FENDER CEO Response to 'Is the Electric Guitar Dying?' Andy Mooney CEO of Fender Guitars FMIC

[@thetonekingofficial]

See what George Gruhn has to say about the 'health' of the Guitar Industry ... see if he agrees with Fender's CEO kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2W0aquDqdGYobc

[@turaly0n]

Good interview. Was hoping you would've asked him about market saturation and the used market and what strategies they have for dealing with that.

[@weaesq]

People need to burn their used Fenders like Hendrix used to do and buy new.

[@markjohnston3790]

Bill A. that's when he was given free brand new guitar's from Fender, Jimi definitely couldn't afford brand new before he came famous so he had no option but to buy second hand guitar's which is not always a negative concept! 😂 👍 LOL Mark UK

[@9imack]

Who'd have thought Fender's CEO would be a Jock? lol (that means Scottish to us Brits) :)

[@stuartbegley2085]

Ian McDaid it's kinda derogatory though,

[@texanfournow]

Whether one is fan of Fender or not, it is nice to see a guy who is smart, data driven, and emotionally stable in charge of a guitar company.

[@DMSProduktions]

Haha, UNLIKE Henry J of the big G? ;oP

[@DMSProduktions]

He MEANT sales 'data', but I get ya!

[@T00DEEPBLUE]

The reason 90% of people starting out fall on their ass and give up by the first year is that they're expecting that the guitar will reward them with the same instant gratification that their iPhone gives them when they get a high score on Flappy Bird. They're failing to realize that guitar playing takes serious musical commitment.

[@aijem423]

You nailed it. What is kind of sad about that statistic is that it has never been easier to access learning material, free at that. But like you said, much easier to sit on your iDevice Snap chatting stupid faces than to learning guitar.

[@T00DEEPBLUE]

While it is true that younger people are less willing to make long-term commitments than they used to, placing the blame entirely on them would be unfair. As technology and the understanding of human psychology has exponentially improved, it has given enterprises the power to be more psychologically exploitative with their products than ever before, to turn casual users into fully-blown addicts. They design online apps and games to be as addictive as humanly possible, and instant gratification is an extremely effective mechanism for making said games and apps addictive. And as technology has been integrated more and more into our daily lives, exposing oneself to such mechanisms is getting harder than ever to avoid. The problem is not inherent of the generation itself. It is a product of the environment in which they are being raised in. Which for the most part is something that is out of their control.

[@RustSQUIDFACE]

Damm dude you guys are sounding very old

[@DaigoParry]

But you forget: you are talking like the scribes of old who write everything by hand to make books and manuscripts. Irregardless what is “hand made”, the market never lies. People want what they want, and the market supplies it. The truth is: nobody wants guitar music anymore. The market never lies.

[@russianbot2397]

Age is also a huge factor. Learning the guitar is like learning a new language. The younger you are, the easier it will be to aquire good command of the instrument or the language. It's a lot more frustrating for a person over the age of 12, or 13 to learn a language without any foreign accent. The part of the human brain that is responsible for language and musical acquisition is fully developed by age 12. Learning is possible beyond this age but it must be forced and deliberate. The individual must have time and discipline invested in order to achieve reasonable results. The 90 percent that give up on the instrument are perhaps people beyond a certain age, while the 10 percent who stick with it are those who start young. The problem today is, that young kids don't want to learn instrument because they get into music at a much later age than kids in the 70's, 80's, and 90's did. This is because video games fill in the role that music would have naturally occupied a few generations ago. Kids today don't get into music until much later, and by then, that part of the brain responsible for music and language is sadly already fully developed.

[@intheblues]

He's a nice guy no doubt about that. Nice job TK. :-)

[@MarkGibbonsCh]

Did you notice he said Fender will get into Pedals?

[@intheblues]

They used to make quite a number of pedals but they never took off. I wonder if these ones will be more popular/accessible

[@mars6433]

And NOT ONE LEFTY TO BE SEEN !!!

[@guitardudeguy3139]

intheblues I hope they make left handed pedals for you man! #noclue...haha!

