Half of Guitar Beginners Are Women, Study Says

For decades, the guitar market and the world of rock and roll has been dominated by men. But according to a new study by Fender, that is changing. 

Female players now account for 50 percent of all guitar beginners.  

The study also showed that beginners were more likely to purchase their first instrument online, rather than in-store.

Fender CEO Andy Mooney tells Rolling Stone that his company has observed the same trends in the U.S. as in the U.K., the latter of which has proven to be a more fertile market for guitar-based music

He says Fender is certain the change is real and here to stay. 

"There was also belief about what people referred to as the 'Taylor Swift factor' maybe making the 50 percent number short-term and aberrational," Mooney said. "In fact, it's not. Taylor has moved on, I think playing less guitar on stage than she has in the past. But young women are still driving 50 percent of new guitar sales. So the phenomenon seems like it's got legs, and it's happening worldwide."

Fender has already taken steps to market towards beginner and aspirational players, especially young women. Mooney told Forbes his iconic guitar company discovered after a two-year study that women have finally equaled men in first-time guitar purchases. 

The study, which was in partnership with Egg Strategy, found that 72 percent of guitar players pick up the instrument to gain a life skill or improve themselves; 61 percent simply want to learn how to play songs by themselves or jam with friends and family.

Forty-two percent say they view the guitar as part of their identity.

Despite headlines pronouncing the end of rock music and the end big guitar companies, other research notes that American guitar manufacturing appears to be at an upswing.  

Fender has already apparently capitalized on this good will towards the guitar, claiming 37.2 percent of the market share, according to IBISWorld, making it the industry leader. 

Mooney chalks this up to the guitar's value as an education and social tool, and its status as an icon of the music industry. He says there are countless enthusiastic guitar hobbyists out there, in addition to brilliant musicians who have yet to make themselves known to the world. 

"The advent of punk opened up an aperture to playing the instrument," he said. "It as less about virtuosity and more about having fun and self-expression. I think that applies both to bands and individuals who just wanted to pick up the instrument and master it to their own comfort level."


Photo: Getty Images


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