Alesis LLC

Perry Celia is known for his successful career in the sales representative field of the music industry. Early in his career, he worked with Don Griffin during the day at West LA Music, while pursuing his musical career by night. After West LA Music, he worked as sales director for Alesis. He later worked for JBL Professional as the Eastern Sales Director. In 2008, he was hired to work as Director of Sales for the West Coast at QSC. Celia rose through the ranks quickly working as Director of Sales for the U.S., Director of Sales for North America, and currently working as the Senio

Alan Friedman opened an accounting firm and soon focused on the music industry. As a musician himself, Alan knew he could offer services to the music industry as a specialized accounting firm. With his passion for music, Alan soon found himself providing presentations at the NAMM Show as well as many other industry meetings, such as RPMDA. His insight has been able to help many people with their businesses and his passion never seems to wane.  

Ralph Goldheim worked in music retail before jumping the counter and exploring a career in manufacturing. He worked with George Luther for several years before joining Oberheim Electronics, Roland, Focusrite and Alesis. Next he was on the ground floor of a new and exciting company that would be called Line 6. Along the way he has witnessed many changes within the industry including the fast-paced world of electronic musical technology and Internet retailing. From 2014 to 2022, Ralph served as the president of Arturia before becoming the president of E-Muzik, focusing on e-commerce

Abby Kaplan is the Vice President of Global Retail Sales for Shure Incorporated. Her approach to digital commerce and vertical marketing has helped the company expand its reach around the world. Her approach in supporting her dealers and focusing on their success has contributed to the meaningfulness of her position. Shure’s philosophy of the quality of products and people is echoed in Abby’s connections. Having had a deep passion for the industry since working for Alesis in the 1990s, she had witnessed many important changes and adapted to each with innovative ideas and endless e

Jim Mack has had a long and successful career in the music and sound industry, which all began while in high school playing guitar and taking a keen interest in the business side of music. Jim worked in music retail, music manufacturing and as a rep before being hired by Keith Barr at Alesis in 1994. The company had released the innovative ADAT just a few years earlier at the NAMM Show and Jim was there for the big success of that product and the launch of others. With a focus on sales and marketing, Jim’s career included important contributions to TASCAM, PreSonus and Ashley Audi

John McCubbery’s lifelong passion for music began in Melbourne, Australia, where early piano studies led him to discover synthesizers as a teenager, sparking a career that would span performance, retail, distribution, and global leadership in the music products industry. After years performing original music throughout Australia’s vibrant live scene and gaining valuable studio experience, John transitioned into music retail, developing a deep understanding of musicians and the instrument business.

Erik Norlander is the perfect musician to have come into his own as a performer as the synthesizer and other electronic musical instruments were being developed in the 1980s. In addition to touring and recording, Erik also worked within the industry at Alesis Electronics where he was the Synthesizer Product Manager and worked on such product models as the QS8, QS6, QSR, QuadraSynth Plus Piano, S4 Plus, DM5, DM Pro and the Alesis Andromeda A6 analog polyphonic synthesizer. Beginning in 2001 Erik worked for Line 6 on the company’s GuitarPort software before returning to life on the

Russell Palmer’s father was the first employee for Capital Records, working as a record salesman. As a result Russell grew up in a home full of the latest hit songs. Russell followed in his father’s footsteps to work in the record industry and later in the radio business before meeting Keith Barr and his wife. Together the three formed Alesis, which soon become a leader in innovative products in home and professional studio gear. Russell has been a strong supporter of the music products industry and served on the NAMM Board as well as supporting music education. 

Marcus Ryle began his career in the industry as an engineer for Oberheim while he was still a teenager. In those pre MIDI days, Marcus designed a series of sound controllers as well as providing several modifications to the company’s synthesizers. He later co-founded Fast Forward in 1985 with Michel Doidic, which provided engineering for over 40 of Alesis’ products including ADAT. At the same time, Marcus and his team worked on their own guitar electronics, which eventually became the foundation of their new company, Line 6.  

Julie Tan recalls seeing few women during her first NAMM show in 1989. As her fascinating career developed within the industry, so too has the number of women in high-level roles. Her love of music began in the second grade playing violin and grew to include her engineering skills learned at USC and her hands-on experiences with companies such as Line 6 and Alesis. When she had the opportunity to become CEO of AEA Ribbon Mics she jumped at the position, which has been a meaningful experience for her and yet another example of the growth of women in the music products industry. Jul

Keith Taylor strongly believes that every recording engineer should have a foundation in music. Understanding the elements and structure of music has proven to be key to his success as an engineer and studio owner. It does not hurt that Keith also has been formally trained as an electrical engineer. Yet, it’s his background in music that he feels attributes to his understanding of his clients and in being able to help them achieve their goals in the studio. For Keith, it was taking classical piano lessons at the age of five that he feels put him on his current trajectory.