Drum equipment price increases 2014 to 2024

eric_B

eric_B

Senior Member
I happened to look back at some orders I did 10 years ago and obviously prices have gone up.
But some rather deviate from the inflation - which has been around 30%. Some examples:

Product​
2014​
2024​
Increase​
Remo 22" Powerstroke 3 Clear Bass
€ 33​
€ 68​
+106% (!)​
Remo 14" Ambassador Coated
€ 12,40​
€ 22​
+77%​
Gibraltar 9608E Drum Throne
€ 85​
€ 129​
+52%​
Millenium 14x3,5 Piccolo Steel Snare
€ 49​
€ 69​
+41%​
Behringer C-2 mic set​
€ 44​
€ 55​
+25%​
Tama QC8 Quick-Set Cymbal Mate
€ 4,49​
€ 5,50​
+22,5%​

Pretty remarkable...
 
From what I can tell, prices of sticks - keeping inflation in mind - actually have dropped:

June 2024: Vic Firth 5A American Hickory Value Pack (4 pairs of sticks) € 44, so € 11 per pair.
March 2013: Vic Firth 5A American Hickory Pack-Towel (4 pairs of sticks plus a "free" towel) € 39, so € 9,75 per pair.
That's just +13% - but minus 17% keeping inflation in mind.

However, that is looking at current prices in Europe, maybe prices in the USA were different then (or are now).
 
PorkPieGuy said:
I remember when buying sticks and heads wasn't that big of a deal. These days? Sheesh.
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You should see what the margins are- it's not pretty. There's quite the needle to thread in order to ensure a balance of margins for manufacturer, distributor, and retailer while still making the products realistically affordable. I've read a lot of commentary here and across the web where drummers think these companies have used inflation and pandemic-era supply chain issues as cover for some sort of cash grab but the cost of goods and manufacturing have skyrocketed. We're going to continue to see more consolidation and shortening of the sales stream (where major manufacturers handle distribution themselves and/or strengthen their direct-to-consumer sales channels) in order to keep brands alive.

There's never been a better (or more dire) time for companies to adopt lean manufacturing to minimize waste in order to help provide a buffer for aspects that are out of their control. It's amazing how much companies waste without even thinking about it. When you go through the kaizan review process and expose every step of a process you tend to discover significant opportunities for increased efficiencies.

Retailers have been struggling to maintain their value in the age of online orders and quick shipping. They can often benefit from a lean approach as well. From a consumer standpoint, if you want drum shops to still exist in 10 years, make sure you shop there and don't raking them over the coals with price matching online retailers. Profit margin per square foot is pretty rough when it comes to drums and percussion (think how many guitars you can fit into the space of a drum set) so brick and mortar drum shops have always faced an uphill battle.
 
BenOBrienSmith said:
You should see what the margins are- it's not pretty. There's quite the needle to thread in order to ensure a balance of margins for manufacturer, distributor, and retailer while still making the products realistically affordable. I've read a lot of commentary here and across the web where drummers think these companies have used inflation and pandemic-era supply chain issues as cover for some sort of cash grab but the cost of goods and manufacturing have skyrocketed. We're going to continue to see more consolidation and shortening of the sales stream (where major manufacturers handle distribution themselves and/or strengthen their direct-to-consumer sales channels) in order to keep brands alive.

There's never been a better (or more dire) time for companies to adopt lean manufacturing to minimize waste in order to help provide a buffer for aspects that are out of their control. It's amazing how much companies waste without even thinking about it. When you go through the kaizan review process and expose every step of a process you tend to discover significant opportunities for increased efficiencies.

Retailers have been struggling to maintain their value in the age of online orders and quick shipping. They can often benefit from a lean approach as well. From a consumer standpoint, if you want drum shops to still exist in 10 years, make sure you shop there and don't raking them over the coals with price matching online retailers. Profit margin per square foot is pretty rough when it comes to drums and percussion (think how many guitars you can fit into the space of a drum set) so brick and mortar drum shops have always faced an uphill battle.
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Oh, I know that music store owners aren't exactly getting rich, and more and more seem to be shutting down. I do my best to shop local, but all of my local "music" stores are just pawn shops who have had the same inventory for 20+ years (and it's stuff I would never use like old 2B sticks and Deadringer drum muffles from the 1980s). There are only like 3-4 drummers who live in my town, and I think I'm the one who gigs the most, and it's really not that much.
 
Most would be fine with aquiring and using a good quality snare or kit that's 10-20 years old. Sticks and heads that old? Probably not
( some exceptions perhaps being vintage market, calf heads, collectable etc...) and that's where these price increases hurt in what Vic Firth used to refer to as the "bread and butter items" people buy to do their job.
 
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BenOBrienSmith said:
You should see what the margins are- it's not pretty. There's quite the needle to thread in order to ensure a balance of margins for manufacturer, distributor, and retailer while still making the products realistically affordable. I've read a lot of commentary here and across the web where drummers think these companies have used inflation and pandemic-era supply chain issues as cover for some sort of cash grab but the cost of goods and manufacturing have skyrocketed. We're going to continue to see more consolidation and shortening of the sales stream (where major manufacturers handle distribution themselves and/or strengthen their direct-to-consumer sales channels) in order to keep brands alive.

There's never been a better (or more dire) time for companies to adopt lean manufacturing to minimize waste in order to help provide a buffer for aspects that are out of their control. It's amazing how much companies waste without even thinking about it. When you go through the kaizan review process and expose every step of a process you tend to discover significant opportunities for increased efficiencies.

