With its 120-year history, NAMM Show has positioned itself as the most important trade show in the music, sound, and live event industries. Much of this success is due to the leadership, tenacity, and forward-thinking vision of Joe Lamond.
Joe Lamond is synonymous with NAMM; they share the same heart. One is the driving force behind the other. Today, Lamond stands out as the President and CEO of NAMM. Hearing his name, everyone knows what’s being discussed. But do they really know him? Do they know his story? Do they know what he has planned for the 2022 edition of NAMM Show?
To answer these questions, Augusto Marrandino, CEO and Editor of Latam Stage, together with Evangelina Bertello, who excels as the company’s Digital Media Manager, spoke via Zoom with Joe Lamond. The goal was to get more information about the man behind what could be said is the largest trade show in the MI and professional audio industry, organized by a non-profit association.
Joe presents himself with his classic elegance, smiling, grateful, and willing to talk about everything without dodging any subject. He stands out for conveying serenity. A great speaker, a great listener. Joe Lamond is generous, always sharing his knowledge and experiences. No matter who the recipient of the message is, he always seeks to help individuals gain more knowledge. As soon as the interview begins, he accelerates as he outlines his plans for the 2022 NAMM Show.
Lamond has been at the helm of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) since 2001. Since then, he has laid the foundations for the steady growth of the association’s trade shows. But of course, Lamond has had a long journey that led him to NAMM.
Like many people in this industry, Joe Lamond did many different things within it. He was a musician, worked in studios, also in a music store, and participated in tours as a production manager. Taking on these different roles led him to think about what he enjoyed the most. When he did, he discovered that he was interested in organizing things.
Son of a father who loved music and a mother who was a pianist, Lamond grew up in East Aurora, New York. It was his parents who encouraged him to delve into the fascinating world of music.
Joe was passionate about drums. “I was just drawn to the drums. The drums are the heartbeat of the band, like a production manager or the lighting guy!” said Lamond. “I always thought of the drummer as the anchor, a reliable and solid position. My first concert was at age 12 with my older brother, and of course, I played the drums. Since then, I’ve never looked back, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t consider myself a drummer.”
While it’s true that Joe Lamond earned a degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York (SUNY), immediately after that, he moved to California to pursue his dream of being a musician.
In 1983, Joe Lamond, a 21-year-old drummer, attended his first NAMM Show. Today, he leads the 121-year-old association as president and CEO.
“I was 22 years old, so at that time, I didn’t know anything. Today, I look at myself going to the show at the age of 22 and think, ‘Oh my God, if only I could go back and see it with those eyes again.’ It was huge and overwhelming. In fact, back then, there were only two halls, one-fifth the size of the current NAMM, but I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is amazing!,'” recalled Lamond, who runs an association with 121 years of history.
Joe toured with the “power pop” band Tommy Tutone. As the tours began to dwindle, Joe took on some of the business duties: collecting money from the box office at the end of a concert, sorting advance payments, and making sure all the production was ready for the band. “Soon I realized that was a job; I had become a production manager,” Joe noted. Later, he became the production manager for Todd Rundgren, which quickly familiarized him with audio and lighting technology that was obviously integral to any performance.
Wanting to spend more time with his wife and children, Joe Lamond’s passion for music took a slightly different turn when he got involved in creating programs aimed at getting more people to play music, which led him to connect with NAMM. “NAMM had seen the Weekend Warriors program and approached me to license the program so that all its music product dealers could use it; setting up this licensing agreement meant that I started working with NAMM’s market development,” Joe explained.
When an opportunity arose in the association, the NAMM team thought of Joe for the position. Lamond immediately decided to take a leap of faith and joined NAMM in 1998 as Director of Market Development.
When Larry Linkin announced his retirement in 2001 as NAMM’s CEO, Joe didn’t see himself as the obvious choice to fill that role, but the association had different ideas. They clearly saw something in Joe and felt he had the necessary skills to take on the role of President and CEO, which he still holds today.
