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At The 2019 NAMM Show, Madison Revell, lead designer for marketing firm Inbound AV, shared trade tips to help music businesses enhance their websites. Revell cited the five most common website design mistakes and offered easy solutions through simple design hacks. According to Revell, if your website looks good, then your business and brand looks good. (Watch the full video for real-life website redesigns.) PROBLEM #1: TOO MUCH CONTENT Too much content on a web page can be overwhelming to the eye. Plus, it can take too long to digest, and viewers will lose interest, as they’re us

Leading social media consultant Jenn Herman hosted a session on current Facebook success strategies at The 2019 NAMM Show. The presentation offered practical tips to help you make the most effective use of your time and business presence on the social media platform. Here are highlights. (Watch the video for the full session.) Every post should have a purpose. If your content doesn’t serve a purpose or isn’t of value, it won’t generate engagement. You need to know your “why.” What’s your end goal? Your content strategy should be to educate, entertain and provide value—not to sell

New changes to Facebook are and have been impacting your audience reach and engagement, yet there’s no instruction manual to help you navigate these waters. In this session for music retailers, brands and musicians, Dan Shinder, founder and CEO of Drum Talk TV, shows how to make the most of your Facebook presence. Shinder has grown Drum Talk TV’s Facebook page to more than 1 million active followers organically, with no paid or boosted ads. Here, he reveals his best tips to get maximum reach and engagement, even—and especially—in lieu of these changes. He also explores changes to

The 2019 NAMM Show began with “Breakfast of Champions,” hosted by NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond. The session featured a series of one-on-one interviews with industry thought leaders who explored the role of originality in driving the music products business forward. Lamond kicked off the session by commenting on how original thinkers don’t let external conditions effect their ability to create, invent and innovate. “There’s always a rare group of people, a rare group of leaders, who seem to persevere and succeed no matter the economic weather,” Lamond said. “Whether it’s storm

In late 2018, James “JC” Curleigh took the reins as the head of Gibson after holding leadership positions with Levi Strauss & Co., Salomon and Keen. During “Breakfast of Champions” at The 2019 NAMM Show, Curleigh discussed the importance of originality in branding and thinking like a startup with NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond. Here are highlights from the interview. (Watch the video to see the full segment.) On becoming president and CEO of Gibson: People asked me earlier, ‘JC, what’s the most surprising thing so far?’ And I think people were looking for the dark-side answ

Jun-ichi Miki has enjoyed a long and vibrant career at Roland, starting in engineering in 1977 and becoming president of the company in 2013. NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond interviewed Miki during “Breakfast of Champions” at The 2019 NAMM Show. There, he shared his insights on creating innovative products, market development and how a love of learning has driven his career. Early in the discussion, Miki revealed what he believes is Roland’s secret to creating game-changing products. “Our slogan from the beginning is ‘We design the future,’ so that innovation is the DNA of Rolan

Smart Women in Music (SWIM) launched last year as the brainchild of three music industry leaders: Robin Walenta of West Music (and NAMM chair), Crystal Morris of Gator Cases and Dede Heid of Heid Music. During “Breakfast of Champions” at The 2019 NAMM Show, NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond spoke with them about the organization’s mission and vision. Walenta said the inspiration for SWIM began a little more than 30 years ago at her first NAMM Show. “I walked out on the show floor and said, ‘There aren’t a lot of people here who look like me.’ So it was at that moment that I realiz

During his career at Yamaha, Chris Gero has overseen the growth of the company’s artist relations and founded Yamaha Entertainment Group of America. At “Breakfast of Champions,” he spoke with NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond about the importance of artist relations and how it’s evolved at Yamaha in tandem with the recording industry. He was also joined onstage by Yamaha artist and bass legend Nathan East. “We, at Yamaha, already had a long and fruitful artist relations program,” Gero said. “What transpired was what transpired in the world and in life, and that was how we all spok

Heart co-founder and guitar legend Nancy Wilson received NAMM’s 2019 Music for Life Award during “Breakfast of Champions.” There, NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond interviewed her about her artistry, the importance of branching out as a musician and how she keeps the creative fire burning. Here are a few highlights. (Watch the video for the full interview.) On scoring for films: That’s a lesson in knowing how to shut up, basically. When to stop. When to give it breath and space. Because in songwriting, you’re trying to tell your story with lyrics and music. And when you’re writing

Every day, you see young students arrive enthusiastically for private lessons in your music school. During recitals and showcases, they perform with confidence and poise. Adult students, on the other hand, approach you with caution, if not trepidation, inquiring “for a friend” about music lessons. Why is this, and what can be done to help? One common reason adults fear learning a musical instrument is because of a long-ago negative experience. An adult student of mine recounted that in fourth grade, in front of everyone, her choir teacher told her she was tone-deaf. She was not on

At The 2018 NAMM Show, Noel Wentworth of Wentworth Music revealed eight strategies that he used to build his store’s profitable lesson program. Wentworth Music has expanded its lesson program from 90 to more than 1,000 students in one location, in a small city—and its still growing.Here are Wentworth’s top strategies for growth. (Watch the video to see the full session.) Strategy 1: Focus on student retention. This is the key to growth. Teachers should retain 75–80 percent (or more) of their students by the end of any given school year. Teachers should also be able to retain thei

At 2018 Summer NAMM, Ben Blakesley, social media and content marketing leader, musician, and author of Get Social: A Practical Guide To Using Social Media For Business, shared the keys to social media success. Blakesley revealed that adding value and being consistent are what drive social media success. Here are his four steps for effective social marketing. (Watch the video for the full session.) 1. Set Your Strategy Blakesley directed businesses to identify their marketing objectives and marry each with a social media benefit. Also, put purpose and direction behind everything y