Retailers have been struggling to maintain their value in the age of online orders and quick shipping. They can often benefit from a lean approach as well. From a consumer standpoint, if you want drum shops to still exist in 10 years, make sure you shop there and don't raking them over the coals with price matching online retailers. Profit margin per square foot is pretty rough when it comes to drums and percussion (think how many guitars you can fit into the space of a drum set) so brick and mortar drum shops have always faced an uphill battle.
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I understand economics as it is part of my job.
That's also why I referred to the inflation: prices have gone up, but - generally speaking - salaries as well so that should be taken into account, not just saying a pair of sticks costs twice as much as in the past.
My point was that some products - compared to the inflation - have become more expensive and others cheaper.

BTW: I agree on supporting local drum / music shops but I live in a small village so there are zero. Most stores in the nearest cities also closed, apart from a dedicated saxophone and piano store. Maybe an occasional item is available at a pawn shop - as in 1 or 2 guitars or an amp or mixer - but hardly drum gear and absolutely not new sticks or heads.
So then I would have to drive over 30 km (single trip) for a new pair of sticks which would have more impact on the environment (and my time and wallet) than ordering online as DHL (or whomever) already is driving around nearby and can drop off the sticks with a slight detour.
That goes for many more products though and is worth a topic of its own.
 
When Son of Vistalite Black was entering the consumer economy (1974), comic book prices shot up 5 cents to 25 cents.

A Big Mac cost 50 cents.

A spanking new VW Beetle (base trim) was $2,640.

Drum sticks we made ourselves by gnawing on sticks we cut off the Hickory tree.IMG_1717.jpeg
 
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It’s only money - usually made of paper and abundant metals like nickel , zinc and some copper. It’s a bargain in my mind when I give someone a handful of paper with ink on it ,that really has little to no value , and I can walk away with a new drum kit -similarly made of cheap metals or cellulose like the money. A fair trade. Nothing from nothing
 
GetAgrippa said:
It’s only money - usually made of paper and abundant metals like nickel , zinc and some copper. It’s a bargain in my mind when I give someone a handful of paper with ink on it ,that really has little to no value , and I can walk away with a new drum kit -similarly made of cheap metals or cellulose like the money. A fair trade. Nothing from nothing
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I say this all the time! Money is simply useless paper your government tricks you into believing holds some type of arbitrary value. For example: if you buy a piece of drum gear for $500... You traded 500 pieces of paper for a tangible object with a purpose and a use.


That said... Stuff is really expensive these days lol.
 
eric_B said:
I understand economics as it is part of my job.
That's also why I referred to the inflation: prices have gone up, but - generally speaking - salaries as well so that should be taken into account, not just saying a pair of sticks costs twice as much as in the past.
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Musicians income has mostly stayed static, possibly gone down.
I think you might need to look at oil and shipping prices rather than just inflation alone. Shipping has gone through the roof since the pandemic. Oil is used in the making of plastics for drum heads. The oil price is very volatile.
Finally, with mass participation, music retail was possibly more competitive 20 or so years ago. If you have fewer potential customers then prices probably increase. Music participation involving instruments has almost certainly declined since the development of computer games, social media, vlogging, blogging, music creation using solely software and a computer.
I don't see people in music manufacturing getting rich (while many ARE doing OK) - which is why I question the simple comparison between inflation and gear prices.
 
Chris Whitten said:
Musicians income has mostly stayed static, possibly gone down.
I think you might need to look at oil and shipping prices rather than just inflation alone. Shipping has gone through the roof since the pandemic. Oil is used in the making of plastics for drum heads. The oil price is very volatile.
Finally, with mass participation, music retail was possibly more competitive 20 or so years ago. If you have fewer potential customers then prices probably increase. Music participation involving instruments has almost certainly declined since the development of computer games, social media, vlogging, blogging, music creation using solely software and a computer.
I don't see people in music manufacturing getting rich (while many ARE doing OK) - which is why I question the simple comparison between inflation and gear prices.
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Inflation will not relate directly to any specific type of product but is a relative objective reference to compare prices as it is based on several weighted groups of costs like services, energy, food, housing/living, commodities, etc.
Most likely only prices of art, gold / silver, maybe copyrights(?) and some more are not (directly) related to inflation.

I guess there a few main groups of musicians:
- amateurs/weekend warriors playing for fun (and maybe a bit of money)
- musicians playing for a living
- the bigger/famous bands/artists who don't have to care (much) about money

I wonder how the sales of music gear/consumables is divided among those groups, I can't recall ever reading anything about it.
 
GetAgrippa said:
It’s only money - usually made of paper and abundant metals like nickel , zinc and some copper. It’s a bargain in my mind when I give someone a handful of paper with ink on it ,that really has little to no value , and I can walk away with a new drum kit -similarly made of cheap metals or cellulose like the money. A fair trade. Nothing from nothing
Click to expand...

I realize you're joking but there's some wisdom in your words. After saving and sacrificing all my life, I'm now retired. Holding on to money is in my blood and it's hard to shake. I have to FORCE myself to buy stuff.
 
Heck look at increases just in last few years like 2021-2024. I always refer to CANOPUS YAIBA as an example: $1,600 for a 3 pice kit in 2021. Sometimes found under $1,600. Now they're $2,300+. Sometimes I have seen them $2,500. The price bounces around. I felt lucky when price dropped to $2,100 and I'm still kicking myself for not buying in 2019.
 
In Europe, the prices have gone crazy, even buying a basic clamp or hihat tilter and you come across crazy prices. Drumheads are awfully expensive for Remo and Evans. Aquarian still ok, and now we can get Code heads much cheaper. I wouldn’t like to be in the market for a brand new kit theses days.
 
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