This ain’t no boat show. General Lillie has no interest in the new Carvin guitar lineup. If it were a traveling circus perhaps you have a point. Of course there’s always guitar center for lookie- loo’s. Frank Gambale playing his new signature guitar, well let me say, that alone was worth the price of admission $140.00 for two days of electronic bliss.
It’s far more likely they’d raise vendor fees and charge tickets 😂 look at all these people you have the opportunity to sell to now 🤷♂️ It’s a bad call to let civilians in cause vendors already feel there are too many civilians there
That’s crazy, it’s the everyday guy, the bedroom producers who are buying most of the gear NAMM would be great again with a lot more excitement. The vendors better recognize before it’s too laye
I attended NAMM last week. I see what you’re saying regarding gear launches. I asked some vendors about it and was told they the timing of NAMM was odd for them to launch new products, but all said they hoped to get back on track in nine months when NAMM returns to it’s usual January time. That being said, I personally enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s my 10th(ish) one. I reconnected with old friends, made lots of new friends as well as contacts at companies whose products I’m interested. There were a ton of content creators in attendance and it was fun to connect with them in person and build those relationships face-to-face. There’s no doubt the format has to change given the cultural shift to more online events. All major conferences are facing that challenge. There IS a business model there if they take some time to think about how to mix traditional with the value that content creators provide. I decided I’m going to wait until the January NAMM before I claim RIP. The world has shifted and I’m going to give them a chance to re-adjust. Was all the new, shiny gear there? No, but I’ve never had more fun spending time with other artists, content creators I enjoy, being introduced to some new music/musicians, and picking up a ton of tips for navigating the new digital world of music and marketing. I came home inspired to create! Those are my thoughts. Love the channel!
I’m waiting till it goes back to January also, but I’m a little more removed from Music Business in my later years - I’m not sure who I could hook up a ticket with nowadays… but I still think I have some cards up my sleeve …
I’ve talked to several big companies absent this year who walked the floor and realized they had to be there.. January should be even better.. I actually enjoyed last weeks show.. Hard to give an opinion when you didn’t argent like this guy.. Second or third hand accounts always leaves room for personal opinions that stray from the truth.. I thought it was good and it’ll get even better..
@@RJKANEAO I too had a great time this year there. If it never got any bigger (it will), I’d still be going every year. There were still close to 50k attendees. For comparison AES is about 16k attendees and I go to that, too.
I hate to say it but im coming off recording equipment in general. As a musician the more crap i own the less i get done. There are a zillion home setups that blow mine away anyways theres no competing with them. Now im being pushed into atmos by the nazis etc. The whole thing is becoming more of a scam every day for people like me. Im bored of collecting expensive toys that promise to turn water into wine. Im actually becoming embarrassed of how much stuff i own for how little enthusiasm i have for it. There are almost zero channels telling people how to use what theyve got already and mostly its disguised gear ads. Music isnt about being rich. Anyone who can look at their wife and kids in todays world and finance a new API console hoping theyll finally “make it” didnt learn anything from the last few years.
As Josh Scott said about the Bad Monkey saga. "You don't need anything else. What you have is enough". It's been decades since premium equipment has been available for the regular Joe.
The virtual world has taken away the incentive to go to the NAMM show in person and merchants have already let people know about their new products online even before attending such an event. I think it is still cool to attend in person, interact with others with similar interests, and also check out the live performances.
Hi Barry-i’ve been a NAMM member since 2006, and I usually go the first day every year. I have a lot of friends who are vendors and it’s good to connect with them and when they’re not burned out on day four and there’s still some anticipatory excitement going on. This year was an interim year, it being in April instead of January. and next year they plan on being back to normal with their January extravaganza. But I agree with you, the glory days of NAMM may be a thing of the past. When you have major vendors like Fender and Gibson saying that they don’t benefit from going to the show, that really puts a dark cloud on a major event like this one. In the old days of NAMM, I did a lot of personal business with vendors. For example I wanted an al l tube vocal chain for my studio, and I made a deal with Aspen Pittman, (RIP) to buy an all tube mic pre-called Vipre and an all tube compressor called the Glory Comp. Then the following year I took the lids of those units back to him, and he personally signed them for me. That’s the kind of cool stuff that I used to enjoy about the show. So , maybe NAMM of the future may better serve smaller vendors, icons vendors be damned. but this year I have to admit it was just lackluster- that said, I’m going to post pone judgment and give them another January to see if NAMM show can, once again be cool. I was kind of excited to go this year because, I heard you mention in one of your earlier videos that universal audio might be bringing out the next big thing ,but it didn’t happen. Oh well…
I watched some vlogs, and I wonder with all these companies basically making similar gear with so much hype, is anyone actually making money, also, pity all this great gear for mediocre music of today, its not NAMM thats the problem its the people making the music, including the guy on this channel, when my mid 30's kids say they don't listen to new music anymore, that says something, about the state of the music industry, I am from Aussie , used to listen to casey case on a Sunday there was a real Billboard top `100, now its just trite artists who all sound the same, and yes music made by producers and engineers who swamp the music with the next toy😞,
@@theend9494 I would submit that, the good new music is out there; there’s just a lot more stuff to weed through to find it- because of technology available. NAMM has been part of that process but, times are changing, and I think that’s what we’re talking about here.
NAMM has become a racket of making as much money as they can and making it impossible for smaller venders to attend and be seen. That mode of mode of operation has made even an entity like Drumeo who is the biggest deal in the percussion world as far as visibility has pulled away and has considered having their own festival. Something in the organization has to change.
We have gotten away from making music and traded that in for making cool home studios. Letting the hype cool down might be the best thing for music making. In fact, manufacturers need to launch training programs over the phone to walk people through gear, third party training programs so people can start maximizing the gear they already have from anyone since this new platform has stuff communicating via USB, so they say. The marketing on software can pull anyone in and drag them up to the level of incompetence and leave them feeling they need to change directions. After that brutal marketing full of bugs that are so 15 years out of date, I mean, it's no surprise about NAMM. It is like being 19 years old and the county fair just ain't the same as your middle school days. It sinks in that it is all about the money. People are done buying gear that they are ready to use, so the industry needs to shift to service and training more so than that feel good shit you buy that makes your wife leave you. It is an addiction, literally, getting pulled into the marketing and that rush when it finally happens, you buy it. lmao
I went to the show and was happy with what I saw from a lot of the smaller manufacturers. I also spent a lot of time with SSl and although not new, I have now purchased an Origin console because I went. I think there's a lot of value being able to just speak to the brands in person. The people who are passionate about their individual projects as opposed to a sales engineer or sales person. And if there's going to be blame for not seeing anything new, blame the manufacturers, not NAMM. I get that it may not make sense for them, but at the same time they didn't release anything outside of the show. I think next year will be bigger and better. NAB has gone through the same struggle. It's just the cycle. Great video Barry!!
This is the age of TH-cam and TH-camrs now. Why would any company focus on 2 days in a year when they can pay pocket money to an enthusiastic TH-camr gear-nerd in Finland, or in Berlin (who otherwise have no musical talent whatsoever, but can explain modulation paths, etc)? The message will be out anyway. For fraction of the cost, what NAMM otherwise would take them to pay.
I saw two things that got me excited! 1. The new Sony binaural technology blew my mind, as well as anyone I talked to who also experienced it. 2. A company called Freqport debuted a product called Freqtube, which is a desktop unit housing four tubes, each of which can be controlled by a plugin instance in your DAW. A tube saturation plugin, but the tubes are real. Other than that not a lot of buzz around new gear. Just walking around and making good industry connections with cool people
I work for an international distributor. One of the major issues is that many manufacturers have still not recovered from the C 19 lockdowns, etc. During these times, many employees "went home or left" and when things resumed, never came back to work which has meant that not only are many factories still way behind on production but they also don't have many of those skilled workers to help them catch up. This also means that many companies still can't completely fulfil orders for existing products, let alone introduce anything new.
