2020 NAMM U Virtual Summit
JULY 7–10, 2020
Ideas, Strategies and Insights to Navigate the Next Phase of Your Business and Career
This free, four-day online education summit featured a series of sessions tailored to you, delivering what you’ll want to know as you explore success in the new "next". NAMM U Virtual offered three unique tracks to appeal to everyone in the music products and sound industry: Business, Audio and Technology. Discover new ways to win, right from the comfort of your home or office.
VIDEOS OF THE SESSIONS ARE POSTED BELOW.
Program
Covering everything from online marketing strategy to the future of disruptive music technology, these webinars were presented by NAMM U, TEC Tracks and A3E (Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange). Whether you’re a retailer, brand, audio professional or music technologist, there’s education for you.
Featured Educational Topics
Music Retailers
Music and Sound Manufacturers / Brands
Pro Audio Professionals
Music Technology Professionals
Artists & More
The first part of this two-part session revealed an inside look at technologies influencing and shaping the future of audio and entertainment technology, based on A3E’s (Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange) recently conducted survey. Discover what technology is disrupting your markets and business, and how other industries are adapting to, integrating and optimizing this tech. Get a three-year outlook from analysts averaging more than 30 years of expertise across music, audio, software, cloud/web, IT, engineering, broadcast, service and related industries.
The notion of the home studio has taken on a whole new meaning in the age of the pandemic, when we’re all home, all the time. But aside from the relatively few residential palaces of sound that can rival top-tier commercial facilities, can a home/project studio provide comparable results to a conventional studio facility? In this webinar, led by leading audio journalist Dan Daley, an expert panel shared their experience in achieving the highest level of performance from home studios. They also discussed how best to utilize smaller spaces for music production, from acoustical, design and ergonomic angles.
As the music industry continues to evolve into the digital age, artists rely on their social media profile to define their brand as much as they do their music. Meet the experts in digital marketing and fan engagement, and discover the high-tech tricks and best practices they use to represent the top artists, athletes and brands in the world.
Someday, we’ll all be going to concerts again with thousands of fans, and sharing the universal experience of live music. And with today’s COVID-19 precautions, new protocols for social distancing, cleaning and travel are required. The impact of these precautions will be felt throughout all segments of live sound, from concert reinforcement to houses of worship and live sports production. For older artists, their managers, bands and crew, these protections may be life-and-death choices, while for younger technicians and performers, the risks can play out differently. Live sound engineer Mark Frink hosts a conversation with Sound Image's David Shadoan, Santana tour director Skip Rickert and FOH mix engineer guru Ken "Pooch" Van on the changes that will occur leading up to Live Sound 2.0. What will be the new normal in live sound protocols? There’s much to talk about and no better time to get these expert opinions.
The world has fundamentally changed since COVID-19. Have your social media, online marketing and content changed with it? What updates will you want to be aware of? What updates will you want to make to your website and social media, and most of all, where is everything going? Find out at this high-powered session with marketing thought leaders Jenn Herman of Jenn’s Trends and Larry Bailin of Single Throw Marketing, with moderation by Zach Phillips, NAMM’s director of professional development. They reveal strategies, tactics and advice to connect with consumers in the new “next.” Discover how to balance business and fun on social media without seeming tone-deaf. Hear about the latest need-to-knows for selling on Instagram and Facebook, along with tips for leveling up your website and online content. Get a glimpse into the next phase of marketing and more.
Also, after the session, Herman answered a few questions that appeared in the Q&A that weren't addressed due to time constraints.
Q: I manufacture steel drums and sell via music retailers. How should I collaborate with my dealers on social media?
A: Definitely talk to your retailers about what they're doing on social media for their marketing efforts and see what you can come up with together for some promotion. But some ideas could be having them do a jam session or a lesson using your drums. They could do this as a pre-recorded video or a live video. You would want them to mention your company as the drum manufacturer in the video, as well. You could also offer a unique promotion exclusive to retailers, and both they and you could have social media content to promote that offer.
Q: Can you comment on the difference between those of us who have mostly a local walk-in customer base versus those who have mostly a nationwide e-commerce customer base — and how our uses of social media should differ?
A: Local businesses want to make sure to focus on local customers. Using location tags and hashtags related to your geographical area can help ensure people in that area, or traveling to that area, will find you. It’s also worth pointing out that if you rely on a local market primarily, you can't expect to have tens or hundreds of thousands of followers. Instead, focus on keeping your audience smaller and localized while giving them as much attention and value as you can. For the broader, e-commerce-type business, less of a focus typically on specific geographic areas and instead a clear focus on content related to the niche or industry will allow you to get found in more areas.
The second part of this two-part session reveals an inside look at how artificial intelligence, blockchain and 5G are influencing and shaping the future of audio and entertainment technology, based on A3E’s (Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange) recently conducted survey. Walk away with a forecast for AI, blockchain and 5G, as well as industry insights and direction. Also, find out why disruption is continuous, networked and accelerating.
It’s a musical game-changer when technological advancement synchronizes with pandemic crisis response. In this case, we’re talking about session musicians who were previously jumping from studio to studio to lay down their signature lines. Today, emboldened by new realities, they’re radically shifting gears to deliver their tracks, making recording life safer for all concerned. Music industry raconteur Mr. Bonzai leads this webinar with top-shelf session players—bassist Leland Sklar, saxophonist Mindi Abair and drummer Russ Kunkel—to discuss the changes, positive and negative, from doing their work more and more remotely, rather than on the other side of the control room window.
Day 3 of the NAMM U Virtual Summit ended with a virtual hang featuring Dave Pensado and Herb Trawick, hosts of the hit recording web show "Pensado's Place." Check out this lively discussion with these music- and recording-industry legends on the art and craft of recording and music-making.
Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned veteran, NAMM Young Professionals (YP) welcomes all to its NAMM U Virtual Summit keynote event, featuring Saul Friedgood, president of Eastman Music. Friedgood looks at how his company navigated business during challenging periods and what he sees in the future. NAMM YP is a group of young music products industry professionals focused on providing opportunities to connect, learn and grow.
With the advent of 5G, mobile musicians are poised for an array of new experiences that will bring studio production into the palm of the hand. Join A3E for a look into your future as a musician and consumer, and find out how everything from higher-fidelity audio streams and augmented-reality concerts will impact the world.
What makes a hit song? This session's panelists have hundreds of hit songs under their belts—and can discuss the experience they’ve had creating these classic tunes. Hitmaker Beth Nielsen Chapman hosts this expert panel that includes country super-producer Tony Brown, Canadian singer/songwriter/producer/session musician Marc Jordan and polymath songwriter/guitarist/producer Danny Kortchmar.