Alfred Music Publishing

Alfred Music is an American music publishing company whose business combines consumer sheet music, instrumental and vocal method books, classroom resources, ensemble literature, performance arrangements, digital learning tools, and related educational media. The company traces its origins to New York City’s Tin Pan Alley in 1922, when violinist and silent-film music importer Sam Manus established Manus Music. The early business concentrated primarily on popular sheet music, reflecting the commercial music culture of the period. In 1930, Manus acquired Alfred & Company, a publisher founded by Alfred Haase. He combined the two names and shortened the resulting identity to Alfred Music, the name by which the business became widely known. The company later developed a strong educational orientation under Manus’s son, Morton “Morty” Manus, a clarinetist and pianist who began working with the business in the late 1940s. Morty helped guide the company toward instructional publishing, responding to the demand for accessible, systematic materials for music students and teachers. The company’s educational development included an accordion instructional series and later expanded into guitar, piano, recorder, band, orchestra, percussion, and other areas. Alfred’s teaching catalog became a central part of its identity. Its products have generally been designed as structured learning systems rather than isolated pieces, combining lesson material with theory, technique, performance, accompaniment, assessment, and teacher-support components. Examples include the Premier Piano Course, the Accent on Achievement band method, and the Sound Innovations family for strings, concert band, and percussion. The company has also used recorded, video, and online materials to supplement printed instruction, including streaming accompaniments and master-class resources associated with selected series. The company moved to larger offices in Los Angeles in 1975. As sales grew, it expanded internationally in 1980 and subsequently maintained additional operations or branches in markets including Miami, New York, Germany, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Its catalog has also extended beyond original instructional materials. In 2005, Alfred acquired Warner Bros. Publications from Warner Music Group, including Belwin-Mills and a catalog connected with earlier publishing names such as Feist, Harms, Miller, Mills, Remick, and Witmark. That transaction broadened Alfred’s repertoire and publishing assets. Alfred has also participated in music-industry partnerships. In 2002, it partnered with Daisy Rock Girl Guitars, linking its publishing and instructional capabilities with a guitar brand marketed toward girls and young players. Its product portfolio has included popular, educational, ensemble, and performance-oriented materials, as well as media products such as the Behind the Player DVD series featuring hard-rock guitarists discussing and demonstrating songs. In April 2016, Alfred Music joined Peaksware Holdings LLC, the parent company of MakeMusic. Gear Fisher became chief executive officer, while Ron Manus moved from the CEO position to business development. At the time of the transaction, Alfred sold its sacred music catalog to Jubilate Music. The Peaksware transaction placed Alfred alongside music-technology and education businesses and marked a change from the company’s long period as a family-associated independent publisher. Alfred Music remains associated with music education, repertoire publishing, and resources for students, teachers, performers, schools, and ensembles.

Alfred Music began in New York City in 1922, when violinist and silent-film music importer Sam Manus founded Manus Music in the Tin Pan Alley district. The original business focused mainly on popular sheet music. In 1930, Manus acquired Alfred & Company, a publisher established by Alfred Haase. He combined the names and developed the Alfred Music identity that the company continues to use. The business gradually shifted from a primarily popular-sheet-music publisher toward a broader educational music company. Morton “Morty” Manus, Sam Manus’s son, was a clarinetist and pianist who joined the company in the late 1940s. Under his influence, Alfred developed instructional materials intended to give students and teachers organized methods for learning instruments. An accordion series was followed by publications for guitar, piano, recorder, band, orchestra, and percussion. This educational emphasis became one of the company’s defining characteristics. Alfred moved to larger offices in Los Angeles in 1975. The company expanded internationally in 1980 as sales increased, later maintaining branches or additional operations in Miami, New York, Germany, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Its catalog combined original educational systems with repertoire, arrangements, performance materials, and teacher resources. A significant expansion came in 2002 through a partnership with Daisy Rock Girl Guitars. In 2005, Alfred acquired Warner Bros. Publications from Warner Music Group. The acquisition included Belwin-Mills and material connected to a number of older publishing businesses, including Feist, Harms, Miller, Mills, Remick, and Witmark. The deal enlarged Alfred’s music catalog and strengthened its position across educational, popular, and ensemble publishing. The company’s educational portfolio has included the Premier Piano Course, Accent on Achievement, and the Sound Innovations family. Sound Innovations materials cover strings, concert band, and percussion, with some products supported by online audio, streaming video, and master-class content. Alfred has also published media-oriented offerings such as Behind the Player, a DVD series built around conversations with and instruction from hard-rock guitarists. In April 2016, Alfred Music joined Peaksware Holdings LLC, whose portfolio included MakeMusic. Gear Fisher became chief executive officer, and Ron Manus transitioned from CEO to business development manager. As part of the transaction, Alfred sold its sacred music catalog to Jubilate Music. The deal represented a new ownership phase for a company that had developed over decades from a New York sheet-music publisher into an international educational and music-content business. Alfred Music’s continuing identity is centered on printed and digital resources for music learning, teaching, ensemble performance, and repertoire access.