[@danlopez2012]

Totally agreed, very nice guy. When I heard about there initiative to go with lessons as an addon to help sales, I actually coughed. But after hearing his background on the data it totally made sense. 90% abandonment on 45% 1st time buyers.. WOW..

[@frankie4321]

Good interview and well answered by Andy. To be honest I'm 50 and I wish I had KZbin and the tech we hold in our hands every day when learning the guitar 35 years ago. I don't see tech as a problem but rather a tool to progress with this hobby.

[@jefft9040]

Frank Baldan, agreed! I learned guitar with Mel Bay books and my mom or dad had to drive me to lessons. New players have no idea how easy it is for them to start.

[@nickburmanmusic]

Yup, I just wanted something that would slow the music down! Now you can play any Steve Vai solo at 1/64 note per second and learn it !!

[@johnsimms3957]

It's a great time to be an electric guitar player. There's all kinds of very well made guitars and amps. And lots of effects.

[@jefferyr9696]

John Simms dad?

[@ericsanchez5638]

John Simms Not to mention the affordable prices

[@biologicalstepdad9082]

but nothing beats that 80s tone.

[@RudyPalos]

Totally agree. It's dizzying the number of well-made, affordable options. Makes it tough to find time to actually play!

[@michaelquintana678]

john Simms . good point but the issue is there is a lack of virtousos so if a real one ever surfaces people will be buying more guitars agian.

[@CaptAnderton]

Good interview! I like Andy - I met him shortly before he started at Fender. He's a massive guitar fan with a fantastic collection of guitars. He's also a very astute & successful business guy. Just the right mix to be the head of a company like Fender.

[@elduderino3995]

CaptAnderton hey cap!

[@tonebonetones]

lol....yeah, right. Just like Leo Fender.........not. He was one of those weird things.....what do you call them, again? .......Oh, yeah.....engineers!

[@nickburmanmusic]

Leo couldn't even play guitar!!

[@mikewhitfield2994]

The difference between Andy and King Henry of Gibson is indeed striking.

[@GraemeCampbellMusic]

He’s originally from Whitburn in Scotland which is just up the road from me. Local boy done good.

[@thechronicnoizeco.6675]

I've been teaching guitar for 18 years. It ain't dead yet.

[@charlieg7388]

Fender should offer free online lessons to beginners who buy their first guitar

[@Twice_Marvel]

Charlie G it won't be as good as Justin guitars course. They should just link him

[@jefflevy3557]

They do . . . sort of. It's called "Fender Play" and you get a 30-day free trial. Then $19.99/month.

[@Spidouz]

Rocksmith is apparently not a bad solution either... rocksmith.ubisoft.com/rocksmith/en-US/music/index.aspx

[@scottfossil7731]

Yea. I learned bass from Rocksmith. It's actually really good.

[@jennylong8326]

We're going to bundle subscriptions to fender play with some guitars!

[@mudwiser1391]

Great answer to the ''guitar dying'' question... now maybe guitar players can stop helping spread the unfounded rumour and concentrate on celebrating the instrument that we all love.

[@michaelquintana678]

Mud i found other youtubes on this. maybee its not dyeing but its getting choked real hard.

[@swazifiction]

I watched this interview when it was first posted and rewatched it now. Fender has definitely been acting on 'the data': since this interview, so many smart moves have brightened Fender: the relaunch of classic lines, an expansion of their 'budget' line models (m thinking primarily here of the Squier Starcasters cf the expansion of PRS' SE line), and genuine innovations like the Acoustasonic and acoustic pedals. Fender's roadmap is right here, in this interview.

[@kdrake777]

Great interview TTK! Thanks for all your hard work.! Love the intro and outro music too.

[@tomshaug]

Great visit Tone King, Andy was very generous with his time and information. Thanks very much TK and Andy, rock on!

[@starguitar6432]

This is a great video, with great questions and answers. Thanks TK.

[@rarch1968]

Thanks TK, that was great. You have a very natural, easy flowing interviewing style & always get thoughtful informative responses.