Been a 30 year NAMM show attendee. Did not go last year, but went last week. Its much smaller than in 2020 when I last attended before the pandemic. This show was in April for whatever reason. It also overlapped with NAB in Vegas where many of the more tech oriented companies like Avid, Dolby and Nugen also exhibit. So their marketing budgets were also split. There’s also a huge recession happening globally if no one has noticed. Also a lot of geopolitical tension happening in the world, especially in China where many brands still have their manufacturing. Supply chain issues still there, heard from a few manufacturers that because of the shortage of one critical part they cannot make stuff to sell. A sad situation and I pray for these companies. The big thing for me was Dolby Atmos as there were panels about it all over. Dolby releasing a new renderer for $300, and all the built in Atmos for other DAWs bringing point of entry down for small studios. As were low cost Atmos set ups from guys like Kali. There were also the Atmos panels, which demystified a lot for me, especially at the PMC booth which for me was the best sounding demo room in the show. This was also the first year I paid for my exhibits badge. Usually I get in for free. NAMM will be back in January 2024. Lets see how everything goes. Hopefully not RIP.
I wasn't looking for this video, but at the exact moment I was thinking the same thing, I found it so thanks. Glad I wasn't the only one. I literally kept waiting for NAMM to start and then I realized, "oh, it's been going on for days".
I think you're exactly spot on. It all has to do with the cost of a booth, hotels, food, travel and its not reaching as many people with the internet. You hit the nail on the head, it might be the last one... Sad, another humanistic contact going into isolation. Its changing not for the good....Great commentary and thanks for sharing. .
NAMM is not dead by a long shot. The purpose of NAMM was never for guys like us to go there and get excited about gear. No one thought this was going to be a full return, either. It was even a day shortened.
I think it is i don't see the big manufacturers like PRS Fender and Gibson returning. Its becoming expensive and they get more bang for the buck by selling direct.
I was super hype for the things I saw come out of NAMM. Distressor like 500 series, Ssl 4K B series, evertune bass, that’s just a few things that landed on my radar the last few days.
@@SoundcastStudios empirical labs. It’s not an exact distressor, but supposed to be similar. It has the same attack, release and ratio settings from the distressor, the saturation from their mic preamp, the attack mod from their arouser plugin. It’s called Pump. It looks really cool, and about 1/2 the price of a distressor.
I didn't go to NAMM but I was looking forward to see new gear from Audioscape and they didn't dissapoint. They had the AS78 (1178 clone) and the AS A^A (BA6A clone). Both units look very interesting and considering how good the Audioscape gear is, I'm sure these two units won't dissapoint.
I was at NAMM 2023 and yes it was smaller, no lower floor etc. That said it was easier to get around, easier to do business, easier to hear. Worked for me.
In my opinion, the industry has plateaued in terms of gear. A release-ready record can be made with almost any DAW, condenser microphone, audio interface, and monitors (if you know what you're doing). There are so many options already available that to truly get interest, it has to be something groundbreaking released. I haven't seen that at NAMM for years.
I don't know if NAMM is dead , maybe reinventing itself , Jeff Keisel said it would cost them $ 100,000 to go, the reason they weren't going , but this year might have been be good for small vendors to be seen , and maybe they should sell merch off the floor, I think there's still a pandemic hangover going on for many businesses/ industries
As a semi-professional musician, and a long-term tradeshow, exhibits, and convention sales manager that works with NAMM directly, I can tell you that all conventions and tradeshows took one of the biggest hits due to Covid. Many companies are still not going full out due to the uncertanty of the economy. As for the lack of new gear, this is on each company, not the show itself. I was hoping for a new flagship keyboard from Yamaha and Korg... Tradeshows will never go away, Covid proved that people need that in-person connections and that online events will not ever take over, at least anytime soon. Let's be real, we are all still going to go to NAMM and will still have a great time..
I think NAMM might experience the same things that happened to "Frankfurt Musikmesse" in Germany. The owner of the exhibition decided not to reopen this event in their halls. So this exhibition is already gone. I don't know but I could also happen that NAMM will share the same destiny unfortunately. Thanks for sharing. Cheers DimiZ
I have been at Namm since 1992. As a distributor in Brazil, what we did the most were meetings and meetings with goals to be reached. But we loved to see new gears. This is my first Namm that I was not there. Some factories informed us that they will not be there also (or at least one person for meetings at hall). Covid + Internet changed completely the scenario. Some companies start to like the possibility to not put so much money into these trade shows. It´s a test. It happend in Brazil also with a lot of crises there, despite of Covid. I loved to see friends there. Products? No more.
I went to NAMM this year, yes some big names was missing but this is the first year in a while that I saw products that made me say "I'm going to buy that" Empirical Labs push 500 series compressor, Cranborne Carnaby 500, Heritage Audio Lang eq, to name a few. I didn't expect much this year with it being in April. But I had a good time and did some good networking
This was my 10th year and I thought it was the best yet! Not as crazy, room to walk around. Yes my favorite brands were not there but I still had a great time.
I was there, and spoke to a number of people in a wide range of roles. The point about product releases is spot on, they are no longer tied to the show cycle and happen on the Internet at different times. Some major companies feel they don’t need the physical presence at the trade show, but that is because they had a massive surge in sales during Covid and went mostly virtual. It appears that the sales surge is over and sales are going down, I believe they are going to rethink this pretty soon. Another thing I heard from reputable sources is that most companies are coming back in January. The timing was more of the problem for them because it presented three Nam shows within 18 months which budgets did not permit them to spend on. When they go back to January in 2024, the consensus is that the vast majority of companies plan to be there. Another point is that some very notable companies like Taylor and universal audio were there, but had little a public presence. They were there to set up meetings,. Some, like Taylor, had private showing rooms for dealers. Certainly, the culture, and technology have changed, and Covid was a huge factor. However, there is a clear consensus that the show will be significantly more attended in 2024. I definitely noticed a drop off in Internet coverage of products. But if you were there in person, there was plenty of cool stuff. Sony had an amazing system for immersive, headphone reproduction, mercury, audio, created, a stellar Fairchild like compressor that has EQ on board. Amphion has a killer new set of flagship studio monitors, and, the list goes on and on!
I grew up in Nashville and always managed to get into summer NAMM when it was there, even as a little kid. I always came back half-deaf and loaded up with posters, merch, and excited. In the 90s there was ALWAYS some wild new keyboard workstation with some star playing it, or some new goofy guitar gadget. It was so much FUN, even if you came home hearing the piercing sound of digital pianos tinkling through PA speakers when you closed your eyes.
After attending every single Namm Show since the early 90’s, the 2019 show was my last show as well because of Covid. This year the Namm and the NAB practically overlapped so, for the first time, I choose the NAB show instead and just returned today, And all I can say is WOW! This years show was literally off the hook! SO many parts of the broadcast/Video world overlap with the audio world now. This years NAB reminded me of Namm shows from the glory days when every hall (I mean EVERY) was packed. It was absolutely nuts and a complete blast, even from an audio perspective. And NO outlandish member fees, the badges are mostly comped if you subscribe to any of the well known industry newsletters.
