Figures highlighted in the MIA’s latest ‘Signposts To Success’ report have shown guitar sales in the UK to be booming, having passed the £100m sales mark.

With nearly one million guitars snapped up in 2005, the surging sales can be attributed to a number of factors including the recent successes of high-flying British bands such as Hard Fi and the Arctic Monkeys.

“We’ve clearly has a wonderful resurgence in guitar based bands,” commented the MIA’s Paul McManus. “People have never been exposed to more music than they are today. Additionally, the demographics have changed, because the baby boomers are ageing now and are all going back to playing music again. Also, rightly or wrongly, you’ve never been able to get an instrument as cheaply as you can now, what with all the global manufacturing. From a punters point of view, they’ve never had it so good.”

In what is swiftly turning into a major media event for the MIA, The Telegraph, The Observer, Guardian, the BBC and Sky News have all covered the findings today (August 24th).

“We’re now getting a major story about the industry and its guitar sales across all the national media, including television,” added McManus. “This is hugely positive for both the Industry as a whole and the MIA.”