[@autoazure]

You can take the man out of Bathgate but you cannot take Bathgate out of the man! Great to see you again Andy, I jammed in your hoose with Jamie O'Neill and you played a white , teardrop guitar! All the best to you Sir!

[@stevehogan8829]

Thank you Mr. Moon. Greatly appreciate the time and the fact that you are there at the show. Lots of us watching TTK and others out here. I think this is a great time for guitars and players. The marketing changes are all good for the end user. I think the reference to PUNK is significant. The late 50's and early 60's relied on 3 chords also. Looking for a push back to rock and rock like music. For me it was the Beatles that took us out of the 3 chord boredom. Thanks Louis.

[@jefft9040]

Great interview and he was so well spoken and had some very good info about the state of the music industry.

[@soundthesirens_music]

Very well-spoken guy and knowledgeable great interview TK

[@DanishingAct]

great interview, always nice to see the people behind such huge companies.

[@dalepal]

Good interview with Andy Mooney. I never would have thought of the Ukulele as a primary beginner instrument.

[@eminimaster]

@TTK: Thanks for all the NAMM coverage. Unable to make the summer gig, appreciate the insights!

[@jamesbarros950]

I grew up in Corona, and hearing a foreign voice owning our little company makes me sad, but this guys insights are spot on. Thank you for this great interview. Hearing this, how seriously they're examining the realities of the industry and encouraging playing. Thank you. This is great

[@jamesbarros950]

J B for sure. Nothing against immigrants. Is he working in America? I had heard that control of the company was overseas now, which, again, if they're doing good things with the company no complaints, it was just nice that it was for so long a local shop

[@dustinplumb]

Nice one TTK! Love the Headrush lanyard!

[@SFBGuitar]

Great interview, TK!! Really enjoyed it. His thoughts about Ferrari life-style branding were on point.

[@thetonekingofficial]

+PixxyLixxx thx pixxy

[@phreak1118]

The answer is in his data... 45% of buyers are first time buyers. And of those 45% almost all abandon playing in less than a year. This means all those unplayed instruments then end up on the used market. So the data may show RETAIL sales are flat... but when you include used instrument sales, the numbers are actually way up.

[@slimkickens]

phreak1118 yup. a good three quarters of my guitars were bought used.

[@epiphoney2]

Exactly. I can't fathom why anybody would pay retail for a new guitar. When you can find ANY used model guitar (often a lot cheaper) through the internet.

[@slimkickens]

epiphoney2 the only time I have were for limited runs that, in my experience, can be a shot in the dark to find online. But I have certainly never noticed anything inferior about my secondhand guitars

[@thatnorwegianguy1986]

This comment is three years old but looking at the situation now in February 2021 That still is not a sign of a healthy market and even the second hand market now is oversaturated with way too much stuff, most guitar youtubers all they do is shill gear with nobody buying.

[@chinossynthesizer705]

@@thatnorwegianguy1986 some guitar pedals are expensive there's alot of them that sound cool though

[@GearTube]

TTK, this was really great. You always do the best interviews!

[@johns4751]

Informative and very engaging interview. Another clear example of why you're the 'King', TTK!

[@panhandlegeardemos6837]

Very nice interview! Thanks for posting!

[@chicopm]

I think the one big point is that those who quit in the first year are selling their instruments and that data is/was not taken into account in the WP article. The price of a new instrument vice that of a little used one is a very attractive deal.

[@realbeef6538]

Man, one of the few honest CEO's that actually cares about his company and the industry? Daaaaaaaamn.

[@tonebonetones]

real beef ...he cares about his wallet, mate, walking into the top job only two years ago. Open your eyes.

[@realbeef6538]

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT......

[@KevinStudent]

What a fantastic interview! Very interesting insight into the industry!

[@professorhamamoto]

Great interview. That CEO is brilliant and polished. Would have liked to learn of his professional background and schooling.

[@jennylong8326]

He was very successful at Nike before joining fender. Really big on branding and endorsements.

