Well its January, and time for NAMM….wait, what?
NAMM 2023, April 13-15
Every year, music merchants, distributors, manufacturers, musicians, and music enthusiasts in general, get excited for the annual pilgrimage to the largest music-based trade show in North America…NAMM. Held at the Anaheim Convention Center, and just a short walk from Disneyland, the show traditionally houses 7 halls of virtually every music related product that one could dream of…and then some. Exhibitors come from around the world to show their new and innovative products, and to get a foothold in one of the largest music retail markets in the world. Regardless of how many times you have attended NAMM, it is difficult not to get at least a bit curious about this year’s attendees and products.
NAMM was created at the turn of the last century and in 1901, 52 members of the National Piano Manufacturers Association of America formed the National Association of Piano Dealers of America. They held their first convention in Baltimore in 1902 and charged $5 per store entry. In 1919, the group renamed itself National Association of Music Merchants…or NAMM. By then, the show was trading places between Chicago and New York, and would continue to do so until about 1930, when Chicago became the official home of NAMM. They still ended up trading the odd year with New York, and soon added a western show in LA. In the later 70’s they experimented with moving the show to the trade-show capitol of the US, Atlanta Georgia. The 80’s saw NAMM switch between Atlanta, Chicago and New York. This continued until 93 when the show finally found its home in Anaheim CA, right beside Disney. They also added the NAMM Summer Session in Nashville Tennessee. The last Summer NAMM was 2021 and with dates having been juggled, it remains to be seen whether it will resume.
NAMM is the industries’ tradeshow…it is the industries’ showcase, and it is the industries’ playground for at least 3 or 4 days. There is a booth or product for almost every faction of the music business, from rigging to sound reinforcement, recording to lighting, instruments and accessories for every genre of music, finance to warehousing and shipping, repairing to building and of course performing at home to the world’s largest stages. For most, NAMM is in a word, heaven, for those interested in music.
Personally, I started going to NAMM shows in the 90’s…both in Anaheim and Nashville (Nashville being my favorite as it was always more of a guitar show…plus ummm Nashville). I have yet to attend a show just as a visitor. I have worked every one I have been to, which means my ability to see very much was severely limited. However, there were always a few hours in the early morning and at lunch and coffee breaks to look around. My first show was overwhelming. From when I started going to NAMM, the attendees numbered somewhere north of 70,000 people over 4 days, and in 2020, that peaked at 115,000! The noise level is deafening, often ranging well over 110 decibels as a constant noise. It seems like every product is being tested at volume at the same time. After my second or third show however, I started to get the game….hydrating, taking regular breaks and walks and wearing earplugs made a huge difference. It did not reduce the awe and sheer amazement or the size of the show, nor the number of products.
Of course, we all remember covid. The January 2020 show in Anaheim was held just before they announced the pandemic, and a lot of people went home from that show very ill…and no-one really knew why. We always joked about Namthrax…that pesky virus that seemed to catch everyone off guard in Anaheim, but this one was different! I had friends leave the show and take emergency flights home to their doctors and I myself ended up being quite ill after the show with what was eventually diagnosed as covid. For obvious reasons, the 2021 show was cancelled for in person viewing and NAMM created a virtual show called Believe In Music. Things started to look up by that summer and Summer NAMM was held in Nashville but to very low attendance. The actual Anaheim show returned in 2022 but again in a modified and focused way. Some of the really big names that were extremely popular, (like Fender Gibson and PRS) did not attend the 2022 show…and it seems they will not attend the 2023 show either. These are companies that would literally spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to attend these shows, and would bring the people and buyers into the show by the droves. Covid however, gave them a different perspective on tradeshows…is it actually worth attending? Is that money better spent directly with our major buyers? Are tradeshows actually going to be extinct in the next few years? Covid opened some interesting doors.
Musikmesse is the European equivalent to NAMM, and Musikmesse’s sister show Music China is the Chinese, or far east version. Both these shows have undergone major changes as well. Musikmesse was cancelled in 2022 citing “the dramatic transformation of the instrument market, where over 70% of sales are now attributed to a small number of online dealers”. In other words…’what’s the point?’ With all three of the major music industry tradeshows in the world shuttering themselves and modifying their approach, it is fair to wonder if these shows are dying out. Namm and Musikmesse say no….the shows must change and become more focused on products and services that are difficult to sell online. Plus there is always the tactile experience…I know I personally am not buying a $3000 guitar without picking it up and trying it out, much less a $10,000 instrument.
I think there will be a new style tradeshow in the next few years. I do not think that we can ever completely lose this method of displaying our new products, but I do think we will change how we do it. The old days of hospitality suites, partially clad models walking the show floor and handing out samples and just the mere idea of taking four days in January to complete the purchasing for your store for the upcoming year…well they are going the way of every other industry tradeshow …. extinct. I’m excited to see where the industry will go in the next few years. I am more excited for the lads at SOLO who are hopping a plane this week for Anaheim. Kinda wish I was heading down there myself this year, but I will look forward to the stories and product samples they return with….so should you!! Stay tuned.
