MOSCOW — NAMM and Messe Frankfurt announced that dozens of manufacturers and distributors of major music product brands have confirmed exhibit space and attendance at the two new international music product trade shows being held here: NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia. The shows will be held for the first time at Moscow’s Expo Centre May 16-19, 2012.
More details from NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia (www.namm-musikmesse.ru and www.prolight-namm.ru):
“Both shows see considerable interest in the industry at an early stage,” said Cordelia von Gymnich, vice president Messe Frankfurt. “Already set to exhibit in their individual booths are companies including Roland, Sennheiser, Hal Leonard, C.F. Martin, Taylor Guitars and Martin Pro Lighting. In addition, distributors will be representing companies such as Kawai, Ernie Ball, Vari-Lite, Clay Paky, Allen & Heath and many others at the Moscow-based shows.”
Sales for Russian musical instruments and technologies are estimated to be $450 million (US). In 2010, imports in some product segments increased by 36.3 percent compared to the previous year.
According to NAMM’s Director of International Affairs Betty Heywood, the Russian musical market is potentially the largest in Europe, and is characterized by a large population of around 145 million people, a developed musical culture and recent sustainable growth trends.
“Russia alone has more than 5,000 music schools for children,” Heywood said. “Often, the schools have old and unsuitable instruments that need to be replaced. The show’s targeted areas of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States [CIS] present a market of almost 300 million consumers who are mostly sophisticated, discerning consumers in the upper-middle income bracket.”
Part of the proceeds from the shows will be reinvested in professional development courses to support development of the Russian musical instruments and technologies market, in addition to initiating future advocacy efforts to ease trade regulations with Russia.
The trade shows are being co-produced by Messe Frankfurt, producers of the International Musikmesse, Music China, Prolight + Sound, and Prolight + Sound Shanghai, and NAMM International, subsidiary producer of the NAMM Show and Summer NAMM.
Both partners have many years of experience in organizing fairs for the musical instrument, pro audio and entertainment technology sectors. NAMM and Messe Frankfurt have been successfully cooperating on the Music China show in Shanghai since 2006.
“We are the world’s largest printed music publisher representing many composers, artists, publications and products on a global basis,” said Mark Mumford, director of European sales and marketing at Hal Leonard Corporation. “We believe that the Russian and CIS music markets have the potential to be a vibrant growth environment for our business. There is a vast music-making community across all genres and without doubt there is an opportunity to increase the accessibility to the great music that we publish and to be part of an ongoing rich and developed musical culture.”
“Roland is one of the leading manufacturers of digital music instruments and equipment in the world,” said Vadim Kuznetsov, head of the marketing department at Roland. “Every year our corporation presents the latest novelties of the music industry during the Winter NAMM Show in California and at Musikmesse in Germany. We are glad that in May 2012, NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia will give us an opportunity to present our instruments and technologies to the Russian audience. We hope that experience and expertise of such serious show organizers such as NAMM and Messe Frankfurt will help the Russian music market reach a new level of quality.”
“Our company is representing world-famous manufacturers of music instruments and DJ equipment in Russia including Allen & Heath, Audio-Technica, QSC Audio Products, Denon DJ, Denon & Marantz Pro, Rocktron, Markbass, Dean Guitars and more,” said Dmitry Modin, managing director of Mix Art Distribution. “All of those companies are considering the Russian market as one of the most promising in the world, and we are sharing their opinion. We hope that NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia will become new professional platforms of high quality for the Russian music industry, and moreover will influence development of this industry sector in Russia.”
