Wednesday, June 8, 2022

The NAMM Show Summer '22: Wrap up

If you didn't attend NAMM Show last week, here are some highlights of what was missed according to an official press release from the event...


After two years of absence, the leaders, innovators, experts, artists, and creators across the music products, pro audio and sound, and entertainment technology industry gathered at The 2022 NAMM Show.

Held June 3-5 in Anaheim, California, the three days welcomed old and new faces to reconnect, launch and discover new products, and galvanize the industry to continued success.

“Looking back to the 2020 NAMM Show, I don’t think anyone could have predicted just how transformative the start of this next decade would be,” said Joe Lamond, NAMM President and CEO. “But as we have weathered the uncertainty and loss over the past two years, we again stand at the crossroads of opportunity. The NAMM Show serves as that platform for the next generation of technologies, products, and services, and sets the stage for NAMM Members to discover their own opportunities to advance their businesses, skills, and market opportunities.”

Reunification at The Crossroads

With a desire to reignite industry relationships, business and launch new products, the Show welcomed over 1,000 exhibiting members representing 3,500 brands across the campus of the Anaheim Convention Center. As a smaller yet truly global affair, the mix of 46,627 registered attendees represented 111 countries and territories.

Attendees were an invited mix of industry professionals from across the crossroads that included domestic and international retail and distribution buyers and employees, exhibitors, entertainment tech and pro audio buyers and professionals, media, artists, invited guests, and The NAMM Foundation’s GenNext (college music students and faculty), Music Education Days (school music administrators and buyers) and Nonprofit Institute (NAMM grantees and nonprofit affiliates).

Tom Sumner, President of Yamaha Corporation of America, says, “Over two years removed from NAMM 2020, The NAMM Show 2022 reminded the Yamaha team of the power of in-person events. We launched our flagship grand piano, the CFX, at the show. There is no better way for our dealers to show attendees the craftsmanship and power of this magnificent instrument than to experience it in person and hear a great pianist play it. Our Yamaha team welcomed a large number of dealers, guests, and press to our booth, who got to touch and play instruments like the new Revstar guitars. With live music back, we were happy to treat NAMM attendees to...an amazing All-Star Concert on the Grand with Kandace Springs, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and Tank and the Bangas. The Grand Plaza was filled each night until the last note!”

“It's great to be back in person,” adds Chris Martin, C. F. Martin & Co. “NAMM is a microcosm of our industry. From networking with our dealers, distributors, and industry peers, to providing a worldwide platform for launching new products, to consumer and artist connections, it doesn’t get more impactful than this. We wouldn't miss it.”

"This NAMM Show was more important than ever for Casio," affirms Stephen Schmidt of Casio’s Electronic Musical Instruments Division. "This year’s forum enabled us to reconnect with our dealers and industry friends and provided a sense of normalcy and the ‘good old times.’ While we were excited to share our award-winning Privia pianos and Casiotone keyboards, we were equally grateful to NAMM for its strong leadership and support, and for working overtime to successfully and safely bring us all back together."

Future-Focused Ideas to Fuel Opportunities and Business-Enriching Strategies

With the world’s experts at The NAMM Show, members had the opportunity to connect with top thought leaders in best-in-class education through more than 200 education sessions designed to engage, inform and inspire new ideas, as well as to further careers and prepare for the future against the backdrop of the industry gathering.

For many companies with new employees, the professional development sessions provided vital industry education. Jamie Latty, COO of Deering Banjos said, “In some ways, the NAMM Show is the glue of our business and our industry. This year, we have a number of new hires on the team and NAMM is the perfect place to immerse them in the industry and to take advantage of the educational offerings that can only be found here.”

NAMM U: Lead in the Next Chapter

Each day of the Show began with a NAMM U Breakfast Session in the Pacific Ballroom, inside the Anaheim Hilton. On Friday June 3, NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond hosted “Breakfast of Champions” with a panel of industry leaders and innovators, including Alexander Pietschmann, Adam Hall; Kimberly Deverell, San Diego Music Studio; Lana Negrete, Santa Monica Center; Ray Williams, IMSTA; and Sophia and Desdamona, music-making robots from Hanson Robotics. Multi-GRAMMY® winner, composer and artist Kenny Loggins was presented with NAMM’s “Music for Life Award.”

