My NAMM 2024 report

BobC said:
I also remember Ronn Dunnett complaining to me about all the "civilians" in his booth who were wasting his time. I simply couldn't handle the crowds on Saturday, and left by early afternoon both years.
Click to expand...
I've talked to company people over the years, I have contacts with Noble & Cooley and Roland. It's not really about freebies being taken and time being wasted, it is all about the evil of volume. Booths are sandwiched together. Back in the day trade people who wanted to talk to other people on stands could do so, nowadays they are battling a cacophony of loud trashing. Members of the public want all want to hit the drums, bash the cymbals, show off with some shredding guitar solo.
They had sound police, but that just became a game of whack-a-mole. The biggest complaint I continually heard was the sheer volume of multiple stands, from 9am to 5 every day.
 
Chris Whitten said:
I've talked to company people over the years, I have contacts with Noble & Cooley and Roland. It's not really about freebies being taken and time being wasted, it is all about the evil of volume. Booths are sandwiched together. Back in the day trade people who wanted to talk to other people on stands could do so, nowadays they are battling a cacophony of loud trashing. Members of the public want all want to hit the drums, bash the cymbals, show off with some shredding guitar solo.
They had sound police, but that just became a game of whack-a-mole. The biggest complaint I continually heard was the sheer volume of multiple stands, from 9am to 5 every day.
Click to expand...
That's right. The noise police can only do so much to keep the racket down. I remember it being terribly loud at times. To me, NAMM Saturdays were just sensory overload. I had to leave. Besides, I wanted to hang out with my friend in LA and go to Amoeba Records, etc.
 
Chris Whitten said:
Just for the record, the UK show(s), there are sometimes two, are all about displaying product to the public. They are different from NAMM, which is supposed to be about trade, not the public.
Click to expand...

And therein may be the answer to the show's survival - convert it to a consumer expo. Exhibitors have an issue with not being able to conduct business, so shift it to a place to demonstrate and promote new product. Not to sell stuff there - that's a dealer network slap in the face - but simply to let the eventual customers get hands-on and then go to a dealer and place an order.

NAMM can charge everyone who walks through the door, maybe $50 for one day or $100 for all four, and exhibitors can relax about not writing business since it's no longer a trade show. or perhaps split the difference - two days of trade only with NO visitor badges allowed, then two days for the public.

But with the classic trade show model deteriorating, there will probably be no show at all in the near future.
 
bermuda said:
And therein may be the answer to the show's survival - convert it to a consumer expo. Exhibitors have an issue with not being able to conduct business, so shift it to a place to demonstrate and promote new product. Not to sell stuff there - that's a dealer network slap in the face - but simply to let the eventual customers get hands-on and then go to a dealer and place an order.

NAMM can charge everyone who walks through the door, maybe $50 for one day or $100 for all four, and exhibitors can relax about not writing business since it's no longer a trade show. or perhaps split the difference - two days of trade only with NO visitor badges allowed, then two days for the public.

But with the classic trade show model deteriorating, there will probably be no show at all in the near future.
Click to expand...
I think that's a great idea. Other trade shows are open to the public, why not NAMM It's been pretty much open to the public for years anyway. Why not make it official?

The goal is to put musical gear into the hands of interested musicians. NAMM needs to change or go away.
 
Last edited:
BobC said:
The goal is to put musical gear into the hands of interested musicians. NAMM needs to change or go away.
Click to expand...
Ultimately, yes... on both.

The manufacturers can certainly present their gear better than just about anyone in the retail setting, so why not do it face-to-face?

Again, they really shouldn't be selling direct since that erodes the already precarious dealer network and the survival of music stores. But a few large companies have been selling direct, and that does not sit well with the retailers.
 
bermuda said:
Ultimately, yes... on both.

The manufacturers can certainly present their gear better than just about anyone in the retail setting, so why not do it face-to-face?

Again, they really shouldn't be selling direct since that erodes the already precarious dealer network and the survival of music stores. But a few large companies have been selling direct, and that does not sit well with the retailers.
Click to expand...
I know some companies are now selling direct, like Gibson and Fender. I'm not in favor of that. The NAMM show could be structured so the public could come in and try out gear, then the manufacturers could quote MSRP and direct them to their nearest retailer to make purchases.
 
BobC said:
I know some companies are now selling direct, like Gibson and Fender. I'm not in favor of that. The NAMM show could be structured so the public could come in and try out gear, then the manufacturers could quote MSRP and direct them to their nearest retailer to make purchases.
Click to expand...
This explains everything. No wonder both Fender and Gibson skipped the show. They sell direct. That was a huge let down for me. I really wanted to see Fender.
 
BobC said:
The goal is to put musical gear into the hands of interested musicians.
Click to expand...
Maybe all shows should go away.
I did the UK drum show one time and it was chaotic, noisy, exhausting. A lot of it is people just bashing stuff, not looking for gear to buy.
I'm not sure if sales figures increase over the course of a public show, or over the following few months.
The influencer videos just say everything is amazing. They are about cosying up to the manufacturers so they get review gear to make content.
 
I did different Music Fairs dozens of time AS A PLAYER for different companies. Most of the time the one in Frankfurt (Musik Messe), which is, they say, the largest in the world, but also others.
Beyond the general noise level and a few undesirables from public, it is a great opportunity to meet drummer friends who live far away (Vinnie C. and many other very close friends), friends from the industry that one loves very much (e.g. Andy Zildjian, Dayne Marshall, etc.), seeing old and new drummers in person both to chat with them and watch them play, and of course, see and compare all those instruments and products live.
That's in addition to the fact that one is working there playing ($$), but even as a visitor it is an excellent opportunity for anyone, from hardcore musicians to hobby players and plain public.

