PanicProne wrote:I feel like more and more people in general are getting into (and then quickly out of) the pedal game.
Who are these people---Reverb flippers, ILFers, IGers, gear bloggers? I ask, because whatever you're looking at, bear in mind that it's likely a modest sampling of total buyers.
PanicProne wrote:So to the question:
Is it just me going insane and (no necessarily owning but) using more gear and bigger rigs lately or is there a general downsizing-trend going on?
Whatever the answer is, is this good? Why is it happening?
You've got some people who are trimming the fat for several factors. In many cases, getting older means: playing less, having kids, focusing on a career, making housing payments, supporting a spouse, additional medical expenses, aiding parents, and investing in other things.
There will always be aging buyers who are downgrading due to boredom, fatigue, cash flow, or work/family reasons (in no particular order). There will also be other players who are aging and coming into more money, who will offset some of this shift.
Pro players tend to have much smaller rigs than obsessive hobbyists, so I don't think that demographic is changing much at all. If you want to make a living playing music, are you really scouring the forums and social media for the newest flavors? ---No. If you're actually established, then the gear will come to you (either through company reps or friendly recommendations).
I would also point out that tens of thousands of people who buy gear are not trying to be tastemakers on social media, so unless you have access to survey research from a marketing service (how much these people buy, how often, and their income/age specifications), then that's another segment that's hard to accurately gauge.
.....so is downsizing a trend? Downsizing will continue to happen as long as people get older and spend less time on their hobbies. Is it a trend that's reshaping the industry? I don't think so, because you've got other people who are spending more money than ever. You've also got people in more and more countries buying & building gear. And eventually you're going to see more female musicians become consumers, because they will have been raised by a generation of gear-obsessed fathers.