On Saturday, June 4, Scott Stratten, president of UnMarketing and branding and relationship expert, presented “Leadership in a Post-Pandemic World,” which explored top-line strategies to strengthen business and personal brand; and on Sunday, June 5, “Best in Show” welcomed a panel of retail gear experts to recognize their picks of the innovative products, services and technologies found across the show floor. View the Best in Show results here: https://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2022/best-in-show-winners

The Future Is Hear: TEC Tracks

More than 60 pro audio sessions awaited emerging and established professionals from all aspects of production and performance, presenting myriad opportunities to grow their skills and careers in preparation for the future of all things sound. 

TEC Tracks uncovered topics ranging from a series of how-to's and key expert insights, including “Dolby Atmos: An Engineer’s Update;” “Music and Audio Mastering: Invasive or Subtle?;” “Running the Show: Sound Advice From Women Visionaries;” “Finally! Play Together—From Anywhere, With Ultra-Low Latency;” “Loud: A Conversation With Tana Douglas, the First Woman Roadie;” “An Interview with Noel Lee” and others.

At the Show, The NAMM Foundation returned curated education and sessions for professionals with its GenNext, Music Education Days and The Nonprofit Management Institute.

GenNext

As a collaboration between The NAMM Foundation and The College Music Society (CMS), GenNext offered dedicated programming and access to The NAMM Show across 27+ different sessions and events for college music students and faculty. Notable sessions include “Cross-training in Music Technology: Lessons From the Pandemic Applied to the Future;” “Advocating Diverse Career Opportunities in Music;” and “Understanding Digital Music Rights and Revenue;” among others.

Music Education Days

For music teachers and school administrators seeking ‘what’s next’ in music products and classroom technologies, The NAMM Foundation, in collaboration with Technology In Music Education (TI:ME), presented 30+ sessions and events designed to inform, inspire and engage with the tools relevant to today’s music classrooms. Session highlights includes “Music Administration Collaborative. Plan Your Program’s Success: Getting Started with Strategic Arts Planning;” “Rethinking Music Education in the Post Covid-19 World;” “Teacher Tech Talk,” which featured TI:ME Teacher of the Year winners; “Building a Nationally-Recognized Music Program: It's All About Collaborative Structures;” and “Solution Based Learning Opportunities Addressing Current Topics in Music Education.”

In a special workshop, Kendall Isadore and Élise Sharp of The String Queens presented “Exploring SEL Strategies with The String Queens.” The workshop provided participants with a pedagogical journey employing a variety of interactive activities and individual reflections.

The track also gathered music education leaders at the Show for the “The Music Education Leadership ‘Call to Action’” Summit. The Summit raised critical questions currently facing music education and its future to advance music learning opportunities for all students. Panelists included Bob Morrison, Quadrant Research; Russ Sperling, San Diego Unified School District; Lynn Tuttle, American String Teachers Association; Dr. James Weaver, National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS); and Kendall Isadore and Élise Sharp of The String Queens.

The Nonprofit Management Institute

NAMM’s Nonprofit Management Institute provided nonprofit arts organizations and with sessions to grow and succeed in creating a world with more music makers. Session topics included “An Agile Nonprofit is a Successful Nonprofit:” “Unlocking Innovation to Up Your Nonprofit’s Game;” “Beyond Good Intentions: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Programming, Operations, and Governance;” and “Reevaluate Your Mission and Vision to Meet the Needs of Your Community.”

On Saturday, The Grand Rally for Music Education with special guests Eric Whitacre and Gateways Brass Collective, returned. Groundbreaking composer and conductor Eric Whitacre took to the stage to bring live and virtual performance together in a hybrid performance of "Sing Gently," featuring Ashley Ballou-Bonnema creator of sINgSPIRE, a virtual choir for individuals with Cystic Fibrosis. The event was presented in collaboration with Conn-Selmer, Hal Leonard, JackTrip, and Yamaha.

