NAMM Congratulates the 2018 Top 100 Dealers and Announces ‘Best Of’ Categories

​On Friday night at Summer NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) celebrated the industry’s Top 100 Dealer Awards and recognized the enterprising music product retailers who received “Best of” awards for their excellence in several areas, including the coveted “Dealer of the Year” award. 

The annual awards event honors retailers who demonstrate exceptional commitment to their stores, neighborhoods and customers, and share in a vision of creating a more musical world through their local communities. 

“While there are thousands of great NAMM member retail stores out there, a theme that emerges with this year’s Top 100 is an unwavering commitment to helping people of all ages begin their musical journey and then keep them actively engaged in music making for the long haul. We pay tribute to all music retailers who sit in the heart of their communities, inspiring and creating more music makers through their efforts,” affirmed Joe Lamond, NAMM President and CEO. 

Congratulations to the following “Best Of” award winners, “Dealer of the Year,” and the Top 100 honorees. 
Dealer of the Year – Andertons Music Co., Guildford, Surrey UK 
Best Customer Service – The Candyman Strings & Things, Santa Fe, New Mexico 
Best Emerging Dealer/Rookie of the Year – Ish Guitars, Inc., Syracuse, NY     
Best Marketing & Sales Promotion – Cosmo Music Co. Ltd., Richmond Hill, Ontario Canada 
Best Online Engagement – Andertons Music Co. 
Best Store Design – Midwood Guitar Studio, Charlotte, NC 
Best Store Turnaround – Five Star Guitars, Beaverton, Oregon 
Music Makes a Difference – Big Music Co. Sydney, Australia 

To determine the “Best of” category winners, a panel of independent judges reviewed and made selections from the Top 100 finalists. Each finalist was evaluated for effectiveness in marketing, customer engagement and innovation in retail. 

NAMM Chair Robin Walenta presents the award for Dealer Of The Year during the Top 100 Dealer Awards Presented by NAMM at Music City Center on June 29, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images for NAMM)