ARTISTPRO · OUR ROOTS AND OUR WORK
artistpro brings together the work of making, teaching and doing business in music. Our story begins with Mike Lawson’s work in music software and practical publishing, continues through books and periodicals, and now includes market intelligence, marketing services, online learning and an expanding family of music software.
THE ROOTS
Mike Lawson’s publishing career began with music and software. Working with musicians and emerging music technology shaped a practical approach: explain the tools, share the methods and help people put what they learn to work.
That approach continued through the book-publishing programs associated with MIX and Electronic Musician. Recording, production and music-technology books brought working professionals’ knowledge to musicians, engineers and educators. Over his publishing career, Lawson has published more than 200 titles across MixBooks, artistpro and other publishing programs. His own work includes Teach Yourself GarageBand and compiling and editing The Roger Nichols Recording Method.
SOFTWARE & MIX/EM BOOKS
Software publishing and the MIX/EM book programs established the foundation: make professional knowledge accessible, and connect an author’s experience with the musician or educator who can use it.
2000
Lawson launched artistpro in 2000, bringing that work into an independent publishing company focused on musicians, recording professionals and the business around them. The artistpro book catalog was sold to Thomson in 2004.
2021
artistpro acquired MMR, School Band & Orchestra, JAZZed and Choral Director in 2021. It brought Lawson’s work in music-products and education publishing back under artistpro ownership, with established editorial teams and longstanding reader communities.
TODAY
MMR and SBO+ anchor our work for the music-products trade and music educators. Market data, marketing services, new books, online courses and music software extend that work into the decisions, skills and creative tools our readers and customers use.
PERIODICALS AT THE CORE
MMR—Musical Merchandise Review—serves music retailers, manufacturers, distributors and suppliers. SBO+—School Band & Orchestra +—serves music educators and the people who support their programs. Their reporting, product coverage, interviews and practical advice give each audience a publication built around its work.
We package that material for the ways people read and use it: periodical editions, digital issues, websites, newsletters and specialist resources. The same understanding of these markets informs our research and the services we provide to the companies that want to reach them.
WHAT WE DO TODAY
MMR serves the music-products trade. SBO+ serves music educators. We package reporting, ideas and practical knowledge into print editions, digital issues, websites and newsletters that connect these communities.
Read MMR →We organize information about music retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, schools and education markets so companies can understand the people they serve, find opportunities and make better-informed decisions.
Explore market intelligence →Media planning, magazine and digital advertising, newsletters, e-blasts, campaign creative and measurement bring specialist audiences and relevant messages together. MediaManager connects the work from planning to reporting.
Plan a campaign →Practical publishing remains central to artistpro: recording, production, music technology and the business of music. Our new book releases extend the work that began with software publishing and the MIX/EM book programs.
Browse books →Our online courses turn professional knowledge into structured learning for musicians, recording students and educators. The catalog connects recording practice, production, technology and the business skills that support a career in music.
Explore courses →artistproMusic develops recording and notation tools, virtual instruments, studio processors and guitar software for native and browser workflows. apStudio, apScore and our plugin collections bring those tools together, with native delivery through License Manager.
Explore music software →THE NEXT CHAPTER
Our new courses and book releases continue the practical teaching tradition. artistproMusic brings an expansive software catalog to musicians and educators: recording and notation, virtual instruments, guitar tools, mixing and mastering processors, native applications and browser-based workflows.
For the music-products and education markets, our data and marketing services connect audience knowledge with planning, creative work and measurable campaigns. These activities share a common foundation: knowing the subject, understanding the audience and publishing something useful.
More about the history: Mike Lawson’s NAMM oral historyMike Lawson’s publishing backgroundThe 2021 magazine acquisition