A great contradiction of the times we live in, where there is almost not a second of people's lives without music ALL OVER THE WORLD, and all music, musicians, instrument makers, shops, music publishers in "paper" form and others educational articles, etc. they are in total crisis, let's hope that these Music Fairs never die too.


Vinnie Colaiutta and me at Frankfurt Music Fair 1989
(him doing demostrations for Yamaha, me for Ayotte, both a whole week 2 times a day) .
VinnieAlexSanguinetti.jpg
 
Last edited:
BobC said:
The NAMM show could be structured so the public could come in and try out gear, then the manufacturers could quote MSRP and direct them to their nearest retailer to make purchases.
Click to expand...
I did the NAMM show twice as part of an exhibit and have done another couple of shows. Over the course of an entire show day I probably answered a couple of questions about the gear from someone seriously looking to buy something. The rest of the time it's just people having fun bashing things, or getting their hands on gear they would never buy because of the cost.
That's fine. I'm just saying, the people genuinely checking out gear ahead of a purchase is by far the minority.
I went to a cymbal exhibitor because I wanted to try some of their cymbals and they didn't have those models on their stand, just the same stuff most stores already had in stock.
 
square badge jazz pants said:
Similar observations as Bermuda. Only thing to add is the prevalence of Chinese companies who were able to move from the basement floor to the main floor. Handful of the Chinese kits I saw looked not bad at all. Nice, smooth lacquer and matte finishes, nice wraps, hardware that looked like it could hold up to gigging abuse. Random cymbal manufacturers as well. The "Turkish handmade" thing seems over-used, but maybe there *are* really just a lot of small Turkish shops turning out plates, I don't know.

Having worked for a company that does a big annual automotive trade show, the NAMM shrinkage would have me worried. But like others have mentioned, it could very well be an outdated model.

Could be a confluence of factors: NAMM charging too much for booth space or not flexible enough with manufacturers...companies can't justify travel expenses...companies don't feel the need to release new product on NAMM schedule...too many attendees like me who get into the show mostly as enthusiasts and not looking to do business (though trying to make it my business) and end up wasting a lot of booth time talking gear instead of working deals or contracts...

Too bad, cause NAMM really was one of those events you looked forward to. I've been a handful of times in 20-odd years and it was always a fun circus. Not quite the same enthusiasm this time around. Even the related NAMM jams around town and in LA seem pretty muted this year (although my wife went to a metal show last night with Portnoy and Brann Dailor sharing duties and said it was pretty raucous 😂)
Click to expand...
Which Chinese companies? Like, Premier?
 
Alex Sanguinetti said:
I did different Music Fairs dozens of time AS A PLAYER for different companies. Most of the time the one in Frankfurt (Musik Messe), which is, they say, the largest in the world, but also others.
Beyond the general noise level and a few undesirables from public, it is a great opportunity to meet drummer friends who live far away (Vinnie C. and many other very close friends), friends from the industry that one loves very much (e.g. Andy Zildjian, Dayne Marshall, etc.), seeing old and new drummers in person both to chat with them and watch them play, and of course, see and compare all those instruments and products live.
That's in addition to the fact that one is working there playing ($$), but even as a visitor it is an excellent opportunity for anyone, from hardcore musicians to hobby players and plain public.

A great contradiction of the times we live in, where there is almost not a second of people's lives without music ALL OVER THE WORLD, and all music, musicians, instrument makers, shops, music publishers in "paper" form and others educational articles, etc. they are in total crisis, let's hope that these Music Fairs never die too.


Vinnie Colaiutta and me at Frankfurt Music Fair 1989
(him doing demostrations for Yamaha, me for Ayotte, both a whole week 2 times a day) .
View attachment 143090
Click to expand...
Musikmesse in Frankfurt was indeed the largest Music Fair in the world. Three times the size of NAMM. Incredible and overwhelming in its heyday. But it is no longer. I believe 2019 was the last year. My last year attending was 2012 and it was showing signs of decline.
 
Rattlin' Bones said:
What is difference between NAMM, Nashville, and the Chicago show?
Click to expand...
NAMM is an organization that (among other things) sponsors a trade show. They have a winter show in Anaheim and a summer show in Nashville (future unknown for that.) The summer show originated in Chicago and was bigger than Anaheim, but that turned around maybe in the '70s? The summer show has been in question by exhibitors for some time since many don't have enough new product to warrant the expense of doing two shows a year, and that show has been shrinking for decades. They even added a 'public' day recently to help with overall attendance.

The Chicago show is a public drum show, and significantly smaller than NAMM as an event. But several manufacturers are there and it gives drummers a chance to get hands-on with new product. Also clinics, artist signings, used gear... a fun event and the biggest of its kind for drummers. That's held in May, usually in St. Charles a bit west of Chicago.
 
Back in time I was at some trade show. Can't even remember where, but wherein a fantastic drummer was presenting and demoing newly released Vdrums. The guy was so polished. Never heard of again, though.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
bermuda said:
NAMM has a winter show in Anaheim and a summer show in Nashville (future unknown for that.) the summer show originated in Chicago and was bigger than Anaheim, but that turned around maybe in the '70s? The summer show has been in question by exhibitors for some time since many don't have enough new product to warrant doing two shows a year, and that show has been shrinking for decades. NAMM is a trade show, but Nashville had been having 'public' days recently.

The Chicago show is a public drum show, and significantly smaller than NAMM as an event. But several manufacturers are there and it gives drummers a chance to get hands-on with new product. Also clinics, artist signings, used gear... a fun event and the biggest of its kind for drummers.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'm way east of you geographically, and I hear a lot about the great deals on kits and snares and cymbals and such at the Chi town show.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top