PASIC 2006 | AUSTIN, TEXAS | NOVEMBER 8-11, 2006
Shift In Beat

Two girls gossiped in line for a free hearing test at the 2006 Perc-ussive Arts Society International Conv-ention, held Nov. 8–11 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.

The previous night, Girl A had, allegedly, been woken up twice by banging on her hotel room door. When she peered through the peephole, she didn’t see anybody. Not only was she afraid, but she was tired. After some questioning and intuition by Girl B, both determined it could only have been Boy A and his group of thugs. They began devising a counterattack.

Heated, youthful exchanges like this, while not always so dramatic, take place all over PASIC. PAS’s bread-and-butter is a young crowd that’s built social networks around marching and orchestral percussion.

For these people, PASIC becomes the field trip of the year, and manufacturers, retailers and professionals come to feed off the energy.

The two Girls may have been upset, but being in a different city surrounded by friends, drums and drumming likely outweighed it.

This year, with a backdrop like Texas, where the popularity and severity of high school football has bolstered state music programs, the show couldn’t help but be huge and vigorous. PASIC 2006 drew 7,230 visitors, nearly 30-percent more than last year.

The Dilemma?
So what about adult drummers? Probably about the time Boy A was causing trouble, an adult orchestral percussionist at an exhibitor-sponsored event lamented how his generation was being ignored.

He did come to the show, but he said PAS didn’t pay any attention to him in his home state. It could do more, he said, to create a social network for him and his contemporaries.

When it comes to hosting a convention, PASIC has honed the skill over its 31 years. It does a fantastic job.

Still, some, like the percussionist, wonder if the organization couldn’t garner a more diverse membership, and grow the convention accordingly.

It could be that the percussionist hasn’t noticed some of the changes around him.

“The core membership is high school and college students and teachers; that’s how the organization started, and that’s been its focus,” said Rob Birenbaum, a former retailer and integral member of the Five-Star Drum Shops group. He’s been working with PASIC since 2000. “But over the past five years, they’ve made a concerted effort to broaden the base a little bit. I think they’ve done it without diluting their core mission, and as a result, I think membership demographics are much broader than they’ve ever been.”

He recalled numerous conversations at the show with people in their 30s, 40s and 50s. A look at PASIC’s MySpace page also confirms this: People making “comments” are teenagers and adults.

More Kids?
A couple exhibitors said fewer adults wasn’t a problem — it was a lack of kids.
One noted that PASIC could be a gathering for young drum set-oriented students, just as it is for marching and orchestral ones. He suggested only a small portion of participants in, say, Guitar Center’s Drum Off know what PASIC is. With a diverse clinic list and drum set manufacturers all over the show floor, the environment is as much for them as anyone.

Still, Tama was back at PASIC this year for that reason. Representatives had been coming to the show for the last few years, and had determined there were enough set players to make it worth their while.

One thing remains: Growth supports PASIC’s success. “It’s a survival factor for any organization,” Birenbaum said.

So, while many speculate on how PAS should grow, most are sure it is also looking for ways to enter a new growth period.

The Staple
In the meantime, the large crowds of visitors and exhibitors that already show up to PASIC provide insight into the market.

“You always see people coming out of the woodwork with inventions and gadgets,” said Dave Jewell, manager of drum marketing for Yamaha. “It’s cool to see the entrepreneurial spirit going on.”

Probably no where was that spirit more evident than in Drumagination’s Twin Steele. It’s a dual electronic drum trigger for the foot. Pushing down the foot hits one pad, and picking up the foot hits another.

Dynasty showed off a new strategy built upon a well-established product segment. Inspired by a change in competition rules — mallet instruments can now be amplified — Dynasty has entered the pro audio game.

It’s offering a number of all-in-one packages — soundboard, speakers, microphones, etc. — to rid educators of miking guesswork.

The Buddy Rich Drum Co. made its debut in Austin. A collaboration between Rich’s daughter, Cathy, and industry veteran Bill Morgan, the new company will offer a full line of drum sets and accessories. The coming-out kit is a Buddy Rich Signature model, with Rich’s specifications and vintage reissue hardware pieces.

Yamaha, which put its electronic drums in the show floor’s quiet space for first time, complemented the exhibit with its LC2 drum lab controller. To assist teachers, it controls classrooms of electronic kits.

PASIC 2007 will be Oct. 31–Nov. 3 in Columbus, Ohio.