Disruptive Innovation in the Creative Industries: The adoption of the German horn in Britain 1935-75

Smith, David and Blundel, Richard (2016). Disruptive Innovation in the Creative Industries: The adoption of the German horn in Britain 1935-75. In: Association of Business Historians (ABH) and Gesellschaft für Unternehmensgeschichte (GUG) Joint Conference, 27-29 May 2016, Humbolt University, Berlin.

URL: http://ebha.org/public/C6:pdf

Abstract

This paper examines the interplay between innovation and entrepreneurial processes amongst competing firms in the creative industries. It does so through a case study of the introduction and diffusion into Britain of a brass musical instrument, the wide bore German horn, over a period of some 40 years in the middle of the twentieth century. The narrative contrasts the strategies followed by two brass instrument manufacturers, one a new entrant the other an incumbent. It shows how the new entrant despite a slow start, small scale and a commitment to traditional artisanal skills, was able to develop the technology of the German horn and establish itself as one of the world’s leading brands of horn, while the incumbent firm despite being the first to innovate steadily lost ground until like many of the other leading horn makers of the 1930s, it eventually exited the industry.

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