Summer NAMM 2015

“There was a lot of value for both exhibitors and retailers alike in Nashville – the NAMM Member companies came ready to do business,” notes NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond, regarding this year’s Summer NAMM Show.

Official numbers back up Lamond’s assessment, with 494 exhibiting companies representing over 1,600 brands on-hand at the July gathering. That’s a healthy uptick from the 438 exhibitors and 1,510 brands reported to have been in Nashville in the summer of 2014. Additionally, a 13 percent increase in total registered attendees – 13,936 compared to last summer’s 12,442 – further speaks to the convention’s rebounding vitality. 2015 Summer NAMM is, by all available metrics, the largest since 2006.

As Lamond noted, folks came to Nashville this July to do business and, once again, the figures bear this out: 2014 saw the number of buyers attending Summer NAMM increase by eight percent over 2013’s figures and this year saw an additional increase of three percent.

As always – in many ways more so than ever before – the get-together provided more than just an opportunity to place orders and check out the newest gear, though.

“In my opinion, the most exciting thing about this year’s Summer NAMM was the growth of the educational opportunities,” Lamond continues. “Between the Retail Summit and the other Breakfast Sessions, the Idea Center, Retail Boot Camp, and the new TEC Tracks pro audio and technology sessions, attendees were able to get what might cost thousands of dollars at other events totally free. Beyond the financial value, the content was invaluable for those who seek success in todays competitive and changing environment.”

The NAMM Show will take place in Anaheim, California from January 21-24, 2016. Note that next year Summer NAMM returns to Music City earlier than usual next year: June 23-25, 2016.

Voices from the Show Floor

“Summer NAMM is always an exciting time for Yamaha to launch new products and connect with our customers. I think, compared to last year, the Show was as busy as ever and we were very pleased with the success of our TF series digital consoles, Reface keyboards, and Silent Guitar, just to name a few. The move to Music City Center in 2013 was a great idea – It’s a stunning structure that is easy to navigate and close to the Nashville entertainment scene. We definitely have seen a positive rebound in the marketplace for all our products. As we plan for the next six months, we know that Yamaha will continue to be a leading brand and our people, products, and programs will meet that demand.”

– Roger Eaton, Yamaha Corporation of America
 

“Summer NAMM 2015 was the best ever for us. The NAMM staff organized a multi-dimensional event with entertainment, education, music program promotions, and best of all, a great opportunity for us to network with dealers.

We entered the show 25 percent ahead of 2014 for the first six months of 2015. And we anticipate that we accomplished a 30 percent increase in show driven sales this year over last year. Most of all, we had a lot of fun. Nashville is, indeed, “Music City.” The opening night with Vince Gill and the Smoking Section was pure Nashville entertainment. All in all, we could not be more delighted with Summer NAMM and the state of the acoustic instrument market.”

– Tom Bedell, Two Old Hippies

“It was great to see the Summer NAMM Show pick up some momentum this year. The new convention center, the new hotels, facilities, and downtown Nashville are all very accommodating. Attending and being a part of Summer NAMM is really a no-brainer for us. We are able to meet and interact with over 100 valued customers each year. We had some great show specials and wrote more business this year than in the past 10 Summer NAMMs. It’s also a great environment for us to interact with many of our OEM customers.

The industry today is as strong as it has been in the last six years. The education market is robust, particularly in the Midwest and South where new schools are being built and new music programs forming every year. The U.S. economy is looking up, which bodes well for the guitar and percussion markets going forward.”

– Peter D’Addario, D’Addario & Company, Inc.
 

“Peavey had a great show. In the future, I know we’re moving a bit closer to the action, which will help. However, being off the floor helped us to have a much more productive environment to do business. I think there were probably quite a few folks on the main floor that were not really adhering to the SPL guidelines!  It’s good to have a show that is affordable and welcoming for the smaller vendors that are trying to get a foothold in the business, while at the same time offering the major companies a venue where music is a driving force in the local economy.”

