Future Market Insights a leading market research organization, reports that the market for the traditional piano is facing increasing competition from the player (or self-playing) piano.
Since their popularity peaked in the early twentieth century, demand for player pianos had, by the end of the century, diminished significantly, although Yamaha continued to evolve the format with their Clavinova range, and recently with their new Enspire pianos.
With the hugely successful HBO series Westworld featuring the self-playing piano in both the opening credits and throughout the show, demand for these electro-mechanical instruments is expected to increase yet further.