The effects of President Trump's tariffs are beginning to be felt in the musical instrument industry as prices on Behringer products rise by up to 70% in the US, according to reports on Reddit.
Trump signed an executive order to impose tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China back in February, slapping a 10% tax on Chinese goods coming into the US. Earlier this month, that was doubled to 20%. As the majority of instruments and studio gear is manufactured in China, these tariffs are expected to have a significant impact on the industry.
That impact is beginning to materialize as price rises are being spotted at US retailers: observant Redditors have noticed that prices on Behringer synths and controllers have been jacked up by up to 70% at US retailer Sweetwater. Behringer's recently-released Wave synth has reportedly risen from $599 to $689, while the Poly D has been priced up from $569 to $629.
Price rises have also been spotted on Behringer's Pro VS, JT-4000 and UB-Xa synths. Rather ironically, the price of Behringer's Swing MIDI controller has been inflated by 70%, making it more expensive than the original instrument that it was based on, Arturia's KeyStep. Swing is now priced at $169, while KeyStep is $129.
As Trump's global trade war continues to escalate, prices can be expected to continue rising across the musical instrument industry. In a recent interview with Billboard, CEO of the National Association of Musical Merchants John Mlynczak spoke about the challenges that tariffs pose for retailers, manufacturers and consumers: “When you start raising the price everywhere of what it costs to import goods, it’s challenging, and it really threatens everything we’ve learned to do as an industry.”
"Historically, musical products are seen as a luxury good. Of course, I would argue music is essential to life, but we are a luxury, unlike bread or gas or housing," Mlynczak added.
"Luxury industries historically struggle with high inflation and rising costs… When that happens, traditionally, it becomes harder for us because people don’t buy a seventh guitar — they are trying to figure out how to feed their family. In these times, we as an industry have to come together because the last thing we want to see is companies going out of business. "