2019? As my first NAMM show was in 1976, I started seeing the decline in the 90's. I'm old enough to remember ordering gear at the show, and having it arrive the following week. Then as time went on, you started seeing nothing but prototypes, and with no assurance you would would even see the piece. I saw, and sold, many exciting products in the 70's from, Moog, Arp, Oberheim, Yamaha. Then the early 80s, Roland, Korg became major players. Alesis became of age with affordable products. The DX7 was huge in the early 80's. Became a standard. Recording wise, Fostex, Tascam, offered the regular guy recording products that enabled them to actually multi track at the house and sound pretty good. As for me, the last really big thing to hit the market was the Adat in the early 90's, which I myself being located in Nashville, I sold a bunch of Adats. After that, the industry, IMHO, turned into just more bells and whistles than anything. The new gear didn't really sound a lot better, just more features. Case in point, the sound in synths really didnt get a lot better, just had a lot more features. Same with a lot of the recording gear. Having owned and work in music stores, and being involved in the Nashville music/audio scene for 35 years, it provided me insight as to what gear was happening, and each year the NAMM was the place to see it, until it wasn't.
Based on one of the channels I follow Neumann introduced a potentially awesome audio interface, however the cost is out of reach for many $1800 however they did say it was geared towards the prosumer. I am not in market for it because I already have one on that scale but other than that nothing jumped out at me from the channels I follow. I think people said even UAD did not show up. I wonder since we are in the plugin craze is that having an effect on NAMM since a huge market enjoys virtual reality instead of reality itself.
Ian, there's like 3 different series of them and they're all amazing. Cant wait till you get your paws on em! Think S, M, Large MCUs with built in Streamdecks instead of hard coded buttons.
I remember Mick from That Pedal Show said in the Livestream yesterday that he really enjoyed it, as it was smaller, yes, but more intimate in the best sense.
I went every year from 2008 till COVID. Went back this year. Our buddy builds amps but doesn’t show at NAMM. His annual membership usually includes 2 passes. This year we had to buy the passes. They were called “networking passes” and they charged us 325.00 each. And no one was there. Lots of vendors listed as attending, just had private sales booths set up but no product. Bottom floors was closed and main floor had a lot of empty spaces. It was a shell of itself. I agree with another comment, open it up to the general public.
2019 was the first NAMM I went to (not sure if I’ll get to go to another) but it was great! Met Bootsy Collins and Victor Wooten! Also got the chance to talk to the JHS guy. It was a really cool opportunity
Seeing new software, plugin's and hardware on TH-cam everyday takes away some of the got to go to NAMM factor. Unveiled at NAMM next day all over TH-cam!!
Hi Barry, YES!, the new Icom pro is amazing and The all new, Empirical Labs Pump 500 Series Compressor (like the "Destressor" or more like the "Eli arousor") not exactly the same but the DNA is there. The 1178 from AudioScape as well.
I have the Icon QCon Pro X and love this controller. I just watch a video of the new Icon series at NAMM and they look fantastic. Great upgrades like the individual LED's and touch screen however I don't think it's enough to want to upgrade my unit.
I’ve been going to NAMM for years, but this year was the first year I was unable to attend. It’s always fun to see what’s new on the market, but my focus was to network and develop relationships with people from all over the world, as well as to learn where the music industry is heading. I’m sure the event will start to go back to it’s norm, and new ways to enjoy being present will be added. Remember, the Winter NAMM Show used to be during the end of January and now having it in April might make a difference on who can attend (both vendors and buyers). The NAB Show is this week too which might have a bit of an impact on vendor attendance.
I was there for the first time It was missing the vendor excitement but there were a few gems. Neumann interface was a shining star Yamaha hosted and did very well but scaled down.
Given the damage done by the pandemic, inflation, rising interest rates, the odd timing of NAMM this year, and the slump in MI sales, it makes sense that some manufacturers decided to sit this one out.
Thanks for making this video ! It confirmed exactly what I was thinking and wondering.. They should only have 1 Namm. It should be Winter Namm in January.
I went to NAMM four times. I was at the last one before COVID. It was great but I must admit I was less excited every year. One of my favorite thing about NAMM was an excuse to escape a week of crappy Canadian winter in sunny California. I think moving NAMM to April made things worse for them. A lot of people I talked to enjoyed going to get sunny days in January. I get sunny days in Canada in April, I don't need the traveling ordeal.
My last year was NAMM 2021,, when Fender and Gibson pulled out I was sad. This time it was Gibson, PRS, Fender and Boss, ugh it just hurts. I hope they can turn it around.
I agree, I went to namm in 2018 and finally again this year. There was a not good, basic guitar center vibe there, minimal new tech that got me inspired. Last Namm I will attend. I'll go to Disneyland across the street instead.
Very disappointed with to your assessment of #NAMM. I don’t know why everyone thinks they need the big four companies to tee to be exciting and draw a crowd. The TH-camrs I watched at NAMM clearly had an amazing time this year. They saw lots of new products and tried whatever has been released already under one roof. They networked in person with vendors/brands. They met up with other TH-camrs and followers. They went to some nearby events and sights. Three are major TH-camrs who’ve been there many times. Two of them were first timers attendees with 7000-13000 followers. They ALL said they really had an amazing time. Was it as big as prior years? No, but it surely was much better than last year - that was a sad, sorry event coming out of COVID and few brands of any size attending. NAMM can do things going forward to draw even more people. They can add music industry and playing lectures and small classes held by industry leaders, TH-camrs, and celebrities musicians. They can setup spaces for TH-camrs to make content, meet with brands and followers, and network with each other. NAMM can hold competitions for public attendees of all playing levels like battle of bands with newly released instruments/gear, hack-a-thon style stuff where people must use newly released gear to create music, etc. for a chance to win prizes. They can get people involved from home with free and low cost tickets to attend some of these live lectures, contests, etc., which can be judged by industry leaders, TH-camrs, and celebrities musicians. They can setup a pop up museum. There’s all sorts of things they can do going forward that will draw more brands and businesses if it’s not strictly treated as a trade show. Changing the scope of NAMM,, in turn, may attract the large companies again because then it’s becoming an event with other purposes that aren’t strictly about launching products, but about music education, exploration, PR and advertising, experiences, etc. Even the big four brands still don’t care, it will grow again because more of the public, other brands, and others from the music industry will be attracted to attend for many other reasons that tap into other musical interests beyond just seeing shiny new stuff and buying gear. Anyway, I don’t think NAMM quite went the way your heard this year. It had a healthy dose of attendees and brands as compared with last year’s numbers. Many of those brands are still large, well established brands - Ibanez, ESP/LTD, Martin, Taylor, Fishman, EMG, IK Multimedia, etc. Others are very small brands and even individual luthiers. I think even more will show up next year knowing that they don’t have to compete with the giant brands. People had to visit these smaller vendors that they never would have bothered with had Gibson, Epiphone, Fender, PRS, etc. attended, and they learned about cool brands and products in the process. If NAMM continues to think outside the box, it has the potential to draw its largest crowds ever. I wish more TH-camrs would have attended this year, not only because it shows NAMM their support but benefits them to meet up with brands/followers who sponsor them in person, learn about more of these smaller companies and their exciting gear innovations, etc. I’m actually hoping that if NAMM does what I said above, it may even go back to being held twice a year. I followed at least five TH-camrs who attended very closely on Instagram, as I said above. That’s pretty much what I saw in their footage and was expressed by them. I also followed some of my favorite brands and Sweetwater closely, and they all seemed to show really cool things and looked genuinely excited .Might want to revisit channels like @SixStringTV, @ThreeChordDave, @KDH, @Play and Trade Guitars, etc. ad they painted a very different picture than the bleak one you’re describing in this video. I’m sorry the people you spoke with felt that way, but I don’t think they gave you an accurate portrayal of #NAMM2023.
