Halftime Magazine

What Halftime Magazine does

Halftime Magazine is a bimonthly print and digital lifestyle publication operated by Muse Media, LLC, founded in July 2007 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The publication targets the U.S. marching arts community — including high school marching bands, college marching bands (including HBCUs), drum corps competing in DCI/DCA circuits, winter guard, indoor percussion, and indoor winds programs — with editorial coverage spanning profiles, technique tips, competition coverage, and product reviews. Distribution channels include print subscriptions, single-copy sales via Amazon.com and MagazineExpress.com, music store retail circulation, and digital editions through ISSUU, complemented by strategic media partnerships with Drum Corps International (World Championships sponsor), Bands of America, USBands, WGI Sport of the Arts, and Yamaha Corporation of America. The commercial model combines subscription revenue, targeted advertising to marching arts vendors (with reported engagement metrics including 42.4% of readers spending 30+ minutes per issue and 14.8% making online purchases), and adjacent publishing including the wholly-owned Yamaha SupportED Magazine (K-12 music education) and a book publishing line launched in April 2020. Technology stack comprises a WordPress content site, ISSUU-based digital delivery, and basic social media presence across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram — with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities or proprietary platform technology beyond the editorial archive spanning 15+ years. The company operates with a small editorial team (11-50 employees, plus an extensive network of freelance writers, many of whom are marching arts practitioners) under founder/CEO Christine Ngeo Katzman.

Name

Halftime Magazine

Legal name

Muse Media, LLC

Website

https://halftimemag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Halftime Magazine is a bimonthly print and digital lifestyle publication serving the U.S. marching arts community — including high school, college, drum corps, and winter guard segments — through editorial content, subscriptions, and targeted advertising partnerships with competitive circuits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marching Arts Lifestyle Media

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports & Recreation Magazines (MPAJAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

Keywords

• Marching arts publication
• Bimonthly lifestyle magazine
• Marching band media
• Drum corps coverage
• Winter guard content

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions and Single Copy Sales: Bimonthly print magazine distributed to marching arts participants, instructors, parents, alumni and fans. Available via subscription and single copy purchases through Amazon.com, MagazineExpress.com and music store retail locations.
2. Advertising: Targeted advertising space sold to companies serving the marching arts market. Includes print ads, sponsored editorial content, and digital edition placements with hyperlinked landing pages. Reader engagement data shows 39% visit advertiser websites, 14.8% buy online.
3. Book Publishing: Muse Media LLC, parent company, expanding into book publishing with titles like '90s Kids', 'Confessions of a Teenage Band Geek', and 'Furever Home Friends' series.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Halftime Magazine publishes a bimonthly print and digital lifestyle magazine covering the marching arts, including high school marching bands, college bands, drum corps, winter guard, indoor drumline, indoor winds, and all-age ensembles. The publication delivers profiles, feature stories, technique tips, competition coverage, news, events calendars, and product reviews targeted at marching arts participants, instructors, parents, alumni, and fans. It monetizes through magazine subscriptions, single copy sales, and advertising sold to companies serving the marching arts market.

Product overview

Halftime Magazine is a bimonthly print and digital lifestyle publication covering the marching arts. The product portfolio consists of the core Halftime Magazine print/digital publication, available through subscription and single-copy sales, the Halftime Magazine Digital Editions accessible via Issuu platform for mobile reading, and the Halftime Magazine Website serving as an online content hub with articles, archives, news, and community features. The publication covers high school marching band, college marching band, drum corps, winter guard, indoor drumline, indoor winds, and all-age ensembles. Published by Muse Media, LLC, the magazine premiered in July 2007 and has reached Volume 15 by 2021.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Halftime Magazine Print Edition A bimonthly print lifestyle magazine covering high school marching band, college marching band, drum corps, winter guard, indoor drumline, indoor winds, and all-age ensembles. Available via annual subscription and single copy purchases through Amazon.com, MagazineExpress.com, and music store retail locations.
• Halftime Magazine Digital Editions Digital editions of the bimonthly magazine available through the Issuu digital publishing platform, allowing readers to access full magazine content on mobile devices including iPhone, iPad, and Android.
• Halftime Magazine Website Online content platform featuring articles, archives, news, and recurring departments including Features, Sectionals, Gear Up, Regionals, Behind the Baton, and more. Offers newsletter signup and account management for subscribers.
• Single Copy Sales Individual issue purchases of Halftime Magazine through the magazine shop, Amazon.com, MagazineExpress.com, and participating music store retail locations for readers who do not want a full subscription.

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

30 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Drum Corps International (DCI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHalftime Magazine is an official partner and World Championships sponsor. Through this partnership, reaches the most elite marching music ensembles and competitive drum corps programs.
• Bands of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership brings coverage of high school marching band competitions and access to Music for All event participants.
• USBandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for reaching USBands competitive circuit participants and member programs.
• WGI Sport of the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial Media Partner since 2007 season; covers winter guard, indoor percussion and winds competitions.
• Cavalcade of BandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional competitive circuit partnership for reaching marching band programs.
• Tournament of BandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional competitive circuit partnership.
• Disneyland and Disney WorldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReaches up-and-coming marching groups through Disney parade and event opportunities.
• Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParademinorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for reaching marching bands participating in the iconic parade.
• U.S. Army All-American Marching BandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHalftime Magazine sponsored the first-ever U.S. Army All-American Marching Band in 2007.
• Youth in MusicminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with marching band event and competition organization.
• Yamaha Corporation of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company Muse Media publishes Yamaha SupportED Magazine for K-12 music educators under this partnership; also reaches Yamaha's extensive marching arts customer base.
• Yamaha (Harmony Director)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured partner on Halftime Magazine website banner advertising.
• DCA (Drum Corps Associates)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for all-age drum corps coverage and events.
• Mid-States Band AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional competitive circuit partnership.
• New York State Field Band ConferenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional competitive circuit partnership.
• Marching Band Open SeriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional competitive circuit partnership through WGASC.
• Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle CorpsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndividual drum corps partner.
• Youth in MusicminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarching band championship event partner.
• Southeastern Washington Cavalcade of BandsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional competitive circuit partner.
• Friendship CupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent partnership through Ascend Performing Arts.
• Color Guard EducatorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline resource partner for marching arts community.
• Drum Corps PlanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline resource partner.
• Field & FloorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline resource partner for marching arts.
• MARCHING.COMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline resource partner founded by Ken Martinson.
• Marching Round TableminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline resource partner for marching arts community.
• National Association of Music Parents (AMP)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational resource partner for music parent organizations.
• Illinois MarchingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerState resource partner for Illinois marching bands.
• Kentucky BandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerState resource partner for Kentucky bands.
• Parade Central (Minnesota)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerState resource partner for Minnesota parade events.
• College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Intercollegiate Marching BandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Christine Ngeo Katzman was a founding partner in 2020 of this virtual performance organization featuring nearly 1,500 college participants.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/halftimemag
• Facebookfacebook.com/halftimemag
• Instagraminstagram.com/halftimemag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Halftime Magazine