Summer NAMM News Roundup

Demoing Yamaha’s new electronic drums at Summer NAMM [Photo: Courtesy of NAMM.org]

On Sunday in Nashville, with the temperature reaching 94 degrees on Broadway, over 1,000 people found sanctuary in the air-conditioned convention center for Summer NAMM’s Wanna Play Music Sunday.

Summer NAMM has traditionally presented a strong opportunity for new exhibitors to break products into the marketplace.

While the 2010 show saw an increase in exhibitors, with 383 companies, NAMM also reported a four percent decrease in total registrants, with 12,463 people attending throughout the three-day event.

Some companies chose to forgo exhibition in favor of hosting outside events. L.R. Baggs hosted a Thursday night party at The Listening Room, where they gave away products like the Para and Venue D.I. boxes, and showcased their acoustic amplification products with performances by Kathy Mattea, Janis Ian and Jypsi.

Fender, who did not exhibit, timed the announcement of new summer products with the show. One such announcement for the juggernaut electric guitar manufacturer was for their line of acoustic guitars, which will now feature Fishman preamps with built-in tuners. (Fishman was also noticeably absent from this year’s exhibitor list.)

Despite the lack of some of the industry’s major players and the decrease in registrants, exhibitors remained positive, stressing the quality of attendees over quantity.

For members of the media, the lighter traffic afforded more opportunity to talk to product managers and survey the new product landscape.

U.S. Music Corp., which was recently acquired by Canada’s JAM Industries, used Summer NAMM to refocus attention on the 127-year-old Washburn acoustic guitar brand. The WD (Washburn Dreadnought) series is a return to form for the company, which in recent years has paid more attention to brands such as Randall Amps and Washburn’s electric guitars.

Samson Technologies introduced the new ZOOM R24, a full production interface that includes a drum machine and 24-track recording, among other features. Also of note from Samson was the H4n portable recorder, an update to the H4.

With so much positive feedback from exhibitors and attendees, Summer NAMM remains a viable mid-year event for the music products industry. And with the continued rise of do-it-yourself recording enthusiasts, perhaps NAMM will keep its doors open to the general public.

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