Yamaha Music Innovations and the International Society for Music Education Begin Strategic Collaboration

Leveraging Yamaha Creator Pass to advance music education for today’s creative practices
Joint hosting of creator contest announced at the ISME World Conference

MONTREAL, Canada ― Yamaha Music Innovations (hereinafter YMI), a U.S. subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation (hereinafter Yamaha), has begun a strategic collaboration with the International Society for Music Education (ISME), a global network for music education. The collaboration aims to support the next generation of music creators and create educational opportunities that enable learners to develop a wide range of relevant skills, from creation to distribution.

“Music education is evolving alongside the ways young people create, collaborate, and share music,” said Ryan Zellner, CEO of ISME. “Through our partnership with Yamaha Music Innovations, we’re creating new opportunities for students to explore songwriting, music production, AI-assisted creativity, game audio, and other emerging forms of musical expression. The Global Student Creator Challenge reflects ISME’s commitment to ensuring music education remains innovative, relevant, and accessible for future generations.”

“We are pleased to bring this initiative to life together with ISME and CommonTime Pathways, a Yamaha Music Innovations Fund portfolio company,” said Yusuke “Scott” Sugino, President and CEO of YMI. “We are particularly excited to expand opportunities for young creators to turn their ideas into original work and share their creativity with the world. Beginning with the Global Student Creator Challenge, we aim to grow Yamaha Creator Pass into a new platform where the next generation of creators can learn, create, and share their work with the world.”

This collaboration was announced at the Innovation Garage Stage during the ISME World Conference Montréal 2026, held in Montréal, Canada, from July 26 to 31, 2026. As the first initiative under the collaboration, YMI and ISME will jointly launch the Global Student Creator Challenge, an international competition for student creators, in August 2026. The competition will leverage Yamaha Creator Pass, Yamaha’s integrated platform for creators. Applications for the competition will be accepted through a platform provided by CommonTime Pathways, a Yamaha Music Innovations Fund portfolio company. CommonTime Pathways operates a recruiting platform that connects music students with university programs and scholarship opportunities, and using this platform for this competition is an example of YMI Fund’s collaboration with companies in its investment portfolio.

In recent years, advancements in digital technologies, including generative AI, and distribution platforms have significantly transformed the skills and scope of activities expected of music creators. In response to these changes, educational institutions are increasingly seeking to expand opportunities for students to learn every stage of the creative process, from creation to distribution, while incorporating the latest digital tools into music education. Through this collaboration, YMI and ISME will leverage their respective strengths to create new learning opportunities that bridge music education and creative activities. The initiative will promote an environment in which students can use Yamaha Creator Pass to gain hands-on experience with today’s creator workflows, including creating and editing music and audio content using digital tools, distributing their work, generating album artwork and other graphics, producing promotional videos, and monetizing their creations through merchandise production and sales.

Through this collaboration, YMI also aims to expand its engagement with educational institutions and students around the world while driving broader adoption of Yamaha Creator Pass. In addition, the company will incorporate feedback from educational settings and insights from ISME into the ongoing development of the service, with the goal of further enhancing its value and expanding the business.

Based in Silicon Valley, USA, YMI drives the creation of new business opportunities and promotes collaboration with and investment in startups to create new value through the convergence of music and technology. In 2025, YMI established a $50 million corporate venture capital (CVC) fund to foster innovation and business development in the music and creator ecosystem.

Yamaha Creator Pass is a subscription service that combines music creation, production, mastering, distribution, and promotion tools into one connected workflow system for modern creators. Powered by Yamaha and industry partners including Output, LANDR, Groover, Steinberg, DistroKid, and more, the platform is designed to reduce workflow fragmentation and help creators move from idea to finished release faster.

https://yamahacreators.com/

Founded in 1953 under the auspices of UNESCO, ISME is a global network connecting music educators, researchers, and policymakers around the world. Guided by its vision of “Music Education for All,” ISME works to advance and promote music education worldwide.

• https://yamahamusicinnovations.com/