From CES to NAMM 2025 and Audio Industry Impressions

And as we are still digesting all the many things that happened at the massive show that was CES 2025 (follow the tag CES 2025 for new online stories), last week we transitioned to Anaheim, CA for another edition of the NAMM Show.

I always like to remind my audio industry colleagues why the NAMM Show is such an important institution that we all need to cherish and preserve (and avoid the terrible disaster that was the disappearance of Musikmesse, which was an even more significant music industry event). Music is the foundation for the whole audio industry. Musical instruments and musicians create the music that encourages us to attend shows, invest in home and personal audio technology, and generate some of the inspiring and exciting media content globally.
  The NAMM Show is now 124 years old! It started when 52 member companies of the National Piano Manufacturers Association of America promoted their first annual convention and trade show. It evolved continuously over the years, thanks to the inspiring efforts of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), which was the designation adopted in 1919 to reflect the broader scope in the music products industry. Today, the annual NAMM Show is an event that continues to change and evolve, as its promoter, now a not-for-profit global trade association, understands the market dynamics better than anyone. Yes, the NAMM Show suffered with the global pandemic from 2020 to 2023. 

Yes, the NAMM Show changed as the market transitioned to a hybrid retail model, with online companies capturing a significant share of the business and music stores and dealers becoming less and less. But no matter how and where, musical instruments continue to be sold either way, and manufacturers of such products - increasingly returning to higher-quality craftsmanship standards - now need in-person events like the NAMM Show more than ever.

 Thanks to the renewed efforts of the promoters, and the inspired new attitude of NAMM’s new President and CEO, John Mlynczak, NAMM 2025 was excellent. Better organized and back to an earlier spirit that had been missing for the past five years. Unlike what we have witnessed with Musikmesse, NAMM seems determined to transform the event continuously and meet all the significant challenges that its foundational industries face. From musical instruments, education, live performance, studio recording and music production and distribution, NAMM seems to be adequately embracing its complete dynamics. NAMM 2025 was a better B2B trade show, but it was also a better people’s event, for everyone that understands and has a passion for music.

The most inspiring aspect was seeing all the brands that matter, large and small, returning to NAMM, some after a five-year absence, from Gibson and Fender, Roland, Yamaha, and Marshall.

Congratulations to NAMM, which seems to have successfully imprinted new support for one of the oldest and most valuable trade shows in the world.
  Cloudy Skies
I deliberately opted to open with these words of praise and optimism because it was truly a well-organized and renewed trade show. Unfortunately, we live in troubled times, and just prior to this year’s event, the worst tragedy happened in the greater Los Angeles area. As the NAMM President and CEO, John Mlynczak, quickly conveyed to everyone that was planning to attend NAMM 2025, the Southern California wildfires started precisely as everyone was going through their final preparations for The NAMM Show.

The Anaheim area was fortunately not directly affected, but unfortunately, many people and businesses were. When the NAMM Show opened, the air quality in the region was safe, and travel was not severely affected. But there were clear signals in the halls of empty spaces, and certainly the absence of many that either changed their plans or couldn’t really participate.

The tragedy and the loss caused by these fires were immense. As the NAMM quickly informed, the global industry gathered in support of those impacted in Los Angeles. Multiple entities and NAMM members coordinated relief efforts. A Wildfires Relief Fund was quickly set up, creating a fund to provide assistance to NAMM members, employees of NAMM member companies, music education programs, and musicians impacted by the fires. At the show, there were two dedicated L.A. Wildfire Relief Centers for attendees to learn more about how they could support those efforts. 

And of course, the show itself was impacted, and it’s important to have that in mind when judging the event for everyone (I know that many who exhibited and attended had completely forgotten already about the fires by Saturday, after an intense week of activities at the Anaheim Convention Center and surrounding hotels).

Also, I would like to remind our readers that today’s National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is now a global organization, comprised of over 10,000 member companies and professionals representing a global workforce of over 475,000 employees. In addition to The NAMM Show and NAMM’s member services, The NAMM Foundation promotes music learning and music making, which is so important right now.
    So How Was It?
I had a clear impression that the renewed NAMM Show format had been somewhat positive, but I have some reservations about how really useful it was. As announced, the 2025 NAMM Show was converted to “Five Days of Events With Three Days of Exhibits”. My feeling is that the two first days of events were basically meaningless. Yes, there were conferences and education. But I visited on the second day, and as expected, everything looked to be in the final stages of construction for the real thing, which was the last three days, after the show opens.

Essentially it was more about quality and less quantity. Three days of shows work for some, but maybe four would be even better for the investment needed to go there. That’s my opinion. Feel free to let me know otherwise (editor@audioxpress.com). Exhibits started on January 23 and lasted through Saturday, 25. There was supposed to be a celebration late Saturday evening. Not. 

