2017 NAMM Show

“Each year is different isn’t it? I believe every show is a reflection of the industry at that moment,” observes NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond. “My impressions this year were of an industry in a dynamic period of change and a hunger to learn where things were headed, and for that the show did not disappoint.

The clues were everywhere, from the sessions and training, to the changes on the exhibit floor. I suspect our members left with the knowledge to plan their next moves, and that is priceless.”

The numbers bear out Lamond’s upbeat take, with 7,000 brands and a record 1,779 exhibiting companies (up three percent from 2016) on­hand. Additionally, there was a slight uptick in new exhibiting brands, compared to last year (up two percent).

Significantly, international folks turned out in force, with 17,964 registrants representing 125 countries – a 13 percent bump over 2016.

Overall show registration increased by five percent, primarily the result of member company badge allocations, to 106,928. This member­driven model created a mix of retail employees, exhibitors, media, artists and endorsees, invited guests, NAMM’s GenNext (college music students), and Music Education Day participants (school music teachers and administrators), and NAMM member buyers.

“The NAMM annual ‘family reunion’ of the industry is just amazing, it is actually becoming more and more meaningful as the years go by,” adds Lamond. “So seeing lifelong friends and peers will always be on the top of the highlights for me. Many told me that business was brisk and while we have little control over that, it is always nice to hear.”

The Summer NAMM Show will return to Nashville’s Music City Center July 13­15. Later in the year, NAMM Musikmesse Russia will return to Moscow September 14­17, and Prolight + Sound Russia September 12­14. In 2018, The NAMM Show campus expands, with the new addition of “ACC North” providing an enhanced show experience for all exhibiting companies and other members. The 2018 NAMM Show will be held January 25­28.

Leenman, Eaddy Honored at She Rocks Awards

Tracy E. Leenman, owner of Musical Innovations of Greenville, South Carolina, was named winner of the 2017 She Rocks Enterprise Award by the Women’s International Music Network (WiMN). Additionally, Roland Corporation U.S.’s marketing communications manager Rebecca Eaddy was an honoree at the fifth annual She Rocks Awards.

The awards were presented on January 20, 2017, in Anaheim, California, as part of the annual winter NAMM Trade Show. One of the most prestigious and recognized events honoring women in the music industry today, the She Rocks Awards pay tribute to women who display leadership and stand out within the music industry. This year’s honorees included guitarist Lita Ford, singer Ronnie Spector (of Ronnie and the Ronettes), Monique Boyer (Artist Relations at MAC Cosmetics) and others. A complete list of this year’s She Rocks winners is available at www.thewimn.com/events/ she­ rocks­awards/.

KMC’s Hart Named President of MDA

KMC has announced that vice president of Merchandising Roger Hart has been appointed to serve a two­year term as president of the Music Distributors Association (MDA). The appointment occurred on January 18, 2017 at the Music Distributors Annual “Show & Tell Day” that took place in Anaheim on January 17, 2017 at NAMM.

“I look forward to working with our membership as president, said Hart. And I thank everyone for their support in asking me to serve as president.”

Hart has served as vice president of merchandising at KMC since 2012, and has been with the company for 25 years. YCA and YMUS Join to Present ‘One Yamaha’ Revstar Display Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) and Yamaha Motor Corporation USA (YMUS) came together for the second year in a row to showcase the company’s “Revstar garage” concept at the 2017 NAMM Show.

Embodying the company’s “Two Yamahas, One Passion” philosophy, the Revstar garage was a dramatic display within the 27,000­square­foot Yamaha booth at the annual music products convention. The display combined the passion for the strippeddown or “yard­built” style motorcycles – which gained popularity in London and Tokyo in the ‘50s and ‘60s – with the Yamaha Revstar, a new line of solid­body electric guitars that was inspired by these legendary motorcycles and unveiled last year in celebration of 50 years of Yamaha guitar craftsmanship.

Roland and BOSS Present Lifetime Achievement Awards to Jarre and Summers During the 2017 Roland International Press Conference, held Wednesday, January 18, 2017, on the eve of the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, Roland and BOSS presented their second­annual Lifetime Achievement Awards to two monumental figures in music: French composer and keyboardist Jean­Michel Jarre (Roland) and British guitarist Andy Summers (Roland & BOSS), best known for his work as guitarist in legendary rock act The Police.

The Roland/BOSS Lifetime Achievement Awards recognize individuals for their invaluable contributions to the music industry while using Roland and/or BOSS gear throughout their careers. Chris Halon, Roland Corporation U.S. vice president, marketing, and Leslie Lewis, former director of The Recording Academy’s P&E Wing, served as masters of ceremony for the gala event, which was attended by artists, musicians and leading journalists from the music industry.