– Michael Smith, Peavey Electronics Corporation
 

“I thought Summer NAMM 2015 was a great industry gathering that delivered high value for all who attended. The Top 100 Dealer Awards was a highlight for me, as it has become a showcase for best practices of our independent retail members. That combined with the growing excitement about the city of Nashville, the Music City Center, more vendor participation, lots of live music and growing optimism among our retail members made this the best Summer NAMM in years!

I expect that positive momentum to continue for our members as we move into the back-to-school and holiday selling seasons. While we have experienced some challenges since the ‘great recession’ the confidence and enthusiasm of those I met with in Nashville makes me believe the remaining months of 2015 will be very strong!”

– Mark Goff, NAMM chair and president of Paige’s Music
 

“Summer NAMM was a great success for Roland in two ways. First, we could introduce a wider range of products including Synthesizers (JD-XA/Xi), V-Drums (TD-25KV) and AIRA series (AIRA and modular) in addition to BOSS and guitar related products. The other was that we organized a VIP showcase event prior to the show. It helped us to develop direct relationships in Nashville, one of the most influential markets and communities for the entire industry.

The business is coming back to Summer NAMM. We had many important business appointments during the show. In the past, Summer NAMM tended to be considered as a regional show, but it is a great opportunity to establish relationships in the industry. From a product viewpoint, same as last year, we announced new guitar related products. We recognized other companies also announced new products, which is a good sign that many companies consider Summer NAMM as an important business opportunity.”

– Yoshi Shibata, Roland U.S.
 

“I felt this summer’s Show had a very upbeat feel to it – more so than in recent years. Suppliers and retailers both seemed less gloomy and more optimistic, so walking the floor was extra enjoyable. While I enjoy the new venue, I don’t think this was the reason. I think the ‘recession mindset’ has faded some, and I think that’s the biggest factor. People seem to be less afraid of the economic future of our country and of the Industry.

Our company had a fantastic, unbelievable, whirlwind show, obviously. But even aside from the Top 100, I felt that the NAMM staff did an amazing job with scheduling events, Idea Center sessions, and making everything go smoothly.”

– Tracy Leenman, Musical Innovations (NAMM Top 100 Dealers 2015 “Dealer of the Year” winner)
 

“As a company, we hadn’t been to the summer Show in a while. We gave it a shot this year and we were not disappointed. Our electric bowed instruments were a big hit with dealers, and our new Radius bass guitars also got a lot of attention. I was very impressed with the dealer turnout. We were busy the entire time.

We all know that the summer show had suffered an identity crisis for while, but since its return to Nashville, along with the new Music City Center, there was definitely a renewed energy amongst both the dealers and the manufactures. We will surely be back again.”

– Jay Blout, NS Design
 

“We know that Summer NAMM is a very different experience than Winter NAMM where we are meeting constantly with buyers and writing orders. While we did see many buyers at this Summer NAMM, took several orders, and opened up many new accounts that could develop into strong customers, we also made a lot of connections and networked with key players in the industry. After the Show our management and sales team got together and summarized the orders, new customers, and key networking opportunities and agreed that it was definitely worth it for us to be there. As long as we control our expenses in exhibiting and staffing the show, we will definitely be returning for the foreseeable future.

We’re seeing a stronger market than we had seen for the past few years so we are hopeful that the economic recovering will continue to bring good prospects for all business in this industry.”

– Andrew Surmani, Alfred Music
 

“We (Yorkville) were seriously considering not coming back to Summer NAMM when last at the old convention center. But with the opening of the new Music City Center and with the encouragement of NAMM, we exhibited at the 2012 show and, for the most part, have not looked back.

Summer NAMM 2015 has grown, both in size of venue and attendance. Although not near the size of the Winter Show, the Summer Show does allow us to spend more quality time with our dealers – new and old. We had a great turnout and it does seem like there is more confidence in our industry, talking with our dealers. Not to mention we are one of a few PA companies at the show, so it is great for us! The Summer Show does have a developing personality of its own and seems to be making a great comeback.”

Steve Hendee, Yorkville Sound, Inc.

NAMM Elects New Executive Committee Member and Positions


NAMM executive committee welcomed Joel Menchey and honored outgoing chair Larry Morton during Summer NAMM.

