Blackstar Amplifiers Find Success at The NAMM Show: A Case Study
Founded in 2007, Blackstar is considered one of the world’s most innovative guitar amp brands. With prolific musicians like Phil Collen (Def Leppard), Gus G (Firewind and Ozzy Osbourne), Albert Hammond Jr (The Strokes), Richie Sambora, Neal Schon (Journey), and more endorsed by the NAMM Member, its roster of talent speaks volumes.
According to Blackstar, “Like many great British ideas, the idea for Blackstar was born in the pub.” Richard Frost, Paul Hayhoe, Bruce Keir, and Ian Robinson played together in a band and possessed over 50 years of collective experience in amplification and held senior positions at an established amp company. However, they believed there were greater possibilities for applying amplification, so in 2004, they came together to start creating something different. By 2007, Blackstar was born after extensive technical research and development to “allow guitarists worldwide to create the sound in their head.”
With a vision and knowledge, the team moved into Robinson’s garden shed in Northampton. This environmental change led to the development of some of Blackstar’s critical innovations: Infinite Shape Feature (ISF) and Dynamic Power Reduction (DPR).
Since the initial setup in Robinson’s garden, the team has seen great success, as demonstrated by positive reception from musicians, dealers, and distributors. Even with the business flourishing over the last 16 years, the team is committed to growing year over year. One critical component of their success is the company’s participation in The NAMM Show.
Small Footprint - Big Global Reach
The Blackstar team turned up the volume at The 2022 NAMM Show with a new approach to exhibiting and a compelling new product. While the booth was small in scale, it did have the focus and clarity and employed a strategical approach to pre-show prep that yielded significant results from such a small space.
Global Reach
From its 200-square-foot booth, Blackstar reached the many music retailers that attended the show while also enjoying the global audience that the Show attracts. Blackstar’s Director of Marketing, Joe Richardson, said, “We got a lot of attention at The 2022 NAMM Show. The interest from the public and the press was incredible and made the effort of exhibiting extremely worthwhile.”
NAMM Evolves
Blackstar maximized the power of The NAMM Show, reaching the large audience that attends the Show and the much larger audience of musicians worldwide that were anxiously watching for what they are missing at NAMM.
Joel Richardson, Blackstar Amp’s director of marketing, shared the company’s excitement for The 2023 NAMM Show. He said, “The 2023 NAMM Show allows us to meet with our global distributor partners to introduce new products and discuss strategy in an ever-changing retail landscape. We will introduce new products through the NAMM platform and support our USA dealer network.”
To register for The NAMM Show, please visit https://registration.namm.org/, and for more information from Blackstar Amps, please visit https://blackstaramps.com/.