Guitar Center’s $1 billion in debt reveals this truth about musical tastes

[Uncle Clownmeat]

https://www.dailynews.com/2018/03/20...usical-tastes/

[pagedr]

Not surprised to read this. I'm a millennial, and pretty much all of my friends are way more into Rap and Electronic music than they are into folk, Americana, country, rock, etc like myself. Laptops/beat makers have replaced guitars for many in my generation and in younger ones as well.

Though I will say this quote:

“With kids these days, it’s all about instant gratification. No one wants to take six months or a year to learn. They don’t want to do the work.”

Makes the guy sound like a grumpy old man.

[printer2]

“Most of what’s really selling today is rap and hip hop,” said George Gruhn, owner of the Gruhn Guitars shop in Nashville. “That’s outpacing other forms of music and they don’t use a lot of recognizable musical instruments.”

No kidding. Could have told them that ten years ago.

[mmasters]

I think George Gruhn hit the nail on the head, there are practically no guitar heros today to inspire people to buy guitars. Joe B and John Mayer are about it and they are like B grade guitar heros.

[Steve DeRosa]

From the article:

The bigger problem...is that most aspiring players don’t want to put in the time to become proficient on the instrument...

"If they do want to learn they’ll just go to YouTube, but they’re not getting the proper instruction...With kids these days, it’s all about instant gratification. No one wants to take six months or a year to learn. They don’t want to do the work...”

Retired 30+ year classroom teacher here, and the "bigger problem" is a whole lot bigger than just a lack of dedication or guitar role models - but we won't go there...

[Rosewood99]

I disagree. It's not that rap or electronic are more popular. It's that they are equally popular. Back in the 60s and 70s folk and pop were massively popular.

Now there are so many diverse musical styles (a good thing) that no one style is dominant.

Much like network tv is losing viewership to cable, netflix, hulu, etc. so is folk music getting fragmented due to the many different types of music out there.

My daughter is 15 and she and her friends listen to everything from Indie music, rap, electronica, emo and yes, folk based music. Apple music has allowed them to listen to so much more types of music that I was exposed to as a teen. She even has listened to Pete Seeger and Johnny Cash.

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by pagedr

Though I will say this quote:

“With kids these days, it’s all about instant gratification. No one wants to take six months or a year to learn. They don’t want to do the work.”

Makes the guy sound like a grumpy old man.

Yep. But it doesn’t mean it’s not true...about kids from most every generation. Gotta add, though, as a guy who didn’t take up playing until I was 63...it’s taken a lot more than six months or a year to get half decent at it.

[Slothead56]

Originally Posted by mmasters

Joe B and John Mayer are about it and they are like B grade guitar heros.

B grade? Seriously?

[Floridapicker]

Originally Posted by mmasters

I think George Gruhn hit the nail on the head, there are practically no guitar heros today to inspire people to buy guitars. Joe B and John Mayer are about it and they are like B grade guitar heros.

John Mayer is doing the Dead & Co. thing. Which to me is awesome. Jerry is not the easiest guitarist to imitate and get the "groove" right. What about Derek Trucks? Joe Bonemassa? <- I spelled it wrong I'm sure. Mayer is the only one with a hit album I suppose

[Sagebrush Tom]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Yep. But it doesn’t mean it’s not true...about kids from most every generation. Gotta add, though, as a guy who didn’t take up playing until I was 63...it’s taken a lot more than six months or a year to get half decent at it.

Rev Roy, you it stated it perfectly....
I started playing guitar at 60 and it took over 2 years to get half way decent.

Tom

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

...My daughter is 15 and she and her friends listen to everything from Indie music, rap, electronica, emo and yes, folk based music. Apple music has allowed them to listen to so much more types of music that I was exposed to as a teen. She even has listened to Pete Seeger and Johnny Cash.

Glad to see that her tastes are so broad (you've clearly done a good job raising her ), but when I was her age my friends and I were making music: folk, surf, British Invasion, Brill Building/Phil Spector, soul/R&B, blues, proto-P&W/CCM, early classic rock - and I think we can both agree on the basis of personal experience that if music is really in your blood, it's not a spectator sport...

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by mmasters

I think George Gruhn hit the nail on the head, there are practically no guitar heros today to inspire people to buy guitars. Joe B and John Mayer are about it and they are like B grade guitar heros.

What does Gruhn know about what kind of music sells and what instruments they play?

Guitar Center sells a ton of equipment and software used to make music not involving guitars.

I'm not sure what relevance the opinions of a vintage guitar expert in his early 70s can have on Guitar Center's business today. If I wrote an article about Tesla's debt, a local dealer in collectible model Ts wouldn't be the first person I'd call.

I would be hard-pressed to name any new ones,” he said. “You’ve got Joe Bonamassa who is a great player. But he isn’t selling as many guitars as the other big time heroes. And Eric Clapton is arthritic. He’s having difficulty playing and is retiring from touring.”

Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Julian Lage, Molly Tuttle, Andy McKee, Antoine Dufour, Taylor Swift, Jack White, Dave Grohl, etc etc. Not to mention hundreds of metal guitarists who inspire kids to learn the guitar every day. He's just uninformed. Guitar heroes are everywhere. They just don't play interminable pentatonic solos anymore.

Makes me wonder if 75% of the folks posting on AGF are Gruhn's alternative accounts.

The bigger problem, according to Concotelli, is that most aspiring players don’t want to put in the time to become proficient on the instrument.

“If they do want to learn they’ll just go to YouTube, but they’re not getting the proper instruction,” he said. “With kids these days, it’s all about instant gratification. No one wants to take six months or a year to learn. They don’t want to do the work.”

Note to self: don't shop at Mugzey Music.

[fazool]

Originally Posted by rogthefrog

What does Gruhn know about what kind of music sells and what instruments they play? .... a local dealer in collectible model Ts wouldn't be the first person I'd call....

I don't think your comparison is a good one.

George Gruhn is probably the world's foremost expert in the market place of guitars. There probably has never been a single human who has more expertise in the guitar marketplace than he. I think his age is irrelevant.

Yes, he specializes in ultra valuable and collectible guitars.

He is also the world's most respected guitar authority and sells in the musical trades industry.

[fazool]

Originally Posted by mmasters

...there are practically no guitar heros today to inspire people to buy guitars. ...

Well, except that 2-3 years ago acoustic guitar sales broke a record for annual sales.....sooooooooo not accurate

Originally Posted by mmasters

.....Joe B and John Mayer are about it and they are like B grade guitar heros.

BWahahahahahahahahahahah whew.....good one.........OMG........such a kidder.

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by fazool

I don't think your comparison is a good one.

George Gruhn is probably the world's foremost expert in the market place of guitars. There probably has never been a single human who has more expertise in the guitar marketplace than he. I think his age is irrelevant.

Yes, he specializes in ultra valuable and collectible guitars.

He is also the world's most respected guitar authority and sells in the musical trades industry.

I fully respect his expertise, but he has nowhere near the perspective needed to opine on a huge chain that sells orders of magnitude more instruments than he does, catering to a completely different demographic, with completely different instruments.