Is this the end of high-street music stores?

As another music store closes its doors amidst an increasingly challenging backdrop, are we witnessing the end of an era?

This week, British music store PMT (Play Music Today) entered administration, in the same calendar year that another institution, GAK, went out of business.

This follows the fall of Dawsons in 2022, and across the Atlantic, Sam Ash closed its doors for good after 100 years of trading last year. The trend is clear to see – is this the end of high-street music stores?

As a young, impressionable teenager, there was something magical about visiting a guitar store. Walking in and seeing a wall of electric guitars, putting my nose against the glass cabinets containing colourful pedals and imagining them in my hands. Looking at axes I craved with every fibre of my being, occasionally having the courage to ask to try something and then, eventually, coming in with enough money to buy my first proper guitar. It was my Disneyland.

But the tides are turning. PMT is just the latest domino to fall. As per InsiderMedia, all stores and warehouses across 12 locations have closed, resulting in 96 redundancies. A further 48 people have been retained to assist the administrators.

Immediately after the firm's administration was confirmed, another store, Gear4music, which also has a strong online presence, said it has purchased stock with an estimated cost value of up to £2.4m.

A perfect storm

The closure, though sad, isn’t exactly shocking. The current climate is a perfect storm of challenges that only the toughest businesses are surviving. Headwinds include the rising costs of gear – Trump’s tariffs are already playing a role in that – eating into profit margins, the rising cost of living affecting customer behaviour, and, of course, the rise of online stores.

I know plenty of players who go into stores to try a guitar or pedal, only to buy it cheaper online.  Of course, players don’t always want to pay a premium for gear when they don’t have to – although I often did to support my, thankfully still open, local store – but for many, this is what the physical stores have been reduced to.

It doesn’t help that more big-names are muscling into the online gear market to further put physical stores to the sword. According to ECDB.com, only Sweetwater made more revenue from musical instrument sales worldwide than Amazon last year, beating out the likes of German superstore Thomann.  So, with the multi-billion corporate giant is getting involved, which can comfortably sell with small profit margins, alongside other online stores that can operate on a similar model because of reduced operating costs (no brick-and-mortar stores to pay for, likely less staff), it’s obvious why high-street stores are struggling.

Why physical stores matter

I’ve bought guitars online without having tried them out first. I’ve bought off reputation – “it’s a Jackson, it’ll have a thick neck, but the stock pickups will almost definitely need replacing”. Sometimes it worked, others it failed miserably. This is why so many value a place to ensure what they are parting with their hard-earned cash for is right for them.

In response to Amazon’s rise, particularly at the budget end of the scale, Guitar Center is doubling down on its premium offerings, targeting “the serious musician.”

Upon walking into one of its 300+ stores, CEO Gabe Dalporta wants customers need to think, “This is a playground. This is where I belong. 

“And that means having a much more premium assortment that’s more easily accessible where I can get in and grab a guitar and plug it in and try all these pedals and effects and just geek out and have a great time,” he adds.

This is where, on paper at least, the kind of player reading this blog, can be won over. For too long, stores like Dawsons were full of the most bog-standard stock. You couldn’t move for Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Strats, but left you wanting if you were shopping for anything slightly leftfield – from extended range guitars to brands like Strandberg, Ormsby, Schecter, and so on.

By changing its tact, Guitar Center can target those who are ready to spend good money on gear, not just a £100 Squier start pack where the profit is likely miniscule. And it provides them with a place to come to the right decision.

I’ve bought guitars online without having tried them out first. I’ve bought off reputation – “It’s a Jackson, it’ll have a thick neck, but the stock pickups will almost definitely need replacing”. Sometimes it worked, others it failed miserably. Physical stores give players peace of mind when splashing the cash.

Which stores are standing strong?

It isn’t all doom-and-gloom however. In the UK at least, stores like Andertons and Guitar Guitar are weathering the storm because of their strong online presence. With their engaging social media content, and the personalities that star in that content, as well as the honesty with which they review and showcase gear, they are winning over customers.

But here’s the catch. Their online presence is driving online sales, thus helping afford to keep the brick-and-mortar stores open. These institutions are surviving, but only because their digital marketing is driving sales. Andertons, it must be added, only has one store also. GAK did, but its presence online was minimal. It shows  how powerful the internet is and that, contrary to what many believe, isn’t the enemy.

It’s not as black and white as that. Sure, PMT might be grossly undercut for the same budget six-string compared to online stores, but in the case of Andertons, the internet has fueled their flames, not doused them.

On the flip side, Live Louder, an independent guitar store with one location, also makes most of its money via online sales. And it makes sense. Suddenly, instead of relying solely on footfall in the small South Manchester town of Altrincham, it can ship guitars to Holland, Germany  and beyond. An online presence gives it a wider reach, but it also has one other trump card: It’s stock.

Owned and operated by a guitar player, Live Louder opened when there was a Dawsons a two minute walk down the road. It has survived because it sells gear you’d not typically find in a big chain store: Smaller brands making more intriguing guitars for those fatigued by Les Pauls and Strats. And online, that sense of uniqueness still rings true. The prices are competitive, and the stock is great. It warrants going back to, whereas I could have walked into a Dawsons at any given moment and found the same, tiresome stock again and again.  

Gibson and Fender buck the trend

In the US, Guitar Center has recently roared, “Bring on the competition,” as, uniquely, Fender and Gibson have recently opened physical stores. There are now Gibson Garages in Nashville and London, and Fender has a new location in Japan, contrary to clear market trends.

Those stores hinge on providing unique customer experiences and, selling only own-brand products, there aren't intermediary suppliers to contend with. There is certainly less financial risk and, in truth, that's one store per continent. It isn't exactly going to be revolutionary in terms of its annual global income.

But the excitement surrounding their openings shows that people do still want tangible locations to peruse, try, and buy gear. The stormy weather, however, makes it harder for a standard music store to sell gear when the same products are available for much cheaper elsewhere. They simply can’t compete and have most likely found success, as Guitar Center says it has, from providing great, personable service to its customers.

There are ways for high-street stores to survive, but don’t expect this trend of closures to change anytime soon.