Keyboard Magazine

What Keyboard Magazine does

Keyboard Magazine is a consumer-facing editorial property covering keyboards, digital pianos, MIDI controllers, and adjacent music production hardware, founded in 1975. It operates as a content vertical within the MusicRadar platform, itself part of Future plc, an international digital publishing group headquartered in Bath, United Kingdom (company registration number 2008885). The publication produces product reviews, buying guides, and tutorials authored by named specialist reviewers, with coverage spanning entry-level to flagship products from brands including Kawai, Yamaha, Roland, Casio, and Korg. Content is distributed across four regional editions (US, UK, Australia, Singapore) and a newsletter, reaching musicians and music gear enthusiasts globally; the parent group claims an audience of over 8 million musicians, professionals, and enthusiasts.

The underlying technology is a web-based digital publishing platform with no disclosed proprietary features beyond editorial content management, an archive of reviews, and the SampleRadar program offering over 95,000 free music samples for download. The business model is affiliate-referral commerce: MusicRadar earns commissions when readers purchase music gear through embedded links to partner retailers, principally Guitar Center, Sweetwater, and Musician's Friend. There is no subscription or direct pricing model for end users; the property monetizes commercial purchase intent generated by editorial content rather than charging readers. Distribution is purely digital and self-serve, with no disclosed app, API, or SDK surface.

Go-to-market is content-led SEO combined with a weekly curated deals newsletter. The publication competes for organic search traffic against other music gear publications by positioning itself as a comprehensive, expert-driven buying resource. Its strategic position is that of a niche-vertical editorial asset inside a larger multi-brand digital publisher, leveraging shared corporate infrastructure rather than operating as an independent media company.

Name

Keyboard Magazine

Website

https://keyboardmag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Short description

Keyboard Magazine is an editorial sub-brand of MusicRadar (Future plc) that publishes reviews, buying guides, and tutorials on keyboards, digital pianos, and MIDI controllers for musicians and music gear enthusiasts across US, UK, Australian, and Singapore editions, monetizing via affiliate commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Media Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

Keywords

• Music gear reviews
• Digital piano reviews
• Keyboard buying guides
• Music tech journalism
• Affiliate content publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bath

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Affiliate commissions: MusicRadar earns affiliate commissions when readers purchase products through links on the site. The site earns revenue from purchases made through partner retailers including Guitar Center, Sweetwater, Musician's Friend and other music gear merchants.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Keyboard Magazine operates as an editorial content publication covering keyboards, digital pianos, MIDI controllers, and related music technology. The site produces expert product reviews, comparative buying guides, and weekly deal roundups curated for musicians and music gear buyers. Content is delivered through a free, ad- and affiliate-supported web platform with regional editions across the UK, US, Australia, and Singapore.

Product overview

Keyboard Magazine, hosted within the MusicRadar platform, is a content publishing website providing editorial coverage of keyboards and digital pianos. The offering is a multi-format content platform featuring product reviews (individual reviews of Kawai CX102, Kawai ES120, Kawai CA901, Expressive E Osmose CE, and Akai MPC Key 37 G2), curated buying guides (Best Digital Pianos 2026), and deal aggregations (MusicRadar Deals of the Week). The content is organized into browsable categories including Reviews, Tutorials, and Buying Guides, serving musicians and music gear enthusiasts seeking purchasing guidance and product information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Keyboards & Pianos Editorial Section The flagship editorial section on MusicRadar providing ongoing coverage of keyboards, digital pianos, MIDI controllers, and music technology for musicians and gear enthusiasts, organized into Reviews, Tutorials, and Buying Guides categories.
• Best Digital Pianos Buying Guide A curated comparative buying guide of top digital pianos reviewed by a professional piano and music gear reviewer, with recommendations for buyers across all price ranges.
• MusicRadar Deals of the Week Weekly curated deals roundup showcasing the best available offers on a range of music-making gear from multiple retailers.
• MusicRadar Newsletter Subscription email newsletter delivering music and gear news, reviews, deals, and features to subscribers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Guitar CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGuitar Center is a retailer partner referenced in MusicRadar's deals coverage, where MusicRadar features Guitar Center offers alongside other music gear merchants in its weekly deals roundups.
• SweetwaterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSweetwater is featured in MusicRadar's deals of the week section, showcasing their offers on music-making gear alongside other retailers.
• Musician's FriendminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMusician's Friend is listed among the trusted retail partners whose deals are featured in MusicRadar's promotional content.
• Future plccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusicRadar is owned and operated by Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Future plc provides the corporate infrastructure, platform, and resources for MusicRadar's operations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Electronic Musician: Trade publication covering electronic music production, keyboards, MIDI controllers, and music gear with reviews, tutorials, and buyer guidance for a closely overlapping audience.
• MusicRadar: Sister publication within Future plc that hosts the Keyboards & Pianos coverage in the provided source; effectively the same operating platform as Keyboard Magazine within Future's music vertical.
• Sound On Sound: Long-running independent music technology magazine covering keyboards, synths, and recording gear with reviews and buying guidance targeted at the same musician and producer audience.
• Guitar World: Future plc music publication covering guitars and adjacent gear; runs a parallel editorial and affiliate commerce model targeting instrument-purchase-intent musicians.
• Tape Op: Independent magazine focused on music recording and production gear including keyboards and controllers, with a deep enthusiast and professional readership.

Broad incumbents

• Sweetwater: Large US music gear retailer that publishes its own in-depth gear content, reviews, and buying guides — competing with editorial sites for purchase-intent traffic and affiliate economics.
• Guitar Center: Major music instrument retailer that operates a content and deals platform competing for keyboards/pianos buyer traffic and influencing affiliate commission dynamics.

Regional players

• Premier Guitar: Music instrument-focused publication covering guitars, amps, and adjacent gear including keyboards; comparable editorial model and audience but with a guitar-centric emphasis.

Emerging players

• Reverb.com: Music gear marketplace that has built an editorial content layer featuring reviews, buying guides, and deals — competing directly for affiliate and commerce intent in the keyboards/pianos category.

Others

• DJ Mag: Adjacent music media brand covering DJ and electronic music gear; overlaps with Keyboard Magazine on controller keyboards, synths, and performance gear categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/keyboardmag
• Facebookfacebook.com/keyboardmagazine

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 Keyboard Magazine