THIS IS NOT THE NAMM SHOW , THIS IS
BELIEVE IN MUSIC WEEK
By Michael Raine
YOUNG GURU AT THE 2020 NAMM SHOW
JASON MRAZ & JOE LAMOND AT THE 2020 NAMM SHOW
Even when the 2020 Summer NAMM show was cancelled , many folks , including at the association itself , thought we would all be back together in January for a monumental family reunion . Alas , that post-pandemic mega party will have to wait a while longer . But not ones to sit on their hands , and always keeping a keen focus on helping its members , the NAMM team worked through the spring and summer to formulate a new type of event . And just as The NAMM Show is not your average trade show , they promised this new event would not be just another run-of-the-mill virtual trade show like we ’ ve all gotten accustomed to seeing surprisingly quickly . What they created instead is Believe in Music Week .
“ When we conceived of Believe in Music , we were very careful to incorporate
20 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE elements that translated well online . We were also very careful to avoid the temptation of looking at it as The NAMM Show . That is among the reasons we renamed it and also one of the reasons we have a slightly different format for education ,” reveals the association ’ s Director of Professional Development , Zach Phillips , to Canadian Music Trade . “ We are really focused on the user experience . In my opinion , nothing recreates a NAMM Show . Nothing recreates an in-person gathering . But we were focused on making Believe in Music intuitive to navigate and an event that ultimately inspired connections between people .”
So , read on to learn about NAMM ’ s vision for this unique ( and did we mention free to attend ?) event that promises to be unlike anything else on the MI calendar during these strangest of times .
A WORD WITH NAMM PRESIDENT & CEO JOE LAMOND CMT : You ’ ve said that Believe in Music Week is not a virtual trade show . So , in practical terms , how would you describe what it is and what role you want it to fill for MI retailers and suppliers ?
Joe Lamond : … Uniting the global industry in Southern California each year is something that just cannot be replicated . But until this pandemic is behind us , we felt that bringing the NAMM family together virtually would be important and likely the next best thing to prepare the industry for success in 2021 . That vision gave way to Believe in Music Week ; the online , global gathering to unite and support the people who bring music to the world .
The team set out to bring this vision to