Library & Resource Center

Established in 1946 when NAMM was only 45 years old, the NAMM Resource Center provides its Members, the media, academic researchers and the general public with access to historical data about this great industry.

Scope
The broader scope of the collections is the history of the music products industry. Within that broader scope, materials are categorized into five main subject categories:

  • NAMM History
  • Manufacturer History
  • Retail History
  • Music History (especially as it pertains to instrument and product innovations)
  • Legacy Collections

Drawing on more than a century of NAMM research, records and archives, the Resource Center has access to everything from statistical records on retail music products sales to videotaped interviews with more than 1,000 of the people who have shaped this industry's history.

We hope you find what you're looking for right here, but if you have any questions, please contact us at 760.438.8001 or via e-mail at library@namm.org.

Publications

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PLAYback Magazine

Previous issues of PLAYback can be viewed in the ARCHIVES section of nxtbook. PLAYback is NAMM's quarterly publication providing Members...
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2009 NAMM Global Report featuring Music USA

NAMM's mission is to unify, lead and strengthen the global music products industry and to increase active participation in music making. In addition,...
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Cost of Doing Business

Thank you to the Retail Members who participated in the 2009 Cost of Doing Business Survey!
NAMM Member participants will receive access to a...

Oral History

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Oral History Video Clip Tutorial

Click on this image to view a brief tutorial on how to easily navigate NAMM Oral History Video Clips.
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Shiro Arai

Shiro Arai is the founder of Aria Guitars, a Japanese electric guitar company that gained great international success in the wake of the Beatles...
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Lee Berk

Lee Berk’s father had a unique idea in teaching music, bringing the passion and fun of music making into the classroom. The Berklee School of...
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Lennie DiMuzio

Lennie Di Muzio was told for years that he ought to write a book about his career and his many stories, so he did! Lennie was the artist relations...
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Marshall Hawkins

Marshall Hawkins was the first African American to lead a US Navy band. He was also the first African American to serve not once, but four times, as...
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Helga Kasimoff

Helga Kasimoff and her husband established the Bluthner piano dealership in Pasadena, California in 1963. Since that time many Blüthner grand...
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Rob Walker

Rob Walker has been a leader in the global music products marketing that seemed to shift into high gear in the mid ‘90s when he was CEO of...

In Memoriam

Remembering oral history interviewees who passed away in 2010.

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Martha Markowitz

Martha Markowitz married her knight-in-shining-armor right after World War II. She soon helped him run the small organ company he started before the...
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Ed Thigpen

Ed Thigpen, known as Mr. Taste for his remarkable touch and feel as an innovative drummer, had a few (hundred) tricks up his musical sleeves when it...
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NAMM 2010 Industry Tribute

A tribute to the members of our industry who passed in 2009.

What's New

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NAMM'S Oral History Interview with Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar was called the Godfather of World Music by his longtime friend George Harrison. Ravi’s role in bringing Indian music to the world...

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Oldest Known NAMM Member Photo Donated

NAMM Receives Donation of Photograph Depicting Membership In 1915 from Granddaughter of Past President Alfred LaMotte NAMM recently announced that...
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Dan Del Fiorentino receives the 2009 Sandy Feldstein Service Award from RPMDA

  The 2009 RPMDA Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, attracted over 200 attendees, including 45 exhibitors and approximately 40 first-time...
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NAMM Resource Center Receives Magazine Donations To Build Industry's History Library

Vintage Publications Capture Important People, Companies and Events That Shaped the Industry A collection of music trade magazines covering a...
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NAMM Adds 38 Industry Interviews to Its Historical Archive During the 2009 NAMM Show

NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry, recently announced that its resource center staff completed 38 interviews...

In Memoriam: a Tribute to Industry Leaders

Each year, our passion-driven industry gathers at the NAMM Show.  It is a time to buy and sell, a time to see old friends and make new...
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Industry Legend Henry Z. Steinway Passes Away at 93

Henry Z. Steinway was quite articulate when speaking about the incredible history of the Steinway and Sons Piano Company.  One could say that...

© 2009 NAMM, the International Music Products Association