[@professorhamamoto]

Interesting. It would be even more tragic than the CBS era were the Fender Music Corporation to become merely a licensing entity like NIKE that does no manufacturing itself. Thank goodness small to medium size guitar makers are offering quality instruments that Fender no longer can compete with. The only production guitar I would even consider buying today is Paul Reed Smith. Kiesel, however, has come back from the dead and is plowing new field.

[@greatvanzini]

Damn great Interview. Thanks. It good to hear it from the top.

[@Niloy63]

Great interview! I enjoyed it! \\m//

[@dr150]

FENDER PLAY is too expensive versus other more developed learning sites. If Mooney wants to bring new blood and KEEP them then he shouldn't shoo them away with the premium price of the lessons.

[@zagan1]

Theee Chosen One it doesn't matter how someone learns to play, just that they keep with it. so if fender play is too expensive find something that's cheaper and go with it.

[@superchefno1]

That was awesome.,.... great interview.. Thanks TK.

[@bigdguitars]

great interview!

[@rickeguitar9086]

What is impressive about this CEO is his understanding of Customer Data Analytics. That is something I have yet to hear in the music industry. He has a solid grasp of who his potential customers will be based on who they are today. Anyone who has ever taught guitar can relate to his point that 90% of people who buy guitars drop out within the first year. I am interested in seeing how Fender is going to revolutionize the learning process using data analytics. Ultimately, it boils down to ;patience, perseverance and a touch of natural talent that moves someone from the 90% into the 10%.

[@morningamps3879]

"We're hugely optimistic about the future and I think everyone in the industry should be as well" Damn. So true.

[@perthguitar5160]

Great interview. Thanks TK.

[@guitardudeguy3139]

I've bought more guitars in the last 2 years than in my whole life, largely because of the internet reviews. There are alot of great guitars for minimal $..compared to few years ago , I thought quality of guitars were down and in early stages of finding that medium. I love the guitar and am fortunate enough to make money performing, which allows me to search for more higher end type ,higher quality instruments and gear..I believe that the electric guitar is thriving more than ever. I teach also and have no available spots for new students. Where 6 years ago, I struggled to find a few. It also seems there are less Mom and Pop stores around which forces alot of musicians to have to buy on line. My nearest guitar store for me is 40 miles away, which means I would have to drive 80 miles round trip for strings, cables,sheet music,teaching aids,etc. So I end up buying more on line than not. But when it comes to guitars , I want to play it first, I'm still reluctant to buy a guitar shipped to me..I can't quite trust companies to give me a superb product..through the mail. But that's just me. So , I think that the electric guitar and guitar in general is thriving just fine. The boutique companies are going to go away eventually I feel because of the enormous prices they ask for thier products. Due to reviews and demos..(honest ones)..Some can't justify the cost. Would I spend 5 or 6000 dollars on a guitar? Very doubtful..I wanna play it , not put it in a glass case. Online sales have not been taken into account in this guitar study about the electric guitar dying. It alive and well. Just over saturated with too many companies making them...so the smaller companies are gonna cry wolf!

[@acisok]

Excellent interview TTK! Thank you!

[@NoStringsAttached777]

A guitar playing Scotsman running FMIC? Awesome! He comes across as genuine and is a very smart cookie.Thing is, to change a company takes time and one the size of Fender takes a lot of it.

[@RockHardRiffs]

"guitar music is on its way out" - every record label he approached - Brian Epstein - manager - The Beatles

[@nickburmanmusic]

Best quote on the topic, my friend! Let's not forget how people acted in the past and that they never change. It has all been said before and we are still here, playing guitar like there's no tomorrow!

[@RockHardRiffs]

you got it senor! nothing new under the sun, eh!

[@nickburmanmusic]

yup! There's always someone crying the death of something or other!

