Trade Press

Bruce Adolph is the energetic advocate of worship music and musicians who in 1998 established Christian Musician Magazine. As president of the Adolph Agency, Bruce oversees several publications as well as special events and educational programs which are all designed to assist worship and praise musicians and directors. Having a strong background with musical instruments, he ran The Carpenter Music store in California for over a decade, Bruce understands the needs of music makers. He attended the NAMM Show in 2003 when he was about to launch his magazine Worship Musician, where Ya

Frank Alkyer has asked a lot of questions. As a writer and editor of Music Inc., he has interviewed music retailers and suppliers alike. In addition as a writer and editor for DownBeat Magazine, Frank has interviewed countless jazz and big band performers. With this background, you can imagine how meaningful it was for the NAMM team to have the opportunity to interview Frank for the Oral History program. Frank has been an active member of the industry supporting music educational programs, as well as professional development efforts such as the series of sessions he has hosted at

Ralph Angelillo grew up inspired by Joe Morello. His dad was a bassist for big dance bands in the 1940s and '50s and his four brothers all played music. In 1961, at the age of 17, Ralph purchased his first Ludwig drum set, with money earned working as a busboy in local hotels. While working in the music industry, Ralph established several music magazines across Canada. At that point, he had the idea of putting on a drum festival.

David Battino majored in philosophy at Oberlin, but found his epiphany in the college’s electronic music studios. Suddenly it was possible to create both the instruments and the music, and he began writing to share that excitement with readers around the world. He joined Keyboard Magazine in 1994, was the founding editor of Music & Computers, and produced the popular “Adventures in DIY” column for Electronic Musician. Music Tech called his 2005 book The Art of Digital Music “truly entertaining and informative on both philosophical and technical levels.”

Brian Berk was hired as the editor for the Music & Sound Retailer trade magazine back in 2005. The magazine, founded by Vinny Testa, was the first in the industry to offer a video e-newsletter. Brian remained the editor for five years, then left the industry for several years before returning to his old job in 2017. The magazine added several new features at the same time, including the MI Spy column and articles written by some of the innovative retailers in the industry such as Tim Spicer.

Eric Bettelli noticed that Los Angeles based musicians had a need for a magazine that could help them find gigs. He also realized that clubs needed the same such magazine to showcase their venues and to attract acts. Eric put the two needs together and formed Music Connection in 1977. The magazine has since become a national publication and an important resource within the music industry. The company formed a website as early as 1996 and has been the launching pad for a number of big music groups over the years. Eric is proud that the publication has served the musician successful

Greg Billings is the retired president of the Steinway Piano Gallery of Naples in Florida. Greg is also a very active member of the music products industry, appearing on panel discussions at NAMM Shows, serving on boards and writing a regular article for Music Inc. magazine. His deep passion for the industry and for providing music in the lives of many thousands of people can be traced back to the passion of his father, Zeb Billings. Zeb was a pioneer in both retailing and music publishing in the home organ era that set standards still being used to this day.

Gary Cooper enjoys a well-regarded career in journalism with a run in recording and popular music magazines before his work in the music products industry. He branched out with celebrated articles on the people and musical products for Music Trade News and MI Pro, both published in England. He has also contributed articles for pro-audio publications in the United Kingdom. Along the way Gary has been an important supporter of the NAMM Oral History program, providing ideas, background and contacts for many of the veterans and leaders of the British music industry.  

Jim Crockett was the first official editor of Guitar Player magazine, having been hired by founder Bud Eastman four years after the magazine began. Bud and Maxine Eastman owned Guitar Showcase, a music retail store in San Jose, California. Guitar Player was originally created to help drive business to the store, but it soon grew into a publication with its own identity, thanks in large part to Jim Crockett’s leadership. He later went on to create Keyboard, Bass Player, and Drums & Drumming, expanding his lasting influence on music publishing.

Sidney Davis took over the Musical Merchandise Review (MMR) trade magazine in the 1980s. Originally the magazine began reporting on the industry in the 1880s and became an important resource for suppliers and retailers alike. Sid hired the magazine’s first editor, Don Johnson, who was with the publication for over 25 years and stayed on until his passing in 2008. Sid also assembled a jazz and school band magazine designed for educators. His list of innovations included providing the industry’s first electronic weekly newsletter.

Paul Gallo is proud of the contributions his magazines have provided the music industry. His first endeavor in 1975 was publishing Modern Recording, a hobbyist magazine that gained the attention and respect of professional engineers. Just three years later, Paul and his cousin, Vinny Testa, launched Pro Sound News. The creative magazine focused on trends in the industry with special features that helped engineers navigate the many technological changes happening at the time.

