NAMM U - Industry

During “Breakfast of Champions” at the 2015 NAMM Show, George Quinlan, president of Quinlan & Fabish, looked at a trend that’s been hot for about 60 years: the school music business. He spoke with NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond about the nuances of this segment. “You can’t buy your way in,” Quinlan said of the school music business and serving music educators. “You can’t get there through intimidation or slick gimmicks. You really have to earn your way in, and it’s difficult. You have to be there. You have to be there when they need you. “​My dad always used to say, ‘If the

John D’Addario III of D’Addario and Brian Ball of Ernie Ball joined Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM, during “Breakfast of Champions" at the 2015 NAMM Show. They discussed another long-term trend that’s helping drive the music products industry: accessories. D’Addario revealed that premium accessories will likely be a growing trend. “We did a lot of market research—not only in the U.S. but also globally,” he said. “And what we found is that there’s a disconnect a bit between the retail and wholesale channel and the consumer in terms of the appetite for a premium accessory. An

During “Breakfast of Champions” at the 2015 NAMM Show, Grammy-winning singer-songwriting Colbie Caillat joined NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond. They discussed Caillat’s career and also her role in inspiring more young women to play guitar. “That’s the most amazing thing,” Caillat said. “When I’m touring and I have my shows and I have meet and greets, the young girls and young women that come up and tell me that they’ve been listening to my songs for years and, because of the inspiration they got from my music, they now take vocal lessons and they take guitar lessons and piano le

During “Breakfast of Champions” at the 2015 NAMM Show, Moby joined NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond to discuss the DJ and electronic dance music explosion. The pioneering artist also received NAMM’s Music for Life Award, the highest honor in the music products industry. Weighing in on the stigma that’s sometimes attached to DJ and EDM artists, Moby pointed out that great albums are made by a range of different musicians—everyone from virtuosos to those with little skill but an abundance of creativity. “A lot of my friends who are more traditional musicians hate the fact that peop

In 1981, the music industry changed forever when the first video appeared on MTV. That song, “Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles, turned out to be prophetic. The music industry had officially entered a new age, and in order to have a hit song, the artist needed a corresponding video. In those early days, producing a video and getting airtime was reserved for only the biggest stars. Skip ahead to 2005 and the introduction of YouTube. Musicians everywhere got an outlet to share their music with the world. On YouTube’s heels, video production equipment became digital, cheape

We’re living in a world​ of same-day delivery, instant price shopping and unprecedented customer expectations. Which music retailers are flourishing in this climate—and what are they doing differently? NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond kicked off 2014 Summer NAMM by addressing this question. At the NAMM Retail Summit, he sat down with retail leaders who are thriving in the new business normal to reveal what growth will look like in the coming year. "These are people who are thinking big," said Lamond of the session's guests. "Some of them are even seeing double-digit growth. Today

Brian Reardon of Monster Music had his best sales month ever in March—better than even his best holiday months. During the NAMM Retail Summit at 2014 Summer NAMM, he explained his method to Joe Lamond, NAMM's president and CEO. Reardon used a radio promotion that targeted his core guitar customers, resulting in a sales-generating message that carried over through the summer. "I started hearing over and over again—repeatedly—older male customers who were so dissatisfied trying to buy guitars from the big-box stores," Reardon said. "[Our radio promotion] was a personal message. I wr

Paul Decker of Music Villa has kept his business thriving by constantly changing and adapting to his customers' needs. Over the past three years, he's refocused his product mix, restructured his music lesson program and redesigned his showroom several times—and that's just the start. During the NAMM Retail Summit at 2014 Summer NAMM, he sat down with NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond to discuss how change has helped Music Villa continue growing. "We're passionate about what we do and our store, so we're continually redesigning stuff and making new displays," Decker said. "And I th

Tracy Leenman opened her school music dealership, Musical Innovations, in 2009—at the height of the recession. Since then, her business has grown by leaps and bounds. During the NAMM Retail Summit at 2014 Summer NAMM, she revealed her roadmap to NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond. According to Leenman, Musical Innovations rented 135 instruments in its first year. Last year, the company rented approximately 1,000. "Our rentals were up 15 percent last year," she said. "Our overall gross sales were up about 10 or 11 percent." More highlights from the video: On establishing her busines

Mike and Andrew Nehra run Vintage King Audio, a recording retailer that grosses nearly $40 million annually. The business keeps growing by uniting a community of audio professionals. “We just came off our best quarter ever as a company last quarter,” Mike said. “We had 20-percent growth last year.” The Nehras shared their strategy and unique business philosophy with NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond during the NAMM Retail Summit at 2014 Summer NAMM. Highlights from the video: On their customer base: “There’s a massive amount of users now that want to learn about [recording],” Mike

Don’t miss out on your next big seller! This fast-moving Breakfast Session features a roundup of the best products and services at Summer NAMM. Join Frank Alkyer, publisher of Music Inc. and UpBeat Daily magazines, and a panel of music retail experts as they reveal the best and brightest releases at the show. Find out about the gear that’s sure to be a big deal this holiday season, so you know what to check out before you leave Summer NAMM.

When was the last time you did a mirror test to make sure your business was still alive and breathing? With the rising influence of e-commerce and economic pressures, how do you keep your business relevant and focused? ​At the 2014 NAMM Show, Jeffrey Hayzlett—global business celebrity and host of Bloomberg Television’s “C-Suite”—offered no-nonsense marketing, management, sales and customer engagement techniques to help you surge ahead in today’s changing business climate. He asked the tough questions most business owners are afraid to ask and gave the answers you need to hear.