HAVE MultiMedia Client Stories
Customer Stories - Hudson Music
When you see Hudson Music's slogan "Education plus Inspiration," the depth of those words might not be apparent at first. But the more you look through the hundreds of programs they've produced, you see that these are not traditional instructional videos, nor are they simply recordings of concert footage. Instead, the programs from Hudson Music look at the creative process itself, showing you how an artists like Neil Peart, Benny Greb, Buddy Rich, Tommy Igoe, and Victor Wooten create their music. This unique choice was borne from a pair of lifelong musicians who wanted to share their love of the art.
It all started in the late 1970s, when Paul Siegel and Rob Wallis were enrolled in the Drummers Collective school in New York. When the school's owner decided to sell the business, Siegel and Wallis bought it and expanded it to include the Bass and Keys/Guitar Collectives. Despite the modest beginnings, Siegel and Wallis were able to secure established artists to teach classes to the students, and quickly realized that people outside of these classes would be interested in the lessons as well. And so with some borrowed equipment and an advertisement in the back of Modern Drummer, DCI Music Video Inc. was born.
Over the years that followed, DCI grew and Siegel and Wallis soon attracted the support of International Music Publications head Ron Fry and CPP/Belwin President Sandy Feldstein. Fry was crucial in providing another outlet for their programs, while Feldstein pushed for more sophisticated programs and presentations. By 1992, DCI had grown to the point where Siegel and Wallis negotiated a deal to sell the label and catalog to CPP/Belwin so that they could get back to the root of their vision and focus on the creative side of music production. Soon after the deal was closed CPP/Belwin was acquired by Warner Bros. Publications. In 1998, Siegel and Wallis took the next step in their journey and founded Hudson Music.
Their employment with Warner Bros. opened the door to new resources for the pair, and combined with their own drive Hudson Music has continued to acquire new artists and new distributors to reach major markets around the world. Among these distributors was Hal Leonard, which currently distributes their programs in North America.
Through all the changes over the years, Siegel and Wallis' focus on their love of music and drive to share the creative process that goes into its creation kept their programs fresh. They are always pushing technological boundaries to showcase their programs in the best way possible: videocassettes in the 1980s, DVDs in the 1990s, and digital downloads today. This way, they can provide aspiring musicians a way to go "behind the scenes" with music legends and get not only the mechanics of how to play, but the inspiration to take their own music further.
HAVE is proud to be able to work with Hudson Music, reaching out to artists around the world. You can learn more about them at HudsonMusic.com
