Canadian Music Trade - August/September 2020 | Page 16

NAMM News
By Luke Walton
UNITY DURING CRISIS
How NAMM Membership Can Help Your Business
In crises like these, we tend to join
together, to gather and unite. But here
we find a global pandemic, preventing
us from fulfilling our most basic of
social needs. Masked, we silently smile
at strangers as we pass them on the street
and forgo shaking hands with customers as
they walk away with their first guitar. This
unique situation robs us of consolation
and commiseration – some of the exact
medicine we need.
Thankfully, we live in a digital age, and
luckily, our industry isn’t alone. As the
world was turned upside down, the NAMM
community came together. In an awe-inspiring
show of humanity, we’ve seen members
reaching out with genuine care and understanding,
supporting even their competitors.
And as your association, this past March,
our team transformed Namm.org into a
source of the latest information on various
sources of aid and professional guidance,
crafting business-building webinars covering
online lesson programs and sales strategies
during the lockdown.
We will continue to produce educational
content to assist our membership throughout
this rapidly evolving period, as seen in
our recent NAMM U Virtual Summit. This
online event featured 14 sessions across three
tracks – Music, Business, and Technology –
plus NAMM’s public policy team and experts
reviewed current and pending business relief
efforts in a special Policy Forum. If you
missed any of the action or would like to
review, these cutting-edge sessions are now
on-demand for NAMM members. Be sure to
log in with your member account to access
this exclusive content.
Membership continues to provide
networking opportunities and, through
access to the Membership Directory and
the NAMM Career Center, a source for
finding industry-specific talent. We’re also
planning on some special online events
moving forward. Be sure to stay in the loop
by registering for our newsletters. Simply
click on the “Subscribe” link at the top of
Namm.org and select the newsletters that
appeal to you. We recognize that budgets
have gotten tighter, so consider taking a
look at NAMM’s money-saving endorsed
service providers, featuring essential business
programs at a reduced cost.
Now more than ever, a voice in government
is critical. Beyond the U.S., NAMM
works with associations around the world, fueling
global efforts on issues that affect us all,
such as free trade, CITES, and music education.
Namm.org likewise hosts resources with
translations and country-specific guidelines to
serve our members wherever they may be.
Regardless of political rhetoric, global
supply chains and digital integration are here
to stay. Our industry requires global growth
to maintain our bottom lines, and datadriven
decision-making will define the next
century. While growth is never a straight line
and there will undoubtedly be bumps in the
road, the trends and forces at play provide
hope for a brighter, stronger future – one in
which membership can power both a feeling
of collectivity and the means to succeed.
For this reason, NAMM has produced the
2020 Global Report, capturing a snapshot of
28 markets. With more than 132 countries
and regions attending The NAMM Show
and international firms composing 32% of
our total membership base, we recognize
and value the need for a global industry
perspective. Though priced at $1,000 U.S.,
this report is free to our members.
As tough as the days ahead may prove, music
making is a time-tested relief. The music
products business provides a much-needed
service, and that’s something we will always
be able to point to when we look back on
this time. To weather this storm, we will
need to remain resolute in our goals of a
more musical world and stand together, even
if only digitally, as we build the new “next.”
Luke Walton is the marketing manager for
the National Association of Music Merchants
(NAMM), the global not-for-profit trade
association representing 9,000 manufacturers
and retailers of musical instruments and sound
products. NAMM’s mission is to strengthen
the music products industry and promote the
pleasures and benefits of making music.
16 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE