NAMM 2024

[Docbop]

NAMM 2024 is twenty days away and it been crickets from the instrument world and rumour mill.    Seems likes that's a bad sign for NAMM and considering trade shows in general have been shrinking or dying off. 

[TJ Cornish]

The last several big workstation announcements have not coincided with either NAMM: Montage M October, Roland Fantom September, Kronos 2 November (can’t remember on Nautilus). 

[Dave Bryce]

I will be at the show this year, covering it for MPN.  It’ll be my first NAMM show not working for a manufacturer, so I’m looking forward to that. 

 

I think there are more than a few folks who have been holding on to the idea that having Winter NAMM return to its customary January slot will help boost the flagging attendance we’ve seen in the past few years.  I’m not sure they’re correct about that.

 

We’ll find out soon enough. 

 

If anyone has an instrument or other product they’d like for me to check out, please feel free to post it here.  I’ll do my best to get to as much as I can.

 

dB

[The Real MC]

1 hour ago, Dave Bryce said:

If anyone has an instrument or other product they’d like for me to check out, please feel free to post it here.  I’ll do my best to get to as much as I can.

 

Intellijel Cascadia.

This was at the 2023 show but I wasn't tuned into it back then.  It's a compact synth combining west and east coast synthesis with normalizing like a 2600.  I'm not a member of the modular synth club but this one got my interest - which doesn't happen often anymore.

If Sequential is there you HAVE to check out the Trigon-6.  I got the module last summer.  Closest thing I have heard to a Memorymoog.

[Anderton]

I'll be the contrarian. I think the NAMM show is going to justify its existence. Remember, in 2005 the NAMM show had 78,000 registrants and there were about 1,400 companies represented. For 2024, the exhibitor directory lists 2,180 companies. There are no projections about attendance that I could find, but my crystal ball says around 60,000 sounds right. That's still a lot of people.

 

I doubt that NAMM will return to "the only place to introduce products and do business." A lot depends on how NAMM repositions the show, but it has an advantage over other trade organizations because the music industry is so people/connection oriented. There's also a major increase in seminars and such.

 

Eventually, it might go more in a SXSW direction. Who knows? We'll find out soon. But I wouldn't write it off yet.

[Docbop]

35 minutes ago, Anderton said:

I'll be the contrarian. I think the NAMM show is going to justify its existence. Remember, in 2005 the NAMM show had 78,000 registrants and there were about 1,400 companies represented. For 2024, the exhibitor directory lists 2,180 companies. There are no projections about attendance that I could find, but my crystal ball says around 60,000 sounds right. That's still a lot of people.

 

I doubt that NAMM will return to "the only place to introduce products and do business." A lot depends on how NAMM repositions the show, but it has an advantage over other trade organizations because the music industry is so people/connection oriented. There's also a major increase in seminars and such.

 

Eventually, it might go more in a SXSW direction. Who knows? We'll find out soon. But I wouldn't write it off yet.

 

In the Tech Industry trade shows are shrinking and some even gone.   That manufactures are moving to just doing their own events versus competing for attention in a trade show.   Now what I'd like to know is the number of small music stores versus the major chains and online.    Maybe Covid showed online rollout from companies can reach a bigger audience for less money.    I'm just observing how I see the business changing in the internet world. 

[Anderton]

3 hours ago, Docbop said:

In the Tech Industry trade shows are shrinking and some even gone.

 

When times change, models have to change. At this point, the ship has sailed for a hybrid physical/online trade show. The hybrid that's working far better is the industry/consumer hybrid. SXSW went from 280k people in 2022 to 345k in 2023. GearFest kept growing to the point where the Sweetwater campus could physically not accommodate it anymore. Superbooth had 9,000 visitors in 2023 compared to 4,000 in 2020, and managed to come back strong despite huge financial headwinds due to Covid. 

 

The most hopeful sign for NAMM is that the organization is not in denial, is fully aware that the model has to change, and is introducing changes. With the Individual Membership category introduced last year, attendees are no longer limited to exhibitors and retailers. There are over 500 events and 200 performances scheduled for 2024, which gives more of the SXSW vibe. The emphasis is shifting more to connections and a music industry gathering then a traditional "write me an order" trade show. Of course, just changing a model isn't sufficient; it has to be the right model. But, as noted above, other shows have figured out something that works.

 

(FWIW I recommended that NAMM explore the idea of being an umbrella organization for also doing local "hotel shows" in secondary markets like San Antonio, Cleveland, Columbus, Atlanta, etc. in conjunction with manufacturers and retailers.)

 

We'll see how Winter NAMM shakes out this year. I think as long as winter in the midwest and east coast sucks, and music store owners can take their familiies to Southern California in January while deducting the business share as a tax expense, the show has a future

 

 

[UnderGroundGr]

I am waiting for Arturia Keylab Mk3, are ready to be spend...

[LarsHarner2]

19 hours ago, UnderGroundGr said:

I am waiting for Arturia Keylab Mk3, are ready to be spend...

I like my MkII 61 quite a bit, perhaps I should have gotten the 88 as to me it felt good, not quite the Fatar Studio 900 action I had decades ago but still solid. 

To me the coolest thing on the MKII is the transport buttons which eliminates me having to reach over for my computer or tablet, also I like how the sliders control the Arturia B3 drawbars.

[Stokely]

19 hours ago, UnderGroundGr said:

I am waiting for Arturia Keylab Mk3, are ready to be spend...

 

Same here, but mainly on the chance that it has poly AT that is good.  I haven't tried the earlier models to know how well Arturia implements AT in general, though of course they could use some brand new keybed.

I have keyboards I can use as controllers but I'm wanting to try out something with poly AT.  If the Montage M 6/7 had it, I might have gone for one considering I'd use it live.

[MathOfInsects]

I don't have any driving compulsion to attend this one. The last one feels like just a few months ago. What is going to be out, that wasn't introduced then or in the intervening months? 

Plus they have the misfortune of throwing a gorilla convention in the middle of a new COVID wave. I don't think I want to be stuck inside with a bunch of hacking metalhead faux rockstars right now. Plus the whole "Guitar Center on Crack" ADHD overstimulation vibe activates all my worst neuroses anyway and all I can usually think about when I'm there is being "not there." Plus I'm not playing it and don't have friends playing this time (that I know of), and no one gave me a free pass.

I think all that adds up to hanging out at home with the dog instead. 

[CHarrell]

1 hour ago, Stokely said:

 

Same here, but mainly on the chance that it has poly AT that is good.  I haven't tried the earlier models to know how well Arturia implements AT in general, though of course they could use some brand new keybed.

I have keyboards I can use as controllers but I'm wanting to try out something with poly AT.  If the Montage M 6/7 had it, I might have gone for one considering I'd use it live.

 

I don't know about the 88, but AT is super-easy to trigger on my 49...if anything, too easy! I'll find out many of my software instruments have AT features in the most surprising and inopportune moments. Overall, though, very good.

[The Real MC]

On 1/6/2024 at 4:56 PM, The Real MC said:

Intellijel Cascadia.

This was at the 2023 show but I wasn't tuned into it back then.  It's a compact synth combining west and east coast synthesis with normalizing like a 2600.  I'm not a member of the modular synth club but this one got my interest - which doesn't happen often anymore.

If Sequential is there you HAVE to check out the Trigon-6.  I got the module last summer.  Closest thing I have heard to a Memorymoog.

 

PS if you audition the T6, the presets mostly suck.  Tweak the panel and the real sound comes out of it.

[ProfD]

Every year I'm tempted to roll out there. I really need to knock NAMM off my bucket list. Especially before it stands for No Annual Merchant Meeting.😁😎

[eric]

I remember reading Keyboard Magazine in the early-mid '80s and learning about the NAMM Show, seeing the articles about how the DX-7 was unveiled there and many other things. I always dreamed of the NAMM Show as likely an unobtainable bucket list item. 

Fast forward to around 2005-2006 and I found my way into the NAMM Show! This was around the time that the KC Corner NAMM hangs were all the rage, with often dozens of forum members, along with industry folks, and famous musicians showing up to have a meal and do other things together. One year I was even in charge of planning the hang. Somewhere there are pictures. I thought I was in heaven!

 

I was a yearly attendee at NAMM up until 2020, so I had about 15 years of attendance. Over this time, I made some really close friends around the nation and our NAMM experience became more about "the hang" and less about the show. Don't get me wrong, we still spent lots of time checking out new gear and talking with the various booths...though we spend equal time doing things together like touring SoCal, going to shows, etc.

 

I was supposed to be at Jan 2020, the last one before Covid really got in the way. I had two days of flight delays and cancellations, so I missed that year. NAMM was canceled altogether in 2021, then they had it in June 2022 and April 2023. I went back last year for the April version and it felt almost normal...a few larger companies were not present and we also didn't have quite the same size crew for the KC Corner hang...though we still had it!

 

I'm going to sit out 2024, as it feels like I was just there and I'm doing some different trips this year. I will hopefully be back for Jan 2025.

[CEB]

Everyone be careful and try not to catch NAMMthrax. 

[kpl1228]

Always wondered....how does NAMM work if you are just part of the public? Can I just show up and pay some admission fee (if any) and walk around and see booths etc?

[eric]

11 minutes ago, kpl1228 said:

Always wondered....how does NAMM work if you are just part of the public? Can I just show up and pay some admission fee (if any) and walk around and see booths etc?

 

Prior to the last one or two years, you'd need to either be a member of NAMM (by way of industry/products, retailer, etc.) or have a connection with extra NAMM passes for "guests." There was no such thing as "open to the public" or getting walk-up passes. My earliest years were on a media badge, thanks to our very own Stephen Fortner, who signed me up to write about the show for Keyboard Magazine and some live blogs. In latter years, I've been part of a company that was a NAMM member.

