Generations of musicians threatened by US tariffs, say French instrument makers

The Buffet Crampon factory manufactures 15,000 clarinets each year, 30 percent of which are exported to the United States. © RFI - Baptiste Coulon

The United States has added a 15 percent tariff on European goods since August, and while wine, aerospace and luxury items have been among the hardest hit, French musical instrument makers are also struggling. The US is a key market, buying half of all musical instruments made worldwide.

At Buffet Crampon’s large workshop near Paris, 15,000 clarinets are produced each year. The majority are exported to the United States – "around 30 percent of our production," Jérôme Perrod, president of this 200-year-old company, told RFI.