Wal-Mart is responsible for 14% of music sales worldwide, and they
have also jumped on the online music bandwagon by selling MP3’s on their
website for $.88 a song.[18] They can bring a completely new aspect of music
to their consumers by selling quality musical instruments, such as Fender
electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers, drum equipment, etc. Fender is one
of the biggest players in this industry being the largest supplier of solid body
electric guitars. Last year, Fender made an estimated $256 million dollars of
sales with a workforce of 1,800 employees.[19] The musical instrument
industry is one that is growing because of increased consumer interest.
Another company that has found a great deal of success is Yamaha, which is
the nation’s largest maker of musical instruments. Yamaha made an
estimated $822 million of sales last year.[20] These companies like Fender,
Gibson, and Yamaha work mainly through dealers. Whether through online
sites, such as guitarplayer.com or through actual dealer stores like Sam Ash,
these dealers specialize only in selling musical instruments.