Categories
Music
Monthly
David Frangioni
Ron Spagnardi
January 1977
Modern Drummer Publications
United States
English
History[edit]
Modern Drummer magazine was conceived in the basement of Ron and Isabel Spagnardi's home in Nutley, New Jersey, funded only with the family's personal savings. The magazine's initial staff consisted of Leo Spagnardi (Ron's father, who taught him how to play the drums), and Ron and Isabel's daughter, Lori. Although they had no real publication experience or financial backing, the Spagnardis placed ads in local newspapers, in Downbeat, and in Drum World.[1]
"What we didn't consider when we put the ads in the papers," recalled Isabel in The Drummer, "was that we were innocently breaking the law by advertising a product that didn't even exist yet!" The ads worked, however, and subscriptions began coming in as the first issue was still being laid out on the Spagnardis' ping-pong table. Ron contributed most of the magazine's content, writing the majority of the articles on an old typewriter under various pen names. Within two years, the Spagnardis' basement could no longer provide the necessary space and so moved to its first proper office in Clifton, New Jersey. By 1984, the magazine once again outgrew its headquarters and moved to a larger facility in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. Ten years later, it moved to an even larger facility in the same town. Modern Drummer's offices remain at 12 Old Bridge Road in Cedar Grove today.
Ron Spagnardi died on September 22, 2003.[2] David Frangioni became Publisher in 2019 and then CEO/Owner in 2020.
In 2023, Modern Drummer was acquired by Consequence Media. [3]
Drum Business and book publishing[edit]
In 1993 Modern Drummer Publications introduced Drum Business, a magazine dedicated to the needs of drum retailers. The bi-monthly publication features interviews with drum sellers, press releases for new products, drum-industry news, articles and news such as on the annual National Association of Merchant Musicians (NAMM) convention.
Among the books Modern Drummer Publications has released are titles by well-known drummers such as Gary Chester, Carl Palmer and Bill Bruford. Ron Spagnardi authored more than a dozen books.