A delegation of NAMM members and music industry leaders, among them NAMM President John Mlynczak, visited Capitol Hill on May 13 to urge members of Congress to exempt musical instruments from existing and potential future tariffs, and provide relief from the current tariffs.
Julie Robbins, CEO of boutique pedal makers EarthQuaker Devices represented the state of Ohio and gave her own testimony on how the current tariffs, in place since last year, have negatively impacted the company.
“EarthQuaker Devices has spent more than $100,000 in tariffs since April 2025,” she revealed. “That's money that could have gone toward good jobs for Ohioans and provided our team with more resources to innovate.
“Today, I asked Ohio's Congressional Representatives to stand up for their constituents, and I will continue to advocate for relief as long as I have to in order to get them to join the fight in earnest.”
Founded in 2004, EarthQuaker Devices was founded by musician Jamie Stillman, Robbins’ husband, who was previously involved in the cult record label, Donut Friends, which he operated from his home in Ohio.
After successfully repairing an overdrive pedal, Stillman kickstarted his boutique pedal business and, in 2007, released his first full-production pedal, the Hoof fuzz.
The Hoof quickly sparked the imagination of gearheads worldwide, enabling Stillman to quit his day job and focus on designing and developing pedals full-time.
A couple of years later, Robbins joined him as the fast-growing company’s CEO and relocated EarthQuaker to an abandoned glass factory, and later, to a vacant automotive paint warehouse, while also building a fully fledged team.
Since then, the Ohioan brand has been at the forefront of the left-field and boutique effects boom, and Robbins has also played a key role in advocating for smaller manufacturers.
Last May, Robbins shared that the business is at risk of going bankrupt and, in front of federal lawmakers, stated that the tariffs have increased costs and slowed sales for the company.
“This year our exports are down as much as 50% to 100% in some countries,” read her written testimony.
“Our customers say this is due to anti-American consumer sentiment and the global financial fallout from the chaotic rollout of U.S. tariffs. It is devastating to see America’s reputation fall so swiftly.”
Meanwhile, Mlynczak has continued to emphasize how the “unpredictability and suddenness” of the tariffs did not give firms “the time to plan, adapt or evolve,” leaving long-lasting, negative consequences for the industry as a whole.
