Dear Cakewalk Customer,

I'm writing to you on the eve of the NAMM show. NAMM is typically the time where the music industry comes together for big announcements and product launches. We are looking forward to seeing all of our friends tomorrow and have some exciting things to share.

We're announcing an expansion of our strategic relationship with Roland. This is the natural progression of a relationship that goes back more than a decade. In 1995 Roland began distributing Cakewalk products in Japan. In 2003 Roland invested in Cakewalk to help fund the development and marketing of joint products. At that time they also started distributing our products in many markets outside the US. Now in 2008, Roland is increasing their investment in Cakewalk, and together we are committed to creating a series of impressive software/hardware joint products.

Although Roland now owns a bigger share of Cakewalk, they didn't acquire the whole company. Cakewalk is not becoming a "division" of Roland. On the contrary, we remain committed to developing stand-alone software, as well as hardware/software products. We're updating our logo today, to prepare you for seeing it on some very exciting joint products in the months and years ahead. Cakewalk knows how to make outstanding software. Roland knows how to make outstanding hardware. Together we can make a big difference in the world of music and audio creation and production.

I deeply value the relationships that we have built with you over the years. Our mission is to provide you with the best software and hardware tools for music and audio production. That hasn't changed and we will continue to look to you, our customers, for your important feedback. Our discussion forum will remain open. You will have the same high level of technical support and customer service you have come to expect from Cakewalk. And furthermore, we will stay committed to our belief in open standards, collaboration with other leaders in our industry, and not using intrusive copy protection.

This is just part of the news we have to share at NAMM this year. I invite you to visit our show blog to get all the news, and also to tune in to the live broadcasts we will be having from the show. We have some special guests and new product announcements that you do not want to miss.

I wish you a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Greg Hendershott

Founder & CEO
Cakewalk