FROM THE TOP MASAHIRO MINOWA I ROLAND CORPORATION
spaces most comfortable to them. We want to remain at the forefront of music technology innovation for our customers for years. SPEAKING OF INNOVATION, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY MAKES ROLAND’S PRODUCTS STAND OUT FROM THE REST? As I mentioned, Roland’s mantra, “We Design The Future,” has been a core pillar of our company for de- cades. It has helped establish the company-wide mind- set of wanting to create something entirely new that has never existed in the world before. This drive is evident from the initial brainstorming phase to final product de- velopment. Roland engineers bring unique solutions and ideas, but those ideas don’t come to life instantaneously. As a team, we’re always looking to collaborate and push boundaries. That means including artists, customers, and other stakeholders in decision-making. Bringing in a myriad of perspectives as our engineers develop products and software allows us to constantly improve to meet and surpass customer expectations. I believe that this environment of constant collaboration and im- provement will enable us to continually make products uniquely Roland. AS WE HEAD TOWARDS THE HOLIDAY SELLING SEASON, IS THERE ANY EXCITING PRODUCT NEWS THAT YOU CAN TEASE A BIT? Toward the end of the year, we will unveil several new products in a variety of instrument categories. There will be exciting updates for everyone. Among those, we will introduce synergies with Drum Workshop, Inc., which became part of Roland in 2022. Until then, stay tuned! EXCITING! LET’S SWITCH GEARS A BIT. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR FAVORITE BAND OR MUSICIAN OF ALL TIME? I’m a big fan of TM NETWORK, a synth-laden pop music band that was highly influential in the Japanese music scene of the 1980s and ’90s. Their music initially interested me in synthesizers, which led me to where I am today. They inspired me to purchase my first syn- thesizer and form a band in junior high school, and to this day, I still listen to a lot of Japanese pop music from that era. ARE YOU STILL IN A BAND OR PLAY MUSIC REGULARLY? I’ve had a deep interest in music since childhood. I’ve been familiar with the keyboard since then, which led me to start that band in school. I’m not an expert player by any means, and in recent years, I’ve primarily been creating music with computers and Roland Cloud, but I
still enjoy playing the keyboard.
WHAT’S THE LAST SONG YOU STREAMED? The last song I played was: “We Can’t Be Friends” by Ariana Grande. I usually listen to a wide range of music, including genres and bands that interest me, and songs recommended by our Roland employees. WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO SEE ROLAND GO AS A COMPANY UNDER YOUR TENURE IN THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS ? The COVID-19 pandemic was a global disaster, im - pacting industries everywhere. In the music industry, however, we saw a surge of inspiration as people unearthed strong desires to play musical instruments. That initial interest hugely impacted our industry, but data indicates that 90% of those who started play- ing the piano or guitar have since quit. That taught us the high demand for playing a musical instrument, and how many people find it difficult to continue once they’ve started. If we can continue to create innovative and atten - tion-grabbing products and Roland Cloud services to reduce the number of people who stop playing musi- cal instruments once they’ve started, we’ll be able to increase the demand for musical instruments in the fu- ture. This will help in attracting new generations of mu- sic lovers and creators and enable current generations to continue playing. To this end, Roland Corporation is continuing to con - duct market research to ensure we’re not just meeting our customers’ needs but exceeding them with new en- hancements and capabilities. We aim to leverage those insights and profits and reinvest them into the future, creating a virtuous cycle that allows us to continue deliv- ering industry-leading experiences. In the next five to 10 years, I hope to see direct growth from this approach. IF YOU WEREN’T WORKING IN THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT INDUSTRY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’D BE DOING FOR WORK? I’ve always had a deep interest in music and musi- cal instruments, but when I was younger, I was also in- terested in architectural design and urban planning. I quickly discovered the beauty and commitment that goes into designing homes, the towns surrounding them, and entire cities, all while keeping an eye on the changing times and future. While I ultimately didn’t go that route, I’ve been able to reflect on many of those inspiring design challenges throughout my career. There are a lot of natural intersec - tions between the two industries, and I still find myself admiring the details behind architectural designs as I travel in Tokyo and other cities around the world. MI
30 I MUSIC INC. I SEPTEMBER 2024
Powered by FlippingBook