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Forbes

September 1, 1977
The Electronic Muse

BELGIAN-BORN Adolphe Sax earned a modest niche in music history by developing the saxophone. But Robert A. Moog (rhymes with rogue) invented the Moog synthesizer and "bent the course of music forever," says Rolling Stone magazine. "Moog" is almost generic for the synthetic music-maker that yearly looms larger in concerts and recordings.
The soft-spoken Moog, now 43, built the first practical synthesizer 15 years ago, and has since ridden the inventor's traditional roller coaster. He first prospered, then nearly went bust, but now is making out comparatively well.
Moog, now in East Aurora, N. Y., made his first electronic instrument at 14 from plans in a magazine. He built a theremin, which makes the whining sound so popular in monster movies. He sold $50,000 worth of theremin kits to pay his way through Cornell graduate school in physics. "Then I borrowed $17,000 from the Small Business Administration to make synthesizer components for musicians. I put the components together and displayed them at an audio engineers' convention in 1964."
The ad agencies grabbed the idea. Cool, unidentifiable "Moog sounds" reached the public consciousness via avenues like Campbell's soup commercials and the soundtrack for The Graduate.
By 1969 R.A. Moog Inc. was earning 11% on $500,000 revenues. "Two years later a recession hit Madison Avenue. I had a huge inventory and no capital." There was a market in the performing musician, but Moog couldn't reach him.
"Rather than go bankrupt," says Moog, "I gave 80% of my company to a group headed by engineer William Waytena. They erased the lien on my house and built up a sales force, but they balked on research funds." Competitors designed around Moog's patents. In 1973 Waytena sold 40% of Moog's company, plus marketing rights, to musical instruments maker Norlin Corp.
So today Moog invents for a corporation, but that hasn't been so bad. Nor-lin's $100,000 of research money led to the invention of the chip now used in the Polymoog, the first synthesizer with chord-playing capabilities. Heavily promoted at $4,500, the Polymoog has doubled Norlin's Moog sales since its introduction in late 1976.
Robert Moog is no longer his own boss. Still, how many men at 43 have already been able to leave an indelible mark on the world's music.