Barney Jameson, the managing director of The Inside Story, stands at the forefront of marketing innovation within the pro AV and professional security sectors. As the founder and driving force behind The Inside Story, Barney leads a dynamic team in supporting global clients while championing initiatives like Second Warehouse to enhance industry awareness and efficiency. In addition to his role at The Inside Story, Barney is deeply involved in various ventures, including helping grow The NAMM Show, co-founding Security on Screen BV and serving as a director of the Security Industry

Martin Johnson served as publisher and, at times, editor for Piano Trades Magazine (PTM) from 1959 until 1967. He studied art in school and became editor of the college newspaper, which gave him the idea of seeking a career that combined his two main interests, art and writing. He joined the publishing world in 1956 writing and taking photographs for American Printer Magazine and Printing Impressions before moving to Chicago to begin working in the music industry. Martin attended each of The NAMM Shows during his years at PTM and took most, if not all, of the photographs the magaz

Diane Johnson, who was born in Brooklyn, was living on Madison Avenue when she landed a job at Music Merchandise Review (MMR). The magazine’s office was located just around the corner on Lexington Avenue so Diane could walk to work each day. She served as the Office Manager for MMR from 1979 until 1985. While working for the trade magazine, she met her husband, Martin Johnson, who had been the editor for a competing trade publication, Piano Trades Magazine (PTM).

 Don Johnson received his degree in journalism and later landed the editor’s job at a recording industry trade magazine.  Years later the magazine was sold to the owners of the Music Merchandise Review (MMR).  Under Don’s editorial direction the magazine has focused on music dealers with profiles and product news.  He also worked hard to ensure that each issue would contain tips and suggestions that could be applied to any retail store.  In 2007 Don led the effort for the first

Gez Kahan, on a whim, offered to be the musical director for his college’s production of Tommy. The experience lit a fire under him and soon he was exploring all of the latest gear, especially electronic keyboards and synthesizers. In 1983 he was hired as a freelancer to demonstrate the first Roland MIDI instrument, the JX3P, at the British Music Fair. Once again the experience was exciting and rewarding and led to Roland hiring Gez for demos for four more years before finally asking him to come on board full-time. He wrote the advertising, the company’s newsletter and articles ab

Katie Kailus studied at Elmhurst College in the Jazz program playing guitar and majoring in writing. In 2009, she combined her passions and education by serving as an intern for Downbeat Magazine while still a student. At the time she wrote small feature stories and really enjoyed the staff she worked with as well as the musicians she was able to meet. Katie later began working for the magazine’s sister publication, Music Inc. That provided her the opportunity to attend her first NAMM Show where she felt right at home surrounded by passionate music makers. In 2014 she began her ro

Rick Kessel was the Publisher at MMR, working closely with Sid Davis, when he had a few ideas to expand their content to reach more specific readers. As a result the magazines School Band & Orchestra (SBO) and JazzEd were created. These publications played a vital role in addressing the needs of music educators at different levels, such as junior and high school band directors, and by giving them a voice. These successful offshoots were just one element at MMR, for which he served as Publisher for several decades. Rick’s love of music goes back to hearing his grandfather play

David Kramny proudly joined his father in business to help run PPV Media. His father, Thilo, formed the company in 1984, which has grown to include 27 magazines. The magazines range from music and lighting to aviation; all of which are passions of Thilo. The company also created an online sheet music business with over 450,000 titles. When David joined the business in 2013, he focused on building relationships with their partners just as his father has done and applying social media to promote the business and their many products.

Thilo Kramny is one of our industry’s creative minds that has established published material that has been innovative and resourceful for the music industry. He began as a musician who wanted to create magazines for musicians. He formed Sound Check, a small magazine in German, back in the 1980s, which later became the largest music magazine in the country. He later created Keyboard & Computer, which was the first magazine to offer a CD on the cover. Thilo also established the Frankfurt Daily magazine in 1984 after attending a NAMM Show and seeing the success of the UpBeat Dail

Mike Lawson always wanted to become a musician as a child. The process was not easy as his family could not afford an instrument for him, but his desire was always strong. He worked hard to earn the money when he was a little older, cutting grass and other odd jobs, and finally purchased a guitar. Along the way he studied music magazines and books to learn all he could about the gear and the art of being a musician. Those experiences provided Mike with a unique perspective which he used when creating books aimed to serve musicians.

