NAMM (The National Association of Music Merchants), the largest global non-profit music trade organization, announced the conclusion of NAMM NeXT, a two-day summit with the goal to supply the music industry with insights and analysis for the future of business. More than 100 global companies gathered at the inaugural conference, which was held at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 17-18, 2024.
"We knew that we needed a new event, in addition to The NAMM Show, to unite the leaders of our NAMM Member companies around the common goal of strengthening the music products industry.” said John Mlynczak, President and CEO of NAMM.
The overwhelming positive energy and abundance of ideas demonstrated that our industry as a community is more than just belonging to something; it's about doing something together that creates more music makers worldwide…and we could not think of a better location than Music City, USA.”
NAMM NeXT featured big-picture and hands-on sessions with experts from inside and outside of the music industry to inspire new ideas, develop talent and drive conversations that will take attendees’ businesses and the global industry to the next level. Attendees participated in keynotes, panel discussions and workshops that allowed for a deeper look into each business focus.
This event featured keynote speaker Daymond John, founder and CEO of FUBU, Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, star of ABC's “Shark Tank” and CEO of The Shark Group. Featured speakers included Whitney Johnson, leadership and innovation Expert, CEO and co-founder of Disruption Advisors, and host of the Disrupt Yourself Podcast; Brendan Witcher, vice president, principal analyst of Forrester Research, expert on consumer behavior and technology trends, and commentator for Bloomberg, CNBC, NPR and The Economist; Mark Schaefer, global marketing expert, best-selling author and executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions; Katy Craig, professional certified coach, International Coaching Federation and Coactive Training Institute;
Dana M. Peterson, chief economist with The Conference Board, global economist and advisor, and expert forecaster on economic drivers and business; and Troy Tomlinson, chairman and CEO at Universal Music Publishing Nashville.
One of the primary goals for NAMM NeXT is uniting NAMM member communities from every corner of the world and sharing best business practices while bringing NAMM NeXT geographically closer to these members.
"Most other industries have annual leadership events and dedicated leadership conferences; unfortunately, our music products industry did not…until now,” said Elizabeth Heidt, chief marketing officer of Gibson. "To be part of this inaugural event, in Nashville, that combines outside-the-industry knowledge with inside-the-industry perspectives to help accelerate our industry’s growth was incredibly impactful for Gibson and our team, as well as the wider industry. We are a proud partner of NAMM and can’t wait to participate and support next year.”
"I quickly realized that working with NAMM and this event would not only be enjoyable but also be a chance to support the music industry in creative business practices that have been missing the last few years,” said Brendan Witcher, vice president and principal analyst of Forrester Research. "I have spoken at conferences around the world, and I can say that participating in and being on stage at NAMM NeXT was sensational in every aspect.”
NAMM NeXT will continue as an investment in the music industry at large and be held annually. As with this year’s event, future NAMM NeXT events will focus on helping grow the music business by elevating the companies and people in the industry. NAMM will announce future dates and cities for 2025 in the fall.
