It's not just the piano market, the roll market is beginning to collapse
too.  The last time I mentioned why, I got some nasty notes, but here's
more information to think about.

On eBay at the present time there is a whole case of recut Duo-Art
rolls up for sale.  The owner says there are more cases of rolls coming,
because now that he has that electronic thing to run his piano, he'll
probably never play them again.  I don't want to knock the inventiveness
or the ability of these devices, but what I said last year does apply.
I'm reminded of the piano I saw with Saran Wrap over the tracker bar: it
looked to me like it was smothering.  And that's what's happening to our
already ailing roll-making industry.  Each electronic retrofit
represents many rolls that will never be made.

There's one other element on the horizon that will affect the market for
both pianos and rolls: our age.  I'm 60.  There are many AMICAns with
fabulous collections who are older than I am.  There are a lot of pianos
and roll collections that will come on the market in the next ten years.
Unless our grandchildren follow in our footsteps and decide they want
those neat player pianos, prices will go back to where they were in the
50's.  My first Duo-Art rolls cost seven cents each.

I fell in love with these things when I was five years old, and I will
play paper until I die.

Bruce Grimes