-Guitar Hero is all the rage for consumers.

-Need to take a break from searching for the latest gear during The NAMM Show? Here are some celebrity appearances and parties to check out.

-Attendance increased at Music China and Prolight + Sound, and Kenny G made a big splash.

-Improving next month's NAMM Show is like making the 1972 Miami Dolphins better. But NAMM is certainly not resting on its laurels.

-We reveal all of the manufacturer nominees for Music & Sound Awards to be handed out next month at The NAMM Show.

-Counterfeiting on MI products, particularly guitars, may have received minimal national press, but the problem is real and not going away.

-Find out how to sell products your customers are probably not looking to buy.

-M&SR features its second annual independent retailer roundtable. What's on dealer's mind's this year. Are things better than last year?

-Females playing musical instruments now outnumber males, according to a NAMM/Gallup survey.

-Industry leaders paved the way for the next 10 years.

Are you on the fence about if you should attend Summer NAMM in Austin, Texas, from July 27 to 29? Well, to start, there are three facts that are probably indisputable about the show. 1. You have the opportunity for more face-to-face time with suppliers than at Winter NAMM. 2. The active nightlife. 3. The bats.

If that’s not enough, you’ll see different wrinkles at this year’s show. “First of all, buyers will get the chance to see some new exhibits—more than 80 new companies—and that means [you’ll] be able to see some cool new products not shown in Anaheim or last year in Austin,” said Scott Robertson, NAMM’s director of marketing & communications. “Another new feature is NAMM’s first-ever exhibitor-to-dealer product training sessions, which allow buyers to get the new product knowledge they need for themselves and their staff. We’re hoping this idea catches on and this show can serve as a hub for this type of critical product training in the future. Finally, this year ‘The Hang’ stage will host a very special concert event on Saturday—one of the regional semi-finals for the Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands competition. This is where the best of the “Weekend Warrior” type bands from America’s largest corporations battle for bragging rights and a ‘rock star’ trip to the 2008 NAMM Show. It should be quite an event for these very influential recreational music makers and a treat for the audience as well.”

Speaking of The Hang, you can attend NAMM’s party there on July 26 at 7 p.m. The event is good for networking purposes and oh yes, the free beer and food. “NAMM’s Pre-Show Party at The Hang is unique because where else but the music products industry could you assemble ‘Weekend Warrior’ jam/cover bands made up of show attendees and exhibitors and produce the type of energetic, live performances that we see year after year?” asked Robertson. “That party shows how much this industry believes in music and it’s our honor to host it again this year.”

Another reason to go to Summer NAMM: the morning NAMM University Breakfast Sessions. Don’t believe it? Well, the proof is in the numbers, with Robertson reporting attendance at these sessions doubling in the last couple of years. “The morning sessions serve a free hot breakfast, which helps attendees find an extra hour of time in an already busy day,” he said. “They also feature good music followed by some fantastic presentations that you can only experience at a NAMM trade show. This year, NAMM President and CEO, Joe Lamond, will interview another panel of industry icons in an in-depth discussion about the current state of the music products industry. On Saturday, NAMM will again host its popular Town Hall meeting, which this year will focus on the best practices/ideas that are working for retailers and suppliers across the country. We’ve heard these sessions contain real take-home value for attendees and given this period of industry change, it’s not a time to settle for business as usual.”

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