Fender has long been renowned for one thing more than anything else – guitars. Since releasing its first guitars in the early 1950s, Fender has become an icon in music. For a long time, their historical legacy was enough to ride on, as an established collector market would drive sales of vintage recreations and custom shop models. However, some challenges were becoming clear with a new generation of guitarists. Among these was the marginalisation of female guitarists, a significant number of beginners giving up, and more recently, having been catalysed by the pandemic, the desire to record and create at home.
How Fender has addressed these challenges has positioned the company at the forefront of modern music making. Fender’s own research showed that 50% of aspiring guitarists are female, but only 6% of signature guitars are from non-male artists. Fender makes up almost a quarter of that 6%, with guitars from modern female and non-binary icons, such as H.E.R., Chrissie Hynde and Tash Sultana Stratocaster (as well as a Billie Eilish ukelele). Fender also realised that if it could double the number of people sticking around to play the guitar, it could double its market. This led to the launch of Fender Play, its educational app and ecosystem, which is also a vital data-driven resource for understanding players’ habits and preferences.
With the 2021 acquisition of music production brand PreSonus, including music-making software Studio One, Fender now looks toward the creator tools market, where the challenge of making the market more accessible for female and non-binary creators is arguably even more difficult. There is also a steep learning curve with music production that Fender is looking to level. However, if it can successfully apply the lessons learned from its guitar business, Fender could reshape the creator tools market in a way that no other company has been able to.