Convention goers visit the exhibition area of Chinese companies from Zheng'an county in southwest China's Guizhou province during the 2023 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, the United States, on April 13, 2023. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)
Chinese brands have gained strong foothold at the annual show in recent years, showcasing their latest music, sound and entertainment products and technologies.
by Xinhua writers Tan Jingjing, Gao Shan
LOS ANGELES, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China-made musical instruments are taking the limelight at an ongoing music industry exhibition in Southern California, attracting lots of attention and recognition from overseas customers and distributors.
About 1,200 exhibitors in the music industry from across the globe participate in the 2023 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show, one of the world's largest music industry trade shows, held in Anaheim Convention Center, U.S. state of California, from Thursday to Saturday.
The annual show, which has weathered ups and downs in recent years amid the pandemic and unpredictable circumstances, returned to center stage this year with increasing exhibitors from overseas.
"We had our biggest NAMM show ever in 2020, with more than 115,000 NAMM members attending from more than 120 countries and territories. Then COVID hit and our ongoing four-year journey to get back to normal began," said NAMM President Joe Lamond.
"This is the first NAMM show since before COVID where we will get the music world back together in person. And there are some countries whose NAMM members only see each other in person at the NAMM show," Lamond said, adding that the participation registration from outside the United States are up 50 percent from last year.
Over 150 Chinese music companies participate in the show, the largest lineup since the outbreak of the pandemic, according to Wang Yingyao, department manager of China International Exhibition Center Group Corporation Limited.
A convention goer visits the exhibition area of Chinese companies from Zheng'an county in southwest China's Guizhou province during the 2023 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, the United States, on April 13, 2023. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)
"Having been impacted by the pandemic over the past three years, as well as changes in China-U.S. relations, and adjustments in the global supply chains, Chinese music companies expect to take the opportunity of participating in the show to directly reach out to overseas clients and distributors, and experience changes in the global markets," Wang told Xinhua in an interview.
Chinese brands have gained strong foothold at the annual show in recent years, showcasing their latest music, sound and entertainment products and technologies. A record number of around 220 Chinese companies participated in the 2020 show.
This year, a total of 38 companies in the guitar industry of Zheng'an, a poverty-stricken county in southwest China's Guizhou province, made their presence at the show, in an effort to expand business in overseas markets.
"The joint appearance of Guizhou companies at the show helps to showcase our overall competitiveness, and present the whole industrial chain to our global customers," Zheng Chuanjiu, general manager of Zunyi Shenqu Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Shenqu), a major guitar manufacturer in the county, told Xinhua.
Several acoustic and electric guitars of the company were displayed on the show floor, attracting lots of old and potential customers.
"Those guitars (from Shenqu) have very high quality and good price, and are very popular among our customers. They are very competitive compared with other high-end guitars," Hakan Kutlu, general manager of Panmusic company from Türkiye, told Xinhua.
Kutlu owns a music instrument shop in Ankara, Türkiye, and purchases about 10,000 guitars annually from Shenqu.
Donner, a musical company based in southern China's Guangdong province, had a large show booth full of instruments, ranging from electric guitars, digital pianos, e-drums to innovative audio solutions.
Donner unveiled its REVO smart guitar at the show, a revolutionary product for guitar education, for both learners and tutors. The smart guitar can recognize and display every note played by the player with low latency and high precision, and provide feedback to the player through its dynamic lighting fretboard while recording it into the Donner Play App.
A convention goer visits the exhibition area of Chinese companies from Zheng'an county in southwest China's Guizhou province during the 2023 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, the United States, on April 13, 2023. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)
"North America is one of our most important overseas markets. Our music instruments are mainly sold through online platforms such as Amazon, eBay and our online store," He Haifeng, CEO of Donner, told Xinhua.
While expanding its online business, the company is seeking more opportunities in offline sales through participating in the show, reaching out to professional media of the music industry, and enhancing its popularity, He said.
A new electric guitar of Shenzhen Dale Somatosensory Technology Co., Ltd., also attracted lots of show participants.
Featuring 12 colorful fret indicators and pressure-sensitive silicone strings, the guitar allows users to pick up their favorite song in three minutes with an easy chord mode, suitable for both beginners and music producers, Yuchen Sun, the company's sales manager, told Xinhua.
Carl Protho, a music composition instructor living in Los Angeles, told Xinhua he was interested to see demonstrations of the smart guitar, adding that he expects to see new features designed to teach beginners to play.
The three-day show also offers participants a dynamic way to experience the latest music products and technologies, educational sessions and live concerts. ■
