News Releases

Legendary musician, groundbreaking record producer and electronic music revolutionary Todd Rundgren will be honored with the prestigious Les Paul Award at the 29th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards. The awards recognize outstanding achievement in professional audio technology and production and will be presented Friday, Jan. 24 at the Anaheim Hilton during the 2014 NAMM Show held in Anaheim, CA.

The NAMM Foundation kicks off the school year with coast-to-coast SupportMusic community forums to raise awareness about the importance of music and arts education. With The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus acting as a mobile ambassador for music education, the forums will stage in U.S. cities this fall.  Events will be held at high schools in Lansing, MI, Indianapolis, IN, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, PA where parents, teachers and community leaders will gather to celebrate and promote music education.

The global music industry is busy designing new products, dreaming up events and crafting creative marketing themes in preparation for the NAMM Show’s return to the Anaheim Convention Center, January 23-26, 2014. Manufacturers, retailers and other professionals in the music product, instrument, pro-light and audio world depend on the NAMM Show to amplify business, and set the stage for success at the start of each new year.

Former director of trade shows for the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), John Vincent, passed away September 7 after an illness. Mr. Vincent oversaw the planning and implementation of NAMM’s annual trade shows from 1984 to 1994.  He brought NAMM’s summer trade show, then known as NAMM Summer Session, to its current home in Nashville, TN. His direction helped the NAMM Show, held in January in Anaheim, CA, become the powerhouse trade show that it is today.

The Museum of Making Music (MoMM) raised more than $40,000 at its August 23 gala auction, which featured a lavish live auction and silent auction, and a powerful performance by Santana vocalist Greg Walker.  The funds raised from the auctions, which included a beautiful variety of donated music products such as electric and acoustic guitars, a Celtic harp, a banjo, and ukuleles, as well as music lessons, accessories and music books, help offset the $60,000 annual cost of operating the Museum’s many educational programs.

NAMM Musikmesse Russia and ProLight + Sound NAMM Russia’s 2014 edition will now be held at a new time of year, September 18-21 and September 18-20, 2014 respectively and in a new, modern venue, the IEC Crocus Expo in Moscow.

The NAMM Foundation announces the recipients of the William R. Gard Memorial Scholarship for the 2013-14 academic year. Named for a former NAMM Executive Vice President, the Gard Scholarship is designed to invest in the education of promising students who are contributing their talents to the music products industry. The annual award supports a portion of academic expenses for selected NAMM Member-company employees studying full time at accredited four-year universities. The 2013-14 recipients are:

The NAMM Foundation is accepting applications at www.nammfoundation.org for its 2014 President’s Innovation Award to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in the music products industry. 



A new venue, more brands and major buying power built to a crescendo as the music product industry converged in Nashville for the largest Summer NAMM in five years.

The NAMM executive committee enjoys a smooth succession welcoming a new member, honoring its outgoing chairman, and announcing new appointments during Summer NAMM. The announcements were made Saturday, July 13 during the annual summer board meeting held in Nashville.

Beacock Music Company Inc. of Vancouver, WA is the 2013 ‘Dealer of the Year,’ as recognized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) at the Top 100 Dealer Awards held at Summer NAMM in Nashville on July 12. Along with Beacock Music Company, six other retailers were honored for exemplary efforts in various business categories at the July 12 celebration.

Business is not the only thing that will be booming at Summer NAMM, held July 11-13 at Nashville’s new Music City Center. Electrifying performances, appearances by some of music’s greatest names and energetic, hands-on music opportunities are awaiting NAMM Members attending the three-day show. Retailers, manufacturers and music-industry insiders visiting the iconic show will preview the hottest new music products, network with industry leaders by day, and enjoy a full slate of fun celebrations, performances by night.