NAMM marks 125 years and looks ahead to the next generation of music makers

It’s likely that many are familiar with the Museum of Making Music, which offers exhibitions, concerts, and educational programs that celebrate the impact of the music products industry. But what might not be as widely known is the fact that the museum is located within and is a program of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), the largest global nonprofit music trade organization — headquartered in Carlsbad — which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. 

I connected with John Mlynczak, NAMM president and CEO (and fellow music major), for his perspective on the importance of marking the milestone and carrying on the company’s legacy. 

“Knowing it’s the 125th anniversary of NAMM, that’s a year you celebrate a lot. I think as we all do on big birthdays, especially as the number gets higher, we start reflecting,” says Mlynczak. “And when you think about why NAMM has been the longest national trade association, you think about music just being something that is ubiquitous and always around society.” 

The Carlsbad resident says it was a very conscious decision to live close to the NAMM HQ because he enjoys being there. “Every day, I wake up just absolutely in love with what I do. I can’t wait to get into the office. It’s one of those jobs that when I’m done [with a holiday break], I can’t wait. I’ve never had a case of the Mondays since I’ve been here, ever,” he says.

The upcoming NAMM Show, taking place January 20 to 24 at the Anaheim Convention Center, is the world’s largest music products trade show, featuring five days of education, live concerts, and special events, alongside three days of exhibits and brand activations from January 22 to 24. Mlynczak says he’s most looking forward to this year’s show being an opportunity to remind people why NAMM has been around for 125 years. “It’s because we adapt, because our industry adapts to change, because we’ve gone through so many musical styles, products, and shifts. We’re an industry that constantly has to evolve based on what people listen to — and how they listen. But they want to listen, that’s the thing. We just have to be able to make those shifts,” he says.

A core element of this year’s show is highlighting the NAMM Foundation. “‘NAMM Gives Back’ will be a new logo theme around the show, to remind people that we’re giving back, and that’s really important,” Mlynczak points out. “Yes, we’re all here to compete with each other, but we’re also here to create more music makers, to keep this industry going for another 125 years. So, we’re leveraging the ‘NAMMiversary,’ as they say, to really cultivate some energy into what we know the reality of 2026 will be for business.”

Mlynczak and I laugh a bit when reminiscing about the countless hours we spent in windowless music practice rooms during our respective college years. But he is quick to say, “If a college kid or a high school kid asks me for advice, I’d say, ‘Get a humanitarian degree, get an arts degree — just get a degree in learning how you learn, and learning how to open your mind and be a better human. And then just go into the world and blossom, don’t stress.’” He then elaborates, “The lessons I learned about sitting in a practice room four to six hours a day, every morning, I guarantee [today] that the reason I get up, work out, get to work on a schedule, have an hour of email, focus my day, review my calendar — that routine is because I’ve spent every day of my life warming up to an exact one-hour trumpet warm-up, looking at everything I have to play this week, looking at what exercises I have to do to condition, what charts I have to learn for the gig this weekend. That look-ahead, practice, condition yourself — that came from music, 100 percent. And it was worth every penny.” 

Qualified attendees can attend The NAMM Show by registering at NAMM.org. For a full calendar listing of upcoming events, click here.