 30% and 50% for all categories, and almost recovered the business in 2019 in both unit and value.

Flutes/piccolos and saxophones represent the largest product categories among wind instruments, but domestic sales of flutes/piccolos went down 7% to 11,000 units and saxophone, 9750 units, marginal 1% decline. They haven’t yet caught up to the 2020 level.

Domestic sales of trumpets/cornets increased 13% in value but decreased 3% in unit. Trombones and other brass instruments also increased 21% in unit and 31% in value, and 381% in unit and 17% in value, respectively. It’s possible to say that the reports included enormous number of inexpensive other brass instruments sold last year.

Export of stringed instruments including violin, viola, cello, double bass and those electric models, and other types grew 14% in unit, and 43% in value. But domestic sales of them significantly dropped 75% in unit and 20% in value.

Drum sets & single drums sold well
Export and domestic sales of percussion instruments increased 12% to 22.9-billion-yen, a second consecutive growth, the largest since 2016 after JMIA started conducting the survey in the present format. Export of total percussion category increased 15% in unit and 18% in value. Domestic sales were consistent with 9% increase in unit but marginal 2% decrease in value.

Export of drum sets and single unit drums grew 34% in unit and 51% in value. Domestic sales of this category also went up 12% in unit and 16% in value. Export and domestic sales of hardware also increased 7%, and 6% in unit, respectively.

Export of sticks and mallets gained two-year consecutive growth with 106% increase in unit and 57% in value. Domestic sales of them increased 20% in unit and 27% in value as well.

Export and domestic sales of marching drums increased 30% in both unit and value, nearly recovered 2019 results.

Export of table-top xylophones went up 82% in unit and 93% in value. Domestic sales of them exceeded the pre-pandemic level with 26% increase in unit and 24% increase in value.

Electronic drum sets dramatically grew during 2020, but last year export and domestic sales of them slipped down 13% in unit and 2% in value. They continue to drive percussion category sharing 40% of the total.

Electric guitars achieved the largest growth in the last 10 years
Export and domestic sales of acoustic and electric guitars, basses, amps, effect processors/tuners and strings shared 17%, 51.7-billion-yen of the total category. Demands for acoustic and electric-acoustic guitars extensively rose in 2020 as first time and experienced guitarists rushed to music retailers to buy them during the stay-at-home period. The trend continued in 2021, and export of acoustic guitar went up 16% in unit and 31% in value. Domestic sales of them also increased 8% in unit and 40% in value. Export of electric-acoustic guitars went up again 18% in unit and 33% in value. Domestic sales of them followed the same pattern with 6% increase in value, but 5% decrease in unit.

A total of 580,000 electric guitars/basses, an increase of 37% were exported in 2021 gaining 11.7-billion-yen which was a 48% increase. Domestic sales of them recorded 115,000 units, a 137% increase and 7-billion-yen, 101% increase. They marked the largest growth in the last 10 years in unit.

Export and domestic sales of amps declined 10% and 44% in unit, respectively. Export of effect processors went down 18%, while domestic sales of them were about the equivalent level over the previous year in unit with a moderate 3% decline.
Guitar and bass strings kept approving sales performance in unit with 17% increase for export and 4% increase for domestic sales.

Demands grew for melodicas and recorders
Other musical instruments including reed instruments, recorders, ocarinas and Taishokotos declined 10% both in unit and value. Production and sales of harmonicas decreased from 50% to 60%, and there was no report on accordions.

Domestic sales of recorders increased 12% in unit and 14% in value. Export of them jumped up 106% in unit and 16% in value. They showed a mild recovery from the year before but has not exeeded the pre-pandemic level.

Domestic sales of melodicas almost kept the level of the previous year with a minimum 1% decline both in unit and value. Export of them increased 7% in value but declined 6% in unit.

There was no export report of ocarinas. Domestic sales of them declined 4% in value but almost nil in unit which suggests the manufacturers reported only sales value of ocarinas.

Sound export of digital instruments
Export and domestic sales of synthesizers with keyboard and other electronic musical instruments decreased 11% in unit but increased 1% in value. Manufacturers reported excellent export of synthesizers with keyboard with equivalent value to the previous year and other electronic musical instruments with 14% increase. While domestic sales of synthesizers with keyboard dropped 15% in unit and 5% in value and electronic musical instruments dipped 3% in unit and 11% in value.
Annual domestic production of other electronic musical instruments broadly varies from 200 units to over 20,000 units. A total of 8,367 units were built in Japan in 2020 but there was no report in 2021, the lowest level in the last 8 years. Offshore production of them increased 23% than the year before to 290,000 units.

Compact PA system recovers
Stay-at-home demands boosted the sales of DAW, microphone and interface in 2020. They lost energy last year except power amplifiers which achieved an 8% increase of domestic sales and 18% increase of export. Domestic sales of compact PA system were brisk with 76% and 82% increase in unit and value, respectively. They nearly gained the level of 2017 and 2018. As with the 2020 survey, the manufacturers seemed to report only value of exported speaker system. Accordingly total value of them was 5.38-billion-yen.