By Steve Oppenheimer

(March 2006)

As I write this, we’re preparing to head to Anaheim for the annual Winter NAMM show. Tomorrow, we’ll participate in the preshow festivities, including our own Editors’ Choice Awards reception. In some ways, this NAMM show will be like others in recent years: lots of press conferences and meetings and a mind-boggling array of new products and software updates. Just a few days after the show, you’ll be able to read an entire show report on our Web site at www.emusician.com.

But we’re trying something new, too. With help from our partners at Mix magazine (to be honest, we’re riding their coattails), EM will create its first trade-show blog. The blog will stay on our Web site for a while, so you’ll be able to check it out months after the show. And you should do so, because we’ll have lots of comments from all over the industry about the show, the products, the trends, and whatever else is on the minds of participants.

Admittedly, ours won’t be the usual blog. For one thing, it’s sponsored by Intel (although Intel will not influence its content). And it won’t be a classic single-author blog filled with cross-references to other blogs and Web sites. Rather, we’ll have a blogging station at our NAMM booth, where the editors of Mix, Remix, and EM will comment on the show as it happens. We’ll also bring in a variety of industry people with interesting and informed opinions and get them to add their two cents’ worth. We’ll also have a Podcast filled with live interviews, conducted by Mix technical editor Kevin Becka, which will be very cool. And it’s online now at the EM, Mix, and Remix Web sites.

I also have a few announcements regarding EM staff changes. First, copy editor Lori Kennedy and assistant editor Matt Gallagher have moved on to bigger and hopefully better things. Fortunately, both are staying in-house and are working at our sister publications: Lori has moved to Remix, and Matt is moving to Mix.

Lori’s name is probably unfamiliar to those who don’t read magazine mastheads, but you’ve read her work in almost every EM article. Her sharp eyes and language skills have made our stories read a lot better. Matt’s name is more familiar to EM readers because he often writes our “Pro/File” column and replies to an assortment of reader and manufacturer inquiries. For the past seven years, he has been a very versatile and reliable team player.

Now for the good news: we’ve hired a terrific copy editor. Marla Miyashiro isn’t really new to our team, though, because she has copyedited for us many times as a freelancer. So we know firsthand that she is a top pro, and we’re delighted to have her. In addition, we’re about to hire a new editorial assistant, and the candidates have been impressive. We welcome our new staff members and wish Lori and Matt the best in their new jobs. And the beat goes on!