The effects of the Trump administration's tariffs on the musical instrument industry are beginning to materialize as prices soar in the United States following duties of up to 145% imposed on goods imported from China.
Instrument manufacturer Sonicware has revealed that the price of its CyDrums drum machine will jump from $399 to $978 for US buyers, an increase that more than doubles the MSRP of a product that was previously a budget-friendly option for US musicians.
In a recent notice on its website, the Japanese manufacturer writes: "Due to new U.S. customs regulations, a 145% duty will apply to China-made products, including this item. This $399 item will incur over $578 in additional import charges starting next month. We recommend ordering within this month to avoid the new duties."
Along with the recently released CyDrums drum machine, Sonicware is the brand behind the Liven series, a range that includes the Texture Lab granular synth, Lofi-12 groovebox and Ambient Ø soundscape synthesizer.
Earlier this month, President Trump announced a 90-day pause on many of the tariffs his administration had imposed only days before, bringing the rate down to 10% on imports from countries such as Japan, South Korea and the UK.
However, the tariff rate on the majority of Chinese goods has remained at 145%, and it's these duties that threaten to have a troubling impact on the musical instrument industry. Chinese-made products make up a significant portion of musical instruments purchased in the United States, and many instruments manufactured in the United States make use of Chinese-made components.
Back in March, music gear retailer Sweetwater estimated that prices on instruments could rise by up to 40% in response to Trump's tariffs, with "every category" of music gear likely to see an impact.
Last month, we noted that the prices of some Behringer synths had already risen by up to 70% on Sweetwater, with Behringer's recently released Wave synth rising from $599 to $689, and its Poly D synth priced up from $569 to $629.
