News Releases

NAMM members bring music to Anaheim’s James Guinn Elementary School with a day of service on Tuesday, January 19 from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The effort celebrates the Anaheim City School District’s (ACSD) re-introduction of music education programs.

Hundreds of artists from nearly every imaginable musical genre will perform on five NAMM Show stages and at dozens of industry events during the 2016 NAMM Show in Anaheim, January 21-24. Live music will set the stage for product debuts from more than 5,000 brands throughout the four-day music industry event. Star-studded awards shows, iconic speakers, legendary musicians and music-making opportunities provide the soundtrack to a NAMM Show the industry will be talking about for years to come.

Support for music education stands at the front of class as the music industry gathers for the 2016 NAMM Show, January 21-24, 2016. Throughout the year, the NAMM Foundation works toward a world in which every child has a deep desire to learn music and a recognized right to be taught. That work hits a high note when nearly 100,000 members of the music industry come together in Anaheim.

Demand for customized, unique sound is driving fretted products and effects sales to a seven-year high, while fueling a new wave of boutique pedal builders. Over the last decade, the retail value of the effects pedal category has increased more than 45%, with a 13.7% gain in 2014.

More school-aged children nationwide will have access to music and the arts, thanks to the inclusion of both subject areas as part of a well-rounded education in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The bill passed the Senate on with a vote of 85 to 12 and was signed by the President on December 10, 2015.

The NAMM Foundation presents the 31st annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards and the NAMM TECnology Hall of Fame on January 23 at the 2016 NAMM Show. The events honor the best in audio and sound production as well as the most impactful audio technology products from the last 75 years. Record producer and music industry executive Don Was will receive the 2016 Les Paul Award, an annual recognition of those who embody the creative spirit and legacy of one of the most revered musical geniuses who ever lived.

The NAMM Foundation works year round to create a world in which every child has a deep desire to learn music and a recognized right to be taught. Now NAMM members and all of those who share that vision are invited to help support the Foundation’s work through the ‘Believe in Music’ fund.

During the 2016 NAMM Show, NAMM members will have access to more than 120 free educational sessions designed to turn tips into substantial growth. NAMM unveils a fresh lineup of educational sessions that will support many facets of the music product industry from in-store and online retail to manufacturers, pro audio and technology.

The NAMM Foundation makes this week’s Institute for Music and Neurologic Function’s (IMNF) 20th Anniversary forum possible. The forum entitled Celebrating the Science of Music and the Brain in Human Development, Health and Healing focuses on the IMNF’s central work: how and why music affects brain development and healing. 

NAMM stepped up to support the first China Conference on Music Education with the Chinese Society for Music Education (CSME) during October’s Music China. Music education experts from China and the U.S. provided insights into different methodologies, education theories and current best practices in music education. A convened group of around 1,500 Chinese music educators, researchers, and post-graduate students participated in the first free national music education gathering.

The NAMM MUSEUM of Making Music (MoMM) rounds out a successful year of vibrant events and well-attended exhibitions with “LOW: The Power & Beauty of Bass,” opening November 8, 2015. The latest special exhibition running through summer 2016 explores the world of bass – the sounds that fall below 262 Hertz on the frequency spectrum as well as the low register instruments that make them. Bass sounds are considered critical in music making with its importance often compared to an engine or compass within music.

Pulling up to the National Association of Music Merchant’s (NAMM) Carlsbad, CA headquarters members will notice a major new addition, state-of-the-art solar panels now cover NAMM’s parking lot. Following a nearly yearlong project, NAMM has installed 714 solar panels that will provide clean energy, shade and power vehicles. The solar installation will cut NAMM’s operational electricity costs by more than 98%, while providing ample shade to visiting NAMM members and NAMM MUSEUM of Making Music guests.