From the world’s most influential gathering of music, audio, technology and creative professionals, NAMM’s 125-year journey is a story of resilience, innovation and an unwavering belief in the power of music.

For most industries, surviving for a decade is an achievement.

For a trade show to remain relevant for 125 years is almost unimaginable.

Yet that is exactly what the National Association of Music Merchants, better known as NAMM, has accomplished.

What began in 1901 as a small gathering of piano dealers has evolved into the global meeting point for musicians, manufacturers, retailers, educators, audio professionals, content creators and innovators from every corner of the world. Across wars, economic downturns, technological revolutions, changing consumer behaviour, the rise of the internet and the emergence of artificial intelligence, NAMM has not only survived but continually reinvented itself.

Today, The NAMM Show is far more than an exhibition. It is where careers are launched, products are unveiled, partnerships are formed and ideas that shape the future of music are born.

Every January, Anaheim becomes the centre of the music universe.

The latest instruments are revealed. Audio companies showcase technologies that will define studios and stages for years to come. Artists move through exhibition halls alongside engineers, educators and entrepreneurs. Conversations that begin at a booth often grow into collaborations that influence the global music landscape.

The show’s influence extends far beyond the convention centre walls.

What happens at NAMM often signals where the industry is heading next.

The rise of digital recording, software production, creator culture, immersive audio and now AI-powered innovation all found a place within the NAMM ecosystem long before they became mainstream conversations.

As NAMM celebrates its 125th anniversary, the milestone is not simply about longevity. It is about adaptability.

The history of NAMM mirrors the history of modern music itself. Every challenge faced by the industry has tested the organisation’s ability to evolve. Every new technology has demanded fresh thinking. Every generation of musicians has arrived with new expectations.

Through it all, NAMM has remained a constant.

This year, the organisation unveiled a comprehensive historical timeline celebrating not only the evolution of the association itself but the broader development of the music products industry over the past century and a quarter.

The milestone also serves as an opportunity to reflect on where the industry is heading next.

To understand that future, we at Score sat down with NAMM President and CEO John Mlynczak during the 125th anniversary celebrations in Anaheim earlier in January.

In this exclusive conversation, he reflects on resilience, innovation, artificial intelligence, global growth, India’s role in the industry’s future and why NAMM continues to matter more than ever in an increasingly digital world.

As NAMM marks its 125th year, which is a major milestone, what are some of the thoughts running through your head? How do you look at the industry from a future perspective?

It’s a really great question to start with because when you do a milestone like 125 years, we’ve spent all of last year looking at all the history of NAMM. We launched a beautiful timeline of the industry on the NAMM website.

When you think about 125 years and what it takes to keep an association together for that long, it’s about resiliency and overcoming challenges.

When you look at a long history like 125 years, there are booms and opportunities and those are wonderful times. But what really marks history and what you celebrate is overcoming challenges.

Like geopolitical challenges, innovative technologies, disruptive technologies, products changing the way consumers buy. The internet was a massive shift.

As we evolve, adapt and remain resilient, we work together as an industry.

We’ve also come together more and more as a global industry. We’ve grown as NAMM from 52 piano dealers in New York to thousands of dealers and hundreds of thousands of people around the world making musical products.

That’s what we’re celebrating this year.

What is the one thing that signals to you that the industry is moving in a particular direction before there’s even a name for it?

The signals are your content, the media and the influencers.

What’s happening now, which is amazing, is that storytellers use NAMM to capture content and create stories.

And it starts before the show itself.

NAMM in person is only a few days, but the buzz begins much earlier. A lot of companies hold their product releases for NAMM, and once that energy starts building, we begin to see those signals emerge.

You can see it before everyone arrives in Anaheim.

And for those who can’t travel here, they can follow along online, follow the creators, follow the media and see all the amazing things happening.

What are some of the conversations you hear around NAMM that make you optimistic about the future of creativity and the industry itself?

There are two conversations I hear constantly.

The first is innovation.

People are always launching new products. Even the smallest tweaks to existing products happen because someone listened to artist feedback and wanted to make something better.

Our industry never stops innovating.

The second conversation is especially meaningful this year because 2025 was a challenging year globally.

Some NAMM Shows happen after fantastic years. Others happen during difficult periods.

This year, what gives me optimism is hearing people shake hands and say, “Thank you for supporting us last year. We’re going to get through this together.”

I’ve heard that conversation hundreds of times already.

How do you think AI is changing the way products are imagined before they are even built?

AI is one of those moments in history that will have a significant impact.

We know that.

One of the biggest advantages is the ability to process and learn information faster than ever before.

A simple example is product reviews.

Companies want to know what customers are saying about their products. They want to know what to improve.

Today, you can use AI tools and ask them to gather and summarise all consumer feedback about a product.

That alone provides valuable insights that help drive innovation.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, what is the one NAMM moment each year that keeps you grounded?

At 5:30 PM on Thursday every year, we host the Industry Tribute.

It’s a memorial recognising the leaders of our industry who passed away during the previous year.

Families attend. Employees attend. Friends attend.

For 22 minutes, we remember those individuals through a series of slides.

You see company founders and innovators from 60, 70 or even 80 years ago.

And for a moment, everyone pauses.

That is the most grounding experience we have because it reminds us who built this industry and how we got here.

How do you see India shaping NAMM’s next phase as a creative and cultural partner?

We absolutely strive to be a global association.

When you consider that India represents roughly one-seventh of the world’s population, that’s incredibly important.

It’s a major creative culture and a very important market.

We want to continue growing international attendance and encourage more people to do business here.

We’re investing in that through international receptions, international content and new initiatives.

We believe that creating more music makers anywhere helps NAMM members everywhere.

Can we see NAMM in other parts of the world anytime soon?

Yes.

We recently launched a new initiative called NAMM Next.

It’s a one-to-two-day leadership conference where distributors, manufacturers and retailers come together to discuss long-term industry strategy.

This year we’re hosting NAMM Next Europe in Amsterdam.

We’ve also launched NAMM Next Latin America.

And we’re actively looking at additional territories for 2027 and 2028.

These events allow us to gather the industry together and discuss how we grow collectively.

What would be your final message to the readers and followers of The Score Magazine?

At its core, NAMM has spent 125 years giving back to the industry.

We’re not simply a trade show, we’re not simply an association.

We’re a movement that exists to grow the music products industry.

Every investment companies make in NAMM helps us give back. We invest over a million dollars annually into initiatives that support industry growth.

Every contribution and every show of support helps us create more music makers around the world.

That’s why we’ve been here for 125 years.

And that’s why we’ll be here for at least another 125.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

The story of NAMM is ultimately a story of adaptation.

For 125 years, the organisation has navigated changing technologies, evolving business models and shifting cultural landscapes without losing sight of its core mission: helping more people make music.

As artificial intelligence reshapes workflows, creator culture expands globally and new markets such as India continue to grow in influence, NAMM finds itself entering another era of transformation.

If the first 125 years were about building a global industry, the next 125 may well be about connecting a truly global creative community.

And if history is any indication, NAMM will continue to be where that future takes shape.