Percussive Arts Society

Name

Percussive Arts Society

Legal name

Percussive Arts Society

Website

https://pas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Membership and Education Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Programs (Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater) (EDAJAJAE), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC)

Keywords

• Percussion education
• Music membership organization
• Drumming publications
• Percussion competitions
• Music industry association

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianópolis

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Individual, Group, Studio, Corporate, and Library Subscription memberships with various tier levels providing access to publications, video archives, and member-only content.
2. Event Registration: PASIC convention registration fees for attendees, presenters, and exhibitors.
3. Publication Sales: Percussive Notes and DRUMSET Magazine subscriptions and single issues.
4. Advertising: Advertising opportunities across publications and the PASIC exhibition hall.
5. Merchandise and Shop: Online store selling percussion-related merchandise, recordings, and educational materials.
6. Competition and Scholarship Administration: Entry fees for composition contests and ensemble competitions, with scholarship awards funded by endowments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The Percussive Arts Society is a nonprofit membership organization that delivers percussion education resources and community services, including flagship bimonthly and quarterly publications (Percussive Notes and DRUMSET Magazine), the annual PASIC International Convention in Indianapolis, member-only PAS Video on Demand, and the Rhythm! Discovery Center museum. It also runs the International Percussion Ensemble Competition (IPEC), PAS Composition Contest, scholarship programs, and the standardized 40 International Rudiments framework, all accessed through tiered Individual, Group, Studio, Corporate, and Library memberships.

Product overview

The Percussive Arts Society is a membership organization that operates as a unified portfolio of products and services centered on percussion education and advocacy. Its core offerings include the flagship bimonthly Percussive Notes journal and DRUMSET Magazine publications; the annual PASIC International Convention featuring clinics and performances; a member-only PAS Video on Demand library; and the Rhythm! Discovery Center museum. Supporting programs include the International Percussion Ensemble Competition (IPEC), PAS Composition Contest, 40 International Rudiments resource, the PAS Judging Application Portal, a Job Board, and various Scholarship Programs. Membership programs provide tiered access (Individual, Group, Studio, Corporate, Library) to these publications and resources. The organization also maintains specialized databases for composers, marimba literature, and solo/ensemble percussion repertoire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Percussive Notes The flagship bimonthly research journal of the Percussive Arts Society, providing in-depth articles, news, research, and reviews covering all aspects of percussion for members and subscribers.
• DRUMSET Magazine A magazine focused on drum set players, featuring interviews, educational content, and industry news for drummers at all levels, distributed via subscription and single-issue sales.
• PASIC (Percussive Arts Society International Convention) The flagship annual international convention featuring clinics, performances, competitions, exhibitions, and networking opportunities for percussionists worldwide, held in Indianapolis, IN with PASIC 2026 scheduled for November 11-14, 2026 (PASIC50).
• PAS Video on Demand A member-only video library containing full-length clinic recordings from years of PASIC events, covering all areas of percussion and accessible to PAS members.
• Rhythm! Discovery Center A museum and interactive center dedicated to percussion instruments and their history, operated by the Percussive Arts Society, with an online collection featuring rare and vintage percussion instruments.
• International Percussion Ensemble Competition (IPEC) An annual competition encouraging, promoting, and rewarding musical excellence among middle school, high school, and collegiate percussion ensembles, with a $75 entry fee per ensemble.
• PAS Composition Contest A competition funded by the Thomas V. Siwe Endowment to encourage and reward composers who write music for percussion instruments, with a $20 entry fee per submission and a $3,000 grand prize.
• 40 International Rudiments The foundational set of drumming techniques that form the standardized core rudimental vocabulary for drumming technique worldwide, maintained and endorsed by the Percussive Arts Society.
• Membership Programs Tiered membership options including Individual, Group, Studio, Corporate, and Library Subscriptions providing access to publications, video archives, competitions, scholarships, and member benefits.
• Scholarship Programs Various scholarship programs including PASIC scholarships (with travel assistance of $500-$750), educational scholarships, and grants supporting students pursuing percussion studies, funded by endowments and corporate partners.
• PAS Shop Online storefront at shop.pas.org selling percussion-related merchandise, recordings, branded apparel, and educational materials to members and the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60 years of archived percussion content
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ZildjiancoreOthersZildjian is a long-standing supporter of PAS through the Zildjian Family Opportunity Fund (grant program) and Armand Zildjian Percussion Scholarship for college students. The partnership provides financial support for percussion education.
• Remo, Inc.coreOthersRemo, Inc. sponsors the Remo, Inc. PASIC Scholarship and Remo, Inc./California Chapter PASIC Scholarship, providing financial assistance for students to attend PASIC.
• Hudson MusiccoreOthersHudson Music partners with PAS for the PAS/Hudson Music Neil Peart Drum Set Scholarship, offering up to four $500 scholarships for drum lessons.
• SABIAN Ltd.coreOthersSABIAN sponsors the Larrie Londin Memorial Scholarship supporting young drummers with their drum set studies.
• Ludwig IndustriesminorOthersLudwig Industries provides the William F. Ludwig, Jr. Memorial PASIC Scholarship.
• Drum Factory DirectminorOthersDrum Factory Direct sponsors a PASIC Scholarship for student attendance.
• Mapex/MajesticminorOthersMapex/Majestic offers two PASIC Scholarships for student attendance.
• Thomas V. Siwe EndowmentcoreOthersThe Thomas V. Siwe Endowment funds the PAS Composition Contest, with a $3,000 grand prize for winning percussion compositions.
• Corporate MemberscoreOthersCorporate membership program providing industry partners visibility and engagement with the percussion community in exchange for membership support.
• Strategic PartnerscoreOthersFormal strategic partnership program for organizations aligned with PAS mission, providing collaborative opportunities.
• FoundationscoreOthersFoundation support program for charitable foundations providing grants and funding for PAS programs and scholarships.
• Rhythm! Discovery CenterminorOthersMuseum and online collection featuring rare percussion instruments, potentially available for educational partnerships and exhibitions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Chamber Music America: Chamber Music America is a nonprofit membership organization for chamber music professionals, providing publications, grants, conferences, and advocacy. Operates on a similar nonprofit membership + conference + publication model for a different performing-arts niche.
• Drum Corps International (DCI): DCI is a percussion/marching-focused activity organization that runs an annual championship tour and serves a heavily overlapping audience of marching percussionists, many of whom also participate in PAS events and IPEC. Comparable in audience overlap and competition-driven engagement.
• Jazz Education Network (JEN): JEN is a nonprofit membership organization for jazz educators and performers that runs an annual conference and publishes educational resources. Similar in form factor to PAS but narrower in genre focus.

