In this issue we dive into the reasons for doing what we do. Summer is not only a time to rest and recharge, it can also be an opportunity to examine the why of our occupation. If it’s not because that’s where the big bucks are, it’s important for each of us to have a purpose to guide our decisions. We offer you four articles looking to answer the question, “Why Music?” By investing in music education, we are not only fostering future artists but also nurturing a generation of creative thinkers and problem solvers who can contribute positively to our society.
Last year, we debuted our Teachers’ Choice Awards. I will admit I didn’t know if it would be successful, especially in its first year. It turns out there were thousands of ballots cast and the manufacturers and publishers who won were thrilled because their most important customers had selected them.
Nominations are now open for this year’s product categories. Make your voice heard by nominating your favorite products at https://artistpro.media/teachers-choice-awards/.
This is a note from Mike Lawson, our publisher:
This week marks the 5th anniversary of my acquisition of MMR Magazine and SB&O—now SBO+ Magazine, —by the real ArtistPro, the company that has served music professionals for more than 26 years through online platforms, books, videos, directories, periodicals, and direct connections to the music products and music education industries. Our work has helped millions become better lifelong music makers, and that mission continues today.
Five years later, we’ve transformed what had become a traditional print publishing operation into a next-generation Music Industry Intelligence Platform at artistpro.com.
Today, artistpro serves music manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, distributors, publishers, associations, universities and colleges, K–12 music and fine arts programs, student travel organizations, military music and recruiting programs, arts nonprofits, and service providers with proprietary market intelligence and strategic research. It’s the next level from advertising in MMR and SBO+, it teaches you how to do that more effectively, and improve all of your business planning, whether you advertise, or not.
At the heart of the platform is Industry Insights. Rather than simply searching the web or summarizing articles, it synthesizes decades of proprietary editorial content, commercial relationships, product ecosystem intelligence, campaign history, education data, geographic intelligence, and authoritative public sources into executive-ready business reports that help organizations understand not just what is happening, but why it matters.
In Q3 2026, we’ll take another major step forward with the launch of Spatial Intelligence. Spatial Intelligence goes far beyond heatmaps, revealing relationships across companies, brands, products, schools, colleges, districts, dealer networks, territories, campaigns, editorial coverage, market trends, and business opportunities to help organizations see patterns that have never before been visible in one place.
Our mission has never been simply to publish books, videos, directories, or magazines.
Our mission is to build the intelligence platform for the music products and music education industries—the connective tissue that helps every part of the ecosystem make better decisions, from a student’s very first encounter with music through a lifetime of performance, teaching, manufacturing, retailing, publishing, and leadership.
We’re musicians first, and that perspective continues to guide everything we build.
Thank you to our readers, advertisers, contributors, partners, and the thousands of organizations that have trusted us over the past five years. Special thanks to Col. (Ret) Thomas H Palmatier Editor-in-Chief of SBO+ Magazine, and Christian Wissmuller, Executive Editor of MMR Magazine, for helping position these publications—and artistpro Media—for this next chapter.
If you’re in one of our industries, and would like to see where they are headed, request complimentary access at artistpro.com.
Mike Lawson