By Valerie Milano & Peggy Phillips
Anaheim, CA (The Hollywood Times) 1/20/26 – With badges, almost, in hand and schedules filling fast, Opening Day at the 2026 NAMM Show launched with the buzz of a milestone year. Celebrating its 125th anniversary, NAMM set the tone early with a full slate of education, advocacy, networking, and live music, while industry professionals from around the world streamed into the Anaheim Convention Center and neighboring hotels.
Media and attendees checked in across the district, including the Anaheim Marriott (THT’s personal host hotel this year), now fully immersed in NAMM Week momentum, before heading to Will Call, where badge pickup ran smoothly from early morning through evening across multiple locations.
Tuesday’s programming underscored NAMM’s commitment to business-forward learning. The Retail Financial Summit ran throughout the day, offering practical tools for navigating today’s evolving marketplace, while a timely Digital Marketing Update for Music Businesses zeroed in on the platforms and strategies shaping consumer engagement in 2026.
Policy and advocacy also took center stage with a focused session from the SupportMusic Coalition, spotlighting real-world success stories and strategies that move the needle for music education and industry support.
Beyond the show floor, NAMM’s impact extended into the local community. The NAMM Foundation hosted its Day of Service, bringing together volunteers from across the music industry to support music education initiatives in Anaheim, an opening-day reminder that service and stewardship remain core to NAMM’s mission.
As afternoon turned to evening, NAMM Week officially kicked off with a relaxed networking mixer at the Hilton Anaheim’s newly refreshed Poppy’s Lounge, welcoming exhibitors, buyers, media, and attendees for conversation, cocktails, and live sounds.
Later, the spotlight will shift to Bands at NAMM, where emerging artists will energize the JAM Experience Hilton Stage. Early standouts will include collaborative indie-pop collective The Guest Room and genre-blending rocker Dolly Ave, signaling another strong year for artist discovery at the show.
Wednesday promises more big-picture thinking, from a deep dive on the evolution of music retail to Global Media Day, where international press and creators converge. Meanwhile, NAMM’s anniversary generosity continues donations to the NAMM Foundation are being matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $125,000, amplifying support for music education nationwide.
With Opening Day about to be in the books, the 2026 NAMM Show is already delivering on its anniversary promise, uniting the global music products community through knowledge, connection, creativity, and purpose.