I agree with you completely. I was there and compared to pre-COVID it was underwhelming. A lot of big vendors were not there. On the other hand, the workshops and classes were a lot more prominent. Or maybe I just paid more attention to them due to the lack of excitement gear wise? But yeah, not great unfortunately.
For some reason I always get served videos of you as the harbinger of doom! I think the last video of yours I saw was about how guitar center is on its way out.
I went only one day on Friday last week. I really liked it, much better than last year. They announced dates for the next year in January 2024, it will return to 4 days and companies like Fender, Gibson, and Roland supposed to be back. Chinese manufacturers returned with strong force. I noticed that lots of new gear showed up in the Fall of 2022, just in time for January's NAMM but since it was postponed to April, lots of gear that was new in January, was not new anymore in April. Yamaha as always prepared great NAMM show. I cannot wait to 2024:-)
You mentioned in an older video that you’d bet your career on Universal Audio releasing new interfaces at NAMM. Did they release them or were you just off the mark?
I predicted a new one and bet on that, but guessed it would be at NAMM, but they didn’t even have a booth. I still believe one is around the corner, but from the whining I said I may not get this one. All my other predictions happened very soon after I made them, but I very well could be wrong on this one.
We are getting older bro, thats why it is more difficult to be inspired ! I know the feeling, And also, with the knoledge you understand that audio was not that changed between Apogee Roseta and today gear, not by much right? Regards from Bulgaria , thats Eastern Europe, not Bolivia, because it is often mistaken lol!
Barry well I don’t always agree with you but we both know you are right here. I am a synth guy. I started as a guitarist and I have been recording stuff from the 70s and like you I have a decent studio. We are the target audience as we spend the money but my bank manager will be very happy as there was nothing to spend money on. As you said it is all over. I am in Europe so I hope Frankfurt is better.
It sounds a bit like the International Broadcast Conference (IBC) in the Netherlands, for me, I know a lot of people in my business, so it's always excited to go there. Especially for the good talks and champagne. But last year was also less to see, they even didn't open an extra hall, like before covid. So it's pretty much the same. Also because covid is still in Asia, big players decided to stay away there. So it's everywhere.
Yeah, I didn't see anything either, but the Icon Controller & The Soundtoys Super Plate plug-in. I thought Uaudio would be there showcasing a new Audio Interface, but they were a no show.
I was there this year, and the consensus amongst a lot of the venders, big name and the independent companies, is that they aren’t sure if namm will make it another year, or that they likely won’t come back next year. I thought it might be ok next year when it returns to being end of January in 2024, but if it doesn’t bounce back, it may share the same fate as E3. Big companies don’t need NAMM to announce stuff, and smaller companies get more out of their money from digital marketing, sending out demo gear and visiting people.
Disagree - attended NAMM and it was a total blast. Short list of releases I am excited about from the show: 1. Audioscape AS78 (parallel mix knob was very neat, unit sounded great) 2. Heiserman 251 (admittedly out of my price range) 3. Auto-Align 2 by SoundRadix (updated phase alignment plugin, might be the most useful release from the show) 4. Expressive E Osmose (really inventive piece of gear, curious to see where it goes with patches and midi functionality) 5. T-Rex Effects Binson Echorec (I mean, come on - incredible!) Not mentioned: Mule's Baritone guitar, Morton Kicktone and the Audioscape 260VU as I don't think those technically qualify as new. Also experienced Atmos for the first time at the Focal booth, and caught workshops from Shawn Everett, Bob Clearmountain, Tchad Blake and Sylvia Massey. All in all, had a great time!
Well wouldn't this have been caused by chip shortages or parts shortages from 2020? should we expect everything in manufacturing to be back to pre pan level yet?
NAMM will begin to return to normal next January. As far as vendors, the sophisticated microchip industry is at a temporary delay right now and major companies can't get the chips they need to build their flagship products for a few years. Once all this pick back up NAMM in a year or two, vendors will be able to build and show off new products at NAMM again. .
respectfully I disagree! 2022 was my first NAMM and I LOVED it. I’ve been told that it was an underwhelming turnout, but I liked not being too crowded and having longer conversations with my favorite companies. I still rock most of the free merch I got a year later. I consider that a win for both myself and the companies
I worked in a music store during college in the early 80’s and went every year and was blown away so even though it’s been decades I am nostalgic about NAMM
After Covid, and with the internet, the days of the big, in person trade show are pretty much over. Even the long running Frankfurt Music Messe called it quits last year. Another thing is, it's difficult for the MI companies to constantly come up with new gear on a yearly cycle. I think they'd rather just introduce new gear on the internet when they are ready. Who needs NAMM when you can stay home and see everything on TH-cam or Sweetwater's website?
I think it's up to the folks who run it. Vendors will tell you it isn't worth it because it's too expensive. If they aren't willing to cut prices, it's going to keep slowing down until it dies. But that could take years and years.
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Open it to the general public and charge for tickets. Reduce the vendor fees. Done - it would be huge.
Lmao place cost to rent gotta move it to Miami
This ain’t no boat show. General Lillie has no interest in the new Carvin guitar lineup. If it were a traveling circus perhaps you have a point. Of course there’s always guitar center for lookie- loo’s. Frank Gambale playing his new signature guitar, well let me say, that alone was worth the price of admission $140.00 for two days of electronic bliss.
It’s far more likely they’d raise vendor fees and charge tickets 😂 look at all these people you have the opportunity to sell to now 🤷♂️
It’s a bad call to let civilians in cause vendors already feel there are too many civilians there
That’s crazy, it’s the everyday guy, the bedroom producers who are buying most of the gear NAMM would be great again with a lot more excitement. The vendors better recognize before it’s too laye
Wasn't it like that this year?
It was an honour being able to witness it online. Godspeed NAMM
I'm sorry, I don't get it? Because some of it was Streamed ? ( Godspeed NAMM )
@@GeorgeAmodei21 I mean the videos in general. Yes, some of it was streamed on Instagram but overall just a farewell to the event itself.
I attended NAMM last week. I see what you’re saying regarding gear launches. I asked some vendors about it and was told they the timing of NAMM was odd for them to launch new products, but all said they hoped to get back on track in nine months when NAMM returns to it’s usual January time.
That being said, I personally enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s my 10th(ish) one. I reconnected with old friends, made lots of new friends as well as contacts at companies whose products I’m interested. There were a ton of content creators in attendance and it was fun to connect with them in person and build those relationships face-to-face.
There’s no doubt the format has to change given the cultural shift to more online events. All major conferences are facing that challenge. There IS a business model there if they take some time to think about how to mix traditional with the value that content creators provide.
I decided I’m going to wait until the January NAMM before I claim RIP. The world has shifted and I’m going to give them a chance to re-adjust.
Was all the new, shiny gear there? No, but I’ve never had more fun spending time with other artists, content creators I enjoy, being introduced to some new music/musicians, and picking up a ton of tips for navigating the new digital world of music and marketing. I came home inspired to create!
Those are my thoughts. Love the channel!
My thoughts are the same. Nothing beats time face to face with the people you want to do business with. You can't virtually go to dinner.
I’m waiting till it goes back to January also, but I’m a little more removed from Music Business in my later years - I’m not sure who I could hook up a ticket with nowadays… but I still think I have some cards up my sleeve …
I agree completely
I’ve talked to several big companies absent this year who walked the floor and realized they had to be there.. January should be even better.. I actually enjoyed last weeks show.. Hard to give an opinion when you didn’t argent like this guy.. Second or third hand accounts always leaves room for personal opinions that stray from the truth.. I thought it was good and it’ll get even better..
