From Music Industry Fairs
to Fair Music Industry

You have just arrived to a new concept in online stores. We have a vision of changing commerce from being a source of profit for a few individuals to a source of benefits for all society. We love music and we thought that we should try to make the musical instruments industry the first “fair industry” in the world, so that it becomes the example to follow by others. Read on to discover how we plan to do it.

Instrument Boutique wants to be your source for the best musical instrument and accessories. For years we have been musicians and customers of a huge number of stores, including many online around the world. During all those years we have been through all kinds of experiences when purchasing accessories. Now we’ve decided to start our own business and to apply all that we have learnt these years. We aim to make your buying experience something out of the ordinary by offering only high quality products thoroughly tested by us, giving you all the first-hand information you need to decide, and making sure that every purchase leads to a happy customer.

But we do not want to stop there. We want to transform this business. We don’t want to give our customers cheaper products. We want to give them products that represent excellent value for money and even more important products produced by manufacturers that respect the workers’ rights. Buying from us you know that your money is fairly distributed and that you are not paying for the fourth yatch of the brand owner, while workers in countries with no labor rights are receiving shameful wages.

And we know that because we know directly all our providers. We have a direct, close relationship. We call them friends. We know how they work, and where they manufacture.

So, you may find cheaper prices out there, but be sure you will not find better value for money and more fair, ethical profit distribution. And, by the way, we apply profit margins that are also fair and obviously much lower than other stores.

Instrument Boutique is born with a clear vocation for not being yet another online music store. We are determined to achieve the same level of human touch and complicity with our customers as in the best of the local music stores.

We know that internet may seem in principle a difficult way to connect to our customers, but our experience says the contrary. We have been active in many music-focused forums on the internet and have made strong connections and become friends there, so why not doing the same here?

Behind Internet Boutique you’ll find real people that are there to give you detailed, honest, first-hand information; to help you decide and to solve all your questions. We’re not going to recommend a product unless we’re convinced that it is the right one for you. We’re ready to tell you to buy from someone else if that is the best for you. We’re confident that we will have no problem in doing it, but we also are confident that the products you’ll find at Instrument Boutique are second to none in quality, but also in value for money.

We have already applied that model in the relation with our providers. We have talked and talked, shared ideas, opinions, etc. We’ve been honest and said things openly even when there was something to improve or change. And they too have acted in the same way towards us… until we have become aware of the value of each others’ ideas, and eventually become friends. We’re determined to  do the same with our customers: our goal is to win our customers’  trust and to ensure that every customer becomes also a new friend.

Our second goal is to transform the business and to make a contribution to a more fair model in which things cost what they are worth, the profits are fair for everyone involved in the value chain, and we provide the best value for money to our customers. Yet, you may think that reducing the price of the products increases the value for money ratio, but if you give it a second thought you’ll realize that things, especially those that look obvious, are not always as they seem.

By entering into a price battle, manufacturers get caught with their back against the wall. At some point, the only way to reduce price is by degrading the employees’ salaries and their working conditions. Hence, production is taken offshore to countries where employees’ rights are inexistent in practice, and where ethical behavior to employees is unheard of. This should be enough to refuse buying from those manufacturers. It’s bad, but being selfish, it’s all for your benefit. Or maybe not! Because, once production is moved to a third country, your country is weakened. Your country starts depending on the manufacturing country. And once all manufacturers do the same, your country’s working conditions will have to become similar to the third country if you want to keep YOUR job. How nice! By encouraging an endless race towards lower prices, your salary will also be lowered, or worse, you’ll lose your job.

So, let’s focus back on our online music store. We’re guaranteeing that all products that we sell are from trusted manufacturers who produce in countries where employees have rights and are treated ethically. In fact, most of our products are hand made by the manufacturers themselves.  Please feel free to ask us more about our business philosophy.

Instrument Boutique is special because our brands are special. Every manufacturer that is listed here is one of a kind. They are the best in their business, but more than that they are musicians that love what they do, and therefore their ultimate goal is not to make big money but to create products for other musicians to enjoy. They all know what musicians need and know how to make products that will put a smile on your face. Guaranteed.

Instrument Boutique is committed to offering only products that we love. We have many years of experience as musicians (probably more than we would like to admit) and have learnt to appreciate instruments and accessories that really stand out of the crowd and that combine form and function. Many of the products that we offer here now are instruments and accessories that we have played and used by choice much before we could even imagine ourselves on the other side of the counter. Others have been recent discoveries but have managed to give us goose bumps and left a smile on our faces. This is what we want our customers to experience. This is how we plan to turn customers into friends.

All products that you will find in this store have gone through thorough testing by the Instrument Boutique team and only if we have fallen in love with them you’ll see them listed here. We will add detailed videos in the “demo room” of each product so that you can really see them in action. No prerecorded mp3 will be used to demonstrate products. Expect only real instruments and real musicians. We will provide you with honest reviews, and detailed information so that you can learn all you need to make up your mind, but do not hesitate to ask if you need additional details.