“This year’s Show is now the new model of where we go from here,” says NAMM president and CEO John Mlynczak. “We absolutely got the right mix of people there. We track success based on customer satisfaction – not size. What we saw in 2025 is the future of NAMM. We will grow upon this and build upon this success, but after this year, we don’t compare ourselves to 2020 or 2018 or whenever. This is now the gold standard because everyone is overwhelmingly happy with their investment.”
Indeed, with 1,850 exhibitors representing over 4,400 brands and more than 250 educational sessions for NAMM member communities, The NAMM Show highlighted innovative music technologies, product introductions, and impending trends that shape the future of the music industry while creating a five-day long platform for network connections and meetings that are critical for uniting and growing music makers globally.
“The 2025 NAMM Show united and energized our NAMM members from the entire ecosystem of the music industry,” continues Mlynczak. “NAMM is the global stage for our industry to announce groundbreaking products, establish transformative partnerships, and gain valuable education that will lead to a successful year ahead.”
NAMM Show 2025 by the Numbers
- 63,000+ show attendees, including 10,700+ international attendees from 125 countries, regions and territories
- 1,850+ exhibitors representing 4,400+ brands
- Nearly 8,700 artists demonstrating and endorsing products
- 250+ education sessions with 650+ speakers
- 1,600+ media, influencers and content creators reaching over 200 million followers
“The 2025 NAMM Show delivered in every possible capacity, from headline artist performances on multiple stages every single day and night to emerging music industry leaders delivering powerful messages inside the convention center, as well as hundreds of new products and partnerships,” said Tom Sumner, NAMM chairman and president of Yamaha Corporation of America. “We’re thrilled to unite our global industry every January, and the 2025 Show brought that energy and excitement that will be remembered for a long time.”
NAMM Show 2025 Set List Highlights
Global Media Day
In its second year, NAMM Global Media Day, where iconic brands spanning music, sound and entertainment technology categories announce breaking news to an exclusive media-only audience, took place in front of a standing room only ballroom of 500+ guests. Brands announcing new products for the first time included Fender, Gibson, PRS, Marshall, In Music and Roland.
NAMM’s Music for Life Honor Awarded to Critically Acclaimed artist Jon Batiste
NAMM presented iconic performer and globally acclaimed artist Jon Batiste with its highest honor, the Music for Life Award, in recognition of his lifelong contributions to music and commitment to inspiring music makers. In an exclusive Friday morning Q&A with NAMM president and CEO John Mlynczak, Batiste discussed his early musical influences, the products that have helped define his career, and views on family values, music education and artist collaboration that was another NAMM special moment prior to his two-hour live performance later that evening on the Yamaha Grand Plaza Stage at NAMM 2025.
NAMM’s Grand Rally for Music Education
NAMM rallied the industry around its mission Saturday morning, highlighted by one of the most magical moments in NAMM history with an emotional conversation and performance from the incredibly talented Jacob Collier who incorporated the entire audience into his performance. His inspirational question and answer session with John Mlynczak brough the audience to its feet and his inspirational performance will continue to unite us all year long through the music and education industries.
Special Recognition by NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation made its first disbursement from its LA Wildfires Relief Fund during NAMM 2025, bestowing $10,000 to Lana Negrete and Outreach Through the Arts. Lana, who is also Mayor of Santa Monica, has served on the NAMM Board of Directors and is owner of Santa Monica Music Center. Mayor Negrete has been on the forefront of the neighboring Palisades fire and will utilize this donation to support music students with continued lessons, instruments replacements and the ability for her community to support music programs lost to the Palisades fire.
In addition, NAMM awarded Dinah Gretsch the Music For Life award for her steadfast commitment to philanthropy and creating more music makers worldwide.
NAMM NeXT Nashville
Coming off the success of last year’s inaugural event, NAMM NeXT will return to Nashville from June 30–July 1. This immersive leadership summit gives business and industry leaders deep insight into growth and leadership in a one-of-a-kind curated program. Registration is now officially open and has limited capacity: https://next.namm.org/
To learn more about the 2026 NAMM Show and its full calendar of association activities throughout the year please visit www.namm.org.
Publisher’s Take – Longtime NAMM Show Veteran and MMR Publisher Mike Lawson Shares His Thoughts
NAMM 2025 felt like NAMM should feel. It was busy – dealers, educator buyers, exhibitors, and people who love our industry were clearly enjoying themselves in what felt like a “normal” NAMM show. Hall E was open again, and there were a lot of great companies down there. The overall exhibit space wasn’t as jammed up as it was in 2020 – the peak of my 33 years of NAMM memories – but the halls were well populated, and the bigger companies made a return this year, including D’Addario, Fender, Gibson, PRS, and so many others.
The “pro audio hall” was never not bustling, and the overall mood was great. One service that has really come into its own at NAMM is the use of meeting rooms on the show floor. Several manufacturers had only a small booth, if any at all, but they had a meeting room on the floor. The ones I spoke with loved it because it allowed them to focus on what they come to NAMM for – selling products to buyers.
The show closed on Saturday night this year, which took some getting used to, but it was also nice to head home a day early. That turned my usual six-day trip into a five-day trip, which was most welcome this time of year – my busiest travel months. The Hilton was under renovation (a welcome change!), but it was still rocking and loud as ever, with the Marriott just as packed at night. There were great concerts, valuable sessions for retailers and educators – something for everyone. The only down side to closing Saturday night, as I quickly learn after packing up the booth, was that the FedEx Store in the Hilton did not open until 10AM Sunday morning, and that apparently caught a lot of us off guard who had morning flights out of LAX, as evidenced by the line of exhibitors asking the guest services team at the hotel for their assistance in getting boxes out the next morning while the rushed to the airport.
I feel very confident that NAMM is back and absolutely worth the time and money to attend. As I walked the halls – now the “old guy” at NAMM – I reflected on my three-plus decades of attending, still reuniting with people I’ve known most or all of those years. At the same time, I’m at a point where many have passed on, and another generation is coming up right behind them. The music products industry is strong, filled with passionate people who love music, and it shows.
The face-to-face value of being at the NAMM Show is undeniable. Those who choose not to attend or exhibit are, by and large, missing out on the amazing opportunities and relationship-building that only this show can provide.