@@RJKANEAO I too had a great time this year there. If it never got any bigger (it will), I’d still be going every year. There were still close to 50k attendees. For comparison AES is about 16k attendees and I go to that, too.
It wasn’t a big surprise! The world has changed beyond the important supportive culture of music. It great people are still showing their works! 👍🏼
I hate to say it but im coming off recording equipment in general. As a musician the more crap i own the less i get done. There are a zillion home setups that blow mine away anyways theres no competing with them. Now im being pushed into atmos by the nazis etc. The whole thing is becoming more of a scam every day for people like me. Im bored of collecting expensive toys that promise to turn water into wine. Im actually becoming embarrassed of how much stuff i own for how little enthusiasm i have for it. There are almost zero channels telling people how to use what theyve got already and mostly its disguised gear ads. Music isnt about being rich. Anyone who can look at their wife and kids in todays world and finance a new API console hoping theyll finally “make it” didnt learn anything from the last few years.
As Josh Scott said about the Bad Monkey saga. "You don't need anything else. What you have is enough". It's been decades since premium equipment has been available for the regular Joe.
The virtual world has taken away the incentive to go to the NAMM show in person and merchants have already let people know about their new products online even before attending such an event. I think it is still cool to attend in person, interact with others with similar interests, and also check out the live performances.
Hi Barry-i’ve been a NAMM member since 2006, and I usually go the first day every year. I have a lot of friends who are vendors and it’s good to connect with them and when they’re not burned out on day four and there’s still some anticipatory excitement going on. This year was an interim year, it being in April instead of January. and next year they plan on being back to normal with their January extravaganza. But I agree with you, the glory days of NAMM may be a thing of the past. When you have major vendors like Fender and Gibson saying that they don’t benefit from going to the show, that really puts a dark cloud on a major event like this one. In the old days of NAMM, I did a lot of personal business with vendors. For example I wanted an al l tube vocal chain for my studio, and I made a deal with Aspen Pittman, (RIP) to buy an all tube mic pre-called Vipre and an all tube compressor called the Glory Comp. Then the following year I took the lids of those units back to him, and he personally signed them for me. That’s the kind of cool stuff that I used to enjoy about the show. So , maybe NAMM of the future may better serve smaller vendors, icons vendors be damned. but this year I have to admit it was just lackluster- that said, I’m going to post pone judgment and give them another January to see if NAMM show can, once again be cool. I was kind of excited to go this year because, I heard you mention in one of your earlier videos that universal audio might be bringing out the next big thing ,but it didn’t happen. Oh well…
I watched some vlogs, and I wonder with all these companies basically making similar gear with so much hype, is anyone actually making money, also, pity all this great gear for mediocre music of today, its not NAMM thats the problem its the people making the music, including the guy on this channel, when my mid 30's kids say they don't listen to new music anymore, that says something, about the state of the music industry, I am from Aussie , used to listen to casey case on a Sunday there was a real Billboard top `100, now its just trite artists who all sound the same, and yes music made by producers and engineers who swamp the music with the next toy😞,
@@theend9494 I would submit that, the good new music is out there; there’s just a lot more stuff to weed through to find it- because of technology available. NAMM has been part of that process but, times are changing, and I think that’s what we’re talking about here.
NAMM has become a racket of making as much money as they can and making it impossible for smaller venders to attend and be seen. That mode of mode of operation has made even an entity like Drumeo who is the biggest deal in the percussion world as far as visibility has pulled away and has considered having their own festival. Something in the organization has to change.
@@jamesbarron601 boy, that’s a bummer.
We have gotten away from making music and traded that in for making cool home studios. Letting the hype cool down might be the best thing for music making. In fact, manufacturers need to launch training programs over the phone to walk people through gear, third party training programs so people can start maximizing the gear they already have from anyone since this new platform has stuff communicating via USB, so they say. The marketing on software can pull anyone in and drag them up to the level of incompetence and leave them feeling they need to change directions. After that brutal marketing full of bugs that are so 15 years out of date, I mean, it's no surprise about NAMM. It is like being 19 years old and the county fair just ain't the same as your middle school days. It sinks in that it is all about the money. People are done buying gear that they are ready to use, so the industry needs to shift to service and training more so than that feel good shit you buy that makes your wife leave you. It is an addiction, literally, getting pulled into the marketing and that rush when it finally happens, you buy it. lmao
I went to the show and was happy with what I saw from a lot of the smaller manufacturers. I also spent a lot of time with SSl and although not new, I have now purchased an Origin console because I went. I think there's a lot of value being able to just speak to the brands in person. The people who are passionate about their individual projects as opposed to a sales engineer or sales person. And if there's going to be blame for not seeing anything new, blame the manufacturers, not NAMM. I get that it may not make sense for them, but at the same time they didn't release anything outside of the show. I think next year will be bigger and better. NAB has gone through the same struggle. It's just the cycle. Great video Barry!!
This is the age of TH-cam and TH-camrs now.
Why would any company focus on 2 days in a year when they can pay pocket money to an enthusiastic TH-camr gear-nerd in Finland, or in Berlin (who otherwise have no musical talent whatsoever, but can explain modulation paths, etc)? The message will be out anyway. For fraction of the cost, what NAMM otherwise would take them to pay.
I saw two things that got me excited!
1. The new Sony binaural technology blew my mind, as well as anyone I talked to who also experienced it.
2. A company called Freqport debuted a product called Freqtube, which is a desktop unit housing four tubes, each of which can be controlled by a plugin instance in your DAW. A tube saturation plugin, but the tubes are real.
Other than that not a lot of buzz around new gear. Just walking around and making good industry connections with cool people
wow that looks sweet
I experienced it and I. FREAKED. OUT. Sony is sitting on something.
I work for an international distributor.
One of the major issues is that many manufacturers have still not recovered from the C 19 lockdowns, etc.
During these times, many employees "went home or left" and when things resumed, never came back to work which has meant that not only are many factories still way behind on production but they also don't have many of those skilled workers to help them catch up.
This also means that many companies still can't completely fulfil orders for existing products, let alone introduce anything new.
TH-cam is the new NAMM
Been a 30 year NAMM show attendee. Did not go last year, but went last week. Its much smaller than in 2020 when I last attended before the pandemic. This show was in April for whatever reason. It also overlapped with NAB in Vegas where many of the more tech oriented companies like Avid, Dolby and Nugen also exhibit. So their marketing budgets were also split. There’s also a huge recession happening globally if no one has noticed. Also a lot of geopolitical tension happening in the world, especially in China where many brands still have their manufacturing.
Supply chain issues still there, heard from a few manufacturers that because of the shortage of one critical part they cannot make stuff to sell. A sad situation and I pray for these companies. The big thing for me was Dolby Atmos as there were panels about it all over. Dolby releasing a new renderer for $300, and all the built in Atmos for other DAWs bringing point of entry down for small studios. As were low cost Atmos set ups from guys like Kali. There were also the Atmos panels, which demystified a lot for me, especially at the PMC booth which for me was the best sounding demo room in the show. This was also the first year I paid for my exhibits badge. Usually I get in for free. NAMM will be back in January 2024. Lets see how everything goes. Hopefully not RIP.
I wasn't looking for this video, but at the exact moment I was thinking the same thing, I found it so thanks. Glad I wasn't the only one. I literally kept waiting for NAMM to start and then I realized, "oh, it's been going on for days".
