All This Machinery Making Modern Music
This years version of the National Association of Music Masochists seemed to be more packed than normal. In some places if they were to get any more people in they’ed need to use a lubricant. My first NAMM visits were many, many years ago as a young turk working for various PA companies doing the associated events and after parties. Later I attended as a buyer (and NAMM member) for the various PA companies I managed, later as a consultant to manufacturers, later as an exhibitor and most recently as a member of the media. That’s right kids, ol’ Dave has attended as a member of the media, a regular Wolf Blitzer of pro audio if you will. This year I thought I’d try to get in on my own and it was decided that I’m not quite a media outlet, and I don’t meet the requirements to join NAMM. Nevermind that I’ve attended most years for the couple of decades. Fortunately I’ve met enough people that I’m able to make a call or two and come up with a pass. The last couple of years Live Sound International was nice enough to credential me so I could do these posts from ABD. Having a media pass is great. There is a small area to sit and use a computer but best of all, free refreshments so we can forgo four dollar a cup swill that they pass off as coffee in concessions and if you play your cards right, at the press conferences around lunch time, you get fed while listening to the latest greatest pitch. I usually find a couple that I find informative.
Another reason to go is that it’s a great place to meet up with others in the biz and do some networking. This year while going to find a few nuggets to write about, I also had some meeting with folks about a variety of things and shaking some hands and kissing some babies. While this year it seemed more difficult to get in, there didn’t seem to be any shortage of those lightly or not affiliated with the biz. The show is organized and well run, but it seems to have outgrown the Anahiem Convention Center even though there was an expansion a few years back. Hotel rooms in the immediate area fill up and jack the rates so that the crappy dives that cater to budget minded tourists in the Anaheim Resort area most of the year get a coat of paint jacked rates three or four times the norm. Forget about any hot water on Sat or Sun mornings. If you can afford it and get in, the Marriott and the Hilton are right onsite and home to many of the private parties and functions. It seems they are a lot tighter on the credentialing process this year though it was still packed balls to the wall. A typical schedule will be mostly upper level biz types or people that don’t want to fight the crowds on the weekend attending the first two days, Thursday and Friday, returning home before the weekend. That’s what I’ve done the last few years. The weekend seems to be more musos and those working in the stores with Sunday being what I like to call “check out the guitar player’s girlfriend” day. By Sunday most of the bosses and higher ups have left and you can see the exhaustion of those in the booths, subjected to 8 hours of show per day plus evenings jam packed with networking and partying well into the wee hours.
My trips to the various trade shows these days aren’t so much to see stuff as they are to meet with various people and network with others that I know but don’t really see most of the rest of the year except for the shows and an email or call every now and again. You seem to forget how many people you’ve worked with or met over the years until a big show hits and a pretty significant portion of the day catching up and saying hi. I used to troll each row of each show to make sure that I didn’t miss anything. NAMM is just too big these days to do that in a couple of days and also do meetings and networking on the show floor. And most of the stuff is MI anyway, not specific to pro audio. A few weeks prior to the show, I start looking at the press releases for what’s coming out, noting the things that look interesting to me. By that point I’ve been made aware of any private demos or events and plan accordingly. When I hit the show, the first stop is the press room for good coffee and perhaps snacks and to get the latest press kits and press releases. For the younger companies or companies with a new idea, using the press room is a way to get more exposure for your product. Become a NAMM member (or AES or NSCA depending on the show) and use that network to get the word out on your product. Most of the press kits are available on CD and that’s what I use in addition to my notes as an info resource for whatever I’m looking at. I take the show in short blasts of a couple hours at a time, retreating to either the Hilton or Marriott to surf some WiFi, grab a bit to eat and sit in a comfy chair for a few minutes away from the sea of people that has become the show.
Next up, the gear.