[@scottdunn2178]

Sharon Osbourne was told the same exact thing when she was shopping the record labels to get Ozzy signed in 1980. Granted, today's youth are an instant gratification generation, they don't want to spend years learning to play an instrument like we did when I was a kid. Kids today look up to, and want to emulate, rappers. In my day, kids wanted to be Randy Rhoads, or Eddie Van Halen, etc. Kids today would rather buy a microphone and rhyme a bunch of senseless words together. Metal (Real metal like Tyr, Gloryhammer, Symphony X, etc. not hair metal like most Americans think metal is) is very popular in Europe, Japan, and South America, but the music industry suppresses metal in America.

[@jamjam4159]

I have been teaching guitar for 22 years. Before i start my lesson to them i always ask who are your favorite bands they say names such as Nirvana, My Chemical Romance ,Blink 182 ,Guns n roses they name all guitar legends in the past 60 years there is still hope.

[@glengeen75048]

As for mobile devices, I have a drum machine app on my phone. I pipe it thru my amp. It is a lot more interesting than a metronome. I also play along with songs as a learning tool. Additionally, there is youtube for learning new songs and keeping learning interesting.

[@colinhenry__]

Wow such an inspiring video. I learned more than three things from that guy regarding not just musical instruments, but the problem in society, dedication, lifestyle, and also how to stay in the game in a forever changing world. Thanks for this Mr. Tone King!

[@popstotexas]

Nice interview TK!

[@jimwoodswrites]

Great questions TK! Really enjoyed it!

[@jeremiahharville9468]

I was there :) it was great 🔥

[@torontofenderjunkie]

As a direct marketer, I'm super impressed by Fender here... They've asked relevant questions and are reacting to the analytics appropriately. Even the takeaway that the best way to increase sales is to fight that abandonment rate, and pursuing online learning that's relevant to their instruments is really, really smart. Kudos to the CI team that ran their study.

[@markbornais2589]

Great interview. Loved it!

[@peterdvideos]

Great preparation. Great questions. Great interview. Gracious interviewee.

[@glassslide]

Awesome interview, very very informative, great job!

[@sethadam4266]

Its not just the electric guitar, its all instruments, smart phones make people lazy, they need instant gratification, an instrument is an investment in time spent practicing.

[@Messier31NGC224]

Wow, the CEO of Fender! Great job with that interview TK, you really handled it well! I was interested in his answers too, you gotta love a guy that backs his shit up with FACTS.

[@Isabelmjeldek]

I like fender alot. I really enjoy playing it

[@tricko2286]

TK is actually a very good interviewer... nice Job!

[@peterk743]

Great interview Lou!

[@paulsimmons5726]

The idea of the 10% retention rate being doubled is really smart but I'm surprised that it's taken so long to become a focus point. I'm glad to see Fender is running with this idea. Using the data to improve their standings is obviously one reason Fender has been and will continue to be one of the top tier companies in the music business!

[@bigdaddycoolhall]

great interview TK! thank you for your hard work, but have some fun too. say hi to pixxy for me too buddy! have a great time, loving the videos!!!

[@BruceEdwards]

I am 45 have 2 kids. Neither has any interest in playing.. Every musician that I know who has children none of them have any interest.. it's the music they listen to these days... wanna bring back the guitar or guitar oriented music. we need to change the culture of music... start promoting real music again.

[@DMSProduktions]

You started too late! You NEED to shove some kind of stringed instrument in their hands as soon as they can walk!

[@TheDogPa]

I've posted similar on most places talking about this and get nothing but stupid kids who unintelligently argue I don't know what I'm talking about. Hell, go watch the joke at wills (sl)easy guitar. Now that guy is a bleeding idiot! They don't care, why should we? I got all the awesome equipment I'll ever need, so every single one of them can go out of business for all I care. All I need are strings...got enough nos tubes to last me forever...and plenty of vinyl to hear real music from.

