Attention Music Industry Brands: Connect With These Influencers at The 2025 NAMM Show
Everyone in the music industry knows that The NAMM Show is the biggest gathering of music brands there is in the world. Every year, more brands come to unveil their latest innovations and people in the industry can’t wait to get their hands on the newest tools of the trade.
A significant community that’s grown presence at the show is content creators from YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. These influencers have an increasingly important role in the music products ecosystem, making them as important to The NAMM Show as The NAMM Show is to them. They bring the love of these products to audiences worldwide. We caught up with a few creators who will attend the show in January to ask them about their influencer journeys, their collaboration with brands and perspectives on The 2025 NAMM Show.
Alejandro Sifuentes
What inspired you to start your online journey as a creator-influencer?
To create the kind of content I wished existed on the internet — to create to educate, inform and inspire new generations of drummers and to showcase the world of drums from a perspective never seen before.
Was it easy to find your passion area of content creation?
No, it wasn't easy. I didn't start out in the world of drumming. My content began as videos of me talking and singing in the car. It wasn't until about two years later that I started making drum covers, and around four years later, I began speaking in front of the camera specifically about drumming. And for those who think this is a quick money-making scheme, it took me four years of weekly videos to receive my first payment of $500 USD.
What has your audience been interested in most lately?
Unboxing of new drum sets and especially all content related to e-drums.
Do you currently collaborate with music brands?
Yes, currently I’m collaborating with brands like Simmons, Alesis, Donner, Drumeo and Sweetwater.
What are you anticipating for The 2025 NAMM Show?
More brands, new brands, create new friends and new connections with brands. I’d like to see a stage where musicians can collaborate and play together.
Mia Asano
What inspired you to start your online journey as a creator-influencer?
I never intended to do this full time. I was feeling lost during music school and like I needed to play styles of music that weren't connecting with my soul the way music from my childhood does, like rock, metal and Celtic music. I realized I was spending all my time trying to impress other musicians, rather than playing music for the reasons that I love music.
In an attempt to overcome my imposter syndrome, I started secretly posting videos on TikTok because I didn't have any followers there and I could put it out there without being afraid of judgment.
Within three days, one of them went viral. I woke up the next morning with 100,000 followers on social media, and now that video has over 10 million views. It launched everything for me, and now, I've been able to tour the world and collaborate with the artists that first inspired me to do music. I've been able to play huge festivals. I've met amazing friends, and more than anything, I've been able to become an artist and from a place of authenticity and love for music, rather than an attempt to make other people like me.
Was it easy to find your passion area of content creation?
I was a freelance videographer before I was doing content creation, so it came naturally to me. I'm lucky I got to incorporate violin into the content creation. I wouldn't want to just be an influencer. I'd rather be a musician that also makes content. And I'm lucky that my audience appreciates music content as well as lifestyle stuff and other aspects of who I am, but the music always comes first.
What has your audience been interested in most lately?
My audience lately loves Papa Roach, specifically when I cover “Last Resort.” Every time I cover it, it goes crazy viral. It just got 20 million views on TikTok. They love when I play any rock and metal. They also love when I do classic rock, modern bands and pop music. They just love violin and electric violin.
Do you currently collaborate with music brands?
I do collaborate with music brands. I'm not specifically endorsed with anyone. I have a custom instrument cable with Tsunami Cables, and it's a custom maroon color, which is my color.
I play on a bunch of different types of electric violins. The one that you see in my videos a lot is a seven-string fretted Viper from Wood Violins. I also love playing on my Yamaha violin and my Volta violin.
And I use D’Addario strings — I love the Helicore from D’Addario. I use Line Six Helix Stomp, Helix Floor and Helix Native for my effects. I'm also using a Quad Cortex from Neural DSP, Shure for my wireless and sE Electronics for my microphones. So, I love all music brands.
What are you anticipating for The 2025 NAMM Show?
I’m excited for my performance at the show on Thursday, January 23 at 4 pm on the ADJ Arena Plaza Stage. I'm going to debut music from my upcoming solo album, which I'm super stoked about. I just moved to L.A., and a lot of my closest friends here are people that I met at NAMM. I can't wait to make music with a lot of cool people.
