The Austin Chamber of Commerce, the City of Austin and the State of Texas, along with technology and business partners, worked diligently to bring Thumtronics, a music technology company from Australia, to the Austin area. The company selected Austin over Silicon Valley, Seattle and Boston as their choice for relocation.

Many experts say that Thumtronics’ products – still in development – could be the “Next Big Thing”. These products include a new electronic musical instrument, the Thummer™, and a new approach to displaying musical information, the ThumMusic™ System. Thumtronics’ products have the potential to make music easier to learn, more expressive, and more multi-cultural, and its Web site features supporting quotes from musicians, music educators, university researchers and musical instrument retailers. Even business school academics lend their support, saying that Thumtronics’ products’ simplicity and power give them the potential to grow the $30 billion musical instrument and music lesson industries, which could mean a lot for Austin.

According to Jim Plamondon, CEO of Thumtronics Inc, “Our previous home was Perth, Western Australia. To bring our products to market, we needed to relocate to a city that understood computing technology – like Silicon Valley, Boston, Seattle or Austin. We also needed a city that understood the cultural and economic power of music, and there, Austin stood alone.”

"Austin's ability to attract innovative foreign companies like Thumtronics highlights the convergence of our creative and technology industries,” said Joe Holt, Chair of Opportunity Austin, the Chamber's five year initiative to create 72,000 jobs, and Chairman of JPMorgan Chase-Austin. “One of the Chamber’s key initiatives in 2007 is to continue to grow the digital entertainment sector. Thumtronics fits perfectly with that mission.”

Thumtronics estimates it will have up to 400 employees in the next five years.

Dr. Edward Pearsall, Associate Professor of Theory at UT-Austin's School of Music, sees potential in Thumtronics' innovations. "The theoretical implications of these innovations are far-reaching,” said Pearsall. “Thumtronics adds an exciting new dimension to music-making and is certain to have an impact on Austin's thriving music industry."

Thumtronics' innovations have the potential to revolutionize music education, too. Dean Smith, President of the Texas Chapter of the Technology Institute for Music Educators, said, "The Thummer is a fantastic way to learn music. Its keyboard is like a Periodic Table of the Intervals. I am sure that my students will take to it immediately.”

Hank Coleman sees Thumtronics' potential as well. CEO of Austin’s OpenLabs, makers of the award-winning MiKo™ and NeKo® keyboard workstations, he says that “After half an hour with Jim, I definitely ‘got it.’ The Thummer could be the Next Big Thing in the musical instrument industry. Having Thumtronics here in Austin could give our local musicians a unique advantage in the fiercely competitive global music market.”

"We like partnering with our clients. To help Thumtronics get started in the United States, we're providing legal services for equity," said Jim Montgomery, Managing Partner of the Austin office of DLA Piper, one of the world's largest full service commercial law firms. "That's a strong statement of our belief in Thumtronics' potential. DLA Piper has 63 offices in 24 countries, but none of them fit as well for Thumtronics as Austin."

Plamondon says that he was bowled over by Austin’s enthusiasm for Thumtronics’ innovations. “Everyone was upbeat and positive about Thumtronics’ fit with Austin. I can hardly imagine a more welcoming community. I look forward to involving Austin’s musicians, music educators, music industry veterans, and angel investors in Thumtronics. Together, we can make a better world – one note at a time.”

For details on an upcoming event hosted by the Austin Chamber of Commerce, visit www.thummer.com