For a long time it seemed like sellers of musical instruments had a sort of immunity from the internet.
Consumers liked to go to a store and physically hold, and even play, an instrument before buying it. Many musicians made this a sort of ritual. They might go and play a handful of instruments over multiple weeks before making the decision to buy.
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That’s still the case, but long-standing musical instrument chains like Sam Ash died a slow death from a thousand paper cuts. In many cases, they still served as the front-facing part of the industry where people came to play before they bought.
The problem is that over time, they lost sales on accessories, sheet music, and other items to digital retailers. And, in the biggest kick in the teeth, they would sometimes provide all the labor that led to a high-priced instrument sale, only for the customer to make the actual purchase online.
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That’s similar to what was happening to Best Buy over a decade ago, but that chain had the size needed to add free delivery and compete with Amazon on price.
Digital music stores have lower expenses and can offer lower prices. That’s something brick-and-mortar chains can’t offer, and another global leader has abruptly shut down.
Many consumers play guitars in-store and then buy them online.
Image source: Pixabay
Music retailers have struggled
At its height, Sam Ash had stores all over New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The company had an online presence, but that was secondary to its brick-and-mortar locations, which were active with people playing music and testing instruments.
That ended in 2024 when the Ash family could not find funding to continue operations after it filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Now, the chain exists in name only and it not longer operates stores.
“As of September 2024, Sam Ash Music is now officially part of the Gonher Music Group, the largest distributor of musical instruments and professional sound equipment in Mexico. Gonher’s expertise in customer service, logistics, and vendor relations will help streamline Sam Ash’s online shopping experience,” the company shared on its website.
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Basically, a new owner is using the Sam Ash name to front its U.S. operation.
This trend is not unique to Sam Ash or the United States. Earlier this year, Bax Music, one of Europe’s largest musical instrument retailers, filed for bankruptcy and abruptly ceased operations.
The company blamed the Covid pandemic, which has likely played a key part in this growing trend.
Now, another big global player has fallen.
PMT Music shuts down, liquidated
PMT Music, one of the largest music retailers, was placed into administration and closed all of its stores. The news was sudden and the resolution happened with little fanfare.
The company did not go through a prolonged bankruptcy in the way a U.S. company might. Instead, it was quickly sold to Gear4music for roughly $3.26 million.
It seems like even the acquiring company understands how jarring this might be for customers.
“We’re sorry – the website you were trying to visit is no longer active. S&T Audio Limited trading as ‘PMT Play Music Today’ (‘PMT’) entered administration on 11 June 2025 and is no longer trading. We understand this might come as a surprise,” it posted.
The new owner tried to calm customers and offer them support.
“While PMT is no longer operating, we want to ensure you still have a reliable place to turn where you can find the products you were interested in, get support if you need it, and continue shopping with confidence, and hence you’ve been redirected to Gear4music,” it added.
The new owner also provided a longer statement about what it has purchased.
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“Certain assets, including some stock, branding, and websites, have been sold to Gear4music Limited. The original company, however, still legally exists and remains responsible for its liabilities, but may not have funds to meet them,” it posted. “Gear4music has purchased certain stock, together with certain intangible assets including websites and trademarks from the Administrators of PMT.”
Gear4Music has plans to use the PMT name.
