LONG & MCQUADE LIMITED

What LONG & MCQUADE LIMITED does

Long & McQuade Limited is Canada's largest musical instrument retailer, operating over 100 retail locations across all 10 Canadian provinces from Victoria, British Columbia to St. John's, Newfoundland. Founded in 1956 and headquartered in Pickering, Ontario, the company remains family-owned under the Long family, with Steve Long serving as President and Jeff Long as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. The company sells a comprehensive range of products across guitars, pro audio and recording, music software, keyboards, drums, band and orchestral instruments, print music, and branded clothing/giftware, alongside complementary services including instrument rentals, music lessons, repairs (supported by over 125 in-house repair technicians), trade-ins, and consumer financing through Flex Pay.

The business operates a multi-channel model anchored by physical retail stores, complemented by an e-commerce website with buy-online-pickup-in-store capability and dedicated web sales phone support (with French language service for Quebec). Revenue is generated across five streams: one-time product retail sales, recurring instrument and equipment rentals, recurring music lessons, professional repair services, and interest income from in-store and online financing programs. Customer segments are diversified across professional musicians, amateur/hobbyist musicians, students and families, educational institutions (supported by dedicated Music Educator Accounts and regional educational services managers), and entertainment venues. The company maintains community ties through MusiCounts support and music therapy fundraising (over $2 million raised for children's hospital programs), and operates an L&M Insider loyalty program alongside the Gear Hunter marketplace for new, used, and custom instruments.

The underlying technology stack is a conventional e-commerce platform with integrated inventory management across the store network, an online rental system, and web-based customer account management. There is no disclosed proprietary technology, AI/ML capability, or patent portfolio in the input data. Geographic operations are strictly domestic — the company does not ship outside Canada — making it a pure-play Canadian retailer with no international expansion signaled in the available evidence.

Name

LONG & MCQUADE LIMITED

Legal name

Long & McQuade Limited

Website

https://long-mcquade.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Long & McQuade Limited is Canada's largest musical instrument retailer, operating 100+ stores nationwide. Founded in 1956 and family-owned, the company sells instruments, pro audio equipment, and print music, and offers rentals, lessons, repairs, and financing to musicians, students, and educational institutions across all 10 Canadian provinces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Musical Instrument Retail

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (45914), Used Merchandise Retailers (45951)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931), Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrument Repair, Maintenance & Luthier Services (CRALAEAF), Instrument Rentals & Leasing (Band/Orchestra Programs) (CRALAEAG), Pro Audio & Recording Equipment Retail (MI-adjacent) (CRALAEAC), Instrument Accessories & Consumables Retail (Strings, Reeds, Sticks, Cables) (CRALAEAE), Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF)

Keywords

• Musical instruments retail
• Pro audio equipment
• Instrument rentals
• Music lessons services
• Instrument repair services

Headquarters

HQ city

Pickering

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices96 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Musical Instrument and Equipment Retail: Primary revenue stream from selling musical instruments including guitars, keyboards, drums, pro audio equipment, band & orchestral instruments, print music, and accessories through retail stores and e-commerce website.
2. Instrument and Equipment Rentals: Rental revenue from musical instruments and audio equipment with flexible rental periods (daily, weekly, monthly). Includes student instrument rental programs.
3. Music Lessons: Revenue from private and group music instruction offered at store locations and online.
4. Repair Services: Service revenue from repairs performed by over 125 in-house repair technicians.
5. Financing Interest: Interest income from in-store financing programs and Flex Pay financing options offered to customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Long & McQuade Limited is Canada's largest musical instrument retailer, operating 100+ physical stores across all 10 Canadian provinces. The company sells musical instruments (guitars, keyboards, drums, band & orchestral), pro audio and recording equipment, music software, print music, and accessories, complemented by instrument rentals, music lessons, repair services performed by 125+ in-house technicians, trade-in programs, and Flex Pay financing.

