Music making on the rise in U.S.(Items of Interest)

A new U.S. Gallup Poll reveals that Americans of all ages are continuing to pursue music making and offers insight into the attitudes behind this passion as part of the 2006 Music USA: NAMM Global Report. The report, which covers a broad spectrum of industry segments from grand pianos, to DJ gear, to violins, to electric guitars, reveals interesting data on the industry and attitudes toward music making.

While guitars are currently the highest-selling musical instruments in America, with approximately 3.4 million sold in 2005, more Americans play the piano (31 percent) than the guitar or bass (28 percent).

The poll also shows that Americans are making more music than any other nationality. The U.S. market accounts for 42.7 percent of musical instrument purchases, followed by Japan at 15.6 percent and the United Kingdom at 6.7 percent. More than one-half of U.S. households (52 percent) have at least one person, age 5 or older, who currently plays a musical instrument--a sharp contrast compared to the United Kingdom at 37 percent and Australia at 36 percent. Forty percent of U.S. households have two or more musicians; 85 percent of Americans believe that music is a very important part of their life.

The fastest-growing segment of music makers is between ages 18 and 34, an increase of 5 percent since ...