Supporting Student Musicians E very back-to-school season re- minds me why I love this busi- ness. It is exciting to see a student pick up their first instrument and rewarding to help returning mu- sicians prepare for a successful year. Behind the scenes, months of planning ensure we are ready, but the real reward is helping create the next generation of musicians. Whether we are working with local educators, helping parents navigate rentals, or answering questions, these moments build lasting rela- tionships. For me, back-to-school isn’t just about selling gear — it’s about being part of a student’s mu- sical journey from day one. Don Frank General Manager Gelb Music Redwood City, California Honoring 80 Years O n behalf of Pearl Corporation and our partners worldwide, I’d like to thank Music Inc. for the wonderful feature on our President and CEO Max Iishi as we celebrate our 80th anniversary. We all know about this indus- try’s familial quality. While we may be competitors, there’s an underlying culture of camarade- rie, mutual respect, and a shared passion for music — more impor- tantly, the importance of preserv- ing it for future generations. All of this makes recognition from peers like you that much more special and rewarding. We’re proud and excited about everything going on behind the scenes here at Pearl and can’t wait to share more very soon.
musicians and content creators with solutions that simplify the creative process and help bring their ideas to life, whether they’re recording a first demo at home, producing content for a growing audience, or creating their next great record. We remain focused on innovating alongside retailers and creators to make profession- al-quality audio more accessible, helping the next generation of artists spend less time navigat- ing technology and more time creating. We look forward to continu- ing the conversation and help- ing shape the future of music creation! Laura Davidson Marketing Manager Shure Niles, Illinois An Evening with Martin Guitars W e recently hosted the CF ‘Chris’ Martin and Craig Thatcher Tour Event at our shop. Chris gave everyone a his- tory lesson of his 193 year-old family business, while Thatcher, who’s a Martin ambassador and an amazing player, treated every- one to some great demos on some of the custom Martins that they brought out for the show. We had just shy of 100 peo- ple attend and sold quite a few Martin Guitars that evening. Our shop has been a Martin dealer for 48 years, so our concert venue was the perfect setting for this event. It was a very entertaining evening in Downers Grove. Paul Tobias Owner Tobias Music Downers Grove, Illinois
The Creator Economy T hank you for including me in your September’s issue “Beyond the Music” feature and for the opportunity to contribute Shure’s perspective. It was an honor to be featured alongside other industry voices, and I appre- ciate the thoughtful way the piece highlighted the evolving trends, challenges and opportunities shap- ing our industry. Publications like yours play an important role in fostering meaningful dialogue, and I am grateful for the chance to share insights drawn from our work with creators, audio pro- fessionals and partners around the world. At Shure, we’re passionate about helping people communicate, create and perform at their best. As the creator economy contin- ues to evolve, we see tremen- dous opportunity to empower
tegrating AI into our solutions. I just wanted to update readers that we recently previewed our new Pro Tools Extensions archi- tecture at the IBC Show in Am- sterdam. Unlike our AAX format which supports plug-ins applied to individual tracks, Pro Tools Exten- sions is a new plug-in format that enables us, and our development partners, to easily integrate new, cutting-edge processes that can be applied across multiple tracks or even entire sessions to accelerate workflows. This will include our upcoming AI-powered Pro Tools Stem Separator Extension as well as Extensions by partners like Pro Sound Effects and others. Stay tuned as we roll out extensions and other updates.
Adam Jones Director of Marketing Pearl Corporation Nashville, Tennessee
An Update from Avid T hanks for giving us the op- portunity to share some of our recent Pro Tools advancements and discuss our approach to in-
EDITOR’S NOTE: MUSIC INC. ENCOURAGES LETTERS AND RESPONSES TO ITS STORIES. EMAIL LETTERS TO EDITOR@MUSICINCMAG.COM.
Derk Hagedorn Director of Pro-Audio Product Marketing Avid Burlington, Massachusetts
12 I MUSIC INC. I OCTOBER 2026
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