MOST Selling Piano Brands OF ALL TIME? (1960–2026) Yamaha vs Steinway vs Pearl River

Which brand sells the most pianos in the world? Ask anyone and they will say Steinway. Steinway never even makes the top five. Every acoustic piano sold worldwide, counted by brand, every year from 1960 to 2026. Yamaha, Pearl River, Kawai, Young Chang, Samick, Baldwin, Wurlitzer, Kimball, Steinway, Petrof, Schimmel, Bechstein and more. Only four brands ever hold the number one spot, and the crown changes hands five times. An American jukebox company. A Japanese organ repair shop from 1887. A Korean factory that leads for just six months. And a Chinese giant that sells 156,144 pianos in a single year before its market collapses. How it is counted: every upright and every grand counts as one. Digital, electric and hybrid pianos are not included. A piano counts for the brand on its fallboard, not the company that owns it. Ritmüller and Kayserburg are separate from Pearl River, and Boston and Essex are separate from Steinway. 2026 is projected. Figures come from company annual reports and filings, official serial number records, US government trade reports, Soviet and Chinese industry statistics and industry sources. Some years are estimates. CHAPTERS 0:00 America's Parlor 0:23 The Yamaha Boom 2:59 The Korean Wave 5:31 Made in China 7:47 Piano Fever 8:57 The Collapse MUSIC Catalyst, Emergent and Clarion by Scott Buckley (scottbuckley.com.au), CC BY 4.0 #piano #pianobrands #yamaha #steinway #barchartrace