The changing of the guard started Saturday, July 11 during the annual summer board meeting.

Mark Goff, previously NAMM’s vice chair, has moved into a new role as chair of NAMM’s Board of Directors. Goff is president of Paige’s Music, a school music retailer in Indianapolis, Ind., which was founded in 1871. Goff joined the company in 1985 and purchased the business in 1999. “Like so many of my colleagues, NAMM has played a significant role in both my business and personal growth throughout my 30 years in the industry,” said Goff. “For that reason I am honored and humbled to be elected chairman of NAMM’s board of directors and will work very hard to support NAMM’s mission of strengthening the industry and promoting music making to people of all ages.”

Goff welcomed Menchey to the executive committee as secretary, “We are excited to welcome Joel Menchey to NAMM’s executive committee. Joel is a multi-generational full-line retailer who represents the very best of our industry. He has tremendous passion and energy for music-making and we look forward to his contribution.”

As president of Menchey Music, Menchey oversees seven full-service school music stores in Pennsylvania and Maryland. He previously served on the NAMM Board of Directors from 2007 to 2010.

Also stepping into new positions within the executive committee are Robin Walenta, of West Music Co., who will serve as NAMM’s vice chair and Chris Martin, chairman and CEO of C.F. Martin & Co., who will become the treasurer. During his two-year term, Morton presided over a period of membership growth and record-breaking NAMM Shows, along with the expansion of NAMM’s international activities. He takes particular pride in being involved with the creation and implementation of NAMM’s Vision, Mission and Objectives, a document that serves as a guidepost for the organization.

“All of us at NAMM wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to Larry Morton for his superb leadership over the past two years,” said Goff. “With his deep love for music, strong respect by his peers and steady hand at the helm, he has modeled the very best of servant leadership. The NAMM organization is stronger because of Larry’s service.”

In other NAMM board-related news, the NAMM Young Professionals welcome Ryan West, senior vice president of West Music Co., as he steps in as president. West succeeds C.J. Averwater, vice president of Amro Music Stores, Inc., who during his term revitalized the group with new events and activity.

NAMM Honored South Carolina’s Musical Innovations as the 2015 ‘Dealer of the Year’ at the Fifth Annual NAMM Top 100 Dealer Awards.

Jack Daniels short ribs, panko crusted chicken breast, sautéed carrots, roasted potatoes, mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette dressing – there was quite the spread at the buffet tables outside of the Top 100 Dealer Awards, but everyone was mostly chomping at the bit to see who would take home the big prize of the night: Dealer of the Year.

CMT’s Cody Alan led the night. He is the host and executive producer of CMT After MidNite, CMT Radio Live, and CMT All Access, among others. He did all he could to lighten the mood with little jokes and quips back and forth with people accepting awards, but you could feel the tension, thick and dense, in the air as each category’s winner was rattled off.

Ultimately, Musical Innovations owner Tracy Leenman accepted the Dealer of the Year honor.

“Like all dealers we have ups and downs and sometimes I get discouraged-but we’re growing and very thankful,” said Leenman. “All of the credit for this award goes to my staff, they are truly amazing people. We are just rolling along!”

Top 100 Dealer entries are judged by an independent panel of judges selected by, but not otherwise affiliated with NAMM.

“The NAMM member businesses that we honor at the Top 100 Dealer Awards exemplify the power that music stores have to inspire music makers and create a more musical world,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM. “We applaud these retailers for their achievements and thank them for their dedicated service to both their communities and the industry as a whole!” 

Best Store Design 
Vintage King Audio
Ferndale, MI

Best Marketing and Sales Promotion
Monster Music
Levittown, NY

Best Customer Service
Musical Innovations
Greenville, SC

Best Online Engagement
Sam Ash Music
Hicksville, NY (Headquarters)

Music Makes a Difference Award 
Arthur’s Music Store
Indianapolis, IN

Best Emerging Dealer “Rookie of the Year” 
Spicer’s Music
Auburn, AL

Best Store Turnaround
ABC Music Store & Academy
Benicia, CA

Dealer of the Year
Musical Innovations
Greenville, SC