Following three decades of digital interfaces and sampler dominance, a new generation of musicians desiring a return to warm, pure sounds are fuelling a resurgence in analog synthesizer retail sales. In the past five years alone, Moog Inc., Korg USA Inc., WMD and other brands who will present their synths and electronic products at the 2017 global music products NAMM Show have helped drive the analog synth market to a 19.9% growth in total retail sales.

The data, provided by 2016 NAMM Global Report, underscores a re-emergence of players captivated by the tactile playing experience of analog control surfaces as musicians favor working knobs, faders and other features in lieu of digital displays and computer interfaces.

“Players are realizing that an analog synth is much more of a real, honest-to-goodness musical instrument,” says Dave Smith, founder of San Francisco-based Dave Smith Instruments. Nate Tschetter, Manager of Music Product Marketing at Yamaha adds, "Many are choosing analog because it’s immediate, and while analog is definitely ‘in,’ it’s more about the ability to create unique sound and having it sound good."

Tatsuya Takahashi, Korg Synthesis Chief Engineer and designer of the company’s minilogue synth, understands the importance of unparalleled usability and musicality. “Whenever I design a synth I try to break down barriers between man and machine - the musician needs to be inspired physically and emotionally to create their own music. It's evident that this thinking has resonated with current trends that turn away from difficult and complicated systems, often inside of computers, in favour for dedicated hardware that often do less functionally, but are great at what they do in a musical way.”

With professional-grade analog synths ranging from the low-hundreds to several thousands of dollars, Korg and several other makers of electronic instruments are also continuing to meet the demand by releasing new and redesigned synths at price points that are very accessible to a variety of musicians of wide-ranging backgrounds. “The power-to-affordability ratio is also phenomenally-favorable to the synth enthusiast,” says James Sajeva, director of technology brands at Korg’s Melville, NY headquarters. “In the case of a reissue [synth] you can get ‘the’ sound and workflow for a fraction of what an original - in even remotely good condition - would fetch.”

For synth pioneer Moog, Inc., the boom in sales at retail is no surprise. The company’s list of legendary synth music-makers have included The Beatles, Keith Emerson and Led Zeppelin, who utilized Moog’s music machines designed for a “particular sound and feel that hasn't been duplicated and is musically-desirable.” In a departure from the typical trade show approach, Moog Music will use their booth space at NAMM 2017 to honor the staggering number of guiding lights the synth community has lost in 2016.Through a unique digital interactive experience, Moog will encourage reflection and celebration of artists like Pauline Oliveros, Keith Emerson, Bernie Worrell, Jean Jacques Perrey, Isao Tomita, and Don Buchla.

On the whole, electronic music products were one of the strongest performing music product segments in 2015, posting near double-digit retail growth in 2015 at 9.9%. The electronic music products category, comprised of keyboard synthesizers, controller keyboards, electronic pianos, rhythm machines and electronic drums, touted a retail value of $238.3 million in 2015, and this year, the category has already reached more than $155 million through Q3. Additionally, digital pianos are enjoying a renaissance and are up 24.38% in retail sales and 13.1% in units sold over the past 10 years.

The NAMM 2016 Global Report is designed to offer the music products industry discerning industry trends and opportunities for businesses to shape their vision, business strategies, and seek out new markets. The report is compiled from independent data sources from around the world including The Music Trades magazine and the U.S. Census Bureau. This year’s Global Report compiled data from 24 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Austria,

Brazil, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Dave Smith Instruments, Yamaha, Roland, Korg USA, Inc. Moog Inc., Verbos Electronics, Make Noise and other multiline product manufacturers will be among the more than 75 exhibitors presenting 260 different synthesizers and related equipment at The NAMM Show, being held in Anaheim, California, January 19-22.

The NAMM Show gathers 100,000 members of the music product industry from around the world to preview new products from every category of music making. Register for badges to experience more than 6,000 music product, instrument and technology brands, special events, and live entertainment. Free badge deadline is January 4, 2017, at 11:59 pm PST.

Learn more about the NAMM Show at /thenammshow/2017.

Media inquiries can be sent to NAMM@lippingroup.com.

Demonstrating a continued commitment to serve its community of professional audio members and attendees, The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) has announced it will feature DanteTM training and certification sessions at its annual Anaheim, California trade show, January 20-21. The sessions will be presented at the show by Audinate, and will offer attendees the opportunity to experience an intensive two-days of hands-on training as part of the company’s Dante Certification Program. As an added programming bonus, TEC Tracks at The NAMM Show will host a special “Introduction to Dante” session during its newly-announced Live Sound Day, Thursday, January 19. On that day, participants can learn more about the multi-channel, digital media networking protocol.

“One of our goals is answering the industry’s call of expanding learning opportunities within the professional audio markets,” commented Zach Phillips, director of professional development for NAMM. “Securing this opportunity for Dante Certification at the show is another demonstration of our commitment to offering added value for all of our audio professionals.”

“At Audinate, we are committed to the delivery of industry-leading training on audio networking and Dante,” shared Audinate Vice President of Marketing Joshua Rush. “To that end, we are excited to work with NAMM this year to offer – free - our popular Dante Certification Program.”