Joe recalled, “When I sat down, I realized it was really just a combination of everything I had been doing over the past 20 years in this industry. It all had a lot to do with building relationships, which is one of the things you learn on tour. I was also very fortunate to have the support of the NAMM Board of Directors and the incredible staff; they deserve all the credit for the successful transition.”
Since then, Joe Lamond has been steering the course of NAMM, an association that represents more than 10,300 manufacturers and retailers of musical instruments, professional sound, live event products, and production.
In June 2021, during NAMM’s annual Board of Directors meeting, Joe Lamond shared his intention to step down as the leader of the famous North American trade association starting in the spring of 2023. Lamond, who has served at the helm of NAMM for the past 21 years, will work with NAMM’s Executive Committee over the next year to ensure a smooth leadership transition for the association, The NAMM Show, Summer NAMM, and its various member activities.
“Serving our global membership and working with the talented NAMM team has been an absolute honor,” Lamond commented. “However, I’ve always thought of my life in terms of chapters: the chapter of being a musician and touring, the chapter of music retail, this incredible chapter of NAMM, and now maybe another mountain to climb. One thing is for sure: we’ll take the time needed to make this transition right. We are committed to finding the best possible CEO for NAMM, one who can lead this great organization and industry and serve our global membership in the years to come.”
Lamond acknowledged, “My goal was to retire before the pandemic, then the pandemic hit, and we decided it was appropriate for me to stay a bit longer to see if we could work together to get the association through to the other side of the pandemic. That’s what I agreed to do, to stay two more years. We made that decision in March 2020.”
Over the past 20 years, the music and live entertainment industry has shown a dizzying evolution. Many things have caught the eye, many have marked a before and after in their segment. According to Joe Lamond, “The expectation of higher quality in every show has caught my attention, whether it’s the Rolling Stones or a school play, the expectation of sound, audio, video, and production quality has increased! Everyone’s expectations have become much higher, the audience demands quality and commitment.”
Based on that, it can be assured that people want to see more. “Yes! In our industry, we create amazing products that made that happen. The industry evolves with the evolution,” affirmed Lamond.
Given the context of the particular moment the world has had and still has, the last two editions of NAMM Believe in Music, in 2021 and 2022, were undoubtedly very special. Not only for the audience and the industry, but also for NAMM.
On an emotional level, it was an impact for everyone. “There were two different feelings. The first year, in 2021, it was actually taking the place of The NAMM Show. We tried to create in a virtual world the connections of new products, education, and networking. And since there was no show, we had different feelings. I thought we could gather a lot of that,” reflected the NAMM CEO.
He continued; “In 2022 it was very different, I see it as a bridge to being able to see each other again in June. It was very different between one year and the next. This year was basically that bridge to that ‘in person’ that we will have in a few months. I think the first year, as a team, we had the feeling that we were lucky to have a virtual format, due to the pandemic, but I think it’s hard for the industry. The second year we discovered that as good as virtual is, it’s not the same, we want to be back! Live and in person, as musicians, as artists, as production people. That’s what we do for a living!”
These virtual editions left a special lesson. It was necessary to go back. Especially with music, theaters, or places of worship, all the things where people come together in the community can never be replicated online.
Many are questioning whether exhibitions will ever be the same. Joe Lamond believes they will be even better! “They will be better! NAMM 2023 is going to be amazing! It’s going to be even better than before because we have evolved. The industry is going to evolve! They have found new ways to connect.”
Lamond’s words resonate when he says, “This year will be a transition from online to in-person. It will take more than one year. Some parts of the industry have evolved more than others, like the technology segment. It’s a part of the industry that has been very resilient, they’ve found new ways to interact with each other.”
He concluded, “What I do believe is that 2022 will be a historic year, and we will probably return to those days, but we will never take it for granted again.”
Reflecting on his last NAMM Show as CEO in April 2023, Joe said, “I’ve had a good run, but it’s time for the next chapter in my life.”