Honoring the Industry’s Leaders and Luminaries

Thursday evening welcomed the tenth annual She Rocks Awards honoring women across the music industry. The event featured a star-studded performance lineup, including live music, and honored a varying range of artists, including iconic singer, actress, television host and former UN Goodwill Ambassador Dionne Warwick, GRAMMY®-nominated guitarist and BONES UK co-founder Carmen Vandenberg, and multi-instrumentalist Yvette Young, the front-woman for the math rock band Covet. Other honorees included Leslie Gaston-Bird – mixer, sound editor, author and a champion of diversity in the audio industry; Sherri Chung, Award-winning film and TV composer and Governor of the Music Branch of the Television Academy; Kerry Fiero, Founder of the Girl Power! Women Working in the Music Industry Conference; EveAnna Manley, president, Manley Laboratories aka “The Tube Chick;” Lyndsey Parker, Yahoo Entertainment Music Editor, SiriusXM host and author; and Julie Robbins, CEO of effects pedal manufacturer Earthquaker Devices.

Also on Thursday evening, the industry gathered to celebrate the spirit of the independent music retailer and to applaud their accomplishments, resilience, and commitment to serving music makers at the Top 100 Awards. The annual awards event also announced the “Best of” category winners, including “Dealer of the Year” and “Customers’ Choice” awards with All County Music of Florida taking home the coveted Dealer of the Year award. Read the release here.

Friday saw the return of the Parnelli Awards to The NAMM Show. The Parnelli’s recognize the pioneering, influential professionals and companies for their contributions to the live production industry. The event brought together the live entertainment community in a vibrant gathering to recognize industry leaders, including David Bernstein of Rock-it-Cargo, with the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award; Peter Morse, lighting designer (Loretta Lynn, Tina Turner, Lionel Richie, and others), with the Parnelli Visionary Award; and Sam Berkow, inventor of SMAART audio software with the Parnelli Innovator Award. The evening event was hosted by Jammin Jay Lamont.

Women of NAMM welcomed professionals from across the industry for a happy hour at the Westin Pool Deck. The evening concluded with an announcement of the WoN Summit and scholarship opportunity, as part of donations made to celebrate the life and legacy of Diane Martin. The WoN Summit program supports women working in the music products industry and their goals to connect, support, and grow their leadership and professional abilities. An annual leadership emersion experience will be offered with the applicants receiving the educational experience covered by the awarded scholarship.

At the TEC Awards on Saturday evening, the industry celebrated 28 categories of products and projects in the areas of Technical or Creative Achievement, and the individuals, companies and technical innovations used in sound recordings, films, broadcast television, and video games. View the complete list of winners and nominees here.

For his timeless work and artistic innovation, Peter Asher was inducted and presented with the TEC Hall of Fame award. Throughout his decades-long career in the music industry, Asher has earned the reputation of being one of the industry's most sought-after producers and performers.

Upon receipt of the award, Asher shared, “The 21st of January, 1964 was a Tuesday, and the first time I ever went into a real recording studio. I went into EMI studios on Abbey Road… By the end of that day, a few important things had happened. I decided I wanted to be a record producer because I saw what a producer could do, in terms of shaping the sounds…So I have to thank for this award, not only the TEC Committee but NAMM as a whole. And all the brilliant people who attend NAMM, and what they give us - all the great technology, the amazing instruments, the incredible inventions which sonically flourish in the hands of brilliant engineers.”

With the induction, Asher joins luminaries Leslie Ann Jones, Rose Mann Cherney, Skunk Baxter, Hal Blaine, Jack Douglas, Nathan East, Geoff Emerick, and others, the industry’s highest honor for pioneers of audio technology and the music industry’s most accomplished producers and audio technicians.

Pioneer and bassist extraordinaire Carol Kaye was honored with this year’s Les Paul Innovation Award, one of the night’s most anticipated honors from The Les Paul Foundation. The Foundation’s Executive Director Michael Braunstein introduced the award and noted Kaye’s impact on the musical landscape, “Carol, like Les [Paul], built a legacy that will continue to encourage all people to create incredible sounds.”

Several artists took to the stage in tribute to Kaye in a musical celebration worthy of her long and revered career. The Les Paul Innovation Award has been presented annually to remarkably distinguished individuals from the music industry, such as Jackson Browne, Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Peter Frampton and 2020’s recipient, Joni Mitchell.

NAMM Show+

The Show’s new digital extension, the NAMM Show+, provided a platform for attendees to connect with each other, livestream sessions, special events and performances from across the campus. Nearly 100 sessions and special events were livestreamed from the campus, with attendees able to engage through chat, networking features and more on the platform.

Looking Ahead

The global crossroads of the music products, pro audio and entertainment technology industry will return to Anaheim April 13-15, 2023 and then again in January 2024. For additional information, please visit NAMM.org

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