Not this year. Aside form a record breaking 92,000 attendees, NAMM has grown with the times, expanding from mere trade show to conference, power broker meet-n-greet.
Up until last year, had an aspiring artist asked me, “Why should I go to NAMM, I'm not a retailer, or a sound engineer?" I might have had little to disagree with. But with the addition of HOT Zone and a few minor tweaks in policy, NAMM has turned into far more than a place to see the latest Digital Work Station.
Now, I would say it doesn't matter what aspect of the music business a person is working with, if you're not at NAMM, you're probably not deeply in the game.
NAMM has arrived, and with over 300 new exhibitors (to add to the over 2000 already) and a record attendance level eclipsing the population of several US cities it's also proving the death of yet another piece of tech-biased propaganda: that the music biz is fading away.
As I recall, last year it was a very, male and very dry trade show. But for some reason (and I have my theories) the floor was decidedly more co-ed and with a fair amount of MILFie hotness. The Tech Awards show and the Ernie Ball Anniversary party attracted some high quality talent and with them their very high-talent entourages.
HOT Zone
But the real unsung hero of the new NAMM was the establishment of HOT Zone, a conference within the trade show that became the epicenter of the best deal making at the show. This was probably unintended, by founder and organizer David Schwartz, but the HOT Zone lounge on the second floor was the only space to have a quiet conversation in comfortable chairs, away from the hubbub.
Had you happened by, you would have been able to meet industry shakers shaking hands in a causal and very approachable environment. Alan Parsons was among them, giving a riveting workshop and hanging around after and the next day to shmooz.
My hope is that next year we see a continuation of this theme. If so, expect the nexus of deal making to be made more at NAMM than any five music gatherings put together. At about $100, the price gives it my highest marks on my chart ranking Music Business events.