I think you're exactly spot on. It all has to do with the cost of a booth, hotels, food, travel and its not reaching as many people with the internet. You hit the nail on the head, it might be the last one... Sad, another humanistic contact going into isolation. Its changing not for the good....Great commentary and thanks for sharing. .
NAMM is not dead by a long shot. The purpose of NAMM was never for guys like us to go there and get excited about gear. No one thought this was going to be a full return, either. It was even a day shortened.
No it wasn’t. It was just Thursday, Friday, & Saturday.
@@Tylerjamesalford it used to end on Sunday, not Saturday. It was a day shorter.
I think it is i don't see the big manufacturers like PRS Fender and Gibson returning. Its becoming expensive and they get more bang for the buck by selling direct.
@@TheBbtlegit time will tell.
I was super hype for the things I saw come out of NAMM. Distressor like 500 series, Ssl 4K B series, evertune bass, that’s just a few things that landed on my radar the last few days.
woah, whos making a 500 series distressor?
@@SoundcastStudios EL themselves.
@@SoundcastStudios empirical labs. It’s not an exact distressor, but supposed to be similar. It has the same attack, release and ratio settings from the distressor, the saturation from their mic preamp, the attack mod from their arouser plugin. It’s called Pump. It looks really cool, and about 1/2 the price of a distressor.
@@blakematthews6374 i gotta check this out, thanks!
Yup that New Distressor had some Great stuff on It!
Barry's crystal ball is officialy shattered in pieces.
I didn't go to NAMM but I was looking forward to see new gear from Audioscape and they didn't dissapoint. They had the AS78 (1178 clone) and the AS A^A (BA6A clone). Both units look very interesting and considering how good the Audioscape gear is, I'm sure these two units won't dissapoint.
I saw a lot of things but the first I remember the most it's an expression pedal with multiple controlable parameters for the MIDI Keyboard
I was at NAMM 2023 and yes it was smaller, no lower floor etc. That said it was easier to get around, easier to do business, easier to hear. Worked for me.
Everything and every good thing comes to an end.
In my opinion, the industry has plateaued in terms of gear. A release-ready record can be made with almost any DAW, condenser microphone, audio interface, and monitors (if you know what you're doing). There are so many options already available that to truly get interest, it has to be something groundbreaking released. I haven't seen that at NAMM for years.
You nailed it
Too much gear already . Not so much interesting music . But plenty of gear .
@@cooltrades7469 exactly!!
I don't know if NAMM is dead , maybe reinventing itself , Jeff Keisel said it would cost them $ 100,000 to go, the reason they weren't going , but this year might have been be good for small vendors to be seen , and maybe they should sell merch off the floor, I think there's still a pandemic hangover going on for many businesses/ industries
Making music with all the stuff I got right now, is enough excitement to me!
As a semi-professional musician, and a long-term tradeshow, exhibits, and convention sales manager that works with NAMM directly, I can tell you that all conventions and tradeshows took one of the biggest hits due to Covid.
Many companies are still not going full out due to the uncertanty of the economy. As for the lack of new gear, this is on each company, not the show itself. I was hoping for a new flagship keyboard from Yamaha and Korg...
Tradeshows will never go away, Covid proved that people need that in-person connections and that online events will not ever take over, at least anytime soon.
Let's be real, we are all still going to go to NAMM and will still have a great time..
Open to public and make it more about giving exposure to startups and smaller companies
I think NAMM might experience the same things that happened to "Frankfurt Musikmesse" in Germany. The owner of the exhibition decided not to reopen this event in their halls. So this exhibition is already gone. I don't know but I could also happen that NAMM will share the same destiny unfortunately. Thanks for sharing. Cheers DimiZ
I have been at Namm since 1992. As a distributor in Brazil, what we did the most were meetings and meetings with goals to be reached. But we loved to see new gears. This is my first Namm that I was not there. Some factories informed us that they will not be there also (or at least one person for meetings at hall). Covid + Internet changed completely the scenario. Some companies start to like the possibility to not put so much money into these trade shows. It´s a test. It happend in Brazil also with a lot of crises there, despite of Covid. I loved to see friends there. Products? No more.
The last great lot of things was 2019. Before the world lost its collective marbles.
I went to NAMM this year, yes some big names was missing but this is the first year in a while that I saw products that made me say "I'm going to buy that" Empirical Labs push 500 series compressor, Cranborne Carnaby 500, Heritage Audio Lang eq, to name a few. I didn't expect much this year with it being in April. But I had a good time and did some good networking
Feel ya man. Ever since the incident NAMMs analog warmth just hasn't been the same.
Nothing last for ever. RIP Namm
This was my 10th year and I thought it was the best yet! Not as crazy, room to walk around. Yes my favorite brands were not there but I still had a great time.
It's all changed; we get old, lay low, let the kids take over. Be a mentor not a distractor.
Namm was fun they already set a date for 2024. Plus my friends booth a excellent turn out. People just hope big companies come back. We'll see
I was there, and spoke to a number of people in a wide range of roles. The point about product releases is spot on, they are no longer tied to the show cycle and happen on the Internet at different times.
Some major companies feel they don’t need the physical presence at the trade show, but that is because they had a massive surge in sales during Covid and went mostly virtual. It appears that the sales surge is over and sales are going down, I believe they are going to rethink this pretty soon.
Another thing I heard from reputable sources is that most companies are coming back in January. The timing was more of the problem for them because it presented three Nam shows within 18 months which budgets did not permit them to spend on. When they go back to January in 2024, the consensus is that the vast majority of companies plan to be there.
Another point is that some very notable companies like Taylor and universal audio were there, but had little a public presence. They were there to set up meetings,. Some, like Taylor, had private showing rooms for dealers.
Certainly, the culture, and technology have changed, and Covid was a huge factor. However, there is a clear consensus that the show will be significantly more attended in 2024.
I definitely noticed a drop off in Internet coverage of products. But if you were there in person, there was plenty of cool stuff. Sony had an amazing system for immersive, headphone reproduction, mercury, audio, created, a stellar Fairchild like compressor that has EQ on board. Amphion has a killer new set of flagship studio monitors, and, the list goes on and on!
I grew up in Nashville and always managed to get into summer NAMM when it was there, even as a little kid. I always came back half-deaf and loaded up with posters, merch, and excited. In the 90s there was ALWAYS some wild new keyboard workstation with some star playing it, or some new goofy guitar gadget. It was so much FUN, even if you came home hearing the piercing sound of digital pianos tinkling through PA speakers when you closed your eyes.
After attending every single Namm Show since the early 90’s, the 2019 show was my last show as well because of Covid. This year the Namm and the NAB practically overlapped so, for the first time, I choose the NAB show instead and just returned today, And all I can say is WOW! This years show was literally off the hook! SO many parts of the broadcast/Video world overlap with the audio world now. This years NAB reminded me of Namm shows from the glory days when every hall (I mean EVERY) was packed. It was absolutely nuts and a complete blast, even from an audio perspective. And NO outlandish member fees, the badges are mostly comped if you subscribe to any of the well known industry newsletters.
2019? As my first NAMM show was in 1976, I started seeing the decline in the 90's. I'm old enough to remember ordering gear at the show, and having it arrive the following week. Then as time went on, you started seeing nothing but prototypes, and with no assurance you would would even see the piece. I saw, and sold, many exciting products in the 70's from, Moog, Arp, Oberheim, Yamaha. Then the early 80s, Roland, Korg became major players. Alesis became of age with affordable products. The DX7 was huge in the early 80's. Became a standard. Recording wise, Fostex, Tascam, offered the regular guy recording products that enabled them to actually multi track at the house and sound pretty good. As for me, the last really big thing to hit the market was the Adat in the early 90's, which I myself being located in Nashville, I sold a bunch of Adats. After that, the industry, IMHO, turned into just more bells and whistles than anything. The new gear didn't really sound a lot better, just more features. Case in point, the sound in synths really didnt get a lot better, just had a lot more features. Same with a lot of the recording gear. Having owned and work in music stores, and being involved in the Nashville music/audio scene for 35 years, it provided me insight as to what gear was happening, and each year the NAMM was the place to see it, until it wasn't.
