Canadian Music Trade - February / March 2020

BEST IN SHOW CANADIAN PRODUCER GARTH RICHARDSON PRESENTING AT THE HARMAN PRO BOOTH For many MI retailers, the Best in Show panel discussion is a must-attend event on their schedule. Held on the last morn- ing of the show, it acts as a cheat sheet for which products and companies can’t be missed. Here’s is a quick rundown of what the panelists named as their Best in Show selections this year: CATEGORY: BEST IN SHOW EARTH, WIND & FIRE ON THE GRAND PLAZA STAGE PRODUCER JOE CHICCARELLI AT MIX WITH THE MASTERS BON JOVI GUITARIST PHIL X PERFORMING WITH TOQUE AT THE NWC NAMM CANADIAN RECEPTION • Yamaha YBS-480 Baritone Saxophone • Boss Waza Air Wireless Personal Guitar Amplification System • Korg Arp 2600 FS • Eastman Woodwind and Brasswind Lines • Universal Audio Luna • Roland V-Drums Acoustic Design Electronic Drum Sets CATEGORY: COMPANIES TO WATCH • • • • • • • Welch Tuning Systems SWIM (Smart Women in Music) MusicMedic.com Universal Audio Amahi Ukuleles PreSonus Solid State Logic YAMAHA CANADA MUSIC DEALER RECEPTION TOQUE PERFORMING AT THE NWC NAMM CANADIAN RECEPTION NAMM PRESIDENT/CEO JOE LAMOND & NWC PUBLISHER JIM NORRIS AT THE NWC NAMM CANADIAN RECEPTION repeated noise violations. “I mean, we’re trying to show some dealers and distributors some things and we get interrupted and threatened with having our booth shut down,” recalls Fortin. “We’re small, so people have to hear [the amp] because it’s not available everywhere. I hope that they would consider some of the issues that smaller companies have. Maybe if there was an ability to rent a soundproof booth where at least somebody could walk in and keep the volume down where it’s not going to break the bank, of course we would be interested in doing something like that.” With another NAMM Show in the books and everyone settled back into their business by the time they’re reading this, it’s our hope that they got what they needed from the experi- ence and investment. To each, the show offers something different. Whether an exhibitor or dealer, a big company or small, The NAMM Show does an admirable job of offering value to every segment of the industry. If you were fortunate enough to attend, here’s to hoping The NAMM Show was the start to a very fruitful 2020. Michael Raine is the Senior Editor of Canadian Music Trade. CATEGORY: GOTTA STOCK IT • • • • • • • Tackle Leather Cymbal Bag Pearl Travel Congas & Bongos Yamaha Silent Bass Levy’s Leathers Strap Packs Dansr Smith Mallets Student Pack Hercules DJ Starter Kit AKG Podcaster Essentials CATEGORY: ADD-ONS & ACCESSORIES • D’Addario Mic Stand Accessory System • Flight Customizable Ukuleles • Noatronic Onboard Expression Receiver • MuzicLight Backlit Guitar Holder • Korg Nu:Tekt NTS-1 Digital Kit • Radial Engineering Power Series CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE 27

Canadian Music Trade - February / March 2020 | Page 27