 

As of the past year or two, they have started to allow more of a general admission that makes it easier for anyone to attend without the insider connections. Check out the NAMM website for additional details. Looks like $150 gets you there.

[Anderton]

14 hours ago, MathOfInsects said:

Plus they have the misfortune of throwing a gorilla convention in the middle of a new COVID wave. I don't think I want to be stuck inside with a bunch of hacking metalhead faux rockstars right now.

 

I find the covid thing concerning as well. I got a covid booster in mid-December so it would be at maximum efficacy when I went to NAMM. Fingers crossed.

 

As to the faux rockstars, consider that the attendance will probably be about half of what it was at its peak. I think that bodes well for a saner experience.

[Docbop]

49 minutes ago, Anderton said:

 

I find the covid thing concerning as well. I got a covid booster in mid-December so it would be at maximum efficacy when I went to NAMM. Fingers crossed.

 

 

I had to go to hospital last week for a procedure and they started requiring masks again as soon as you come through the door.   Talking to the nurse in recovery she said the number of Covid cases is starting to rise again so that's why the masks.  

[Dave Bryce]

On 1/9/2024 at 9:53 AM, Anderton said:

As to the faux rockstars, consider that the attendance will probably be about half of what it was at its peak. I think that bodes well for a saner experience.

 

Man, I hope you’re right about that. 

 

dB

[MathOfInsects]

On 1/9/2024 at 9:53 AM, Anderton said:

 

I find the covid thing concerning as well. I got a covid booster in mid-December so it would be at maximum efficacy when I went to NAMM. Fingers crossed.

 

As to the faux rockstars, consider that the attendance will probably be about half of what it was at its peak. I think that bodes well for a saner experience.

I enjoyed last year's "NAMM-Lite" experience for that reason...but still couldn't wait to go home and hang with the dog. 

[ElmerJFudd]

Yamaha Prince Piano in Purple

 

https://www.instagram.com/yamahamusicusa/reel/C0jzsPxpHW9/
 

 

[The Real MC]

I attended NAMM infrequently - 2000, 2001, 2005, 2016, 2023.

Seeing the gear and attending the KC hang was a great time.  My favorite part of NAMM is meeting people.

 

What soured my taste from the last show was the expenses.  Taxi, hotel, food has gone WAY up.  I never needed to rent a car, I always got a hotel within walking distance so I only needed a taxi to/from LAX.  But taxi hires are up to $150 each way.

[The Real MC]

I think 2016 was the record breaker as far as attendance.  Saturday is always mobbed.  I skipped the Saturday show in 2016 to see a friend who came to visit, and later I heard that day's attendance set the all time record.  Saturday is also the noisiest day.  If I had been there that day, my ears would had bled for a week.

[Geoff Grace]

I began calling the Winter NAMM Show a "Germfest" even before COVID, because people come from all over the world, during the height of flu and cold season, bringing their rare, exotic germs with them.

 

If you have a robust immune system, it's less of a concern; but if not, then you may want to think twice about going.

 

I won't be there this year. I'll miss everyone, though. It was always fun seeing everyone at the show and going to the dinner.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[UnderGroundGr]

Two years ago, when Akai mpc keys 61 came out, i was send a request to Arturia to make a new Origin model. Desktop module, 61 or 88 keys with large touchscreen, all Keylab MK controllers and all plugins and effects from arturia, with  integration with mainstage and all DAWs . The King of all synths...🙂

Someone can tell me that you can do all these with a controller and a mac book but i like a synth like this better...😉

[Stokely]

6 hours ago, UnderGroundGr said:

Two years ago, when Akai mpc keys 61 came out, i was send a request to Arturia to make a new Origin model. Desktop module, 61 or 88 keys with large touchscreen, all Keylab MK controllers and all plugins and effects from arturia, with  integration with mainstage and all DAWs . The King of all synths...🙂

Someone can tell me that you can do all these with a controller and a mac book but i like a synth like this better...😉

I'd like that a lot better too, as my main beef with a laptop is where to put it on our (sometimes tiny) stage.  There are other reasons but that's a big one.   If such a thing was reliable I'm sure the sounds would be good enough, they'd certainly cover all the ground I'd ever need if they included their piano and organ along with the synths.

[Franz Schiller]

6 hours ago, UnderGroundGr said:

Two years ago, when Akai mpc keys 61 came out, i was send a request to Arturia to make a new Origin model. Desktop module, 61 or 88 keys with large touchscreen, all Keylab MK controllers and all plugins and effects from arturia, with  integration with mainstage and all DAWs . The King of all synths...🙂

Someone can tell me that you can do all these with a controller and a mac book but i like a synth like this better...😉

 

Agreed! I actually liked the sound of the various Arturia instruments, so a few years ago I got a used Origin. Yikes! Not the same, very disappointing. It was so clunky and convoluted.  I think the general idea of the Origin is killer, but that original execution was a mess. If they could improve the interface, I'd be very interested in new Origin.

[ElmerJFudd]