So far there’s 3 things that I saw that I would like. Antelope studio monitors, MDR-MV 1 open back headphones, and the Soundtoys super plate plug-in.
It's a shame there were no new releases/updates to the Arturia, Native Instrument midi keyboards.
Based on one of the channels I follow Neumann introduced a potentially awesome audio interface, however the cost is out of reach for many $1800 however they did say it was geared towards the prosumer. I am not in market for it because I already have one on that scale but other than that nothing jumped out at me from the channels I follow. I think people said even UAD did not show up.
I wonder since we are in the plugin craze is that having an effect on NAMM since a huge market enjoys virtual reality instead of reality itself.
They actually had a meeting room, but no display…geeez-
@@planbrecords2466 Ahh ok wow. Yeah that is strange for sure.
Superplate from Soundtoys sounded outstanding!
The Osmose was quite exiting in concept .I woner if it will exite new developments of keybed design with other manufacturers ?
covid really didn't change the world, the inept response did
Please! Not every country had an inept response but it didn't stop the onslaught or a high death toll.
The new Icon control surfaces look good
Ian, there's like 3 different series of them and they're all amazing. Cant wait till you get your paws on em! Think S, M, Large MCUs with built in Streamdecks instead of hard coded buttons.
I too went to 2019 NAMM. AKAI I read wasn't there?
I remember Mick from That Pedal Show said in the Livestream yesterday that he really enjoyed it, as it was smaller, yes, but more intimate in the best sense.
I went every year from 2008 till COVID. Went back this year. Our buddy builds amps but doesn’t show at NAMM. His annual membership usually includes 2 passes. This year we had to buy the passes. They were called “networking passes” and they charged us 325.00 each. And no one was there. Lots of vendors listed as attending, just had private sales booths set up but no product. Bottom floors was closed and main floor had a lot of empty spaces. It was a shell of itself.
I agree with another comment, open it up to the general public.
2019 was the first NAMM I went to (not sure if I’ll get to go to another) but it was great! Met Bootsy Collins and Victor Wooten! Also got the chance to talk to the JHS guy. It was a really cool opportunity
Same, the ICON got me curious. Of course just watching through YT. But it's the only content I watched in full.
I get excited when you release the totalmix Videos, Barry ;) 😘😘👌👌
Seeing new software, plugin's and hardware on TH-cam everyday takes away some of the got to go to NAMM factor. Unveiled at NAMM next day all over TH-cam!!
I didn’t go, but I saw Audioscape showed off their new and upcoming RCA BA-6A and UREI 1178 models, both of which are very exciting!
Nammy how I loved you how I loved you
Hi Barry, YES!, the new Icom pro is amazing and The all new, Empirical Labs Pump 500 Series Compressor (like the "Destressor" or more like the "Eli arousor") not exactly the same but the DNA is there. The 1178 from AudioScape as well.
The new Binson Echo-Rec? The AudioScape BA-6A? Some pretty big hitters there, Bar!!!!
I never said there weren’t compelling things, their were, but it’s us usually a list several pages long.
@@BarryJohns Gotcha - i’m a first timer, so was easily impressed. I thought i was in heaven, and would’ve been impressed by jello pudding. :-)
I have the Icon QCon Pro X and love this controller. I just watch a video of the new Icon series at NAMM and they look fantastic. Great upgrades like the individual LED's and touch screen however I don't think it's enough to want to upgrade my unit.
I’ve been going to NAMM for years, but this year was the first year I was unable to attend. It’s always fun to see what’s new on the market, but my focus was to network and develop relationships with people from all over the world, as well as to learn where the music industry is heading. I’m sure the event will start to go back to it’s norm, and new ways to enjoy being present will be added. Remember, the Winter NAMM Show used to be during the end of January and now having it in April might make a difference on who can attend (both vendors and buyers). The NAB Show is this week too which might have a bit of an impact on vendor attendance.
What about the new apollos? Did you say that UA was coming out with them.
I was there for the first time It was missing the vendor excitement but there were a few gems. Neumann interface was a shining star Yamaha hosted and did very well but scaled down.
Didn’t go to NAMM myself but did you see the T-REX Binson Echorec? I think that would be worth checking out…😎
I want to see more of the new 500 series SSL B compressor. I only saw a passing view of it. Looking forward to more info.
Given the damage done by the pandemic, inflation, rising interest rates, the odd timing of NAMM this year, and the slump in MI sales, it makes sense that some manufacturers decided to sit this one out.
Thanks for making this video ! It confirmed exactly what I was thinking and wondering.. They should only have 1 Namm. It should be Winter Namm in January.
Namm , CES and E3 we’re always what I looked forward to seeing videos of the newest stuff from each convention. Looks like that era may be over
You are amazing
When Summer NAMM moved from Nashville I was done. Won’t attend until it returns.
I went to NAMM four times. I was at the last one before COVID. It was great but I must admit I was less excited every year. One of my favorite thing about NAMM was an excuse to escape a week of crappy Canadian winter in sunny California. I think moving NAMM to April made things worse for them. A lot of people I talked to enjoyed going to get sunny days in January. I get sunny days in Canada in April, I don't need the traveling ordeal.
My last year was NAMM 2021,, when Fender and Gibson pulled out I was sad. This time it was Gibson, PRS, Fender and Boss, ugh it just hurts. I hope they can turn it around.
I feel exactly he same way. The “new” Binson Echorec is jaw droppingly incredible, and Best In Show for me.
I agree, I went to namm in 2018 and finally again this year. There was a not good, basic guitar center vibe there, minimal new tech that got me inspired. Last Namm I will attend. I'll go to Disneyland across the street instead.
Very disappointed with to your assessment of #NAMM. I don’t know why everyone thinks they need the big four companies to tee to be exciting and draw a crowd. The TH-camrs I watched at NAMM clearly had an amazing time this year. They saw lots of new products and tried whatever has been released already under one roof. They networked in person with vendors/brands. They met up with other TH-camrs and followers. They went to some nearby events and sights. Three are major TH-camrs who’ve been there many times. Two of them were first timers attendees with 7000-13000 followers. They ALL said they really had an amazing time.
Was it as big as prior years? No, but it surely was much better than last year - that was a sad, sorry event coming out of COVID and few brands of any size attending. NAMM can do things going forward to draw even more people. They can add music industry and playing lectures and small classes held by industry leaders, TH-camrs, and celebrities musicians. They can setup spaces for TH-camrs to make content, meet with brands and followers, and network with each other. NAMM can hold competitions for public attendees of all playing levels like battle of bands with newly released instruments/gear, hack-a-thon style stuff where people must use newly released gear to create music, etc. for a chance to win prizes. They can get people involved from home with free and low cost tickets to attend some of these live lectures, contests, etc., which can be judged by industry leaders, TH-camrs, and celebrities musicians. They can setup a pop up museum. There’s all sorts of things they can do going forward that will draw more brands and businesses if it’s not strictly treated as a trade show.
