ORGANIZATION HISTORY
Formed in 1995, the Percussion Marketing Council (PMC) is the percussion industry's trade organization. Its members are drum and percussion manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers and it is governed by a board made up from a representative group of its members. But more than just a group of companies and a governing body, the PMC is a non-profit with a mission to actively promote the many benefits of drumming to the general public. By working together as a group of related firms in a non-competitive and cooperative manner, the PMC is creating more players and is assuring continuous development of more and new drummers.

MISSION
The PMC's mission is to provide professional marketing and advertising campaigns, programs and activities that bring increased public awareness to drumming, thus increasing the number of people playing all types of drums.

GOALS

A. To promote drumming as a positive experience for all individuals regardless of age, gender, musical background, economic means, education or geographic location

B. To expand both the percussion market and demand for percussion instruments through the increased visibility of all forms of percussion

C. To unify the percussion products industry in order to create a stronger voice in the music industry and a forum for greater communication among all companies and members

CAMPAIGNS, PROGRAMS & ACTIVITIES

A. Public Relations Initiatives
PMC seeks to increase the public's awareness of drumming - and its enjoyment and benefits - by achieving more visibility in mainstream consumer media.
• International Drum Month continues to play a dominant part of the annual PMC promotions and will once again seek to draw larger audiences together in order to learn more about drumming

B. Market Expansion Programs
The PMC has been the catalyst of the percussion industry's significant expansion over the past ten years, and in 2004 much of the organization's activities and programs are focused on creating even more growth by focusing on promoting drumming to new players, rather than merely selling more drums to existing customers.

• Developmental Drumming is a program that reaches out to children ages two to seven (and their parents) as well as child care centers, corporate day care providers and population centers
  
• Roots of Rhythm: World Drumming For The 5th & 6th Grade Classroom is an initiative that will be developed in collaboration with The International House Of Blues Foundation and will provide World Percussion curriculum and hands-on training sessions for fifth and sixth grade classroom teachers by the Fall of 2004
  
• PLAYDRUMS First Drumming Experience is a program that brings CD ROM and web-based educational materials to music stores and private instructors. Created in 2002, this project has resulted in the development of two separate yet compatible ³first lesson forums²: Introduction To The Drumset and Introduction To Conga Drumming

C. Industry Alliance & Outreach Activities
The PMC is working more closely with existing organizations, (particularly the Percussive Arts Society, NAMM and AMC) that share a common desire to develop more players and foster a greater awareness of the benefits of music making.

• NAMM & AMC Initiatives - The members of the PMC seek a stronger association with NAMM initiatives like RECREATIONAL MUSIC MAKING, I BELIEVE IN MUSIC, themusicedge.com and TEENS WANT TO BE HEARD as well as programs such as The Music & Sound Expo and Boys & Girls Clubs. By working together, a synergy to create more music makers is being achieved
  
• PAS Initiatives - PMC seeks to incorporate market development activities and messages into PAS' local, national and international events (including State Chapter Days of Percussion and the PAS International Conference) through children's outreach concerts and introductory five-minute Œplaydrums lesson labs'. These programs provide information/educational materials for students, teachers and parents while creating a positive first drumming experience for children