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The world’s largest instrument manufacturer wants to capitalize on the enthusiasm of China’s later years of enthusiasm for saxophone, as changes in demographics reduce the demand for pianos and boost the class of elderly enthusiasts in aging countries.
For decades, Yamaha has been hoping for a rise in piano sales in China as the middle class of China grows, but this trend has reversed as fewer people give birth. According to the company, the Chinese acoustic piano market shrank to a quarter of its peak of 400,000 units about three years ago, with instrument sales in China falling 33% from two years ago.
As China ages, Yamaha sees its fast-growing population of retired people as opportunities.
“It is likely that sales of wind instruments like saxophones and guitars will increase for seniors in their 40s, 50s and 60s who have more time to disposable income than before,” Yamaha President Yamaura said.
The Japanese company’s pivot comes when Beijing is trying to boost the country’s so-called silver economy, which is expected to reach RMB7TN ($958 billion) by 2030. China’s population has declined for the third consecutive year, with those over 60 to reach 400,400 mn, or 30% of the population by 2035.
70-year-old saxophone player Majikian ©Thomas Halean Accordion Player in Lu Xun Park©Thomas Hale
Meanwhile, China’s fertility rate remains low at 6.77 per 1,000 people, 10 years after the government eliminated long-standing one-child policy. They tried to encourage childbirth and family formation, but marriages have record lows. At a music store in Shanghai, sales staff have pointed out that music schools are closures, saying they have few children.
Yamaha said sales were previously supported by incentives for university admission piano players, but these privileges have declined as part of the government’s push to reduce inequality in education. The company believes there is little chance of a recovery in the piano market and plans to close its Indonesian factory producing entry-level models for Chinese consumers by the end of the year.
In contrast, its digital saxophone features the ability to replicate the sounds of traditional Chinese instruments, making it popular as a hobby product, increasing by more than 30% in the fiscal year ending in March.
“It’s the ‘silver economy,'” said San Xiumin, a retired music teacher who said older learners loved saxophones but often lacked “harmony.”
“We couldn’t buy it before,” he added. “Oldly, in the Dunway (Chinese unit of work in the 1970s), certificates were needed to get into the band. Then (the economy) gradually opened up.
Li Duping, 70, said he recently bought a saxophone and received free guidance from fellow players © Thomas Hale
Other international companies have adapted to demographic changes in China. In the milk industry, businesses are targeting nutritional products rather than baby formulas, but the government is developing plans for a high-speed network of “bank trains” for older tourists.
This year, China has raised its retirement age for the first time in 70 years. The age of men gradually increased to 63 years, and women retired from their mid-50s to late 50s, depending on their job.
Parks in urban areas across the country are often filled with retirees exercising together or playing music in groups. At Lu Xun Park in Shanghai, 70, Qiangli, Massachusetts, said he started playing saxophone three years ago in a healthy state.
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“I went to the park and exercise and saw a lot of people playing saxophones,” said the former taxi driver.
Li Duping, 70, said he bought the sax this year and received free guidance from fellow players.
“With a saxophone there’s a sense of how to forget everything except the sounds of music wandering through your mind,” she says, adding that she hadn’t learned how to properly breathe while playing, but she was “confident.”
“For my future life,” she said, “This is a new beginning.”
Additional Reports by Wenjie Ding in Beijing
