Opportunity for Argentine Musical Instrument Exports to the United States
Translated from the Spanish original. Read the original
Director of Pulso Internacional
The US musical instruments market represents a commercial opportunity for Argentine exports following the structural reconfiguration generated by global trade tensions and the weakening of Asian supply chains. The current situation reveals asymmetries in the supply of the US market that, if properly planned for, could be exploited by Argentine manufacturers of musical instruments in the segment of beginner instruments and music education.
Reconfiguration of the US market following international trade disruptions
The US musical instruments market is going through a phase of disruption and trade realignment characterized by the need to diversify suppliers and reduce concentrated dependence on Asia. The high tariffs applied to subsidized Chinese products also affect musical instruments, whose prices have risen, causing sales to fall. 
US exports of musical instruments are high-end and professional-quality, while US imports consist mainly of beginner and mid-range instruments. Most of the large manufacturers, such as the makers of Gibson Les Paul guitars, produce their expensive products in the US and their cheap ones in China. Others, such as Selmer, are moving production out of the US altogether and into China. According to reports by Cullen Hendrix of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, total imports of instruments and parts fell by 9 percent in 2025, with sharp declines in categories aimed at students and schools, such as pianos (HS 9201, -20.3 percent), violins and cellos (HS 9202, -10.8 percent), wind instruments (HS 9205, -27 percent) and percussion (HS 9206, -11.3 percent), and in the first quarter of 2026, imports of orchestral string and wind instruments fell by 42.3% and 23.2%, respectively, compared with the first three months of 2024. The drop in imports from China accounted for 70% of the decline in string instruments and 29% in wind instruments, respectively.
Assessing the idle installed production capacity of instrument manufacturers in Argentina, together with proper optimization of export prices, could open up an opportunity worth seizing.
Sources
PIIE "The trade war’s hidden victims: Beginner musicians and school music budgets" Cullen S. Hendrix
PIIE "Tariffs slashed US musical instrument imports, but to what end? "Cullen S. Hendrix - May 2026
Director of Pulso Internacional
Lawyer specializing in international trade and productive investment, with more than 25 years of experience in international trade negotiations as an adviser to governments and to companies going international. At Pulso Internacional we analyze foreign trade, bringing clarity and international context so that your company can export and invest more.
Related analysis
European Assessment of the EU-Mercosur Agreement: In 4 Months, European Exports Grow 9%
November 5, 2026 · 2 min
Why Has the US Increased Its Investment in Germany?
November 3, 2026 · 5 min