"We're not out beating our chest, we're just kind of doing our thing, " McGuinn says.

FORBES: Companies, People, Ideas

But as McGuinn will tell you, a lot can go wrong in a merged company.

FORBES: Pittsburgh Panther

McGuinn has made his second biggest shareholder, at least, forget all about Bank of New York.

FORBES: Pittsburgh Panther

McGuinn has moved to make Mellon look even less like a bank.

FORBES: Companies, People, Ideas

He's collaborating on a series of special-edition guitars with musicians like Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, whose tricked-out 12-string comes, signed, in a black denim case.

FORBES: Stringing them along

"We were on board as one of the first publishers that got involved with Audible, when digital distribution of audio was a relatively new concept, " says McGuinn.

CNN: Books on tape, on the Web

Judith McGuinn, the VP and director of Time Warner AudioBooks, says digital distribution can expand the audiobook market as both a marketing tool and supplemental revenue stream.

CNN: Books on tape, on the Web

"That's because we're not a bank, " McGuinn, 58, explains.

FORBES: Pittsburgh Panther

"We've got size, " McGuinn says.

FORBES: Pittsburgh Panther

Martin McGuinn, who took over as chief executive two years ago, is a lawyer by training and oblivious to banker's hours: He's gazing over Pittsburgh from his top-floor office by 5:30 every morning, when the three sprawling rivers below are still black as the coal buried deep in the surrounding hills.

FORBES: Pittsburgh Panther

And I started playing the 12-string guitar after really hearing Pete Seeger play and recording things like "Tambourine Man" with Jim McGuinn(ph), Roger McGuinn(ph), and so this guitar - I'm so glad you asked about this guitar because this is patterned after a D-40, a Martin D-35 that I played for years, and it's my signature Judy Collins Martin guitar.

NPR: Judy Collins, From Both Sides Now