Celtic Music Store

What Celtic Music Store does

Celtic Music Store (ケルトの笛屋さん) is a Japanese specialty retailer founded in 2012 by Celtic flute performer hatao, operating both an e-commerce storefront at celtnofue.com and two physical showrooms in Kyoto (opened 2018) and Tokyo's Higashikurume City (opened 2019). The company sells an exclusively Celtic and Irish traditional-music catalog spanning wind instruments (tin whistles, low whistles, Irish flutes, bagpipes, Nordic flutes), string instruments (Irish harps from Dusty Strings, hammered dulcimers, banjos, mandolins, bouzoukis), free-reed instruments (accordions, concertinas), and percussion (bodhrans), together with accessories, sheet music, method books, CDs, the proprietary Sheep-brand OEM instrument line, and a web-based learning application called Choon Trainer (チューントレーナー).

The business model is direct-to-consumer omnichannel retail with five revenue streams: instrument sales, sheet music and downloadable scores, CD sales of Japanese and international Celtic artists, import agency services for overseas specialty makers (Colin Goldie, Jonathan Swayne, Saltarelle, Lehart, McNeela, Steffen Gabriel), and wholesale to other music retailers and schools. Pricing is unit-based and publicly disclosed, ranging from ¥2,000 entry-level tin whistles to over ¥1,000,000 for professional Irish harps. Distribution and customer acquisition lean on content marketing (blog, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LINE, email newsletter) and community events (Irish Carnival, slow sessions, circle registries), with online lessons delivered through a separate Trad On platform and supplementary services including used-instrument sales, trade-ins, rentals, and transcription services. The Celtic Flute Arts and Culture Fund and instrument advisor program indicate ecosystem investment beyond transactional retail.

Celtic Music Store is privately held and founder-owned, with hatao (はたお) serving as representative; there are no disclosed external investors, parent company, subsidiaries, M&A activity, funding rounds, regulatory actions, or patents. No revenue, headcount, or financial figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Celtic Music Store

Legal name

Celtic Music Store (ケルトの笛屋さん)

Website

https://celtnofue.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Celtic Music Store (ケルトの笛屋さん) is a Japan-based specialty retailer founded in 2012 that sells Celtic and Irish traditional musical instruments, sheet music, and accessories through two physical showrooms in Kyoto and Tokyo plus an online storefront, serving hobbyists, learners, and professional musicians in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Musical Instrument Retail

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrument & Pro Audio Retail (Online/Brick-and-Mortar) (MPAIAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA), Instrument Accessories & Consumables Retail (Strings, Reeds, Sticks, Cables) (CRALAEAE), Used & Vintage Musical Instruments Retail (CRALAEAH), Instrument Rentals & Leasing (Band/Orchestra Programs) (CRALAEAG)

Keywords

• Celtic musical instruments
• Irish traditional instruments
• Tin whistles and flutes
• Irish harps and dulcimers
• Sheet music retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Instruments, Accessories): Sales of traditional Celtic instruments including tin whistles, low whistles, Irish flutes, bagpipes, Irish harps, hammered dulcimers, banjos, mandolins, bouzoukis, accordions, concertinas, bodhrans, as well as accessories, cases, and maintenance items.
2. Sheet Music and Score Sales: Sales of printed and downloadable sheet music, method books, tune books for various Celtic instruments, and digital downloads including scores and audio files.
3. CD and Album Sales: Sales of CDs from Japanese and international Celtic/Irish musicians, as well as original recordings by the store's representative hatao.
4. Import Agency Services: Import agency services for international instrument manufacturers including Colin Goldie, Jonathan Swayne, and Saltarelle accordions.
5. Wholesale Services: Wholesale sales of instruments and products to other businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Celtic Music Store (ケルトの笛屋さん) is a Japan-based specialty retailer of Celtic and Irish traditional musical instruments, founded in 2012 by Celtic flute performer hatao. The company sells tin whistles, low whistles, Irish flutes, bagpipes, Irish harps, hammered dulcimers, banjos, mandolins, bouzoukis, accordions, concertinas, bodhrans, and Nordic flutes, alongside sheet music (physical and digital downloads), CDs, accessories, and proprietary Sheep brand OEM instruments. Distribution occurs through its own e-commerce site celtnofue.com, two physical showrooms in Kyoto and Tokyo, an import agency for hard-to-find international specialty instruments, and wholesale channels serving other retailers and schools.