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Steve Onotera | Samurai Guitarist
What inspired you to start your online journey as a creator-influencer?
A big part of this was seeing a good friend have success with his band, Walk Off The Earth. My closest friend in college joined the band, and within a few months they went from playing the local circuit to being on “Ellen” and courted by the labels. This was the first time I ever saw someone achieve any level of success in music, and that stayed with me.
In fact, their big viral video, "Five People Play One Guitar," inspired me to make my first video. One of the news reporters covering their story said something like, "now that I've seen five people play one guitar, I'd really like to see one person play five guitars," so I did that, and it sat on a hard drive for a few years.
After college, I was trying to find my footing in the music industry. I was working with a band and our plan was going to be doing the Walk Off The Earth approach — grow a following with crazy YouTube videos. The band couldn't get out of the starting blocks; I was frustrated so I started making all these video ideas I had on my own.
Within the first few months of posting to my channel, I had a video that went to the top of reddit with hundreds of thousands of views, and for a guy who had never sniffed success before, I knew this was my path going forward.
Was it easy to find your passion area of content creation?
Passion is a funny thing. The first years of doing this were full of passion and excitement. I was doing things that I don't think anyone had ever done before. Every time I came up with an idea, there was always that feeling of, "can this even be done?" and then when it got to the point where I was like, "this is actually going to work," it was incredible.
When a video would do well, it was the greatest thing in the world, but when a video that I poured my heart into flopped, it felt terrible.
At this point, 10 years and 500+ videos into this career, the highs and lows are much more moderate. I think it was probably easier to find the passion than it has been to maintain it. It's like every long-term relationship — you are on cloud nine at the beginning. The challenge is maintaining it for the long term.
What has your audience been interested in most lately?
The hardest thing about YouTube is you work for this imaginary boss — the algorithm that serves people videos determines so much.
The audience has a huge impact on it, but I don't think anyone fully understands the mythical algorithm. When we ask what’s the audience into, does that mean what gets the most views? Is it the feedback they leave on videos?
I think what my audience is most interested in is a thing they desperately want to watch that they’ve never seen before, and they didn't even know they wanted it; a very difficult thing to quantify. My approach is to make things I like and think other people will like. Trying to follow any trend or pattern has never worked for me.
Do you currently collaborate with music brands?
The top one is probably Martin; I love working with them. They make my favorite acoustic guitars and I've been to their factory twice. D’Addario is another I've had a long relationship with. I just did a video for Fender, one for Donner, Journey, Yamaha. I've got gear from so many companies it's hard to keep track.
What are you anticipating for The 2025 NAMM Show?
I like seeing my content friends, my brand friends and meeting people out and about on the floor. I like The NAMM Show because you know what you’re getting. Every year is just a little more refined than the last, and it's always a good time.
Andy Ferris | The Guitar Geek
What inspired you to start your online journey as a creator-influencer?
I moved to Austria in 2011, and the job that I had lined up fell through. Simply put, I needed to find a way to generate income, and my hope was to find something that would be more than a job and something I could be proud of.
I spent many years trying different ways of making money online with music, including live shows, writing commercial music and ghostwriting songs. Once I realized it was possible to earn a living sharing all the knowledge that I've gained and play guitar, I had to pursue it.
I went through many years of asking my partner to trust in me whilst I worked hard and brought in little money. Friends thought I was crazy for attempting a career that was far from stable, but as a lifelong musician, it was just another step in being a creative person.
When I started my YouTube Channel, I saw others creating reviews of guitar products and I thought it looked easy. It isn't, and I was wrong, but I found a career that I absolutely love. The only regret I have about being a content creator is not starting earlier.
Was it easy to find your passion area of content creation?
It was only ever one choice for me. I've been passionate about guitars since the age of 12. This career is the one that allows me to be the most free as a musician.
What has your audience been interested in most lately?