[@DerangedResponse]

Yeah. I'm a few years older than you. You're right. Kids just ain't all that interested in musical instruments. But their kids? It looks promising. But there has to be something of a market. look at all the manufacturers out there. There are three(?) times as many as what was there 30 years ago. That wouldn't be happening if the electric guitar was dying. One thing I don't understand about the newer players is all this over hyper nonsense about intonation. Almost all of it is BS. And that BS is not a good incentive to get newer players if they think that guitars are as high maintenance as these "experts" make them out to be . You know how many times I've had to actually adjust a truss rod? Once in thirty years and that's out of three guitars. The idiots these days seem to think you have to do that a couple of times a day! Ukeleles.... I think those are more of a fad instrument. I don't see them having the staying power of like Banjos or Baritone Guitars. I don't think that using the sales of Ukeleles as a gauge. did Harminicas Help for saxaphone sales?

[@DMSProduktions]

We have a LOT of juvenile students at our shop/school. Ukes ARE a big seller, and a good entry to guitar/bass/mando etc. Got lots of islanders, so ukes are BIG business!

[@DerangedResponse]

OK... Out of those students, what do you think the percentage of them still playing in five years be? And will they move to other instruments?

[@Gibfenez]

Best interview ever TK! George is a living legend and always giving back to the guitar world with his history and knowledge, and of course his many cool guitars! Forever George!

[@XxHarounXx]

good interview. nice job tk

[@sunlightpictures8367]

Very informative interview. Thanks!

[@raytune42]

We want to see Fender Guitars in stores again.

[@BrianCumer]

Great interview, TK!

[@sowhat5150]

Excellent interview. Well done Tone King! I hope Fender Play is free if you buy a Fender. Well at least for a year.

[@mattvdh]

Send new customers an incentive to play their new instrument after a month so they rebound and try to pick it up again. Such as an online link to guitar lessons or a free VST amp sim to plug in their computer. I really like the answers Andy provided, he seems like a good guy.

[@jennylong8326]

Fender play is designed to help people stay engaged

[@nicholascremato]

He's right! I remember that when Saturday night fever came out and they said the electric guitar was dead.

[@teejaytamani4056]

its a great time to be a guitar player, you have all the resources you need at your reach.

[@ipdjbt]

Great questions! Great answers!

[@JB54379]

Great interview. Thanks. What model is the B-25 Tele and Strat in the background?

[@JimijaymesProductions]

He sounds like a fairly smart guy not what I expected from the CEO, makes sense why Fender is doing cool things at the moment.

[@theoriginalparamutant2429]

Fantastic interview !!!

[@tojarin2584]

I hate these articles that say the harpsichord is dead. Modern music genres may not use it as much as the genres of my youth but I guarantee that in a few years we will return to the common sight of a harpsichord in every house. Long live baroque and roll.

[@elliotkcollins]

Washington Post was saying it was no longer in pop music for the most part like it had been for the past 50 years.

[@troymarshall5783]

Great content TK 👍

[@w1o2l3f4i5e]

from the first profile shot of your interviewee, I thought you were interviewing Robert De Niro, lol.

[@tomorama223]

news flash to middle-aged musician dads: your kids don't care about guitar music because they are YOUR kids, and so they think of guitar playing as something that their boring ol' dad does. your kids' kids will probably LOVE the guitar, because it's what grandpa does ;)

[@77raymo]

WOW, a non hyped overview, smart dude, love the Ferrari scenario.

[@robertfalconer5054]

Great interview, Mr tone king..

[@autocrow]

"We're hugely optimistic about the future, committed to excellence, couldn't be more excited, and are passionate about our fine product." See? I could be a CEO too. : )

[@davidpomella6786]

This is one of the reasons I follow The Tone King ; great interviews with leaders in the guitar world

[@13blackcats33]

When i visit guitar center on weekends, there is always more employees than customers.

[@Spidouz]

Thanks for this interview. I'm glad to see Fender CEO confirms (with data), what I was writing in comment weeks ago about this stupid WaPo article.

[@colintraveller]

Phil Smith Dunno why people lapped up the WP Rubbish . As when have they printed anything positive about Trump . All they are is FOS .

[@grantlazenby8192]

Yeah the Washington Post story was one of those "Shock news" type reports. I work at Musical instrument retail store and I still sell plenty of guitars. Acoustic guitar and ukelele sales have definitely gone up. If anything has dipped a bit it's been the sale of higher priced "elite" electrics.