Product overview

Celtic Music Store (ケルトの笛屋さん) is a specialty retailer of Celtic and Irish traditional musical instruments operating both online and through physical stores in Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 2012 as an e-commerce shop by Celtic flute performer hatao, the company offers a comprehensive catalog centered on wind instruments (tin whistles, low whistles, Irish flutes, bagpipes), string instruments (Irish harps, hammered dulcimers, banjos, mandolins, bouzoukis), free-reed instruments (accordions, concertinas), and percussion (bodhrans). The portfolio includes products from international manufacturers (Dusty Strings from USA, Feadog from Ireland, Generation from UK, Susato from USA) alongside the store's own Sheep brand of whistles and bodhrans. Beyond instrument sales, the company provides music scores (physical and downloadable), a proprietary learning app called Choon Trainer (チューントレーナー), CD albums of Celtic music, import agency services for specialty overseas instruments, and used/trade-in instrument programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tin Whistles
• Low Whistles
• Irish Flutes
• Bagpipes
• Irish Harps
• Hammered Dulcimers
• Banjos
• Mandolins and Bouzoukis
• Accordions
• Concertinas
• Bodhrans
• Nordic Flutes
• Sheet Music and Method Books
• Downloadable Music Scores
• CD Albums
• Sheep Brand Instruments
• Choon Trainer (チュートレーナー) Learning App
• Instrument Import Agency Service
• Used Instrument Sales
• Instrument Trade-In Service

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sweetwater Sound: Major US-based musical instrument retailer with strong e-commerce, content (videos, guides), and customer service orientation. Comparable in combining retail with deep content/education, though at vastly larger scale and broader instrument focus.
• Thomann: Europe's largest online musical instrument retailer, offering an enormous catalog including Celtic/folk instruments. Comparable as an established omnichannel player in the broader instrument retail category, though broader in scope.
• Guitar Center: Largest US musical instrument chain with extensive physical and online retail. Adjacent incumbent in the instrument retail space with overlapping customer overlap (acoustic instruments, folk music).
• Ishibashi Musical Instruments: Established Japanese musical instrument retailer with physical stores and online presence, including imported guitars and folk instruments. Most directly comparable Japanese broad-line instrument retailer.
• Sam Ash Music: US musical instrument retail chain with strong physical and online presence. Comparable as a long-tenured multi-channel instrument retailer in a mature market.
• Shimamura Music: Major Japanese musical instrument chain offering lessons, rentals, and retail across a broad instrument range. Comparable as a Japanese multi-channel retailer that bundles music education with sales.
• Long & McQuade: Canada's largest musical instrument retailer combining physical stores, rentals, lessons, and online sales. Comparable business model combining retail with adjacent services (rentals, lessons).
• Musician's Friend: US-based online musical instrument retailer owned by Guitar Center, offering broad catalog across folk, acoustic, and traditional instruments. Comparable online-first instrument retailer with breadth across niches including Celtic-adjacent folk products.

Direct peers

• McNeela Music: Ireland-based specialty retailer focused on Irish traditional instruments (whistles, flutes, bodhrans, accordions, concertinas) with both online and physical retail. Closest direct peer — operates in the same niche category and serves the same type of dedicated Celtic music customer.
• Elderly Instruments: Long-established US specialty musical instrument retailer with deep catalog across folk, acoustic, and traditional instruments. Comparable as a long-tenured specialty retailer with knowledgeable staff and curated selection.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/celtnofue
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/dublin924
• Facebookfacebook.com/celtnofue
• Instagraminstagram.com/celtnofue_insta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Celtic Music Store