MY LIFE IN PERCUSSION: Five Decades in the Music Products Industry

Author Karl Dustman, professional timpanist and former Executive Director of the Percussion Marketing Council, reflects on more than 50-year career in the world of percussion with the release of “My Life in Percussion, Five Decades in the Music Products Industry.”

Dustman’s book offers a look into the career path of a recognized industry veteran covering decades of work in the music products industry as a marketing, sales and distribution leader for leading percussion brands, including Ludwig, Gretsch, HSS, Pearl, Sonor and Korg USA. Nine chapters cover a time span from his musical start in a late 1950s school-band program through the present. Over 300 pages provide intimate details of the people, products and perspectives about working for some of the most famous companies and brands in the business.

A must-read for anyone thinking about a career in the music products industry, “My Life in Percussion” includes Dustman’s diverse experience with many musical instruments in the retail, wholesale, distribution and manufacturing segments of the industry. The similarities and vast differences between working for American, Asian, European or large and small family businesses are explained. Those already in the industry will recognize the eras Dustman and the industry has gone through, all documented and covered with hundreds of photographs, illustrations of product literature, campaigns, educational programs, elaborate trade show exhibits and memorable artist relations stories.

This is a unique chance to experience what it was like working within the largest drum company in the world, real-time career survival through multiple company buy-outs, and dodging the revolving door climate of companies going through ownership changes. Insights on the development of Dustman's own marketing-communications company with recognized clients like Washburn, Baldwin, Clevelander, and The Chicago Music Mart at DePaul Center and the leadership of the Percussion Marketing Council for the past 19 years are included. Highlights include his ongoing blend of a professional performance career, music industry guest speaker platforms, music education advocacy, and the nation's first orchestral percussion showroom.

My Life in Percussion, by Karl Dustman, Forward by Bill Ludwig III, Edited by Rob Cook, Rebeats, rebeats.com