Summer NAMM to Present More Than 60 Education Sessions 

At Summer NAMM, a plethora of professional development, networking, and business opportunities will take place over the course of three days at Nashville’s Music City Center (July 18–20).

Each morning, Summer NAMM will bring the future to the fore with a NAMM U Breakfast Session. On Thursday, a panel of industry thought leaders will explore the trends and practices that are transforming music retail and answer the question, “What does it take to win in an era of change?” in “Retail Disruptors.” On Friday, customer service expert and New York Times best-selling author Shep Hyken will draw from his groundbreaking new book, The Convenience Revolution, and share six compelling strategies that businesses of any size can take on now to revolutionize their customers’ experience in “The Customer Experience Revolution.” On Saturday, at the perennial favorite “Best in Show,” a panel of retailers and Music Inc. and UpBeat Daily magazine Publisher Frank Alkyer will return to share the hot products from Summer NAMM that consumers will be buzzing about into the holiday season and beyond.

The NAMM Idea Center will host a variety of thought leaders covering topics curated to supercharge retail music stores. Sessions include “Music Lessons: How to End No-Shows Forever,” “Insider Secrets to Manage Your Reputation on Google, Yelp and Facebook,” “5 Ways to Level Up Your Instagram,” and more.

For audio professionals, TEC Tracks returns on Thursday and Friday with sessions designed to help professionals take their careers to the next level. Notable sessions include “Deconstructing a Mix,” where, in an interview with Dr. Dave Tough, Grammy-winning engineer Craig Alvin (Kacey Musgraves) will walk you through how he builds a hit album; “The Making of Willie Nelson’s Grammy-winning ‘My Way’” with producers Matt Rollings and Buddy Cannon, along with engineer Steve Chadie, which will tell the stories behind the songs; “Immersive Audio and You,” which features pro audio gurus John McBride and Greg Penny, who’ll explore the world of simulated reality, natural-sounding sources and environments; and “The Pro Audio Entrepreneur Mindset,” with Sean Giovanni, owner of The Record Shop Recording Studio and Production Company in Nashville, who will present new information and ideas for audio professionals to improve their success in entrepreneurship, career development, finding and maintaining clients, and building multiple revenue streams.

Saturday welcomes the show’s Make Music Experience, delivering a lineup of sessions curated for emerging artists to build successful — and sustainable — careers. Highlights of the program include a Songwriting Masterclass with John Oates of Hall & Oates; “Unleashing and Maximizing the Hit Songwriter in You” with Grammy- and Dove-nominated songwriter Thornton Cline; and “Pensado’s Place Live at Summer NAMM,” featuring Dave Pensado, Herb Trawick and recording legends as they delve into the hottest topics in production today.

Exclusive to the Make Music Experience, A3E (Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange) will present the game-changing technologies and ideas that are driving the evolution of music products pro audio and music making. Highlights from the program range from “The Future of Production: Gamifying a Supergroup with The Fell” to issues of rights and licensing, with “Why Is Music Free and How Can We Get Back on Track” and “Data Collection Is Key to Maximizing Earnings,” as well as others.

Before the show officially opens, retail professionals of all levels of expertise are invited to take part in the new Retail Training Summit: a mini-conference that deep dives into the most relevant and critical areas for music retail success. Held on Wednesday, July 17, the program offers specialized training for music retail professionals in a format designed to give hands-on, proven ideas, techniques and tools for retail success in a range of business areas. Retail professionals will be able to choose from six different tracks (one in the morning and one in the afternoon), covering a variety of hot-button issues and tools to stay competitive. Registration is now open and free to NAMM Members and their store staff to attend.