DRUM!

What DRUM! does

DRUM! Magazine is a print and digital drumming publication operated by 180 Drum Inc., a privately held Canadian corporation headquartered in Grimsby, Ontario. The publication targets drummers across all skill levels — from hobbyists to professionals — delivering instructional content including technique lessons, groove analyses, gear reviews, artist features, and industry news across genres such as rock, jazz, Latin, and reggae. The technical stack is a WordPress-based content management system, with two owned web properties (drummagazine.com for editorial content and drummagazinestore.com for e-commerce) plus a weekly email newsletter (Drum Week). The product portfolio centers on the core magazine publication, supplemented by digital editions, back-issue bundles, and structured lesson content.

The company's business model combines three revenue streams: recurring print and digital magazine subscriptions, one-time sales of digital editions and back-issue bundles, and advertising/sponsorships from drum equipment manufacturers and music industry brands. Pricing for subscriptions and digital products is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is product-led and content-driven: free educational articles function as top-of-funnel content, while the email newsletter's offer of three free digital editions acts as a lead magnet for subscriber acquisition. The publication also runs the DRUMMIES! Gear Awards, an annual reader-voted recognition program that has operated for 24+ years, reinforcing brand authority and advertiser relationships within the drumming community.

DRUM! serves a primarily North American readership with global digital distribution, and the company maintains GDPR (updated May 2018) and CCPA compliance. There are no disclosed institutional investors, parent companies, funding rounds, M&A activity, or leadership changes in the available data. With 11-50 employees and no disclosed financial figures, DRUM! operates as a niche, vertically focused content business whose competitive position rests on its multi-decade content archive, established community recognition, and owned distribution channels.

Name

DRUM!

Legal name

180 Drum Inc.

Website

https://drummagazine.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DRUM! Magazine is a print and digital drumming publication operated by 180 Drum Inc., serving drummers of all skill levels with lessons, gear reviews, artist features, and industry news via subscriptions, advertising, and digital product sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital magazine subscriptions providing regular drumming education content, lessons, and industry coverage to drummers of all skill levels.
2. Digital Products: Sale of digital editions and back-issue bundles through drummagazinestore.com, offering archived content and themed collections.
3. Advertising & Sponsorships: Gear reviews, product features, and advertising placements from drum equipment manufacturers and music industry brands.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DRUM! is a print and digital magazine publication dedicated to drumming, produced by 180 Drum Inc. It delivers recurring editorial content covering drumming lessons, gear reviews, artist features, news, and how-to articles, alongside digital subscription products and back-issue bundles sold through its own online store. The publication generates revenue through magazine subscriptions, digital product sales, and advertising from drum equipment manufacturers.

Product overview

DRUM! is a drumming magazine published by 180 Drum Inc., offering both print and digital editions. The publication provides comprehensive drumming content including instructional lessons, gear reviews, artist features, news, and how-to articles. The product portfolio centers on the core magazine publication, supplemented by a weekly email newsletter (Drum Week), digital edition subscriptions offering free issues, and an online store for back issues and bundles. Content categories cover lessons (technique tutorials, video lessons, groove analyses), gear reviews (drums, cymbals, pedals), news, and features on prominent drummers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DRUM! Magazine Print and digital drumming publication providing lessons, gear reviews, news, features, and how-to content for drummers of all skill levels, available via subscription.
• DRUM! Back Issue Bundles Online storefront offering archived magazine content and themed back-issue bundles for purchase by individual drummers seeking historical content.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Guitar World: A larger, established music-instrument magazine (guitar-focused) operating with a similar business model (print/digital subscriptions, gear reviews, lessons, artist features, advertising). Comparable in product format and revenue mix, but serving the guitar niche rather than drums.
• Sound On Sound: A long-established recording and music production magazine with lessons, gear reviews, and artist features. Operates a similar subscription-plus-advertising model and reaches music-makers, though focused on recording/production rather than performance instruments.
• Guitar Player: Veteran instrument magazine with parallel editorial structure: instructional content, gear reviews, artist profiles, and a recurring subscription business. Comparable in business model and audience type, though serving guitarists rather than drummers.
• Bass Player: Long-running instrument-focused magazine with comparable editorial pillars (lessons, gear reviews, artist features, subscriptions, advertising). Adjacent music-instrument niche rather than direct drum competition, but analogous operating model and audience.
• Keyboard Magazine: Established music-instrument magazine covering keyboards, synths, and production gear with lessons, reviews, and artist interviews. Highly comparable in format (periodical + digital subscriptions + gear advertising) but addresses keyboardists rather than drummers.

Direct peers

• Modern Drummer: The most directly comparable peer: a long-standing drumming-focused magazine featuring artist interviews, lessons, gear reviews, and industry coverage. Closely aligned audience (drummers of all skill levels), editorial format, and revenue model (subscriptions, digital content, advertising).
• Rhythm Magazine: A UK-based drumming magazine with a comparable editorial mix of lessons, gear reviews, artist features, and technique tutorials. Direct competitor in the drumming-specific periodical category, though it serves primarily UK/European readers.
• Percussive Notes (Percussive Arts Society): Official publication of the Percussive Arts Society, covering percussion instruments (drums, mallets, world percussion) with educational content, research, and gear coverage. Comparable as a drumming/percussion-focused periodical serving serious practitioners.

Emerging players

• MusicTech: A digital-first music production and technology publication covering gear, software, and tutorials. Comparable in product-led growth, digital subscriptions, and gear-review-driven advertising, but primarily digital-native and focused on production tools.

Regional players

• Drumhead Magazine: An Irish/UK-published drumming magazine covering drumming culture, artist features, gear, and technique. Directly comparable in editorial scope and audience, though primarily serving European rather than North American readers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/drummagrocks
• Facebookfacebook.com/drummagazinerocks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/enter-music-publishing

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 DRUM!