It's that time of year already! Broadcasters from all over the world will be gathering in Vegas on April 9 for one of the biggest trade events of the year. If you're planning to be there, be sure to stop by the MusicMaster Meeting Point in the North Hall (N6521) to say hello, score some swag, and take a peek at all of our latest software features, including...

In MusicMaster Pro...
See the latest Version 7 features, including the new Scheduling Calendar that shows all aspects of log preparation and delivery. Ready Check verifies that a log is ready for air based on criteria you provide. The Merge Songs tool allows you to combine copies of a song without losing history or other data. A new Live365 Connect interface simplifies setup for Live365 broadcasters.  

In MusicMaster Client-Server...
A new permission system makes it easier to set up and manage user roles. Schedule sharing between stations can now take special programming into account. We've also added additional compliance reporting for international licensing organizations.  

In MusicMaster Nexus Integration...
Additional features are available for real-time integration between MusicMaster and third party systems, such as the ability to push song and schedule changes to external systems automatically. Demonstrations of the latest interfaces can be seen at the MusicMaster booth and at many of our partnering system locations throughout the show.

Stop by the MusicMaster Meeting Point at N6521, or contact us to set up an appointment. For a free Exhibits-Only show pass, register using our sponsor code: LV6564. We look forward to seeing you there!

This month marks a major milestone at MusicMaster: our Vice President and CTO Scott Wirt is celebrating 30 years with the company! President/Founder Joe Knapp sums our feelings up perfectly when he says, "Scott was the first person I hired to help me with MusicMaster back in 1988 and he's never managed to find a better job. Thank God!"

Always a fan of radio, Scott grew up listening to and recording broadcasts from American Top 40, Paul Harvey and Doctor Demento. Once he discovered short wave radio, he spent many late nights searching for stations from all around the world, sending in listening reports and collecting QSL cards and other memorabilia. He even hosted pretend radio shows with friends, always hoping to be on the air for real one day. That day came in high school, when during a visit with friends to a college radio station, Scott saw a memo on the wall asking for someone to cover a one day special air shift at WOKY-AM. Scott applied and got the gig. This lead to a regular weekly air shift at that station and eventually a full-time job at WISN-AM/WLTQ-FM in Milwaukee, where Scott took on many roles including air shifts, news reports, live remotes, maintaining the station music library, producing a morning talk show and more. He moved up to Music Director and assistant to the Program Director, all before the age of 18.

Scott, just starting out in radio at WOKY in Milwaukee

During this time, Scott was also learning computer programming and using these skills for various projects at the radio station and for a family business. Early in the process of designing a music scheduling system to replace programming received from a satellite service, Scott met Joe Knapp and decided to use his system instead. At that time, it was on the market as MusicScan.

Looking back, Joe shares, “From the first moment I met Scott, I recognized that he was a true genius.” Soon, Joe had asked Scott to team up with him at MusicScan and they opened the first offices of “A-Ware Software” in New Berlin, WI in 1988. Scott began supporting and working on MusicMaster for DOS. Later, he created the Windows version of MusicMaster, and as the company grew even further, he designed and built a team to create MusicMaster Client-Server. Thirty years later, Scott continues to work on designing and programming the MusicMaster software products and managing his team of developers.

ON AIR's Thomas Roth and Rainer Eichhorn with Scott and Joe at MusicMaster's 25th Anniversary	Scott at NAB with MusicMaster team members Paul Ziino, Laurie Knapp, and Joe Knapp, and Informa's Gilberto Mariano	Scott with MusicMaster CS client Jay Stevens, SVP of Programming, Urban One and Reach Media

According to Joe, "Scott is our nuclear weapon. He's a brilliant systems analyst and code writer who also has radio programming in his DNA. That makes an incredible combination! Over ten thousand MusicMaster users benefit from Scott's genius every day, some without even knowing him." On a personal level, Joe calls Scott his “mutual muse” and says - “He’s like my son from another mother and father.”

Scott loves visiting with clients and working to turn their ideas and wishes into reality. He encourages users to learn and use new technology, including the latest MusicMaster features, to continue improving your stations and keeping them fresh. He says: "We build in ideas from some of the greatest minds in the business and share them with all of our clients."

As Joe concludes - Scott's impact at MusicMaster extends far beyond his programming. "If you need to make anything better - just ask Scott!" he says. So we thank you, Scott, for 30 years of making things better - not only for us, but also for thousands of radio stations around the world!

Celebrating 30 sweet years with Scott!

MusicMaster's next big Genius Day event is happening in Hollywood at the All Access Worldwide Radio Summit on May 2nd. Everyone is welcome to this free event, whether you are attending WWRS or not - though we encourage you to join us at the show as well! The Genius Day will take place at the W Hotel from 8:30am - 5pm, concluding before the WWRS evening kick-off cocktail party. The MusicMaster team, including Founder/President Joe Knapp and MSC Jesus Rodriguez, will be there to demonstrate techniques that you didn't even know you were missing out on. MusicMaster users like those pictured below have taken advantage of Genius Days - and highly recommend the experience!

Among other things, you'll learn how to harness MusicMaster's math and analysis tools to improve your rotations, while using advanced queries, layouts and customization options to speed up your workflow. You'll dive deep into the Rule Tree and Format Clock elements, so you can fully take advantage of all that MusicMaster has to offer. Find out more and RSVP by clicking the button below.