So, what’s the answer? Awareness is the first step in addressing the issue. The Forbes article raises valid questions – namely, will this be enforced? Will the commerce of ivory cease? Will the Fish and Wildlife agents be able to keep up to demand? Trying to regulate ivory and prohibit sales of legally obtained ivory from decades ago, as it exists on pianos, will not advance the cause the Obama administration is trying to implement. Conversely, people will throw up their hands in frustration and simply ignore the new rules. What will happen? My guess is that the over-taxed under-staffed CITES office will be bombarded with requests and subsequent wait times will balloon into years. Secondly, if the procurement of occasional CITES permits seems to presently take an eternity, try having mandatory paperwork for EVERY piano with ivory. It makes this respectable industry criminal. The responsibility is that the owner needs to provide proof of authenticity, without which the sale would be considered illegal. I don’t know about you but the ramifications of this are huge.įirstly, I really dislike the fact that now piano technicians and shops are ‘guilty unless proven innocent’. If I’m reading this Forbes article correctly, not only is the sale of pianos with ivory keys banned between these two neighbouring countries completely, but within the United States there is also a requirement for EVERY piano newer than 100 years old to have documentation if it has ivory keys. Minimum wait times were 3 months but more realistic delays were 10 months to a year. Occasionally, exceptional pianos (usually higher priced grands) were bought and sold between the USA and Canada and CITES certificates would be obtained for such instruments. All interstate sales are banned as are intrastate commercial transactions – prohibited except with documentation. All exports are banned except for antiques with documentation.ģ. In past, CITES certificates could be obtained for authentication of pianos older than the 1989 ban.Ģ. NO imports are allowed even with antique status (over 100 years). The proposed changes are as follows according to the Forbes article:ġ. In short, on Februthe Obama administration released proposed changes to American laws regarding ivory. (Also printed by National Geographic, Telegraph and original source US Fish & Wildlife). For those who have not seen the published article, you can read it here.
The reason I bring this up is that if you’re in the piano business – whether new sales or not – then you’ve run into ivory keys at some point. Since then, (25 years later) the majority of pianos have been made with plastics while others work with cattle bone, simulated synthetic ivory or mineral keytops. CITES (Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species) prevented further slaughter of animals for the use of materials in pianos. The piano industry today doesn’t involve ivory of any kind since the official ban in 1989/90. Check out this Forbes article.” Piano Price Point, however is a website about modern piano making.
When Grand American Piano owner, Clint Hughes, brought this to my attention a few weeks ago, he said “Glen, the effect on the piano industry would be titanic. Do you own a piano with ivory keys? Read on… However, I take exception to changing the rules so drastically that many piano stores, technicians and individuals will find themselves conducting possible illegal activity simply by selling a piano that was until recently deemed legal. The piano industry neither fuels nor propagates the sale of new ivory. That age and era is closed and done regarding piano manufacturing.
You may soon be conducting illegal activity if you try to sell your piano, according to proposed changes by the Obama administration announced on Febraury 11,2014.įirst of all, I want to clear the air by saying that I don’t believe in the slaughter of elephants.
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