中國低價鋼琴重創歐洲百年老牌
摘錄自：天下雜誌 經濟學人電子報 2013/12/20
2013-12-11 Web only 作者：經濟學人
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| 圖片來源：flickr.com/photos/brookward/ |
創立超過兩個世紀的Pleyel是蕭邦的最愛，史特拉文斯基、李斯特、德布西也都是Pleyel的客戶。但這家法國鋼琴製造商最近表示，最後一間工作坊將於本月關閉。縱有大師級音樂家背書，但在歷經數十年的掙扎之後，Pleyel仍舊不敵遠東地區的低價鋼琴。
這種歐洲鋼琴製造商的境遇並不陌生，20世紀上半，歐洲約有300家鋼琴製造商，如今只剩下9家。Pleyel擅長的平台式鋼琴，製作需時500～1500小時，價格約為10萬歐元。亞洲製作的直立式鋼琴價格最低可達2,000歐元，中階電子琴的起價更只有100歐元。
如今中國的低價鋼琴主導了市場，2012年全球銷售49.3萬架鋼琴，其中近五分之四是在中國製造。目期全球最大的鋼琴製造商珠江鋼琴，產量超過10萬台，出口至100個國家，德國亦包含在內。珠江鋼琴在德國銷售時，使用的是它在1999年收購的知名品牌Ritmuller。
多數亞洲鋼琴屬低價型號，不過已有部分製造商藉由挖角歐洲工坊的頂尖師傅或者與知名品牌合夥，逐漸轉向高階市場。珠江鋼琴現在與音樂廳的最愛史坦威（Steinway & Sons）合作，生產價格較低的鋼琴；去年，德國的貝希斯坦（Bechstein）亦與寧波的海倫鋼琴合作，在中國生產價格大眾化的鋼琴。
中國廠商稱霸低價鋼琴市場之後，或許會想仿效日本競爭對手，努力贏取知名鋼琴家的青睞。山葉於2007年買下奧地利的高階鋼琴製造商貝森朵夫（Bösendorfer），但仍將生產留在歐洲，現在已有越來越多音樂廳使用其鋼琴。同樣來自日本的河合樂器，在開發出讓鋼琴更耐用、不需要頻繁調音的技術之後，亦獲得了許多音樂學校的喜愛。
傳統製琴工坊衰落，讓許多音樂愛好者衰嘆連連。所幸，部分傳統製琴商想出了維持競爭力的創意手法。在今年8月出售給私人控股公司Paulson & Co的史坦威，現在開始為波斯灣的超級富豪提供鋼琴速成課程，希望自家的鋼琴能成為財富地位的象徵。
歐洲最大的鋼琴製造商佩卓夫（Petrof）在2004年幾近破產之後，決定利用中國對名牌產品的需求，在中國銷售高階樂器，成果十分豐碩，佩卓夫現在年成長率達到5％。對於存活下來的歐洲製琴廠來說，它們得面對現實、改變風格才行。（黃維德譯）
©The Economist Newspaper Limited 2013
The Economist
Piano-makers
Major
challenges, minor successes
By The Economist
From The Economist
Published: December 11, 2013
Dec 7th 2013 | From the print edition
Chopin's piano-maker gives up but others are fighting Chinese rivals.
PLEYEL, in business for over two centuries, was Chopin's favourite and
counted Stravinsky, Liszt and Debussy among its customers. But the French
piano-maker recently said that its last workshop will close this month. The
endorsement of august musicians has not saved it after decades of struggling to
compete with less pricey pianos from the Far East.
The sad leitmotif of Europe's piano-makers is a familiar one. Only nine
remain out of around 300 that were in business in the first half of the 20th
century. A grand piano, of the sort Pleyel is known for, takes between 500 and
1,500 hours to construct and sells for around €100,000 ($135,000). Tinkling the
ivories of a mass-produced, Asian-made upright will cost a pianist as little as
€2,000. And half-decent electronic keyboards start at only €100.
Cheap pianos from China dominate the market. Of 493,000 pianos made
worldwide in 2012, nearly four-fifths were manufactured there. More than
100,000 were produced by Pearl River, the world's biggest piano-maker. It exports
to 100 countries, including Germany, where it uses the renowned Ritmuller name,
which it acquired in 1999.
Most Asian pianos are budget models, but some manufacturers have moved
upmarket by luring skilled craftsmen from fading European workshops, and by
entering partnerships with well-known brands. Pearl River now produces cheaper
models with Steinway & Sons, a concert-hall favourite. Last year Bechstein
of Germany teamed up with Hailun, based in Ningbo, to produce an affordable
range in China.
Having come to dominate the market for cheap pianos the Chinese may
hope to strike the same note with accomplished pianists as Japanese rivals
have. Yamaha bought Austria's upmarket Bösendorfer in 2007 but kept production
in Europe. It is increasingly represented in reputable concert halls. Kawai,
also from Japan, found favour with music conservatoires after developing
technology that made its pianos more durable and in less need of frequent
tuning.
Many music lovers will lament the decline of traditional workshops
where craft was nurtured and passed down through generations. Happily for them,
some traditional makers have come up with creative ways to stay competitive.
Steinway, which was sold in August to a Paulson & Co, a private-equity
firm, offers piano-playing crash courses to the super-wealthy of the Persian
Gulf, in an attempt to market its instruments as status symbols.
Petrof, Europe's biggest piano-maker, decided to exploit Chinese demand
for products with a pedigree, and focus solely on selling high-end instruments
there after nearly going bust in 2004. It has paid off, and the firm is now
growing by 5% a year. For Europe's surviving piano-makers, it's a case of
changing their tune or facing the music.
©The Economist Newspaper Limited 2013
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