[@georgerigberg4335]

Phil Smith Reminds me of when the press said craft beer was dead in the '90s...

[@RealHomeRecording]

Phil Smith newspaper sales are down! That is a fact.

[@Spidouz]

And generally speaking, I wouldn't trust anyone that would pretend to know what's the future is about and what would or could happen... To my knowledge, no one on Earth can pretend the future. We can only announce the current trends, current numbers, analysis of the technologies and factors that could impact a market, check the history records and previous trends to eventually guess on any possibilities on repeating the past, etc... but no one is capable to know, for sure, what will happen in the future. Anyone pretending otherwise, is just full of shit and can't be taken seriously! That's why I like the Fender CEO approach here... going back to facts, numbers, data... not just "personal feelings and opinions". And if we look at numbers, newspapers sales are down for two main reasons: 1) new technologies such internet; most of people now get their information on their electronic devices because they can get it instantly. Magazines, newspapers and such are dying. For instance, everyone are just watching TTK videos here to get news about Summer NAMM... not a lot of people want to wait 1 or 2 months to get the next Guitar Magazine "Summer NAMM" edition to read about it. 2) Peer to Peer... And what I mean by that is not the whole "download" thing, but the ability with internet to have people getting connected directly with other people. Today, people don't trust source of information, mainly when it comes from a centralized point such Mainstream Media. With social networks such Facebook, KZbin, Twitter, Instagram and such, people can get information directly from other people on the scene of the event. Since everyone now has a smartphone with camera and streaming capabilities, you can get instant access to the information without going through the "filter" of some journalist, editors and such. People can have raw information and make their own mind from that. That's why we can observe this whole "fakenews" thing falling apart. For instance: let's say you live in the US and suddenly you learn there's something happening somewhere in the world. Who would you trust? Some Mainstream media that might have a correspondant on the site and will report one "version" of the event... or some RAW videos, pictures and comments from hundreds of people living there and that you can find by yourself directly from your social networks? Of course, real journalist and editorial work is important and this is what could be lacking in RAW information. And that's why we will slowly see more and more individual people getting involved in journalism, reporting news or even investigating by themselves. And all that is definitely what could hurt very bad newspapers such Washington Post. Is that for sure? No, as said, no one can predict the future... but this is some indications we can bet on. My 2¢

[@eanroad]

Great job Tone King!

[@robhpll]

Great interview

[@psygodnp]

what a great interview !

[@JasonFiske]

Great interview. It looks like Fender gets it. I wonder where Gibson is on this?

[@kombik7189]

This guy seems straight up and knowledgeable. How about Gibson finds someone like this!

[@HickoryTropicals]

Tk I submit that that if companies are having a retention problem that I would like to see a company like fender or maybe others include maybe a year of free online lessons with an affiliate teacher or some lessons with the purchase of a new guitar to help with product sales and also to help retain some product exposure not sure if this would work just a suggestion

[@vadlasletta]

cool interview.he seems like a cool guy!

[@jensenbell]

I like Andy. He is data driven and that means FENDER is in good hands during these changing times. Nice.

[@Deneteus]

I can dig it. This is a good interview.

[@wildbill7]

First time Ive heard Andy speak. Seems Fenders in good hands , great attitude to our favorite hobby, eh? :)

[@magavsschwaga7834]

I think this is a reaction to the digital domain with a d.a.w. part of every musicians rig. its not dying but it has changed radically.

[@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE]

Nice interview with the Scottish Robert DeNiro

[@Nobody-on6gt]

Guthrie Goven! Nick Johnston! Joe Bonnamassa! Eric Gales! Greg Koch! No guitar virtuosos? What ever. What's killing the record business, and guitar related music, is everyone downloading music for free. Support local talent, buy albums of artists you like, and rock on🤘

[@jamessouleyrette3370]

Mega Dave the point is that they don't get the same type of attention that they used to get. Compared to Ritchie Blackmore or Jimmy Page, the amount of attention these guys get is near obscurity.