Regional players

• International Society for Music Education (ISME): ISME is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to music education, hosting international conferences and supporting music educators worldwide. Comparable in mission and global orientation, but with a broader pedagogical scope and a different geographic center of gravity.

Others

• Zildjian: Zildjian is a leading cymbal and percussion manufacturer and a long-standing PAS sponsor. While not a peer organization, it is a key industry partner and adjacent ecosystem participant whose brand and product strategy shapes the percussion community PAS serves.
• Hal Leonard Corporation: Hal Leonard is a major music publishing and distribution company that publishes percussion method books, sheet music, and educational materials. It is adjacent to PAS as a content and supply-chain participant in music education.

Direct peers

• Modern Drummer: Modern Drummer is a long-running publication and education platform specifically for drummers, with subscription content, events, and educational resources. It overlaps with PAS in audience and editorial scope but operates as a commercial media brand rather than a nonprofit society.
• Music Teachers National Association (MTNA): MTNA is a nonprofit membership association for music teachers with tiered individual memberships, publications, and an annual national conference. Its structure—membership dues, journals, and a convention—directly mirrors PAS's operating model, just across a broader instrumental scope.
• American Federation of Musicians (AFM): AFM is a labor union and membership organization for professional musicians, providing member services, advocacy, and events. While broader in scope and labor-focused, it shares PAS's nonprofit, membership-dues-driven model and professional community orientation.
• National Association for Music Education (NAfME): NAfME is a nonprofit membership organization serving music educators across all specialties, publishing journals, and running conferences and competitions. It is the closest functional analog to PAS at a broader scope, sharing the same membership, publication, and convention-driven business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PercussiveArts
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PercussiveArtsSociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/PercussiveArts
• Instagraminstagram.com/percussivearts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Percussive Arts Society