BEST IN SHOW
BEST IN SHOW
YAMAHA MARCHING CARRIERS ”Retailers in the B&O space know one pain-point for band programs is marching stands. Yamaha was thoughtful about the design of these ones.” [Selected by Robert Christie]
The annual Best in Show panel moved to the Ideas Center this year — bringing with it all the hottest gear, companies and services avail- able at The 2025 NAMM Show. Held Jan. 25, Best in Show, which was moderated by Frank Alkyer, president of Music Inc. and UpBeat Daily magazines, featured a panel of six retail-buying experts who presented their top picks for the best gear and services they saw across the 2025 show floor. THE CATEGORIES DISCUSSED: BEST IN SHOW: The best product or service the panelists saw at NAMM. COMPANY TO WATCH: An exhibitor with trendsetting products or services. GOTTA STOCK IT: A product that retailers should stock right now. ADD-ONS & ACCESSORIES: A great product from the small-goods arena.
PANELISTS:
ROBERT CHRISTIE President of A&G Central Music Madison Heights, Michigan
AMANDA RUETER President of Ernie Williamson Music Springfield, Missouri
QSC KC12 COLUMN P.A. SYSTEM
“It’s the price-point of one of their subs, and it performs
at a higher SPL.” [Selected by Cyph Shah]
CYPH SHAH General Manager of Astro Audio Video Lighting Glendale, California
LAURA PENROSE Owner of Nick Rail Music Santa Barbara, California
DOMINIC WAGNER Chief Marketing Officer of Thomann Treppendorf, Germany
JIM TUERK Director of Business Development at Reverb.com Chicago
Moderator: Frank Alkyer, president, Music Inc., DownBeat and UpBeat Daily magazines, Elmhurst, Illinois
66 I MUSIC INC. I APRIL 2025
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