I've seen a big change in my audience recently. People are less likely to part with their money over something they don't deeply desire or absolutely need. A few years ago, people were more frivolous with their money but now they look to people like me to help guide them through a sea of products. My audience always resonates with the videos that feature products I deeply enjoy.
It might seem ridiculous, but I only realized about 18 months ago that my channel is a gear review channel and that's what people expect from me. Whenever I deviated from gear reviews or mod projects, the videos were not performing so well. Viewers come to me for trustworthy information about products they're interested in. Sometimes it's a budget product that they just want to satisfy their GAS with; sometimes it’s a dream guitar they might buy once in their life. What surprises me is that I sometimes cannot tell which one it might be because people from all walks of life watch my videos.
I'm always certain to include the positives and negatives of the things that I review which ensures authenticity. Gut reactions are far more important to my viewers than a planned script. Ultimately, I make the content for me and the audience in a way that I enjoy, and I am thankful to the brands that give me their trust to do this.
Do you currently collaborate with music brands?
I have collaborated with brands such as Fender, Ibanez, Yamaha and most recently some retailers such as Thomann, Guitar Centre and Gear 4 Music.
These collaborations have proven to be fun and fruitful for everyone involved and most importantly, the newer brands that I work with understand that sometimes multiple pieces of content work better than a one-off. Brands are beginning to understand how important relationships are, and I'm happy that I'm at this stage where I can choose to work with people and brands that mean the most to me because this means I can deliver the best content for my audience.
I say no to a fair number of collaborations that I don't feel will resonate with my audience. This freedom and authenticity is extremely important to me.
What are you anticipating for The 2025 NAMM Show?
The more that NAMM understands and works with content creators like me, the better the industry will be. I'm very much looking forward to going to Anaheim again.
Ryan Burke | 60 Cycle Hum
What inspired you to start your online journey as a creator-influencer?
My friend (and co-host) Steve and I started a guitar podcast for fun back in 2014. The podcast became an introduction into the guitar gear industry and social scene which led to marketing opportunities with brands.
At the time, I was transitioning from a graphic design career to a commercial video production career, so I had the gear and skill to try my hand at filming a few demo videos and quickly fell in love with the work. Getting to apply my professional skills to my long-time hobby of window-shopping guitar gear has been wonderfully rewarding.
Was it easy to find your passion area of content creation?
Absolutely, there are a lot of niche subjects I like to focus on. When I started there was no one demonstrating the use of spring reverb products for use with surf guitar. I'm a longtime lover of surf guitar, and I'm even in a surf band so it was natural to become the channel for drippy spring reverb demos.
I also love budget gear which led to the birth of my well-loved “Afford-a-board” series where I explore the cheapest pedals that can be found on the internet. There are several niches I have been able to explore that reflect my unique passions and interests for guitar gear.
What has your audience been interested in most lately?
The trick to making this kind of content is focusing on the stuff you like with the intention of finding an audience that likes what you like. I can generally predict how interested my audience will be in a piece of guitar gear based on how excited I am for it. I'll say that the recent proliferation of Jaguars from Fender has been a lot of fun. Also, baritones and bass VI style guitars have been fun and well-received in my videos.
Do you currently collaborate with music brands?
Yes! All the time. I work with big brands like Fender, Sweetwater and Yamaha, and I work with the smallest brands out there, folks making a dozen strange fuzz pedals a month on their kitchen tables. I love working with brands across the entire spectrum.
What are you anticipating for The 2025 NAMM Show?
I say the same thing every year: My favorite part of The NAMM Show is the people.
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About the Author
Tracy Hoeft is a seasoned music aficionado. During his formative years, Tracy immersed himself in the world of music, commencing his rhythmic journey at Paragon Music in Florida, where he honed his drumming skills at age 15. His fervor for music only deepened at his first NAMM Show in 1984. In the 90s, Tracy channeled his entrepreneurial spirit into the creation of Michael Kelly Guitars, a venture that flourished under his guidance. Today, as a consultant and marketing maven, his expertise has been instrumental in amplifying the presence of numerous music companies.
John Dolak, director of communications at NAMM, contributed Mia Asano’s interview.