The on-site Dante Training Program will offer three educational courses beginning with the program’s “First Steps into Digital Audio Networking,” a 90-minute course recommended for those people who are brand-new to audio networking or are unsure if they should delve into a full Dante Certification course. The second course is the “Dante Training and Certification Level 1,” which is also 90 minutes and designed to provide a useful background in audio networking for audio professionals and does not assume any previous background in computer networking. The third course, “Dante Training and Certification Level 2,” is a three-hour course designed for intermediate to advanced Dante users and should only be taken once Level 1 has been completed.

Dante Training and Certification will take place on Friday, January 20 and Saturday, January 21 in the Laguna Meeting Room, located on the fourth floor of the Hilton Anaheim. Interested participants should plan to register early, as seating is limited. Please register to attend by visiting: https://www.audinate.com/namm17.

Earlier this evening at the Summer NAMM Show, NAMM honored the Top 100 Dealers and recognized seven with special category awards, including the coveted Dealer of the Year award.  The award recipients are as follows:

“As unique as the customers and locations they serve, the Top 100 honorees all have a bit in common:  a commitment to excellence in music product retailing, customer service, and in acting as music champions within their communities,” shared Joe Lamond, NAMM president and CEO. “We applaud their efforts, and those of all NAMM retail members that are creating positive and memorable shopping experiences which, in turn, help to foster the next generation of music makers.”

Dubbed the ‘retail Oscars’ by Music Inc. magazine, NAMM’s Top 100 Dealer Awards spotlights the industry’s very best music product retailers. To determine the list, an independent panel of judges reviewed hundreds of submissions that are rated across categories that include customer service, best store turnaround, music advocacy, marketing and sales promotion, store design, and emerging dealer, and are scored in accordance to determine the Top 100 list and special awards.

Congratulations to the Top 100 Dealers!

To view images of the event, please visit: http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/gyipa_public?nav=pr440295371

To learn more about the Top 100 Dealer Awards, please visit /summer/2016/top-dealer-awards

Summer NAMM is on its way to Nashville, June 23-25, and with it, a robust education program from NAMM U, the industry’s only professional development program. Featuring a series of excellent speakers, how-tos, and strategies, 2016 Summer NAMM will host the biggest ideas and best practices for those in music retail covering the hot topics of  marketing, store design, websites, music lessons, customer experience, finance and more.

NAMM U will officially kick off the day before show opening on Wednesday, June 22 with Retail Boot Camp: a one-day intensive training featuring two tracks, Sales and Marketing and Financial Management. Retail thought leader Doug Fleener and marketing guru Mike Coleman will present the Sales and Marketing track, covering topics such as driving the in-store sales experience and building a strategic marketing plan. On the financial management track, Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe from Friedman, Kannenberg and Company will cover best-practices in financial management, risk management and inventory, and present a wealth of topics to make retailers and their staff more effective in day-to-day management.  

Thursday’s show opening NAMM U Breakfast Session, the “NAMM Retail Summit,” will be hosted by Joe Lamond, NAMM President and CEO, and will spotlight music retailers who’ve successfully made the Internet their own. At Friday morning’s Breakfast Session, marketing master Jeffrey Hayzlett will host a bold, no-nonsense session on getting better results with online and social marketing. On Saturday, the closing day of the show, the “Best in Show” Breakfast Session will reign supreme. Led by Music Inc.’s publisher, Frank Alkyer, retailers will share their picks for the hot products customers will be asking for in the fourth quarter. All Breakfast Sessions will start at 8:00 a.m. in the Davidson Ballroom of Music City Center and will be followed by sessions on a variety of retail-driven topics presented in a peer-to-peer setting starting every 30 minutes throughout the day at the NAMM Idea Center in booth 463.

Along with the exciting breakfast and Idea Center sessions, each day of the show will feature the latest techniques and technologies in recording and live sound through TEC Tracks. Studio legend Chuck Ainley opens TEC Tracks Thursday morning with a panel of studio engineers who will discuss how they navigate the rapidly changing recording industry. Audio industry guru Craig Anderton will cover how to get a computer to work for you — not against you — during the recording and songwriting process. Glenn Meadows, a Grammy-winning mastering engineer, will moderate a panel of mastering professionals, discussing the latest tools and technology they employ in pursuit of the ultimate sound. And on Saturday, A3E (Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange) will present The Future of Audio Summit, exploring disruptive innovations in music and audio. All TEC Tracks sessions will take place in booth 236.

Saturday at Summer NAMM will welcome music professionals with Music Industry Day. The NAMM Idea Center will showcase sessions and panels for artists, songwriters, musicians and producers with topics such as DIY Marketing for Musicians, The Targeted Hit Songwriter: Increasing Your Odds of Getting Cuts, and Songwriting Tips from Nashville Pros, among many other topics.

All NAMM U, TEC Tracks and Music Industry Day sessions are free and open to Summer NAMM badge holders.  To view all sessions, please visit: /summer/2016/educational-sessions

To register online for a badge, please visit: /summer/2016/badges