NAMM is the world's biggest music industry trade show, filled with instruments, artists, concerts, parties, and people. It’s a complex event, ranging from the trade show, to NAMM U for classes and seminars, events like the She Rocks Awards to honor women in rock and roll, the annual WoN (Women of NAMM) summit, the well-known TEC Awards for honoring technological achievements, and of course, fun concerts, parties, and more.
The 2025 NAMM Show, held in January in Anaheim, California, saw over 63,000 attendees including 10,700+ international attendees from 125 countries. The event featured over 1,850 exhibitors representing 4,400+ brands, along with 8,700 artists demonstrating and endorsing products, according to NAMM.org. Additionally, there were more than 250 educational sessions with over 650 speakers, and more than 1,600 media, influencers, and content creators present. So any way you cut it, NAMM is a major event for music.
Harris Fogel was on the scene at NAMM 2025. Here's a look, in photos and captions. More to come!
Umi Martin of Lethelium Music (right) shows off his instrument that started life as a bicycle rim. He's with Charlie Diaz (bass for the band Montrose, left) and PJ Hildebrand of Amazing Music, a 50-year-old music school and community resource before the Pacific Palisades fires of 2025.
The United States Marines were there to talk music at NAMM 2025.
Jake Wu of Donner Music had lots of high-quality affordable instruments on display. Here's the Hush Pro acoustic/electric travel guitar.
Author Brad Tolinski holds up two of his books, Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen, and MC5: an Oral History of Rock's Most Revolutionary Band.
The crazed and wonderful Langley Ukulele Association, led by the irrepressible Pietro “Peter” Luongo, came all the way from Canada to spread joy at NAMM 2025.
Rachele ("The OG of AR") Elder, and Summer (Violitt) Cooke at the Dark Matter Audio Labs booth, a company that specializes in custom molded in-ear-monitors.
Just another night at NAMM to have fun! This was at the Pro Audio Pool Party.
Musician Jack White founded Third Man Hardware (among other companies and bands including The White Stripes). One thing the man and his team can do is great branding. These were the coolest popcorn bags I’ve seen in a while, and they were free for all who stopped by their booth.
A few years we met musician Koji, who is from Japan, and told him about the Roni Lee Rooftop Jam. Imagine our surprise when hours later he showed up with his band! Here's Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper guitarist), Koji Brash (vocalist, guitarist, producer), Shogo Tsunoyama (Koji bassist), and Katsuichi Takafuji (president, Reneseikou Chair Company from Osaka) strolling around the trade show floor.
Tal Daniel Kocen, well known to audiophiles as one of the founders of Dekoni Audio, has started another venture, drawing from his years of experience with custom molded earphones. The new venture, Dark Matter Audio Labs has a wide range of models, finishes, and colors. Here he solemnly poses in back of some of the finishes they offer.
Here's Peter Frampton with Martin Guitars CEO Thomas Ripsam, who presented Frampton with a special American-made SC-28 acoustic/electric guitar in honor of his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and his long history of using Martin guitars, including his iconic "Frampton's Camel" D-45.
Striking a pose backstage in the Green Room at NAMM She Rocks Awards 2025.
Singer/actress Mercy Rae and songwriter/performer Tiffany Ocean hang out in the Green Room at She Rocks Awards 2025.
Lindsay Stirling with Rozanna Weinberger made their violins shred at She Rocks Awards.
Samantha Fish (winner of the Powerhouse Award) closes the show at the NAMM She Rocks Awards 2025.
Two Daves: Dave Hamilton (Mac Geek Gab) and Dave Malekpour (Augspurger loudspeakers) at the 2025 NAMM TEC Awards 2025, given for technical excellence.
Jack White performs at the 2025 TEC awards.
Music industry legends: Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers) with Larry Batiste, who has served as bandleader for the TEC awards for more than 20 years.
Here's Jeff “Skunk” Baxter with Cimcie Nichols, the daughter of famed audio engineer Roger "The Immortal" Nichols (Steely Dan, John Denver, Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder and many others) and founder and CEO of Hatchet Granny Mocktails). They're with David Schwartz, founder of Mix magazine.
Quite an assemblage of talent: Chas Sandford (songwriter who wrote John Waite's megahit "Missing You), Lenise Bent (award-winning producer/engineer and Roger Nichols' assistant on Steely Dan's Aja album), David Hamilton, Babette Annapurna Ory, (daughter of trombonist Kid Ory, was 73 when Babette was born and the first person to hire Louis Armstrong, who was 14 yrs. old at the time), and Steve Savanyu (technical editor for Front of House magazine).
The Harman Gang's all here (and then some)! Madeline Dachs, PR and communications; Ian Gregory, Harman Professional; Paul Vnuk, Jr., Editor of Recording magazine; Chris Hansen, Harman Professional, David Glaubke, PR and communications; Sara Morgan, North America marketing.
Gibson featured artist Kapali Long from Honolulu, Hawaii played the new Gibson Hummingbird Special and brought a bit of Nashville to NAMM's Global Media Day.
“Spock” Mike Beyer is one of the best front of house guys in the industry, here he is with Shantaia and Curt Chambers after their performances at the She Rocks Awards.
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter was the MC for the annual TEC Awards. He was great, but I missed seeing him with his guitar as in years past. Search YouTube for “NAMM TEC Awards Skunk Baxter“ to see some past performances.
Julie Wagnitz (Heid Music Company); Leanne Chu (Gator Cases); Lisa MacDonald (Yamaha), and Morgan Walker (Korg), at the Women of NAMM reception. The organization promotes women's representation in music products, pro audio, and entertainment technology.
JING was founded by award-winning fashion designer Carol Chen after she developed tinnitus from years of loud environments and was tired of looking for fashionable hearing protection, so she invented her own. The Jing EarGerms are as beautiful as they are useful.
Tommy Heath of Tommy Tutone "867-5309/Jenny" fame performs at NAMM.
Kendal Little holds his creation, one of the few audiophile-based products on the show floor: the ēcoute Audio dual-mono headphones with a built-in vacuum tube preamp, based around a nutube.
Header image: Chrissy Ras of Pulp Vixen pushing the beat forward at the Roni Lee Rooftop Jam annual NAMM party.
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