Percussive Arts Society launches Steve Weiss Memorial Grant for emerging vendors

The Percussive Arts Society has opened a new pathway for small percussion businesses that need more than a sales pitch to break through. The Steve Weiss Memorial Grant, which opened April 1 and closes June 1, is aimed at emerging vendors and is designed to give them a shot at PASIC, where the right room can matter as much as the right product.

PAS says the grant is managed and administered by the society and funded by a generous gift from longtime PAS member Joe Cochran. The organization frames it as a business incubator for the percussion community, one that can help vendors showcase products and services at PASIC instead of trying to build visibility one handshake at a time. For young builders, specialty retailers, accessory makers, and other niche percussion companies, that kind of access can be hard to buy and even harder to earn.

The timing raises the stakes. PASIC 2026 is set for November 11-14 in Indianapolis, Indiana, and PAS calls it the largest event of its kind, focused exclusively on drums and percussion in all its forms and from all genres. The convention is building on PASIC50, which drew more than 7,800 percussionists. That makes the grant less like a small subsidy and more like a chance to get in front of a crowd that can shape a brand’s future through artist relationships, dealer interest, and word of mouth.

The memorial name carries real weight inside the percussion business. PAS says Steve Weiss served the community for more than 50 years as owner of Steve Weiss Music, a shop known for percussion instruments, music, hard-to-find world percussion gear, and fast service for players who needed to rent or buy instruments or mallets on short notice. Steve Weiss Music traces its roots to 1961, when Weiss began renting marimbas out of a 1960s Plymouth before building the company into a player-run percussion business.

PAS also noted that Weiss died on April 21, 2014, after a long illness, and that the society had already recognized him with its President’s Industry Award in 2013. That history gives the new grant a clear purpose: it is not just honoring a name, it is extending a legacy of service, access, and practical support into the next generation of vendors.

The grant also sits inside a broader PAS scholarship slate for 2026. Educational scholarships opened March 2 and close April 30, while PASIC scholarships open May 1 and run through June 30. Together, those programs show PAS investing not only in players and educators, but in the businesses that supply the sticks, mallets, instruments, and specialty gear the community depends on.