Let’s be honest, we would have preferred to meet all together in Anaheim, but it must be appreciated that NAMM with the Believe in Music Week tried to deliver the best possible experience. Obviously, all the part of PR and interchange with people that you can have at a in-person show is difficult to replicate in a virtual event, but let’s see it in this way: It has been a great use of technology that brought forward programs and products to individuals who might not ordinarily have the opportunity to attend the show.
So, given the current circumstances, the 2021 NAMM Show could not be held in its usual format. It was replaced by the NAMM Believe in Music Week event, an online, global gathering to “unify and support the people who bring music to the world”. A convergence of 93,226 industry leaders, buyers, sellers, music educators, artists, media and music makers from 187 countries and territories.
The event, which spanned Monday, January 18 – Friday, January 22, saw industry professionals virtually convene in 983 special sessions and events, engage with 611 hours of live-streamed and programmed content, which included nearly 200 education, training and professional development sessions presented by 391 speakers, and experience new products from 1,227 participating brands in the Marketplace, all to celebrate the power and resilience of music and to plan for the year ahead.
“While we knew we could not truly replicate The NAMM Show, we felt that this unprecedented time made it even more important for us to gather the global industry with a Marketplace to launch new products, provide an extraordinary education campus and to bring everyone together as a community to promote music and to set the stage for industry recovery and growth.”
Joe Lamond, NAMM President and CEO
More than 33,000 international registrants attended the event, that took place on the Swapcard platform and created a social network of industry activity from members found across the globe to network, learn and be inspired.
At the Marketplace, the latest technologies and gear were presented across brand experience pages, showcasing brand stories and information, along with special events. Over 750 brand events were held throughout the week.
Chris Martin
With its mission to support the people who bring music to the world, generous members and participants raised or pledged nearly $500,000 in matched funds for 12 nonprofit beneficiary organizations as well as other NAMM Foundation charities that work to advance access to music-making. The idea for the matching campaign was conceived and led by NAMM Chair and CEO of Martin Guitars, Chris Martin.
Three main TV stations, Believe, Artist, and Gear TV, offered live interviews, new gear features and special performances. International artists also enthusiastically joined the Believe TV celebration in a series of performances.
With industry experts participating in Believe week, members had the opportunity to connect with thought leaders through nearly 200 education sessions designed to engage, inform and inspire new ideas, as well as to further careers and prepare for the future.
“The new format is providing excellent opportunities for interaction with new and existing clients and a platform for us to present our products and services to a wide and varied audience.”
Alan Macpherson, CEO of L-AcousticsAmericas
The NAMM U Business Track brought together top minds to offer actionable strategies, tactics, and best practices for music retailers and brands to navigate to the next level.
Sessions for recording, live sound, house of worship professionals, and music technologists dove into the latest tools, tips, and innovations while also exploring the landscape of new technology.
Programs included TEC Tracks, which offered big-picture sessions and high-profile topics in recording, live sound, and music business, featuring industry thought leaders. Highlights included interviews with top producers, engineers, and artists, and live streaming and remote music production tips sessions for house of worship audio professionals.
A3E (Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange) featured future-forward education on how next-generation content creation is reshaping the entertainment industry.
AES (Audio Engineering Society) presented educational sessions on key topics for audio professionals, including streaming live performances and new music industry business models; and Dante Training from Audinate featured free Dante certification training of its leading audio-video network solution.
“While we miss seeing everyone in person, we have still been able to connect with customers, introduce them to our products, and do planning with our channel partners. The well-thought-out digital platform has enabled us to continue conducting giveaways, live streams, and live chats to new customers as if we were in person. We are optimistic about the year ahead and look forward to seeing everyone in 2022.”
Abby Kaplan, VP of Global Retail Sales at Shure .
A suite of sessions curated by ESTA (Entertainment Services and Technology Association) offered in-depth training sessions for lighting, production, safety, and rigging professionals.
In a first, the Event Safety Alliance (ESA) and Show Makers, resources for the live event community, joined the NAMM event. The ESA shared a suite of educational sessions with a diverse roster of academics and industry professionals that explored critical issues within the live event space, including safety in production design, risk management, COVID-19 mitigation planning, and more. Show Makers offered a roster of concert industry professionals who delivered Show Maker-curated sessions and mentoring, designed to unite, uplift, and strengthen those who work in entertainment production. This included sessions on touring, careers, leadership, mental health, and more.
For emerging and established artists, songwriters, and studio musicians, the Artist track covered the new music industry landscape and tips for success.
The Top 100 Awards made its move to Believe TV in a live broadcast, which saw the industry virtually gathered to celebrate the spirit of the music retailer and to applaud their accomplishments, resilience, and commitment to serving music makers.
On Friday, at the 36th TEC Awards, a 35-year retrospective was presented, and winners in 22 technical and seven creative excellence categories were announced and honored. See the full list of winners HERE.
Also on Friday, the Parnelli Awards honored past award recipients in special event, “Keep the Torch Lit, 20 Years of Parnelli Awards” retrospective.
Closing out the week, the evening featured a celebration of outstanding women in the industry at the She Rocks Awards.
“The NAMM team’s creativity represents the best of ‘the show must go on’ spirit by providing HARMAN and the rest of the industry with a platform on which we can connect with our customers.” David Glaubke, director of corporate communications, HARMAN
NAMM Believe in Music Week – Numbers
93,226 Attendees
1,227 Brands
Nearly $500,000 in Donations Raised
33,379 International Attendees
187 Countries and Territories
768 Brand Events
611 Hours of Content
36 Hours of Livestream
983 Sessions and Events
391 Speakers
Info: www.namm.org
