Drum sales have doubled since 2000, and soared to £41 million this year, whilst other instrument sales remain stable. This sales growth can largely be attributed to more affordable, high-quality acoustic drum kits, and the rise in popularity of the electronic drum kit - which constitutes over half of total sales.
John Booth, MD of Roland UK, which released the popular HD-1 electronic kit earlier this year, commented: "We have seen drum sales increase year on year for the last ten. But this year has been unprecedented - in October our drum sales eclipsed piano sales for the first time ever."
Furthermore, improved music provision in schools, and enlightened attitudes to teaching rock and pop genres as part of the music syllabus, have ensured that drums are increasingly popular amongst the younger generation.
But the recent drum boom is not purely limited to the younger generation.
Chris Wright, MD of DrumWright and Honorary Treasurer of the MIA commented: "The recent trend for one-off reunion performances by stadium rock legends such as Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, has been a real inspiration for the older generation. We've seen a lot of older musicians in the shop wishing to try their hand at drumming".
“They all said he was crazy. The whole industry said he's going off the deep end. Who would even buy a guitar or a piano over the internet? And he just stuck to his guns. For him everything was doable": See behind the scenes as Thomann turns 70
Roland’s SPD-SX Pro electronic drum pad is an industry standard for hybrid drumming, and you can save $200 on one: but only if you’re quick!