Larry LeBlanc was just 14 years old when he wrote a story about the local music scene for a Toronto newspaper. He was soon asked to write for a monthly magazine for teens called the Canadian High News. His growing knowledge of local clubs and bands gave Larry the opportunity to book bands, which he also started doing at a young age. He wrote for Melody Maker and Rolling Stone before landing his dream job for Billboard Magazine in 1991. In 2007, he left the magazine to start his own music themed blog.

Terry Lowe is the founder of Timeless Communications Corp. (TCC) and the publisher of several important trade magazines including FRONT of HOUSE (FOH), Musical Merchandise Review (MMR) and Projection, Lights & Staging News (PLSN). Terry played drums professionally until his mid-20s when he shifted focus to a career behind the scenes with roles as manager and booking agent for several bands and marketing/advertising manager for music magazines (He was with Performance magazine for 3-years and Mix Magazine for 7-years.) as well as launching PLSN in 2000, which was just months af

Frank Luppino Jr. wrote for Billboard Magazine in the 1940s when the noted publication dedicated a segment to the music products industry and an annual NAMM issue. He oversaw the NAMM issue, which covered the recording industry, as well as electrical products such as washing machines and refrigerators. Frank often wrote of the trends of the day and had a keen eye towards product marketing. In fact, he would later lead the marketing team at Seeburg before forming his own company, Marketing Insights.  

Kevin R. Maher grew up in his family’s music publication business, a business responsible for the iconic jazz magazine DownBeat as well as the music product industry’s Music Inc and UpBeat Daily. Kevin’s great-grandfather, John Maher, began printing DownBeat in 1938, just four years after the magazine was established. John took over the business in 1950 and was dedicated to promoting and supporting music education. This led to his involvement with the music products industry and the development of his other magazines. Maher Publications remain in the family and Kevin proudly conti

Kevin Maher has countless stories about the music industry, about jazz and about his father and grandfather who ran Down Beat Magazine and the early days at Music Inc.  Even more, Kevin can outline the trends and the great innovations that have changed our industry over the years because his magazines reported each of them.  Kevin is serving as president of both magazines and proud of his background in publishing and the role his magazines have served over the years in promoting music education and in celebrating music making at all levels.

Brian Majeski is the editor of The Music Trades Magazine and has lived and breathed the music business since the day he was born.  His grandfather and father both ran the magazine, which was established in 1890. Brian, along with his brother Paul, have been able to expand the publication to include sale statistics, developing trends and useful tips for retailers and suppliers alike while at the same time bringing the magazine into the digital age. 

Vivian Majeski had just married John when she visited the NAMM Show for the first time.  The year was 1951 and John, who would later follow in his father's footsteps as editor of The Music Trades magazine. He had returned from war just a few years earlier. Together the young couple attended the show, which Mrs. Majeski recalled with a smile.  "Do you know what the elaborate decorations were back then?  No fancy lights and smoke machines like today, if a piano exhibitor went all out to decorate he might have a vase with some flowers!"

Paul Majeski grew up in the music industry and relates many of the milestones of his own life to what was going on in the music business at the same time. His attention to details has made Paul the perfect president of Music Trades Magazine, whose history goes back to 1890 and has been the pulse of the industry ever since. Teaming up with his brother Brian, the magazine’s editor, Paul is following in the footsteps of their father and grandfather in reporting on the trends and history of the people, company, and products that are at the core of the industry. As technology has chang

John Majeski Jr. was appropriately given the AMC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 for a long career as editor of the Music Trades Magazine. During John’s era, the Beatles came to America and forever changed the industry. John wrote of the growth of the accordion in the 1950s and the home organ in the 1960s. John's father had preceded him as editor and in 1982, Majeski stepped down as The Music Trades’ editor to give increasing responsibilities to his sons, Brian and Paul. “They have proved themselves up to the job, and the best thing I can do is get out of their way,” he said at

Neville Marten has enjoyed a long career as editor of Guitar Techniques, one of the magazines represented by his firm Future Publishing.  Prior to that, he was editor of Guitarist magazine for 14 years.  As a blues based guitarist, he writes about what interests him the most as a player; pioneering players, great method books and recording as well as the gear.  His many notable articles include those that review and describe the latest gear found at the NAMM Show and a list of top innovative products.  In addition to writing, Neville has been a product demonstration artist at many

Daniel Neves is the founder of Música & Mercado (Music & Market), a Brazil-based magazine that focuses on promoting music-making and musical products. His passion for the industry led to his long-time leadership role in the country’s musical trade association ANIFIMA (the Brazillian Music Industry Association). Anafirma was founded to help facilitate the growth of the Brazilian music market and has done so in many ways over the years. Working with the NAMM Foundation, Anafirma has developed many programs to encourage people to make music throughout the country.