In the same way that Cons and ComicCons bring fandoms together, the NAMM Show unites the music world every January to celebrate the art and business of music. Community, connection, technology, sound, and wonder merge into one sprawl inside the Anaheim Convention Center.
Wear comfortable shoes.
This is the who’s who music event of the year. The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show is the only place you can meet the inventor of the .mp3 file format (Dr. Karlheinz Brandenburg), the iconic singer from Living Colour (Corey Glover), the powerhouse bassist from Mercyful Fate (Becky Baldwin), Stevie Wonder, and a major brass instrument retailer sales executives in the same afternoon. You can walk across one area the size of a football field and hear a bluegrass ramble, a soul-gripping blues jam (looking at you, Jared James Nichols), a Thrash Metal shredfest, and a scratch DJ performance, all within a few minutes of each other.
NAMM is not just a feast for the ears – – between the food trucks, the creature comforts for musicians to try out and purchase, the stage effects, the amazing variety of instruments to touch and play, or the world-class musical performances on the various stages around the venue, every sense gets treated.
The diversity of the NAMM Show is probably its greatest selling point: retailers of every level have spaces in its halls, from mom-and-pop boutique luthiers to billion-dollar manufacturers. I witnessed a conversation between three guys in ripped leathers and corpse paint and a short-haired corporate guy in a suit – – with all parties fully engaged and respectful (no picture – sorry!).
My personal favorite takeaways were the connections. Strangers became friends, even for the duration of the conversation and the exchange of cards on the floor. Just exploring the Convention Center will open you up to the most amazing, off-the-cuff, unexpected chats with amazing, interesting people. Music is the great connector, and NAMM is the world’s greatest network hub.
Some will tell you it’s overwhelming.
They’re right. In the best ways.
Every music professional needs to experience this event at least once.
♫
I won’t clog up the end of the article with a long list of gratitudes. Just two.
Thank you to the NAMM staff, whose patience and hyper-competence made registration so easy.
Thank you to Eric Haley and Marc Pruett (The Whiskey Network), my two Support Life And Music compatriots whose assistance was invaluable in making the event successful for us. Hanging with these guys is a hell of a lot of fun.
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