Summer NAMM 2020 is cancelled due to coronavirus
The Nashville show will not return this year, but Winter NAMM 2021 is still planned.
Image: Jason Davis / Getty Images for NAMM
Summer NAMM, the smaller sibling of the Winter NAMM trade show, has been cancelled this year. The 2020 edition of the event had been scheduled to return to the Music City Convention Center in Nashville from 9-11 July.
NAMM Chair C.F. Martin and President Joe Lamond called cancelling the show a “difficult decision” in a joint statement, noting the importance of the mid-year industry gathering. They said, “The current circumstances make it impossible to hold the show or to undertake the many months of careful planning and preparation that are required to create a secure and organised event.”
The Nashville show is primarily recognised for its guitar focus, but its location puts it at the centre of one of the most bustling recording studio scenes in the world. The show, which is considerably smaller than Winter NAMM, is also known for providing lesser-known manufacturers a platform for exposure.
What will happen instead?
NAMM has promised to put its efforts into guiding members to much-needed financial relief, specifically through the CARES Act – a recently passed US government relief package designed to assist businesses and individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the statement, NAMM is also working on “sourcing and sharing the most creative strategies that are working in music retail and online music learning, vital tools to survive these unprecedented economic times.” Resources and tools will be available on the NAMM website.
Will Winter NAMM in January 2021 also be cancelled?
Lamond indicates that the major event will still go ahead. The statement concludes with an optimistic outlook: “As difficult as these days are, we gain strength and inspiration from the generations of NAMM members who came before us, overcoming every obstacle in their way.
“And in that spirit, we can just imagine the heartfelt celebrations that will occur when we are all together again in Anaheim next January. In the meantime, please stay safe and connected to each other; with perseverance, vision and passion, we will succeed.”
Summer NAMM is the latest in a long list of major music and industry events cancelled or postponed on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, including Glastonbury, SXSW, Superbooth, Loop, Musikmesse, in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.
