VEGAS ROCKS! MAGAZINE Reports From This Year's NAMM (Video)

Vegas Rocks! Magazine made the trip to NAMM Show this year with and got up close and personal with all the stars with VegasRocksTV.com. Vegas Rocks! Magazine publisher Sally Steele was there for coverage with all the excitement, which included visits with Nikki Sixx (MÖTLEY CRÜE, SIXX: A.M.),AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Orianthi (ALICE COOPER),Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH),Stevie Wonder, John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON),Scott Ian (ANTHRAX),Nicko McBrain (IRON MAIDEN),Kerry King (SLAYER) and many more. Check out the five-and-a-half-minute video report below.

Produced by the National Association Of Music Merchants (NAMM),the NAMM Show provided the most effective platform across four jam-packed days filled with new product debuts, networking, and educational opportunities set to the soundtrack of live music and conversation among friends old and new. From January 24 to January 27, every aspect of the music instrument and products industry including retailers, corporate buyers, artists and sound and lighting professionals did business with nearly 5000 unique brands in Anaheim, California.

"Our industry, like many others, is in the midst of rapid change," said Joe Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM. "And I believe NAMM members who came to Anaheim to see the latest product innovations, attend NAMM University sessions, and network with friends and peers will be uniquely positioned to take advantage of the business opportunities in the year ahead."

Based on member feedback, NAMM made a concerted effort to increase buyer (blue) badges and decrease guest (yellow) badges to create the most business-friendly event in years. Buyers increased 4 percent over 2012, while non-industry guests decreased 16 percent. The important increase in buyers was attributed to more retail music stores, corporate buyers including houses of worship, live event venues and touring professionals, casinos, and studios sending buyers to shop the NAMM Show. The mix of industry professionals resulted in an incredibly business-focused, yet vibrant show made up of 93,908 total registrants, a decrease of 2 percent from 2012.

For the first time, a Mayor led the NAMM Show. NAMM president and CEO Joe Lamond proclaimed world-renowned musician and humanitarian Stevie Wonder as Mayor of the NAMM Show with a lifetime, all-access badge to NAMM. "My goal is before it's my time, I hope to be able to make music accessible to everybody, children and adults," said His Honor (Wonder). "It's a whole new world of music and instrument discovery at the show every year." Wonder, one of hundreds of major artists at the NAMM Show, walked the show trying out new products and meeting with friends.

The opening of the 2013 NAMM Show marked not only the start of the world's premier gathering for the musical instrument and product industry, but also the debut of the Anaheim Convention Center's new outdoor venue, The Anaheim Grand Plaza. The Grand Plaza features 100,000 square feet of outdoor meeting and event space, and during the NAMM Show an outdoor stage for live performances.

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is the not-for-profit association with a mission to strengthen the $16.3 billion music products industry and promote the pleasures and benefits of making music. NAMM's activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 8,500 Member companies located in more than 94 countries.

For more information about NAMM or the proven benefits of making music, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).