The Golden Age of Pianos

Before the radio and TV were widely popularized, it was hard to imagine an early 20th century American middle-class home without a piano. During these times, a family would gather 'round the living room, sing familiar songs, and move to the ragtime music popular from the late 1890's to late 1920's. Tin Pan Alley composers such as Cole Porter stamped out new tunes for piano rolls, used to trigger the modern player pianos of the day. In stark contrast to the current market, where only 38,000 grand pianos were sold to Americans in 2009, it wasn't uncommon to see over 100,000 pianos sold in a given year circa 1920. Then, over 300 piano manufacturers called the United States their home, but only a handful remain in business today. Since the 1970's, the major decline in piano sales is due to more used pianos flooding the market and a lost interest in the art form when the electric guitar took over the stage in rock 'n roll settings. Pianos are still sold brand new today, but for much more money and many times, less quality, than more cheaply priced, better built pianos of the early 20th century. Later, we'll investigate what certain companies have done to increase their sales volume in an increasingly tougher market.