Mid-Saturday I saw people tearing down the booths and many already walking with luggage. Unlike in previous years, when NAMM was literally invaded by locals (which somehow all received invitations), Friday there was that familiar sense of party and large gatherings for autographs and meet-the-celebrities, but Saturday morning was basically less crowded and too quiet in the two professional ACC North Halls. Again, quality over quantity, but mixed feelings.
  “The NAMM Show continues to evolve based on our members’ needs, and we have heard loud and clear that we need more opportunities to network and extend our robust education offerings, while also focusing on the core exhibit hours and buying power that are the cornerstone of the week,” said John Mlynczak, the new CEO of NAMM, when they made those changes. “The 2025 NAMM Show will kick off five days and nights with a schedule that ensures each community and attendee can have the personalized experience they need to be successful in their business and profession.” 

They also said that the plan was to have “even more robust education programs (...) tracks for artists and college music business students, more long-form, workshop-style opportunities (...) and more global networking receptions.” I’m certain that happened, but I have my doubts about how positive this was for the show, which is what matters - let’s not forget (the Musikmesse debacle also started with “side activities”).

Yes, there were many concerts, parties, and events. Great for some companies who were involved. I don’t know. I only saw concerts that were happening as I was running to the next meeting or waiting for an Uber to take me to the restaurant for another business meeting. I’m certain that all busy professionals that attend trade shows for a living feel the same.
  Yes, as always, NAMM promotes great business and education events. There were incredible music performances. And of course, the award ceremonies and celebration concerts. Executives from many companies were there because of the TEC Awards, now in its 40th year, which shows how important those initiatives are. But it was above all on the show floor that I could feel the great energy of the music industry again.

The 2025 NAMM Show saw groundbreaking product announcements in musical instruments (not so many in pro audio, since many companies were saving those for next week’s ISE in Barcelona). The halls still had a lot of empty space, even with many more companies from China exhibiting in all categories. And it had nothing to do with the fires. There was clearly 25% available space in the many halls to get to how it was in 2020, when “all the booths were close enough, there were no embarrassing empty spaces or filler structures, the aisles were just the right size, and the visitor flow was perfect,” as I reported then. 

And in the then-new ACC North Halls, Level 1 was as if the Audio Engineering Society (AES) convention was taking place on the West Coast, and the upper ACC North Hall, Level 2 space, was like a “mini Prolight+Sound". That formula clearly worked in 2020, and the problem for the NAMM was how to manage additional attendance with the expansion to pro audio.

For reference, NAMM 2020 welcomed more than 2,000 exhibitors, and attendance was above 115,000, most of that being local visitors mixed with an increasing number of international professionals.

In contrast, the 2025 NAMM Show attracted 1,850 exhibitors and 63,000+ show attendees, including 10,700+ international attendees. On the upside, there were nearly 8,700 artists demonstrating and endorsing products, 250+ education sessions with 650+ speakers, and much more media coverage, with influencers and content creators doing their thing.
  “The 2025 NAMM Show united and energized our NAMM members from the entire ecosystem of the music industry,” says John Mlynczak. 

“The 2025 NAMM Show delivered in every possible capacity, from headline artist performances on multiple stages every single day and night to emerging music industry leaders delivering powerful messages inside the convention center, as well as hundreds of new products and partnerships,” added Tom Sumner, NAMM Chairman and President of Yamaha Corporation of America, which promoted the large main stage outside. “We’re thrilled to unite our global industry every January, and the 2025 Show brought that energy and excitement that will be remembered for a long time.” 
  One last, but major highlight. On the second day of the event, it was Global Media Day. Until now, this was a rather unpretentious affair for the trade press, where around 30 exhibitors would show the new products firsthand before the show opens. It was usually an opportunity to see and touch new products, and talk to some smaller manufacturers who had no chance to promote press conferences on their own. It lasted a few hours, but any member of the press was done in less than 60 minutes using the remaining hour for drinks and catching up with the industry.

On January 22, I walked to the convention center area, where signs and personnel were guiding the media to take the escalators to the third level, where Global Media Day would take place. A new format for me, which is actually in its second year (I didn’t attend in 2024). I was surprised that NAMM Global Media Day has now turned into a major presentation event, in a well-prepared auditorium, a standing-room-only ballroom with 500+ guests. A much larger audience that could not have been all press but included both major TV networks and online content creators.

On stage, John Mlynczak hosted all the major brands attending the show, as each one unveiled the new products, bringing also invited guests, some of whom actually performed a song and talked about their relationship with the brand they endorse. It was also a great opportunity for audio and entertainment technology companies - some such as Qualcomm only sent a prerecorded video and missed out - to announce breaking news to a captive audience. Fender, Gibson, PRS, Martin, Marshall, In Music, Native Instruments, Roland, all used their time on stage extremely well. 

I didn’t know that Global Media Day had turned into that, and I had to leave halfway for another engagement. I will reserve the whole afternoon next time. This is a great format!
  During the three show days, the NAMM Show hosted great artists such as Jon Batiste (who performed in the evening on the Yamaha Grand Plaza Stage) and the incredibly talented Jacob Collier, two examples of a new generation of musicians who are inspiring all segments of the industry.

I will be back again in 2026 (January 20–24), even more motivated, and I truly recommend to all companies in this industry to participate in the NAMM Show. It’s a unique environment, a great opportunity to build and reinforce a brand, and it’s great for business! aX

This article was originally published in The Audio Voice newsletter, (#501), January 30, 2025.