CARLSBAD, Calif. – November 15, 2016 – At The 2017 NAMM Show, inspiration and innovation, transformative business know-how, and leading strategies and tips for music industry professionals and businesses of all sizes will be offered through more than 120 free educational sessions. The Show’s NAMM U and TEC Tracks sessions have been designed to inspire members from various disciplines within the music products industry — from music product retailers and manufacturers to professionals in pro audio, live sound and lighting. Registrants will have access to learning sessions from the world’s top thought leaders and their peers who will present successful strategies and best practices trending across the industry today.

On Wednesday, January 18, many business-enhancing opportunities begin before the show officially opens, with an all-day intensive training: Retail Boot Camp. Featuring two different tracks, this training includes a schedule of strategies and tools for everyone involved in music retail who aims to strengthen their businesses and business practices through “Sales, Marketing and Websites” or “Financial Management” tracks. Speakers in the first track include pre-eminent thought-leaders “The Retail Doctor,” Bob Phibbs; digital marketing pioneer Larry Bailin; and Ben Blakesley, social media marketing leader at Reebok. In the financial track, experts Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe of Friedman, Kannenberg & Co. will offer tools and strategies for sound fiscal management.

Beginning Thursday morning, the show will officially open each day with NAMM U Breakfast Sessions. Located on the NAMM campus in the Hilton’s Pacific ballroom, the sessions will feature prominent keynote speakers sharing today’s best business practices, innovative ideas and inspirational strategies designed to transform businesses. Thursday morning kicks off the show with “Breakfast of Champions,” an up-close look at the people changing the music products industry, and led by NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond. On Friday, the show welcomes back marketing expert Larry Bailin for “2020: Future-Proof Your Business,” a session on how customers are changing, and how to prepare your business for the future. On Saturday, best-selling author and social media legend Guy Kawasaki brings “The Art of Innovation,” a presentation designed to reveal practical, surprising and even counterintuitive ideas to trigger innovation in a music store or products business. Sunday morning will welcome the perennial favorite “Best in Show” session. Led by Frank Alkyer of Music Inc. and UpBeat Daily magazines, a guest panel of music retail experts make their picks for the biggest products and technology breakthroughs found on the NAMM show floor.

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(October 27, 2016) – As part of its 32nd Annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards (NAMM TEC Awards), The NAMM Foundation has announced that rocker Joe Perry will receive the prestigious Les Paul Award. The annual award is given on behalf of the Les Paul Foundation and honors individuals that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of recording technology  in the spirit of the famed audio pioneer, inventor and musician, Les Paul. The award will be presented at a January 21st ceremony being held in Anaheim, CA as part of The 2017 NAMM Show. Perry, who was included in Rolling Stone’s list of “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” is also scheduled to perform live before an audience of pro audio and sound production inventors, musicians and industry friends.

“Anytime my name is mentioned in the same sentence as Les Paul, it’s a huge honor,” says Perry. “Getting an award bearing his name is the icing on the cake.”

A long-standing co-founding member of a group whose music repertoire spans four decades, Perry’s versatile musicianship and influence has helped pave the way

for a long list of accolades that reach beyond the band’s more than 150 million albums sold. In the role of principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and as producer for multiple tracks featured on several notable Aerosmith albums, Perry’s talent has helped contribute to the super group’s four Grammy® Awards, (one of which includes Perry’s guitar-based instrumental “Boogie Man”); six Billboard Music Awards; twelve MTV Video Awards; and two People’s Choice Awards, to name a few.

“Joe Perry was a friend of Les Paul’s and is undoubtedly one of the most innovative and talented musicians of our time,” says Michael K. Braunstein, Executive Director, Les Paul Foundation. “His ability to push boundaries of the electric guitar with his signature sound and deft playing ability embodies the true spirit of what Les Paul and the award given in his name stands for. The Les Paul Award has been presented at the NAMM TEC Awards to remarkably-distinguished and accomplished individuals from the music industry, including such luminaries as Sir Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townsend, Slash and last year’s recipient, Don Was. The Les Paul Foundation could not be more thrilled to be adding Joe Perry to this amazing list.”

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Carlsbad, Calif. (September 19, 2016) – The NAMM Foundation has announced  nominees for its 32nd Annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards in the categories of Outstanding Technical and Creative Achievement. Stand-up comedian and actor Sinbad will return for his third straight year as host. The NAMM TEC Awards are bestowed annually in celebration of the pro audio community by recognizing the individuals, companies and technical innovations behind today’s sound recordings, live sound, films, television, and video games.

More than 900 products and projects were considered during the highly-competitive nomination process. This year’s Outstanding Technical Achievement Nominees were chosen across twenty-three categories and include selections in two new categories: Audio Education Technology and DJ Production Technology – Hardware/Software.

Represented in many of the nominations for the 2017 show are the creators of more compact and mobile products that reflect the demands of an increasing number of independent and home studio musicians.

Examples in the DJ world include American Audio’s VMS5 Controller, which is both portable and compact with an all-in-one Midi Controller (DJ Production Technology – Hardware/Software); double-nominee Moog Music for their Model 15 App – a bonus for on-the-road creativity as the first Moog modular synthesizer and synthesis educational tool created exclusively for iPad and other Apple® devices (Audio Apps & Hardware/Peripherals for Smartphones/Tablets); Blue Microphones’ Bottle Mic Locker that offers studio musicians the flexibility and option of layering tracks with different capsules to find the right sound (Microphones – Recording); the Korg Minilogue (Music Instrument Hardware), which is a 37 slim-key fully programmable analog polyphonic synthesizer, reflecting yet another innovative product that helps fuel the19.9% growth in total unit volume among analog synths in the last five years. Nominees will be recognized in an additional nineteen categories that range from Wireless Technology toMusical Instrument Amplification & Effects, Computer Audio Hardware and beyond. (more…)