The evening began with Scott Goldman, vice president of MusiCares; Jay Wanamaker, president and CEO Roland Corporation North America; and Yoshi Ikegami, president of BOSS Corporation, presenting the Roland & BOSS Lifetime Achievement Award to Andy Summers. Rising to fame by the early 1980s as the guitarist with the multi­million record selling rock band The Police, Summers was among the most influential musicians of his generation. The band dominated the music scene and media in the 1980s with several number­one albums and singles. The band was the recipient of countless awards, including several GRAMMY s. Summers’ innovative guitar playing created a new paradigm for guitarists in this period and has been widely imitated ever since. Since the Police disbanded, Summers has enjoyed a robust solo career and has found further success as a photographer. He has also been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Police.

Next, Mr. Junichi Miki, Roland Corporation CEO and representative director, and Jay Wanamaker, Roland Corporation North America president and CEO, presented Jarre with a Roland lifetime achievement award. As a pioneer in electronic music, Jarre elevated the genre to new peaks of popularity as early as the late ‘70s and ‘80s and has sold 80 million albums worldwide to date. His dynamic concert experiences broke new ground and paved the way for state­of­the­art outdoor live events in the decades since. Apart from his activities directly linked to musical composition, Jarre has been spokesperson for IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry) and has headed various lobbies for Internet copyright legislation before the European Parliament. Since June 2013 Jarre has served as president of CISAC (International Confederation of Authors and Composers Societies), succeeding the late Robin Gibb.

Voices From the Show Floor

“NAMM 2017 was the best NAMM Show I have attended in a decade. Spirits were high on both the retailer and supplier side. Crowds seemed more manageable than in past years and because of that I was able to talk to a lot more vendors as well. My company was able to do some serious business without all of the noise and crowds of the past but still it was a very exciting show.

Hall E which we used to call the ‘Hall of Misfits’ has really come into its own as one of the best places to hear some great acoustic instruments. Really looking forward to the summer show.” – Sammy Ash, Sam Ash Music Corp.

“We had a really great NAMM this year and definitely topped ours from last year. As it was only our second Winter NAMM with Ortega Guitars since we introduced the brand in the U.S. we have been pleased by so many new contacts and also by visitors of already existing partnerships. Our sales team and myself were packed from day one, which made us more than happy. I have a general feeling that the mood/atmosphere was ‘on fire’ in a positive way during the whole show. We left with the feeling that NAMM set the beginning of a good year to come for the MI business!” – Thomas Supper, Ortega Guitars

“NAMM 2017 was a tremendous success for Eastman from setup to teardown and across all product segments. Every year, NAMM continues to refine and modernize their process and procedure, and we’ve continually found it easier and easier to maximize those available resources. It’s definitely benefiting us to refine and modernize alongside NAMM, and the talk of an updated layout in 2018 has us looking forward to thinking creatively about our future show plans.” – Joe Cupka, Eastman Music Company

“For D’Addario it was another really busy NAMM show. Each year the significance and importance of the NAMM show evolves. Who could imagine Facebook Live from NAMM or the breadth of media coverage at NAMM today, which generates excitement about our industry’s new products worldwide. The flow of traffic, retailers – big and small – music makers and music lovers, media, industry colleagues and musicians of all types, make the Winter NAMM the single most important trade show and event in the music products industry, bar none.” –Peter D’Addario, D’Addario & Co.

“From my perspective, it was a bittersweet show as I step down and hand the reins over to Chris (Doss). I was very pleased with the responses of the reps, dealers, and international distributors in welcoming Chris to his new position. Our message to our dealers and customers is that nothing is changing at Audix other than we are growing and want to continue providing the same level of personal service that our dealers are accustomed to.

Compared to past shows, I would say that the reaction to our new wireless products was met with great enthusiasm and that our dealers are optimistic about our mutual success for 2017.” – Cliff Castle, Audix

“Certainly there was a lot of energy to this year’s NAMM Show. Good traffic. Our booth was certainly always packed. The show seems to have gained momentum over the past few years (post Recession). The exception was not much happening on Sunday. Certainly the weather was bad on Sunday. But, people were once again questioning the need to exhibit on Sunday. It certainly would be valuable if we could get our people home one day earlier.

NAMM is a wonderful way to introduce our people to the industry. This year, we brought our new president and several people from on our board. Dealers really don’t have to go to NAMM to see new products any more because everything is online. In addition, you can always get the ‘NAMM Deal’ w/o actually attending. Both on the Vic Firth side and the Zildjian side, our customers seemed more optimistic about their business with us despite comments about the industry as a whole being ‘in crisis’. “ – Craigie Zildjian, Avedis Zildjian Co., Inc.