NAMM and the Music Products Industry Lend a Hand to Nashville for Flood Relief

In the wake of the recent Nashville flood and ongoing recovery efforts, NAMM, the 109-year-old trade association of the international music products industry, announced today how the association and the music products industry will aid the ongoing relief efforts during its upcoming annual summer music product trade show called Summer NAMM. NAMM and the industry will assist the relief efforts as follows: 

1. Moving forward with the Summer NAMM event as planned at the Nashville Convention Center, June 18-20, 2010.  Gathering the international music products industry in Nashville will bring a much-needed estimated $13 million to the local economy during this difficult time.
2. NAMM will host a MusiCares® booth at Summer NAMM, where a silent instrument auction will be held. Proceeds will benefit the MusiCares Nashville Flood Relief fund, providing aid to local Nashville-area musicians and their families who were impacted by the floods. NAMM Members wishing to donate instruments for this should stop by this booth or send an e-mail to jeffl@namm.org. 100 percent of the proceeds generated from this auction will directly benefit local flood victims. 
3. Want to donate products to help? NAMM will also host an instrument donation booth at the show run by the Nashville Musicians Association (NMA), AFM Local 257.  Donated products should be undamaged and in usable condition. The NMA is also taking flood relief donations on their Web site www.nashvillemusicians.org. In addition to the many musicans affected, many school music programs were hard hit by the floods. We ask you to consider donating instruments, gear, teaching materials and equipment that will be re-distributed to students and musicians in the Nashville area to replace items lost. Members of the Nashville Musicians Association will be at Booth #140  ready to accept your donations and provide you with a receipt for tax purposes.
4. NAMM is working with Next Big Nashville, American Songwriter magazine, the Nashville Musicians Association and Musicares on a program called The BIG Gear Giveback where NAMM vendors, gear companies and compassionate musicians will have the opportunity to donate gear to working musicians who lost the tools of their livelihood during the Nashville Flood. The association will be celebrating this effort with a special concert event at Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville on Friday, June 18, 2010. As a special thank you from NAMM, all donors at this event will also receive a wristband to attend the Summer NAMM trade show as part of a special event called "Wanna Play Music Sunday." For more information, please visit www.namm.org/wannaplaysunday.

"Our prayers and support continue to go out to the people of Nashville who have been affected by this natural disaster," said Joe Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM.  "For years, the Nashville community has embraced NAMM and our members with great Southern hospitality and open arms. And now, when they need help the most, our industry is grateful for the opportunity to give back."

About NAMM

NAMM is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the international musical instruments and products industry. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 9,000 Member companies. 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).

About MusiCares

Established in 1989 by The Recording Academy®, MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares' services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community. For more information, please visit www.musicares.com.

About Next Big Nashville

For five years Next BIG Nashville has showcased the future of music by featuring artists from the world of rock, pop, hip hop, indie, roots, and more performing throughout the city, accompanied by informative industry panels and speakers. For more information, please visit www.nextbignashville.net.

About the Nashville Musicians Association

The Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257, was founded in 1902, and exists to serve and protect musicians in an increasingly challenging business environment. We represent studio musicians, touring bands, symphonic musicians, vocalists, arrangers, composers, contractors, and more. We negotiate and administer contracts, track additional uses of songs recorded under Union contracts, and represent musicians in all genres of music from jazz to rock, pop, bluegrass, gospel, and yes, country music. Our members range from music icons such as Vince Gill and Bela Fleck, to young bands working their way up the ladder of success, and everything in between. For more information, visit www.nashvillemusicians.org.

About American Songwriter

American Songwriter is now in its 26th year of print —continuing to cover every aspect of the craft and art of songwriting.  The magazine and AmericanSongwriter.com serve as the unparalleled source of inspiration for passionate music fans and songwriters alike, by exploring all genres of music.  For more information, please visit www.americansongwriter.com.