Product overview

Long & McQuade Limited is Canada's largest music retailer operating over 100 stores from Victoria, BC to St. John's, Newfoundland. Founded in 1956 and family-owned, the company offers a comprehensive product portfolio across multiple categories including Guitars (Acoustic, Electric, Bass, Classical), Pro Audio & Recording equipment, Software (Music Production/Sequencing), Keyboards (Digital Pianos, Synthesizers, MIDI Controllers), Drums (Acoustic, Electronic), Band & Orchestral instruments (Brass, Woodwind, Strings), Print Music (Sheet music, Songbooks), and Clothing & Giftware. The company provides complementary services including Instrument Rentals, Music Lessons (in-store and online), Instrument Repairs (with 125+ technicians), Trade-Ins, Flex Pay Financing, and operates Gear Hunter (a marketplace for used/custom gear). Additional offerings include Gift Cards in various denominations and the L&M Insider loyalty program. Long & McQuade serves both professional and amateur musicians through physical retail locations and a comprehensive e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guitars

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Steve's Music: Steve's Music is a Canadian musical instrument retailer primarily serving the Montreal area and online. Comparable to L&M as a Canadian music retail competitor with multi-category inventory and lessons, though with a smaller and more geographically concentrated footprint.
• Cosmo Music: Cosmo Music is a Southern Ontario (Richmond Hill) musical instrument retailer offering sales, lessons, and repairs. Comparable to L&M in product mix and service ecosystem, but a much smaller single-store footprint focused on the GTA.
• Tom Lee Music: Tom Lee Music is a long-established Western Canadian musical instrument retailer based in Vancouver, serving British Columbia with retail, lessons, and repair services. Comparable to L&M as a Canadian music retail counterpart, but smaller in scale and concentrated in the West Coast.

Broad incumbents

• Best Buy: Best Buy Canada is a broad consumer electronics retailer that sells guitars, pro audio, keyboards, and DJ equipment as part of a much wider assortment. Comparable to L&M only as a partial-overlap incumbent in musical and audio electronics; lacks music-specialist depth in repairs, rentals, and education services.
• Amazon: Amazon operates as a broad marketplace incumbent that sells musical instruments, pro audio equipment, print music, and accessories alongside many other product categories. Comparable to L&M only on the online retail dimension and certain product categories, lacking L&M's in-store repair, lessons, and rental depth.

Direct peers

• Andertons Music: Andertons is a UK-based musical instrument retailer with both physical stores and a strong online presence, focusing on guitars, drums, keyboards, and PA. Comparable to L&M in retail-plus-online hybrid model and customer segments served.
• Sweetwater: Sweetwater is a leading US online-first musical instrument and pro audio retailer with an in-house team of sales engineers, free shipping, and own-brand content. Directly comparable to L&M on product categories and customer base (hobbyists through professionals), though it competes via an online-led model rather than physical storefronts.
• Guitar Center: Guitar Center is the largest musical instrument retailer in the United States, operating a similar multi-category physical retail + repair + lessons + financing model across hundreds of stores. Comparable to Long & McQuade in product breadth (guitars, pro audio, drums, band & orchestral, keyboards), customer segments, and bundled service ecosystem, with the key difference being US vs. Canadian geographic focus.
• Thomann: Thomann is Europe's largest musical instrument online retailer, carrying guitars, pro audio, drums, keyboards, and accessories with delivery across Europe. Comparable to L&M in scope and pricing-disruption philosophy, but operates primarily online and ships internationally rather than via a retail-store footprint.
• Sam Ash: Sam Ash was a long-standing US musical instrument retailer with a similar multi-category, physical-store-driven model to L&M. Comparable as a direct historical competitor with similar product breadth, though it largely shuttered physical operations in 2024.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/LongMcQuade
• YouTubeyoutube.com/longandmcquade
• Facebookfacebook.com/LongMcQuade
• Instagraminstagram.com/longandmcquade
• TikToktiktok.com/@longandmcquade

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LONG & MCQUADE LIMITED