IMSTA Bulletin - August 2008

IMSTA BRANCHES: IMSTA Launches Three International Branches in India, Italy, and United Kingdom

IMSTA Ambassadors Aditya Mehta (left), Andrea Pozzi (center), Stephanie Sobey-Jones (right)

After the successful launch of IMSTA Japan in 2007, IMSTA is pleased to announce the launch of three new branches in India, Italy, and United Kingdom. The people who have made this possible are Aditya Mehta (IMSTA India), Andrea Pozzi (IMSTA Italy), and Stephanie Sobey-Jones (IMSTA UK). These IMSTA ambassadors will be expanding IMSTA’s piracy education campaigns in their respective countries by localizing the IMSTA message. Read about each ambassador and her/his planned activities by clicking on the links below.

IMSTA India	IMSTA Italy	IMSTA UK

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MEMBER PROFILE: Interview With Wolfgang Lücke - Director of Musikmesse

Wolfgang Lücke

Wolfgang Lücke is the director of Musikmesse and a big supporter of the International Music Software Trade Association. Wolfgang feels that it is very important for the industry to be behind IMSTA’s piracy education campaigns. This is the reason Musikmesse has shown great support for IMSTA since 2005 and has officially become an IMSTA member since 2007. For the complete interview click here...

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IMSTA: The First and Only Organization Facing Piracy Through Education

The music software industry has revolutionized the way that people make music. Music software has shifted the power from the hands of a few to the hands of millions of songwriters, producers, and artists worldwide. Although it does costs money to purchase music software, the cost is a fraction of what it costs to record a song using the services of a traditional recording studio. In short, music software has made it affordable for almost anyone to cut his/her own record by turning a personal computer into a powerful recording studio. Of course there are other equipment such as a preamp, a microphone, and a decent audio interface that one would need to accomplish this task. However, most musicians are good human beings and do not steal the hardware they use and gladly purchase them for their home studios. So why not buy the software you use?. Read on ...

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IMSTA END-USER SURVEY: To be Launched in September 2008

IMSTA is proud to announce that its long awaited End-User Survey is finally completed and ready to be launched in September 2008. The survey will stay active until the end of 2008 and will be repeated annually. IMSTA members are very excited about the survey and its results since it will answer many of their questions regarding end-users’ attitudes towards music software piracy. Yes, the results will be available to all IMSTA members. This is an immediate benefit to IMSTA members and it will supplement the long-term benefits of IMSTA’s awareness campaigns. Read on...

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SOFTWARE SALES: US Software Sales Up At Retail, Reports MI SalesTrak™

Sales of musical software are heading up again, following a disappointing year in 2007.  MI SalesTrak, the retail tracking service for musical instrument products, reported a 17% increase in retail dollars spent on software in the first four months of 2008, following an 11% decline for the year before.  Sales of audio and MIDI interfaces also grew briskly in early 2008. MI SalesTrak, an IMSTA associate member, compiles sales information from ...read on...

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IMSTAR OF THE MONTH : Music Industries Association Of Canada (MIAC)

An IMSTAR is a company or an individual that helps IMSTA voluntarily. Often, IMSTARs do not have a direct interest in the music software industry. The IMSTAR of the month of August is the "Music Industries Association of Canada (MIAC)". Now in its 37th year - MIAC 2008 is Canada’s largest and best trade show for musical instruments and accessories, pro audio, lighting, video, software and staging equipment. Thousands of exciting products will be on display, guaranteed to stimulate, educate and entertain all attendees. Nearly 200 companies and industry partner organizations will be represented at the Show, drawing 4,500+ manufacturer, distributor, retailer, educator and pro buyer participants from across Canada, the United States, Asia and Europe. MIAC has continuously shows its support for IMSTA and we would like to take this opportunity to thank Al Kowalenko (Executive Director) and Barbara Cole (Trade Show & Marketing Manager). See you at the IMSTA booth, number 611.

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MEMBERSHIPS: To Join Up or Renew Your Membership

		IMSTA is the best and only advocacy program the music software industry currently has for fighting piracy. We are fighting piracy on levels that go beyond the obvious. We are trying to change behavior. In order to do this we need a few simple things done by tens of thousands of people - yes, you are one of them. To start, we need you to join IMSTA. To do this, fill out our Membership Application Form. Next we do need you to pay your membership dues for 2008. This is a small but vital contribution that you will make to our campaign. We use your money to pay for the things that we can't get volunteers to do. If you haven't paid yet, please do it now. Finally, we need you to begin the process of implementing the program in the Industry Member's Guide. For starter, put the IMSTA Badge on your web site. This is as easy as 1, 2, 3. One thing for sure is that we cannot succeed without you.

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See you next month. Ray Williams Director Paul Fattahi Executive Director --------------------------------------- 'BUY THE SOFTWARE YOU USE' ---------------------------------------		International Music Software Trade Association 12 Upjohn Road, Unit 8, Toronto, ON M3B 2V9, Canada Tel: 416 789-6849 Fax: 416 789-1667 財団法人日本音楽文化振興協会　IMSTA委員会 東京都文京区本郷4-15-9　tel. 03-3814-2977　fax. 03-3814-3302 Japan email：　imecps@imecps.or.jp www.imsta.org/japan   To unsubscribe to the IMSTA Bulletin click here