[@Nobody-on6gt]

james souleyrette and no one ever will reach that greatness again, especially if nobody buys the albums of there favourite musicians. We can never compete with pop music, rock is never gonna hit those heights again, but so what!

[@Spidouz]

Actually this is not true. Data shows that for the last 5 years, record sales are actually increasing; And it doesn't even take in count "streaming" which is a new kind of revenue now for Artists. The Music Industry is doing really good. What are taking a beat right now are Record Labels. Why? Because Artists don't need them as much as they did back 50 years ago where they turned art into an "Industry" by making music a consuming product; And like any other industry, it was lead by finances people that wanted to reduce production cost and increase margins for higher profits. But Artists didn't get the benefit of it... unless they were on the top 1% of Artists, most of them were struggling. And now Record Labels don't provide what they did in the past such "investing" on a new coming Artist by paying for studio time, Ads for promoting a new tour, and such... Now, if a new Artist want a deal, the music has to be already done with mastering and ready to be published on big media, and the artist needs to have already some kind of buzz on social networks. Since the Artists are doing everything by themselves already for that, and they can now doing it from home with Internet and even new technologies allowing to produce a full album from home, they don't need Record Labels anymore. They can live way better by selling 20,000 records as indie by their own self-label, than selling millions records by a major recording company. That's why, most artist are now recording in their own (home-) studio (and a lot of medium size commercial studios are going bankrupt), and why Major Record Labels are crying out loud, trying to find an excuse on the "illegal download"; but when we look at the whole worldwide record sales, they're in constant increase for 5 years now... except that now Indie labels are reaching a new high and there's also way more artists and more "market competition". But as said, some new artists or bands are perfectly fine with a smaller audience made of their real "fans". But Major Companies don't, they want big market, big audience for big money... but overall, Music market is doing good and actually going back to the roots where the ARTIST is at the center of the market, by doing music directly for the fans, the audience, doing streams (which is just a modern way to share music) and doing more "private" smaller venues for fans instead of big arenas. But it doesn't means the industry or the music by itself is dying... surely not because of downloads! New generation people don't even download that much anymore; if they want music they just go online and listen in steaming (KZbin, Facebook, Spotify, you name it). That's who new kids are consuming music. And when they like a group, they support it and follow them on Facebook and go to those private events for fans only. This is indeed a complete new world and a new "industry" now... no doubt about it, but this is just the continuous evolution of it. And big Major Companies were just too big to fail and too big to even see the market changing or even to slow to adapt themselves to this new market. Because they want to keep their margins and profits, but the new market is all about the Artist taking back control his/her art and bring it directly to his/her audience and fans. There's nothing big major companies could do about that. They just keep the big names that they push on the big media (they often also own). But they're loosing more ground and will probably keep loosing more ground since new generations are now spending more time on internet and social networks than on big media such TV or Radios. Most of kids today don't even watch TV or listen to Radio at all. But they will subscribe to this Artist page/channel they discover one day from a friend of a friend on social networks, and they will get all info about this artist directly from his/her instagram/facebook/twiter and such. Long story short: No, downloads those days have no real impact on the Music Industry, that is doing actually good, way better than big major companies are claiming about. Just look at numbers of the market as a whole and not just from the big major companies only.

[@KevinWaken]

The actual point is that the gateway to guitar gear are not guitar virtuosos as they were in past generations but figures like his example of Taylor Swift having an effect in acoustig guitar sales, for example in my case and my generation, I was not looking up to a guitar virtuoso but to Billie Joe from Green Day. It is not thatt there is a lack of guitar virtuosos but that the general public gets introduced to guitar in different ways

[@datukaruma1563]

You know why Guthrie Govan and Greg Koch re not going big? Cause this fucking generation can only appreciate the most simple forms of music, these guitar players are only gonna appeal to already decent guitar players which are very few. And it's just gonna get worse, I can't imagine music getting valued and appreciated in a similar way as the 30's,40's, 60's and 70's. So GG philistines. I remember back when I first started playing in high school, guitar was just something you use to play some songs, thank god someone showed me a guitar could something so much more.