Changing the scope of NAMM,, in turn, may attract the large companies again because then it’s becoming an event with other purposes that aren’t strictly about launching products, but about music education, exploration, PR and advertising, experiences, etc. Even the big four brands still don’t care, it will grow again because more of the public, other brands, and others from the music industry will be attracted to attend for many other reasons that tap into other musical interests beyond just seeing shiny new stuff and buying gear.
Anyway, I don’t think NAMM quite went the way your heard this year. It had a healthy dose of attendees and brands as compared with last year’s numbers. Many of those brands are still large, well established brands - Ibanez, ESP/LTD, Martin, Taylor, Fishman, EMG, IK Multimedia, etc. Others are very small brands and even individual luthiers. I think even more will show up next year knowing that they don’t have to compete with the giant brands. People had to visit these smaller vendors that they never would have bothered with had Gibson, Epiphone, Fender, PRS, etc. attended, and they learned about cool brands and products in the process. If NAMM continues to think outside the box, it has the potential to draw its largest crowds ever. I wish more TH-camrs would have attended this year, not only because it shows NAMM their support but benefits them to meet up with brands/followers who sponsor them in person, learn about more of these smaller companies and their exciting gear innovations, etc. I’m actually hoping that if NAMM does what I said above, it may even go back to being held twice a year.
I followed at least five TH-camrs who attended very closely on Instagram, as I said above. That’s pretty much what I saw in their footage and was expressed by them. I also followed some of my favorite brands and Sweetwater closely, and they all seemed to show really cool things and looked genuinely excited .Might want to revisit channels like @SixStringTV, @ThreeChordDave, @KDH, @Play and Trade Guitars, etc. ad they painted a very different picture than the bleak one you’re describing in this video. I’m sorry the people you spoke with felt that way, but I don’t think they gave you an accurate portrayal of #NAMM2023.
I agree with you completely. I was there and compared to pre-COVID it was underwhelming. A lot of big vendors were not there. On the other hand, the workshops and classes were a lot more prominent. Or maybe I just paid more attention to them due to the lack of excitement gear wise? But yeah, not great unfortunately.
For some reason I always get served videos of you as the harbinger of doom! I think the last video of yours I saw was about how guitar center is on its way out.
I have a lot of videos since the guitar center. Take a look at my channel I have over 200 videos.
I went only one day on Friday last week. I really liked it, much better than last year. They announced dates for the next year in January 2024, it will return to 4 days and companies like Fender, Gibson, and Roland supposed to be back. Chinese manufacturers returned with strong force. I noticed that lots of new gear showed up in the Fall of 2022, just in time for January's NAMM but since it was postponed to April, lots of gear that was new in January, was not new anymore in April. Yamaha as always prepared great NAMM show.
I cannot wait to 2024:-)
You have to wonder if Chinese wireless mics and IEMs at 1/4 the price are really a hidden value.
I believe its because of the timing of the convention. If NAMM returns to early January I believe more people will return as well as vendors.
You mentioned in an older video that you’d bet your career on Universal Audio releasing new interfaces at NAMM. Did they release them or were you just off the mark?
I predicted a new one and bet on that, but guessed it would be at NAMM, but they didn’t even have a booth. I still believe one is around the corner, but from the whining I said I may not get this one. All my other predictions happened very soon after I made them, but I very well could be wrong on this one.
We are getting older bro, thats why it is more difficult to be inspired ! I know the feeling, And also, with the knoledge you understand that audio was not that changed between Apogee Roseta and today gear, not by much right? Regards from Bulgaria , thats Eastern Europe, not Bolivia, because it is often mistaken lol!
Barry well I don’t always agree with you but we both know you are right here. I am a synth guy. I started as a guitarist and I have been recording stuff from the 70s and like you I have a decent studio. We are the target audience as we spend the money but my bank manager will be very happy as there was nothing to spend money on. As you said it is all over. I am in Europe so I hope Frankfurt is better.
It sounds a bit like the International Broadcast Conference (IBC) in the Netherlands, for me, I know a lot of people in my business, so it's always excited to go there. Especially for the good talks and champagne. But last year was also less to see, they even didn't open an extra hall, like before covid. So it's pretty much the same. Also because covid is still in Asia, big players decided to stay away there. So it's everywhere.
Once they started giving vendors crap about noise levels and artist sets, I was done. Haven't been back since 2019.
The world is changing to online marketing. These expensive events don't give much bang for the buck, I suppose. Just my opinion.
Yeah, I didn't see anything either, but the Icon Controller & The Soundtoys Super Plate plug-in. I thought Uaudio would be there showcasing a new Audio Interface, but they were a no show.
I was there this year, and the consensus amongst a lot of the venders, big name and the independent companies, is that they aren’t sure if namm will make it another year, or that they likely won’t come back next year. I thought it might be ok next year when it returns to being end of January in 2024, but if it doesn’t bounce back, it may share the same fate as E3. Big companies don’t need NAMM to announce stuff, and smaller companies get more out of their money from digital marketing, sending out demo gear and visiting people.
Economy is going really bad for everyone, and that is getting it's way to this kind of events
Hi Barry I did some research about NAMM 2023 and the prices of the booths and the meeting rooms where astronomical so it really makes me wander.
Disagree - attended NAMM and it was a total blast. Short list of releases I am excited about from the show:
1. Audioscape AS78 (parallel mix knob was very neat, unit sounded great)
2. Heiserman 251 (admittedly out of my price range)
3. Auto-Align 2 by SoundRadix (updated phase alignment plugin, might be the most useful release from the show)
4. Expressive E Osmose (really inventive piece of gear, curious to see where it goes with patches and midi functionality)
5. T-Rex Effects Binson Echorec (I mean, come on - incredible!)
Not mentioned: Mule's Baritone guitar, Morton Kicktone and the Audioscape 260VU as I don't think those technically qualify as new. Also experienced Atmos for the first time at the Focal booth, and caught workshops from Shawn Everett, Bob Clearmountain, Tchad Blake and Sylvia Massey. All in all, had a great time!
I agree, it was so fun
It was great!
I think it’s scheduled at a weird part of the year. Plus Superbooth is a couple weeks away. Maybe NAMM should be in the Fall ?
Well wouldn't this have been caused by chip shortages or parts shortages from 2020? should we expect everything in manufacturing to be back to pre pan level yet?
best announcement of April 2023, new Synergy module
NAMM will begin to return to normal next January. As far as vendors, the sophisticated microchip industry is at a temporary delay right now and major companies can't get the chips they need to build their flagship products for a few years. Once all this pick back up NAMM in a year or two, vendors will be able to build and show off new products at NAMM again. .
respectfully I disagree! 2022 was my first NAMM and I LOVED it. I’ve been told that it was an underwhelming turnout, but I liked not being too crowded and having longer conversations with my favorite companies. I still rock most of the free merch I got a year later. I consider that a win for both myself and the companies
I worked in a music store during college in the early 80’s and went every year and was blown away so even though it’s been decades I am nostalgic about NAMM
I’m hoping to go next year
A honest assessment of the situation today
Did you see/hear Shawn Lane played ? If so lucky you !🎼🎸👏👏👏
After Covid, and with the internet, the days of the big, in person trade show are pretty much over. Even the long running Frankfurt Music Messe called it quits last year. Another thing is, it's difficult for the MI companies to constantly come up with new gear on a yearly cycle. I think they'd rather just introduce new gear on the internet when they are ready. Who needs NAMM when you can stay home and see everything on TH-cam or Sweetwater's website?
I think it's up to the folks who run it. Vendors will tell you it isn't worth it because it's too expensive. If they aren't willing to cut prices, it's going to keep slowing down until it dies. But that could take years and years.