Yamaha’s guitar business has shown impressive growth
in recent years, especially in international markets such as China and India. The company
reported that guitar sales revenue, which was around 12.2 billion yen in fiscal
2014, reached 43 billion yen in fiscal 2024, representing a 3.5-fold growth in
a decade. This success is due in part to the acquisition of renowned
brands such as Line 6 in 2014 and Cordoba in 2023, which have allowed it to
expand its presence in the US market, the birthplace of the electric guitar.
One of
the key factors driving sales growth, especially among younger people, has been
the success of the anime series “ Bocchi
the Rock! ”. The
series, which features Yamaha electric guitars such as the Pacifica and
amplifiers such as the THR, has had a significant impact on the Chinese market
since its broadcast, leading to a surge in demand for guitars as a hobby among
young audiences. According to a Yamaha spokesperson, sales in China
have quadrupled over the past ten years, despite government restrictions on
extracurricular activities such as teaching musical instruments.
In India,
Yamaha established an acoustic guitar manufacturing plant in 2019, which has
allowed the company to double its sales over the past five years. The acceptance of “Made in India”
products has been crucial to consolidating its presence in this emerging
market.
Yamaha expects its
guitar business to continue its growth in 2025, with global sales projected to
increase by 5.3% to 45.3 billion yen. Despite the current challenges in
the global market, Yamaha guitar department director Ken Hiraoka (平岡健) is confident that the company will regain
its double-digit growth pace in the near future.
And Japanese netizens
were quick to react:
- “ Bocchi the Rock!” is
amazing… ».
- « I also ended up buying a
300,000 yen Fender guitar and some effects .»
- « It's sad that in Japan they
don't sell as much as they did in the K-On! era. It seems that young
people don't buy instruments on impulse anymore, either because they have
less money or because they are smarter. Besides, bands are now for older
people .»
- « It seems that it was not
originally such a big market .»
- « It's not that bad, since
serious guitarists can get second-hand instruments at good prices .»
- " And in a few years
there will be a lot of used guitars for sale ."
- « That happened in Japan too,
haha ».
- « Yui's Les Paul model guitar
has become a lot cheaper, hasn't it? »
- « Even Chinese people love
“Girls Band Party”, it seems they like anime about bands .»
- « We should make an anime
about forming a keyboard band .»
- « There are a lot of accounts
in China with “Bocchi the Rock!” icons, it seems to be really trendy .»
- « What did you do with the
guitars you bought during the “K-On!” era? »
- " Having a guitar will
make you a target for nationalists, right? "
- « China is being culturally
dominated by Japan ».
- « Yamaha's growth is not only
due to the impact of “Bocchi the Rock!”, as they are comparing it to 10
years ago .»
- « K-On!» was not that popular
overseas. Kirara's works were not that popular abroad. It seems that
foreign otakus have changed their taste a bit .»
Source: Yahoo!News Japan
