In recent years, the musical instrument market in China has experienced steady growth. As of 2023, the country had the biggest market worldwide, followed by India and the US, and reached a revenue of USD 9.2 billion (RMB 66 billion) in the same year, recording an 8% growth year-on-year. Almost half of the market’s revenue comes from spare parts and accessories; whereas instruments take the other part of the cake. Music has always played an important role in Chinese society, and more consumers are becoming interested in playing musical instruments, even the ancient ones.
The government plays a key role in promoting the study and spread of musical instruments in China
China has always paid peculiar attention to teaching an instrument to the younger generations. Starting from the early 2000s, the government enforced a law in which the “musical curriculum” became mandatory for primary school students. Moreover, it also organizes annual exhibitions to foster consumers’ interest in musical instruments. From October 11th to October 14th, 2023, Shanghai hosted the “Music China” (国际乐器展览会) event, in which more than 1,830 exhibitors showed their products. The fair hosted more than 120,000 attenders and buyers from 92 countries; while the online exhibition streamed on the e-commerce platform JD.com reached 2.35 million spectators.
Furthermore, the government is encouraging the R&D and the exportation of musical instruments outside of China. In November 2023, the “China Musical Instrument Association” stipulated the “Shanghai Consensus” with many music associations from all over the world, including Europe, North America, and Brazil. The agreement consisted of a joint operation to enhance the technological research behind the musical instruments and promote the exportation of “made in China” instruments worldwide.
The musical instruments market in China mainly relies on importations
Japanese companies are dominating the Chinese musical instruments market. In 2022, Yamaha accounted for 11% of the total market share, followed by Kawai with 6%. Meanwhile, Pearl River, a Chinese piano brand founded in 1956 in Guangzhou, ranked 3rd with 5% of the total market share. Imports play an important role in the musical industry. Indeed, as of July 2023, the total volume of imported instruments grew by 21% compared to the beginning of the year.
In particular, people search for exotism and elegance when choosing instruments. For example, handcrafted Italian instruments are by far the most appreciated by Chinese consumers, whose importation grew by 23.6% as of the first half of 2023. Italy was also the biggest pavilion during the music exhibition in Shanghai. During the 4 days of the event, consumers experienced the creation of musical instruments by the hand of Italian artisans starting from valuable wooden planks.
China’s piano craze: imports, exports, and cultural significance
Piano is one of the most successful instruments in China. In the first half of 2023, the total value of piano imports reached more than USD 104.7 million (RMB 753.7 million), meanwhile the export volume totaled around USD 26.3 million (USD 189.3 million). In the same period, Japan was the largest exporter of pianos in China, with a value of more than USD 48.1 million (RMB 346.2 million), followed by Germany and Indonesia. However, China is also among the biggest piano producer worldwide, with around 450,000 pieces crafted as of 2022. As of September 2023, it was played by more than 60 million people across all the conservatories in China.
The widespread popularity of the piano among consumers and novice musicians can be attributed to its extensive musical range and its association with sophistication and refinement. Moreover, pianos have been increasingly perceived as luxury items, often beyond the means of many families due to their high costs, which can reach up to USD 2,700 (RMB 20,000) for a basic assembled model.
Guzheng has become the symbol of Chinese musical culture
Despite being considered as a niche sector, the Chinese traditional music market is having a steady increase in the latest years. In 2023, it accounted for around USD 1.1 billion (RMB 7.9 billion), and it’s expected to have an annual growth rate of more than 6%. Due to government support and rising cultural confidence, traditional Chinese musical instruments are becoming more and more popular in the musical instruments market in China. Played by more than 5 million people as of 2022, the Guzheng “古筝” is an ancient instrument crafted and played since “The Warring States Period” (475 BCE). Today, it covers a strong role in shaping the Chinese national identity. In August 2023, in occasion of the “Beijing Great Wall National Music Ceremony” in Juyongyuan, 2023 people played this instrument to commemorate the beginning of the “Great Wall of Beijing National Festival”. The event was an occasion to pay tribute to the Chinese culture and worked as a window to show both the history of the country and the millenarian tradition of playing this ancient musical instrument.
Previously, the Guzheng was mainly played by women, with only 1 male player every 10 people in 2021. The reason behind this phenomenon lies in the Chinese tradition. It was originally considered a female instrument because of the slow and elegant movements required to play it, which weren’t suitable for men. This tradition has been engraved in the Chinese society for centuries; however, as of 2023, this trend is slowly reverting. In fact, an increasing number of men is starting to play this ancient instrument, especially because it is seen as means for self-expression and stress relief.
Chinese musical heritage valorization is going digital
Lately, the musical instrument market in China has seen the development of many projects aimed at preserving the country’s musical culture. In December 2023, the Chinese academy of art and music, together with Tencent games, launched the project “Guqin digitalization” (古琴数字化), which consisted in creating an online game based on playing the Guqin, an instrument similar to the Guzheng. For two years, a specialized team sampled more than 10,000 Guqin sounds and organized them in a digital experience where the user can play the instrument with a sounding as close as possible to reality. The experiment was part of a bigger project developed by Tencent Games called “Chinese traditional instrumental music digital protection project” (中国传统器乐数字化保护项目), and active since early 2023.
Apart from digital experiences, many institutions are finding their own way to protect the Chinese musical culture. As an example, from December 12th to December 14th 2023, the city of Zhuhai in the Guangdong province held the “2023 musical instrument industry science and technology innovation and industry development conference” (2023年乐器行业科技创新与产业发展大会). The meeting was mainly aimed at the issue of preserving the Chinese traditional music instruments. In particular, it promoted the fusion of digital innovation with cultural valorization through the use of big data, acoustic algorithms and artificial intelligence to safeguard the sound of many traditional instruments that otherwise would be lost in time.
Journey through China’s thriving music instruments market
- The musical instruments market in China is one of the biggest markets of its kind worldwide. In the latest year, it experienced steady growth.
- The Chinese government enhances the spreading and teaching of musical instruments, particularly among the younger generations. Every year, Shanghai hosts one of the biggest music exhibitions in the world, “Music China”.
- The musical instruments market in China partially relies on importation, and the biggest companies exporting in the country are Japanese. However, Italian instruments are gaining popularity in the Chinese market due to the influence of Shanghai’s “Music China”.
- The piano is the most popular foreign musical instrument. However, due to its high costs of purchase and maintenance, it’s almost seen as a “luxury good”, and fewer people can afford to have one.
- Guzheng is the most popular Chinese instrument in the market. Lately, the instrument has become the symbol of “musical culture preservation” in the country.
- Lately, the movement of preserving the Chinese musical heritage has started relying on digitalization. In 2023, the Chinese musical instruments market witnessed the development of projects to transfer many traditional instruments into the digital world through games and artificial intelligence.
