Cooler-than-normal temperatures did not prevent attendees from visiting The NAMM Show from Jan. 16-19 in Anaheim, Calif. A total of 115,888 NAMM member and invited registrants registered for the show, an rise of 587 people, or about an 0.5-percent increase, compared to 2019. Registrants were an invited mix of industry professionals from across the crossroads and included domestic and international retail and distribution buyers and employees, exhibitors, entertainment tech and pro audio buyers and professionals, media, artists, invited guests, and The NAMM Foundation GenNext (college music students and faculty), Music Education Days (school music administrators and buyers) and Nonprofit Institute (NAMM grantees and nonprofit affiliates) participants.
“It was incredible to see NAMM members and industry professionals from around the world come together in such a positive way to experience the launch of countless new products, attend the best industry education available anywhere and to enjoy the comradery and networking that makes our musical lives so meaningful,” said Joe Lamond, NAMM president and CEO. “The NAMM Show campus served as a living, breathing snapshot of the current global marketplace and I truly believe that our attendees who made the commitment and investment to be there have increased their competitive advantage for success in the year ahead.”
With business at the top of mind, The NAMM Show welcomed more than 2,000 exhibiting member companies, representing 7,000 brands, across all areas of The NAMM Show campus. Of the 115,888 NAMM Member and invited registrants, international members accounted for nearly 20-percent growth over two years. Registrants were an invited mix of industry professionals from across the crossroads and included domestic and international retail and distribution buyers and employees, exhibitors, entertainment tech and pro audio buyers and professionals, media, artists, invited guests, and The NAMM Foundation GenNext (college music students and faculty), Music Education Days (school music administrators and buyers) and Nonprofit Institute (NAMM grantees and nonprofit affiliates) participants.
“The NAMM Show is the ultimate opportunity for industry professionals to come together to share their passion for music, build relationships, and learn from each other through the vast array of educational and networking opportunities that The NAMM Show has to offer,” said chair of the NAMM Board of directors, Chris Martin of C.F. Martin. “It’s a place where we hold each other up, cheer each other on, and strengthen the industry as a whole.”
Added Tom Sumner, president of Yamaha Corporation of America, “The NAMM Show is the best opportunity of the year for Yamaha to reach our end-user customers, dealers, and the music industry as a whole. Each year, including 2020, Yamaha has increased the amount of dealers and customers we interact with at the show, and NAMM is the one place where Yamaha dealers can experience the breadth of Yamaha products. This year dealers were especially taken with several new innovative products including the SLB300 Silent Bass and the YBS480 Baritone Saxophone.”
“The NAMM Show 2020 in Anaheim once more turned out to be the center hub for the global music industry,” noted Markus Theinert, vice president of Marketing and International Sales for Conn-Selmer. “For us, as America’s largest manufacturer of band & orchestra instruments, it is important to connect with customers, suppliers, educators and artists from around the world to discuss future business opportunities as well as to stay in close touch with new product and sales trends in an ever changing world. Meeting the people is still important in our relationship industry and the NAMM show provides an ideal platform for that purpose.”
As the first show of the calendar year, purchasing decisions and future planning were top-of-mind for the crowd of traditional retail sellers, ecommerce, and distributors across-the-board. “As the world’s largest musical instrument retailer, Guitar Center’s participation at The NAMM Show is a top priority,” said Karl Bracken, Guitar Center executive vice president of merchandising and private Brands. “The show provides us with an opportunity to connect with our vendor community all in one place and allows us to discuss key issues and trends in the MI space while interfacing with an exhibitors’ complete teams to better showcase and demonstrate their latest offerings.”
“Coming to NAMM gives us the unique opportunity to meet face-to-face with the buyers, sellers, and makers who invite Reverb to be part of their lives every day,” stated Kevin Drost, Chief Strategy Officer of Reverb. “We meet with store owners to discuss how they can increase their sales online, talk with manufacturers, nonprofits, and other partners we’ve worked with over the years, and hear stories from musicians about the perfect piece of gear they found on our site. We’re in regular contact with our users throughout the year, but there’s something special about hearing success stories and getting feedback in-person. At the end of the day, Reverb wouldn’t be what it is today without the passionate people who love and rely on it — the NAMM Show gives us an opportunity to celebrate together.”
And asserted Mark Terry, president of KMC, “NAMM has become the biggest show in the world right now for musical instruments and pro audio. Our business is very involved in both aspects of that, and there’s no show like it anywhere else, so it’s quite a good value for money to come and see that whole customer base in one place at one time. We’re mostly in the distribution business, but it’s key to us creating new relationships, and when you’re a distribution company, it’s about adding new product lines you can sell, and this show is where find them and meet them. We can’t live without it.”