Musikhaus Lange in Ravensburg is fighting for survival: alarming decline in customers!

Musikhaus Lange in Ravensburg is fighting for survival: alarming decline in customers!

What's going on in the world of music stores? While the music industry as a whole is benefiting from recovery after a severe decline since the 2000s, many local music venues are struggling to survive. A particularly serious case is the Lange music store in Ravensburg. Managing director Marc Lange makes it clear that this year has been particularly difficult. Despite his 30 years in the business, sheet music sales have more than halved in the last six years. This is an alarming development that not only affects Ravensburg, but also many other music venues in Germany.”
Swabian reports that Lange employs 20 people and is facing the difficult decision to close or downsize departments, while its instrument repair shop is also struggling with a decline in orders.

The difficulties facing the music store are not an isolated case. Numerous music stores are also affected by closures in cities such as Cologne, Berlin and Bad Homburg. According to the Tagesschau, competition from online retail, especially from the industry giant Thomann, is the reason for the stagnant customer numbers and falling sales. The online retailer achieved sales of almost one billion euros in 2024, which puts considerable pressure on stationary retailers.

Tradition meets digital competition

For decades, music stores have been traditional meeting places for amateur musicians and children who wanted to learn their first instrument. But times have changed. Many business owners see no way out and are forced to close their physical stores while online retail flourishes. As the Schwäbische notes, a good two thirds of the instrument dealers in Germany have had to close in the last 20 years. Lange emphasizes that more and more customers are coming into the store, getting advice and then buying from cheaper providers online - a painful dilemma for brick-and-mortar stores.

The Lange music store therefore took measures to counteract the trend. For example, the company has been charging a service and cleaning fee for tested instruments since the beginning of the year. The rising costs of personnel, energy and transport also make repair prices more expensive, which puts many hobbyists to the test. In order to continue to exist, Lange has even invested in a laser with which he can personalize instruments, which should open up a new source of income.

The future of music retail

A worrying figure is that around 40 percent of music companies in Germany had annual sales of less than 100,000 euros. These financial difficulties stand in stark contrast to the growing music industry as a whole, which generated sales of around 1.8 billion euros in 2024, with online giant Thomann accounting for almost half. Statista shows that sales of physical recordings have been falling for years, while streaming services like Spotify are reaching new heights. In Germany it is expected that 85 percent of all music sales will be generated through these digital formats.

Musikhaus Lange would like to continue to exist in the third generation, but the challenges are enormous. The future of the music trade could also be at risk in terms of training, as there are only five to ten trainees per year in the only vocational school for music retailers in Mittenwald. In this situation, it remains exciting to see how traditional businesses can adapt and survive while the digital world increasingly dominates.