1. 2016Alfred joins Peaksware

   Alfred Music becomes part of Peaksware Holdings LLC, with a corresponding change in executive responsibilities and the sale of its sacred music catalog.

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2. 2005Warner Bros. Publications acquisition

   Alfred acquires Warner Bros. Publications, including Belwin-Mills and related historic publishing catalogs.

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3. 2002Partnership with Daisy Rock Girl Guitars

   Alfred forms a partnership with Daisy Rock Girl Guitars.

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4. 1980International expansion

   Growing sales lead Alfred Music to expand beyond the United States.

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5. 1975Move to larger Los Angeles offices

   The company relocates to larger offices in Los Angeles as its publishing operations grow.

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6. 1930Acquisition of Alfred & Company

   Sam Manus acquires Alfred & Company, founded by Alfred Haase, and combines the names into the Alfred Music identity.

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7. 1922Manus Music is founded in New York

   Sam Manus establishes a music publishing business in Tin Pan Alley, initially concentrating on popular sheet music.

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A broad music-education and repertoire publisher serving learners, teachers, schools, ensembles, and performing musicians through integrated print, digital, audio, and video resources.

• Sound InnovationsMusic education

  Sound Innovations is a family of instrumental education products for school and ensemble settings. Its materials include resources for strings, concert band, and percussion, with supporting content such as online audio, streaming video master classes, and accompaniments in selected editions. The series is designed to help beginning and developing musicians build technique, musicianship, ensemble awareness, and a characteristic playing sound.

• Sound Innovations for String OrchestraString education

  This method is intended for string-orchestra instruction and emphasizes the development of a characteristic sound alongside fundamental playing skills. It forms part of Alfred’s broader school-music curriculum and is supported within the Sound Innovations ecosystem by supplementary digital and audio resources where available.

• Ensemble Development for Concert BandBand education

  Ensemble Development for Concert Band provides exercises aimed at building the foundational qualities required for concert-band performance. The materials address ensemble concepts and coordinated musicianship, making them suitable for teachers developing collective sound, balance, blend, and performance readiness.

• Sound PercussionPercussion education

  Sound Percussion is a multi-book percussion curriculum with material for snare drum and bass drum, mallet percussion, timpani, and accessory instruments. The set also includes a teacher’s score, giving instructors an organized framework for introducing percussion technique and ensemble participation.

• Accent on AchievementBand method

  Accent on Achievement is a three-book band method written by John O’Reilly and Mark Williams. It provides sequential instruction for beginning band students and is structured for classroom or ensemble use, combining progressive playing material with the skills required for continued instrumental development.

• Premier Piano CoursePiano education

  Premier Piano Course is a piano-learning system built around coordinated lesson, theory, performance, technique, and supplementary books. Its modular structure allows teachers to combine core instruction with reinforcement and performance material, positioning it as a comprehensive course rather than a single method book.

• Behind the PlayerInstructional video

  Behind the Player is a DVD-based instructional series featuring conversations with hard-rock guitarists together with demonstrations and song instruction. The series extends Alfred’s educational publishing model into artist-led video content aimed at players interested in rock-guitar technique and repertoire.

• 2016Join Peaksware HoldingsM&A

  Alfred Music entered a new ownership phase within Peaksware Holdings LLC, the parent company of MakeMusic.

  What changed. Alfred joined the Peaksware portfolio. Gear Fisher became CEO, Ron Manus moved to business development, and the sacred music catalog was sold to Jubilate Music.

  Aftermath. The transaction aligned Alfred with a broader music-technology and education group while separating the sacred music catalog from the business.

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• 2005Acquire Warner Bros. PublicationsM&A

  Alfred sought to expand its publishing catalog and strengthen its position across educational, performance, and repertoire music. Warner Bros. Publications included Belwin-Mills and material inherited from several historic publishers.

  What changed. Alfred acquired Warner Bros. Publications from Warner Music Group.

  Aftermath. The transaction broadened Alfred’s catalog and added established publishing assets to its existing educational and music-content business.

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• 2016Alfred Music joins Peaksware Holdings

  Alfred Music became part of Peaksware Holdings LLC, the parent company of MakeMusic. Gear Fisher became CEO and Ron Manus moved to business development; Alfred also sold its sacred music catalog to Jubilate Music.

  M&ALeadership change
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• 2005Alfred Music acquires Warner Bros. Publications

  Alfred acquired Warner Bros. Publications from Warner Music Group, including Belwin-Mills and publishing assets associated with several historic music publishers.

  M&A
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• 2002Alfred Music partners with Daisy Rock Girl Guitars

  Alfred entered a partnership with Daisy Rock Girl Guitars, connecting its educational publishing activities with the guitar brand.

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1. Alfred Music
2. Alfred Music joins Peaksware, parent company of MakeMusic